Dresden Codak
Encyclopedia
Dresden Codak is a webcomic
written and illustrated by Aaron Diaz. Described by Diaz as a "celebration of science, death and human folly", the comic presents stories that deal with elements of philosophy
, science
and technology
, and/or psychology
. The comic was recognized in 2008 at the Web Cartoonist's Choice Awards for Outstanding Use of Color and Outstanding Use of The Medium.
On October 22, 2008, Dresden Codak concluded a long-running sequence called "Hob", which focused on the character Kimiko's discovery of a post-Singularity
robot and its attempted recovery by people from a future in which Earth was destroyed in a war with the artificial intelligence that once tended the planet.
and the consequences of time travel
. Accordingly, much of Dresden Codak falls into the cyberpunk
and science fiction
genres.
The next major story arc is Dark Science. The arc centers on Kimiko Ross, while introducing a few new characters. The arc also utilises to great effect the artistic style of decopunk
, which, though notably present in the HOB arc, defines the city of Nephilopolis
However, the large number of one shot comics make Dresden Codak as a whole difficult to place into a single genre, and like comics such as xkcd
, it falls to the position of straddling much of geek culture.
Dimitri and Alina Tokamak are two of Kimiko's close friends. They are shown to have impressive superpowers
and Diaz describes the two of them as "probably Nuclear-Powered", a reference to the Tokamak
nuclear fusion
reactor that is their namesake.
Tiny Carl Jung is a tiny version of Carl Jung
, "one of the fathers of modern tiny psychology". He seems to live with Kimiko, or at least to associate with Kimiko and the Tokamak siblings closely.
Rupert and Hubert are a pair of Victorian intellectuals who have moved to a magical palace on the moon to escape the insincerity of the world's leaders. They are less frequently recurring than the staple characters of the comic, and spend their time discussing scientific issues in the surreal manner typical of the comic. They do not interact with the other characters.
creator Nicholas Gurewitch wrote that he enjoyed reading Dresden Codak. The comic's highbrow patter is distinctive: internet pundit Lore Sjöberg
described it as "Little Nemo in Higher Education Land", while the pseudo-Victorian
pseudoscience
of "Traversing the Luminiferous Aether with Rupert and Hubert" was featured in the "Daily Zeitgest" section of science magazine Seed
.
Webcomic
Webcomics, online comics, or Internet comics are comics published on a website. While many are published exclusively on the web, others are also published in magazines, newspapers or often in self-published books....
written and illustrated by Aaron Diaz. Described by Diaz as a "celebration of science, death and human folly", the comic presents stories that deal with elements of philosophy
Philosophy
Philosophy is the study of general and fundamental problems, such as those connected with existence, knowledge, values, reason, mind, and language. Philosophy is distinguished from other ways of addressing such problems by its critical, generally systematic approach and its reliance on rational...
, science
Science
Science is a systematic enterprise that builds and organizes knowledge in the form of testable explanations and predictions about the universe...
and technology
Technology
Technology is the making, usage, and knowledge of tools, machines, techniques, crafts, systems or methods of organization in order to solve a problem or perform a specific function. It can also refer to the collection of such tools, machinery, and procedures. The word technology comes ;...
, and/or psychology
Psychology
Psychology is the study of the mind and behavior. Its immediate goal is to understand individuals and groups by both establishing general principles and researching specific cases. For many, the ultimate goal of psychology is to benefit society...
. The comic was recognized in 2008 at the Web Cartoonist's Choice Awards for Outstanding Use of Color and Outstanding Use of The Medium.
On October 22, 2008, Dresden Codak concluded a long-running sequence called "Hob", which focused on the character Kimiko's discovery of a post-Singularity
Technological singularity
Technological singularity refers to the hypothetical future emergence of greater-than-human intelligence through technological means. Since the capabilities of such an intelligence would be difficult for an unaided human mind to comprehend, the occurrence of a technological singularity is seen as...
robot and its attempted recovery by people from a future in which Earth was destroyed in a war with the artificial intelligence that once tended the planet.
Subject Matter
Dresden Codaks longest-running story arc, HOB, focused primarily on the results of a technological singularityTechnological singularity
Technological singularity refers to the hypothetical future emergence of greater-than-human intelligence through technological means. Since the capabilities of such an intelligence would be difficult for an unaided human mind to comprehend, the occurrence of a technological singularity is seen as...
and the consequences of time travel
Time travel
Time travel is the concept of moving between different points in time in a manner analogous to moving between different points in space. Time travel could hypothetically involve moving backward in time to a moment earlier than the starting point, or forward to the future of that point without the...
. Accordingly, much of Dresden Codak falls into the cyberpunk
Cyberpunk
Cyberpunk is a postmodern and science fiction genre noted for its focus on "high tech and low life." The name is a portmanteau of cybernetics and punk, and was originally coined by Bruce Bethke as the title of his short story "Cyberpunk," published in 1983...
and science fiction
Science fiction
Science fiction is a genre of fiction dealing with imaginary but more or less plausible content such as future settings, futuristic science and technology, space travel, aliens, and paranormal abilities...
genres.
The next major story arc is Dark Science. The arc centers on Kimiko Ross, while introducing a few new characters. The arc also utilises to great effect the artistic style of decopunk
Decopunk
Decopunk is a recent subset of the Steampunk genre, centered around the Art Deco and Streamline Moderne art styles, and based around the period between the 20s and 50s. In an interview at CoyoteCon, steampunk author Sara M. Harvey made the distinctions "...shiner than DieselPunk, more like...
, which, though notably present in the HOB arc, defines the city of Nephilopolis
However, the large number of one shot comics make Dresden Codak as a whole difficult to place into a single genre, and like comics such as xkcd
Xkcd
xkcd is a webcomic created by Randall Munroe. The comic's tagline describes it as "a webcomic of romance, sarcasm, math, and language." It has been recognized in such mainstream media as The Guardian and The New York Times....
, it falls to the position of straddling much of geek culture.
Major characters
- Kimiko Ross (given name Kimiko Sarai Kusanagi, middle name later given as Serena) is
Superpower (ability)
Superpower is a popular culture term for a fictional superhuman ability. When a character possesses multiple such abilities, the terms super powers or simply powers are used...
and Diaz describes the two of them as "probably Nuclear-Powered", a reference to the Tokamak
Tokamak
A tokamak is a device using a magnetic field to confine a plasma in the shape of a torus . Achieving a stable plasma equilibrium requires magnetic field lines that move around the torus in a helical shape...
nuclear fusion
Nuclear fusion
Nuclear fusion is the process by which two or more atomic nuclei join together, or "fuse", to form a single heavier nucleus. This is usually accompanied by the release or absorption of large quantities of energy...
reactor that is their namesake.
Carl Jung
Carl Gustav Jung was a Swiss psychiatrist and the founder of Analytical Psychology. Jung is considered the first modern psychiatrist to view the human psyche as "by nature religious" and make it the focus of exploration. Jung is one of the best known researchers in the field of dream analysis and...
, "one of the fathers of modern tiny psychology". He seems to live with Kimiko, or at least to associate with Kimiko and the Tokamak siblings closely.
Reception
The Perry Bible FellowshipThe Perry Bible Fellowship
The Perry Bible Fellowship is a newspaper comic strip and webcomic by Nicholas Gurewitch. It originated in the Syracuse University newspaper The Daily Orange. The comics are usually three or four panels long, and are generally characterized by the juxtaposition of whimsical childlike imagery or...
creator Nicholas Gurewitch wrote that he enjoyed reading Dresden Codak. The comic's highbrow patter is distinctive: internet pundit Lore Sjöberg
Lore Sjöberg
Lore Christian Fitzgerald Sjöberg is an internet humorist, co-founder of the Brunching Shuttlecocks humor website and author of The Book of Ratings...
described it as "Little Nemo in Higher Education Land", while the pseudo-Victorian
Victorian era
The Victorian era of British history was the period of Queen Victoria's reign from 20 June 1837 until her death on 22 January 1901. It was a long period of peace, prosperity, refined sensibilities and national self-confidence...
pseudoscience
Pseudoscience
Pseudoscience is a claim, belief, or practice which is presented as scientific, but which does not adhere to a valid scientific method, lacks supporting evidence or plausibility, cannot be reliably tested, or otherwise lacks scientific status...
of "Traversing the Luminiferous Aether with Rupert and Hubert" was featured in the "Daily Zeitgest" section of science magazine Seed
Seed (magazine)
Seed is an online science magazine published by Seed Media Group. The magazine looks at big ideas in science, important issues at the intersection of science and society, and the people driving global science culture...
.
Web Cartoonist's Choice Awards
- 2008 Web Cartoonist's Choice Awards Winner for multiple awards:
- Outstanding Use of Color
- Outstanding Use of The Medium
- 2008 Web Cartoonist's Choice Awards Nominee for multiple awards:
- Outstanding Artist
- Outstanding Layout
- Outstanding Environment Design
- 2007 Web Cartoonist's Choice Awards Nominee for Outstanding Layout.
External links
- Dresden Codak's Hidden Fortress, a "sketch blog" by Diaz