Gold Digger is a manga

Manga

Manga is the Japanese word for "comics" and consists of comics and print cartoons . In the West, the term "manga" has been appropriated to refer specifically to comics created in Japan, or by Japanese authors, in the Japanese language and conforming to the style developed in Japan in the late 19th...

-reminiscent comic book

Comic book

A comic book or comicbook is a magazine made up of comics, narrative artwork in the form of separate panels that represent individual scenes, often accompanied by dialog as well as including...

 series, written and drawn by Fred Perry

Fred Perry (comics)

Fred Perry is an American comic book artist, currently working at Antarctic Press.He is well known as author and artist of Japanese-styled comics. The series he is best known for is Gold Digger, a long-running comic anthology...

, and published by Antarctic Press

Antarctic Press

Antarctic Press is a San Antonio-based comic book publishing company which publishes "American Manga" style comic books.Founded by Ben Dunn in 1984, Antarctic Press has produced over 850 titles with a total circulation of over 5 million...

. Fred came up with the initial inspiration for Gold Digger during his tour of duty in the First Gulf War, and released the debut oneshot in Antarctic Press' Mangazine, in 1991. A four-issue miniseries

Miniseries

A miniseries , in a serial storytelling medium, is a television show production which tells a story in a limited number of episodes. The exact number is open to interpretation; however, they are usually limited to fewer than a whole season. The term "miniseries" is generally a North American term...

 followed in 1992 and 1993, followed by a regular monthly black-and-white series, and finally the current colour series beginning in 1999.

It is the second most extensive, long-running, entirely original creator-controlled, self-contained North American comicbook in history, only exceeded by Cerebus, and has the most issues among comics that are still regularly published, followed by Usagi Yojimbo

Usagi Yojimbo

is a comic book series created by Stan Sakai in 1987. In 2011 IGN ranked Miyamoto Usagi 92nd in the top 100 comic books heroes.-Concept:Set primarily at the beginning of Edo period of Japan , with anthropomorphic animals replacing humans, the series features a rabbit ronin, Miyamoto Usagi, whom...

.

Fred himself describes the book as a mixture of Indiana Jones

Indiana Jones

Colonel Henry Walton "Indiana" Jones, Jr., Ph.D. is a fictional character and the protagonist of the Indiana Jones franchise. George Lucas and Steven Spielberg created the character in homage to the action heroes of 1930s film serials...

 and Final Fantasy

Final Fantasy

is a media franchise created by Hironobu Sakaguchi, and is developed and owned by Square Enix . The franchise centers on a series of fantasy and science-fantasy role-playing video games , but includes motion pictures, anime, printed media, and other merchandise...

. He has recently been inspired by the way the current Doctor Who

Doctor Who

Doctor Who is a British science fiction television programme produced by the BBC. The programme depicts the adventures of a time-travelling humanoid alien known as the Doctor who explores the universe in a sentient time machine called the TARDIS that flies through time and space, whose exterior...

 tv series develops storylines, and adapted the series to a similar consistently self-contained format from issue 101 and onwards, with each issue easily accessible and possible to enjoy for new readers.

Summary

Gold Digger focuses on the adventures of Gina Babette Diggers, superscientist, archeologist, teacher, adventurer, nerd, and idealist extraordinaire, accompanied by her colourful extended family, friends, students, and acquaintances, as she explores the strange and ancient hidden histories of the world, spanning a wide distinctive variety of characters, stories, environments, worlds, societies, times, species, and universes of magic and science fiction, in a world filled with possibilities.

Plot influences

Thanks to the author's very diverse interests, and personal experiences ranging from the U.S. Army to physics

Physics

Physics is a natural science that involves the study of matter and its motion through spacetime, along with related concepts such as energy and force. More broadly, it is the general analysis of nature, conducted in order to understand how the universe behaves.Physics is one of the oldest academic...

 studies, the stories have included tongue-in-cheek

Tongue-in-cheek

Tongue-in-cheek is a phrase used as a figure of speech to imply that a statement or other production is humorously intended and it should not be taken at face value. The facial expression typically indicates that one is joking or making a mental effort. In the past, it may also have indicated...

 references to a wide variety of popular culture, spanning anything from science

Science

Science is a systematic enterprise that builds and organizes knowledge in the form of testable explanations and predictions about the universe...

, fantasy

Fantasy

Fantasy is a genre of fiction that commonly uses magic and other supernatural phenomena as a primary element of plot, theme, or setting. Many works within the genre take place in imaginary worlds where magic is common...

, science-fiction, television series, books, superhero

Superhero

A superhero is a type of stock character, possessing "extraordinary or superhuman powers", dedicated to protecting the public. Since the debut of the prototypical superhero Superman in 1938, stories of superheroes — ranging from brief episodic adventures to continuing years-long sagas —...

es, computer games

Computer Games

"Computer Games" is a single by New Zealand group, Mi-Sex released in 1979 in Australia and New Zealand and in 1981 throughout Europe. It was the single that launched the band, and was hugely popular, particularly in Australia and New Zealand...

, animation

Animation

Animation is the rapid display of a sequence of images of 2-D or 3-D artwork or model positions in order to create an illusion of movement. The effect is an optical illusion of motion due to the phenomenon of persistence of vision, and can be created and demonstrated in several ways...

, manga

Manga

Manga is the Japanese word for "comics" and consists of comics and print cartoons . In the West, the term "manga" has been appropriated to refer specifically to comics created in Japan, or by Japanese authors, in the Japanese language and conforming to the style developed in Japan in the late 19th...

, or even internet memes.

Collected Editions

• Gold Digger Pocket Manga, vol. 1 - Collects the original miniseries issues #1-4. - ISBN 1932453008
• Gold Digger Pocket Manga, vol. 2 - Collects the first issues of the Gold Digger regular series. - ISBN 1932453075
• Gold Digger Pocket Manga, vol. 3 - ISBN 1932453350
• Gold Digger Pocket Manga, vol. 4 - ISBN 193245361X
• Gold Digger Pocket Manga, vol. 5 - Collects vol. 2 #17-21. - ISBN 1932453717
• Gold Digger Pocket Manga, vol. 6
• Gold Digger Pocket Manga, vol. 7 - ISBN 1932453946
• Gold Digger Pocket Manga, vol. 8 - Collects vol. 2 #32-35 plus Ninja High School
  Ninja High School
  Ninja High School is a comic book series created, written, and illustrated by Ben Dunn, and currently published by Antarctic Press. It was at first published by Eternity Comics...
  
  #54-57. - ISBN 0976804301
• Gold Digger Pocket Manga, vol. 9 - Collects vol. 2 #36-40.
• Gold Digger Pocket Manga, vol. 10 - Collects vol. 2 #41-45. - ISBN 0972897879
• Gold Digger Pocket Manga, vol. 11 - Collects vol. 2 #46-50.

• Gold Digger Max Pocket Manga - Collects the Asrial vs. Cheetah and A Science Affair miniseries, plus the Gold Digger Beta and GD Minus 18 one-shots. - ISBN 0977642410

• Gold Digger II Pocket Manga, vol. 1 - Collects issues #1-8 of the colour series. - ISBN 0978772539
• Gold Digger II Pocket Manga, vol. 2 - Collects vol. 3 #9-15. - ISBN 0979272300
• Gold Digger II Pocket Manga, vol. 3 - Collects vol. 3 #16-21. - ISBN 0979771900
• Gold Digger II Pocket Manga, vol. 4 - Collects vol. 3 #23-30. - ISBN 0979771978
• Gold Digger II Pocket Manga, vol. 5 - Collects vol. 3 #31-36. - ISBN 0980125537
• Gold Digger II Pocket Manga, vol. 6 - Collects vol. 3 #37-42. - ISBN 0981664792
• Gold Digger II Pocket Manga, vol. 7 - Collects vol. 3 #43-47. - ISBN 0981664717
• Gold Digger II Pocket Manga, vol. 8 - Collects vol. 3 #48-52. - ISBN 0982225393
• Gold Digger II Pocket Manga, vol. 9 - Collects vol. 3 #52-56. - ISBN 0984110720
• Gold Digger II Pocket Manga, vol. 10 - Collects vol. 3 #57-61. - ISBN 0984110771

• Gold Brick, vol. 1 - Collects vol. 2 #1-25.
• Gold Brick, vol. 2 - Collects vol. 2 #25-50.
• Gold Brick, vol. 3 - Collects vol. 3 #1-25.
• Gold Brick, vol. 4 - Collects vol. 3 #26-50.
• Gold Brick, vol. 5 - Collects vol. 3 #51-75.
• Gold Brick, vol. 6 - Collects vol. 3 #76-100.

• Gold Digger Platinum, vol. 1 - Collects vol. 3 #101-105. Starring Gina and her new batch of supernatural archeology students. - ISBN 0984337571
• Gold Digger Platinum, vol. 2 - Collects vol. 3 #106-110.

• Peebo Manga Vol. 1 - Starring Brianna, Peebri, and the Peebos.
• Peebo Tales TPB - Collects "Gold Digger: Peebo Tales #1-6".
• Tifanny & Charlotte Pocket Manga - Collects the first miniseries.
• Tifanny & Charlotte, 2nd Semester Pocket Manga - Collects the second miniseries.
• Throne of Shadows Pocket Manga - Collects "Throne of Shadows" #1-4, starring the wererats.
• Maidens of Twilight Pocket Manga - Starring Gennadrid and Seance.
• Gold Digger Tangent Pocket Manga - Starring Ayane and the Northern Edge Guard.

• Gold Digger Sourcebook TPB - Collects the Gold Digger Sourcebook #1-17.
• Gold Digger Tech Manual - Collects Gold Digger Tech Manual #1-9

DVDs

• GD-ROM 1.0 - Collects Gold Digger vol.1: #1-4, vol.2: #1-50, vol.3: #1-75, and Ninja High School
  Ninja High School
  Ninja High School is a comic book series created, written, and illustrated by Ben Dunn, and currently published by Antarctic Press. It was at first published by Eternity Comics...
  
  #54-57.
• GD-ROM 2.0 - Collects Gold Digger vol.1: #1-4, vol.2: #1-50, vol.3: #1-100, and Ninja High School
  Ninja High School
  Ninja High School is a comic book series created, written, and illustrated by Ben Dunn, and currently published by Antarctic Press. It was at first published by Eternity Comics...
  
  #54-57.
• GD-ROM 3.0 - Collects Gold Digger vol.1: #1-4, vol.2: #1-50, vol.3: #1-125, and Ninja High School
  Ninja High School
  Ninja High School is a comic book series created, written, and illustrated by Ben Dunn, and currently published by Antarctic Press. It was at first published by Eternity Comics...
  
  #54-57.

• Gold Digger: Time Raft - A full length OVA movie.

External links

• Antarctic Press - Publisher of the Gold Digger series, collections and spinoffs, with an online store for ordering collections and back issues.
• Fred Perry Fan Club
• GD Tangent - A webcomic
  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....
  
   by Fred Perry featuring drawings of various Gold Digger characters, Lvlup, set in Vana'diel (the world of Final Fantasy XI
  Final Fantasy XI
  , also known as Final Fantasy XI Online, is a MMORPG developed and published by Square as part of the Final Fantasy series. It was released in Japan on Sony's PlayStation 2 on May 16, 2002, and was released for Microsoft's Windows-based personal computers in November 2002...
  
  ), and two Gold Digger subcomics, Ayane, set on Earth, and Northern Edge, set in the world of Jade.