Pictures for sad children
Encyclopedia
Pictures for Sad Children is a webcomic
by John Campbell which began in 2007. The comic, first focusing on the adventures of Paul, "who is a ghost," has since branched out to introduce other characters, such as Gary, whom Paul is forced to train at a call center after Paul initially lost his job because he was dead. Gary then became the main character and other characters were introduced including Gary's cousin Sara, her husband Afsheen, and their daughter Maddy. The Gary storyline was abandoned after strip 226 and the comic now primarily deals with stand-alone strips. Pictures for Sad Children also was a finalist in the 2008 Web Cartoonists' Choice Awards
(WCCA) as an Outstanding Newcomer. Campbell's LiveJournal
page, http://stereotypist.livejournal.com, was featured in their Spotlight section at the end of September 2007.
. The strip is largely story-driven, with most comics lacking a punchline—and, when a punchline is present, it is not usually a joke in the strictest sense. Each comic also has alt-text
, which serves as each individual comic's title and, typically, an alternate punchline.
, Mexico
, but he has since moved to Chicago
. He holds a close relationship with Ryan North
, author of Dinosaur Comics
, to the point where he has made an unnamed cameo and a guest comic, as well as a fan comic. The authors of A Softer World
, Hark! A Vagrant and Dresden Codak
have also made guest comics. He has a links page which includes single-panel interpretations of his favorite comics (with a link to the comic in particular) in his personal art style.
On September 30, 2009, several weeks after abandoning the main story arc of the comic, he announced that he had published his first book. The book itself is soft cover and features the first 200 comics of http://www.picturesforsadchildren.com/, which follows the storyline of Gary.
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 John Campbell which began in 2007. The comic, first focusing on the adventures of Paul, "who is a ghost," has since branched out to introduce other characters, such as Gary, whom Paul is forced to train at a call center after Paul initially lost his job because he was dead. Gary then became the main character and other characters were introduced including Gary's cousin Sara, her husband Afsheen, and their daughter Maddy. The Gary storyline was abandoned after strip 226 and the comic now primarily deals with stand-alone strips. Pictures for Sad Children also was a finalist in the 2008 Web Cartoonists' Choice Awards
Web Cartoonists' Choice Awards
The Web Cartoonists' Choice Awards are annual awards in which online cartoonists nominate and select outstanding webcomics. The awards have been held since 2001, were featured in a The New York Times column on webcomics in 2005, and have been mentioned as a tool for librarians.The WCCA represent a...
(WCCA) as an Outstanding Newcomer. Campbell's LiveJournal
LiveJournal
LiveJournal is a virtual community where Internet users can keep a blog, journal or diary. LiveJournal is also the name of the free and open source server software that was designed to run the LiveJournal virtual community....
page, http://stereotypist.livejournal.com, was featured in their Spotlight section at the end of September 2007.
Style of humor
The style of humor in Pictures for Sad Children is mostly dark, incorporating elements of magic realismMagic realism
Magic realism or magical realism is an aesthetic style or genre of fiction in which magical elements blend with the real world. The story explains these magical elements as real occurrences, presented in a straightforward manner that places the "real" and the "fantastic" in the same stream of...
. The strip is largely story-driven, with most comics lacking a punchline—and, when a punchline is present, it is not usually a joke in the strictest sense. Each comic also has alt-text
Alt attribute
The alt attribute is used in HTML and XHTML documents to specify alternative text that is to be rendered when the element to which it is applied cannot be rendered. In HTML 4.01, the attribute is required for the img and area tags...
, which serves as each individual comic's title and, typically, an alternate punchline.
Characters
- Gary, was the main character and protagonistProtagonistA protagonist is the main character of a literary, theatrical, cinematic, or musical narrative, around whom the events of the narrative's plot revolve and with whom the audience is intended to most identify...
. He works at an office that takes call center overflow. He has very low self-esteem and possibly a social anxiety disorderSocial anxiety disorderSocial anxiety disorder , also known as social phobia, is an anxiety disorder characterized by intense fear in social situations causing considerable distress and impaired ability to function in at least some parts of daily life...
. - Paul Cho, a ghost who was hit by a car running a red light. He formerly worked in accounting, but was made an employee intake coordinator after his death. He ended up training Gary and (somewhat) befriending him, but left the strip briefly after repossessing his twenty thousand dollar computer and destroying it. He was seen occasionally returning for brief periods before finally ending his year of haunting on earth. After residing in a hotel room serving as Hell, he found a way into Gary's deceased flatmate, Jeremy, and is currently using Jeremy's body. Sara, Afsheen, and Maddy live in his old house. He is half-Asian. Paul only appeared as a traditional ghost because he wore a sheet over his head in an attempt to look ghostly.
- Jeremy, Gary's hermitic roommate. He avoided direct contact with Gary (and, presumably, all people) at all costs, though he still talked to Gary through closed doors. He recently died and spent some time as Paul's roommate in hell until Paul inhabited Jeremy's corpse.
- Sara, Gary's cousin. She suffers from hallucinations and once ate a dead man's entire weight in candy, after which she regurgitated the man, now alive. She once worked at a testing facility which made her dead for a few hours, after which she would have to fill out extensive paperwork. She sometimes does not take her medicine.
- Afsheen, Sara's husband, whom she met at an allergy convention. He works two jobs, both of which he hates terribly, to help support his wife and daughter.
- Maddy, Sara and Afsheen's daughter, who is extremely sensitive to sunlight, possibly because her parents met at an allergy convention. She wears a pillowcase around whenever possible and is angered when she cannot. She acts much older than she actually is, and holds a low opinion of the Internet and the people on it, an opinion that was influenced by Paul.
- Mariana, Gary's coworker and ex-girlfriend.
- Simon, Mariana's ex-boyfriend, who is jealous of Gary and Mariana's relationship.
The author
John Campbell began publishing Pictures for Sad Children while living in ZacatecasZacatecas
Zacatecas officially Estado Libre y Soberano de Zacatecas is one of the 31 states which, with the Federal District, comprise the 32 Federal Entities of Mexico. It is divided in 58 municipalities and its capital city is Zacatecas....
, Mexico
Mexico
The United Mexican States , commonly known as Mexico , is a federal constitutional republic in North America. It is bordered on the north by the United States; on the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; on the southeast by Guatemala, Belize, and the Caribbean Sea; and on the east by the Gulf of...
, but he has since moved to Chicago
Chicago
Chicago is the largest city in the US state of Illinois. With nearly 2.7 million residents, it is the most populous city in the Midwestern United States and the third most populous in the US, after New York City and Los Angeles...
. He holds a close relationship with Ryan North
Ryan North
Ryan M. North is a Canadian writer, computer programmer, and occasional songwriter who is the creator and author of Dinosaur Comics, and co-creator of Whispered Apologies and Happy Dog the Happy Dog....
, author of Dinosaur Comics
Dinosaur Comics
Dinosaur Comics is a constrained webcomic by Canadian writer Ryan North. It is also known as "Qwantz", after the site's domain name, "qwantz.com". The first comic was posted on 1 February 2003, though there were earlier prototypes. Dinosaur Comics has also been printed in two collections and in a...
, to the point where he has made an unnamed cameo and a guest comic, as well as a fan comic. The authors of A Softer World
A Softer World
A Softer World is a thrice weekly webcomic by Canadians Joey Comeau and Emily Horne. It first came online on February 7, 2003. Early comics had been published, intermittently, in zine form. With the launch of the website, the comic has gained wider recognition, most notably when Warren Ellis...
, Hark! A Vagrant and Dresden Codak
Dresden Codak
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...
have also made guest comics. He has a links page which includes single-panel interpretations of his favorite comics (with a link to the comic in particular) in his personal art style.
On September 30, 2009, several weeks after abandoning the main story arc of the comic, he announced that he had published his first book. The book itself is soft cover and features the first 200 comics of http://www.picturesforsadchildren.com/, which follows the storyline of Gary.