Subnormality
Encyclopedia
Subnormality is a bi-weekly satirical
and often absurdist
webcomic
by cartoonist
Winston Rowntree (a pseudonym
), a former resident of Regina, Saskatchewan
. The strip appears at Rowntree's own webcomic-site Virus Comix and occasionally at Cracked, where Rowntree also publishes the related webcomic Abnormality.
; it is frequently verbose, often featuring large portions of text in the form of lengthy monologue
s and dialogue
s, narrative boxes or thought balloons. Occasionally, as in the strip "The Line", it will heavily integrate text within the image and/or consist almost entirely of text. This heavy use of text is acknowledged by the comic's current slogan, which is "Comix with too many words since 2007". When asked in an interview about his use of words, Rowntree said: "In terms of the amount of text in a given comic, I make absolutely no efforts whatsoever to limit that. If what I want to say is 2000 words then that’s how much text is gonna be in there."
Another common component of the comic's artistic style is visual easter egg
s.
In tone and content, strips are occasionally just absurd or parody
, and are often comedic
; however, some, such as "The Line", are non-humorous in tone and even many of the comedic strips often make comments on human nature
(often misanthropic or deconstructive
in nature) or current politics (often left-leaning).
or the USA), and is often seen doing 'normal' things like waiting for the bus or trying to get a job. She holds feminist attitudes, and generally gets her way by being insistent and effortlessly scary enough for people to give her what she wants. Despite this, she complains about being "too polite" to humans, since she generally tries to conform to the current norms and learn the dominant language of the era (she is over 3500 years old), and even "eat[s] people quickly and painlessly". She appears to have a friendly relationship with Pink-Haired Girl.
hair who tries to cope with being near-constantly broke
, battling with dishonest salespeople, impolite customers, foolish bosses, uncaring co-workers, and her own reluctance to say no when asked to do people favors (she describes herself as a "pushover"). For a while she works as a waitress, during which she is forced to dye her hair brown; she eventually quits the job, at which point her hair immediately becomes pink again. She is often depicted as slightly depressed, although her earnestness, sociability and friendliness are also often emphasized, especially in contrast to others (e.g. the comic "Hockey"http://www.viruscomix.com/page443.html ). Though she appears as a minor character of comics such as "Hockey", she also stars in many strips as a main character; strips featuring her are generally titled with names beginning with Down (e.g. "Down by table 22", "Down at the Bus Stop"). She interacts in a friendly manner with the Sphynx from time to time.
, who sometimes surfaces to Earth for shopping and dating. She is bisexual.
to clients that accost her in a manner intentionally reminiscent of prostitution
. Describes herself as an "art addict".
and "normality
".
or undermining the Allied powers from within.
Virus Comix
Satire
Satire is primarily a literary genre or form, although in practice it can also be found in the graphic and performing arts. In satire, vices, follies, abuses, and shortcomings are held up to ridicule, ideally with the intent of shaming individuals, and society itself, into improvement...
and often absurdist
Absurdist fiction
Absurdist fiction is a genre of literature, most often employed in novels, plays or poems, that focuses on the experiences of characters in a situation where they cannot find any inherent purpose in life, most often represented by ultimately meaningless actions and events...
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 cartoonist
Cartoonist
A cartoonist is a person who specializes in drawing cartoons. This work is usually humorous, mainly created for entertainment, political commentary or advertising...
Winston Rowntree (a pseudonym
Pseudonym
A pseudonym is a name that a person assumes for a particular purpose and that differs from his or her original orthonym...
), a former resident of Regina, Saskatchewan
Regina, Saskatchewan
Regina is the capital city of the Canadian province of Saskatchewan. The city is the second-largest in the province and a cultural and commercial centre for southern Saskatchewan. It is governed by Regina City Council. Regina is the cathedral city of the Roman Catholic and Romanian Orthodox...
. The strip appears at Rowntree's own webcomic-site Virus Comix and occasionally at Cracked, where Rowntree also publishes the related webcomic Abnormality.
Style and themes
Subnormality makes heavy use of written languageWritten language
A written language is the representation of a language by means of a writing system. Written language is an invention in that it must be taught to children, who will instinctively learn or create spoken or gestural languages....
; it is frequently verbose, often featuring large portions of text in the form of lengthy monologue
Monologue
In theatre, a monologue is a speech presented by a single character, most often to express their thoughts aloud, though sometimes also to directly address another character or the audience. Monologues are common across the range of dramatic media...
s and dialogue
Dialogue
Dialogue is a literary and theatrical form consisting of a written or spoken conversational exchange between two or more people....
s, narrative boxes or thought balloons. Occasionally, as in the strip "The Line", it will heavily integrate text within the image and/or consist almost entirely of text. This heavy use of text is acknowledged by the comic's current slogan, which is "Comix with too many words since 2007". When asked in an interview about his use of words, Rowntree said: "In terms of the amount of text in a given comic, I make absolutely no efforts whatsoever to limit that. If what I want to say is 2000 words then that’s how much text is gonna be in there."
Another common component of the comic's artistic style is visual easter egg
Easter egg (media)
Image:Carl Oswald Rostosky - Zwei Kaninchen und ein Igel 1861.jpg|250px|thumb|right|Example of Easter egg hidden within imagerect 467 383 539 434 desc none...
s.
In tone and content, strips are occasionally just absurd or parody
Parody
A parody , in current usage, is an imitative work created to mock, comment on, or trivialise an original work, its subject, author, style, or some other target, by means of humorous, satiric or ironic imitation...
, and are often comedic
Comedy
Comedy , as a popular meaning, is any humorous discourse or work generally intended to amuse by creating laughter, especially in television, film, and stand-up comedy. This must be carefully distinguished from its academic definition, namely the comic theatre, whose Western origins are found in...
; however, some, such as "The Line", are non-humorous in tone and even many of the comedic strips often make comments on human nature
Human nature
Human nature refers to the distinguishing characteristics, including ways of thinking, feeling and acting, that humans tend to have naturally....
(often misanthropic or deconstructive
Deconstruction
Deconstruction is a term introduced by French philosopher Jacques Derrida in his 1967 book Of Grammatology. Although he carefully avoided defining the term directly, he sought to apply Martin Heidegger's concept of Destruktion or Abbau, to textual reading...
in nature) or current politics (often left-leaning).
Recurring characters
The Subnormality strips are not bound to any particular setting or characters, but certain characters have appeared several times throughout its run.The Sphynx
This most recognizable of Subnormality's characters is a gigantic, winged lion with a woman's head. She lives in a suburban house somewhere in an English-speaking country (presumably CanadaCanada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
or the USA), and is often seen doing 'normal' things like waiting for the bus or trying to get a job. She holds feminist attitudes, and generally gets her way by being insistent and effortlessly scary enough for people to give her what she wants. Despite this, she complains about being "too polite" to humans, since she generally tries to conform to the current norms and learn the dominant language of the era (she is over 3500 years old), and even "eat[s] people quickly and painlessly". She appears to have a friendly relationship with Pink-Haired Girl.
Pink-Haired Girl
A young woman with bright pinkPink
Pink is a mixture of red and white. Commonly used for Valentine's Day and Easter, pink is sometimes referred to as "the color of love." The use of the word for the color known today as pink was first recorded in the late 17th century....
hair who tries to cope with being near-constantly broke
Poverty
Poverty is the lack of a certain amount of material possessions or money. Absolute poverty or destitution is inability to afford basic human needs, which commonly includes clean and fresh water, nutrition, health care, education, clothing and shelter. About 1.7 billion people are estimated to live...
, battling with dishonest salespeople, impolite customers, foolish bosses, uncaring co-workers, and her own reluctance to say no when asked to do people favors (she describes herself as a "pushover"). For a while she works as a waitress, during which she is forced to dye her hair brown; she eventually quits the job, at which point her hair immediately becomes pink again. She is often depicted as slightly depressed, although her earnestness, sociability and friendliness are also often emphasized, especially in contrast to others (e.g. the comic "Hockey"http://www.viruscomix.com/page443.html ). Though she appears as a minor character of comics such as "Hockey", she also stars in many strips as a main character; strips featuring her are generally titled with names beginning with Down (e.g. "Down by table 22", "Down at the Bus Stop"). She interacts in a friendly manner with the Sphynx from time to time.
Devil #76
A green-skinned employee of HellHell
In many religious traditions, a hell is a place of suffering and punishment in the afterlife. Religions with a linear divine history often depict hells as endless. Religions with a cyclic history often depict a hell as an intermediary period between incarnations...
, who sometimes surfaces to Earth for shopping and dating. She is bisexual.
Ethel Blackmore
A young, depressive writer who earns money by reading her horror fictionHorror fiction
Horror fiction also Horror fantasy is a philosophy of literature, which is intended to, or has the capacity to frighten its readers, inducing feelings of horror and terror. It creates an eerie atmosphere. Horror can be either supernatural or non-supernatural...
to clients that accost her in a manner intentionally reminiscent of prostitution
Prostitution
Prostitution is the act or practice of providing sexual services to another person in return for payment. The person who receives payment for sexual services is called a prostitute and the person who receives such services is known by a multitude of terms, including a "john". Prostitution is one of...
. Describes herself as an "art addict".
Zoe Muggs
A lonely, ragged young woman who lives on the streets downtown, shoplifting and begging. In her strips, she often comments on individualismIndividualism
Individualism is the moral stance, political philosophy, ideology, or social outlook that stresses "the moral worth of the individual". Individualists promote the exercise of one's goals and desires and so value independence and self-reliance while opposing most external interference upon one's own...
and "normality
Normality (behavior)
In behavior, normal refers to a lack of significant deviation from the average. The phrase "not normal" is often applied in a negative sense Abnormality varies greatly in how pleasant or unpleasant this is for other people.The Oxford English Dictionary defines "normal" as "conforming to a standard"...
".
Neo-Nazi Time-Travellers
Incompetent neo-Nazis who travel in time in order to find ways of killing Franklin D. RooseveltFranklin D. Roosevelt
Franklin Delano Roosevelt , also known by his initials, FDR, was the 32nd President of the United States and a central figure in world events during the mid-20th century, leading the United States during a time of worldwide economic crisis and world war...
or undermining the Allied powers from within.
Mongo
A lonely character with low self-esteem which takes some time to reflect about himself and society. He works at Movie Cone, is uncomfortable revealing anything about himself and drinks in a futile quest for self-acceptance.Woman Who Talks Like A Man / Wings Fan
An unnamed, attractive, and curvaceous woman who is featured in several strips as unintentionally causing the deaths (or strange transformations) of men just by being interested in the same things as they are, such as hobbies most commonly appreciated by men.Best Friends Who Hate Each Other
Two men (one of whom has been named Raoul) who exist to display and hang a lampshade on the cliché friends-who-hate-each-other trope, but are trope-savvy and recognize this about themselves.External links
SubnormalityVirus Comix