T.H.E. Fox
Encyclopedia
T.H.E. Fox is a furry comic strip
by Joe Ekaitis which ran from 1986 to 1998. It is among the earliest online comics, predating Where the Buffalo Roam by over five years. T.H.E. Fox was published on CompuServe
, Q-Link
and GEnie
, and later on the Web
as Thaddeus.
Initial strips—consisting of one panel each—were drawn as pixel art
on a C64
KoalaPad, first using KoalaPainter, then Advanced OCP Art Studio. Each panel had a resolution of 160x200 in sixteen colors (or 320x200 in eight), and took from two hours to half a day to complete. Later strips were inked
, then scanned onto a PC and touched up with Paintbrush. Characters were typically presented in a single plane, though some strips used oblique
or perspective projection.
The comic consisted almost entirely of gags
; some concerned the characters' animal natures, but Ekaitis preferred to cover news and exaggerate events of everyday life.Ekatis: "Since Thad and Bunn are more like people who happen to look like a fox and a rabbit
, the gags seem to be funnier if their animal species don't enter into it. Everyday life is the best source for gags." The main character—Thaddeus Horatio Eberhard, or simply Thaddeus Fox—was often seen interacting with his roommate, Bunnington Ellsworth Rabbit (Bunn E. Rabbit). Other regulars included Grizz Lee, M.D.
; Wilt the Wolf; an unnamed coyote, and Thaddaeus' nephew, Ferdinand.
Thaddeus (in fursuit
form) and his creator appeared on the Rapid T. Rabbit and Friends
show several times, as well as in the Pasadena Doo Dah Parade. The comic was mentioned in the magazines .info
and RUN, and was the subject of an interview by the Commodore 64/128 RoundTable. Thaddeus and Bunn also featured in editorial cartoon
s for the San Bernardino Sun regarding the O. J. Simpson murder case
and the price of groceries, and appeared on the covers of Commodore journal Twin Cities 128 (TC-128).
Despite running weekly for several years, the comic never achieved Ekaitis' goal of print syndication
. Updates became less frequent, and eventually petered out altogether.
Comic strip
A comic strip is a sequence of drawings arranged in interrelated panels to display brief humor or form a narrative, often serialized, with text in balloons and captions....
by Joe Ekaitis which ran from 1986 to 1998. It is among the earliest online comics, predating Where the Buffalo Roam by over five years. T.H.E. Fox was published on CompuServe
CompuServe
CompuServe was the first major commercial online service in the United States. It dominated the field during the 1980s and remained a major player through the mid-1990s, when it was sidelined by the rise of services such as AOL with monthly subscriptions rather than hourly rates...
, Q-Link
Quantum Link
Quantum Link was a U.S. and Canadian online service for Commodore 64 and 128 personal computers that operated from November 5, 1985 to November 1, 1995. It was operated by Quantum Computer Services of Vienna, Virginia. In October 1991 they changed the name to America Online, which continues to...
and GEnie
GEnie
GEnie was an online service created by a General Electric business - GEIS that ran from 1985 through the end of 1999. In 1994, GEnie claimed around 350,000 users. Peak simultaneous usage was around 10,000 users...
, and later on the Web
World Wide Web
The World Wide Web is a system of interlinked hypertext documents accessed via the Internet...
as Thaddeus.
Initial strips—consisting of one panel each—were drawn as pixel art
Pixel art
Pixel art is a form of digital art, created through the use of raster graphics software, where images are edited on the pixel level. Graphics in most old computer and video games, graphing calculator games, and many mobile phone games are mostly pixel art.- History :The term pixel art was first...
on a C64
Commodore 64
The Commodore 64 is an 8-bit home computer introduced by Commodore International in January 1982.Volume production started in the spring of 1982, with machines being released on to the market in August at a price of US$595...
KoalaPad, first using KoalaPainter, then Advanced OCP Art Studio. Each panel had a resolution of 160x200 in sixteen colors (or 320x200 in eight), and took from two hours to half a day to complete. Later strips were inked
Inking
Inking is the process of using a liquid known as ink, which contains natural or man-made pigment.* Inking is work done by a Inker, one kind of commercial artistIn biology:...
, then scanned onto a PC and touched up with Paintbrush. Characters were typically presented in a single plane, though some strips used oblique
Oblique projection
Oblique projection is a simple type of graphical projection used for producing pictorial, two-dimensional images of three-dimensional objects.- Overview :Oblique projection is a type of parallel projection:...
or perspective projection.
The comic consisted almost entirely of gags
Gag cartoon
A gag cartoon is most often a single-panel cartoon, usually including a hand-lettered or typeset caption beneath the drawing. A pantomime cartoon carries no caption...
; some concerned the characters' animal natures, but Ekaitis preferred to cover news and exaggerate events of everyday life.Ekatis: "Since Thad and Bunn are more like people who happen to look like a fox and a rabbit
Anthropomorphism
Anthropomorphism is any attribution of human characteristics to animals, non-living things, phenomena, material states, objects or abstract concepts, such as organizations, governments, spirits or deities. The term was coined in the mid 1700s...
, the gags seem to be funnier if their animal species don't enter into it. Everyday life is the best source for gags." The main character—Thaddeus Horatio Eberhard, or simply Thaddeus Fox—was often seen interacting with his roommate, Bunnington Ellsworth Rabbit (Bunn E. Rabbit). Other regulars included Grizz Lee, M.D.
Doctor of Medicine
Doctor of Medicine is a doctoral degree for physicians. The degree is granted by medical schools...
; Wilt the Wolf; an unnamed coyote, and Thaddaeus' nephew, Ferdinand.
Thaddeus (in fursuit
Fursuit
Fursuits are animal costumes made from various materials. They range from simple tails and ears to full costumes cooled by battery-powered fans. Fursuits can be worn for personal enjoyment, work or charity....
form) and his creator appeared on the Rapid T. Rabbit and Friends
Rapid T. Rabbit and Friends
Rapid T. Rabbit and Friends is a children's puppet show that is cablecast weekly on cable TV in New York City since February 21, 1983. The show runs on the Public-access television cable TV channels on the Manhattan Neighborhood Network, Queens Public TV and airs right before the Funday PawPet Show...
show several times, as well as in the Pasadena Doo Dah Parade. The comic was mentioned in the magazines .info
.info (magazine)
.info was a computer magazine covering Commodore 8-bit computers and later the Amiga. It was published from 1983 to 1992.-History:...
and RUN, and was the subject of an interview by the Commodore 64/128 RoundTable. Thaddeus and Bunn also featured in editorial cartoon
Editorial cartoon
An editorial cartoon, also known as a political cartoon, is an illustration containing a commentary that usually relates to current events or personalities....
s for the San Bernardino Sun regarding the O. J. Simpson murder case
O. J. Simpson murder case
The O. J. Simpson murder case was a criminal trial held in Los Angeles County, California Superior Court from January 29 to October 3, 1995. Former American football star and actor O. J...
and the price of groceries, and appeared on the covers of Commodore journal Twin Cities 128 (TC-128).
Despite running weekly for several years, the comic never achieved Ekaitis' goal of print syndication
Print syndication
Print syndication distributes news articles, columns, comic strips and other features to newspapers, magazines and websites. They offer reprint rights and grant permissions to other parties for republishing content of which they own/represent copyrights....
. Updates became less frequent, and eventually petered out altogether.
External links
- T.H.E. Fox in the GEnie Commodore File Library
- Thaddeus (archived at Internet ArchiveInternet ArchiveThe Internet Archive is a non-profit digital library with the stated mission of "universal access to all knowledge". It offers permanent storage and access to collections of digitized materials, including websites, music, moving images, and nearly 3 million public domain books. The Internet Archive...
) the website for the web published comic strips.