July 14, 2004

VOID FILLED

A press release arrives from Checker Books:

Checker Book Publishing Group and cartoonist Chris Onstad have reached an agreement under which the publisher will collect Onstad's Achewood comic strip in a series of three trade paperbacks beginning in November.

Checker's first Achewood collection (ISBN 0-9753808-6-9, $19.95, 180 pp. tpb), is as yet untitled, but is slated for November publication, and will collect Achewood strips from its debut in October 2001 through June 2002.

Onstad began posting his on-line comic strip chronicling life at 62 Achewood Court, home to a dysfunctional and riotously funny menagerie of anthropomorphs and robots, on a daily schedule in late 2001 (he later launched a subscription-only Sunday installment in color on Serializer.net) . It quickly became a favorite of on-line and print opinion-makers - fans include syndicated columnists Dave Barry and James Lileks, cartoonists Tony Millionaire (Maakies), Jim Woodring (Frank) and James Kochalka (Sketchbook Diaries), and a vast and varied array of prominent webloggers. In just over two years, the strip has grown to a daily readership of over 10,000 and drives a merchandising mini-empire that has allowed Onstad to leave his day job and pursue Achewood as his sole vocation.

Posted by Tim Blair at July 14, 2004 09:18 AM
Comments

Hooray for webcartoonists makin' it in the world today!

Posted by: Sortelli at July 14, 2004 at 09:54 AM

Don't get it.
Are we, conservatives, supposed to like this pathetic crap?
I couldn't raise a chuckle.

Posted by: Ike Wood at July 14, 2004 at 09:54 AM

They have little blue pills for that, Mr. Wood.

Posted by: Sortelli at July 14, 2004 at 10:02 AM

I must be humor-challenged. Give us them blue pills.

Posted by: Katherine at July 14, 2004 at 10:22 AM

Good news, he deserves all the success that comes his way.

Posted by: Rob at July 14, 2004 at 10:36 AM

Ike & Katherine:
Achewood is good. Its occasionally brilliant, and often boring. Humour is political, a sense of humour isn't. I hate Mike Moore and all his works BUT I can identify every one his pieces of 'humour', even though he makes me snarl rather than laugh.

I associate a small or non-existant sense of humour with low Intelligence Quotient scores.

Posted by: Robert Blair at July 14, 2004 at 10:51 AM

To those doubters who have apparently only just now delved into Achewood for the first time, seen one or two strips, raised an eyebrow at the crude drawing style, and judged it stupid--

It's good. Seriously.

You have to get into it. But it's good.

By the time you meet Hiram, the new character in "Oregon Trail", you'll either be hooked-- or comatose.

Posted by: Brian Tiemann at July 14, 2004 at 11:17 AM

Achewood is subtle and requires a certain amount of reader investment to be fully enjoyed. Individual strips aren't always very funny if you don't have the background you get from reading everything from the beginning. It's totally character driven, I mean, today's strip with Ray dragging a window with a motorcycle picture in it over a picture of Everest, it's funny on its own, but it freakin' brilliant if you know who Ray Smuckles is. And when it's not laugh out loud funny, it's still amusing and familiar.

Posted by: Sortelli at July 14, 2004 at 11:17 AM

And read the blogs, too. Lyle's is my favorite.

Posted by: Lileks at July 14, 2004 at 11:35 AM

As funny as a fart in a spacesuit.

Posted by: Fool to Himself & Burden to Others at July 14, 2004 at 12:20 PM

Maybe it's a generational thing. Maybe it's an Aussie thing. I can't get into Achewood. I've tried.

Cool music though.

Posted by: Rebecca at July 14, 2004 at 01:15 PM

Yes! Though I'm not sure it will help. I suggest Achewood to other people relentlessly, it's not very contagious. It takes a lot of effort to get into it. I think it's hilarious.

Don't miss Ray's Place either, chocachos.

Posted by: Matt in Denver at July 14, 2004 at 01:16 PM

"I associate a small or non-existant sense of humour with low Intelligence Quotient scores."

Robert, thank you so much for this instant diagnosis!

I checked two strips. Perhaps I need to see more. In the meantime, this Gumby will go back to smashing two bricks together.

Posted by: Katherine at July 14, 2004 at 01:35 PM

You won't get it. But you'll keep going back. You have to. Philippe needs you!

Posted by: Andrea Harris at July 14, 2004 at 01:40 PM

He's a very special boy!!!

Posted by: Sortelli at July 14, 2004 at 01:43 PM

Some are funny (like Phillipes presidential campaign), some are just plain weird, though still good.
I always wondered why the interest in Achewood from Tim. Is it the cars/motorbikes that keep on appearing in the cartoon? Is it perhaps that the alcoholic spirit-skolling sordid cartoon cats are strangely reminiscent of his own drinking buddies? I don't know.

Posted by: TimT at July 14, 2004 at 02:20 PM

Achewood is the vegemite of comic strips. i.e. an acquired taste and not to the taste of many.

Posted by: Just Another Bloody Lawyer at July 14, 2004 at 02:46 PM

It's the roleplaying, mate.

Today, Tim plays Ray, to Anthony Lowenstein's Little Nephew.

Posted by: Byron_the_Aussie at July 14, 2004 at 02:52 PM

I didn't get it at first, either. That is, until Ken Layne linked to this little gem.
http://www.achewood.com/index.php?date=05202003

After that, I too joined the Divine Elect of Acheheads. Also, I agree with Lileks that Lyle's blog is the best, though Pat's is pretty funny as well.

Posted by: Patrick Banks at July 14, 2004 at 02:53 PM

Today, Tim plays Ray, to Anthony Lowenstein's Little Nephew.

Oh dear, I do hope this does not involve Tim dancing around in a skull-plated thong that sings "Bela Lugosi's dead".

Posted by: Sortelli at July 14, 2004 at 03:00 PM

I know I'm not afraid of the fucking police right now!

Find that strip; it's hilarious.

Posted by: Dave Himrich at July 14, 2004 at 03:14 PM

Robert,

I associate the spelling of existent as existant with sub-tapeworm IQ levels...

Go back to your comic strips.

Ike

Posted by: Ike Wood at July 14, 2004 at 05:36 PM

I was several lines into the post when I realised that this was not Acehwood, a hilarious series of vignettes about life in a troubled Indonesian province.

Posted by: Craig G at July 14, 2004 at 05:54 PM

I'm looking for a book called "100 Years of Hard Labor" by Ike Wood, can anyone help? Contact me (wizard@northlink.net)

Posted by: Gerry Szymanski at July 17, 2004 at 04:21 PM