Name:
Penny ArcadeWebsite:
www.penny-arcade.comWhat It's About:
Potty humor? Check. Outlandish comics bordering on the insane? Check. Video game related satire? Check. All these and more describe the juggernaut webcomic that is Penny Arcade.This webcomic revolves around the artists and writers alter egos, Tycho and Gabe. Their strips often relate to the latest video game industry news and also poke fun at properties ranging from Halo to World of Warcraft. The humor is of the adult variety, with vulgar language and graphic violence, but their creators might say that it is more of the Junior High type.
More often than not, the comic strays into the realm of the absurd, with plot lines and stories that just could not happen, such as the recent Paint the Line arch, where their love of all things ping pong surfaces in a story about how when nations need to avoid going to war, they send their best ping pong players to battle it out in games that will decide the fate of nations. These kinds of strips are what readers keep coming back for, just wondering what the duo will think up next.
Writer:
Tycho - Jerry HolkinsArtist:
Gabe - Mike KrahulikCreated By:
Mike Krahulik and Jerry HolkinsGenre:
Comedy/Video GamesContent:
Penny Arcade is for mature readers as it contains vulgar language, adult humor, and sometimes graphic violence.Updated:
The strip is updated every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday.Total Strips:
Approximately 1342 strips as of 8/19/08.Strip Layout:
Penny Arcade is typically drawn in three panels with the third panel being the punch line of the strip.If you like...
If you like video games and humor that pushes the boundaries of what is all that is good and wholesome, that Penny Arcade is the strip for you.Characters:
John Gabriel (Gabe) - The alter ego of artist Mike Krahulik, the character Gabe is often the funny man in the comic duo. His antics are outlandish and Gabe is often portrayed as being less than all there.Tycho Erasmus Brahe - The alter ego of writer Jerry Holkins, this character is often the straight man of Penny Arcade. He is often seen as the more serious of the team, with sometimes delusions of grandeur.
Other Projects:
Penny Arcade has used their fame to launch two projects that have become large parts of their overall organization. In 2003, Penny Arcade started Child's Play, an non-profit organization that collects video games and other related products to donate to children in hospitals who might not otherwise have anything to do while they receive treatment.Another highly successful venture has been the video game convention called the Penny Arcade Expo, or PAX for short. They are on their fifth year of the video game festival which celebrates gaming culture through PC and console tournaments, panels, concerts, special guest speakers, and a place for gamers to socialize and hang out. They have recently announced a second convention on the east coast, which will be organized by Reed Conventions, the same group that runs the New York Comic-Con. Penny Arcade has said that Reed will just be running the organizational aspect, and Penny Arcade will retain all the creative and programming parts of this new convention.
In addition to this, Penny Arcade has put their name on the line by creating their own video game. Being a comic that often pokes fun at other video games, a lot was riding on the line for their game, On The Rain-Slick Precipice Of Darkness. The game is the first episode in what hopes to be a series of games that tell an overarching story. The game was available for PC's, Macs, and Linux computers, as well as the XBOX 360.
Related Products:
Penny Arcade has a variety of merchandise for their fans which can be found at their merchandising site - www.pennyarcademerch.com. They have shirts, hats, posters, stickers, books, and even copies of the strips on their site.
Awards:
Web Cartoonist Choice Awards:Outstanding Comic - 2004
Outstanding Writing - 2004
Outstanding Website Design - 2004
Outstanding Comedic Comic - 2004, 2008
Outstanding Gaming Comic - 2004
Eagle Awards:
Favorite Web Based Comic - 2007
