Wapsi Square
Wapsi Square is a slice of life/fantasy webcomic set in modern Minneapolis, "a world almost exactly like the one you want to believe you live in." It also includes multiple supernatural elements, including a psychic and a god, which contrasts with its soap opera nature.[1] The name derives from the Wapsipinicon River.
The story starts following the mundane life of main character Monica and focuses prominently on her interactions with her friends. She works as an anthropologist dealing with artifacts for museum and the strips are mostly of the gag-a-day form. This changes, however, with the introduction of the character Tepoztecal, an Aztec deity, which marks the beginning of a change in tone, including longer story arcs involving mythological creatures, forgotten civilisations, gods and the end of the world.[2]
Paul Taylor, the author and artist, is a founding member of the Blank Label Comics collective.
Publication history
Web
Wapsi Square has been published on the web since September 9, 2001. The entire archive remains on the website and is publicly accessible.
Wapsi Square has also been collected in paperback format by author and publisher Paul Taylor as follows.
Graphic novels
- Wapsi Square 2001-2004
- Wapsi Square: the Timekeeper's Daughter
- Wapsi Square: the Demons in My Back Pocket, foreword and afterword by Lea Hernandez and a special note from Jess Hickman (2007)[3]
Sketch collection
- Wapsi Square's Monica in the Rough (May 14, 2008)
Characters
As a long running webcomic, Wapsi Square has accumulated a large cast of characters; new characters appear occasionally, some who got much attention earlier have not appeared recently, and many supporting characters remain in minor roles.
- Monica Villarreal, the protagonist; a short (4'10") large-chested anthropologist employed at a local museum, she's the focus for many events of the comic. She's one of the few people who speaks the ancient language used in golem construction. Monica won the 2009 Lulu Award for Best Female Character.
- Shelly Wahnee, Monica's long-time friend and an amateur bodybuilder, employed as a mechanic at her father's garage. As the youngest of eight kids and the only girl, she sometimes needs to consciously cultivate her girly side. She plays bass in the local band Fermented Banana. Shelly recently experienced major and unsettling changes in her life, revealing a hitherto-unsuspected mystical component of her background.
- Katherine Gilchrist, Monica's co-worker at the museum, a spooky woman with under-developed social skills.
- Tepoztecal, the Aztec god of pulque and by extension all alcoholic beverages, currently living with Monica. He is also a prototype golem from the Chimera project, created by Mayahuel.
- Dietzel, Monica's dog; he's unusually intelligent and capable, for no reason yet revealed.
- Jin (Tochtli), one third of the Chimera, an ancient weapon of mass destruction; her part is the serpent. She is an enigma in many ways even to those who've known her for centuries. For technical reasons Jin was the only incarnate person to retain her memories through the Calendar Machine reset.
- Brandi (Brandilyn Oduya), one third of the Chimera, the lioness. An all-around level headed person, she sometimes takes a motherly role with the other girls.
- Bud (Acacia Budur), one third of the Chimera, the goat. The most enthusiastic of the three and most likely to do things on a whim. She has an extradimensional space within her.
- Tina Guzman, a local barista. While arguably an undead demon-possessed monster, she serves good coffee and gives disturbingly accurate advice to friends and customers.
- Phix, immortal sphinx and keeper of a very special library.
- Alan, Jin's boyfriend.
- Mayahuel, Jin's mother, returned to the mundane world for the first time time in millennia. She met Monica as a child, in the guise of Monica's (deceased) great-grandmother, which led to other events.
- Jacqui Bontemps, a friend of Monica and Shelly who runs a yoga studio; she's also a member of Fermented Banana.
- Amanda Ehrlich, professional photographer and Monica's friend.
- Owen, childhood friend to Shelly and fellow member of Fermented Banana.
Notable characters not appearing recently include Daren the bartender and Owen's girlfriend Lakshmi; presumably they will return if the story cycles around to them again.
Awards
Waspi Square won the Outstanding Character (Visual) category in the 2004 Web Cartoonists' Choice Awards.[4] It was nominated for both Outstanding Black & White Art and Outstanding Character Art in 2005[5] and again in 2006[6][7] , but did not win.
The character Monica Villarreal from Wapsi Square was nominated for and went on to win the 2009 Lulu Award for Best Female Character.[8][9][10]
References
- ^ Associated Press (October 21, 2007). "'Wapsi Square' debuts". Thonline.com. http://www.thonline.com/article.cfm?id=177357. Retrieved 29 October 2009.
- ^ Schultz, Christopher (February 16, 2009). "Wapsi Square Review". WebcomicZ. http://www.webcomicz.com/articles/36/wapsi-square-review.html. Retrieved 29 October 2009.
- ^ Digital Strips Podcast Blog Posted by daku on Jul 22nd, 2007. Retrieved Oct-31-2009
- ^ "2004 Results". Web Cartoonists' Choice Awards. http://www.ccawards.com/2004.htm. Retrieved 29 October 2009.
- ^ "2005 Results". Web Cartoonists' Choice Awards. http://www.ccawards.com/2005.htm. Retrieved 29 October 2009.
- ^ Walsh, Liz (2006). "Outstanding Black and White Art(2006)". Web Cartoonists' Choice Awards. http://ryanestrada.com/wcca/ceremony/blackandwhite.htm. Retrieved 29 October 2009.
- ^ Grug, Edward; McLeod, Jessica (2006). "Outstanding Character Art (2006)". Web Cartoonists' Choice Awards. http://ryanestrada.com/wcca/ceremony/characterart.htm. Retrieved 29 October 2009.
- ^ 2009 Lulu Award nominees, Friends of Lulu website, accessed October 30, 2009
- ^ Daily Cartoonist: Lulu Awards Nominees Announced 10-7-2009 retrieved Oct-31-2009
- ^ "2009 Lulu Award for Best Female Character: Monica Villarreal". Friends of Lulu. 2009. http://friendsoflulu.wordpress.com/lulu-awards/2009-lulu-award-for-best-female-character-monica-villarreal/. Retrieved 13 January 2010.
External links
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