Dueling Analogs
Encyclopedia
Dueling Analogs is a webcomic
by Steve Napierski (also the creator of The Outer Circle). The website was launched on November 17, 2005, and new comics are posted every Monday and Thursday. Dueling Analogs is a gaming comic and as such most of the comics take place in the universe of the games discussed. There are few ongoing stories or plotlines as all of the comics are self-encapsulated (one exception is the trial of King Bowser ); however, there are repeated themes such as 'Rejected Mega Man Villains' , 'Games that I am glad were never made' and 'What if...?' . Dueling Analogs is also a founding member of a webcomic group of gaming comics. The comic came to prominence in the webcomic community after the "So Dark the Contra of Man" strip.
, The Smurfs
, Mega Man
, Karnov
, Super Smash Brothers and Final Fantasy X-2
.
Dueling Analogs has been voted best gaming webcomic of the week by the readers of Joystiq
on nine occasions: May 23, 2006 , June 3, 2006 , June 24, 2006 , February 13, 2007 , March 27, 2007 , May 22, 2007 , October 23, 2007 , April 23, 2008 , May 29, 2008
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 Steve Napierski (also the creator of The Outer Circle). The website was launched on November 17, 2005, and new comics are posted every Monday and Thursday. Dueling Analogs is a gaming comic and as such most of the comics take place in the universe of the games discussed. There are few ongoing stories or plotlines as all of the comics are self-encapsulated (one exception is the trial of King Bowser ); however, there are repeated themes such as 'Rejected Mega Man Villains' , 'Games that I am glad were never made' and 'What if...?' . Dueling Analogs is also a founding member of a webcomic group of gaming comics. The comic came to prominence in the webcomic community after the "So Dark the Contra of Man" strip.
Tagline
Dueling Analogs is a color semi-weekly webcomic that lampoons the characters, culture and subtext of modern gaming cultureCharacters
- Harvey - Harvey is the voice of Dueling Analogs. Whenever the comic needs to talk directly to the audience about a topic, Harvey is there. Harvey's design is modeled after the look of its creator from his high school years. This is in contrast to the character Steve from The Outer Circle which was modeled after a more recent look of the creator.
-
- First Appearance: 2005-11-29, strip 4.
- MarioMariois a fictional character in his video game series, created by Japanese video game designer Shigeru Miyamoto. Serving as Nintendo's mascot and the main protagonist of the series, Mario has appeared in over 200 video games since his creation...
- Though not created by Steve Napierski, MarioMariois a fictional character in his video game series, created by Japanese video game designer Shigeru Miyamoto. Serving as Nintendo's mascot and the main protagonist of the series, Mario has appeared in over 200 video games since his creation...
has appeared in so many Dueling Analogs strips that he is considered a regular member of the comics cast.
- Mario
- First Appearance: 2005-12-01, strip 5.
- Jeremy the Sony PR Gnome - The voice of SonySony Computer EntertainmentSony Computer Entertainment, Inc. is a major video game company specializing in a variety of areas in the video game industry, and is a wholly owned subsidiary and part of the Consumer Products & Services Group of Sony...
. Jeremy acts as the counterpoint to the voice of Harvey’s pro-NintendoNintendois a multinational corporation located in Kyoto, Japan. Founded on September 23, 1889 by Fusajiro Yamauchi, it produced handmade hanafuda cards. By 1963, the company had tried several small niche businesses, such as a cab company and a love hotel....
views. Could possibly be a parody of the gnome from AmélieAmélieAmélie is a 2001 romantic comedy film directed by Jean-Pierre Jeunet. Written by Jeunet with Guillaume Laurant, the film is a whimsical depiction of contemporary Parisian life, set in Montmartre...
or the gnome feature in the TravelocityTravelocityTravelocity is an online travel agency and wholly owned subsidiary of Sabre Holdings Corporation, which was a publicly traded company until taken private by Silver Lake Partners and Texas Pacific Group in March 2007...
commercials: Where is my Gnome?Where is my Gnome?Where is my Gnome? was a series of viral marketing ads used by Travelocity in early 2004. The ads consisted of a man named "Bill" looking for his garden gnome. On January 3, the Boston Herald and the Boston Globe had these ads on their publication. The ads were inspired by the travelling gnome prank...
.
- Jeremy the Sony PR Gnome - The voice of Sony
- First Appearance: 2006-07-31, strip 76.
- Xed Box - If MicrosoftMicrosoft Game StudiosMicrosoft Studios is the video game production wing for Microsoft, responsible for the development and publishing of games for the Xbox, Xbox 360, Games for Windows and Windows Phone platforms. They were established in 2002 as Microsoft Game Studios to coincide with the release of the Xbox, before...
had a spokesperson in Dueling Analogs, Xed Box would be it. Unfortunately, Xed Box is nothing more than a box with a crudely drawn "X" on it.
- Xed Box - If Microsoft
- First Appearance: 2006-08-16, strip 81.
- Jon Shelf American - Jon Shelf American is what's considered Dueling Analogs` stereotypical gamer (introvert, unsociable and still living at home with his mother). Name based on George Liquor American created by John KricfalusiJohn KricfalusiMichael John Kricfalusi , better known as John K., is a Canadian animator. He is creator of The Ren & Stimpy Show, its adults-only spin-off Ren & Stimpy "Adult Party Cartoon", The Ripping Friends animated series, and Weekend Pussy Hunt, which was billed as "the world's first interactive web-based...
.
- Jon Shelf American - Jon Shelf American is what's considered Dueling Analogs` stereotypical gamer (introvert, unsociable and still living at home with his mother). Name based on George Liquor American created by John Kricfalusi
- First Appearance: 2007-01-15, strip 130.
- First Appearance: 2005-11-29, strip 4.
| Harvey | Mario Mario is a fictional character in his video game series, created by Japanese video game designer Shigeru Miyamoto. Serving as Nintendo's mascot and the main protagonist of the series, Mario has appeared in over 200 video games since his creation... |
Jeremy the Sony PR Gnome | Xed Box | John Shelf American |
Parodies
Dueling Analogs has featured such games as Final Fantasy VIIFinal Fantasy VII
is a role-playing video game developed by Square and published by Sony Computer Entertainment as the seventh installment in the Final Fantasy series. It was originally released in 1997 for the Sony PlayStation and was re-released in 1998 for Microsoft Windows-based personal computers and in 2009...
, The Smurfs
The Smurfs
The Smurfs is a comic and television franchise centred on a group of small blue fictional creatures called Smurfs, created and first introduced as a series of comic strips by the Belgian cartoonist Peyo on October 23, 1958...
, Mega Man
Mega Man
Mega Man is a video game franchise from Capcom, starring the eponymous character Mega Man, or one of his many counterparts. The series is well-known and comprises well over fifty releases, easily making it Capcom's most prolific franchise. As of December 31, 2010, the series has sold approximately...
, Karnov
Karnov
is a 1987 platform arcade game developed and published by Data East. It is the debut of Data East's mascot of the same name. After Data East became defunct due to bankruptcy in 2003, Paon, a company comprised with former Data East staff, acquired the rights to Karnov, along with multiple other Data...
, Super Smash Brothers and Final Fantasy X-2
Final Fantasy X-2
is a console role-playing game developed and published by Square for Sony's PlayStation 2. It was released in 2003 and is the sequel to the best-selling 2001 game Final Fantasy X...
.
Awards and nominations
Dueling Analogs has been nominated for two Web Cartoonist's Choice Awards- 2006: Outstanding Gaming Comic , Outstanding Web Design
Dueling Analogs has been voted best gaming webcomic of the week by the readers of Joystiq
Joystiq
Joystiq is a video gaming blog founded in June 2004 that has since become one of the most successful sites within the Weblogs, Inc. family of weblogs. It is the centerpiece of WIN's own network of video gaming blogs, which also includes a blog dealing specifically with the popular MMORPG World of...
on nine occasions: May 23, 2006 , June 3, 2006 , June 24, 2006 , February 13, 2007 , March 27, 2007 , May 22, 2007 , October 23, 2007 , April 23, 2008 , May 29, 2008
Notables
- Dueling Analogs is a featured webcomic on Game RevolutionGame RevolutionGame Revolution or GR is a gaming website created in 1996. Based in Berkeley, California, the site includes reviews, previews, a gaming download area, cheats, and a merchandise store, as well as webcomics, screenshots, and videos...
.
- Dueling Analogs was a monthly comic in Hardcore Gamer Magazine from June through November 2007 .
Reviews
- Article about Dueling Analogs on Destructoid
- BBC Article about webcomics
- Article on 411mania discussing gamingGameA game is structured playing, usually undertaken for enjoyment and sometimes used as an educational tool. Games are distinct from work, which is usually carried out for remuneration, and from art, which is more often an expression of aesthetic or ideological elements...
webcomics
- Dueling Analogs Konami CodeKonami CodeThe Konami Code, known in Japan as the , is a cheat code that appears in many Konami video games, although the code also appears in some non-Konami games...
comic was mentioned in a Tech Republic article .
- Dueling Analogs Living Achievements Vicariously comic was mentioned in a 411mania article .
Interviews
- Interview with Steve Napierski on JoystiqJoystiqJoystiq is a video gaming blog founded in June 2004 that has since become one of the most successful sites within the Weblogs, Inc. family of weblogs. It is the centerpiece of WIN's own network of video gaming blogs, which also includes a blog dealing specifically with the popular MMORPG World of...
.
- Author Steve Napierski, was interviewed in Zoinks! Magazine about Dueling Analogs and his other comic, The Outer Circle in October 2006.