Haiku Circus
Encyclopedia
Haiku Circus was a comic strip that combined drawings with text in 5, 7, 5 syllable groupings in supposed imitation of haiku
poetry. The comic was written and drawn by Ken Sakamoto (a pseudonym used by Shawn Wickens), and appeared in several college and university newspapers across North America
.
It was published online between September 9, 2003 and February 2, 2010. A collection is available in paperback.
The comic had no major recurring themes, but over the years several characters and themes reappeared. Some themes that Sakamoto wrote about include:
For the most part, the comic was colored in greyscale, although light shades of green and brown were also used to give the comic a low-key nature-type feel. The drawing style of the comic itself ranged from absurd (similar to the style in Far Side
, for example) to beautifully realistic.
Each comic appeared with a title on the top and the sentence "Based on the traditional form of Japanese poetry -- count the syllables" underneath it.
Haiku
' , plural haiku, is a very short form of Japanese poetry typically characterised by three qualities:* The essence of haiku is "cutting"...
poetry. The comic was written and drawn by Ken Sakamoto (a pseudonym used by Shawn Wickens), and appeared in several college and university newspapers across North America
North America
North America is a continent wholly within the Northern Hemisphere and almost wholly within the Western Hemisphere. It is also considered a northern subcontinent of the Americas...
.
It was published online between September 9, 2003 and February 2, 2010. A collection is available in paperback.
The comic had no major recurring themes, but over the years several characters and themes reappeared. Some themes that Sakamoto wrote about include:
- fish
- cookies drowning in milk
- lonely people / boredom
- food in general
- the people on signs
- insects
- anthropomorphism
- fountains of blood
For the most part, the comic was colored in greyscale, although light shades of green and brown were also used to give the comic a low-key nature-type feel. The drawing style of the comic itself ranged from absurd (similar to the style in Far Side
Far side
The Far Side is a comic strip by Gary LarsonFar Side may also refer to:*Far Side , a 2010 album by Roscoe Mitchell and the Note Factory*Farside , an alternative rock band*The Pharcyde, an alternative hip hop act...
, for example) to beautifully realistic.
Each comic appeared with a title on the top and the sentence "Based on the traditional form of Japanese poetry -- count the syllables" underneath it.