Inktank
Encyclopedia
InkTank is a blog and webcomics portal
created by Barry Smith.
in 1998 and used it for a personal website and as website for his EverQuest
guild
.
On August 28, 2000, Smith published the first of his three webcomics, Angst Technology, remaking the Inktank site as a webcomics portal. Over the next five years he added Weak-end Warriors and Sorry, We're Open. After beginning a computer animation
degree program, Smith put all three comics on indefinite hiatus.
The best known comic on the site is Angst Technology which ran from 2000-2005. The comic's storyline dealt with a fictional company, Angst Technology, which developed gaming software. The experiences were based on the author's real world experience in working at Sierra Entertainment
and in web site development. The comic was run on GameSpy
, along with Penny Arcade
, and over the years cameoed and referenced in several other comics, among them The WhiteBoard
, which also referenced the later comic, Weak-end Warriors. The comic is also referenced on the site ImageTexT which explores the impact of underground comix and the evolution of webcomics from those roots.
Angst Technology won the Best Gaming Comic award in 2001 the first year of the Web Cartoonists' Choice Awards
.
From August 4, 2005 to March 31, 2008 the Inktank website was Smith's personal blog. The website has links to the forums and includes his webcomic archives. Many of Smith's blog entries are about art and animation.
On March 31, 2008 a new comic, Inktank, was started on the site and is now updated on Monday, Wednesday and Friday. The new comic is based on the authors real life experiences as a father and web site developer.
Due to numerous problems with the previous webhost for the site, in January 2009 the site moved to a new host and also upgraded to the ComicPress software. Unfortunately, problems with ComicPress mean that at present, all four strips appear to be one long continuity, and some strips (because they were published on the same date as others) are not currently available.
references.
The first Angst Technology strip ran on August 28, 2000. The last ran on June 20, 2005. Smith went on hiatus between July 18, 2003 and March 31, 2004. All together, there were around 1060 Angst Technology strips.
Web portal
A web portal or links page is a web site that functions as a point of access to information in the World Wide Web. A portal presents information from diverse sources in a unified way....
created by Barry Smith.
History
Smith acquired the inktank.com domainDomain name
A domain name is an identification string that defines a realm of administrative autonomy, authority, or control in the Internet. Domain names are formed by the rules and procedures of the Domain Name System ....
in 1998 and used it for a personal website and as website for his EverQuest
EverQuest
EverQuest, often shortened to EQ, is a 3D fantasy-themed massively multiplayer online role-playing game that was released on the 16th of March, 1999. The original design is credited to Brad McQuaid, Steve Clover, and Bill Trost...
guild
Clan (computer gaming)
In computer and video gaming, a clan or guild is an organised group of players that regularly play together in a particular multiplayer games. These games range from groups of a few friends to 1000-person organizations, with a broad range of structures, goals and members. The lifespan of a clan...
.
On August 28, 2000, Smith published the first of his three webcomics, Angst Technology, remaking the Inktank site as a webcomics portal. Over the next five years he added Weak-end Warriors and Sorry, We're Open. After beginning a computer animation
Computer animation
Computer animation is the process used for generating animated images by using computer graphics. The more general term computer generated imagery encompasses both static scenes and dynamic images, while computer animation only refers to moving images....
degree program, Smith put all three comics on indefinite hiatus.
The best known comic on the site is Angst Technology which ran from 2000-2005. The comic's storyline dealt with a fictional company, Angst Technology, which developed gaming software. The experiences were based on the author's real world experience in working at Sierra Entertainment
Sierra Entertainment
Sierra Entertainment Inc. was an American video-game developer and publisher founded in 1979 as On-Line Systems by Ken and Roberta Williams...
and in web site development. The comic was run on GameSpy
GameSpy
GameSpy Industries, Inc., known simply as GameSpy, is a division of IGN Entertainment, which operates a network of game websites and provides online video game-related services and software. GameSpy dates back to the 1996 release of an internet Quake server search program named QSpy. The current...
, along with Penny Arcade
Penny Arcade (webcomic)
Penny Arcade is a webcomic focused on video games and video game culture, written by Jerry Holkins and illustrated by Mike Krahulik. The comic debuted in 1998 on the website loonygames.com. Since then, Holkins and Krahulik have established their own site, which is typically updated with a new comic...
, and over the years cameoed and referenced in several other comics, among them The WhiteBoard
The Whiteboard
The Whiteboard is a paintball webcomic created by "Doc" Nickel, an Alaskan airsmith. It has been collected into five print books to date: The Whiteboard: Digitally Remastered [ISBN 1-59971-219-9], The Whiteboard: Untapped Potential , The Whiteboard: Hit It Again! , The Whiteboard: Target-Rich...
, which also referenced the later comic, Weak-end Warriors. The comic is also referenced on the site ImageTexT which explores the impact of underground comix and the evolution of webcomics from those roots.
Angst Technology won the Best Gaming Comic award in 2001 the first year of the Web Cartoonists' Choice Awards
Web Cartoonists' Choice Awards
The Web Cartoonists' Choice Awards are annual awards in which online cartoonists nominate and select outstanding webcomics. The awards have been held since 2001, were featured in a The New York Times column on webcomics in 2005, and have been mentioned as a tool for librarians.The WCCA represent a...
.
From August 4, 2005 to March 31, 2008 the Inktank website was Smith's personal blog. The website has links to the forums and includes his webcomic archives. Many of Smith's blog entries are about art and animation.
On March 31, 2008 a new comic, Inktank, was started on the site and is now updated on Monday, Wednesday and Friday. The new comic is based on the authors real life experiences as a father and web site developer.
Due to numerous problems with the previous webhost for the site, in January 2009 the site moved to a new host and also upgraded to the ComicPress software. Unfortunately, problems with ComicPress mean that at present, all four strips appear to be one long continuity, and some strips (because they were published on the same date as others) are not currently available.
Angst Technology
Angst Technology is based around the staff of a small computer gaming company. The humor is derived from everyday office shenanigans, computer and RPG game sources and a myriad of pop-culturePopular culture
Popular culture is the totality of ideas, perspectives, attitudes, memes, images and other phenomena that are deemed preferred per an informal consensus within the mainstream of a given culture, especially Western culture of the early to mid 20th century and the emerging global mainstream of the...
references.
The first Angst Technology strip ran on August 28, 2000. The last ran on June 20, 2005. Smith went on hiatus between July 18, 2003 and March 31, 2004. All together, there were around 1060 Angst Technology strips.
Major characters
In order of appearance:- Marc is the young project managerProject managerA project manager is a professional in the field of project management. Project managers can have the responsibility of the planning, execution, and closing of any project, typically relating to construction industry, architecture, computer networking, telecommunications or software...
. The innocent of the bunch, Marc started off as customer support. He is roommates with Yaz and while they give each other a hard time, deep down they are best buds. - Dante is the coffeeCoffeeCoffee is a brewed beverage with a dark,init brooo acidic flavor prepared from the roasted seeds of the coffee plant, colloquially called coffee beans. The beans are found in coffee cherries, which grow on trees cultivated in over 70 countries, primarily in equatorial Latin America, Southeast Asia,...
-loving lead programmerProgrammerA programmer, computer programmer or coder is someone who writes computer software. The term computer programmer can refer to a specialist in one area of computer programming or to a generalist who writes code for many kinds of software. One who practices or professes a formal approach to...
. Cynical and grounded, he's the linchpin of the company. The only one who seems to get any work done. - Webmonkey is literally a monkeyMonkeyA monkey is a primate, either an Old World monkey or a New World monkey. There are about 260 known living species of monkey. Many are arboreal, although there are species that live primarily on the ground, such as baboons. Monkeys are generally considered to be intelligent. Unlike apes, monkeys...
who's employed as the webmasterWebmasterA webmaster , also called a web architect, web developer, site author, or website administrator is a person responsible for maintaining one or many websites...
. He doesn't speak, but his caffeine fueled deathmatches speak for him. - Hugh is the wealthy and fairly naïve boss. His love of gaming and his staff is only outstripped by his love of karaokeKaraokeis a form of interactive entertainment or video game in which amateur singers sing along with recorded music using a microphone and public address system. The music is typically a well-known pop song minus the lead vocal. Lyrics are usually displayed on a video screen, along with a moving symbol,...
. - Yaz is the graphic artist and resident letch. Since opposites attract, he has hooked up as Marc's roommate where (thankfully) his ribald ways have not rubbed off on Marc.
- The IT Ninjas do all the behind the scenes maintenance. Excellent at keeping the company servers and computers running, they are not so good outside their element (like fighting or sneaking around like normal ninja). Dante, Hugh, and Kit are the only ones aware of the Ninja's existence, although Marc once stumbled into their secret office.
- Kit is the office manager and human resourcesHuman resourcesHuman resources is a term used to describe the individuals who make up the workforce of an organization, although it is also applied in labor economics to, for example, business sectors or even whole nations...
manager. Sweet and sexy, she is an eye of calm in the whirlwind office. - Lance is basically a supermanSupermanSuperman is a fictional comic book superhero appearing in publications by DC Comics, widely considered to be an American cultural icon. Created by American writer Jerry Siegel and Canadian-born American artist Joe Shuster in 1932 while both were living in Cleveland, Ohio, and sold to Detective...
-style superheroSuperheroA superhero is a type of stock character, possessing "extraordinary or superhuman powers", dedicated to protecting the public. Since the debut of the prototypical superhero Superman in 1938, stories of superheroes — ranging from brief episodic adventures to continuing years-long sagas —...
taking a day job as customer supportCustomer supportCustomer support is a range of customer services to assist customers in making cost effective and correct use of a product. It includes assistance in planning, installation, training, trouble shooting, maintenance, upgrading, and disposal of a product....
. He is actually customer support who is dumber than the customers who call him. - Salvadore is literally a llamaLlamaThe llama is a South American camelid, widely used as a meat and pack animal by Andean cultures since pre-Hispanic times....
in charge of network security. It takes a hacker to catch a hacker.