R. K. Milholland
Encyclopedia
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....
s: Something Positive
Something Positive
Something Positive or S*P is a webcomic by R. K. Milholland, which debuted on December 19, 2001. The comic is characterized by a cynical tone and off-beat humor, including its portrayals of geeks, gamers, and goths....
, New Gold Dreams, Midnight Macabre, Classically Positive and Super Stupor.
History
Raised in Bedford, TexasBedford, Texas
Bedford is a suburban city located in northeast Tarrant County, Texas, in the "Mid-Cities" area between Dallas and Fort Worth. It is a suburb of Fort Worth. The population was 46,979 at the 2010 census...
, Milholland attended Harwood Junior High and Trinity High School
Trinity High School
Trinity High School is the name of high schools:In the United Kingdom:*Trinity High School , in Rutherglen, Lanarkshire, Scotland*Trinity High School and Sixth Form Centre, in Redditch, England*Trinity C.E...
in neighboring Euless, Texas
Euless, Texas
Euless, known as "Tree City USA," is a city in Tarrant County, Texas, United States, and a suburb of Fort Worth. Euless is part of the Mid-Cities between Dallas and Fort Worth...
. During high school
High school
High school is a term used in parts of the English speaking world to describe institutions which provide all or part of secondary education. The term is often incorporated into the name of such institutions....
he won several awards for his editorial cartoon
Editorial cartoon
An editorial cartoon, also known as a political cartoon, is an illustration containing a commentary that usually relates to current events or personalities....
s. He went on to enroll in the art
Art
Art is the product or process of deliberately arranging items in a way that influences and affects one or more of the senses, emotions, and intellect....
department at the University of North Texas
University of North Texas
The University of North Texas is a public institution of higher education and research in Denton. Founded in 1890, UNT is part of the University of North Texas System. As of the fall of 2010, the University of North Texas, Denton campus, had a certified enrollment of 36,067...
where he spent four years.
Milholland moved to Boston
Boston
Boston is the capital of and largest city in Massachusetts, and is one of the oldest cities in the United States. The largest city in New England, Boston is regarded as the unofficial "Capital of New England" for its economic and cultural impact on the entire New England region. The city proper had...
in the spring of 1999. He worked odd jobs, including stints at a dot com startup, scientific non-profit, medical billing and medical research companies. During this time he started the Something Positive
Something Positive
Something Positive or S*P is a webcomic by R. K. Milholland, which debuted on December 19, 2001. The comic is characterized by a cynical tone and off-beat humor, including its portrayals of geeks, gamers, and goths....
webcomic
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....
, in response to a criticism
Criticism
Criticism is the judgement of the merits and faults of the work or actions of an individual or group by another . To criticize does not necessarily imply to find fault, but the word is often taken to mean the simple expression of an objection against prejudice, or a disapproval.Another meaning of...
from his friend, voice actress Clarine Harp
Clarine Harp
Clarine Harp is an American voice actress, Blu-ray and DVD Producer, and production assistant who works for FUNimation Entertainment....
, that he should "do something positive" with his life. The protagonist in this comic, Davan, is loosely based on Milholland and the stories are often inspired by real life experiences. Like Davan, he has one sister and is not married. Harp was included in the comic as well in the form of the explosive Aubrey Chorde.
In June 2004, faced with increasing complaints about his lateness in updating the comic, Milholland challenged his readership to donate enough money to pay for a year of his salary, so that he could quit his job and become a full-time cartoonist. To his surprise, this amount was reached and surpassed in less than a month, making Milholland one of the successful pioneers of micropatronage. Since then, his webcomic has expanded into many realms of merchandising.
Milholland has moved from Boston and travels the con
Convention (meeting)
A convention, in the sense of a meeting, is a gathering of individuals who meet at an arranged place and time in order to discuss or engage in some common interest. The most common conventions are based upon industry, profession, and fandom...
circuit frequently. He also sometimes performs in community theater, especially children's theater.
Something Positive 1937
Starting on September 7, 2007, Milholland launched a third spin-off from Something Positive, this one also taking place in the same continuity as the original but taking place many years earlier. Something Positive 1937 follows the relationship of Fred's father Vester Macintire and his cousin Davan (Davan of S*Ps namesake, first mentioned in the comic's May 8, 2007 strip). The comic is in black and white and for a time featured in a sidebar next to the original, with archives available on the same page as the original strip. Milholland has said in news posts he expects the story to last for a few years, and provided it with its own website on September 24, 2007. The strip has not updated since January 2008.Midnight Macabre
Midnight Macabre is another spin-off from Something Positive. It features Gaspar Baugh, the father of Something Positive secondary character Lisa Baugh, as he attempts to resurrect a horror TV show presenting Midnight movies.New Gold Dreams
New Gold Dreams is a strip that spoofs the conventions of the heroic fantasyHeroic fantasy
Heroic fantasy is a sub-genre of fantasy which chronicles the tales of heroes in imaginary lands. Unlike stories of sword and sorcery, heroic fantasy narratives tend to be intricate in plot, often involving many peoples, nations and lands. Grand battles and the fate of the world are common themes,...
genre. It also ties in with Milholland's interest in role-playing game
Role-playing game
A role-playing game is a game in which players assume the roles of characters in a fictional setting. Players take responsibility for acting out these roles within a narrative, either through literal acting, or through a process of structured decision-making or character development...
s, as the comic is portrayed as a game run by Pee-Jee, one of the SP
Something Positive
Something Positive or S*P is a webcomic by R. K. Milholland, which debuted on December 19, 2001. The comic is characterized by a cynical tone and off-beat humor, including its portrayals of geeks, gamers, and goths....
cast members; some of the characters in New Gold Dreams have the same appearance and personality as regular S*P characters. The comic started on April 2, 2004 but, due to the amount of time required for each strip, has been updated sporadically. Milholland wrote that, starting on June 6, 2005, he would update NGD three times a week, although the story has been entirely on hiatus since the 20th issue in August 2005.
Characters
Eumaeus is a twelve-year-old boy who dreamed of becoming a hero, but was denied a Hero Permit due to high intelligence. The Heroes' Guild encouraged him to try to join the Villain's Guild. This didn't work for Eumaeus either, because his older brother is a Licensed Hero and the Villain's Guild declared it to be a conflict of interest.
Altaes is Eumaeus' father. A coffin-maker by trade, he is somewhat disappointed in the fact that his older son has saved so many people's lives (thus lowering the demand for coffins). He deeply cares for his younger son, but nevertheless rents Eumaeus out to a pair of travelers for 160 gold dubloons.
Gornaf (originally created by Josh Pritchard, i.e. the "real world" Jason from Something Positive) is one of the travelers that rents Eumaeus. He is a dwarf and claims to have been sold for half the price that Eumaeus was rented (apparently by Aubridawn, see below).
Aubridawn is a halfling. Her upbeat nature makes her a perfect foil for Gornaf. She resembles Aubrey Chorde of Something Positive
Something Positive
Something Positive or S*P is a webcomic by R. K. Milholland, which debuted on December 19, 2001. The comic is characterized by a cynical tone and off-beat humor, including its portrayals of geeks, gamers, and goths....
, and indeed, Aubridawn has appeared as Aubrey's gaming character in at least one comic.
Umya is a creature that is half chameleon and half man. He spends most of his time trying to avoid being eaten by the ogres that power Gornaf and Aubridawn's ship, the S.S. Foglio.
The Grave Digger has thus far been friendly to Eumaeus, though he is mysterious, and seems to be more powerful—and possibly sinister—than he seems. He resembles Fred MacIntire of Something Positive.
Super Stupor
Super Stupor is a superheroSuperhero
A 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 —...
comic, which mocks the conventions of the genre. Three self-published volumes of the strip are currently available from the Rhymes With Witch store.