Snake 'n' Bacon
Encyclopedia
Snake 'n' Bacon is a comic book
and cartoon
duo created by American
cartoonist
and illustrator
Michael Kupperman
(also known by his pseudonym
P. Revess). Originally only in print comics
, the characters were brought to television on May 10, 2009, when they were broadcast on Cartoon Network
's Adult Swim
channel in a Snake 'n' Bacon animated
show. The Tales Designed to Thrizzle, Vol. 1 collection was published in 2009 by Fantagraphics, but after its pilot the show was originally not picked up by Cartoon Network for Adult Swim.
, while the other is a strip of bacon
. Other characters in the comic were Criminal District Attorney and Underpants-On-His-Head-Man. Utterances by Snake and Bacon are limited to hissing (on Snake's part) and making bacon-related comments (on Bacon's part) such as "I'm real bacon" and advice such as "Wrap your dog's pill in me." Still, their communications are filled with sexual innuendos.
The characters "highlight what is perhaps Kupperman’s greatest comedic skill--the ability to sell surreal ideas in the most serious way possible, highlighting the humor all the more vividly," according to one reviewer. Kupperman did cartoons for Robert Smigel
's TV Funhouse TV series before returning to comic book making with a series for Fantagraphics called Tales Designed to Thrizzle, using many of the characters from Snake 'n' Bacon (including the titular pair) and new characters, such as Hercules ("the public domain superhero") and The Mannister, a man who can transform himself into the shape of a banister.
When the cartoon came to television, it combined animated and live-action sequences, with the help of such people as James Urbaniak
("Bacon"), Dan Bakkedahl
, Bill Hader
, David Rakoff
, Kristen Schaal
, Peter Serafinowicz
, and Brian Stack
. It was followed on the Cartoon Network schedule by "a spiritual cousin," the British comedy The Mighty Boosh
.
, and has been influenced by absurdity
and surrealism
. Kupperman is said to use absurdist
humor that includes straightforward jokes, pointing out through humor the absurdities of the past that just weren’t visible to readers at the time, mimicking "silly" directions people put in books about how to use them, and putting famous people in silly situations.
."
Comic book
A comic book or comicbook is a magazine made up of comics, narrative artwork in the form of separate panels that represent individual scenes, often accompanied by dialog as well as including...
and cartoon
Cartoon
A cartoon is a form of two-dimensional illustrated visual art. While the specific definition has changed over time, modern usage refers to a typically non-realistic or semi-realistic drawing or painting intended for satire, caricature, or humor, or to the artistic style of such works...
duo created by American
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
cartoonist
Cartoonist
A cartoonist is a person who specializes in drawing cartoons. This work is usually humorous, mainly created for entertainment, political commentary or advertising...
and illustrator
Illustrator
An Illustrator is a narrative artist who specializes in enhancing writing by providing a visual representation that corresponds to the content of the associated text...
Michael Kupperman
Michael Kupperman
Michael Kupperman, also known by the pseudonym P. Revess, is an American cartoonist and illustrator. He created the comic strips Up All Night and Found in the Street, and has written scripts for DC Comics...
(also known by his pseudonym
Pseudonym
A pseudonym is a name that a person assumes for a particular purpose and that differs from his or her original orthonym...
P. Revess). Originally only in print comics
Comics
Comics denotes a hybrid medium having verbal side of its vocabulary tightly tied to its visual side in order to convey narrative or information only, the latter in case of non-fiction comics, seeking synergy by using both visual and verbal side in...
, the characters were brought to television on May 10, 2009, when they were broadcast on Cartoon Network
Cartoon Network
Cartoon Network is a name of television channels worldwide created by Turner Broadcasting which used to primarily show animated programming. The channel began broadcasting on October 1, 1992 in the United States....
's Adult Swim
Adult Swim
Adult Swim is an adult-oriented Cable network that shares channel space with Cartoon Network from 9:00 pm until 6:00 am ET/PT in the United States, and broadcasts in countries such as Australia and New Zealand...
channel in a Snake 'n' Bacon animated
Animation
Animation is the rapid display of a sequence of images of 2-D or 3-D artwork or model positions in order to create an illusion of movement. The effect is an optical illusion of motion due to the phenomenon of persistence of vision, and can be created and demonstrated in several ways...
show. The Tales Designed to Thrizzle, Vol. 1 collection was published in 2009 by Fantagraphics, but after its pilot the show was originally not picked up by Cartoon Network for Adult Swim.
Characters
The characters in the comics were a parody of popular comedy teams. One of the characters is a snakeSnake
Snakes are elongate, legless, carnivorous reptiles of the suborder Serpentes that can be distinguished from legless lizards by their lack of eyelids and external ears. Like all squamates, snakes are ectothermic, amniote vertebrates covered in overlapping scales...
, while the other is a strip of bacon
Bacon
Bacon is a cured meat prepared from a pig. It is first cured using large quantities of salt, either in a brine or in a dry packing; the result is fresh bacon . Fresh bacon may then be further dried for weeks or months in cold air, boiled, or smoked. Fresh and dried bacon must be cooked before eating...
. Other characters in the comic were Criminal District Attorney and Underpants-On-His-Head-Man. Utterances by Snake and Bacon are limited to hissing (on Snake's part) and making bacon-related comments (on Bacon's part) such as "I'm real bacon" and advice such as "Wrap your dog's pill in me." Still, their communications are filled with sexual innuendos.
The characters "highlight what is perhaps Kupperman’s greatest comedic skill--the ability to sell surreal ideas in the most serious way possible, highlighting the humor all the more vividly," according to one reviewer. Kupperman did cartoons for Robert Smigel
Robert Smigel
Robert Smigel is an American actor, humorist, comedian and writer known for his Saturday Night Live "TV Funhouse" cartoon shorts and as the puppeteer and voice behind Triumph, the Insult Comic Dog.-Early life:...
's TV Funhouse TV series before returning to comic book making with a series for Fantagraphics called Tales Designed to Thrizzle, using many of the characters from Snake 'n' Bacon (including the titular pair) and new characters, such as Hercules ("the public domain superhero") and The Mannister, a man who can transform himself into the shape of a banister.
When the cartoon came to television, it combined animated and live-action sequences, with the help of such people as James Urbaniak
James Urbaniak
James Christian Urbaniak is an American actor. Urbaniak was born in Bayonne, New Jersey. He lives in Santa Monica, California with his wife Julie and their twins, son Severn Jerzy and daughter Esme Maeve....
("Bacon"), Dan Bakkedahl
Dan Bakkedahl
Dan Bakkedahl is an American improvisational actor, comedian and teacher from Chicago's Second City. Born in Rochester, Minnesota and raised in Stuart, Florida, he attended St...
, Bill Hader
Bill Hader
William "Bill" Hader is an American actor, comedian, producer and writer. He is best known for his work as a creative consultant on the hit show South Park and as a cast member on Saturday Night Live and for his supporting roles in comedy films such as Superbad, Hot Rod, Tropic Thunder,...
, David Rakoff
David Rakoff
David Rakoff is a Canadian-born writer based in New York City who is noted for his humorous, sometimes autobiographical non-fiction essays. Rakoff is an essayist, journalist, and actor and is a regular contributor to Public Radio International's This American Life...
, Kristen Schaal
Kristen Schaal
Kristen Schaal is an American actress, writer and comedienne, best known for her role as Mel in the HBO series Flight of the Conchords, as Louise in Bob's Burgers and as a contributor on The Daily Show.-Early life:...
, Peter Serafinowicz
Peter Serafinowicz
Peter Szymon Serafinowicz is an English actor, comedian, writer, composer, voice artist and occasional director.-Early life:Serafinowicz was born in Liverpool, England. He attended Our Lady of the Assumption Roman Catholic Primary School and St Francis Xavier Secondary School...
, and Brian Stack
Brian Stack
Brian Stack is an American actor, writer and comedian best known for his sketch comedy work on all three Conan O'Brien late-night talk shows, previously working on Late Night with Conan O'Brien and The Tonight Show with Conan O'Brien, and currently on O'Brien's newest show, Conan on TBS.-Early...
. It was followed on the Cartoon Network schedule by "a spiritual cousin," the British comedy The Mighty Boosh
The Mighty Boosh
The Mighty Boosh is a British comedy troupe featuring comedians Julian Barratt and Noel Fielding. Developed from three stage shows and a six episode radio series, it has since spawned a total of twenty television episodes for BBC Three and two live tours of the UK, as well as two live shows in the...
.
Influences and comedic approach
Kupperman has created several memorable cartoon characters, written for DC ComicsDC Comics
DC Comics, Inc. is one of the largest and most successful companies operating in the market for American comic books and related media. It is the publishing unit of DC Entertainment a company of Warner Bros. Entertainment, which itself is owned by Time Warner...
, and has been influenced by absurdity
Surreal humour
Surreal humour is a form of humour based on violations of causal reasoning with events and behaviours that are logically incongruent. Constructions of surreal humour involve bizarre juxtapositions, non-sequiturs, irrational situations, and/or expressions of nonsense.The humour arises from a...
and surrealism
Surrealism
Surrealism is a cultural movement that began in the early 1920s, and is best known for the visual artworks and writings of the group members....
. Kupperman is said to use absurdist
Absurdism
In philosophy, "The Absurd" refers to the conflict between the human tendency to seek value and meaning in life and the human inability to find any...
humor that includes straightforward jokes, pointing out through humor the absurdities of the past that just weren’t visible to readers at the time, mimicking "silly" directions people put in books about how to use them, and putting famous people in silly situations.
Critical reception
Responses to the TV show have been very positive—comments range from "I really liked it" to "It's trippy and creative, definitely weirdly off the wall and way out there." One naysayer was Ron Hogan on Den of Geek, who called the show "the worst thing that's been on [Adult Swim] since DelocatedDelocated
Delocated is an American live-action television series which premiered February 12, 2009 on Adult Swim. The original pilot for the show was aired on April 1, 2008....
."
External links
- Snake 'n' Bacon at Adultswim.com
- TV episode