Town Called Dobson
Encyclopedia
Town Called Dobson is a liberal
editorial cartoon
in the form of a webcomic
written and illustrated by Storm Bear. The week-daily cartoon deals with being a liberal in red America. The cultural clash between left vs. right politics is the main focus of the cartoon and reflects the creator's life growing up in Dobson, NC.
It debuted on June 4, 2004. The first three strips were initially created as a one day art project and was abandoned until the controversy over the Mohammad cartoons erupted. In the original strips, one of the main characters was named Johnny Allah. It was not until then that the creator reconsidered the cartoon and decided to go back into production and settling into a week-daily publishing schedule.
After a redraw of the characters, development of new characters, props and sets, Town Called Dobson restarted publication on March 21, 2006.
, My Left Wing, Bilerico Project, Blue NC, Diatribune and MyDD
, and was also published on the Presidential campaign website of Congressman Dennis Kucinich
. Beginning December 8th, 2007, the strip first appeared in the San Francisco Chronicle on a trial run basis.
The 2007 Memorial Day series was included in the literary journal, Art In A Liberal Frame.
The first series was a story that fused the start of the North Carolina Education Lottery
and the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina
. The story begins with the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse bringing the plague of the lottery to the land. The town soon catches fire and is burned to the ground and a local Muslim is falsely accused of arson by George W. Bush
. Bush then brings in Mort, the Horseman of Death, as the FEMA director. The rest of the story parodies the failure of government's response to the disaster.
The series, It Came From Cassiopeia is a parody of the real UFO cult, the Cassiopeans as chronicled by Pulitzer-prize winning journalist, Tom French.
The Spicy Fish Prophecy deals with immigration and global warming
through telling the story of Emperor Penguins set adrift after an Antarctic ice shelf collapse. The penguin's iceberg runs aground in North Carolina where a fundamentalist Christian church takes the penguins in to use them as slave labor to build a wall to prevent immigration.
Howl Qaeda, the latest story arc, focuses on George W. Bush
and Senator Elizabeth Dole
and their attempt to revitalize the Republican Party
.
Other characters are either political, historical or fictional.
Most characters have evolved little since the start of the strip with the exception of Elwood Jr. In the beginning of the strip, Elwood Jr. would mimic his father on all issues, but since November 2006, cracks have been developing within the character to show a building unwillingness to accept his father's rhetoric at face value.
toys produced by Fisher Price. The third strip required arms and hands and the characters were redrawn with more of a manga
style. During another redraw of the characters in early 2006, the creator developed a super deformed
, Chibi
style for the characters and that styling has remained since. All earlier strips were redrawn using this style that the creator calls Surry Chibi - clearly referencing the County in which the real life Dobson is the County Seat.
The strip does not adhere devoutly to traditional manga iconography
. Since the cartoon is always in color, the creator tends to use gradients and other illustrative techniques instead of the black and white icongraphy.
Liberalism
Liberalism is the belief in the importance of liberty and equal rights. Liberals espouse a wide array of views depending on their understanding of these principles, but generally, liberals support ideas such as constitutionalism, liberal democracy, free and fair elections, human rights,...
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....
in the form of a 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....
written and illustrated by Storm Bear. The week-daily cartoon deals with being a liberal in red America. The cultural clash between left vs. right politics is the main focus of the cartoon and reflects the creator's life growing up in Dobson, NC.
It debuted on June 4, 2004. The first three strips were initially created as a one day art project and was abandoned until the controversy over the Mohammad cartoons erupted. In the original strips, one of the main characters was named Johnny Allah. It was not until then that the creator reconsidered the cartoon and decided to go back into production and settling into a week-daily publishing schedule.
After a redraw of the characters, development of new characters, props and sets, Town Called Dobson restarted publication on March 21, 2006.
Appearances
Town Called Dobson has been featured in daily newspapers such as the Greensboro News and Record and Winston Salem Journal as well as newsweeklies including Yes! Weekly and Relish. The strip appears week-daily on large political blogs such as Daily KosDaily Kos
Daily Kos is an American political blog that publishes news and opinions from a progressive point of view. It functions as a discussion forum and group blog for a variety of netroots activists, whose efforts are primarily directed toward influencing and strengthening the Democratic Party...
, My Left Wing, Bilerico Project, Blue NC, Diatribune and MyDD
MyDD
MyDD is a collaborative politically progressive American politics blog. It was established by Jerome Armstrong in 2001. Its name was originally short for "My Due Diligence." In January 2006, the name was changed to "My Direct Democracy" as part of a site redesign, with the new tagline "Direct...
, and was also published on the Presidential campaign website of Congressman Dennis Kucinich
Dennis Kucinich
Dennis John Kucinich is the U.S. Representative for , serving since 1997. He was furthermore a candidate for the Democratic nomination for President of the United States in the 2004 and 2008 presidential elections....
. Beginning December 8th, 2007, the strip first appeared in the San Francisco Chronicle on a trial run basis.
The 2007 Memorial Day series was included in the literary journal, Art In A Liberal Frame.
Special series
The strip has an overall back-story where the characters have histories and personality traits and each character appearance builds on the past. Each strip can be read on an individual basis even though it exists within a broader story-arc. The strip dips into special series that deals with one topic or a fusion of topics.The first series was a story that fused the start of the North Carolina Education Lottery
North Carolina Education Lottery
The North Carolina Education Lottery is run by the government of North Carolina. It was established after Gov. Mike Easley signed the North Carolina State Lottery Act and the 2005 Appropriations Act....
and the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina
Hurricane Katrina
Hurricane Katrina of the 2005 Atlantic hurricane season was a powerful Atlantic hurricane. It is the costliest natural disaster, as well as one of the five deadliest hurricanes, in the history of the United States. Among recorded Atlantic hurricanes, it was the sixth strongest overall...
. The story begins with the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse bringing the plague of the lottery to the land. The town soon catches fire and is burned to the ground and a local Muslim is falsely accused of arson by George W. Bush
George W. Bush
George Walker Bush is an American politician who served as the 43rd President of the United States, from 2001 to 2009. Before that, he was the 46th Governor of Texas, having served from 1995 to 2000....
. Bush then brings in Mort, the Horseman of Death, as the FEMA director. The rest of the story parodies the failure of government's response to the disaster.
The series, It Came From Cassiopeia is a parody of the real UFO cult, the Cassiopeans as chronicled by Pulitzer-prize winning journalist, Tom French.
The Spicy Fish Prophecy deals with immigration and global warming
Global warming
Global warming refers to the rising average temperature of Earth's atmosphere and oceans and its projected continuation. In the last 100 years, Earth's average surface temperature increased by about with about two thirds of the increase occurring over just the last three decades...
through telling the story of Emperor Penguins set adrift after an Antarctic ice shelf collapse. The penguin's iceberg runs aground in North Carolina where a fundamentalist Christian church takes the penguins in to use them as slave labor to build a wall to prevent immigration.
Howl Qaeda, the latest story arc, focuses on George W. Bush
George W. Bush
George Walker Bush is an American politician who served as the 43rd President of the United States, from 2001 to 2009. Before that, he was the 46th Governor of Texas, having served from 1995 to 2000....
and Senator Elizabeth Dole
Elizabeth Dole
Mary Elizabeth Alexander Hanford "Liddy" Dole is an American politician who served in both the Ronald Reagan and George H. W. Bush presidential administrations, as well as a United States Senator....
and their attempt to revitalize the Republican Party
Republican Party (United States)
The Republican Party is one of the two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Democratic Party. Founded by anti-slavery expansion activists in 1854, it is often called the GOP . The party's platform generally reflects American conservatism in the U.S...
.
Cast
The main characters are mostly drawn upon people the creator has met. Patrick is believed to be the creator in the story and Rakarah is the representation of the creator's in-strip and real world wife. Kiko, Herbal, Rockstar, Johnny Allah and Elwood Leroy Bible Thumper, Sr. serve as the rest of the main cast. The character's name and appearance visually tell the newcomer reader a short brief background of the character.Other characters are either political, historical or fictional.
Most characters have evolved little since the start of the strip with the exception of Elwood Jr. In the beginning of the strip, Elwood Jr. would mimic his father on all issues, but since November 2006, cracks have been developing within the character to show a building unwillingness to accept his father's rhetoric at face value.
Evolution of the art
The creator originally began drawing the comic using characters drawn as Little PeopleLittle People
Little People is a toy brand for preschoolers, originally produced by Fisher-Price in the 1960s as the Play Family. The current product line consists of playsets, mini-sets and accessories, books, CDs, and DVDs focusing on various configurations of five characters named Eddie, Sarah Lynn, Maggie,...
toys produced by Fisher Price. The third strip required arms and hands and the characters were redrawn with more of a manga
Manga
Manga is the Japanese word for "comics" and consists of comics and print cartoons . In the West, the term "manga" has been appropriated to refer specifically to comics created in Japan, or by Japanese authors, in the Japanese language and conforming to the style developed in Japan in the late 19th...
style. During another redraw of the characters in early 2006, the creator developed a super deformed
Super deformed
Super deformed or SD is a specific style of Japanese caricature where characters are drawn in an exaggerated way, typically small and chubby, with stubby limbs and oversized heads, to make them resemble small children...
, Chibi
Chibi
is a Japanese slang word meaning "short person" or "small child". The word has gained currency amongst fans of manga and anime. Its meaning is of someone or some animal that is small. It can be translated as "little", but is not used the same way as chiisana [小さな] but rather cute...
style for the characters and that styling has remained since. All earlier strips were redrawn using this style that the creator calls Surry Chibi - clearly referencing the County in which the real life Dobson is the County Seat.
The strip does not adhere devoutly to traditional manga iconography
Manga iconography
Japanese manga has developed its own visual language or iconography for expressing emotion and other internal character states. This drawing style has also migrated into anime, as many stories are adapted into television shows and films...
. Since the cartoon is always in color, the creator tends to use gradients and other illustrative techniques instead of the black and white icongraphy.