Pictures for Sad Children: Difference between revisions
Updated as per recent Input Magazine article, where she uses the name Simone Veil and she/her pronouns. Tag: references removed |
rv: what magazine? I also removed the "kickstarter.com" ref since it triggered a protection filter Tag: Reverted |
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| title = Pictures for Sad Children |
| title = Pictures for Sad Children |
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| image = Pfsclogo.png |
| image = Pfsclogo.png |
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| author = |
| author = John Campbell |
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| url = |
| url = |
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| status = Stopped |
| status = Stopped |
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'''''Pictures for Sad Children''''' is a 2007 [[webcomic]], created by |
'''''Pictures for Sad Children''''' is a 2007 [[webcomic]], created by an artist who was credited as John Campbell. The webcomic, about a [[ghost]] named Paul, featured a spare and minimalist black-and-white artstyle and [[depression (mood)|depressive]], [[nihilism|nihilistic]] themes. In 2012, Campbell launched a highly successful [[Kickstarter]] campaign to publish a print collection of the webcomic. However, Campbell was not able to ship all of the copies to backers, and emails from fans asking when their book would arrive eventually led Campbell to burn a portion of the remaining books. After ''Pictures for Sad Children'' was taken offline in 2014, a fan community rose up to share pages and other content from the webcomic. |
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==Overview== |
==Overview== |
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[[File:Pictures_for_Sad_Children_strip.png|thumb|right|Paul trying to get his job back after dying and turning into a ghost.]] |
[[File:Pictures_for_Sad_Children_strip.png|thumb|right|Paul trying to get his job back after dying and turning into a ghost.]] |
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Campbell had posted comics online for some time before the 2007 launch of ''Pictures for Sad Children'', including hourly comics and also longer stories, such as "Stevie Might Be a Bear Maybe" (published as a mini-comic by Loose Teeth Press<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.looseteeth.ca/titl_stev.htm|title=Stevie Might Be A Bear, Maybe by John Campbell|publisher=Loose Teeth Press|access-date=2017-09-11|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170911072140/http://www.looseteeth.ca/titl_stev.htm|archive-date=2017-09-11|url-status=dead}}</ref>). Campbell entered the [[Daily Grind Iron Man Challenge]] webcomic competition in 2005.<ref>{{cite web|title=Daily Grind Iron Man Challenge| url=http://www.crowncommission.com/dailygrind/|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20140621153246/http://www.crowncommission.com/dailygrind/|archivedate=2014-06-21|url-status=dead}}</ref> |
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''Pictures for Sad Children'' is considered a simple webcomic, featuring only occasional plotlines and few recurring characters. ''[[CBS Chicago]]'' described |
''Pictures for Sad Children'' is considered a simple webcomic, featuring only occasional plotlines and few recurring characters. ''[[CBS Chicago]]'' described Campbell's black-and-white work as "rooted in nihilism, apathy, and frustration," though notes that these feelings are "prodded gently, and with love."<ref>{{cite web|url=http://chicago.cbslocal.com/top-lists/five-fall-reads-for-chicagoans/|work=[[CBS Chicago]]|title=Five Fall Reads For Chicagoans|last=Morgridge|first=Dan|date=2012-09-14}}</ref> The webcomic is centered around a ghost named Paul, who had nothing better to do with its afterlife than to simply return to doing its dayjob.<ref name=Killscreen>{{cite web|url=https://killscreen.com/articles/how-disappear-completely-internet/|work=[[Kill Screen]]|title=How to Disappear Completely From the Internet|last=Fries|first=Daniel|date=2015-07-01|archivedate=2016-04-20|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20160420114035/https://killscreen.com/articles/how-disappear-completely-internet/}}</ref> ''[[Comics Alliance]]'' stated that ''Pictures for Sad Children'' is "defined by its spare, minimalist drawing [and] a deep, pervading sense of ineluctable sadness that lingers long after you've finished the comic."<ref name=Artshow>{{cite web|url=http://comicsalliance.com/pictures-for-sad-children-art-show/|work=[[Comics Alliance]]|title=‘Pictures for Sad Children’ Webcomic Creator Holds Equally Depressing Art Show|last=Hudson|first=Laura|date=2010-08-16}}</ref> |
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In 2010, |
In 2010, Campbell held an [[art exhibition]], featuring depressing installations in the style of the webcomic.<ref name=Artshow /> |
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==Kickstarter campaign== |
==Kickstarter campaign== |
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In 2012, |
In 2012, Campbell held a successful [[Kickstarter]] campaign which raised $51,615 [[USD]] to create a print version of ''Pictures for Sad Children'', far exceeding the crowdfunding goal of $8,000 USD.<ref name=BleedingCool /> However, in August, a few months after the campaign had concluded, the artist published a lengthy post on the Kickstarter page in which he{{refn|group=Note |John Campbell's [[gender identity]] has become unclear.<ref name=Killscreen/> claimed that he had been pretending to be [[Major depressive disorder|depressed]] in order to gain a profit. According to the post, his biggest regret was that he made it easier for what he described as "borderline people" to trick themselves into thinking that they are depressed as well. In the post, Campbell also stated that he expected that the book would be finished and delivered before the end of 2012.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.dailydot.com/society/pictures-for-sad-children-kickstarter-depression/|work=[[The Daily Dot]]|title=Artist's confession of faked depression draws mixed reactions on Kickstarter|last=Martinez|first=Fidel|date=2012-09-20}}</ref> |
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In February 2014, |
In February 2014, Campbell published a new blog post in which he confirmed that he was able to ship around 75% of the Kickstarter rewards to his backers, but was unable to ship any more copies because he ran out of money. The post was accompanied with a video that shows Campbell burning over a hundred copies of the book, with an attached threat to burn even more. According to ''[[DNAinfo.com]]'', Campbell spent $30,000 USD producing the 200-page hardcover book and even more to include a plastic-wrapped dead [[wasp]] in each copy, leaving little money for actual shipping.<ref name=BleedingCool>{{cite web|url=http://www.bleedingcool.com/2014/02/28/kickstarter-fail-john-campbell-burns-comics-rather-than-sending-them-to-donors/|work=[[Bleeding Cool]]|title=Kickstarter Fail: John Campbell Burns Comics Rather Than Sending Them To Donors|last=Johnston|first=Rich|date=2014-02-28}}</ref><ref name="Mashable">{{cite web|url=http://mashable.com/2014/03/06/kickstarter-comic-burns-books/#jSqtlxTFcPqT|work=[[Mashable]]|title=Comic Artist Raises $50K for Books, Then Just Burns Them|last=Daileda|first=Colin|date=2014-03-06}}</ref> |
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In October 2015, [[Cards Against Humanity|Max Temkin]] contacted some initial Kickstarter backers who never received their copy via email, and offered them "one of the remaining copies", distributing an unknown number of remaining copies of the book. It isn't clear how he came to be involved.<ref name=Killscreen/> |
In October 2015, [[Cards Against Humanity|Max Temkin]] contacted some initial Kickstarter backers who never received their copy via email, and offered them "one of the remaining copies", distributing an unknown number of remaining copies of the book. It isn't clear how he came to be involved.<ref name=Killscreen/> |
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==Closure== |
==Closure== |
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The webcomic was taken offline in 2014 and is no longer available. As ''Pictures for Sad Children'' was taken offline, Kickstarter backer Jacob Weiss suggested that he would send his copy of the book to anyone who was not able to read it, as he had already finished reading it himself. Within a week, there were over 100 people asking for the book, and Weiss decided to send it to one of them along with $15 so that they could send it to someone else. Along with this process of sending the book to different interested parties came offers from other people who were also interested in sending books around or uploading [[PDF]] versions. Some users shared [[screenshots]] of |
The webcomic was taken offline in 2014 and is no longer available. As ''Pictures for Sad Children'' was taken offline, Kickstarter backer Jacob Weiss suggested that he would send his copy of the book to anyone who was not able to read it, as he had already finished reading it himself. Within a week, there were over 100 people asking for the book, and Weiss decided to send it to one of them along with $15 so that they could send it to someone else. Along with this process of sending the book to different interested parties came offers from other people who were also interested in sending books around or uploading [[PDF]] versions. Some users shared [[screenshots]] of Campbell's blog, audio interviews Campbell had done, and so on. Meanwhile, Campbell had expressed a desire for a diminished internet presence and did not want his work to be publicly hosted or reposted, turning Weiss' "Book Club" into a more private gathering. Weiss wanted to take the [[Google Drive]] with all the ''Pictures for Sad Children'' content down in late 2014, but felt unable to do so at the time. As of July 16, 2015, "the Sad Children Book Club has ended, and the files are no longer accessible to anyone."<ref name=Killscreen /> |
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==Legacy== |
==Legacy== |
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''Pictures for Sad Children'' was a finalist in the 2008 [[Web Cartoonists' Choice Awards]] in the "Outstanding Newcomer" category, losing to Meredith Gran's ''[[Octopus Pie]]''.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.ccawards.com/2008finalists.html|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160304015138/http://www.ccawards.com/2008finalists.html|url-status=dead|archive-date=2016-03-04|work=[[Web Cartoonists' Choice Awards]]|title=Here are the 2008 WCCA Winners!}}</ref> |
''Pictures for Sad Children'' was a finalist in the 2008 [[Web Cartoonists' Choice Awards]] in the "Outstanding Newcomer" category, losing to Meredith Gran's ''[[Octopus Pie]]''.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.ccawards.com/2008finalists.html|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160304015138/http://www.ccawards.com/2008finalists.html|url-status=dead|archive-date=2016-03-04|work=[[Web Cartoonists' Choice Awards]]|title=Here are the 2008 WCCA Winners!}}</ref> |
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Starting January 1, 2006, |
Starting January 1, 2006, John Campbell began drawing hourly autobiographical comics. Campbell then recruited several other cartoonists to spend February 1 doing the same. The resulting "Hourly Comics Day" grew in popularity, inspiring webcomic artists such as [[Kate Beaton]] and [[John Allison (comics)|John Allison]] to create 24-hour comics of their own. The Hourly Comics Day continues to be celebrated worldwide on February 1 each year, though it is no longer organized by Campbell.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://comicsalliance.com/webcomic-creators-take-time-for-hourly-comics-day/|work=[[Comics Alliance]]|title=Webcomic Creators Take Time for Hourly Comics Day|last=Hudson|first=Laura|date=2010-02-04}}</ref> |
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In 2013, |
In 2013, Campbell published ''DMT'', a color comic in PDF format about the psychoactive drug [[dimethyltryptamine]].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.destroythecyb.org/dmt-by-john-campbell-11311.htm|title=DMT by John Campbell|publisher=Destroy The Cyborg!|date=Aug 2, 2013|accessdate=Sep 10, 2017}}</ref> One year later, fans noticed a website that purported to be the official site of the 2014 film ''[[Birdman (film)|Birdman]]'', but contained an assortment of stories and comics by John Campbell about the film's star [[Michael Keaton]].<ref name="Birdman">{{cite web|url=http://comicsalliance.com/birdman-michael-keaton-bio-comics-john-campbell/|work=[[Comics Alliance]]|title=The ‘Birdman’ Website’s Michael Keaton Bio Comics Are The Weirdest Things You’ll Read Today And Possibly Ever|last=Sims|first=Chris|date=2014-12-23}}</ref> |
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==Notes== |
==Notes== |
Revision as of 23:28, 23 November 2021
Pictures for Sad Children | |
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Author(s) | John Campbell |
Current status/schedule | Stopped |
Launch date | 2007 |
End date | 2014 |
Genre(s) | Absurdist humor, black humor |
Pictures for Sad Children is a 2007 webcomic, created by an artist who was credited as John Campbell. The webcomic, about a ghost named Paul, featured a spare and minimalist black-and-white artstyle and depressive, nihilistic themes. In 2012, Campbell launched a highly successful Kickstarter campaign to publish a print collection of the webcomic. However, Campbell was not able to ship all of the copies to backers, and emails from fans asking when their book would arrive eventually led Campbell to burn a portion of the remaining books. After Pictures for Sad Children was taken offline in 2014, a fan community rose up to share pages and other content from the webcomic.
Overview
Campbell had posted comics online for some time before the 2007 launch of Pictures for Sad Children, including hourly comics and also longer stories, such as "Stevie Might Be a Bear Maybe" (published as a mini-comic by Loose Teeth Press[1]). Campbell entered the Daily Grind Iron Man Challenge webcomic competition in 2005.[2]
Pictures for Sad Children is considered a simple webcomic, featuring only occasional plotlines and few recurring characters. CBS Chicago described Campbell's black-and-white work as "rooted in nihilism, apathy, and frustration," though notes that these feelings are "prodded gently, and with love."[3] The webcomic is centered around a ghost named Paul, who had nothing better to do with its afterlife than to simply return to doing its dayjob.[4] Comics Alliance stated that Pictures for Sad Children is "defined by its spare, minimalist drawing [and] a deep, pervading sense of ineluctable sadness that lingers long after you've finished the comic."[5]
In 2010, Campbell held an art exhibition, featuring depressing installations in the style of the webcomic.[5]
Kickstarter campaign
In 2012, Campbell held a successful Kickstarter campaign which raised $51,615 USD to create a print version of Pictures for Sad Children, far exceeding the crowdfunding goal of $8,000 USD.[6] However, in August, a few months after the campaign had concluded, the artist published a lengthy post on the Kickstarter page in which he{{refn|group=Note |John Campbell's gender identity has become unclear.[4] claimed that he had been pretending to be depressed in order to gain a profit. According to the post, his biggest regret was that he made it easier for what he described as "borderline people" to trick themselves into thinking that they are depressed as well. In the post, Campbell also stated that he expected that the book would be finished and delivered before the end of 2012.[7]
In February 2014, Campbell published a new blog post in which he confirmed that he was able to ship around 75% of the Kickstarter rewards to his backers, but was unable to ship any more copies because he ran out of money. The post was accompanied with a video that shows Campbell burning over a hundred copies of the book, with an attached threat to burn even more. According to DNAinfo.com, Campbell spent $30,000 USD producing the 200-page hardcover book and even more to include a plastic-wrapped dead wasp in each copy, leaving little money for actual shipping.[6][8]
In October 2015, Max Temkin contacted some initial Kickstarter backers who never received their copy via email, and offered them "one of the remaining copies", distributing an unknown number of remaining copies of the book. It isn't clear how he came to be involved.[4]
Closure
The webcomic was taken offline in 2014 and is no longer available. As Pictures for Sad Children was taken offline, Kickstarter backer Jacob Weiss suggested that he would send his copy of the book to anyone who was not able to read it, as he had already finished reading it himself. Within a week, there were over 100 people asking for the book, and Weiss decided to send it to one of them along with $15 so that they could send it to someone else. Along with this process of sending the book to different interested parties came offers from other people who were also interested in sending books around or uploading PDF versions. Some users shared screenshots of Campbell's blog, audio interviews Campbell had done, and so on. Meanwhile, Campbell had expressed a desire for a diminished internet presence and did not want his work to be publicly hosted or reposted, turning Weiss' "Book Club" into a more private gathering. Weiss wanted to take the Google Drive with all the Pictures for Sad Children content down in late 2014, but felt unable to do so at the time. As of July 16, 2015, "the Sad Children Book Club has ended, and the files are no longer accessible to anyone."[4]
Legacy
Pictures for Sad Children was a finalist in the 2008 Web Cartoonists' Choice Awards in the "Outstanding Newcomer" category, losing to Meredith Gran's Octopus Pie.[9]
Starting January 1, 2006, John Campbell began drawing hourly autobiographical comics. Campbell then recruited several other cartoonists to spend February 1 doing the same. The resulting "Hourly Comics Day" grew in popularity, inspiring webcomic artists such as Kate Beaton and John Allison to create 24-hour comics of their own. The Hourly Comics Day continues to be celebrated worldwide on February 1 each year, though it is no longer organized by Campbell.[10]
In 2013, Campbell published DMT, a color comic in PDF format about the psychoactive drug dimethyltryptamine.[11] One year later, fans noticed a website that purported to be the official site of the 2014 film Birdman, but contained an assortment of stories and comics by John Campbell about the film's star Michael Keaton.[12]
Notes
References
- ^ "Stevie Might Be A Bear, Maybe by John Campbell". Loose Teeth Press. Archived from the original on 2017-09-11. Retrieved 2017-09-11.
- ^ "Daily Grind Iron Man Challenge". Archived from the original on 2014-06-21.
- ^ Morgridge, Dan (2012-09-14). "Five Fall Reads For Chicagoans". CBS Chicago.
- ^ a b c d Fries, Daniel (2015-07-01). "How to Disappear Completely From the Internet". Kill Screen. Archived from the original on 2016-04-20.
- ^ a b Hudson, Laura (2010-08-16). "'Pictures for Sad Children' Webcomic Creator Holds Equally Depressing Art Show". Comics Alliance.
- ^ a b Johnston, Rich (2014-02-28). "Kickstarter Fail: John Campbell Burns Comics Rather Than Sending Them To Donors". Bleeding Cool.
- ^ Martinez, Fidel (2012-09-20). "Artist's confession of faked depression draws mixed reactions on Kickstarter". The Daily Dot.
- ^ Daileda, Colin (2014-03-06). "Comic Artist Raises $50K for Books, Then Just Burns Them". Mashable.
- ^ "Here are the 2008 WCCA Winners!". Web Cartoonists' Choice Awards. Archived from the original on 2016-03-04.
- ^ Hudson, Laura (2010-02-04). "Webcomic Creators Take Time for Hourly Comics Day". Comics Alliance.
- ^ "DMT by John Campbell". Destroy The Cyborg!. Aug 2, 2013. Retrieved Sep 10, 2017.
- ^ Sims, Chris (2014-12-23). "The 'Birdman' Website's Michael Keaton Bio Comics Are The Weirdest Things You'll Read Today And Possibly Ever". Comics Alliance.
External links
- "Pictures for Sad Children". Archived from the original on February 21, 2011.