PvP (webcomic)

File:Pvp5cover.gif Cover of PvP book #5.
Author(s)	Scott Kurtz
Website	http://www.pvponline.com/
Current status/schedule	Daily
Launch date	May 4 1998 [1]
Genre(s)	Video games / Fantasy / Office / Geek

For "PvP" in multiplayer computer role-playing games, see player versus player.

PvP, also known as Player Vs. Player is a webcomic, written and drawn by author Scott Kurtz, with around 100,000 unique visitors per day (as of August 2005).[2] As of February 1 2007, it became the subject of its own animated series.

It chronicles the adventures of a fictional video game magazine company and its employees. A popular but often controversial figure in the field of online comics, Kurtz is usually willing to share his opinions about comics and gaming culture in his blog, which is hosted on the same website as his comic strips.

Originally, PvP focused on video gaming and the larger "nerd culture" including comics and RPGs. 1UP.com described it as one of the first game-based comics, but not the original saying, "...neither Scott Kurtz's PvP nor Jerry Holkins and Michael Krahulik's Penny Arcade were the first gaming-themed webcomic on the Internet." Over the years, the humor has broadened to include technology jokes, relationship humor, in-jokes about and mocking of the generation gaps between the different characters, with gaming increasingly taking a back seat. Kurtz occasionally comes under fire for his satire.

The first online strip was posted on Monday, May 4 1998 [3]. Kurtz updates the strip every day and has rarely missed an update since its inception. In April 2005, Kurtz changed to a Monday through Friday schedule, with Friday's strip in color and sketches on Saturday and Sunday, in response to the mounting work he had taken on as a monthly comic at Image and associated side projects. On June 4, 2005, Scott Kurtz posted on his blog that he was returning to the daily schedule. Although the strip was initially formatted 2x2 to fit on 800x600 resolution screens, it switched to "widescreen" on February 3, 2003 [4].

Print versions

Previously, Dork Storm Press printed 6 issues of original content as well as a trade paperback of online strips. The Dork Storm issues were collected into a trade paperback entitled "The Dork Ages." The first of these, a Christmas special, is now available online.

In March 2003, Image Comics began publishing a monthly print comic book collection of the strip that combines old strips with new material. As of April 2006 25 issues have been released, as well as a 16-page primer (numbered as #0), and three trade paperbacks (each collecting 6 issues) - "PvP: At Large" (#1-6), "PvP: Reloaded" (#7-12), and "PvP Rides Again" (#13-18).

At the 2004 San Diego Comicon, Kurtz announced that he would offer to newspapers the entire PvP series to reprint for free [5], but only if the strips were reprinted without any changes made. Kurtz said he made this offer because of his dissatisfaction with the terms offered to cartoonists by syndicates. As of yet no major American newspaper has agreed to regularly pick up his strip, even though it is free. One newspaper, The Kansas City Star, briefly ran one PvP comic per week in the fall of 2004.

Kurtz's work for Image Comics was nominated for a 2005 Eisner Award for "Best Writer/Artist—Humor."

On July 21, 2006, PVP won the Eisner Award for Best Digital Comic.

PvP: The Series

Kurtz announced on November 27 2006 that from February 2007, a traditionally animated cartoon series would be available over the internet via a subscription service, produced in conjunction with Blind Ferret Entertainment. Episodes will be 4-6 minutes in length and released on a monthly schedule, co-written and co-produced by webcartoonist Kristofer Straub.

Characters

File:PVPOWNED.gif

Francis (Left) and Brent (Right)

Main Characters

• Cole Richards -
  The boss. A committed family man, he has a rather loose grasp of new technology and is often nostalgic for 1980s pop culture. Cole is (relatively speaking) the straight man of the group and the one most likely to insist on actually making the magazine. When that's not an issue, off to join the silliness he goes.
  In a newer running gag, he and Brent often jump a bridge in a forest area in a 1969 Dodge Charger a la The Dukes of Hazzard. He is also in possession of the De Lorean from Back to the Future.
• Brently Irving Sienna - Master cynic, creative director of the magazine, coffee addict/snob, Jade's boyfriend, and Apple Computer (and recovering Amiga) fanatic. His apathetic attitude towards everything frustrates his co-workers. At one time, Brent was an elementary school art teacher. He is also the master of insults (he temporarily lost the power to insult others when he cut off his ponytail) and drives a Mini Cooper as a "statement". A running gag in the strip is that whenever the words "Panda" or "Giant Panda" are mentioned, Brent is immediately mauled by one. Brent's name was originally inspired by the Crayola crayon color "Burnt sienna".
• Jade Fontaine - A columnist, and Brent's girlfriend. She plays MMORPG-style games such as EverQuest and World of Warcraft, and also chats online with friends she's made in the series. She is often criticised for being "unrealistic", although Kurtz states that she is somewhat modeled after his wife. In her first posting to the PvP blog, Angela Kurtz stated "90% of the time, when you’re reading Jade, you’re reading about Scott’s feminine side, not about me." It's also been revealed that Jade was not always the good, moral figure that she appears to be. In high school, she and her friend Sam were caught stealing the answers to their chemistry final. Jade also took her stepfather's car without permission, and was subsequently charged with robbery by her stepfather in order to teach her a lesson.[6] Needless to say, this has delighted Brent and Francis, since they tend to be the ones Jade rolls her eyes at in disgust when they're engaged in their antics.
• Francis Ray Ottoman - the youngest member of the staff. Technical support for the office (and also known to write the occasional review), he is currently working on a "he said she said" column with his girlfriend Marcy. Easily excitable and always eager to be on the cutting edge of fads and technology, Francis represents every 'annoying gamerkid' stereotype. He loves his PC to an almost scary degree and routinely gets into arguments with Brent over Macs. Rarely does he show interest in anything besides computers or video games, though it has been stated that he owns a prominent collection of pony figurines and is a total gaylord. [7] He could be considered a young genius due to the fact that he works for a gaming magazine at the tender age of 16, but he claims he only took the job so he could play video games all day long. Also, Cole mentions that he knew Francis' mother from high school, so Francis' continued employment may be a favor on Cole's part. Francis' appearance in the comic has gone through the most changes. His first artwork was choppy and caused reader confusion due to readers mistaking a zit for his mouth and his mouth for a "jagged chin" or part of his hair, [8] so his design was drastically changed later. He now sports a T-shirt depicting a human skull, and messed-up moussed hair (the mousse was at first, and may still be, Skull's phlegm). [9]
• Skull - a lovable troll who is assigned to be a mythological animal friend to Brent a lá Pete's Dragon, although the cast currently believes he is assigned to Francis. Nervous and childlike, he has an occasional girlfriend named Sonya, although technically Skull is genderless. Skull debuted in another of Kurtz's web cartoons called Samwise, which focused on the world of Ultima Online. In the early years of PvP, Skull was much meaner and would talk about punching Brent in the face [10] or eating Francis [11]. However, in recent years, he has transformed into an utterly harmless, rather clueless creature who doesn't even seem to understand the nature of violence. The comic's cast page states that, as a mythological creature, Skull's only real need is attention, something not in short supply around the office.
• Robbie and Jase - Until recently, these two fat, beer swilling drop-outs sat in the break room on an old sofa and played sports video games endlessly. Old friends of Cole's, they were kept employed mostly out of pity and were only occasionally seen. After Robbie won the lottery, he bought a mansion and employed a butler named "Butler". He also quit the magazine so he and Jase could play video games together without being hassled to actually produce anything. For a short period of time Max Powers took away their sofa, games and beer, causing them to sober up, lose weight, and produce game reviews.
• Max Powers - arch-enemy and rival publisher of Cole, Max Powers runs Powerplay magazine. While seemingly jovial and outgoing, for some reason Max is generally despised by the PvP crew. While perhaps not as truly evil as Brent and Cole claim, he can doubtlessly be quite annoying. Eric Burns of the webcomic review site Websnark wrote an interesting analysis of Max. Powerplay recently merged with PvP to prevent PvP's certain financial ruin. Because of his narcissistic attitude, Max was unable to see Skull, and was unaware of the troll's existence. However, Shecky punched Max as an 'incentive to see the world beyond [his] nose', changing Max's perceptions. Unfortunately, Max now thinks Cole is letting the staff keep a pair of 'dogs' on the premises and says the 'yappy one' (Shecky) snapped at his face. (See March 13, 2006 blog entry.)
• Marcy Weisnewsky - another intern, Francis' long time FPS opponent and romantic interest. She was originally referred to as "Devilfish," as Francis only knew her as an online rival, and in fact he didn't even know she was a girl until Skull caused them to meet in person after substituting for Francis in an online fps tournament. She is an avid fan of anime, especially Sailor Moon. Marcy has had two artwork changes. She started out geeky and tomboyish[12], then changed to an average 16-year-old girl, [13] and then returned to geeky and tomboyish, much to Francis' displeasure. [14]

Other recurring characters

• Gwen Dawson - acquaintance of Sonya's and a radio producer. Gwen had a crush on Jade and kissed her once at party. Brent had a crush on Gwen before he knew she was a lesbian.
• Miranda Fontaine - Jade's younger sister. She is a sly coquette who aims to seduce most of the men on the PvP staff just to irritate Jade, not necessarily because she wants male attention. She has attempted to seduce the "handsome, young, powerful, and rich" Max Powers. [15] She probably has a mutual crush on Reggie, but she can't or doesn't want to admit it.
• Scratch Fury: Destroyer of Worlds - Skull's cat. Skull accidentally zapped him with his "genius machine", granting him superhuman intelligence. Scratch is bent on global domination, but his evil plans for attaining it have so far been foiled by his feline foibles and proclivities [16]. He is Pinky and the Brain in the same body, and they're fighting for dominance.
• Kirby - Cole's pet basset hound. Scratch, feeling that he needed an archenemy of his own stature, used Skull's "genius machine" to grant him ten times the intelligence of a normal basset hound. As it happens, "ten times as smart as a basset hound" is still pretty stupid, but at least now he can talk (when he remembers it). Named after Kurtz's own basset hound.
• Sonya Powers - Skull's girlfriend. She does not seem to mind that Skull is apparently genderless. Sonya is also the little sister of Max Powers, Cole's nemesis.
• Reggie Dixon - Reggie is a blind, black friend of Brent's. He is very assertive, and is very forthcoming about his disability. He was later hired by Max Powers when he started Powerplay. After the merger he began working at PvP. Based on a friend of Kurtz's.
• Donna Richards- Cole's wife. Seldom seen in the more recent strips. In real life, Angie and Scott were married on February 24, 1996.
• Kurtz's Dad - Although not a part of the official PvP Universe and therefore not normally seen with the other characters, Kurtz's dad, a German immigrant, occasionally appears in the comic to share his views on profanity, modern American culture, or whatever else happens to strike his fancy. According to Kurtz, everything the character says is transcribed from his real father's words. Kurtz's dad usually says something quirkily funny ([17]) or talks about things which he does not know much about, which is followed by Kurtz himself saying "This is so going in the Strip!". He often complains about his son not being in the newspapers and wants him to be more like his vision of perfect cartooning, Charles Schulz. Additionally, he represents the community of older PC users and gamers (at least in the Comic, Kurtz and his dad play World of Warcraft together [18], with Kurtz's dad as a pink-haired gnome, an example for his lovable crankiness).
• Francis Robot - Also known as the Ottobot. Originally a robotic girlfriend built by Francis, the Robot was rebuilt and reprogrammed into a robotic clone of Francis, which took his place in front of a theater camping out for Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith. However, at some point between the time the robot was placed at the theater and the release date for Episode III (Francis tried to make national news by camping out for Episode III before Episode II came out), the theater was turned into an antique store. When Francis returned for the robot, it handcuffed him to a chair and took his place at the office. It was discovered that the robot was not really Francis when it shorted out while making out with Marcy. Scratch Fury has now turned the robot into a machine to disguise himself as a human and attempted to take over the town at by attacking the Mayor. The plan failed and the robot was taken as evidence after Scratch Fury escaped.
• The Panda - In a long-running gag, Brent is occasionally, suddenly and inexplicably attacked by a giant panda (example). Brent brought The Panda in as a replacement for Skull after the troll ran away, but Brent quickly discovered that the Panda wouldn't take the kind of abuse Brent usually heaped on Skull. [19]. At one point, Brent was temporarily blinded [20] and the panda refrained from attacking him [21], suggesting either that it prefers to maul Brent through surprise attacks, which Brent had foiled this one time unknowingly due to improved senses from losing his vision, or that it figured he had suffered enough and refrained from attacking due to sympathy. Once, the tables were turned [22].
• Ricky Tuttle (also known as "the Turtle") - Formerly a student at Francis's school. Tuttle hero-worshipped Francis, and annoyed Francis by following him around and imitating him[23], ultimately resulting in Tuttle's death [24]. Tuttle has since returned as a ghost; Francis finds him no less annoying.[25]
• Shecky - Skull's "baby cousin". [26] He is in fact an adult con artist by the name of Shekels Montgomery Troll. Soon after his appearance he stole Brent's wallet. Based loosely on W. C. Fields.
• Butler [27] - Robbie and Jase's Butler.
• Samantha "Sam" Woods - Jade's High School best friend [28], with whom Jade rebelled and spent some time in Juvie Hall.

Running Gags

File:PVPdukes.gif

Cole and Brent in one of several Dukes of Hazzard scenes

• When any character mentions or implies homosexuality, intentionally or otherwise, Francis appears from off-panel to quip, "Gaaayyy...."[29]

• The panda attacking Brent (or others like him[30]) whenever anyone says the word "panda" or a variation of it.

• Brent always wears sunglasses, even while wearing a mask or in bandages. There are very few (<10) comics featuring him without glasses, one of which is in a guest comic. In his words, they are "For your protection."

• Cole hearing things out of context, causing him to think 'hanky-panky' is going on.

• Brent often becomes the subject of ridicule because of his exclusive use of a Macintosh computer. During one storyline, he actually convinces Francis to use an iPod in an attempt to be featured in an Apple commercial.

• Skull guarding a door for Brent and finding different ways to keep Cole away.

• Cole and Brent's running Dukes of Hazzard gag.

• Cole sporting a wizard's hat signifying that the next few strips will involve Dungeons & Dragons.[31]

• The first three panels showing actions, with the fourth panel showing a character saying, "And that's when [outrageous action occurred]."[32]

• The "Gaming Fez", which grants godlike gaming ability to the wearer.[33]

• Small strips about what Scott Kurtz's basset hound has done.[34]

• An infrequently used gag is someone screaming "KHAN!" like Captain Kirk in Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan when their archenemy has made a move against them [35]

• Breaking the "Fourth Wall" which inevitably leads to a character, usually Brent, being beheaded.[36][37][38][39] Although referred to as breaking the fourth wall, the act is more like breaking continuity, as aside from the characters saying "we are breaking the fourth wall", there is no actual fourth wall-breaking going on. Though this could be as satire, and a parody on, shows or other comics that do "break the fourth wall" by Kurtz.

• The fictional PVP Magazine has appeared many times as a prop in Real Life Comics, but has never appeared in PVP itself, with the exception of an April 19, 2006, guest comic by Kristofer Straub. [40]

• Scott's dad calling to complain or ask questions about the strips.[41]

• A running "fight" with the Penny Arcade boys.[42]

• Brent's hatred for Christmas spirit.[43]

• Jade's planning of Halloween parties and Brent dreading them. [44]

External links

• PvP Online: The official website
• Character descriptions
• Audio Interview with Kurtz: June 2006
• Panda Attack & Djörk PvP's World of Warcraft guilds comprised of PvP fans