Oh my gods!
Oh my gods! (English “Oh my gods!” modification of “Oh My God!”) is an English webcomic written and illustrated by Shivan Montar Balaris in the form of a comic strip . This is about neo-pagan or neo-pagan , pagan and Wicca beliefs. The main plot of the stories lies in the confrontation between Christian fundamentalists and followers of other religions.
publication
The debut came out on March 7, 2002. New comic strips have been published sporadically since then to take up and cover up the strip from the previous day. Originally black and white, the comic will later appear in grayscale Monday through Friday and in color on the weekend. The strip initially featured four main cartoon characters whose demeanor was stereotypical. The gay Stan, the lesbian Vera, the moron Winston and the jerk Victor. These four have had their initial stencil form since growing up and are making their own lives. Since then, the cast has expanded to include additional characters such as Fundie, Kay, and Reiki Master. The last comic strip was published on March 17, 2009, and according to Balaris it is not yet known if and when he will publish further comic strips, which he wanted to clarify with the strip published on June 3, 2010. A large part of the comic strips was later published in book form in annual volumes. Balaris is currently working on an anthology of the comics published so far, and also on a second volume containing the years 6 and 7, which were previously only readable on the web. The publication was set for 2011.
In the comic, all characters are pagans, unless otherwise a cross is printed on their shirts. The main characters often give their opinion on bad pagans and receive the same comment from fundamentalists. Despite constant references to the Pagan and Wicca subcultures, the comic has an extensive following, both Christian and neo-pagan .
Characteristic features
In the course of the story, characters have died and stayed to deviate from the common practice of comic strip comedy. Elements of fantasy (fairies, vampires, etc.) make the story seem surreal and yet contain a bit of truth. This fantastic aspect is enhanced by the appearance of characters such as the Pope , a Christ clown and Unitarians , who are represented as Borgs .
Oh my gods! is drawn in the characteristic “ preschool ” painting style, with characters that only have eyes, only one perspective, and no fingers. This drawing style is also based in part on another popular webcomic - Little Gamers . In the March 8, 2002 comic book issue of Oh My Gods! Shivian confirms this by referring to the characters themselves as "a blatant ripoff" (an obvious robbery). The style is very popular with fans. In the fan forums for the comic strips, the hardcore fans make themselves "ohmygodsifications" or what they would look like as characters in the comic.
Regularly appearing characters
main characters
- Stan - The typical main character and troublemaker
- Vera - The woman who also works in the local metaphysics shop.
- Victor - instigator of many problems and "boy who isn't all there".
- Winston - Geek with trivial knowledge in abundance on meaningless subjects.
Some minor / companion characters
- Fundie - stereotype of a Christian fundamentalist who wants to convert the souls of pagans.
- Vincent - Stan's friend, spiked and sharp-witted.
- Futhark Kids: Perth, Othala and Asa - Mysterious and silent, they are indescribable.
- Johnnie - leader of the local sect of the pagan, spiritual tradition of the "Spiritual Fish".
- Reiki Master - By conjuring up the impressive power of Reiki, he can heal bones and diseases.
- The Pope - A fatherly, understanding character who is not understood in the comic itself. In addition, he has a hat that is larger than his head.
- Jacob, a Clown for Christ - A clown who champion the news that Jesus is fun.
- UU of 8 - The Borg - Unitarian .
Prizes and awards
The comic strip won the Golden Web Award for 2003-2004 , was a UserFriendly.org Link of the Day, and has received reviews from Shadow Witch Web and Sequential Tart .
Web links
Individual evidence
- ↑ ohmygods.co.uk
- ↑ ohmygods.timerift.net ( Memento of the original from August 22, 2005 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.
