Sinfest
Sinfest is a webcomic by the Japanese-American artist Tatsuya Ishida. The first strip was released on January 17, 2000. Sinfest originally appeared on the Keenspot website, and the comic has been independent since July 9, 2006. Sinfest appears daily (with exceptions).
Originally all strips were black and white lineart , but now color strips appear on Sundays and since February 2007 the drawings have also been in shades of gray. On January 25, 2008 Tatsuya returned to his old drawing style and tinted again with black and lines.
content
The comic deals with human nature, especially sexuality and religion. He brings a lot of parodies on popular culture , there are also political commentary from. There are some recurring rubrics:
- Ninja Theater : Characters represent heroes and villains in a martial arts film
- You had to be there : it doesn't reveal what the characters are talking about
- Japanese calligraphy : one of the characters is transformed into a kanji in four panels .
Printouts
In November 2002, Sinfest was the first print edition of the comic to appear. This was followed by Life is My Bitch in November 2003, Dance of the Gods in October 2005 and Viva La Resistance in May 2011.
Characters
Slick
The main character. His appearance is similar to that of Calvin from Calvin and Hobbes , with the same blonde spiked hairstyle and small size. However, he always wears sunglasses . A (clumsy) ripper and self-declared pimp . Would like to have sex with Monique, so far this wish has remained unfulfilled. From the age of 14 to 21, he still consumes alcohol and pornography (in the USA both are only legal from 21).
Monique
An attractive sixteen year old. Also called "Nique" and "Money". Often described as a “tramp”, she appears superficial and vain, but also has a thoughtful side. She seems to be attracted to every man in the comic (except Slick). The two often get on each other's nerves, but still remain friends. It is suggested that she feels more for slick after all.
Criminy
A buddy from Slick. Intelligent, wearing glasses, well-read and sensible, but also shy and exaggeratedly polite - he talks the main characters with "Sir" and "Ms. Monique ”. Interestingly, a good break dancer too .
Squigley
slicks other buddies. A pig in the truest sense of the word . A sexist and addicted to alcohol, marijuana, and pornography.
God
In the strip, the face of God is never shown, only one hand (sometimes both). Often God also uses hand puppets ; his doll of the devil looks deliberately ridiculous. All of the characters talk to God at times, but none except Seymour is particularly impressed - which God doesn't seem to mind.
Jesus
rarely appears in a characteristic appearance. It also stands for positive qualities in comics. There are frequent arguments and arguments with the devil. There is also a sporty competition with Buddha, but he is more of the same opinion with Buddha.
The devil
Unlike God, the devil appears in human size. As in tradition, it has horns, a goatee and a tail. Mostly he wears a suit. He has a booth (similar to Lucy from the Peanuts ) where people can get "anything you want" for the price of their soul . Slick also wanted to sell him his soul once. That being said, it's relatively rare to see the devil doing evil - he seems happy with his work so far.
Seymour
A Christian fundamentalist who always tries to be lovable and also hugs his enemies. He wears a white robe and a (glued on) halo . He is constantly engaged in religious activities such as prayer, Bible reading, and proselytizing. Even God and the angels are not entirely satisfied with his behavior.
Li'l Evil
A fanboy of the devil. Apparently not yet in puberty , he's more cute than evil. He dresses like the devil (including horns) and practices being evil - e.g. B. by renting a video and then not rewinding it. As Seymour worships God, he worships the devil; accordingly, there is often a conflict between the two.
The dragon
Just as Christianity is represented by God and the devil, the dragon stands for the East Asian religions and thus shows a third way. Like the dragons of legend, he can fly and spit fire.
Buddha
Always friendly and always quiet (only three words when it appears in the comic: “ I am awake! ”) He sits cross- legged on a small cloud and likes to bring people flowers or balance. Sometimes fight the devil with Jesus.
Pooch and Percival
Pooch, a dog , and Percival, a cat , appear for the most part without overlap with the world of the other characters. They live together in a house and their owner rarely appears and is only partially shown. It is implied that he is identical to the draftsman.
Pooch is funny, happy and devoted to his master; Percy is more intelligent, but cynical (in the Garfield tradition ), solitary, and suspicious.
Ezekiel and Ariel
Two permanently happy angels who constantly make the world understand how in love they are with each other. When they're aroused, they go to pray together, which seems to serve as a substitute for sex. They want to make mankind happy by proclaiming virtues such as celibacy, but they go about it so arrogantly that everyone hates them. The devil hunts them once, but cannot kill them because they are immortal and only bleed glitter dust. On one occasion they visit the devil's home as Jehovah's Witnesses. The only way to get rid of them is by pretending to have been converted.
Fuchsia
Fuchsia is a female, demonic being who works for the devil and looks like a female devil. She is just one of his many “employees”, working alternately while torturing in hell or with her friend Baby Blue at the devil's stand as a substitute. There is something special about her: by chance she falls in love with Criminy of all people and has been dreaming of being his girlfriend ever since. She has been writing love letters ever since, is kind-hearted and loves the beauty of this world. The devil regularly tries to cure her and turn her back to evil, but her love for Criminy, about which he knows nothing, is just too strong.