Templar, Arizona | |
---|---|
Author(s) | Spike Trotman |
Website | TemplarAZ.com |
Launch date | June 5, 2005 |
End date | September 29, 2014 [1] |
Templar Arizona is a webcomic written and drawn by Charlie Spike Trotman. It was hosted on Webcomics Nation. Trotman describes Templar, Arizona as "a story about a town, and the people who live there", specifically referring to the city of Templar as a character rather than a setting. [2] The neologism "culture fiction" was coined to describe it. [3]
The fictional city of Templar exists in a subtly different alternate universe. Trotman describes it as "a slightly irregular Arizona that fell off the back of a truck somewhere, and now all the power outlets are a weird shape and a couple of wars never happened". This city is most strongly marked by its fictional subcultures (many of which are veiled commentary on real ones), as well as its unusual architecture and fashion. However, it lacks any fantasy or science fiction elements, which suggests that the comic is closer to the alternate history genre.
The webcomic has received various awards since its start in 2005.
Spike Trotman started created Templar, Arizona on June 5, 2005, and she ended the series unfinished, in the middle of an action sequence, on September 29, 2014.
Before Kickstarter came into popularity, Trotman implemented PayPal and similar online banking services to set up an independent pre-ordering system for Templar, Arizona. [4]
Templar has been praised for its natural and humorous dialogue, the strength of its character design (both visually and in personality), the depth of its setting, and for the quality of its art. [5] [6] The writing has distinct speech patterns for each of the cast members. [7] [8]
Templar, Arizona was named as one of the best webcomics of 2005 by The Webcomics Examiner. [9] Nominated for the 2006 Web Cartoonists' Choice Awards in the categories "Outstanding New Character Design", "Outstanding Environment Design", "Outstanding Character Writing", "Outstanding Long Form Comic", and "Outstanding Story Concept", it won in the "Character Design" and "Character Writing" categories. [10]
In the 2007 Glyph Comics Awards, Trotman won the Rising Star Award for Templar, Arizona. [11]
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