Checkerboard Nightmare is a webcomic, created and drawn by Kristofer Straub. Originally hosted independently, it moved to Keenspot for a time, before becoming one of the founding comics of Blank Label Comics. An author is the person who creates a written work, such as a book, story, article or the like. ... Creator of webcomics Checkerboard Nightmare and Starslip Crisis, and co-founder of webcomics group Blank Label Comics. ... The front page of the English Wikipedia Website. ... November 10 is the 314th day of the year (315th in leap years) in the Gregorian Calendar, with 51 days remaining. ... This article is about the year 2000. ... The webcomic genres are the types of themes a webcomic can take. ... In contemporary usage, parody is a form of satire that imitates another work of art in order to ridicule it. ... Webcomics, also known as online comics and web comics, are comics that are available on the Internet. ... Keenspot (short for KeenSpot Entertainment) is the largest single publisher of exclusive webcomics on the Internet. ... Blank Label Comics is a collective of web comics whose creators have banded together for mutual assistance and promotion. ...

It was conceived as a satire of webcomics - the strip is self-aware, using metahumour extensively, and the title character, Checkerboard Nightmare ("Chex") is obsessed with gaining fame as a webcomic character and is willing to do anything necessary to achieve it, an attitude satirising the self-promoting nature of lesser-known webcomics. The setup of the strip does not change beyond 'Chex wants new readers and concocts a hare-brained scheme to get them', satirising the strict adherance to format exhibited by, for example, sitcoms. Its targets expanded as the strip progressed, and shifted from satirising webcomics to the search for fame in general with the move to Keenspot. Metahumor is humor about humor. ... A sitcom or situation comedy is a genre of comedy performance originally devised for radio but today typically found on television. ... Keenspot (short for KeenSpot Entertainment) is the largest single publisher of exclusive webcomics on the Internet. ...

In addition, Checkerboard Nightmare was noted for its timely and accurate parodies of other webcomics, including a notable storyline where Chex physically attacks other webcomic creators (drawn in each creator's art style) in an attempt to gain fame by getting rid of the competition, and a well-timed one-shot comic in which a character from Queen of Wands, which had just ended, was run over by Chex and another character in a car as a parody of a similar gag in the webcomic Something Positive. At the height of Checkerboard Nightmare's run, it was well-known in the webcomics community as a razorsharp satirist of the form, and a sign of the growth and strength of webcomics in general. Queen of Wands is a webcomic that began on July 22, 2002, and ended on February 23, 2005. ... Something Positive or S*P is a webcomic by R. K. Milholland, which debuted on December 19, 2001. ...

Synopsis

Before revamp

After revamp

Checkerboard Nightmare's title character (often referred to as "Chex") is a self-aware comic strip character whose primary interest is his own success as a comic strip character. The strip is therefore virtually unique among webcomics by being entirely based upon metahumour. Although many webcomics make use of this device, most only resort to it occasionally, or when running out of ideas. Image File history File links Download high resolution version (470x700, 88 KB) Summary Art and dialogue by Kristofer Straub - Checkerboard Nightmare strip for November 11th, 2005, the end of the strip. ... Image File history File links Download high resolution version (470x700, 88 KB) Summary Art and dialogue by Kristofer Straub - Checkerboard Nightmare strip for November 11th, 2005, the end of the strip. ... Image File history File links Download high resolution version (565x650, 96 KB) Summary Art and dialogue by Kristofer Straub - Checkerboard Nightmare strip for November 27, 2005, the first post In Continuum. ... Image File history File links Download high resolution version (565x650, 96 KB) Summary Art and dialogue by Kristofer Straub - Checkerboard Nightmare strip for November 27, 2005, the first post In Continuum. ... This article is about the comic strip, the sequential art form as published in newspapers and on the Internet. ... Metahumor is humor about humor. ...

Chex's weekly exploits usually involve some sort of harebrained scheme to increase his readership by latching his image onto another, more successful comic strip or marketing scheme, directly mirroring significant trends both in western society and specifically in webcomics. From this basis the strip builds a satire on comics and other media, as well as the general concept of fame and celebrity. It has been suggested that Product marketing be merged into this article or section. ...

The comic's self-aware nature allows it to successfully parody webcomics in general as well as specific well-known comic works. However, the comic also successfully parodies media trends and cliches outside the webcomic genre, including parodies of horror movie cliches, comic books, movie marketing trends, and television contrivances. In contemporary usage, parody is a form of satire that imitates another work of art in order to ridicule it. ...

Besides having built a solid fan-base, the strip has gained both significant fame, as a new measurement of webcomics and of satire, and infamy - as a work laden with numerous references to other webcomics. As such, it has been considred by many to be a milestone in the evolution of webcomics.

The comic, which maintained a regular Monday-Wednesday-Friday updating schedule for five years, has, as of November 11, 2005, ceased to update regulary (after having parodied a badly-plotted, overdramatized finish as seen in many other works of continual nature). The website continues to maintain the strip's archive, and the characters are now used mostly for stressing pointed, satirical arguments by their author, as per the original idea behind the strip. November 11 is the 315th day of the year (316th in leap years) in the Gregorian Calendar, with 50 days remaining. ... 2005 (MMV) was a common year starting on Saturday of the Gregorian calendar. ...

After a month or so of sporadic updates, the revamped comic, which is mostly about the webcomics community, has been moved to Comixpedia, which is also about commentary on webcomics. // Comixpedia. ...

Honors awarded to the strip and its creator

• Panel participation at the 2004 San Diego Comic-Con [3]: "Is Newspaper Syndication Dead? The Future of the American Comic Strip" alongside Scott Kurtz of PvP, Mike Krahulik and Jerry Holkins of Penny Arcade (comic), Michael Jantze of The Norm and others
• Panel participation at the 2005 San Diego Comic-Con on the official WebComics School panels (WebComics School 101: Getting Started and 102: Building an Audience) alongside Scott Kurtz of PvP, Stephen Notley of Bob the Angry Flower, Jon Rosenberg of Goats (comic), and James Kochalka of American Elf.
• 2005 Cartoonist's Choice Awards, Honorable Mention in the Comedic category [4]

PvP, also known as Player Vs. ... Penny Arcade is a webcomic written by Jerry Holkins and illustrated by Mike Krahulik. ... PvP, also known as Player Vs. ... Bob the Angry Flower is a comic strip that tells the story of an easily-angered anthropomorphic flower named Bob and his interactions with the world, often in search of either global domination or love. ... This article is about goats, the webcomic. ... James Kochalka is a cartoonist and rock musician who was born in 1968 and grew up in Springfield, Vermont. ... American Elf is the daily online comic strip diary of award-winning cartoonist James Kochalka. ...

Links to other webcomics

• Queen of Wands - When webcartoonist Aeire ended her popular strip, there was talk of her main character Kestrel being folded into the cast of R.K. Milholland's Something Positive. In typical Milholland fashion, a Kestrel lookalike character was seen in the background of one strip being struck (and presumably killed) by a red hatchback. Straub responded by having Chex teach Vaporware to drive a red hatchback, and in one panel, running down a Kestrel lookalike. [5] This initiated a meme among a number of other webcomics, who referenced the car or the death in some subtle way.

Queen of Wands is a webcomic that began on July 22, 2002, and ended on February 23, 2005. ... Something Positive or S*P is a webcomic by R. K. Milholland, which debuted on December 19, 2001. ... This article is in need of attention from an expert on the subject. ...

Main characters

• Checkerboard Nightmare (Chex) - A self-aware (and self-absorbed) internet comic "star" with an encyclopedic knowledge of marketing terminology. Chex's interests lie in becoming a mega-popular webcomic star not by working at being original, but by lifting popular ideas or by riding web marketing trends. Chex resembles a harlequin with large spiky hair reminiscent of Freakazoid. His clothing bears a checkerboard pattern which is drawn the same regardless of the character's position.

• Lyle Zebulon - Chex's lawyer and possibly only friend. Lyle's main responsibility is getting Chex out of the many copyright infringement/stalking/property damage suits he incurs. It is unclear how Chex manages to pay Lyle's legal fees. Lyle additionally represents the everyman/straightman foil to Chex's irrationality. He is also regularly choked or threatened by Vaporware, as a running gag designed to emulate the quintessential running gag for running gag's sake, PVP's panda attacks.

• Vaporware - A robot brought into the cast to "round it out," Vaporware is often seen needlessly choking Lyle with his metal hands. Vaporware is often part of Chex's schemes, seemingly either unable to disobey Chex's inane requests, or uncaring as to the inevitable sticky situation it will put Chex in.

• Polkadot Dream - A popular comic strip character, essentially the opposite of Chex. Polkadot Dream has all the success and none of the ego of Chex, although her design was originally plagiarised from Chex's. Although the revelation that she is an anthropomorphile (or furry) caused her popularity in America to plummet, Dot still has a strong overseas fanbase.

Columbina dancing with a harlequin. ... Freakazoid! (or Freakazoid) is an animated television show created by Warner Brothers that aired for two seasons in 1995-1997. ... PvP, also known as Player Vs. ... Look up Furry in Wiktionary, the free dictionary Furry is slang often used by members within the furry fandom which may refer to: A character or artwork depicting anthropomorphic or zoomorphic characteristics, also known as: Funny animal Kemono Talking animal A member of the furry fandom, which is a loose...

Minor characters

• Charlotte - Chex's little-seen ex-girlfriend -- later Stripe's girlfriend. Dresses in a checkerboard motif independently of Chex, causing him to sue her even as he was dating her.

• Chex's Angels - Charlie's Angels-esque trio of three attractive girls Chex sends on a mission to find three attractive girls to promote his strip. Their names are Penelope, Linda, and Cybersword. Based on three actual readers of Checkerboard Nightmare.

• Deadeater - Left bloody, threatening-looking notes around Lyle's house reading "DEADEATER IS COMING" during a Halloween storyline.

• Doctor Hot - A fan-favorite, seldom-referenced television "pop psychologist" known for his catch phrase "Hot!" Chex appeared on Doctor Hot's daytime talk show and got it cancelled. The "Hot!" catch phrase is still in use in various webcomic forums.

• Flyweight - Failed children's character that looks like a disgruntled housefly. A denizen of the "Universe of Failure."

• Heathrow and Smacky - Pun-making neo-Vaudevillian comic strip characters, whose comic was created by Chex solely so he could make cameos in it. Later, Heathrow and Smacky came to realize Chex's treachery, and became his bitter arch-enemies.

• Jack Ace - 1930s-era reporter who always jumps to conclusions and misses the point; a satirization of poor webcomics coverage in mainstream newspapers.

• Lance Sharps - A thinly-veiled parody of Scott McCloud, Lance is the editor-in-chief of the Canadian critical review magazine Modern Humor Authority.

• Mitch - Ultra-sarcastic "new cast member" introduced by Chex to capitalize on the Something Positive brand of biting humor.

• Schrodinger, The Quantum Cat - A cat who can see all possible states of existence at the same time, and is quite insane because of it. Had some kind of affair with Polkadot Dream.

• Striped Reverie - Chex's next-door neighbor, whom he may or may not have stolen his current "look" from. Stole Chex's lawnmower, as well as his girlfriend.

• Toby Wrenchneck - Orange-haired, bucktoothed fanboy of Checkerboard Nightmare. Chex was so delighted to have a fanboy that he in turn became obsessed with Toby. The Wrenchneck family had to place a restraining order on Chex as a result.

• The Unraveled - A godlike entity that appears in the form of a fetus and dispenses undecipherable advice. Chex once summoned The Unraveled using "the Armageddon Shard," an ancient artifact of evil, hoping to become the herald of an infinitely malevolent being. Instead The Unraveled turned out to be an infinitely humble, infinitely pleasant deity.

• Xula - Model hired to be the official personality of "X-Holiday," Chex's non-denominational winter holiday.

• Zero - Chex's precursor, a character the cartoonist drew before Chex was invented. Using archaeology, Chex dug up Zero and intended to take his storylines by right of descent. When Zero refused to submit, Chex tricked all the precursor characters back into the ground whence they came.

Charlies Angels was a television series broadcast from 1976 to 1981, about three women who work for a fictional private investigation agency, the Charles Townsend Agency. ... Scott McCloud (born 1960 in Massachusetts, USA) is a cartoonist and a leading popular scholar of comics as a distinct literary and artistic medium. ... Something Positive or S*P is a webcomic by R. K. Milholland, which debuted on December 19, 2001. ...

Significant storylines

• Army of Vaporwares- Getting more out of an otherwise one-joke character.
• Heathrow and Smacky- Chex attempts to cash-in on the success of vaudeville.
• Repairing the Fourth Wall- Vaporware rebuilds the fourth wall when he tires of webcomics breaking it for comic effect. The result is a battle royale with many other webcomic guest stars who use fourth-wall metahumour.
• A World Without Lawyers- Parody of Checkerboard Nightmare's structure, and the inability of an author to write anything but rehashes of his original hit.
• A Fan Fiction Adventure- Parody of overdramatic fanfic.
• Modern Humor Authority- Parody of Scott McCloud.
• The Bad Strip- A strip is so unfunny ("bad") that it escapes the archives and goes on the lam. Chex and company must search the seedy side of the internet to bring it to justice. For the duration of this storyline, the strip in question was actually pulled from the archive and replaced with a faint outline.
• Lyle vs. Deadeater- Halloween storyline.
• Chex Gets Ditched- A reader favorite. Chex's friends tire of his antics and decide to leave him out of the fun.
• Chex and The Fanboy- The fan/celebrity relationship is inverted when Chex becomes a fan of his fanboy for being his fan.
• Archaeology and Digging- Chex faces his "predecessors," consisting of characters Straub invented when he was a child.
• Hard Action Squad- Cop show parody, and a fan favorite.
• Sold Out- The first storyline after Checkerboard Nightmare's move to Keenspot.
• Lyle and the Fraud Litigation- Indiana Jones parody.
• Homespun Sarcasm- Parody of Something Positive.
• The Storied Hollywood Truth- The entire strip premise is inverted when it is revealed the characters readers have come to know are being portrayed by actors.
• Fallen Down- Chex goes on a webcomic-murdering rampage in this bravado parody of many other webcartoonists' styles.
• Chez Chef Chex- Guest-written by Leonard Richardson, who had won the "Chex For Sale" contest where the prize was to write a CxN storyline. Graham Morrison, the second-place winner, appears in the story as the head chef of Redacto.
• Chex's Angels- Charlie's Angels parody.
• Chex vs. The Cartoonist- Chex takes on Kristofer Straub himself in the ultimate display of chutzpah.
• Oven Bun- Dot has a shocking secret in this parody of every sitcom twist cliché in existence.
• In Continuum- The series comes to a close in this parody of overwrought, overserious series finales.

The fourth wall is the imaginary invisible wall at the front of the stage in a proscenium theatre, through which the audience sees the action in the world of the play. ... Metahumor is humor about humor. ... Fan fiction (also spelled fanfiction and commonly abbreviated to fanfic) is fiction written by people who enjoy a film, novel, television show or other media work, using the characters and situations developed in it and developing new plots in which to use these characters. ... Scott McCloud (born 1960 in Massachusetts, USA) is a cartoonist and a leading popular scholar of comics as a distinct literary and artistic medium. ... This is a list of police shows. ... Harrison Ford as Indiana Jones Indiana Jones is a fictional bullwhip-toting, fedora-wearing archaeologist with an overdeveloped ophidiophobia (fear of snakes). ... Something Positive or S*P is a webcomic by R. K. Milholland, which debuted on December 19, 2001. ... Charlies Angels was a television series broadcast from 1976 to 1981, about three women who work for a fictional private investigation agency, the Charles Townsend Agency. ... Chutzpah is the quality of audacity, for good or for bad. ... A sitcom or situation comedy is a genre of comedy performance originally devised for radio but today typically found on television. ...

See also

• List of comic strips
• List of webcomics

This is a list of comic strips. ... This list of webcomics includes comics which are (or were) primarily published on the World Wide Web, as described in the main article on webcomics. ...

External links

• Checkerboard Nightmare
• Starslip Crisis Kristofer Straub's other webcomic, in which Vaporware has become a recurring character.
• Hard Action Squad The future home of a spinoff series of Checkerboard Nightmare.