Pictures for Sad Children
| Pictures for Sad Children | |
|---|---|
| Author(s) | John Campbell |
| Website | http://picturesforsadchildren.com |
| Current status / schedule | Deleted |
| Launch date | 2007 |
| End date | 2014 |
| Genre(s) | Absurdist humor, black humor |
Pictures for Sad Children was a webcomic created by John Campbell in 2007. The comic employed dark and surreal humor and was mainly story-driven until shifting to more self-contained strips. Pictures for Sad Children was a finalist in the 2008 Web Cartoonists' Choice Awards (WCCA) as an Outstanding Newcomer.[1]
As of December 2014, Campbell has removed all comics from the comic's website, leaving a repeating video of clouds in its place. The site remained blank for several months in 2014, as did Campbell's other domains for various projects.
Kickstarter and subsequent closure[edit]
In May 2012, John Campbell set up a Kickstarter crowdfunding project to fund production of the second book of Pictures for Sad Children, entitled "Sad Pictures for Children". Some of the perks were outlandish or bizarre, such as Campbell drawing a comic under the influence of DMT, going to the dentist "for the first time in ~8 years" or putting up paste-ups in the donor's city under the risk of being arrested.[2] The campaign succeeded, with $51,615 raised from a goal of $8,000.[2]
On September 19, 2012, Campbell posted an update to the Kickstarter project claiming satirically[3] that he faked depression "for profit".[4][5] This post was followed up by a post stating he had faked faking depression.[3]
On February 27, 2014, Campbell posted a final update explaining that 75% of the rewards for supporting the project had been sent out, and that no more would be sent out in the future. Attached was a video of Campbell burning one book for every email received asking about the unreceived books, totaling 127 burned copies of the book. In addition, Campbell stated that one book would be burned for every email received after the update was posted.[6] Campbell also noted that he would be ending the comic, and expressed discontent with money as a concept as well as the consequences of capitalism and its effects on relationships between people in society.[6] Campbell stated in part: "I want direct funding for my living necessities. I want to establish relationships with a group of people who can pay for my baseline needs like food and rent. I am looking for people who do not feel they need to see any 'return' on their 'investment.' I am looking for people who understand that money is a bad joke we use to hurt each other."[6] Campbell also expressed an intention to transfer these relationships, once established, to someone else, stating in part: "This will provide for the basic living necessities of a person who would not usually have the opportunity for their needs to be met by strangers on the internet."[6] In an interview, he noted that he shipped about "750 to 800 books, while another 150 were undeliverable and returned".[7] On April 28, 2014, Campbell offered to send books to those who hadn't received them.[8]
References[edit]
- ^ The Web Cartoonists' Choice Awards - 2008 List of Winners & Finalists
- ^ a b "sad pictures for children by john campbell". Kickstarter. Retrieved 3 February 2013.
- ^ a b Update #3 - I'VE BEEN PRETENDING TO BE PRETENDING TO HAVE DEPRESSION FOR PROFIT AND I'M SORRY
- ^ Update #2 - I'VE BEEN PRETENDING TO BE DEPRESSED FOR PROFIT AND I'M SORRY
- ^ Fidel Martinez (September 20, 2012). "Artist's confession of faked depression draws mixed reactions on Kickstarter". The Daily Dot.
- ^ a b c d "Update #32 - IT'S OVER". Kickstarter. February 17, 2014. Archived from the original on March 2, 2014. Retrieved March 2, 2014.
- ^ Alisa Hauser (March 5, 2014). "Kickstarter Fail: Artist Raises $51K to Publish Books, Burns Them in Alley". DNAinfo.
- ^ "Update #33 - For backers only". Kickstarter. April 28, 2014. Retrieved 18 July 2014.
If you’d like a book you can have one.
External links[edit]
- Pictures for Sad Children at WebCite (archived 4 October 2011)