| T.H.E. Fox |
Thaddeus Fox |
| Author(s) |
Joe Ekaitis |
| Current status / schedule |
Concluded |
| Launch date |
1986 |
| End date |
1998 |
| Genre(s) |
Furry |
| Rating(s) |
PG |
T.H.E. Fox is a furry comic strip by Joe Ekaitis which ran from 1986[1][2] to 1998. It began publishing within a year of Eric Millikin's Witches and Stitches, making it one of the earliest online comics.[3] T.H.E. Fox was published on CompuServe, Q-Link and GEnie,[4] and later on the Web as Thaddeus.[5] Despite running weekly for several years, the comic never achieved Ekaitis' goal of print syndication.[4] Updates became less frequent,[6] and eventually stopped altogether.
[edit] Production
Initial strips—consisting of one panel each—were drawn as pixel art on a C64 KoalaPad, first using KoalaPainter, then Advanced OCP Art Studio.[4][7] Each panel had a resolution of 160x200 in sixteen colors (or 320x200 in eight), and took from two hours to half a day to complete.[4] Later strips were inked, then scanned onto a PC and touched up with Paintbrush.[4] Characters were typically presented in a single plane, though some strips used oblique or perspective projection.
[edit] Characters and themes
The comic consisted almost entirely of gags; some concerned the characters' animal natures, but Ekaitis preferred to cover news and exaggerate events of everyday life.[nb 1][4] The main character—Thaddeus Horatio Eberhard, or simply Thaddeus Fox—was often seen interacting with his roommate, Bunnington Ellsworth Rabbit (Bunn E. Rabbit).[4] Other regulars included Grizz Lee, M.D.; Wilt the Wolf; an unnamed coyote, and Thaddaeus' nephew, Ferdinand.[4][8]
[edit] Other appearances
Thaddeus (in fursuit form) and his creator appeared on the Rapid T. Rabbit and Friends show several times, as well as in the Pasadena Doo Dah Parade.[9][10][6][11] The comic was mentioned in the magazines .info and RUN,[7][12] and was the subject of an interview by the Commodore 64/128 RoundTable.[4] Thaddeus and Bunn also featured in editorial cartoons for the San Bernardino Sun regarding the O. J. Simpson murder case and the price of groceries,[4][6] and appeared on the covers of Commodore journal Twin Cities 128 (TC-128).[4]
[edit] References
- ^ Benjamin Ong Pang Kean (2008-06-12). Economics and Comics: How Do Webcomics Fit In?. http://www.newsarama.com/comics/080612-Economics-Webcomics.html.
- ^ Lee Atchison (2008-01-07). "The Third Age of Webcomics, Part One". Sequential Tart. http://www.sequentialtart.com/article.php?id=850.
- ^ Stratton, Erik. "A Brief History of Webcomics". The Rutgers Review, Vol. 40, Issue 1, Page 15
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k Joe Ekaitis (1994-12-04). Meet Joe Ekaitis — T.H.E. FOX. Interview with Sherry accompanied by Lou Schonder. http://cbmfiles.com/genie/geniefiles/Information/T.H.E.-FOX.TXT.
- ^ Brendan Kachel (September 10, 2007) ([dead link]). Better than blogs: Webcomics, the Internet's answer to the funny pages. http://www.crusadernews.com/newsite/CrusaderNews/new/content/2007/september/a&e-webcomics.html.
- ^ a b c Returning Guest: Thaddeus Fox, Rapid T. Rabbit and Friends, 1997-04-14, http://www.bobdbob.com/RTR/1997/RTR366.mpg
- ^ a b Jeff Lowenthal (July 1989). "Public Domain". .info (Iowa City, IA: Info Publications) (27): 59. ISSN 0897-5868. OCLC 17565429. "Each week Joe creates a single comic using a combination of computer drawing programs."
- ^ Joe Ekaitis (1999-02-15). "Tinky Winky". Thaddaeus. http://us-p.vclart.net/vcl/Artists/Joe-Ekaitis/t-winky.gif.
- ^ Special Guest: Joe Ekaitis, Creator of "T.H.E. Fox", Rapid T. Rabbit and Friends, 1989-12-02
- ^ T.H.E.Fox with Editorial Cartoons by Joe Ekaitis, Rapid T. Rabbit and Friends, 1994-07-18
- ^ 5th Avenue Easter Parade with Thaddeus Fox, Rapid T. Rabbit and Friends, 2000-04-24, http://www.bobdbob.com/RTR/2000/RTR434.mpg
- ^ Tim Walsh (July 1988). "Pixel Perfection". RUN (Peterborough, N.H: Wayne Green) (55): 46. ISSN 0741-4285. OCLC 10151803. "QuantumLink fans are also sure to recognize Joe Ekaitis's work."
[edit] External links
