Bobbins (webcomic)

Infobox comic strip
title= Bobbins


caption=
author= John Allison
url= http://bobbins.keenspot.com
rss=
atom=
status= Monday to Friday, archived
syndicate=
publisher= Keenspot
first= 1998-09-21
last= 2002-06-03
genre= Comedy
rating=
preceded by=
followed by= Scary Go Round

"Bobbins" is a webcomic set in the fictional town of Tackleford, England, and written by John Allison.

It ran from September 21, 1998, to June 3, 2002, but shifted into reruns with commentary on May 17, 2002. In 2002 Bobbins was nominated for the Web Cartoonist's Choice Awards categories Best Use of Color, Best Site Design and Best Female Character (Shelley Winters). [Web Cartoonist's Choice Awards] In June 2002 Bobbins was Runner-up best online comic strip in the UK National Comic Awards. [Joel Hahn, Kev F Sutherland] Webcomics portal Keenspot keeps the Bobbins archive freely accessible online.

Upon its conclusion John Allison began another webcomic, entitled Scary Go Round (SGR). Most of the main characters followed him, and SGR, although originally intended to be a spin-off focussing on the minor characters of Tessa Davies and Rachel Dukakis-Monteforte, eventually ended up with roughly the same castBobbins - CAST 2002, Keenspot] as the end of Bobbins.

Bobbins focused on the staff of "City Limit" magazine, their friends, relationships and lives.

History

John Allison had started drawing the characters in 1994 and experimented with them in various paper-comics until mid 1998 when he submitted a sample pack of 25 strips titled Bobbins - northwestern English slang for "crap" [ [http://bobbins.keenspot.com/history6.htm Bobbins - Kicking it crumbly style] ] - to King Features Syndicate and Universal Features. They later rejected the submissions. By September 1998 John was hand-drawing five strips per week and scanning them for presenting on the web, up until mid 2000 when he changed to computer drawing with Adobe IllustratorGerding] Fitzgerald] . Stephen Gerding described Bobbins as "kind of like “Friends”", or "“Coupling”" with an office atmosphere, and John noted his later episodes got very bizarre and this, beginning in 2002, led to the supernatural tone of Scary Go Round.

In 1999 Bobbins and Goats produced two crossovers starting April Fool's Day.

Major characters

; Tim Jones : Allegedly the music writer of City Limit, but generally occupying himself with crazy inventions and bizarre musical projects, probably the protagonist of Bobbins. Created Unit Daisy, and was challenged by Red Robot to fight for her hand. Currently a character in SGR.; Shelley Winters : The red-headed, green-eyed protagonist of Scary Go Round was but an innocent country girl before moving to the big city of Tackleford, establishing herself as a promising young writer at City Limit. Used to live with Holly West, until she was lost in the Himalayas. Then stayed with Fallon Young, all the while fulfilling the ingenue role.; Amy Chilton : The, blonde, 20-year-old spoiled daughter of Len Pickering concerns herself mainly with keeping up her indie cred, but generally tries to be loyal to her father and protect him. Dislikes work and showers.; Ryan Beck : Barfly, record store manager, and drinking buddy of Tim Jones. Currently, under the name of Ryan Beckwith in SGR Always drawn with messy hair and a five-o'clock shadow.; Fallon Young : Originally a HiFi store owner in competition with Ryan Beck, was revealed to be a super-spy, then became flatmate of Shelley Winters. Comes up with many half-baked plans and crazy schemes.; Len Pickering : Longtime Editor of City Limit, left when Holly West, his favourite, abandonded his magazine. Has delusions of grandeur, frequently makes sexual passes at his employees.; Rich Tweedy : The City Limit designer was originally perpetually single, but had flings with both Shelley Winters and Amy Chilton. Was "fired so hard he ceased to exist" by the megalomaniacal Holly West. [http://www.bobbins.keenspot.com/d/20020326.html] ; Holly West : Former favourite of Len Pickering and flatmate of Shelley Winters, left the magazine to be with Van-Dyke Jones, the brother of Tim Jones, and was lost while trekking the Himalayas with him. She later returned, slightly insane, became editor of City Limit, and sacked most of the original staff, causing the strip's end.; Elliot Schlesinger : City Limit's tech support is a mystery within an enigma. His macho posturing at odds with his talent for dressmaking and sewing, Elliot is clearly a man fighting inner demons.

References

*cite web |url=http://comixtalk.com/scary_go_chat_an_online_interview_with_john_allison_by_leah_fitzgerald |title=Scary Go Chat: An online interview with John Allison by Leah Fitzgerald |author=Leah Fitzgerald |publisher=comixtalk.com |date=2003-03-01 |accessdate=2007-10-25
*cite web |url=http://www.kungfurodeo.com/2004/09/29/scary-go-round-a-john-allison-interview |title=SCARY-GO-ROUND: A John Allison Interview |author=Stephen Gerding |publisher=Kung Fu Rodeo |date=2004-09-29 |accessdate=2007-10-25
*cite web |url=http://ponderance.blogspot.com/2005/07/webcomics-interviews-with-john-allison.html |title=Webcomics: Interviews with John Allison & Jeph Jacques |author=Tama Leaver |work=Ponderance |date=2005-07-27 |accessdate=2007-10-25
*cite web |url=http://webcomicsreview.com/examiner/issue040809/scarygoround.html |title=Laboratory and Obsession |author=Michael Whitney |publisher=Webcomics Examiner |date=2004-08-09 |quote=In January 2001, he started producing "Bobbins" using vector art. The characters became essentially digital paper dolls|accessdate=2007-10-25
*cite web |url=http://www.thunderchunky.co.uk/articles/john-allison-and-his-scary-go-round |title=JOHN ALLISON and his Scary-Go-Round |publisher=thunderchunky.co.uk |date=2003 or later |accessdate=2007-10-25
*cite web |url=http://www.wizarduniverse.com/magazine/wizard/002913299.cfm |title=A RIDE ON THE ‘SCARY GO ROUND’ / Wizard Universe talks to webcomic creator John Allison |author=Brian Warmoth |date=2006-12-22 |accessdate=2007-10-25
*cite web |url=http://www.hahnlibrary.net/comics/awards/national02.shtml |title=2002 National Comics Awards |author=Joel Hahn |date=2002 |accessdate=2007-10-28 at the Comics Festival, Bristol
*cite web |url=http://www.2000adonline.com/index.php3?zone=news&page=newsimage&choice=awards02 |title=2002 National Comics Awards 2002 |author=Kev F. Sutherland |date=2002 |accessdate=2007-10-28
*cite web |url=http://www.ccawards.com/2002.htm |title=The 2002 Cartoonist's Choice Awards |author=Web Cartoonist's Choice Awards |date=2002 |accessdate=2007-10-28
*cite web |url=http://bobbins.keenspot.com/cast.htm |title=Bobbins - CAST 2002 |publisher=Keenspot |accessdate=2007-10-28

Footnotes

External links

* [http://bobbins.keenspot.com/ Bobbins official website on Keenspot]