Online and Subversive
About a month after September 11, many people were delighted, some shocked, and not a few offended to find someone had forwarded them the latest exponentially spreading Web phenomenon: an online comic strip starring a handful of savagely sarcastic office workers engaged in flippant and profane discussions about the current events of the time.
The first panels featured a clip art representation of a Dan Quayle-ish business executive intoning over the phone, "Oh yeah! Operation Enduring Freedom is in the house!" The response from his clip-art compatriot, an equally dapper African American on the other end of the line, repeats the line and adds some extra punch better not repeated here. Thus the tone was set for "Get Your War On," a comic strip the New York Times has called "a textbook illustration of the viral reach of the Web." The vaunted paper titled the article, "Like Dilbert, but Subversive and Online." And in case you haven't already gotten the idea, we'd like to warn you: If you're uncomfortable with subversive and online, don't venture further.
"Get You War On" has since spawned two book collections, a regular run in "Rolling Stone," and a theatrical play. The satirist behind this Internet success story is 35-year old David Rees, a former temp worker who had created a pair of absurdist comic strips before September 11th jolted him into more controversial—and politically relevant—territory. David recently answered some questions for us over email.
Hey, Dave. What prompted you to start Get You War On?
I was skeptical that we could win a War on Terror, and I didn't see anything in President Bush that suggested he'd make a good leader for a never-ending battle between good and evil. I also thought bombing the s*** out of Afghanistan seemed kind of short-sighted. People were excited about the bombing, but not so much the humanitarian follow-up.
How do you put the strips together? Where do the images come from?
I make the comics on my computer. Most of the images are from Dover collections of public domain clip art. Every so often I modify an image to ratchet up the visual intensity of the comic to unbearable levels.
A lot of the graphics are used over and over again. How many different image panels are there in total?
I would say that 99% of the comic is composed of the same five pieces of clip art:
- White guy talking on phone while looking at his notebooks
- Black guy talking on the phone while wondering why his computer is so outdated
- Black woman talking on the phone with her head tilted at a rakish, sardonic angle
- White guy talking on phone while leaning forward with unbridled enthusiasm
- Three people in kitchenette smiling and discussing a donut the Asian lady is holding
Do you do any drawing?
Sometimes I doodle when I talk on the phone. I can provide representative doodles if you don't believe me. [We believe him.]
Has any of the dialogue actually been overheard?
The first GYWO comic, "Operation Enduring Freedom is in the house," was a conversation my friend and I had on the phone.
It's not always easy to pigeonhole the characters' politics. Are they callous reactionaries, deeply sarcastic liberals, or just terrified citizens reacting to a series of incredible events?
All of the above.
What's the proportion of hate mail to fan mail?
90/10 love/hate.
How are your two other strips doing: "My New Fighting Technique is Unstoppable" and "My New Filing Technique is Unstoppable"?
I made the first Fighting Technique comics before 9/11. They reflect America's innocence, before we were forced into adulthood by Y2K and the 9/11 attacks. At this point, "Fighting Technique" and "Filing Technique" are both hanging on for dear life.
What are your influences? Tom Tomorrow?
Stand-up comedy and punk rock are probably the two biggest influences. I love Tom Tomorrow, but I think our writing styles are different (and he makes his own images, in a deliberately clip-art style). He is more talented than I am, so I'm flattered to be in his company.
Given up your day job yet?
I am a professional cartoonist. I used to do freelance fact-checking for Martha Stewart Weddings magazine, but ever since Rolling Stone hired me to make GYWO in January 2003, I've been able to eke out a living with freelance cartooning work.
Okay. Finally, what's up with that weird domain, www.mnftiu.cc?
The .cc domain extension is the country extension for the Cocos (Keeling) Islands (like how .ca is the country extension for Canada). The Cocos Islands are in the Indian Ocean. I thought the domain looked cooler and more mysterious than .com.
Thanks, Dave! See you in the (online) funny pages.
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