Beaver and Steve
Encyclopedia
Beaver and Steve was a webcomic
by James Turner. The comic, which debuted on 10 September 2004 and continued since on a semi-weekly basis until going on indefinite hiatus per 20 June 2008, chronicled the bizarre and humorous escapades of Steve, a green reptilian
creature, and the eponymously-named Beaver.
A mainstay of the strip is the use of Onomatopoeias, "sounds" made in the world of the comic. Though it is common for comics to contain some sound effects (such as the BEEP! of a car horn) this concept is far extended in the unfeasible adventures of Beaver and Steve. Many actions have their own "sound effect" including "INDIFFERENCE!" (from Emotibot) and "CAKEY AROMA! (from, unsurprisingly, a cake).
While he is usually a loyal and caring friend, there appears to be a darker side to Beaver’s personality. He apparently had no qualms about allowing Steve to be beaten up by a gang of fellow beavers at the zoo, and then accepting Steve’s stolen wallet. Beaver’s grief after Steve’s recent death was only transitory, and he quickly replaced him with a new friend, Stu.
, lizard
or perhaps something to do with the classic arcade game Bubble Bobble
) is the co-protagonist of the strip. Steve possesses superior technical expertise, and has been known to create robot
s, time machine
s, and other advanced technological devices. However, Steve’s inventions rarely function as planned, often leading to disastrous results.
Steve is much more spontaneous than his companion, Beaver, and is the source of much of the “unfeasibility” in their adventures. Somehow, Steve’s mere presence attracts strange creatures such as sentient turnips, the Shoe Goblin, Satan, and various fairies.
Steve is generally friendly and well-meaning, except to his arch-enemies (Timmy Turnip, The Shoe Goblin, the pandas, the crows and Rupert T Roach). His amiable and overly-optimistic nature often renders him oblivious to the sinister intentions of others. This naivety often leads to the unfeasible-ness of their adventures.
, French
, Polish
and Spanish
in the wiki. Furthermore it also serves as an encyclopedia upon the comic, documenting its characters, storylines and onomatopoeias.
.
cartoonist best known as the creator of Beaver and Steve. He also created the story "Super Animal Adventure Squad" for the British children's comic The DFC
. He hails from New Malden and apparently loves the fastfood chain, Wimpy's. He is a mathematician
and Computer scientist
.
Webcomic
Webcomics, online comics, or Internet comics are comics published on a website. While many are published exclusively on the web, others are also published in magazines, newspapers or often in self-published books....
by James Turner. The comic, which debuted on 10 September 2004 and continued since on a semi-weekly basis until going on indefinite hiatus per 20 June 2008, chronicled the bizarre and humorous escapades of Steve, a green reptilian
Reptile
Reptiles are members of a class of air-breathing, ectothermic vertebrates which are characterized by laying shelled eggs , and having skin covered in scales and/or scutes. They are tetrapods, either having four limbs or being descended from four-limbed ancestors...
creature, and the eponymously-named Beaver.
Style
The comic is light-hearted in its tone, favouring short, self-contained storylines with minimal continuity. The brightly coloured artwork and loose drawing style is a reflection upon this whimsical nature. The humour (each comic ends on a joke) is often of a visual form. Also frequent is humour derived from the juxtaposition of the absurd goings-on in Beaver and Steve's world (often caused by Steve), with the down-to-earth reactions of the characters (often Beaver).A mainstay of the strip is the use of Onomatopoeias, "sounds" made in the world of the comic. Though it is common for comics to contain some sound effects (such as the BEEP! of a car horn) this concept is far extended in the unfeasible adventures of Beaver and Steve. Many actions have their own "sound effect" including "INDIFFERENCE!" (from Emotibot) and "CAKEY AROMA! (from, unsurprisingly, a cake).
Guest Comics
The Beaver and Steve archives contain a number of guest comics, from artists such as Ali Graham. Such artists have used the characters in markedly different ways than James Turner. For example, KC Green's guest comic, contrasts greatly with the strip's usual style.Characters
Much of the comic centres around the two eponymous characters. Both feature in the majority of comics.Beaver
Beaver is the more rational and pragmatic of the pair. He is often the victim of Steve’s practical jokes and is sometimes annoyed by the unfeasibility that Steve seems to generate. Because he is more level-headed and responsible than Steve, he sometimes acts as an almost parental figure. For example, Beaver has been known to cook dinner for Steve, forbid Steve from playing with ninjas, and make Steve clean up piles of rotten meat on the floor.While he is usually a loyal and caring friend, there appears to be a darker side to Beaver’s personality. He apparently had no qualms about allowing Steve to be beaten up by a gang of fellow beavers at the zoo, and then accepting Steve’s stolen wallet. Beaver’s grief after Steve’s recent death was only transitory, and he quickly replaced him with a new friend, Stu.
Steve
Steve, whose exact species is unknown (though it has been speculated that he may be a dinosaurDinosaur
Dinosaurs are a diverse group of animals of the clade and superorder Dinosauria. They were the dominant terrestrial vertebrates for over 160 million years, from the late Triassic period until the end of the Cretaceous , when the Cretaceous–Paleogene extinction event led to the extinction of...
, lizard
Lizard
Lizards are a widespread group of squamate reptiles, with nearly 3800 species, ranging across all continents except Antarctica as well as most oceanic island chains...
or perhaps something to do with the classic arcade game Bubble Bobble
Bubble Bobble
is an arcade game by Taito, first released in 1986 and later ported to numerous home computers and game consoles. The game, starring the twin Bubble Dragons and , is an action-platform game in which players travel through one hundred different stages, blowing and bursting bubbles, avoiding...
) is the co-protagonist of the strip. Steve possesses superior technical expertise, and has been known to create robot
Robot
A robot is a mechanical or virtual intelligent agent that can perform tasks automatically or with guidance, typically by remote control. In practice a robot is usually an electro-mechanical machine that is guided by computer and electronic programming. Robots can be autonomous, semi-autonomous or...
s, time machine
Time travel
Time travel is the concept of moving between different points in time in a manner analogous to moving between different points in space. Time travel could hypothetically involve moving backward in time to a moment earlier than the starting point, or forward to the future of that point without the...
s, and other advanced technological devices. However, Steve’s inventions rarely function as planned, often leading to disastrous results.
Steve is much more spontaneous than his companion, Beaver, and is the source of much of the “unfeasibility” in their adventures. Somehow, Steve’s mere presence attracts strange creatures such as sentient turnips, the Shoe Goblin, Satan, and various fairies.
Steve is generally friendly and well-meaning, except to his arch-enemies (Timmy Turnip, The Shoe Goblin, the pandas, the crows and Rupert T Roach). His amiable and overly-optimistic nature often renders him oblivious to the sinister intentions of others. This naivety often leads to the unfeasible-ness of their adventures.
Other characters
Though the two central protagonists dominate the comic, there exist a large collection of secondary characters, some one-shot, others recurring occasionally. This collection includes Steve's perennial nemesis the Shoe Goblin and Rupert. T. Roach, an upper-class cockroach.Beaver and Steve Wiki
The Official Beaver and Steve Wiki is the basis of the transcription engine (allowing searching of the comics). Alongside this, comics are translated into FinnishFinnish language
Finnish is the language spoken by the majority of the population in Finland Primarily for use by restaurant menus and by ethnic Finns outside Finland. It is one of the two official languages of Finland and an official minority language in Sweden. In Sweden, both standard Finnish and Meänkieli, a...
, French
French language
French is a Romance language spoken as a first language in France, the Romandy region in Switzerland, Wallonia and Brussels in Belgium, Monaco, the regions of Quebec and Acadia in Canada, and by various communities elsewhere. Second-language speakers of French are distributed throughout many parts...
, Polish
Polish language
Polish is a language of the Lechitic subgroup of West Slavic languages, used throughout Poland and by Polish minorities in other countries...
and Spanish
Spanish language
Spanish , also known as Castilian , is a Romance language in the Ibero-Romance group that evolved from several languages and dialects in central-northern Iberia around the 9th century and gradually spread with the expansion of the Kingdom of Castile into central and southern Iberia during the...
in the wiki. Furthermore it also serves as an encyclopedia upon the comic, documenting its characters, storylines and onomatopoeias.
Awards and recognition
Beaver and Steve was awarded the title of “Best Newcomer” by the Web Cartoonist's Choice Awards in 2005. In connection with the Best Newcomer award, Beaver and Steve was mentioned on Attack of the Show, airing on G4G4 (TV channel)
G4, also known as G4 TV, is an American cable- and satellite-television channel originally geared primarily toward young adult viewers, originally based on the world of video games...
.
Author
James Turner is a BritishUnited Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
cartoonist best known as the creator of Beaver and Steve. He also created the story "Super Animal Adventure Squad" for the British children's comic The DFC
The DFC
The DFC was a weekly British children's anthology comic, published by David Fickling Books . The first issue was published at the end of May 2008...
. He hails from New Malden and apparently loves the fastfood chain, Wimpy's. He is a mathematician
Mathematician
A mathematician is a person whose primary area of study is the field of mathematics. Mathematicians are concerned with quantity, structure, space, and change....
and Computer scientist
Computer scientist
A computer scientist is a scientist who has acquired knowledge of computer science, the study of the theoretical foundations of information and computation and their application in computer systems....
.