Minimum Security
Encyclopedia
Minimum Security is a comic strip
written and illustrated by Stephanie McMillan. It began in 1999, appearing in several alternative weeklies
. It is frequently political, usually espousing a radical
, environmental
, Primitivist
and/or Marxist
stance in most of the issues discussed.
Starting February 5, 2007, Minimum Security is hosted by United Features Syndicate on their comics.com website.
Kranti is the main character in the comic-strip. A determined environmentalist
who finds it preferable to be with plants than with any other kind of being. She is usually seen talking with Bunnista and Bananabelle.
Bananabelle is a liberal who has good heart, but is in denial about the real world events. According to the cartoonist, she represents the mainstream outlook.
Bunnista is an anthropomorphic Communist rabbit that escaped from a cosmetics testing lab
(where one of his eyes was destroyed). He lives with Kranti and shares most of her views and commits various acts of terrorism (recently firing an RPG at a TV station). In strips that features two characters (mostly Kranti and Bananabelle) discussing politics, Bunnista is seen giving a final, saracastic comment in the final panel.
Victoria is an anthropomorphic hamster and is Bunnista's girl friend. She shares the same radical views as Bunnista and has recently been seen wearing a bikini emblazoned with the Communist hammer and sickle.
Nikko is Kranti’s brother, who is addicted to pop culture and television. In one storyline, Nikko was accepted to appear in the television series Fear Factor
, only to humiliate himself when he got sick trying to perform one of his stunts (licking the ears of Jesse Helms
).
Javier is Nikko's boyfriend. Has more common sense, and more politically active than him.
President George W. Bush
is satired in the strip as a recurring character, wearing a crown on his head. In earlier strips, he was drawn as a monkey
.
Chip is a new guy, who rides a motorized cycle and is in love with Kranti. Kranti does not return his love, but he is still trying to get her to see his good side by doing things that he feels she would approve of; in a comically ironic way, his efforts just bother her. Chip has a lot of money and the latest technological gizmos.
Other unnamed but recurring characters are present in the strip: a "Christian-fascist wingnut", a "nationalistic, xenophobic, generally reactionary jerk," and a Protestant minister, to name three.
who believes women can't make [their] own decisions, so whenever I'm faced with one, I call him at work", and proceeds to give out his work and home phone numbers. In Napoli's words, "99% percent of the calls I got were just filth. I bet I didn’t talk to 20 or 25 people I could talk to. The rest were screaming obscenities before I could hang up."
The original artwork of the strip was auctioned off on eBay
and sold for US$2,201.00; McMillan donated all of the money to pro-choice
causes. Half was given to Planned Parenthood
of Minnesota
, North Dakota
, and South Dakota
, and the other half to the Oglala Sioux tribe, because former tribal president Cecilia Fire Thunder
had planned to open an abortion clinic
on the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation
.
Comic strip
A comic strip is a sequence of drawings arranged in interrelated panels to display brief humor or form a narrative, often serialized, with text in balloons and captions....
written and illustrated by Stephanie McMillan. It began in 1999, appearing in several alternative weeklies
Alternative weekly
An alternative newspaper is a type of newspaper, that eschews comprehensive coverage of general news in favor of stylized reporting, opinionated reviews and columns, investigations into edgy topics and magazine-style feature stories highlighting local people and culture. Their news coverage is more...
. It is frequently political, usually espousing a radical
Political radicalism
The term political radicalism denotes political principles focused on altering social structures through revolutionary means and changing value systems in fundamental ways...
, environmental
Environmentalism
Environmentalism is a broad philosophy, ideology and social movement regarding concerns for environmental conservation and improvement of the health of the environment, particularly as the measure for this health seeks to incorporate the concerns of non-human elements...
, Primitivist
Primitivism
Primitivism is a Western art movement that borrows visual forms from non-Western or prehistoric peoples, such as Paul Gauguin's inclusion of Tahitian motifs in paintings and ceramics...
and/or Marxist
Marxism
Marxism is an economic and sociopolitical worldview and method of socioeconomic inquiry that centers upon a materialist interpretation of history, a dialectical view of social change, and an analysis and critique of the development of capitalism. Marxism was pioneered in the early to mid 19th...
stance in most of the issues discussed.
Starting February 5, 2007, Minimum Security is hosted by United Features Syndicate on their comics.com website.
Characters
Originally, the strip featured no recurring characters. However, in 2004, several recurring characters began appearing regularly. They are as follows:Kranti is the main character in the comic-strip. A determined environmentalist
Environmentalist
An environmentalist broadly supports the goals of the environmental movement, "a political and ethical movement that seeks to improve and protect the quality of the natural environment through changes to environmentally harmful human activities"...
who finds it preferable to be with plants than with any other kind of being. She is usually seen talking with Bunnista and Bananabelle.
Bananabelle is a liberal who has good heart, but is in denial about the real world events. According to the cartoonist, she represents the mainstream outlook.
Bunnista is an anthropomorphic Communist rabbit that escaped from a cosmetics testing lab
Animal testing
Animal testing, also known as animal experimentation, animal research, and in vivo testing, is the use of non-human animals in experiments. Worldwide it is estimated that the number of vertebrate animals—from zebrafish to non-human primates—ranges from the tens of millions to more than 100 million...
(where one of his eyes was destroyed). He lives with Kranti and shares most of her views and commits various acts of terrorism (recently firing an RPG at a TV station). In strips that features two characters (mostly Kranti and Bananabelle) discussing politics, Bunnista is seen giving a final, saracastic comment in the final panel.
Victoria is an anthropomorphic hamster and is Bunnista's girl friend. She shares the same radical views as Bunnista and has recently been seen wearing a bikini emblazoned with the Communist hammer and sickle.
Nikko is Kranti’s brother, who is addicted to pop culture and television. In one storyline, Nikko was accepted to appear in the television series Fear Factor
Fear Factor
Fear Factor is an American stunt/dare reality game show. The original Dutch version was called Now or Neverland. When Endemol USA and NBC adapted it to the American market in 2001, they changed the name to Fear Factor. The show pits contestants against each other in a variety of stunts for a...
, only to humiliate himself when he got sick trying to perform one of his stunts (licking the ears of Jesse Helms
Jesse Helms
Jesse Alexander Helms, Jr. was a five-term Republican United States Senator from North Carolina who served as chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee from 1995 to 2001...
).
Javier is Nikko's boyfriend. Has more common sense, and more politically active than him.
President George W. Bush
George W. Bush
George Walker Bush is an American politician who served as the 43rd President of the United States, from 2001 to 2009. Before that, he was the 46th Governor of Texas, having served from 1995 to 2000....
is satired in the strip as a recurring character, wearing a crown on his head. In earlier strips, he was drawn as a monkey
Monkey
A monkey is a primate, either an Old World monkey or a New World monkey. There are about 260 known living species of monkey. Many are arboreal, although there are species that live primarily on the ground, such as baboons. Monkeys are generally considered to be intelligent. Unlike apes, monkeys...
.
Chip is a new guy, who rides a motorized cycle and is in love with Kranti. Kranti does not return his love, but he is still trying to get her to see his good side by doing things that he feels she would approve of; in a comically ironic way, his efforts just bother her. Chip has a lot of money and the latest technological gizmos.
Other unnamed but recurring characters are present in the strip: a "Christian-fascist wingnut", a "nationalistic, xenophobic, generally reactionary jerk," and a Protestant minister, to name three.
Bill Napoli controversy
Minimum Security gained notoriety when a strip commenting on Bill Napoli appeared in March 2006. It featured Nikko asking Kranti "which salad dressing do you want?", with Kranti saying that she is calling Napoli to ask. When Nikko asks who Napoli is, she responds that "he's a senator in South DakotaSouth Dakota
South Dakota is a state located in the Midwestern region of the United States. It is named after the Lakota and Dakota Sioux American Indian tribes. Once a part of Dakota Territory, South Dakota became a state on November 2, 1889. The state has an area of and an estimated population of just over...
who believes women can't make [their] own decisions, so whenever I'm faced with one, I call him at work", and proceeds to give out his work and home phone numbers. In Napoli's words, "99% percent of the calls I got were just filth. I bet I didn’t talk to 20 or 25 people I could talk to. The rest were screaming obscenities before I could hang up."
The original artwork of the strip was auctioned off on eBay
EBay
eBay Inc. is an American internet consumer-to-consumer corporation that manages eBay.com, an online auction and shopping website in which people and businesses buy and sell a broad variety of goods and services worldwide...
and sold for US$2,201.00; McMillan donated all of the money to pro-choice
Pro-choice
Support for the legalization of abortion is centered around the pro-choice movement, a sociopolitical movement supporting the ethical view that a woman should have the legal right to elective abortion, meaning the right to terminate her pregnancy....
causes. Half was given to Planned Parenthood
Planned Parenthood
Planned Parenthood Federation of America , commonly shortened to Planned Parenthood, is the U.S. affiliate of the International Planned Parenthood Federation and one of its larger members. PPFA is a non-profit organization providing reproductive health and maternal and child health services. The...
of Minnesota
Minnesota
Minnesota is a U.S. state located in the Midwestern United States. The twelfth largest state of the U.S., it is the twenty-first most populous, with 5.3 million residents. Minnesota was carved out of the eastern half of the Minnesota Territory and admitted to the Union as the thirty-second state...
, North Dakota
North Dakota
North Dakota is a state located in the Midwestern region of the United States of America, along the Canadian border. The state is bordered by Canada to the north, Minnesota to the east, South Dakota to the south and Montana to the west. North Dakota is the 19th-largest state by area in the U.S....
, and South Dakota
South Dakota
South Dakota is a state located in the Midwestern region of the United States. It is named after the Lakota and Dakota Sioux American Indian tribes. Once a part of Dakota Territory, South Dakota became a state on November 2, 1889. The state has an area of and an estimated population of just over...
, and the other half to the Oglala Sioux tribe, because former tribal president Cecilia Fire Thunder
Cecilia Fire Thunder
Cecilia Fire Thunder is a nurse, community health planner and tribal leader of the Oglala Sioux. On November 2, 2004, she was the first woman elected as president of the Tribe. She served until being impeached on June 29, 2006, several months short of the two-year term...
had planned to open an abortion clinic
Abortion clinic
An abortion clinic is a medical facility that primarily performs or specializes in abortions. Such clinics may be public medical centers or private medical practices.-Canada:*There were 197 abortion providers in Canada in 2001....
on the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation
Pine Ridge Indian Reservation
The Pine Ridge Indian Reservation is an Oglala Sioux Native American reservation located in the U.S. state of South Dakota. Originally included within the territory of the Great Sioux Reservation, Pine Ridge was established in 1889 in the southwest corner of South Dakota on the Nebraska border...
.
Books
| Title | Cover | Publication Date | ISBN | Publisher |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Attitude Featuring: Minimum Security |  |
November 30, 2005 | ISBN 978-1-56163-442-5 | Nantier Beall Minoustchine Publishing NBM Publishing NBM Publishing is an American publisher of graphic novels. The company specializes in non-superhero comic genres and has translated and published over 150 graphic novels from Europe and Canada, as well as several works by Americans... |
| As the World Burns: 50 Simple Things You Can Do to Stay in Denial | November 2007 | ISBN 9781583227770 | Seven Stories Press Seven Stories Press Seven Stories Press is an independent publishing company. Located in New York City, the company was founded by editor Dan Simon in 1995 after he parted company with Four Walls Eight Windows. The company was named for its seven founding authors: Annie Ernaux, Gary Null, the estate of Nelson Algren,... |
- Material from Minimum Security appears in Attitude: The New Subversive Political Cartoonists, the first volume in Ted RallTed RallTed Rall is an American columnist, syndicated editorial cartoonist, and author. His political cartoons often appear in a multi-panel comic-strip format and frequently blend comic-strip and editorial-cartoon conventions. The cartoons appear in approximately 100 newspapers around the United States...
's Attitude: The New Subversive CartoonistsAttitude: The New Subversive CartoonistsThe Attitude series of books is a series of anthologies of alternative comics, photos and artists' interviews edited by Universal Press Syndicate editorial cartoonist Ted Rall. The books were designed by J. P. Trostle, news editor of EditorialCartoonists.com. Two sequels and three spin-off titles...
series.