Strangers in Paradise
Encyclopedia
Strangers in Paradise is a long-running, mostly self-published
black-and-white comic book
, written and drawn by Terry Moore
. The series has reached its planned conclusion, finishing off in 2007 with issue #90 of volume 3.
The series is noteworthy for its appeal to a non-traditional audience, in particular women who would not ordinarily consider themselves readers of comic books.
, but they did not include three issues. Because of this, the entire run was later published in one large paperback edition entitled 'The Complete Paradise Too'. This volume can be considered the true origin of Katchoo, Francine and the SiP universe.
This plays itself out over a second plot element, a thriller style story concerning the shadowy 'Big Six' organization. Its leader is a woman named Darcy Parker, who uses highly trained women (of whom Katchoo was one) to infiltrate—and to an extent control—the American political system. It uses a non-linear approach to storytelling, putting in sequence elements of the story often years apart, and going back in time frequently.
SiP, as it is commonly known, began as a three-issue mini-series published by Antarctic Press
in 1993, which focused entirely on the relationship between the three main characters and Francine's unfaithful boyfriend. This is now known as "Volume 1". Thirteen issues were published under Moore's own "Abstract Studio" imprint, and these make up "Volume 2". This is where the "thriller" plot was introduced. The series moved to Image Comics
' Homage imprint for the start of "Volume 3", but after eight issues moved back to Abstract Studio, where it continued with the same numbering. Volume 3, and with it the series itself, has concluded, with Moore ending at issue #90 June 6. 2007.
for Best Serialized Story in 1996 for "I Dream of You" as well as the National Cartoonists Society
Reuben Award for Best Comic Book in 1997. It also won the GLAAD Award
for Best Comic Book in 2001.
, hardback collections, and smaller format paperback collections. These reprints collect the issues into different sets.
The full-size paperback collections to date are:
The hardback collections to date are:
The pocket books collections to date are:
Other books to date are:
In 2009 Shocker Toys
released a Katchoo figure as part of the first series of its "Indie Spotlight" line.
In 1996 a series of trading cards was released by Comic Images, consisting of a 90-card base set plus extra collector's cards, such as the 500 'autograph cards' that featured Terry Moore's signature and information on the creation of SiP. These extra cards were inserted randomly into packs. Also produced was a matching SiP binder, which came with 12 9-pocket sleeves to hold the cards.
Advertised on the official SiP website are character pin badges representing Francine, Katchoo and David. There is also a black tote bag
featuring the Strangers in Paradise logo and a tumbler decorated with colour panels from the series, in addition to a postcard set and two T shirts, although several of these items are listed as 'sold out', and are hard to come by elsewhere.
Self-publishing
Self-publishing is the publication of any book or other media by the author of the work, without the involvement of an established third-party publisher. The author is responsible and in control of entire process including design , formats, price, distribution, marketing & PR...
black-and-white comic book
Comic book
A comic book or comicbook is a magazine made up of comics, narrative artwork in the form of separate panels that represent individual scenes, often accompanied by dialog as well as including...
, written and drawn by Terry Moore
Terry Moore (comics)
Terry Moore is a comic book author, graphic novelist and illustrator.He created the popular series Strangers in Paradise, and was involved in the founding of Homage Comics.-Biography:...
. The series has reached its planned conclusion, finishing off in 2007 with issue #90 of volume 3.
The series is noteworthy for its appeal to a non-traditional audience, in particular women who would not ordinarily consider themselves readers of comic books.
Origins
Terry Moore stated that 'I started out wanting to do a newspaper strip, and tried one idea after another before I realised I hated the gag-a-day life and really wanted to try a story instead.' The story he chose to tell turned out to be Strangers in Paradise, or 'this story about 2 girls and a guy who gets to know them' (from Moore's introduction to The Collected Strangers in Paradise, Volume One), which used characters he'd developed during his time on the gag-a-day circuit. For example, Katchoo appears as a 'happy-go-lucky wood nymph' in an early strip by Moore about an enchanted forest. These strips were collected into two trade paperbacksTrade paperback (comics)
In comics, a trade paperback is a collection of stories originally published in comic books, reprinted in book format, usually capturing one story arc from a single title or a series of stories with a connected story arc or common theme from one or more titles...
, but they did not include three issues. Because of this, the entire run was later published in one large paperback edition entitled 'The Complete Paradise Too'. This volume can be considered the true origin of Katchoo, Francine and the SiP universe.
Plot
The story primarily concerns the difficult relationship between two women, Helen Francine Peters (known simply as Francine) and Katina Marie ("Katchoo") Choovanski, and their friend David Qin. Francine considers Katchoo her best friend; Katchoo is in love with Francine. David is in love with Katchoo (a relationship which Katchoo herself is deeply confused about).This plays itself out over a second plot element, a thriller style story concerning the shadowy 'Big Six' organization. Its leader is a woman named Darcy Parker, who uses highly trained women (of whom Katchoo was one) to infiltrate—and to an extent control—the American political system. It uses a non-linear approach to storytelling, putting in sequence elements of the story often years apart, and going back in time frequently.
SiP, as it is commonly known, began as a three-issue mini-series published by Antarctic Press
Antarctic Press
Antarctic Press is a San Antonio-based comic book publishing company which publishes "American Manga" style comic books.Founded by Ben Dunn in 1984, Antarctic Press has produced over 850 titles with a total circulation of over 5 million...
in 1993, which focused entirely on the relationship between the three main characters and Francine's unfaithful boyfriend. This is now known as "Volume 1". Thirteen issues were published under Moore's own "Abstract Studio" imprint, and these make up "Volume 2". This is where the "thriller" plot was introduced. The series moved to Image Comics
Image Comics
Image Comics is a United States comic book publisher. It was founded in 1992 by high-profile illustrators as a venue where creators could publish their material without giving up the copyrights to the characters they created, as creator-owned properties. It was immediately successful, and remains...
' Homage imprint for the start of "Volume 3", but after eight issues moved back to Abstract Studio, where it continued with the same numbering. Volume 3, and with it the series itself, has concluded, with Moore ending at issue #90 June 6. 2007.
Characters
- Katina "Katchoo" Choovanski - "The Original Angry Blonde," Katchoo is a temperamental artist with a violent past. A former prostitute, Katchoo was the lover and agent of Darcy Parker. Katchoo has been in love with her best friend, Francine, for most of her life, though she has complicated romantic feelings for her only male friend, David, as well.
- Francine Peters-Silver - Katchoo's kind-hearted best friend. Francine struggles with her weight and her self-image, never quite able to see the beauty in herself that Katchoo sees. Francine has difficulty bringing herself to make a romantic commitment to Katchoo, partly due to her Methodist upbringing and partly because of her childhood dream to become a wife and mother. Her fairytale marriage to Brad Silver comes crashing down when she realizes that he's unfaithful to her, leading her to reconsider choosing him over Katchoo.
- Yousaka Takahashi/David Qin - A gentle, sensitive art student, Yousaka is the younger brother of Darcy Parker and the unwilling heir to the Takahashi crime syndicate. Once the leader of a violent street gang, Yousaka became a born-again Christian after a personal tragedy and he changed his name to "David Qin" to reflect his new identity and honoring the young man he murdered. The complex romantic feelings he harbors for Casey and Katchoo come to a head when he is diagnosed with a serious illness, leading the trio to contemplate having a baby in his memory.
- Casey Bullocks-Femur - A blonde, busty, and bisexual aerobicsAerobicsAerobics is a form of physical exercise that combines rhythmic aerobic exercise with stretching and strength training routines with the goal of improving all elements of fitness...
instructor, Casey was married to Freddie Femur but divorced him after learning that he was still in love with Francine. Since the divorce, she has had romantic involvements with both Katchoo and David. Because of her childhood anorexia, she is unable to have a child with David. - Freddie Femur - Francine's ex-boyfriend and Casey's ex-husband. A womanizing attorney, Freddie cheated on Francine and humiliated her during their break-up (giving her a nervous breakdownNervous breakdownMental breakdown is a non-medical term used to describe an acute, time-limited phase of a specific disorder that presents primarily with features of depression or anxiety.-Definition:...
in the process) but later becomes obsessed with her. - Darcy Parker - Darcy was a ruthless and predatory crime boss who led the "Parker Girls," women who are skilled in various acts of seduction and espionageEspionageEspionage or spying involves an individual obtaining information that is considered secret or confidential without the permission of the holder of the information. Espionage is inherently clandestine, lest the legitimate holder of the information change plans or take other countermeasures once it...
. Though she employed only women and claimed to hate the male gender, Darcy had an intense, incestuous love for her brother David. She had a relationship with Katchoo, until Katchoo ran away to Hawaii with her friend Emma. Darcy was murdered by Tambi after her criminal empire was brought down. - Mary Beth "Tambi" Baker - A brutal enforcer who worked for Darcy Parker alongside her twin sister Sara Beth "Bambi", Tambi is skilled in not only the deadly arts, but in business and strategy. She and Sara are Katchoo's older half sisters. In a quest to continue the Baker line, she covertly encourages Katchoo to bear David's child. Tambi's many scars are self-inflicted.
- Griffin Silver - An aging rockRock musicRock music is a genre of popular music that developed during and after the 1960s, particularly in the United Kingdom and the United States. It has its roots in 1940s and 1950s rock and roll, itself heavily influenced by rhythm and blues and country music...
star admired by Katchoo in her youth, Griffin's songs were printed in the series long before the character made his first appearance. He was the brother of Brad Silver. Griffin was shot and killed by a stalker. - Brad Silver - A charming, handsome gynecologist, Brad at first appears to be an ideal husband for Francine; however, their inability to communicate drives a wedge between them. When Francine discovers his infidelity, she initiates divorce proceedings.
- Molly Lane - Molly has only a tenuous connection to the main SiP cast (she dated Francine's brother Benjamin in high school) but has nevertheless been the star of one of the book's major storylines. The protagonist of "Molly and Poo," Molly is a tortured writer who dreams of a mysterious muse ("Ma Malai") and murders her husband with a butcher knifeButcher knifeA butcher knife is a knife designed and used primarily for the butchering and/or dressing of animals.During the late 18th century to mid 1840s, the butcher knife was a key tool for mountain men. Simple, useful and cheap to produce, they were used for everything from skinning beaver, cutting food,...
.
Awards
The series received the Eisner AwardEisner Award
The Will Eisner Comic Industry Awards, commonly shortened to the Eisner Awards, and sometimes referred to as the Oscar Awards of the Comics Industry, are prizes given for creative achievement in American comic books. The Eisner Awards were first conferred in 1988, created in response to the...
for Best Serialized Story in 1996 for "I Dream of You" as well as the National Cartoonists Society
National Cartoonists Society
The National Cartoonists Society is an organization of professional cartoonists in the United States. It presents the National Cartoonists Society Awards. The Society was born in 1946 when groups of cartoonists got together to entertain the troops...
Reuben Award for Best Comic Book in 1997. It also won the GLAAD Award
GLAAD Media Awards
The GLAAD Media Award is an accolade bestowed by the Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation to recognize and honor various branches of the media for their outstanding representations of the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender community and the issues that affect their lives...
for Best Comic Book in 2001.
Collected editions
It has been collected into a series of full-size trade paperbacksTrade paperback (comics)
In comics, a trade paperback is a collection of stories originally published in comic books, reprinted in book format, usually capturing one story arc from a single title or a series of stories with a connected story arc or common theme from one or more titles...
, hardback collections, and smaller format paperback collections. These reprints collect the issues into different sets.
The full-size paperback collections to date are:
| # | Title | Issues |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | The Collected Strangers in Paradise | Vol. 1 #1 - 3 |
| 2 | I Dream of You | Vol. 2, #1 - 9 |
| 3 | It's a Good Life | Vol. 2, #10 - 13 |
| 4 | Love Me Tender | Vol. 3, #1 - 5 |
| 5 | Immortal Enemies | Vol. 3, #6 - 12 |
| 6 | High School! | Vol. 3, #13 - 16 |
| 7 | Sanctuary | Vol. 3, #17 - 24 |
| 8 | My Other Life | Vol. 3, #25 - 30 |
| 9 | Child of Rage | Vol. 3, #31 - 32, 34 - 38 |
| 10 | Tropic of Desire | Vol. 3, #39 - 43 |
| 11 | Brave New World | Vol. 3 #44 - 48 |
| 12 | Heart in Hand | Vol. 3, #50 - 54 |
| 13 | Flower to Flame | Vol. 3, #55 - 60 |
| 14 | David's Story | Vol. 3, #61 - 63 |
| 15 | Tomorrow Now | Vol. 3, #64 - 69 |
| 16 | Molly & Poo | Vol. 2, #14, Vol. 3, #49 & 73 |
| 17 | Tattoo | Vol. 3, #71 - 72, 74 - 76 |
| 18 | Love & Lies | Vol. 3, #77 - 82 |
| 19 | Ever After | Vol. 3, #83 - 90 |
The hardback collections to date are:
- The Complete Strangers in Paradise, Volume 1
- The Complete Strangers in Paradise, Volume 2
- The Complete Strangers in Paradise Volume 3, Part 1
- The Complete Strangers in Paradise Volume 3, Part 2
- The Complete Strangers in Paradise Volume 3, Part 3
- The Complete Strangers in Paradise Volume 3, Part 4
- The Complete Strangers in Paradise Volume 3, Part 5
- The Complete Strangers in Paradise Volume 3, Part 6
- The Complete Strangers in Paradise Volume 3, Part 7
- The Complete Strangers in Paradise Volume 3, Part 8
The pocket books collections to date are:
- Strangers in Paradise Pocket Book 1: Contains Volume 1 Issues 1-3 and Volume 2 Issues 1-13 ISBN 1892597268
- Strangers in Paradise Pocket Book 2: Contains Volume 3 Issues 1-17 ISBN 1892597292
- Strangers in Paradise Pocket Book 3: Contains Volume 3 Issues 18-24, 26-32, 34-38 ISBN 1892597306
- Strangers in Paradise Pocket Book 4: Contains Volume 3 Issues 40-45, 47-48, 50-60 ISBN 1892597314
- Strangers in Paradise Pocket Book 5: Contains Volume 3 Issues 61-72, 74-76, plus Complete Molly & Poo 46, 49, 73 ISBN 1892597381
- Strangers in Paradise Pocket Book 6: Contains Volume 3 Issues 77-90 ISBN 189259739X
Other books to date are:
- Lyrics and Poems
- Strangers in Paradise Source Book
- Strangers in Paradise Treasury Edition
- Strangers in Paradise Calendars: 1999, 2000, 2002, 2003, 2004
- Note: the five years above seem to be the only ones created/sold, it is unknown why 2001 was skipped.
Merchandise
Two limited edition statuettes of Katchoo were produced by Clayburn Moore as the first in a planned series of three statues based around the series. In the first she is standing in a skimpy black dress, and in the second she is reclining in a bath wearing her leather jacket and holding a drink and a gun.In 2009 Shocker Toys
Shocker Toys
Shocker Toys is a company that manufactures limited release toys and collectible products based on comic book and cartoon characters, as well as original creations. Founded in 1998, the company is currently run by Geoff Beckett Jr. and Lance Buttiglieri, and is based in Ridgewood, New...
released a Katchoo figure as part of the first series of its "Indie Spotlight" line.
In 1996 a series of trading cards was released by Comic Images, consisting of a 90-card base set plus extra collector's cards, such as the 500 'autograph cards' that featured Terry Moore's signature and information on the creation of SiP. These extra cards were inserted randomly into packs. Also produced was a matching SiP binder, which came with 12 9-pocket sleeves to hold the cards.
Advertised on the official SiP website are character pin badges representing Francine, Katchoo and David. There is also a black tote bag
Tote bag
A tote bag is large and open bag, with a handle centered atop each side. In the classic cloth version, arched straps form both handles. Straps' ends run down both sides, ending under the second fabric layer there, which shields the lower surfaces...
featuring the Strangers in Paradise logo and a tumbler decorated with colour panels from the series, in addition to a postcard set and two T shirts, although several of these items are listed as 'sold out', and are hard to come by elsewhere.