The Ongoing Adventures of Rocket Llama
Encyclopedia
The Ongoing Adventures of Rocket Llama is a webcomic
starring "a high-flying llama
, a sword-swinging cat, and a rocket as loyal as a cowboy hero's horse." Created by Alex Langley while he was a student at Henderson State University
, the comic first appeared in a comic book titled The Workday Comic.
For The Workday Comic comics anthology, a spin-off
of Scott McCloud
's 24-Hour Comics
, comics creators each wrote and drew their own eight-page stories in eight hours in April, 2007, on Friday the 13th
, which turned into an ongoing publication. Rocket Llama debuted in one of the first issue's six stories, the first story completed.
Co-presenting with comics author and scholar Danny Fingeroth
(Dazzler
, Spider-Man
, Superman on the Couch) during a Comics Arts Conference
panel at 2008's Comic-Con International
in San Diego, California
, the creators explained how the first Rocket Llama story evolved into a webcomic. Whether despite the original story's childlike art or because of it, the Rocket Llama story proved to be the most popular in the 2007 anthology collection of the eight-hour comics. After comic artist Stephen R. Bissette
, an instructor at the Center for Cartoon Studies
and comic book artist best known for his work on Swamp Thing
with Alan Moore
, read all of the stories in the first volume of The Workday Comic, he remarked, "That llama's gonna stick with me."
after a battle with an enemy called Jetpack Dog. Spherical islanders capture them and then challenge them to combat. A villain
named Böwser vön Überdog arrives with Jetpack Dog and, in a sudden Star Wars
parody, summons a giant robot
known as the Super Robot Dog Walker which blasts a volcano to bits. Before it can fire a second blast, Rocket Llama destroys it by getting it to swallow a pot of water and backfire. The story ends with Böwser tied up and the heroes using the giant robot dog head as a boat to get themselves home, with the promise of the next story to be titled, "Yuck! Yukon!"
Following Zuda Comics
' style guidelines, Nick Langley redrew the story with a less childlike drawing style in webcomic form for online publication as the flagship title for the website rocketllama.com. The Rocket Llama World Headquarters e-zine has an affiliation of websites featuring webcomics, art, entertainment reviews, and scholarly studies of comics.
With support from university resources, the creators assembled a "herd your nerds" support system of contributors working together. In addition to The Ongoing Adventures of Rocket Llama, e-zine features from the Rocket Llama Ground Crew include Action Flick Chick movie reviews by G4TV's Next Woman of the Web, cosplayer Katrina Hill; The Action Chick webcomic; Marko's Corner comics, cartoon arts, and podcasts by Marko Head; Reddie Steady comics for college newspapers; The Workday Comic, the 8-hour comics which spawned Rocket Llama; You Can't Do That on the Internet film crossover comics; interviews (e.g., Blair Butler
, Dan DiDio
, Steve Niles
, Seth Green
); convention reports; gaming news; blogs; and other articles.
The online story featured a new cover and omitted a one-page gag, a preview for an unrelated Stealth Potato comic, which had appeared as an intermission in the middle of the original story. The original story also appeared online as the comic's "ashcan copy."
The authors present the Rocket Llama stories metafiction
ally as the world's oldest comic book, established in 1916, which they allegedly rediscovered and are adapting into webcomics. "Deep underground, in an archaic vault we searched until we found the fabled tales. As both the current production team behind The Ongoing Adventures of Rocket Llama and appreciators of such groundbreaking literature, we have taken it upon ourselves to restore these classic issues to a glory more befitting a modern, digital age."
Although every "issue" is presented with panels and screens in the correct order for each story, the issues are presented out of order as if readers were discovering old issues of a classic comic book in a seemingly haphazard order, however they come to find them. After the redrawn number #112's online publication came the serialized
time travel
story #136-137, "Time Flies When You're on the Run," appearing one page at a time throughout each week and expanding the cast with characters like the scientist Professor Percival Penguin and cavedogs who joined them by stowing away in the heroes' time rocket during the supposed previous issue. Issue #152 followed with "The Tomb of Nosfur-Rattu".
Special Rocket Llama Says bonus features appear only in "ashcan" form drawn by the original creator. The only "modern" comic has been a one-page Halloween cartoon, supposedly an excerpt from issue #1110.
Kidjutsu, an all-ages webcomics site which publishes series such as Inverloch (webcomic) and Dandy & Company
, publishes completed Rocket Llama issues. Palace in the Sky Publishing also carries the series.
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....
starring "a high-flying llama
Llama
The llama is a South American camelid, widely used as a meat and pack animal by Andean cultures since pre-Hispanic times....
, a sword-swinging cat, and a rocket as loyal as a cowboy hero's horse." Created by Alex Langley while he was a student at Henderson State University
Henderson State University
Henderson State University, founded in 1890 as Arkadelphia Methodist College, is a four-year public liberal arts university located in Arkadelphia, Arkansas, United States. It is Arkansas's only member of the Council of Public Liberal Arts Colleges...
, the comic first appeared in a comic book titled The Workday Comic.
The Workday Comic
Spin-off (media)
In media, a spin-off is a radio program, television program, video game, or any narrative work, derived from one or more already existing works, that focuses, in particular, in more detail on one aspect of that original work...
of Scott McCloud
Scott McCloud
Scott McCloud is an American cartoonist and theorist on comics as a distinct literary and artistic medium...
's 24-Hour Comics
24-hour comic
A 24-hour comic is a 24-page comic book written, drawn, and completed in 24 hours. Scott McCloud originally came up with the challenge for himself and Steve Bissette as a creative exercise...
, comics creators each wrote and drew their own eight-page stories in eight hours in April, 2007, on Friday the 13th
Friday the 13th
Friday the 13th occurs when the thirteenth day of a month falls on a Friday, which superstition holds to be a day of bad luck. In the Gregorian calendar, this day occurs at least once, but at most three times a year...
, which turned into an ongoing publication. Rocket Llama debuted in one of the first issue's six stories, the first story completed.
Co-presenting with comics author and scholar Danny Fingeroth
Danny Fingeroth
Daniel "Danny" Fingeroth is an American comic book writer and editor, better known for a long stint as group editor of the Spider-Man books at Marvel Comics.-Career:...
(Dazzler
Dazzler
Dazzler is a Marvel Comics superheroine, associated with the X-Men. She first appeared in Uncanny X-Men #130 ....
, Spider-Man
Spider-Man
Spider-Man is a fictional Marvel Comics superhero. The character was created by writer-editor Stan Lee and writer-artist Steve Ditko. He first appeared in Amazing Fantasy #15...
, Superman on the Couch) during a Comics Arts Conference
Comics Arts Conference
The Comics Arts Conference , also known as the Comic Arts Conference, is an academic conference held in conjunction with both the annual Comic-Con International in San Diego, California, and WonderCon in San Francisco...
panel at 2008's Comic-Con International
Comic-Con International
San Diego Comic-Con International, also known as Comic-Con International: San Diego , and commonly known as Comic-Con or the San Diego Comic-Con, was founded as the Golden State Comic Book Convention and later the San Diego Comic Book Convention in 1970 by Shel Dorf and a group of San Diegans...
in San Diego, California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
, the creators explained how the first Rocket Llama story evolved into a webcomic. Whether despite the original story's childlike art or because of it, the Rocket Llama story proved to be the most popular in the 2007 anthology collection of the eight-hour comics. After comic artist Stephen R. Bissette
Stephen R. Bissette
Stephen R. Bissette is an American comics artist, editor, and publisher with a focus on the horror genre. He is best known for working with writer Alan Moore and inker John Totleben on the DC comic Swamp Thing in the 1980s....
, an instructor at the Center for Cartoon Studies
Center for Cartoon Studies
The Center for Cartoon Studies is a two year institution focusing on sequential art, specifically Comics and Graphic Novels, Located in the village of White River Junction, in the town of Hartford, Vermont, the Center offers a Master of Fine Arts degree, both one and two-year certificate...
and comic book artist best known for his work on Swamp Thing
Swamp Thing
Swamp Thing, a fictional character, is a plant elemental in the created by Len Wein and Berni Wrightson. He first appeared in House of Secrets #92 in a stand-alone horror story set in the early 20th century . The Swamp Thing then returned in his own series, set in the contemporary world and in...
with Alan Moore
Alan Moore
Alan Oswald Moore is an English writer primarily known for his work in comic books, a medium where he has produced a number of critically acclaimed and popular series, including Watchmen, V for Vendetta, and From Hell...
, read all of the stories in the first volume of The Workday Comic, he remarked, "That llama's gonna stick with me."
Debut story
The full title of Rocket Llama's debut story in The Workday Comic #1 (spring, 2007) was "The Ongoing Adventures of Rocket Llama #112: 'Trouble in Paradise'". The story introduced the taciturn hero Rocket Llama and his talkative sidekick, an anthropomorphic cat named Bartholemew 'Bart' Meowsenhausen, who find themselves stranded on an islandIsland
An island or isle is any piece of sub-continental land that is surrounded by water. Very small islands such as emergent land features on atolls can be called islets, cays or keys. An island in a river or lake may be called an eyot , or holm...
after a battle with an enemy called Jetpack Dog. Spherical islanders capture them and then challenge them to combat. A villain
Villain
A villain is an "evil" character in a story, whether a historical narrative or, especially, a work of fiction. The villain usually is the antagonist, the character who tends to have a negative effect on other characters...
named Böwser vön Überdog arrives with Jetpack Dog and, in a sudden Star Wars
Star Wars
Star Wars is an American epic space opera film series created by George Lucas. The first film in the series was originally released on May 25, 1977, under the title Star Wars, by 20th Century Fox, and became a worldwide pop culture phenomenon, followed by two sequels, released at three-year...
parody, summons a giant 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...
known as the Super Robot Dog Walker which blasts a volcano to bits. Before it can fire a second blast, Rocket Llama destroys it by getting it to swallow a pot of water and backfire. The story ends with Böwser tied up and the heroes using the giant robot dog head as a boat to get themselves home, with the promise of the next story to be titled, "Yuck! Yukon!"
E-zine
Zuda Comics
Zuda Comics was DC Comics' webcomics imprint from 2007 until 2010. It featured comics for Flash player instead of in a web page. Announced in a press release on July 9, 2007 and the first ongoing series and competing comic entries went live October 30, 2007...
' style guidelines, Nick Langley redrew the story with a less childlike drawing style in webcomic form for online publication as the flagship title for the website rocketllama.com. The Rocket Llama World Headquarters e-zine has an affiliation of websites featuring webcomics, art, entertainment reviews, and scholarly studies of comics.
With support from university resources, the creators assembled a "herd your nerds" support system of contributors working together. In addition to The Ongoing Adventures of Rocket Llama, e-zine features from the Rocket Llama Ground Crew include Action Flick Chick movie reviews by G4TV's Next Woman of the Web, cosplayer Katrina Hill; The Action Chick webcomic; Marko's Corner comics, cartoon arts, and podcasts by Marko Head; Reddie Steady comics for college newspapers; The Workday Comic, the 8-hour comics which spawned Rocket Llama; You Can't Do That on the Internet film crossover comics; interviews (e.g., Blair Butler
Blair Butler
Blair Butler is an American stand-up comic, and a television host, known for her work on the "Fresh Ink" segment on the G4 program, Attack of the Show!.-Career:...
, Dan DiDio
Dan DiDio
Dan DiDio is an American writer, editor and publisher who has worked in the television and comic book industries. He is currently the Co-Publisher of DC Comics, along with Jim Lee...
, Steve Niles
Steve Niles
Steve Niles is an American comic book author and novelist, known for works such as 30 Days of Night, Criminal Macabre, Simon Dark, Mystery Society and Batman: Gotham County Line....
, Seth Green
Seth Green
Seth Benjamin Green is an American actor, comedian, voice actor, and television producer. He is well known for his role as Daniel "Oz" Osbourne in Buffy the Vampire Slayer, as Dr. Evil's son Scott in the Austin Powers series of comedy films, Mitch Miller in That '70s Show, and the voice of Chris...
); convention reports; gaming news; blogs; and other articles.
Online comic
The authors present the Rocket Llama stories metafiction
Metafiction
Metafiction, also known as Romantic irony in the context of Romantic works of literature, is a type of fiction that self-consciously addresses the devices of fiction, exposing the fictional illusion...
ally as the world's oldest comic book, established in 1916, which they allegedly rediscovered and are adapting into webcomics. "Deep underground, in an archaic vault we searched until we found the fabled tales. As both the current production team behind The Ongoing Adventures of Rocket Llama and appreciators of such groundbreaking literature, we have taken it upon ourselves to restore these classic issues to a glory more befitting a modern, digital age."
Although every "issue" is presented with panels and screens in the correct order for each story, the issues are presented out of order as if readers were discovering old issues of a classic comic book in a seemingly haphazard order, however they come to find them. After the redrawn number #112's online publication came the serialized
Webserial
Web fiction is written work of literature available primarily or solely on the Internet. A common type of web fiction is the webserial. The term comes from old serial stories that were once published regularly in newspapers and magazines...
time travel
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...
story #136-137, "Time Flies When You're on the Run," appearing one page at a time throughout each week and expanding the cast with characters like the scientist Professor Percival Penguin and cavedogs who joined them by stowing away in the heroes' time rocket during the supposed previous issue. Issue #152 followed with "The Tomb of Nosfur-Rattu".
Special Rocket Llama Says bonus features appear only in "ashcan" form drawn by the original creator. The only "modern" comic has been a one-page Halloween cartoon, supposedly an excerpt from issue #1110.
Kidjutsu, an all-ages webcomics site which publishes series such as Inverloch (webcomic) and Dandy & Company
Dandy & Company
Dandy & Company was a webcomic created and produced by cartoonist Derrick Fish, who has also produced the comic book Scarred World: The Chronicles of Aegis and currently co-produces the Half Moose Media titled Tails to Amaze alongside writer Marc Hammond. The webcomic has been updated on its own...
, publishes completed Rocket Llama issues. Palace in the Sky Publishing also carries the series.
Characters
- Rocket Llama (llama)
- Bartholemew 'Bart' Meowsenhausen (cat)
- Henry 'Ahoy' Dingo (dingo)
- Professor Percival Penguin (penguin)
- Camwyn Godfrey (dog)
- Cavedogs (King Zug, Princess Oonga, Bonk, etc.)
- Buzz Hawkins (koala)
- Katherine O'Haira (cat)
- Chef Paulie (bear)
- Chef Gustav (goat, retired)
Antagonists
- Böwser vön Überdog (bulldog)
- Jetpack Dog (poodle)
- Islanders (??)
- Super Robot Dog Walker
- Baron Havelock Rivendare (cat)
- Ambrose (camel)
- Garibaldi the Miniscule Mastermind (gerbil)
- Nosfur-Rattu (vampire rat)