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Hark! A Vagrant

Hark! A Vagrant

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HARK! A VAGRANT

About

Hark! A Vagrant[1] is a webcomic created by cartoonist Kate Beaton. Having previously earned a bachelor's degree in history, much of the humor in Beaton's comics comes from comedic depictions of historical figures and scenes, although she does occasionally post about more contemporary subjects, such as superhero comics and Nancy Drew books.

History

Beaton originally created the comics for her university newpaper, The Argosy. In 2007 she began uploading these comics onto her LiveJournal Beatonna[2] and the now defunct Katebeaton.com. On March 12th 2009 she moved her comics to their current location, a webcomic titled Hark! A Vagrant, the first comic uploaded titled "Duchamp" about the French surrealist.


MARCEL DUCHAMP'Sx BREAKFAST WELL tHINK YES THIS S AN EaG To PusH THE BOUNDARIES OF THIS MEAL EMRI THATS A BAR OF SOAP YEAH! yo LWANT AND Now 0M IT'S AN EGG AND AM GOLN4 TO Cook iT t's A BA民°F Sonr GoING To EAT IT! wiTH MY SHoE! SoME? I HAVE ANOTHER THIS S uenRp SHoa GSo THATS WHAT IT

Acclaim

Kate Beaton's work on the comic has achieved critical acclaim, with her first independently-released collection of comics Never Learn Anything About History winning the 2009 Doug Wright Award for best emerging talent. Her work on the comic has also been nominated for Joe Shuster awards in 2009 and 2010 and for a Harvey Award in 2010, before finally winning the Harvey Award for Best Online Comic in 2011 and 2012.

Parodies

Kate Beaton's comics are a frequent source of parody online, with her comics often redrawn to change the characters to those of a different series. Series which have been featured in these redraws include among others, Sherlock, Mass Effect, Homestuck, and Adventure Time. There even exists a whole tumblr devoted to Homestuck versions of Hark! A Vagrant strips.[4]


GOOD, YOU OPENED COMMANDER, YOU HAVE NEN MESSAGES THIS MESSAGE YOU SUCK ' SHEPARD! SUCK MY D---! LOLOL HM THANKS TRANOR ALSO IDREW A IC OF US! WRITE ME 8AKK! -Kレ

Kate Beaton has expressed her dissatisfaction with the creation of these redrawn comics on her Twitter, although much of her displeasure comes more from the lack of credit she gets from these spoofs, a problem she has with image-stealing tumblrs as well.


Kate Beaton@beatonna I just want to make comics that are mine, that don't get traced and replaced with other characters, not put on sites without my name on them 2m 1 (W Kate Beaton @beatonna ever again 4m Kate Beaton @beatonna when your comics get put on a tumblr called 'memewhore' with no source, 40000 notes, it makes you never want to put anything on the internet 4m tt

However, since expressing her disdain, she had changed her stance on how her images can be used, and expressed that she wished she had not done so, and explained that she enjoys seeing derivatives of her work.


beatonna Memes, don't worry 'bout em Hey! There is something I want to talk about. No big deal. Its basically this: I don't care if people trace my comics for fun My comics often get traced with characters replaced. They get turned into memes. That's a thing that happens, and I guess my particular easy-to-copy style (let's be honest, Leonardo da Vinci, I am not) and gag comic format makes that easy! I have, in the past, voiced displeasure at this, only because the joke and the drawings would be traced without my name anywhere on it and shared a jillion times. I think when it started happening a lot, I was seeing it evervwhere, and didn't know what to make of it. If you go to a site like Know Your Meme, there are even my words there saying so! PRESERVED FOREVER, to my embarrassment. Kate Beaton has expressed her dissatisfaction with the creation of these redrawn comics on her Twitter, although much of her displeasure comes more from the lack of credit she gets from these spoofs, a problem she has with image-stealing tumbirs as well. Kate Beaton I just want to make comics that are mine, that don't get traced and them beatonna replaced with other characters, not put on sites without my name on Kate Beaton ever again ebeatonna 4m Kate Beaton beatonna when your comics get put on a tumbir called 'memewhore with no ource, 40000 notes, it makes you never want to put anything on the internet I can't deny those are my words, but hey, we all have bad days. I wish I never did say them, but I don't even know when I did, only that it was some years ago. Guess I was really down about memewhore! Memewhore, what a nemesis! The thing about saying anything on the internet is that it lives forever. But the thing about living on the earth is, your opinions can change over time, and also, you have good days and bad days where you are a cranky poo poo head on twitter. Twitter is basically the worst thing to have within arms reach when you're cranky And because things that you say live on the internet forever, I still get people talking about how these traced comics upset me, because for all they know, I said that yesterday. But nah, I'm fine, I'm good. I've even said this before! On this very same subject. If the Know Your Meme people are listening, they can take note (please do!). Because, I feel really crummy whenever it comes up again and someone says "just so you know she HATES THAT." No I don't. It's harmless. Have fun And try not to say dumb things on twitter that will be attached to your life forever. Thats my advice of the week. 39 notes



Hey!

There is something I want to talk about. No big deal. It’s basically this: I don’t care if people trace my comics for fun.

My comics often get traced with characters replaced. They get turned into memes. That’s a thing that happens, and I guess my particular easy-to-copy style (let’s be honest, Leonardo da Vinci, I am not) and gag comic format makes that easy! I have, in the past, voiced displeasure at this, only because the joke and the drawings would be traced without my name anywhere on it and shared a jillion times. I think when it started happening a lot, I was seeing it everywhere, and didn’t know what to make of it.

If you go to a site like Know Your Meme, there are even my words there saying so! PRESERVED FOREVER, to my embarrassment.

I can’t deny those are my words, but hey, we all have bad days. I wish I never did say them, but I don’t even know when I did, only that it was some years ago. Guess I was really down about memewhore! Memewhore, what a nemesis!

The thing about saying anything on the internet is that it lives forever. But the thing about living on the earth is, your opinions can change over time, and also, you have good days and bad days where you are a cranky poo poo head on twitter. Twitter is basically the worst thing to have within arms reach when you’re cranky.

And because things that you say live on the internet forever, I still get people talking about how these traced comics upset me, because for all they know, I said that yesterday. But nah, I’m fine, I’m good. I’ve even said this before! On this very same subject. If the Know Your Meme people are listening, they can take note (please do!). Because, I feel really crummy whenever it comes up again and someone says “just so you know she HATES THAT.” No I don’t. It’s harmless. Have fun.

And try not to say dumb things on twitter that will be attached to your life forever. That’s my advice of the week.


Ooh Mr X

By far the most popular Hark! A Vagrant comic for edits, "Ooh Mister Darcy" is a comic parodying the large amounts of fanfiction that has been written about the works of Jane Austen, specifically her novel Pride and Prejudice. Originally drawn as a simple throwaway picture included in a LiveJournal update, Beaton encouraged others to draw their own versions in the post. The resulting pictures which have been made since the comic was first posted have featured characters from a wide range of media, including My Little Pony, Back to the Future and even the musicians DeadMau5 and Skrillex.

OOH ISTe e 2a an home oCo Lookins so hands AND ome also My shin十 A FA FICTIoN bet DARCY 0oh Lets Oo Yes AND I WILL ノ ( Leave cravat on MEANIMHLE BUS MEN TURMING IN A 2O Mi ster, Mister MILE RADIUS OF THIS EVENT RIPPING WAS AMAZING GA the end

John Watson is Made of Jam, Kittens, and Rage

The Hark! A Vagrant comic, "The Case of the Two Watsons" has been credited with helping start the tumblr meme, "John Watson and his Jam", which is closely associated with "Martin Freeman/John Watson is made of Jam, Kittens, and Rage".


THE CASE OF CIOLAES WATSONS HoLmES? YOU'RE AH THERE You ARE, DOCTOR THAT S CLUE NOT NE WATSON, CoME HERE CAN T GELIEVE HoumES, PLEASE INTELLIGENT A CLUE PROVIDE moRE Comic RelEF BEEN REPACED LADY KILLER THAT S NOT A CLUE WATSON, THAT'S YouR JAR OF JAM LIKES JAm. WE'RE UERY HAP어 WASN T INTERESTING ENOUGH? BY JoVE IT IS PITY JAM,

Reaction Images

Due to the popularity of her comics, a number of panels from the comic have become popular reaction images on websites such as tumblr. The phrases used in these panels have also gained usage in various image macros.

  • I Had Fun Once And It Was Awful comes from a collection of comics titled "Juarez and Maximilian" about the former emperor and president of Mexico.[5]
AND IT wAS AWFL I HAD FUN ONCE TWAS AWFUL zipmeme


  • Then I Will Sit Here Consumed With Lust originates from a comic parodying Pride and Prejudice titled "Too Much Austen", with the famous panel depicting a sexually frustrated Mr. Darcy.[6]
THEN wILL sin HERE CoNSuMED witH Lust fo THE REST THEN I WILL SIT HERE CONSUMED WITH LUST FOR THE REST OFTHE EVENING HERE CoNSumED wITH ANTICIPATION OR THE Res OF THE EVENIN G 0


  • What If X Orbits Y originates from a comic titled "Tycho That Was Uncalled For", which parodies a conversation between German astronomer Johannes Kepler and his former teacher Tycho Brahe, discussing whether the earth orbits the sun or vice-versa.[7]
MY DIeK WHAT IF THE EARTH ORBITS THE SU N WHAT IF YOUR MoM OR8ITS my T--- SHERLOck, THE SUM Yov oKBiT ENKTn oRSiTS


Search Interest

Search interest starts in July 2008. After a steady rise, it shows a large peak in September 2009, after which search interest has stayed somewhat stable.

External References

[1] Hark! A Vagrant

[2] LiveJournal – Beatonna

[3] LiveJournal – New Website (login needed)

[4] Tumblr – Beatonstuck

[5] Hark! A Vagrant – Juarez and Maximilian

[6] Hark! A Vagrant – Too Much Austen

[7] Hark! A Vagrant – Tycho That Was Uncalled For

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