Mr. Boop

Mr. Boop was a satirical webcomic created by Alec Robbins about a man married to Betty Boop. The comic launched on February 28, 2020.[1] The comic comprises four 'books' made up of 217 strips.[2]

Mr. Boop
Author(s)Alec Robbins
Websitehttps://mrboop.net/
Current status/scheduleConcluded on January 1st, 2021
Launch dateFebruary 28, 2020
Preceded byShow Me Less Like This
Followed byCrime Hot

Background

Creation

Alec enjoyed the notion that a character designed as a sex symbol was now mostly remembered by grandmothers.[1]

Robbins' comedic style was influenced by a company he works for, Abso Lutely Productions, especially their shows 'Jon Benjamin Has A Van', 'The Birthday Boys' & 'Nathan For You.'[3]

Book I

After one week, 17 total strips were published.[4]

By the 45th strip, Robbins began using characters that 'people have well-known sexual obsessions with online,' such as Jessica Rabbit or Gardevoir from Pokémon. Alec also noted that his inclusion of Ranma was personal to him, as the character resonated with him when he was young.[1] Proceeds from this initial pressing went towards charities and GoFundMe pages benefiting the Black Community.[3]

Book II

Like Book I, Book II featured 'guest strips' drawn by various artists, notably Kate Leth, Ryan North, and Night in the Woods creator Scott Benson.[5]

Book III

The book features a meta-narrative about Betty Boop's father breaking up the marriage between Alec and Betty as it breaches copyright law. The arc was fuelled by a 'scare' Robbins had with copyright violation, which, combined with a want to shift gears into other topics.[3]

The physical version of Book III also featured guest strips, most notably from American artist Julia Kaye.[6] Book III concluded with a series of two short videos, featuring appearances from Tim Robinson, Mara Wilson and Justin McElroy.[7]

Book IV

The book contains horror elements. As of May 2022, Robbins had his reservations about the ending, unsure if he was sending out the right message, that it is bad to 'fall into fantasy worlds and enjoy them'.[1]

Reception

Mr. Boop was shortlisted for Heidi MacDonald's 2021 'Cartoonists Studio Prize',[8] and was nominated for an Ignatz Award.[9] Zachary Jenkins of ComicsXF said "Until the team behind Sonic understands our dark desires, we will have to fulfill our needs with underground art like Mr. Boop."[10] In 2022, Silver Sprocket released a hardcover collection of the entirety of Mr. Boop, which won the Ignatz Award for Outstanding Collection later that year.[11][12]

The Verge called it "a hilarious, sometimes existentially troubling interrogation of what’s fascinating about fandoms and dumb about copyright law" and "a note-perfect satire of a very specific time on the internet".[13]

References
  1. Meslow, Scott (2022-05-24). "Meet the sicko behind Mr. Boop". The Verge. Retrieved 2022-05-29.
  2. "Mr. Boop On Line Web Portal". mrboop.net. Retrieved 2022-05-29.
  3. Brady, Erin (2020-10-06). "'Mr. Boop' creator Alec Robbins on boundaries, creative control, and his creative future • AIPT". Retrieved 2022-06-22.
  4. "Mr. Boop On Line Web Portal". mrboop.net. Retrieved 2022-05-29.
  5. Robbins, Alec (2020). Mr. Boop Volume II: "God Is A Woman, and She's My Wife". TTC. p. 79.
  6. Robbins, Alec (2020). Mr. Boop Volume III: "Cease & Exist". TTC. p. 87.
  7. Twitter https://twitter.com/alecrobbins/status/1303339904454111232. Retrieved 2022-06-21. {{cite web}}: Missing or empty |title= (help)
  8. Kaplan, Avery (2021-03-16). "Syndicated Comics". The Beat. Retrieved 2022-05-29.
  9. MacDonald, Heidi (2021-09-01). "Syndicated Comics". The Beat. Retrieved 2022-05-29.
  10. Jenkins, Zachary (2020-09-04). "Explore Sonic The Hedgehog's Jealousy And Vengeance as Zacky Reads Hedgehog Reads 'Mr. Boop' Vols. 1 & 2". ComicsXF. Retrieved 2022-10-25.
  11. "Mr. Boop by Alec Robbins". Silver Sprocket. Retrieved 2022-05-29.
  12. "2022 Ignatz Awards Winners Announced". Multiversity Comics. 2022-09-18. Retrieved 2022-09-18.
  13. Mr. Boop, the psychosexual webcomic that is a scathing critique of copyright / It’s also about being married to Betty Boop, by Scott Meslow, in The Verge; published May 24, 2022; retrieved February 27, 2023
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