InkTank
InkTank is a blog and webcomics portal created by Barry Smith.
History
Smith acquired the inktank.com domain in 1998 and used it for a personal website and as website for his Everquest guild.
On August 28, 2000, Smith published the first of his three webcomics, Angst Technology, remaking the Inktank site as a webcomics portal. Over the next five years he added Weak-end Warriors and Sorry, We're Open. After beginning a Computer Animation degree program, Smith put all three comics on indefinite hiatus.
The most well know comic on the site is Angst Technology which ran from 2000-2005. The comic's storyline dealt with a fictional company, Angst Technology, which developed gaming software. The experiences were based on the author's real world experience in working at Sierra Entertainment and in web site development. The comic was run on GameSpy[1], along with Penny Arcade, and over the years cameoed and referenced [2] in several other comics, among them The WhiteBoard, which also referenced [3] the later comic, Weak-end Warriors. The comic is also referenced on the site ImageTexT[4] which explores the impact of underground comix and the evolution of webcomics from those roots.
Angst Technology won the Best Gaming Comic award in 2001 the first year of the Web Cartoonists' Choice Awards.
From August 4, 2005 to March 31, 2008 the Inktank website was Smith's personal blog. The website has links to the forums and includes his webcomic archives. Many of Smith's blog entries are about art and animation.
On March 31, 2008 a new comic, Inktank, was started on the site and is now updated on Monday, Wednesday and Friday. The new comic is based on the authors real life experiences as a father and web site developer.
Due to numerous problems with the previous webhost for the site[5], in January 2009 the site moved to a new host[6] and also upgraded to the ComicPress software. Unfortunately, problems with ComicPress mean that at present, all four strips appear to be one long continuity, and some strips (because they were published on the same date as others) are not currently available[7].
Comics
Smith had three webcomics hosted on Inktank.com.
Angst Technology
| Angst Technology | |
|---|---|
| Author(s) | Barry T. Smith |
| Website | http://www.inktank.com/ |
| Current status / schedule | Ended |
| Launch date | 2000 August 28 |
| End date | 2005 June 20 |
| Genre(s) | Humor, Video Games |
Angst Technology is based around the staff of a small computer gaming company. The humor is derived from everyday office shenanigans, computer and RPG game sources and a myriad of pop-culture references.
The first Angst Technology strip ran on August 28, 2000. The last ran on June 20, 2005. Smith went on hiatus between July 18, 2003 and March 31, 2004. All together, there were around 1060 Angst Technology strips.
Major characters
In order of appearance:
- Marc is the young project manager. The innocent of the bunch, Marc started off as customer support. He is roommates with Yaz and while they give each other a hard time, deep down they are best buds. First Appearance
- Dante is the coffee-loving lead programmer. Cynical and grounded, he's the linchpin of the company. The only one who seems to get any work done. First Appearance
- Webmonkey is literally a monkey who's employed as the webmaster. He doesn't speak, but his caffeine fueled deathmatches speak for him. First Appearance
- Hugh is the wealthy and fairly naïve boss. His love of gaming and his staff is only outstripped by his love of karaoke. First Appearance
- Yaz is the graphic artist and resident letch. Since opposites attract, he has hooked up as Marc's roommate where (thankfully) his ribald ways have not rubbed off on Marc. First Appearance
- The IT Ninjas do all the behind the scenes maintenance. Excellent at keeping the company servers and computers running, they are not so good outside their element (like fighting or sneaking around like normal ninja). Dante, Hugh, and Kit are the only ones aware of the Ninja's existence, although Marc once stumbled into their secret office. First Appearance
- Kit is the office manager and human resources manager. Sweet and sexy, she is an eye of calm in the whirlwind office.
- Lance is basically a superman-style superhero taking a day job as customer support. He is actually customer support who is dumber than the customers who call him.
- Salvadore is literally a llama in charge of network security. It takes a hacker to catch a hacker.
Weak-End Warriors
Weak-End Warriors takes place at a paintball park.
Sorry, We're Open
Sorry, We're Open takes place at a games and comics store, owned by two brothers.
Present Comics
InkTank
Started on March 31, 2008 and loosely similar to all three of the previous strips (especially Angst Technology).
References
- ↑ Angst Technology joins GameSpy http://archive.gamespy.com/articles/october00/angst/
- ↑ The Webcomic Crossover & Cameo Archive http://crossovers.dragoneers.com/index.php?comic=Angsttech
- ↑ The Webcomic Crossover & Cameo Archive http://crossovers.dragoneers.com/index.php?comic=Weakend
- ↑ Webcomics: The Influence and Continuation of the Comix Revolution http://www.english.ufl.edu/imagetext/archives/v1_2/group/
- ↑ The site's broken! http://www.inktankforums.com/showthread.php?t=1640
- ↑ InkTank live on new host http://www.inktankforums.com/showthread.php?t=1772
- ↑ Problems with the archives http://www.inktankforums.com/showthread.php?t=1985
External links
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