| Johnny Wander | |
|---|---|
 Strip #191 "Motivational Speaker", published September 21, 2010 | |
| Author(s) | Ananth Hirsh and Yuko Ota |
| Website | johnnywander |
| Current status/schedule | updated Tuesday and Thursday |
| Launch date | September 30, 2008 |
| Genre(s) | Slice of life story |
Johnny Wander is a formerwebcomic written by Ananth Hirsh and illustrated by Yuko Ota. It was published bi-weekly.[1] In its earlier days, the comic generally focused onslice of life stories involving Ananth, Yuko, and their friends and family following graduation from college. However, the comic occasionally encompasses unrelated fantasy storylines. The comic is currently focusing on one of its ongoing fictional storylines, "Barbarous." The name "Johnny Wander" is meant to evoke the creators' desire to use the comic to "wander" through whatever topics interest them at the moment.
The webcomic has been generally well-received, with reviewers calling it as a humorous and sweet comic that invites new readers to continue reading. The artwork has also been praised for its depth and quality. The first physical book collection "Johnny Wander Vol. 1: Don't Burn the House Down" was published in 2010.
From 2006 to 2010, Ananth Hirsh (then called Ananth Panagariya) wrote the webcomicAppleGeeks, in collaboration with the artist Mohammad Haque. This strip was published as a comic book byDark Horse Comics in 2008.[2]
Hirsh and Ota started postingJohnny Wander in 2008.[1] Originally intended to encompass more subjects than autobiography, Ota picked the name "Johnny Wander" because it sounded both catchy and broad in scope.[3] The name implied that the two could "wander" to whatever subject they were interested in.[3] The first few test strips were done sporadically, as Ota was attending school and Hirsh was working full-time as agraphic designer. They eventually decided on autobiographical work because it seemed quicker to do, though the webcomic quickly became focused and polished.[3] A collection of the comics, entitledJohnny Wander Vol. 1: Don't Burn the House Down, was published in 2010. The book was released under aCreative Commons license.[3] A second and third volume were subsequently published, entitled "Johnny Wander Vol. 2: Escape to New York" and "Johnny Wander Vol. 3: Ballad of Laundry Cat", respectively.
The webcomic generally focuses onslice of life storylines involving the lives of the creators and their friends. Occasionally, it ventures intosurrealist short fantasy stories.[1] Each comic consists of a stand-alone, single page comic.[4] Often, the inspiration for a comic comes from a simple conversation or occurrence in the characters' everyday lives.[4] However, one storyline,The Girl with the Skeleton Hand, involves a woman's romance with apersonified death. "Delilah and the Basilisk" and "Lucky Penny" are among the other serial fiction pieces published on the site.[1] The artwork is inked by hand and done ingrayscale.[4] First, a strip is penciled, then inked with abrush, and finally shaded and toned inAdobe Photoshop.[3]
Greg McElhatton ofRead About Comics calledJohnny Wander one of his favorite webcomics.[4] He went on to describe it as "consistently funny and sweet", and praised it for its comedic timing and sharp character art.[4] Arun Kale ofHelter Skelter magazine called the webcomic "a light-hearted, honest look at life".[3]
Gary Tyrrell of Fleen comparedJohnny Wander toArchie Comics in its accessibility and ability to make new readers feel welcome.[6] Mike Braff ofSuvudu praised the webcomic, calling its writing good and its art "breathtaking".[7]
In 2017,Our Cats Are More Famous Than Us: A Johnny Wander Collection won anIgnatz Award for "Outstanding Collection".[8] In 2019,Barbarous won aNational Cartoonists Society Division Award in the "On-Line Comics – Long Form" category.[9]