This program unpacks Playstation 3 Theme files (.p3t) so that you can touch-up an existing theme to your likings or use a certain wallpaper from it (as many themes have multiple). But remember, if you use content from another theme and release it, be sure to give credit!
Download p3textractor.zip from above. Extract the files to a folder with a program such as WinZip or WinRAR. Now there are multiple ways to extract the theme.
The first way is to simply open the p3t file with p3textractor.exe. If you don’t know how to do this, right click the p3t file and select Open With. Alternatively, open the p3t file and it will ask you to select a program to open with. Click Browse and find p3textractor.exe from where you previously extracted it to. It will open CMD and extract the theme to extracted.[filename]. After that, all you need to do for any future p3t files is open them and it will extract.
The second way is very simple. Just drag the p3t file to p3textractor.exe. It will open CMD and extract the theme to extracted.[filename].
For the third way, first put the p3t file you want to extract into the same folder as p3textractor.exe. Open CMD and browse to the folder with p3extractor.exe. Enter the following: p3textractor filename.p3t [destination path]Replace filename with the name of the p3t file, and replace [destination path] with the name of the folder you want the files to be extracted to. A destination path is not required. By default it will extract to extracted.filename.
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Hellsing (stylized in all caps) is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Kouta Hirano. It was serialized in Shōnen Gahōsha's seinen manga magazine Young King OURs from April 1997 to September 2008, with its chapters collected in ten tankōbon volumes. The series chronicles the efforts of the mysterious and secret Hellsing Organization as it combats vampires, ghouls, and other supernatural foes who threaten England. The series was licensed for English language release in North America by Dark Horse Comics. From 2002 to 2006, Hirano released a six-chapter prequel series, Hellsing: The Dawn, in Young King OURs Zōkan (later Young King OURs+ before ceasing publication).
A thirteen-episode anime television series adaptation by Gonzo, directed by Umanosuke Iida and Yasunori Urata, with screenplay by Chiaki J. Konaka, was broadcast on Fuji TV from October 2001 to January 2002. A ten-episode original video animation (OVA), titled Hellsing Ultimate, was produced by Geneon. It followed the manga storyline more closely than the anime series.[5] It was released between February 2006 and December 2012. In North America, both the TV series and the OVA were first licensed by Geneon Entertainment and later by Funimation. Following the announcement that Funimation would be unified under the Crunchyroll brand, both Hellsing and Hellsing Ultimate were moved to the platform in 2022.
Hellsing is named after and centered around the Royal Order of Protestant Knights originally led by Abraham Van Helsing. The mission of Hellsing is to search for and destroy the undead and other supernatural forces of evil that threaten the queen and the country. This organization is currently led by Sir Integra Fairbrook Wingates Hellsing, who inherited the leadership of Hellsing as a child after the death of her father. She witnessed his death which turned her from a once innocent and shy little girl to a tough and deadly force. She is protected by the faithful Hellsing family butler Walter C. Dornez, a deadly foe in his own right, and Alucard, the original and most powerful vampire, who swore loyalty to the Hellsing family after being defeated by Van Helsing one hundred years before the story takes place. These formidable guardians are joined early on in the storyline by former police officer Seras Victoria, whom Alucard turned into a vampire.
As the scale and frequency of incidents involving the undead escalate in England and all around the world, Sir Integra discovers that the remnants of a Nazi group called Millennium still exist and are intent on reviving Nazi Germany by creating a battalion of vampires. Millennium, Hellsing, and the Vatican section XIII Iscariot clash in an apocalyptic three-sided war in London, and Millennium reveals its true objective: to destroy the vampire lord Alucard, ending a feud begun during World War II.
In 1996, manga author Kouta Hirano published a one-shot, titled Hellsing: The Legends of Vampire Hunter, in Wanimagazine's hentai magazine Comic Kairakuten.[6][7] Hirano commented that it was not his intention to create a story of this genre, and that he only wanted to create a "somewhat daring" action story.[8] Hirano said that the original story did not take him long to create, and that the fact that he was drawing hentai at the time afforded him the opportunity to have it published.[9] Afterwards, Hirano considered to create another story, using the same setting, removing the erotic side and focusing more on the action, explaining that this was the origin of Hellsing. Given its "atypical" universe, Hirano and the publisher Shōnen Gahōsha decided to test the reception with readers, explaining that that was the reason why the start of the series may seem "a little disjointed", and that after the reception turned out to be positive, it was decided to make it a serialized work.[8]
Hirano stated that he wanted to make a story with gunplay, but that a story of vampires with guns would not work with Alucard being portrayed as a "formulaic vampire", so Hirano added him a hat and a long coat, stating: "[i]t's still dark and ominous, but just more suited to his behavior. I always come up with the characters before the story."[9] Hirano said that he received various comments comparing Alucard's design to Vash the Stampede from Trigun (whose continuation, Trigun Maximum, was also published in Young King OURs), expressing that he "shouldn't have given him the sunglasses".[10] Hirano said that, due to the "dark, desolate story", he wanted to create someone who made the series "a bit warmer" and a female character involved as well, so he created the character of Seras Victoria, who offered the opportunity "for both of those at the same time", adding that she is "the only one who stands out from the darkness."[9] Hirano commented that for the references to historical characters, mythology, and pop culture featured in the series, he did not do specific research, stating that he is not "someone with a lot of culture", but "just an otaku", and that all the references came from what he had seen and read out of "otaku passion".[8]
The anime producer, Yasuyuki Ueda, commented that for Hellsing Ultimate he wanted to make it as an original video animation (OVA) instead of a television series due to the time limit that implies the former, and since he was a fan of the series, he wanted to take more time to "get more out of my system from the manga", adding that the OVA allowed him to do much more than the TV series. He discussed it with writer Yōsuke Kuroda and he agreed to write the script. Ueda commented, at the time, that various series were using CG animation, which he said that was "very time-consuming", especially when incorporating it to traditional animation, but that since the project would be an OVA, they did have the "luxury" to work with it, and that he wanted to use it for the weaponry and bullets to make them look realistic.[9]
Written and illustrated by Kouta Hirano, Hellsing was serialized for eleven years in Shōnen Gahōsha's seinen manga magazine Young King OURs from April 30, 1997,[a] to September 30, 2008.[13] Its 89 individual chapters were collected by Shōnen Gahōsha in ten tankōbon volumes, released from September 24, 1998,[14] to March 27, 2009.[15]
In North America, the series was licensed for English release by Dark Horse Comics in 2003.[16] The ten volumes were released from December 1, 2003,[17] to May 19, 2010.[18] In January 2020, Dark Horse Comics announced that they would re-release the series in a three-volume deluxe edition, with over 600 pages each.[19] The volumes were released from July 15, 2020, to June 16, 2021.[20][21][22]
Chuang Yi licensed the series in English in Singapore.[23] Madman Entertainment released the series in Australia and New Zealand.[24]
Crossfire is a three-chapter one-shot story, which was published in the defunct Hobby Japan's magazine Comic Master [ja].[10] It follows Heinkel Wolfe and Yumie Takagi, a Catholic nun and an assassin who work for the Iscariot organization. They call themselves "earthly agents of divine punishment". Crossfire also has cameos by Alexander Anderson and Enrico Maxwell, the head of Iscariot. Across the three chapters, Heinkel and Yumie face a variety of opposition, including Islamic terrorists, communist revolutionaries, and finally, an obscure pagancult. Crossfire as a side work was discontinued by Kouta Hirano, but it was republished in the first three volumes of Hellsing as an extra. Crossfire was adapted into a drama CD and included in Hellsing Ultimate OVA 6 and 7.
A prequel series, titled Hellsing: The Dawn, was published Young King OURs Zōkan (later Young King OURs+ before being discontinued),[25] with six chapters released from the March 2002 to the March 2006 issues;[26] the series remains incomplete.[6]The Dawn features a fourteen-year-old Walter C. Dornez and Alucard, in the form of a young girl, attacking Millennium's base of operations in Nazi-controlled Poland in September 1944, during the Warsaw Uprising.
The manga was adapted into a thirteen-episode anime television series by Gonzo. The series was directed by Yasunori Urata, under the chief direction of Umanosuke Iida, and written by Chiaki J. Konaka.[27] The series uses the same characters and settings, but narrates a different story from its source manga.[28] It was broadcast on Fuji TV from October 11, 2001, to January 17, 2002.[27] The series opening theme is "Logos Naki World" (ロゴスなきワールド, Rogosu Naki Wārudo, "A World Without Logos") by Yasushi Ishii and the ending theme is "Shine" by Mr. Big.[27]
In North America, the series was first licensed by Pioneer Entertainment (later Geneon USA).[29] Four DVD sets were released between July 23, 2002,[30] and January 21, 2003.[31] The series was broadcast in the United States on Starz!'s Encore Action channel, as part of its Animidnight late night programming block, starting in October 2003.[32][33] The series was later acquired by Funimation in 2010;[34] they released the series on a complete DVD set on November 13, 2012.[35] Following the announcement that Funimation would be unified under the Crunchyroll brand, the series was moved to the platform in 2022.[36]
In the United Kingdom, the series was first licensed by ADV Films, who released four DVDs from July 21, 2003,[37] to January 19, 2004.[38] The series was later licensed by Manga Entertainment and released on a four-disc box set on August 12, 2013.[39] In Australia and New Zealand, the series was licensed by Madman Entertainment, who released four DVDs from November 13, 2002, and February 11, 2003.[40]
In April 2005, it was announced that a new original video animation (OVA) adaptation, titled Hellsing Ultimate (still known simply as Hellsing in Japan), more faithful to the original manga than the TV series, would be released by Geneon Entertainment in Japan and North America.[41] The first four episodes of the OVA were animated by Satelight, directed by Tomokazu Tokoro, and written by Yōsuke Kuroda;[42] they were released from February 10, 2006,[43] to February 22, 2008.[44] The three following episodes (5–7) were animated by Madhouse, directed by Hiroyuki Tanaka and written by Kuroda; they were released from November 21, 2008,[45] to December 23, 2009.[46] The three last episodes (8–10) were animated by Graphinica,[47] directed by Yasuhiro Matsumura (8, 10) and Kenichi Suzuki (9 and 10), and written by Kuroda;[48][49][50] they were released from July 27, 2011,[51] to December 26, 2012.[52] Each limited edition of the last three episodes' home video release included an episode of Hellsing: The Dawn.[53][54][55]
In North America, Geneon Entertainment released the first three episodes from December 5, 2006,[56] to October 16, 2007.[57] Geneon announced that they would stop self-distribution of its titles in 2007.[58] The first two episodes were broadcast on Starz Edge's Animidnight programming block on February 12, 2008;[59][60] episodes 3 and 4 were also announced to air,[61] however, the fourth episode was not ready with an English-language track at the time and they were not broadcast.[62] In 2008, Funimation announced that they would distribute "select" Geneon titles,[63] and re-released the first three episodes of Hellsing Ultimate on September 16 of the same year,[64] along with the fourth episode on September 23.[65] In 2010, Funimation announced that they had licensed episodes 5–7;[66] in 2011, they announced that they had licensed the 8th episode as well.[67] Funimation re-released the first four episodes on DVD/Blu-ray Disc sets on October 30, 2012,[68] while episodes 5–8 were released on the same formats on November 13 of the same year.[35] Episodes 9–10 were released on October 28, 2014.[69][70][71] The series was broadcast on Adult Swim's Toonami programming block from September 13 to December 13, 2014.[72][73] Funimation released all the episodes on a Blu-ray Disc set on June 4, 2019.[74][75] Following the announcement that Funimation would be unified under the Crunchyroll brand, Hellsing Ultimate was moved to the platform in 2022.[36]
The music of the Hellsing anime television series was composed by Yasushi Ishii. Two soundtrack CDs were released: Raid was released on November 22, 2001;[76] and Ruins was released on February 22, 2002.[77] In North America, both CDs were released on July 1 and September 2, 2003, respectively.[78][79]
The music of Hellsing Ultimate was composed by Hayato Matsuo. An extra CD, titled Warsaw Recording Selection, was released with the limited edition of the fourth episode on February 22, 2008.[80] The original, Black Dog, was released on March 21, 2008;[81] An extra CD, titled Nazi CD, was released with the limited edition of the first Blu-ray box set on October 22, 2010.[82] An extra CD, titled Somehow, Iscariote, was released with the limited edition of the second Blu-ray box set on April 1, 2015.[83]
In March 2021, it was announced that Amazon Studios is developing a live-action film adaptation of Hellsing with scripts by Derek Kolstad. It will be produced by Kolstad, Automatik's Brian Kavanaugh-Jones and Fred Berger, Ranger 7 Films's Mike Callaghan and Reuben Liber, and Soluble Fish Productions' Jason Lust.[84]
The ten volumes of the Hellsing manga have sold 4 million copies worldwide.[85] In 2005, the sixth and seventh volumes ranked among Diamond Comics Distributors' list of the top 48 manga volumes sold in the United States for the year.[86] In November 2007, the ninth volume was among the top 10 volumes sold according to Japan's monthly sales rankings.[87][88]
In a review of the first volume, Winnie Chow of Animerica commented that the English translation "works to enhance the locations and people of the story", and noted that the original manga contains more comedy elements than its anime adaptation. Chow said that the series' violence is "everywhere, which is only to be expected when one is in the occupation of undead extermination", and that the characters are "magnificent to behold in action when they get into a frenzy, from crushing heads beneath their boot heels to impaling an enemy with an untold number of blessed blades", ultimately stating that Hirano "does violence right".[89] Reviewing the first volume, Publishers Weekly called the series "mostly a fun, violent romp", stating that the "rather awkward" religious sparring between the Catholic Church and Hellsing, are "goofy details" that give it "some charm and energy". They concluded: "Hirano's storytelling is easy to follow, as stylish close-ups of the "we're-groovy-and-we-know-it" characters explode into violent full-page illustrations of all-out mayhem."[90] In a review of the first volume, Barb Lien-Cooper of Sequential Tart gave it a 7 out of 10, commending the series for its worldbuilding and pacing, but criticizing the "repetitive violence", stating: "[y]ou've seen one blown off head, you've seen 'em all."[91] Reviewing the first volume, Justin Rich of AnimeOnDVD gave it a B− grade. Rich commented that the series is consistent with the action, and while he stated that the first volume does not have a "real sense of a continuing arc", "orders here are very enjoyable", and concluded: "[s]itting down and spending some time with the blasé Alucard makes me look forward to the next volume."[92] Connie C. of Slightly Biased Manga, in her review of the first volume, said: "[i]t's got just the right amount of blood and violence, great art, and I like everything about this series", concluding: "[r]ead it if you're in to this sort of thing, I promise you'll love it if you're not offended."[93]
Reviewing the fourth volume, Liann Cooper of Anime News Network (ANN) said that one its "greatest strengths" is the impeccable storytelling of Hirano, calling the story "dark and gory", but also "incredibly amusing". Cooper concluded: "[c]ombined with highly detailed artwork and near flawless character designs, every action-packed, blood-spewing battle to each eerie character expression completes one of the most well-rounded manga series I've had the pleasure of reading. This is one horrifically enticing vampire series that you can't afford to miss."[94] Hilary Goldstein of IGN, in a review of the sixth volume, called it "the best vampire manga around", and that it "clamors forward with a seething wit and a frantic pace, and style that passes beyond gothic grace."[95] Reviewing the first volume, Ryan Huston of Manga Life gave the first volume a C− grade. Huston wrote that the series "borrow heavily" from the stylistic elements of Blade, Castlevania, The Crow, and BloodRayne,[b] also calling it "very contrived", stating that "there's nary of whiff of originality", and criticizing the "inconsistent" artwork.[96] In a more positive review of the eighth volume, Lori Henderson of the same website gave it an A grade. Henderson wrote: "I generally don't read blood-spilling horror manga, but for Hellsing, I make an exception", stating that she was "instantly hooked" by the series, concluding: "Hellsing is a title that totally lives up to its hype. The art is fantastic, and the story strings you along just enough to keep you coming back for more."[97] Also reviewing the eighth volume, Katherine Dacey of PopCultureShock gave it a B+ grade. Dacey said that the plot of the volume is "absurd", but that "Hirano's bold visuals, insane plot twists, and extended action sequences make for an entertaining read, even when the plot makes absolutely no sense at all."[98]
Reviewing the tenth and final volume, Davey C. Jones of Active Anime commented that it "doesn't disappoint but it is always sad to see such a great series come to an end", also expressing that the series has a "unique style and an awesome, mind bending anti-hero in Alucard", concluding that it is "hard not to keep from wanting more."[99] Reviewing the same volume, Connie C., writing for PopCultureShock, gave it a B grade. She commented that the series is "ridiculous, violent, over-the-top, and absolutely revels in its debauchery", and called the epilogue "a little underwhelming", but stated, however, concludedt: "[i]t was violent and action-packed in the most extreme way possible all the way through and quiet moments feel out of place. It revels in depravity and does it better and marginally more coherently than most other series that try it. It's a true legend to the end."[100] Carl Kimlinger of ANN gave the final volume a B grade. Kimlinger criticized its ending, stating that the final arc "finishes it in an undignified rush", and that it "falls back on some insultingly overused anime cheese to expedite its finish." Kimlinger, however, wrote that "a tired, rushed Hellsing is still Hellsing", adding that "[t]here's still enough demented ultraviolence and bizarre indulgences on display to shame all but the most transgressive of other manga."[101]
Courtney Kraft of Graphic Novel Reporter said that one of the series' appeal is that "every cast member is very one-dimensional, and yet each is unique, interesting, and memorable", not only commending the main cast
This program unpacks Playstation 3 Theme files (.p3t) so that you can touch-up an existing theme to your likings or use a certain wallpaper from it (as many themes have multiple). But remember, if you use content from another theme and release it, be sure to give credit!
Download p3textractor.zip from above. Extract the files to a folder with a program such as WinZip or WinRAR. Now there are multiple ways to extract the theme.
The first way is to simply open the p3t file with p3textractor.exe. If you don’t know how to do this, right click the p3t file and select Open With. Alternatively, open the p3t file and it will ask you to select a program to open with. Click Browse and find p3textractor.exe from where you previously extracted it to. It will open CMD and extract the theme to extracted.[filename]. After that, all you need to do for any future p3t files is open them and it will extract.
The second way is very simple. Just drag the p3t file to p3textractor.exe. It will open CMD and extract the theme to extracted.[filename].
For the third way, first put the p3t file you want to extract into the same folder as p3textractor.exe. Open CMD and browse to the folder with p3extractor.exe. Enter the following: p3textractor filename.p3t [destination path]Replace filename with the name of the p3t file, and replace [destination path] with the name of the folder you want the files to be extracted to. A destination path is not required. By default it will extract to extracted.filename.
This program unpacks Playstation 3 Theme files (.p3t) so that you can touch-up an existing theme to your likings or use a certain wallpaper from it (as many themes have multiple). But remember, if you use content from another theme and release it, be sure to give credit!
Download p3textractor.zip from above. Extract the files to a folder with a program such as WinZip or WinRAR. Now there are multiple ways to extract the theme.
The first way is to simply open the p3t file with p3textractor.exe. If you don’t know how to do this, right click the p3t file and select Open With. Alternatively, open the p3t file and it will ask you to select a program to open with. Click Browse and find p3textractor.exe from where you previously extracted it to. It will open CMD and extract the theme to extracted.[filename]. After that, all you need to do for any future p3t files is open them and it will extract.
The second way is very simple. Just drag the p3t file to p3textractor.exe. It will open CMD and extract the theme to extracted.[filename].
For the third way, first put the p3t file you want to extract into the same folder as p3textractor.exe. Open CMD and browse to the folder with p3extractor.exe. Enter the following: p3textractor filename.p3t [destination path]Replace filename with the name of the p3t file, and replace [destination path] with the name of the folder you want the files to be extracted to. A destination path is not required. By default it will extract to extracted.filename.
This page or section lists people that share the same given name. If an internal link led you here, you may wish to change that link to point directly to the intended article.
Parker and Stone developed South Park from two animated short films, both titled The Spirit of Christmas, released in 1992 and 1995. The second short became one of the first Internet viral videos, leading to the series' production. The pilot episode was produced using cutout animation; the remainder of the series uses computer animation recalling the prior technique. Since the fourth season, episodes are generally written and produced during the week preceding its broadcast, with Parker serving as the lead writer and director.
Since its debut on August 13, 1997, 328 episodes of South Park have been broadcast. It debuted with great success, consistently earning the highest ratings of any basic cable program. Subsequent ratings have varied, but it remains one of Comedy Central's longest-running programs. In August 2021, South Park was renewed through 2027, and a series of television specials was announced for Paramount+, the first two of which were released later that year.[2][3] In October 2019, it was announced that WarnerMedia acquired exclusive streaming rights to South Park starting in June 2020 for HBO Max.[4] The series' twenty-sixth season premiered on February 8, 2023.[5]
South Park has received critical acclaim, and is included in various publications' lists of the greatest television shows. It has received numerous accolades, including five Primetime Emmy Awards and a Peabody Award. A theatrical film, South Park: Bigger, Longer & Uncut, was released in June 1999 to commercial and critical success, garnering an Academy Award nomination. In 2013, TV Guide ranked South Park the tenth Greatest TV Cartoon of All Time.[6]
South Park centers around four boys: Stan Marsh, Kyle Broflovski, Eric Cartman and Kenny McCormick. The boys live in the fictional small town of South Park, located within the real-life South Park basin in the Rocky Mountains of central Colorado,[7] approximately a one-hour drive from Denver.[8] The town is also home to an assortment of other characters, including students, families, elementary school staff, and other various residents.[9] Prominent settings include South Park Elementary, various neighborhoods and the surrounding mountain range, actual Colorado landmarks, and the businesses along the town's main street, all of which are based on the appearance of similar locations in Fairplay, Colorado.[7][9] As one of the few television programs set in the Mountain West region that takes place outside the urban core of Denver, South Park frequently features the unique culture of the region, including cattle ranchers, Old West theme parks, snowy climates, mountaineering, Mormons, real-life Colorado locations such as Casa Bonita and Cave of the Winds, and many other regionally specific characteristics.
Stan is portrayed as an average American boy; however, he has many mishaps throughout the series. In the first 22 seasons, Stan lived in South Park, but in the episodes during and after season 22, Stan resided in Tegridy Farms. Kyle is Jewish, and his portrayal as one of the few such people in South Park is often dealt with satirically.[10] Stan is modeled after Parker, while Kyle is modeled after Stone. They are best friends, and their friendship, symbolically intended to reflect Parker and Stone's friendship,[11] is a common topic throughout the series. Cartman (as he is commonly referred to) is amoral and increasingly psychopathic, and is commonly portrayed as an antagonist. His staunch antisemitism has resulted in a progressive rivalry with Kyle.[10][12] Kenny, who comes from a poor family, tightly wears his parka hood to the point where it obscures most of his face and muffles his speech. During the first five seasons, Kenny died in almost every episode before reappearing in the next with no definite explanation. He was killed off in the fifth season episode "Kenny Dies", before being reintroduced in the sixth season finale, "Red Sleigh Down". Since then, Kenny is depicted as dying sporadically. During the first 58 episodes, the children were in the third grade. During the fourth season, they entered the fourth grade, where they have remained ever since.[13][14]
Plots are often set in motion by events, ranging from the fairly typical to the supernatural and extraordinary, which frequently happen in the town.[15] The boys often act as the voice of reason when these events cause panic or incongruous behavior among the adult populace, who are customarily depicted as irrational, gullible, and prone to overreaction.[7][16] They are frequently confused by the contradictory and hypocritical behavior of their parents and other adults, and often perceive them as having distorted views on morality and society.[9][17]
Each episode opens with a tongue-in-cheekall persons fictitious disclaimer: "All characters and events in this show—even those based on real people—are entirely fictional. All celebrity voices are impersonated.....poorly. The following program contains coarse language and due to its content it should not be viewed by anyone."[18][19]
South Park was the first weekly program to be rated TV-MA,[20] and is generally intended for adult audiences.[21][22][23] The boys and most other child characters use strong profanity, with only the most taboo words being bleeped during a typical broadcast.[9] Parker and Stone perceive this as the manner in which real-life small boys speak when they are alone.[24][25]
Early episodes tended to be shock value-oriented and featured more slapstick-style humor.[33] While social satire had been used on the show occasionally earlier on, it became more prevalent as the series progressed, with the show retaining some of its focus on the boys' fondness of scatological humor in an attempt to remind adult viewers "what it was like to be eight years old".[10] Parker and Stone also began further developing other characters by giving them larger roles in certain storylines,[10] and began writing plots as parables based on religion, politics, and numerous other topics.[9] This provided the opportunity for the show to spoof both extreme sides of contentious issues,[34] while lampooning both liberal and conservative points of view.[9][16][35] Rebecca Raphael described the show as "an equal opportunity offender",[15] while Parker and Stone describe their main purpose as to "be funny" and "make people laugh",[36][37] while stating that no particular topic or group of people be exempt from mockery and satire.[16][32][38][39][40]
Parker and Stone insist that the show is still more about "kids being kids" and "what it's like to be in [elementary school] in America",[41] stating that the introduction of a more satirical element to the series was the result of the two adding more of a "moral center" to the show so that it would rely less on simply being crude and shocking in an attempt to maintain an audience.[36][37] While profane, Parker notes that there is still an "underlying sweetness" aspect to the child characters,[34] and Time described the boys as "sometimes cruel but with a core of innocence".[11] Usually, the boys or other characters pondered over what transpired during an episode and conveyed the important lesson taken from it with a short monologue. During earlier seasons, this speech commonly began with a variation of the phrase "You know, I've learned something today...".[42]
South Park creators Trey Parker (left) and Matt Stone continue to do most of the writing, directing and voice acting on the show.
Parker and Stone met in film class at the University of Colorado in 1992 and discovered a shared love of Monty Python, which they often cite as one of their primary inspirations.[43] They created an animated short entitled The Spirit of Christmas.[27] The film was created by animating construction paper cutouts with stop motion, and features prototypes of the main characters of South Park, including a character resembling Cartman but named "Kenny", an unnamed character resembling what is today Kenny, and two near-identical unnamed characters who resemble Stan and Kyle. Fox Broadcasting Company executive and mutual friend Brian Graden commissioned Parker and Stone to create a second short film as a video Christmas card. Created in 1995, the second The Spirit of Christmas short resembled the style of the later series more closely.[44] To differentiate between the two homonymous shorts, the first short is often referred to as Jesus vs. Frosty, and the second short as Jesus vs. Santa. Graden sent copies of the video to several of his friends, and from there it was copied and distributed, including on the internet, where it became one of the first viral videos.[27][11]
As Jesus vs. Santa became more popular, Parker and Stone began talks of developing the short into a television series about four children residing in the fictional Colorado town of South Park. Fox eagerly agreed to meet with the duo about the show's premise, having prided itself on edgier products such as Cops, The Simpsons, and The X-Files. However, during the meeting at the Fox office in Century City, disagreements between the two creators and the network began to arise, mainly over the latter's refusal to air a show that included a supporting talking stool character named Mr. Hankey. Some executives at 20th Century Fox Television (which was to produce the series) agreed with its then-sister network's stance on Mr. Hankey and repeatedly requested Parker and Stone to remove the character in order for the show to proceed. Refusing to meet their demands, the duo cut ties with Fox and its sister companies all together and began shopping the series somewhere else.[45][46][47]
The two then entered negotiations with both MTV and Comedy Central. Parker preferred the show be produced by Comedy Central, fearing that MTV would turn it into a kids show.[48] When Comedy Central executive Doug Herzog watched the short, he commissioned for it to be developed into a series.[27][49] Parker and Stone assembled a small staff and spent three months creating the pilot episode "Cartman Gets an Anal Probe".[50]South Park was in danger of being canceled before it even aired when the show fared poorly with test audiences, particularly with women. However, the shorts were still gaining more popularity over the Internet, and Comedy Central ordered a run of six episodes.[36][48]South Park debuted with "Cartman Gets an Anal Probe" on August 13, 1997.[51]
Except for the pilot episode, which was produced using cutout animation, all episodes of South Park are created with the use of software, primarily Autodesk Maya.[52] As opposed to the pilot, which took three months to complete,[53] and other animated sitcoms, which are traditionally hand-drawn by companies in South Korea in a process that takes roughly eight to nine months,[27][35] individual episodes of South Park take significantly less time to produce. Using computers as an animation method, the show's production staff were able to generate an episode in about three weeks during the first seasons.[54] Now, with a staff of about 70 people, episodes are typically completed in one week,[27][34][35] with some in as little as three to four days.[55][56][57] Nearly the entire production of an episode is accomplished within one set of offices, which were originally at a complex in Westwood, Los Angeles, California and are now part of South Park Studios in Culver City, California.[49][53] Parker and Stone have been the show's executive producers throughout its entire history.[58]Debbie Liebling, who was Senior Vice President of original programming and development for Comedy Central, also served as an executive producer during the show's first five seasons, coordinating the show's production efforts between South Park Studios and Comedy Central's headquarters in New York City.[59][60] During its early stages, finished episodes of South Park were hastily recorded to D-2 to be sent to Comedy Central for airing in just a few days' time.[61] Each episode used to cost $250,000.[62]
After exchanging ideas, Parker will write a script, and from there the entire team of animators, editors, technicians, and sound engineers will each typically work 100–120 hours in the ensuing week.[50] Since the show's fourth season (2000), Parker has assumed most of the show's directorial duties, while Stone relinquished his share of the directing to focus on handling the coordination and business aspects of the production.[27][71] On Wednesday, a completed episode is sent to Comedy Central's headquarters via satellite uplink, sometimes just a few hours before its air time of 10 PM Eastern Time.[27][72]
Parker and Stone state that subjecting themselves to a one-week deadline creates more spontaneity amongst themselves in the creative process, which they feel results in a funnier show.[27] The schedule also allows South Park to both stay more topical and respond more quickly to specific current events than other satiric animated shows.[10][73] One of the earliest examples of this was in the season four (2000) episode "Quintuplets 2000", which references the United States Border Patrol's raid of a house during the Elián González affair, an event which occurred only four days before the episode originally aired.[74] The season nine (2005) episode "Best Friends Forever" references the Terri Schiavo case,[25][34] and originally aired in the midst of the controversy and less than 12 hours before she died.[35][75] A scene in the season seven (2003) finale "It's Christmas in Canada" references the discovery of dictator Saddam Hussein in a "spider hole" and his subsequent capture, which happened a mere three days prior to the episode airing.[76] The season 12 (2008) episode "About Last Night..." revolves around Barack Obama's victory in the 2008 presidential election, and aired less than 24 hours after Obama was declared the winner, using segments of dialogue from Obama's real victory speech.[77]
On October 16, 2013, the show failed to meet their production deadline for the first time ever, after a power outage on October 15 at the production studio prevented the episode, season 17's "Goth Kids 3: Dawn of the Posers", from being finished in time. The episode was rescheduled to air a week later on October 23, 2013.[78]
The various stages of production (from top to bottom): the storyboard sketch, the CorelDRAW props with stock character models, and a frame from the fully rendered episode, "Super Fun Time"
The show's style of animation is inspired by the paper cut-out cartoons made by Terry Gilliam for Monty Python's Flying Circus, of which Parker and Stone have been lifelong fans.[48][11][79]Construction paper and traditional stop motioncutout animation techniques were used in the original animated shorts and in the pilot episode. Subsequent episodes have been produced by computer animation, providing a similar look to the originals while requiring a fraction of the time to produce. Before computer artists begin animating an episode, a series of animatics drawn in Toon Boom are provided by the show's storyboard artists.[50][80]
The characters and objects are composed of simple geometrical shapes and primary and secondary colors. Most child characters are the same size and shape, and are distinguished by their clothing, hair and skin colors, and headwear.[17] Characters are mostly presented two-dimensionally and from only one angle. Their movements are animated in an intentionally jerky fashion, as they are purposely not offered the same free range of motion associated with hand-drawn characters.[10][53][81] Occasionally, some non-fictional characters are depicted with photographic cutouts of their actual head and face in lieu of a face reminiscent of the show's traditional style. Canadians on the show are often portrayed in an even more minimalist fashion; they have simple beady eyes, and the top halves of their heads simply flap up and down when the characters speak.[38]
When the show began using computers, the cardboard cutouts were scanned and re-drawn with CorelDRAW, then imported into PowerAnimator, which was used with SGI workstations to animate the characters.[50][53] The workstations were linked to a 54-processor render farm that could render 10 to 15 shots an hour.[50] Beginning with
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Frisky Dingo is an American adult animated television series created by Adam Reed and Matt Thompson for Adult Swim. The series revolves around the conflict between a supervillain named Killface and a superhero named Awesome X, alias billionaire Xander Crews, and much of the show's humor focuses on parodying superhero and action-movie clichés.[1]
It debuted on October 16, 2006, and its first season ended on January 22, 2007. The second season premiered on August 26, 2007, and ended on March 23, 2008. A third season was considered, but both the creators and Adult Swim mutually decided against it.[2] The production company, 70/30 Productions, subsequently went out of business in January 2009; Reed and Thompson would later found Floyd County Productions.
A spin-off show, The Xtacles, premiered on November 9, 2008, but only the two-episode premiere aired prior to the production company's closure, with no further episodes produced.
Frisky Dingo was created by 70/30 Productions, the same group of animators who worked on Sealab 2021. The show's name during development was Whiskey Tango. Because a band was already using the name, it was changed to Whiskey Tango Six. This name was determined not to be sufficiently distinct to avoid infringement suits, so the creators jokingly said they would call the show Frisky Dingo, and the name remained. In episode 113, Killface can be seen entering "Frisky Dingo" into the Annihilatrix launch terminal; this is mentioned in the second episode of the second season, where Sinn/Hooper remarks that "Frisky Dingo" is the launch code for the Annihilatrix.
According to an article in Atlanta Magazine, Whiskey Tango Six was going to be the name of the six-member superhero group on which the show focused, headed by husband and wife Jack and Grace Taggart.[3] The team flew around in a spaceship called the Glennis. Killface was going to be the main villain, but not a major character.[3] During revisions of the show's scripts, Killface became the focus of the show. When Whiskey Tango Six was replaced with Xander Crews/Awesome X and the Xtacles is not known.
The two main characters of the show are Killface, who is a naked, bone-white, red-eyed, earless, talon-toed, spur-heeled, 7-foot-tall (2.1 m), 440 lb., hairless, muscular humanoid supervillain focused on destroying Earth with his invention, the Annihilatrix;[4] and billionaire tycoon Xander Crews, who fights crime under the superhero alias Awesome X.[5] Both Killface and Xander are voiced by co-creator Adam Reed. The two have an ever-shifting relationship, changing from enemies to unwilling allies on many occasions.
Other major characters include Killface's son Simon – voiced by Christian Danley – an overweight, blond-haired, pale-skinned, sexually confused, teenaged Hannah Montana fan, who wears sweater vests and exhibits adolescent rebellion by muttering and breaking cereal bowls;[6] reporter Grace Ryan, former girlfriend of Xander Crews turned into Antagone, a toxic, radioactive ant-powered villainess; Sinn – voiced by Kelly Jenrette – later known as Hooper, originally Killface's sidekick and later his enemy;[7] and the Xtacles, Awesome X's team of easily distracted and remarkably inept, rocket-booted troops.[8]
Frisky Dingo takes place primarily in and around a large city simply called "Town" or "the Town". Its actual name never being mentioned becomes a running joke throughout the series. Despite its lack of a specific name, maps of "Town" are featured throughout the series, which closely resemble interstate roadmaps of the city of Atlanta, Georgia, where 70/30 Studios, producers of Frisky Dingo, were based. Additional evidence for "Town" being Atlanta is the presence of buildings suspiciously resembling the Cotton Mill Lofts (a location that at one time housed production operations for 70/30) burning in the second episode, "Meet Awesome-X". Also, in the episode where Killface is pandering to the African American church congregation, he is wearing what looks like Michael Vick's Atlanta Falcons football jersey.
The first season of Frisky Dingo follows the adversarial relationship between the villainous Killface, who aspires to strike fear into humankind before he drives the Earth into the Sun with his Annihilatrix, and Awesome X, the secret superhero identity of multibillionaire Xander Crews, who dreads retiring after having defeated the last known supervillain.
Having dispatched the last supervillain, superhero Awesome X (Xander Crews) searches for ways to avoid retiring his hero persona and having to actually work at running his company.
Thrilled at the prospect of a new supervillain to exploit and market, Xander sets his plans for Killface in motion. Killface, whose direct marketing of his plan to destroy the world has been unexpectedly successful (although for the reason being a snafu involving a typo), finds himself with the opportunity to appear on a morning talk show, which doesn't go the way he planned.
Killface is in desperate need of some cash, so when a mysterious fax arrives announcing an inventor's expo with a $12 billion prize, he decides to enter the Annihilatrix. However, the expo is staged by Xander Crews, who hopes to trick Killface into signing over his action figure rights.
Killface, desperate for cash and revenge, enacts a plan to find and kidnap billionaire Xander Crews. Meanwhile, Crews, still after action figure rights, enacts a plan to find and bribe Killface. Meanwhile, Grace Ryan's life hangs by her microphone's cord.
The entire Dingo gang, grievously injured in the collapse of the Annihilatrix's catwalk, have all ended up in the same emergency room, and Killface has to deal with a lapsed health insurance plan and a very rude customer service telephone rep.
As Killface searches for Xander Crews, radioactive ants begin to take over Grace Ryan's mind and she transforms into voluptuous, ant-controlling supervillain Antagone, who has a hatred for Xander Crews. Antagone fights Killface during a bank robbery, blinding him with formic acid. Meanwhile, Crews is kidnapped by the Xtacles.
Xander Crews, using the name Barnaby Jones, moves in with Killface; Simon runs away with all the knives; and Stan, posing as Awesome X, orders the Xtacles to find and kill Xander Crews.
The Xtacles find a replacement hostage for Xander Crews – his mentally retarded twin brother, Nearl. However, made intelligent through an experimental brain chemical, Nearl decides to reveal a little family history about the Crews brothers that would've made things complicated.
At the beginning of the second season, Killface is taking credit for "curing" global warming due to the Annihilatrix having moved the Earth a total of three feet further from the Sun before it malfunctioned, and has decided to run for President of the United States. Xander Crews follows suit, reforming his company and launching his own presidential campaign.
The Annihilatrix malfunctions moments after being initiated, moving the Earth three feet away from the Sun and ending global warming. Instead of destroying the world, Killface decides to play the global warming card and run for the office of President of the United States.
Following the incident on the Annihilatrix, Xander Crews is found to be living in financial ruin behind an RV dealership. Running an 'outreach center' made from cardboard boxes, Xander offers services such as boiling used hypodermic needles and selling them back to the homeless. Upon hearing of Killface's candidacy for President, Xander decides to run against him after revealing that he had the check for his vast fortune in his possession the entire time.
Xander proposes Fred Dryer as his running mate after gaining the Republican nomination for President. Aboard his new campaign jet (as opposed to Killface's campaign bus), Crews outlines his proposals to improve education and alleviate illegal immigration.
Xander and Killface both try to improve their images by going duck hunting, which Xander cannot distinguish from his annual panda hunt, but the two manage to reconnect when they get lost after an assassination ploy by Valerie.
After Valerie miraculously fails at another assassination attempt, Killface finds God and quickly ruins his campaign. Upon hearing that Simon is a homosexual, Killface renounces Christianity as a missile strikes him in the chest.
Killface begins to recuperate after the rocket incident while Xander again attempts to recruit Fred Dryer as his running mate, only to find that Sinn has taken over the Xtacles.
October 7, 2007 (2007-10-07)October 14, 2007 (2007-10-14)
207 208
Killface plans for the upcoming debate with Dottie, while Wendell looks into alternative campaign funds. Awesome X finds himself a prisoner along with Ronnie on board Xcalibur. While Killface prepares for the presidential debate, Xander makes a few stops with Ronnie before he arrives. Both Xander and Killface come to realize that neither of them is qualified or allowed to run for the presidency due to constitutional provisions they have both overlooked. Killface decides to follow up on his original plan to destroy the world.
Sinn and her 'Sisterhood of Chaos' (consisting of Valerie, Antagone, Watley, and the Decepticles, formerly the Xtacles) claim the Annihilatrix as their own, holding the world hostage. President Taqu'il, Xander, and Killface separately plan their own offensives to stop them.
Killface and Simon attempt to repair the burnt couplings on the Annihilatrix, while Stan and Taquil attempt an escape from their shot-down plane. Sinn and Valerie ask Watley to kill Antagone, while Wendell is sent by Xander to kill the giant ant baby. Both Wendell and Watley inadvertently fall in love with Antagone.
Valerie shoots Sinn and frames Wendell and Arthur. Xander learns he has an illegitimate daughter; when she comes to visit after her mother dies from cancer, Xander bribes her never to contact him again. Wendell decapitates Arthur when he tries to propose to Antagone. Antagone finally gives birth to her monster ant baby, which commits matricide by eating her head.
Wendell names the monster ant baby 'Cody 2' and rides it around town achieving orgasms on its back along the way. Everybody else races to the Annihilatrix, while the Deceptacles make a stew out of Arthur's decapitated body in the motel swimming pool. After killing Cody 2, Killface's alien brethren (including his mother) arrive to inquire about why the Earth has not yet been annihilated and why he is not wearing any clothes, to which Killface replies, "Funny story."
Comes with a replica of Killface's 'Welcome to you're [sic] "doom!"' postcard
Season Two
January 6, 2009
12
Features a brand-new short made to tie in with the spin-off series The Xtacles (as a result, the DVD box says 13 episodes), also comes with a Frisky Dingo sticker
The Xtacles is a spin-off from Frisky Dingo in which the Xtacles, Xander Crews' private army, take a lead role. The series revolves around the Xtacles' lack of direction following the abduction of their leader by aliens at the end of Frisky Dingo. They take on random missions from President Stan, who returns from the previous series. The series premiered its only two episodes on November 9, 2008.
Paralyzed by a lack of leadership, The Xtacles struggle with the decision to decide about future decisions. Meanwhile, terrorists are systematically destroying the Rocky Mountains. Evil President Stan has no choice but to call on the Xtacles to stop the destruction of America's Favorite Mountain Range.
2
"Operation: Murderous Conclusions"
Mack Williams & Matt Thompson
Christian Danley & Casey Willis
November 9, 2008 (2008-11-09)
102
The Xtacles are called upon once again by Evil President Stan to solve the mystery of who "desecrated" the President's extravagant new statue. Using their typical mix of rash judgment, and murderous conclusions, the Xtacles pin the crime on an innocent man. Case Closed.
Superman is a superhero who appears in American comic books published by DC Comics. The character was created by writer Jerry Siegel and artist Joe Shuster, and debuted in the comic book Action Comics#1 (cover-dated June 1938 and published April 18, 1938).[1] Superman has been adapted to a number of other media, which includes radio serials, novels, films, television shows, theater, and video games.
Superman was born on the fictional planet Krypton with the birth name of Kal-El. As a baby, his parents sent him to Earth in a small spaceship shortly before Krypton was destroyed in a natural cataclysm. His ship landed in the American countryside near the fictional town of Smallville, Kansas. He was found and adopted by farmers Jonathan and Martha Kent, who named him Clark Kent. Clark began developing various superhuman abilities, such as incredible strength and impervious skin. His adoptive parents advised him to use his powers for the benefit of humanity, and he decided to fight crime as a vigilante. To protect his personal life, he changes into a colorful costume and uses the alias "Superman" when fighting crime. Clark resides in the fictional American city of Metropolis, where he works as a journalist for the Daily Planet. Superman's supporting characters include his love interest and fellow journalist Lois Lane, Daily Planet photographer Jimmy Olsen, and editor-in-chief Perry White, and his enemies include Brainiac, General Zod, and archenemy Lex Luthor.
Superman is the archetype of the superhero: he wears an outlandish costume, uses a codename, and fights evil with the aid of extraordinary abilities. Although there are earlier characters who arguably fit this definition, it was Superman who popularized the superhero genre and established its conventions. He was the best-selling superhero in American comic books up until the 1980s.[2]
Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster met in 1932 while attending Glenville High School in Cleveland and bonded over their admiration of fiction. Siegel aspired to become a writer and Shuster aspired to become an illustrator. Siegel wrote amateur science fiction stories, which he self-published as a magazine called Science Fiction: The Advance Guard of Future Civilization. His friend Shuster often provided illustrations for his work.[3] In January 1933, Siegel published a short story in his magazine titled "The Reign of the Superman". The titular character is a homeless man named Bill Dunn who is tricked by an evil scientist into consuming an experimental drug. The drug gives Dunn the powers of mind-reading, mind-control, and clairvoyance. He uses these powers maliciously for profit and amusement, but then the drug wears off, leaving him a powerless vagrant again. Shuster provided illustrations, depicting Dunn as a bald man.[4]
Siegel and Shuster shifted to making comic strips, with a focus on adventure and comedy. They wanted to become syndicated newspaper strip authors, so they showed their ideas to various newspaper editors. However, the newspaper editors told them that their ideas were insufficiently sensational. If they wanted to make a successful comic strip, it had to be something more sensational than anything else on the market. This prompted Siegel to revisit Superman as a comic strip character.[5][6] Siegel modified Superman's powers to make him even more sensational: Like Bill Dunn, the second prototype of Superman is given powers against his will by an unscrupulous scientist, but instead of psychic abilities, he acquires superhuman strength and bullet-proof skin.[7][8] Additionally, this new Superman was a crime-fighting hero instead of a villain, because Siegel noted that comic strips with heroic protagonists tended to be more successful.[9] In later years, Siegel once recalled that this Superman wore a "bat-like" cape in some panels, but typically he and Shuster agreed there was no costume yet, and there is none apparent in the surviving artwork.[10][11]
Siegel and Shuster showed this second concept of Superman to Consolidated Book Publishers, based in Chicago.[12][a] In May 1933, Consolidated had published a proto-comic book titled Detective Dan: Secret Operative 48.[13] It contained all-original stories as opposed to reprints of newspaper strips, which was a novelty at the time.[14] Siegel and Shuster put together a comic book in a similar format called The Superman. A delegation from Consolidated visited Cleveland that summer on a business trip and Siegel and Shuster took the opportunity to present their work in person.[15][16] Although Consolidated expressed interest, they later pulled out of the comics business without ever offering a book deal because the sales of Detective Dan were disappointing.[17][18]
Cover of an unpublished comic book, 1933
Siegel believed publishers kept rejecting them because he and Shuster were young and unknown, so he looked for an established artist to replace Shuster.[19] When Siegel told Shuster what he was doing, Shuster reacted by burning their rejected Superman comic, sparing only the cover. They continued collaborating on other projects, but for the time being Shuster was through with Superman.[20]
Siegel wrote to numerous artists.[19] The first response came in July 1933 from Leo O'Mealia, who drew the Fu Manchu strip for the Bell Syndicate.[21][22] In the script that Siegel sent to O'Mealia, Superman's origin story changes: He is a "scientist-adventurer" from the far future when humanity has naturally evolved "superpowers". Just before the Earth explodes, he escapes in a time-machine to the modern era, whereupon he immediately begins using his superpowers to fight crime.[23] O'Mealia produced a few strips and showed them to his newspaper syndicate, but they were rejected. O'Mealia did not send to Siegel any copies of his strips, and they have been lost.[24]
In June 1934, Siegel found another partner: an artist in Chicago named Russell Keaton.[25][26] Keaton drew the Buck Rogers and Skyroads comic strips. In the script that Siegel sent Keaton in June, Superman's origin story further evolved: In the distant future, when Earth is on the verge of exploding due to "giant cataclysms", the last surviving man sends his three-year-old son back in time to the year 1935. The time-machine appears on a road where it is discovered by motorists Sam and Molly Kent. They leave the boy in an orphanage, but the staff struggle to control him because he has superhuman strength and impenetrable skin. The Kents adopt the boy and name him Clark, and teach him that he must use his fantastic natural gifts for the benefit of humanity. In November, Siegel sent Keaton an extension of his script: an adventure where Superman foils a conspiracy to kidnap a star football player. The extended script mentions that Clark puts on a special "uniform" when assuming the identity of Superman, but it is not described.[27] Keaton produced two weeks' worth of strips based on Siegel's script. In November, Keaton showed his strips to a newspaper syndicate, but they too were rejected, and he abandoned the project.[28][29]
Siegel and Shuster reconciled and resumed developing Superman together. The character became an alien from the planet Krypton. Shuster designed the now-familiar costume: tights with an "S" on the chest, over-shorts, and a cape.[30][31][32] They made Clark Kent a journalist who pretends to be timid, and conceived his colleague Lois Lane, who is attracted to the bold and mighty Superman but does not realize that he and Kent are the same person.[33]
Concept art c. 1934/1935. Note the laced sandals, based on those of strongmen and classical heroes.[34]
In June 1935 Siegel and Shuster finally found work with National Allied Publications, a comic magazine publishing company in New York owned by Malcolm Wheeler-Nicholson.[35] Wheeler-Nicholson published two of their strips in New Fun Comics #6 (1935): "Henri Duval" and "Doctor Occult".[36] Siegel and Shuster also showed him Superman and asked him to market Superman to the newspapers on their behalf.[37] In October, Wheeler-Nicholson offered to publish Superman in one of his own magazines.[38] Siegel and Shuster refused his offer because Wheeler-Nicholson had demonstrated himself to be an irresponsible businessman. He had been slow to respond to their letters and had not paid them for their work in New Fun Comics #6. They chose to keep marketing Superman to newspaper syndicates themselves.[39][40] Despite the erratic pay, Siegel and Shuster kept working for Wheeler-Nicholson because he was the only publisher who was buying their work, and over the years they produced other adventure strips for his magazines.[41]
Wheeler-Nicholson's financial difficulties continued to mount. In 1936, he formed a joint corporation with Harry Donenfeld and Jack Liebowitz called Detective Comics, Inc. in order to release his third magazine, which was titled Detective Comics. Siegel and Shuster produced stories for Detective Comics too, such as "Slam Bradley". Wheeler-Nicholson fell into deep debt to Donenfeld and Liebowitz, and in early January 1938, Donenfeld and Liebowitz petitioned Wheeler-Nicholson's company into bankruptcy and seized it.[3][42]
In early December 1937, Siegel visited Liebowitz in New York, and Liebowitz asked Siegel to produce some comics for an upcoming comic anthology magazine called Action Comics.[43][44] Siegel proposed some new stories, but not Superman. Siegel and Shuster were, at the time, negotiating a deal with the McClure Newspaper Syndicate for Superman. In early January 1938, Siegel had a three-way telephone conversation with Liebowitz and an employee of McClure named Max Gaines. Gaines informed Siegel that McClure had rejected Superman, and asked if he could forward their Superman strips to Liebowitz so that Liebowitz could consider them for Action Comics. Siegel agreed.[45] Liebowitz and his colleagues were impressed by the strips, and they asked Siegel and Shuster to develop the strips into 13 pages for Action Comics.[46] Having grown tired of rejections, Siegel and Shuster accepted the offer. At least now they would see Superman published.[47][48] Siegel and Shuster submitted their work in late February and were paid $130 (equivalent to $2,814 in 2023) for their work ($10 per page).[49] In early March they signed a contract at Liebowitz's request in which they gave away the copyright for Superman to Detective Comics, Inc. This was normal practice in the business, and Siegel and Shuster had given away the copyrights to their previous works as well.[50]
Superman's debut
The duo's revised version of Superman appeared in the first issue of Action Comics, which was published on April 18, 1938. The issue was a huge success thanks to Superman's feature.[1][51][52]
Siegel and Shuster read pulp science-fiction and adventure magazines, and many stories featured characters with fantastical abilities such as telepathy, clairvoyance, and superhuman strength. One character in particular was John Carter of Mars from the novels by Edgar Rice Burroughs. John Carter is a human who is transported to Mars, where the lower gravity makes him stronger than the natives and allows him to leap great distances.[53][54] Another influence was Philip Wylie's 1930 novel Gladiator, featuring a protagonist named Hugo Danner who had similar powers.[55][56]
Clark Kent's harmless facade and dual identity were inspired by the protagonists of such movies as Don Diego de la Vega in The Mark of Zorro and Sir Percy Blakeney in The Scarlet Pimpernel. Siegel thought this would make for interesting dramatic contrast and good humor.[59][60] Another inspiration was slapstick comedian Harold Lloyd. The archetypal Lloyd character was a mild-mannered man who finds himself abused by bullies but later in the story snaps and fights back furiously.[61]
Kent is a journalist because Siegel often imagined himself becoming one after leaving school. The love triangle between Lois Lane, Clark, and Superman was inspired by Siegel's own awkwardness with girls.[62]
The pair collected comic strips in their youth, with a favorite being Winsor McCay's fantastical Little Nemo.[58] Shuster remarked on the artists who played an important part in the development of his own style: "Alex Raymond and Burne Hogarth were my idols – also Milt Caniff, Hal Foster, and Roy Crane."[58] Shuster taught himself to draw by tracing over the art in the strips and magazines they collected.[3]
As a boy, Shuster was interested in fitness culture[63] and a fan of strongmen such as Siegmund Breitbart and Joseph Greenstein. He collected fitness magazines and manuals and used their photographs as visual references for his art.[3]
The visual design of Superman came from multiple influences. The tight-fitting suit and shorts were inspired by the costumes of wrestlers, boxers, and strongmen. In early concept art, Shuster gave Superman laced sandals like those of strongmen and classical heroes, but these were eventually changed to red boots.[34] The costumes of Douglas Fairbanks were also an influence.[64] The emblem on his chest was inspired by heraldic crests.[65] Many pulp action heroes such as swashbucklers wore capes. Superman's face was based on Johnny Weissmuller with touches derived from the comic-strip character Dick Tracy and from the work of cartoonist Roy Crane.[66]
The word "superman" was commonly used in the 1920s and 1930s to describe men of great ability, most often athletes and politicians.[67] It occasionally appeared in pulp fiction stories as well, such as "The Superman of Dr. Jukes".[68] It is unclear whether Siegel and Shuster were influenced by Friedrich Nietzsche's concept of the Übermensch; they never acknowledged as much.[69]
The cover of Superman #6 (Sept. 1940) by Joe Shuster, the original artist and co-creator
Since 1938, Superman stories have been regularly published in periodical comic books published by DC Comics. The first and oldest of these is Action Comics, which began in April 1938.[1]Action Comics was initially an anthology magazine, but it eventually became dedicated to Superman stories. The second oldest periodical is Superman, which began in June 1939. Action Comics and Superman have been published without interruption (ignoring changes to the title and numbering scheme).[71][72] A number of other shorter-lived Superman periodicals have been published over the years.[73] Superman is part of the DC Universe, which is a shared setting of superhero characters owned by DC Comics, and consequently he frequently appears in stories alongside the likes of Batman, Wonder Woman, and others.
Superman has sold more comic books over his publication history than any other American superhero character.[74] Exact sales figures for the early decades of Superman comic books are hard to find because, like most publishers at the time, DC Comics concealed this data from its competitors and thereby the general public as well, but given the general market trends at the time, sales of Action Comics and Superman probably peaked in the mid-1940s and thereafter steadily declined.[75] Sales data first became public in 1960, and showed that Superman was the best-selling comic book character of the 1960s and 1970s.[2][76][77] Sales rose again starting in 1987. Superman #75 (Nov 1992) sold over 23 million copies,[78] making it the best-selling issue of a comic book of all time, thanks to a media sensation over the supposedly permanent death of the character in that issue.[79] Sales declined from that point on. In March 2018, Action Comics sold just 51,534 copies, although such low figures are normal for superhero comic books in general (for comparison, Amazing Spider-Man #797 sold only 128,189 copies).[80] The comic books are today considered a niche aspect of the Superman franchise due to low readership,[81] though they remain influential as creative engines for the movies and television shows. Comic book stories can be produced quickly and cheaply, and are thus an ideal medium for experimentation.[82]
Whereas comic books in the 1950s were read by children, since the 1990s the average reader has been an adult.[83] A major reason for this shift was DC Comics' decision in the 1970s to sell its comic books to specialty stores instead of traditional magazine retailers (supermarkets, newsstands, etc.) — a model called "direct distribution". This made comic books less accessible to children.[84]
Beginning in January 1939, a Superman daily comic strip appeared in newspapers, syndicated through the McClure Syndicate. A color Sunday version was added that November. Jerry Siegel wrote most of the strips until he was conscripted in 1943. The Sunday strips had a narrative continuity separate from the daily strips, possibly because Siegel had to delegate the Sunday strips to ghostwriters.[85] By 1941, the newspaper strips had an estimated readership of 20 million.[86] Joe Shuster drew the early strips, then passed the job to Wayne Boring.[87] From 1949 to 1956, the newspaper strips were drawn by Win Mortimer.[88] The strip ended in May 1966, but was revived from 1977 to 1983 to coincide with a series of movies released by Warner Bros.[89]
Initially, Siegel was allowed to write Superman more or less as he saw fit because nobody had anticipated the success and rapid expansion of the franchise.[90][91] But soon Siegel and Shuster's work was put under careful oversight for fear of trouble with censors.[92] Siegel was forced to tone down the violence and social crusading that characterized his early stories.[93] Editor Whitney Ellsworth, hired in 1940, dictated that Superman not kill.[94] Sexuality was banned, and colorfully outlandish villains such as Ultra-Humanite and Toyman were thought to be less nightmarish for young readers.[95]
Mort Weisinger was the editor on Superman comics from 1941 to 1970, his tenure briefly interrupted by military service. Siegel and his fellow writers had developed the character with little thought of building a coherent mythology, but as the number of Superman titles and the pool of writers grew, Weisinger demanded a more disciplined approach.[96] Weisinger assigned story ideas, and the logic of Superman's powers, his origin, the locales, and his relationships with his growing cast of supporting characters were carefully planned. Elements such as Bizarro, his cousin Supergirl, the Phantom Zone, the Fortress of Solitude, alternate varieties of kryptonite, robot doppelgangers, and Krypto were introduced during this era. The complicated universe built under Weisinger was beguiling to devoted readers but alienating to casuals.[97] Weisinger favored lighthearted stories over serious drama, and avoided sensitive subjects such as the Vietnam War and the American civil rights movement because he feared his right-wing views would alienate his left-leaning writers and readers.[98] Weisinger also introduced letters columns in 1958 to encourage feedback and build intimacy with readers.[99]
Weisinger retired in 1970 and Julius Schwartz took over. By his own admission, Weisinger had grown out of touch with newer readers.[100] Starting with The Sandman Saga, Schwartz updated Superman by making Clark Kent a television anchor, and he retired overused plot elements such as kryptonite and robot doppelgangers.[101] Schwartz also scaled Superman's powers down to a level closer to Siegel's original. These changes would eventually be reversed by later writers. Schwartz allowed stories with serious drama such as "For the Man Who Has Everything" (Superman Annual #11), in which the villain Mongul torments Superman with an illusion of happy family life on a living Krypton.
Schwartz retired from DC Comics in 1986 and was succeeded by Mike Carlin as an editor on Superman comics. His retirement coincided with DC Comics' decision to reboot the DC Universe with the companywide-crossover storyline "Crisis on Infinite Earths". In The Man of Steel writer John Byrne rewrote the Superman mythos, again reducing Superman's powers, which writers had slowly re-strengthened, and revised many supporting characters, such as making Lex Luthor a billionaire industrialist rather than a mad scientist, and making Supergirl an artificial shapeshifting organism because DC wanted Superman to be the sole surviving Kryptonian.
Carlin was promoted to Executive Editor for the DC Universe books in 1996, a position he held until 2002. K.C. Carlson took his place as editor of the Superman comics.
