The Perry Bible Fellowship: Difference between revisions

Revision as of 07:02, 3 March 2014

The Perry Bible Fellowship is a newspaper comic strip/ webcomic by Nicholas Gurewitch. It's notable for its black, surrealist humour. It specializes in juxtaposing whimsical settings with morbid subject matter. It's kind of like the Far Side, except with cutesier art and more murder.

Most of the tropes it encounters, it subverts. Art Shifts are frequent; it goes for either a very intricate or very simplistic art style, depending on the joke. Has a habit of Crossing the Line Twice, and sometimes three or four times. At some point, it will probably ruin your childhood. Maybe your adulthood, too.

Perry Bible Fellowship: The Trial of Colonel Sweeto and Other Stories, a reprint of the original webcomic and additional artwork, won the 2008 Eisner Comic Book Industry Award for Best Humor Publication. The comic was on indefinite hiatus, and has resumed updating, on its regular domain.

Compare Saturday Morning Breakfast Cereal.

This webcomic contains examples of:

Art Shift
Be Careful What You Wish For: a frequent punchline
Bedroom Adultery Scene: A funny one where couple are two Anatole lizards, and the interloper sneaking out is a Chameleon.
Black Comedy
Bloody Hilarious
Crap Saccharine World
Cut and Paste Comic: For the more elaborate art.
Dead Baby Comedy
Deconstruction: Almost every joke is based on this.
Earthshattering Kaboom
Mood Dissonance
Mood Whiplash
Non Standard Character Design
Pretty in Mink
Recycled in Space: An adults-only version of The Far Side.
Refuge in Audacity
Rule of Funny
Word Salad Title: Let's say it's not something likely to be found on a church's bulletin board.
Yonkoma: It's perhaps a stretch to call it this, but many strips have exactly four panels, and all are titled.

Specific strips contain examples (usually subversions) of:

AI Is a Crapshoot: Automatic Business
All Your Powers Combined: Features a Deconstruction of this, in this comic.
After the End: Post Apocalyptic
Animal Nemesis: Mocked.
Badass Preacher: Preach Skate
Blind Idiot Translation: You guys sock.
But What About the Astronauts?: Space Disaster.
But You Screw One Goat!: Subverted.
Captain Ersatz: In this parody of Punch-Out!!
Carnivore Confusion: See me after class, Pete.
Charlie and The Chocolate Parody: The Golden Ticket (note the Art Shift to Quentin Blake)
Combining Mecha: Guntron--fire!
The Computer Is Your Friend: Truancy bot, though not very apt.
Cool Uncle: Crazy Uncle Duncan.
Corrupt Corporate Executive: Durab Inc.
Cosmetic Catastrophe: "The other girls can see vhat ze hell zhey are doing!"
Creator Breakdown: "Catch Phrase" seems to have been an example of one -- it was the last strip uploaded, and when updates resumed it was removed.
Creepy Souvenir: Or Memorabilia...
Cruel Twist Ending: Gone from bad to worse.
Deface of the Moon: The Schlorbians Strike Again
Depraved Kids' Show Host: "Catch Phrase" (The host committed suicide after being dogged by his silly Catch Phrase -- which was then engraved on his tombstone.)
Egg MacGuffin: Baby.
Everythings Precious With Puppies: Happy Birthday, Miggs.
Eye Beams: Fun Bot is screwed.
- Also a certain woodland creature.
The Face of the Sun: Here
- I love you!
Fantastic Racism: Here
Finger in The Mail: After Colonel Sweeto discovers a chocolate spy, he sends the Chocolate Kingdom a box containing the spy's "nut".
Food Fight: Here.
Future Imperfect: Now Showing
Gag Penis: Sell your soul for one!
Gallows Humor: Literal example.
Hollywood History: Now Showing
Homage: We wish it didn't, but there's ones to Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, Family Circus, The Mario Brothers, Edward Gorey, and The Giving Tree (The Unforgiving Tree, now removed from the main site).
Horrible Judge of Character: Kinder Interview
Inevitable Waterfall: Raft Friends
Inkblot Test: Psychoanalyst
Interspecies Romance: Bacon Egg and Not Today Little One
It Got Worse: Poor Martha's orphanage
Jumping Out of a Cake: Here.
Lilliputian Warriors: Intruders approach! Release the Agronox!
Lolicon: Disgusting Ted
Make a Wish: The Wishing Well
Medium Blending: Keep on Truckin'...
Mental Picture Projector: The Dreamcatcher 3000
Merit Badges for Everything: Boy Scouts
Mind Screw: Seriously! What the heck did just happened?
Mood Whiplash: The comic itself, but "Carolyn" has zero humor.
Moon Rabbit: That must be one big rabbit
Not in Front of The Parrot: Boss
Or Was It a Dream?: In which you are falling.
Paedo Hunt: Lampshaded to hilariously depressing effect.
Panty Shot: Stiff Breeze
Paper-Thin Disguise: Unicorn
Passing the Torch: Passed On!
Perspective Flip: Mean Old Farmer Brown!
Police Lineup: In one of the gangster strips.
Poor Communication Kills: Bee
Porn Stash: Passed On
Portal Book: Book World.
Power Perversion Potential: Doll Change
The Power of Love: In Bunny Pit
Precision F-Strike: "Barry. Shut the fuck up...seriously."
Puppy Dog Eyes: Sometimes works, sometimes not.
Reset Button: Literally.
Robotic Reveal: Casting Call
Say My Name: NUUÑÑÑEZZZ!!!
- SGT. GRUUUUUUMMBLES!
Serious Business: Car seats are.
- As is SKUB.
Shapeshifting Squick: In the comic "Eden", God takes the form of Adam and engages in sex with Eve, who does not know that she is not doing it with Adam. Adam calls out "Honey?" upon seeing what is happening.
She Is All Grown Up: b
Skewed Priorities: Super League knows what's really important.
Snow Means Love (and Death too): Hey Goat, I love this girl!
Space X: Zarflax
Splash of Color: Gamblin Man
Sugar Apocalypse: Ho, I nearly forgot!
- Welcome Baby!
- Bear Police
Sugar Bowl: Suicide Train
Suicidal Gotcha: Played with here
Symbol Swearing: Eggnancy
The Tetris Effect: How it can affect your organization.
That Cloud Looks Like...: Not today, little one
Things That Go Bump in The Night: Bed Monster
Timmy in A Well: Or a burning building, rather.
Train Station Goodbye: Goodbye, Stanley.
Transforming Mecha: Refridgeron and Magnimus (another strip featuring the two here)
Trapped in TV Land: Not the best idea to explore a messed up fictional world.
Vagina Dentata: Funny, but NSFW.
Virginity Flag: This strip.
What Measure Is a Non-Cute?:
- Earth doesn't have puppies as cute as on Pupulon.
- Standards of beauty differ.
When Trees Attack: The Unforgiving Tree.