ZAP TO THE EXTREME!
Posted: Wed Jun 20, 2012 1:22 am
UPDATE- since you lot haven't heard the gospel yet, here's a quick introduction to the Magical World of Sonichu.
BEHOLD! A website!
Sonichu is a totally original, bright yellow Pokemon/Sonic the Hedgehog hybrid character, who sprang into being when a mild mannered Pikachu was run over by Sonic the Hedgehog, leaving the Pikachu infused with many of Sonic's powers. Created by one Christian Weston Chandler, gifted polymath, Nintendo enthusiast, and self-described 30-something autistic "virgin with rage", Sonichu has appeared in a dizzying array of media, including dozens of graphic novels, audio books, still drawings, Little Big Planet levels, Rule 34s, Youtube videos, and fashionable clothing items, such as a line of medallions that are highly sought after by collectors. Chris-Chan's eventual goal is to hammer out a deal with Nintendo to get Sonichu his own game, but so far, nothing.
Chris' main body of work is the semi-autobiographical "Sonichu" comics, a series of webcomics drawn in equal parts crayon and magic marker, uploaded to the internet sometime in the mid '00s. What begins as a gripping tale of one Electric-Hedgehog Pokemon's battle against evil quickly progresses into a harrowing yet strangely beautiful look at the psyche of it's author. A self-insertion character, thinly veiled references to a woman he stalked, repressed homoeroticism, and a super-villain based on one of the author's formed college advisers who got him thrown out of school because she was worried he was planning on raping somebody, are just some of the many themes tackled in his books.
He didn't stop there, however. Unlike many of his contemporaries- such as webcomic artist David Gonterman, a weedy little fellow known for his elaborate Sailor Moon rape stories- Chris-Chan was eager to adopt the social media of Web 2.0. As Sonichu's legend grew, Chris became an avid vlogger, giving his fans a further glimpse into the world of Sonichu. He proved very receptive to fan input, and became, perhaps, the very first "interactive creator"- a sort of one-man collaborative project, into which each of his viewers could add their own little piece of the saga.
In short, he's the postmodern Toby Radloff, and Sonichu is his... well, his whatever Toby Radloff did. Maybe his American Splendor, even though technically that was written by Harvey Pekar, and Toby Radloff had nothing to do with it directly. Granted, Chris had nothing to do with either Sonic the Hedgehog or Pikachu, either, so I guess maybe you could argue that the comparison still works.
A few more links:
Sonichu's KYM page
Soncihu's TVTropes page
One of Chris' many, MANY Youtube videos. Check the channel and the relateds for moar
There are more comprehensive sites than these, which I'm sure you can find via Google, but I won't post them here because they've got a ton of more "adult" content. (can't have that, now can we?)
