Line #23 Webcomic/Mezzacotta


1	''[[http://www.mezzacotta.net mezzacotta]]'' (yes, [[AllLowercaseLetters all-lowercase]]) is a website launched by [[Tropers/{{Dmmaus}} David Morgan-Mar]] and The Comic Irregulars (authors of ''Webcomic/DarthsAndDroids'' and ''Webcomic/IrregularWebcomic'') to showcase "all the weird, crazy, half-baked ideas we come up with."
2
3	It contains the following webcomics (linked comics have their own pages full of tropes):
4
5	* '''mezzacotta''', a webcomic "with two people talking to each other. Mostly." Though it launched in October 10, 2008, its archive of daily strips extends significantly farther into the past. The archive contains strips for every day that has passed since the introduction of ''Darths & Droids'', ''Irregular Webcomic!'', ''Webcomic/SluggyFreelance'', the World Wide Web, the year David Morgan-Mar was born, [[OlderThanTelevision television broadcasts]], [[OlderThanRadio radio]], [[OlderThanSteam the steam engine]], [[OlderThanPrint the printing press]], [[OlderThanFeudalism the fall of Rome]], and so on. The "earliest" strip in its archive [[OlderThanDirt is supposedly 9,986,270 million years older than the presumed age of the Universe]].[[note]]If you want to know where the comics ''really'' come from, they are [[spoiler: generated by a fractal algorithm seeded from the "publication date".]][[/note]] One could, perhaps, think of it as the [[Creator/JorgeLuisBorges Webcomic of Babel]]... or maybe the [[Literature/HouseOfLeaves Webcomic of Leaves]]. You can find the "first" one '''[[http://www.mezzacotta.net/archive.php?date=-9999999999999-01-01 here]]'''.\
6	Unfortunately, the engine has been broken since November 2019, preventing comics from loading, and as of July 2022, still is.
7	* '''Webcomic/LightningMadeOfOwls''': a webcomic consisting entirely of user-submitted {{Guest Strip}}s, launched on 15 November 2008. Its name is a deliberate WordSaladTitle. It features the following stock characters:
8	** Holly, an optimistic, lively young woman. Always depicted with clear round NerdGlasses.
9	** Ambrose, a learned, eccentric older man. Always depicted with a yardbrush moustache.
10	** Samantha, a smart, vain, self-motivated young lady. Always depicted with large earrings.
11	** Oliver, a bald man who is AlwaysLawfulGood. Always depicted with an [[ScarsAreForever L-shaped scar]].
12	** Meridien, a long-haired spiritual woman. Always depicted with a cloth fashion accessory, typically a ribbon.
13	** Delkin, a young technician, and the joker of the bunch. Always depicted with HiddenEyes.
14	* '''Webcomic/SquareRootOfMinusGarfield''': a user-submitted RemixComic inspired by ''Webcomic/GarfieldMinusGarfield''. Each strip is a remixed ''ComicStrip/{{Garfield}}'' strip, but remixed in an entirely different manner to the previous strips. Launched on 21 November 2008.
15	* '''Comments on a Postcard''': Having finally completed their magnum opus, the phenomenally acclaimed genre-defying webcomic known as ''Postcard'', the Comic Irregulars have started to re-run it from beginning to end. But there's a problem - all of the comic image files have mysteriously been deleted! Furthermore, nobody else seems to have ever heard of ''Postcard'', or have any memory of ever reading it. But, [[RippleEffectProofMemory unperturbed]] by this apparent [[DelayedRippleEffect glitch in the time stream]], the Comic Irregulars are simply running the {{News Post}}s without the comic images, and hoping that the reader's imagination will suffice until they can find someone, somewhere, who has a backup copy of the files in their browser cache. [[note]]Actually, [[FictionalDocument there never was a webcomic]] - the "commentary" is user-submitted and the reader is left to imagine the described non-existent image. Whether or not this even counts as a "webcomic" is a question that'd have Scott [=McCloud=] lying awake at night.[[/note]] Launched on 8 December 2008.
16	** The above description is one of many [[MultipleChoicePast random descriptions]] of the webcomic that load when the "About" page is viewed.
17	* '''Awkward Fumbles''': Launched on April 14, 2009. A collaborative webcomic where ''mezzacotta'' readers send in comic strips with blank speech balloons, and "other readers" insert dialogue and captions of their own making, to create a finished comic that isn't quite what either of the parties intended! (If this sounds like something that the ''Webcomic/DinosaurComics'' creator Ryan North already did a while back, that's because it is.)
18	* '''WebComic/PlanetOfHats''': Launched on April 9, 2014. A ''Series/StarTrekTheOriginalSeries'' recap comic drawn by David Morgan-Mar, inspired by ''WebComic/MonsterOfTheWeek''. Currently has all 79 episodes (excluding "[[Recap/StarTrekS1E0TheCage The Cage]]" as a separate episode) and ''[[WesternAnimation/StarTrekTheAnimatedSeries The Animated Series]]'', with plans to do the six movies featuring the original cast.
19	* '''The Dinosaur Whiteboard''': Launched on January 26, 2015. A webcomic that uses a whiteboard made from the Webcomic/DinosaurComics panels, on to which David writes the captions in marker pen.
20	* '''The Prisoner of Monty Hall''': Launched on January 27, 2015. Written and illustrated by Ian Boreham (Comic Irregular).
21	* '''Webcomic/IToons''': a spinoff of ''Webcomic/SquareRootOfMinusGarfield'' focusing on remixing comics other than ''Garfield'' or ''Webcomic/DinosaurComics''. Originally launched on 2 June 2015 at Blogger since David Morgan-Mar was too busy at the time to host it on mezzacotta, moved to mezzacotta on 29 December 2015 after the comic took off.
22	* '''Eavesdropper''': Launched on 14 June, 2017. An original story comic drawn by David Morgan-Mar and written by Andrew Shellshear.
23	----
24	%%!!'''Awkward Fumbles''' contains examples of:
25	%%* PixelArtComic: [[http://www.mezzacotta.net/fumbles/?comic=5 Pixels]]
26
27	!!'''Comments on a Postcard''' contains examples of:
28	* AprilFoolsDay: [[http://www.mezzacotta.net/postcard/?comic=1547 This strip]] does the entire point of the webcomic in reverse for an April Fools gag. Rather than it being just broken image links, there actually is a comic someone drew... but it has no commentary underneath it.
29	* BlackComedy: Discussed in comic [[https://www.mezzacotta.net/postcard/?comic=1666 #1666]].
30	-->''Dark humour is the least preferred, due to its subject. Suicide gags, deaths, serious illnesses, and other things of that sort are to be expected. These are best used least, but when done properly they can be quite hilarious.''
31	* BrandX: In [[https://mezzacotta.net/postcard/?comic=4999 #4999]], the comic excises all its brand names due to new advertising laws. This includes replacing a branded soft drink with a new one called ''Can of Drink''.
32	* CelebrityParadox: [[http://www.mezzacotta.net/postcard/?comic=121 Here]] (a shout out to [[Webcomic/DarthsAndDroids the other work by the Comic Irregulars]]). The annotation describes what pieces of pop culture exist in the ''Postcard'' universe and how they're different.
33	* ChristmasCreep: [[https://mezzacotta.net/postcard/?comic=853 #853]]'s author comments that it annoys him when stores sell Christmas merchandise in mid-October.
34	* CompanyCrossReferences: [[https://www.mezzacotta.net/postcard/?comic=3207 #3207]]'s description alludes to the "Garfield Retold" series on fellow ''mezzacotta'' comic ''Webcomic/SquareRootOfMinusGarfield''.
35	* ContinuitySnarl: A natural outcome of having each strip's comments submitted by somebody else. But most of the continuity errors are invisible to the reader thanks to the broken image links, and the rest are presumably due to the frequent TimeTravel and ParallelUniverse plots.
36	* EngineeredHashtag: Parodied with [[https://mezzacotta.net/postcard/?comic=1798 the attempted]] [[AC:[=#ReplaceEntireSentenceWithPostcardCharacters=]]]. [[invoked]]
37	%%* FictionalDocument
38	* LampshadeHanging: One of the "About" pages: "How awesome would it be if someone produced a webcomic without the comic? Each day, they'd just post the author comments for the comic, and leave it up to the reader to imagine what they actually drew. Perhaps there could be a fictional backstory about the mysterious lost comic for which only the author's comments survive." This was actually the original pitch, as posted on the Mezzacotta forums.
39	* NoodleImplements: The entire punchline of the comic is that [[spoiler:there are no actual images behind the submissions, just the author's comments]]. Thus, many of the comments wind up describing outlandish scenarios we'll never understand the full context of. [[https://www.mezzacotta.net/postcard/?comic=1670 #1670]] is a typical example:
40	-->''Allow me to tell you the story of why old man Hubert is no longer allowed to handle anything made of platinum and how it ties in to when I finally managed to remove that ant nest from my neighbours' attic...''
41	* SeverelySpecializedStore: In [[https://www.mezzacotta.net/postcard/?comic=5006 #5006]], the author recounts going into a beachside store called Cecil's. The only items the store had in stock were art supplies and batteries.
42	-->''Nobody on the boardwalk needs batteries and art supplies. Cecil really needs to get his priorities in order.''
43	* ShoutOut: The description of [[https://mezzacotta.net/postcard/?comic=4996 #4996]], "I don't like change and I ''am'' afraid," is a reference to the Music/GoodKid song "No Time to Explain," which features the lyrics "I said I don't like change, but I'm not afraid."
44	* ToiletHumor: In comic [[https://www.mezzacotta.net/postcard/?comic=1666 #1666]], the author gives a giant rant about how much they hate toilet humor.
45	-->''This one is never done right, so it's never really funny. Too many TV shows and movies are too much into this one. It's overused. It's pointless. It's stupid. I absolutely hate this kind of humour. I don't even know why I put it on this list.''
46	%%* NewsPost
47	%%* RunningGag: Several, particularly those involving cows and the tendency of the author's keyboard to stop working.
48	* WhyDidItHaveToBeSnakes: The author ''really'' didn't like cows, [[AbortedArc until they]] [[RealLifeWritesThePlot went into]] [[http://www.mezzacotta.net/postcard/?comic=1642 therapy]].
49	* WriteWhatYouKnow: The author [[https://www.mezzacotta.net/postcard/?comic=1687 had a character assigned]] to write a 300 word paper on Julius Caesar because they got the same assignment as a kid.
50
51	!!'''Eavesdropper''' contains examples of:
52	* SplitScreen: Used to show Eve and the kidnappers in different locations at the same time.
53
54	!!'''mezzacotta''' contains examples of:
55	* AnachronismStew: References to modern technology and concepts, and the use of modern vocabulary (like "dude"), pop up long before their invention.
56	%%* ArchiveBinge: Over 3.6 quadrillion strips to read.
57	%%* BlankSlate: Some of the characters will say anything; others tend towards certain topics.
58	%%* BuffySpeak
59	%%* {{Cloudcuckoolander}}: Not the exception, but the norm.
60	%%* CutAndPasteComic
61	%%* DadaComics: Almost the entirety of the 'archive'.
62	%%* DeadpanSnarker
63	%%* DuckSeasonRabbitSeason: [[http://www.mezzacotta.net/archive.php?date=-9999999999999-12-10 This strip]].
64	* EternalEnglish: Plenty of the comics are in ''nonsensical'' English, but English nevertheless, even though most of them were written before the English language came into being.
65	* FailureIsTheOnlyOption: Seems to be the case [[http://www.mezzacotta.net/archive.php?date=472-08-02 here]].
66	%%* ForScience: [[http://www.mezzacotta.net/archive.php?date=2008-01-07 This strip.]] [[http://www.mezzacotta.net/archive.php?date=1703-04-18 Or this one.]] And [[http://www.mezzacotta.net/archive.php?date=1926-11-06 this one]] is verging on FrankensteinsMonster.
67	** [[http://www.mezzacotta.net/archive.php?date=522-03-23 For hypothetical SCIENCE!]]
68	%%* FunWithForeignLanguages
69	* FramingDevice: It's pretty clear that the Comic Irregulars haven't ''really'' been making comics since before the universe began, but that's the story.
70	* HehHehYouSaidX: Random attempts at this trope often fail because the DoubleEntendre is absent; "X" has [[http://www.mezzacotta.net/archive.php?date=-569-02-16 no second meaning]].
71	* LimitedAnimation: Only the characters' pupils, mouths, and eyelids move.
72	%%* MadScientist
73	%%* MonkeysOnATypewriter: Given its sheer scale, the archive likely contains basic examples of nearly every trope.
74	* NoFourthWall: The sheer number of strips make it impossible to say if [[BreakingTheFourthWall fourth wall breaking]] happens constantly or not, but at least [[http://www.mezzacotta.net/archive.php?date=-99-11-18 this strip]] is an example. And [[http://www.mezzacotta.net/archive.php?date=616-11-21 this]].
75	** So is [[http://www.mezzacotta.net/archive.php?date=-9999999999999-01-01 the "very first" strip]].
76	** There seems to be [[FourthWallObserver a character behavior set dedicated to breaking the fourth wall]].
77	*** Specifically Brian has two FourthWall-breaking quotes on the [[http://www.mezzacotta.net/cast/ cast page]] and [[http://www.mezzacotta.net/archive.php?date=2011-08-25 there's more]].
78	** [[http://www.mezzacotta.net/archive.php?date=1569-02-14 This strip]] is even a ShoutOut to Website/TVTropes itself.
79	%%* OneWordTitle
80	* ParodyCommercial: Many of the ads appearing in the header are jokes and do not link anywhere.
81	* PublicDomainStories: Each strip includes a copyright line along with its date in the archive. If these dates are taken seriously, then all but the tiniest, most recent fraction of the archive has expired copyrights, or rather, predate the concept of copyright. Given the lack of reasonable copyright date markings, the legal weight of the CC-BY-NC-SA restrictions is nearly as ambiguous as [[MediaNotes/{{Copyright}} copyright itself]].
82	* RussianReversal: Some characters try to make these jokes. One character states something, and [[http://www.mezzacotta.net/archive.php?date=-271828-04-01 the other character reverses it]]. The reversal tends to be as nonsensical as the original statement.
83	--> "In Soviet Russia, you make no sense to this joke!"
84	%%* ScrewThisImOuttaHere: [[http://www.mezzacotta.net/archive.php?date=193-09-22 Here]].
85	%%** Used [[http://www.mezzacotta.net/archive.php?date=-516-08-28 in-comic]].
86	* TagLine: Quite a lot
87	-->The webcomic that uses the proleptic Gregorian calendar.
88	-->The webcomic with two people talking to each other. Mostly.
89	-->The webcomic that uses SVG.
90	-->The [[OverlyNarrowSuperlative most innovative]] webcomic for quite some time. By some measures.
91	-->The website that went online before it was ready.
92	-->The webcomic that reduces hair loss and increases virility.
93	-->The website with The Hyperstig.
94	-->The webcomic that could use more publicity.
95	-->Post about us in your blog!
96	-->From the people who brought you [[Webcomic/DarthsAndDroids Darths & Droids]].
97	-->The webcomic that everyone is talking about.
98	-->The longest running webcomic on the net.
99	-->[[LampshadeHanging The webcomic with the rotating taglines.]]
100	-->From the people who brought you Webcomic/IrregularWebcomic
101	-->The webcomic that will revolutionise your web experience.
102	-->The website with the International Phonetic Alphabet pronunciation.
103	-->The Emil Zátopek of webcomics.
104	-->The webcomic that broke Website/TVTropes.
105	-->... [[Series/TopGearUK All we know is, he's called The Hyperstig]].
106	-->The webcomic that ''started'' [[JumpingTheShark on the other side of the shark]].
107	-->The proleptic webcomic.
108	-->[[Music/WeirdAlYankovic Dare to be stupid.]]
109	-->Now totally sold out for the advertising bucks.
110	-->The website with the non-rotating taglines on static pages. (a special one for on static pages)
111	* TimeAbyss: Did we mention "making comics since before the universe began"? Even if the Comic Irregulars are time travellers, there are literally ''quadrillions'' of comics, sloppily [[CutAndPasteComic drawn]] and [[DadaComics written]] though they may be. To create them all manually would require an absurd amount of time.
112	* TheyCalledMeMad: Mild in [[http://www.mezzacotta.net/archive.php?date=1926-11-06 this one]], meaner in [[http://www.mezzacotta.net/archive.php?date=2011-04-29 this one]].
113	* UnsoundEffect: [[http://www.mezzacotta.net/archive.php?date=-6021-07-19 The strip for 19 July, 6021 BC]]
114	%%* TheWebAlwaysExisted
115	%%* TotallyRadical
116	* WordSchmord: This is one of "Character 1"'s standard ways of being a JerkAss, like in [[http://www.mezzacotta.net/archive.php?date=1788-08-10 this strip]].
117	* YeOldeButcheredeEnglishe: Used in this [[http://www.mezzacotta.net/archive.php?date=1793-04-06 strip]] from the late 18th century.

Context Webcomic / Mezzacotta