Line #11 AnachronismStew/Webcomics


1	{{Anachronism Stew}}s in webcomics.
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4	* ''Webcomic/ThePaulReveres'' takes place during the American Revolution, but features electric guitars, modern drum kits, blue mohawks, and somehow they know who David Bowie is, among other modern music references.
5	* ''Webcomic/NoNeedForBushido'', while technically set in imperial Japan, cheerfully features a hodgepodge of ninjas, Taoist monks, an order of scantily clad female assassins, giant anime-style swords (well, ok, one giant sword), Hong Kong kung-fu action movie fighting styles, and modern-day references. And TWO blind kick-ass fighters. Also, ''birdfish''. (The NNFB fanmixes take this anachronism with modern day references even further, to absurd but often hilarious extremes)
6	* ''Webcomic/ArthurKingOfTimeAndSpace'' gleefully throws the anachronisms into the "fairy tale" arc (the standard Arthurian romance with the standard medieval trappings) with two justifications: the author (and to a lesser extent, the characters) ''knows'' the sources are flawed and anachronistic in and of themselves, and half the anachronisms are [[AWizardDidIt Merlin's fault]], since he has the gift of foresight (at one point, for example, using a fly swatter to kill a fairy spy).
7	* ''Webcomic/DinosaurComics''. While inherently unrealistic (talking dinosaurs), they oftentimes reference human events, which obviously would take place many millions of years in the future. This is often {{lampshade\|Hanging}}d.
8	** There's anachronisms in ''every'' strip: The third panel has T-Rex about to step on a house that's next to a car, and the fourth panel has T-Rex about to step on a person.
9	--> '''Utahraptor:''' [[HypocriticalHumor History for you is a big party where everyone just hangs out together, isn't it?]]
10	* ''ComicStrip/ThePerryBibleFellowship'': [[http://pbfcomics.com/?cid=PBF209-Now_Showing.jpg this strip]] shows a technologically advanced future civilization for whom the history of the second millennium seems to be a big blur.
11	* ''Webcomic/TheOrderOfTheStick'':
12	** In Azure City, not only are there sewers, but there are three tunnels, clearly labeled "Ocean," "Anachronistic Sewage Plant," and "Obligatory Sewer-Themed Labyrinth." Such things have been {{lampshade\|Hanging}}d.
13	** And in Cliffport, there's a ''municipal park''. Amid ''high-rise buildings''.
14	--->'''Vaarsuvius''': I'm simply saying that the architectural motifs found here in the city of Cliffport are inconsistent with the presumed medieval time period.\
15	'''Durkon''': [[AWizardDidIt It be magic]].\
16	'''Vaarsuvius''': Yes, fine, I grasp the premise that [[ClarkesThirdLaw any sufficiently advanced - and in particular, reliable - magic would be indistinguishable from technology]], I merely find the implementation here haphazard, at best.\
17	'''Durkon''': Meh. It could be worse, ye know.\
18	'''Vaarsuvius''': Oh?\
19	'''Durkon''': They could have [[TabletopGame/{{Eberron}} magic trains]].\
20	'''Vaarsuvius''': Point taken.
21	*** And it's then played straighter by Redcloak [[http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0543.html here]].
22	---->'''Redcloak''': (...) but I'm the one who has to make the magical lightning-powered trains run on time.
23	** The C.C.P.D. are a modern day police force with swords and plate armor, complete with sirens (on the horses), sketch artist and mayor yelling at DaChief for failing to catch the murderer when elections are coming up, and underlings being yelled at by said cigar-smoking, coffee downing chief.
24	** It's subtle, but look at [[http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0692.html this comic.]] Where did Hayley get a metal detector? And more importantly, where was she keeping it? (Same questions apply to Roy and his [[NewerThanTheyThink sextant]]...)
25	** When [[spoiler:the High Priest of Hel tries to find a memory of Durkon's about Belkar that isn't related to the latter insulting the former in some way]], what shows up is a modern-style search engine result saying [[spoiler: the memory he was looking for]] was unable to be found. Similarly, when Vaarsuvius tries to scry for Haley's location, they instead receive a 404 error.
26	* In ''Webcomic/GunnerkriggCourt'', Ms. Jones' students watch [[http://www.gunnerkrigg.com/archive_page.php?comicID=582 a documentary hologram]] about the founding of the Court. The characters in the hologram include a guy who looks like he stepped out of TheCavalierYears or UsefulNotes/TheAmericanRevolution, and another fellow wearing a modern trench coat, an article of clothing which wasn't introduced until UsefulNotes/WorldWarI. Shortly afterwards, Jones points out that "this simulation is an artistic representation". Although she said that in regards to an indistinct glow, represented as such because they didn't know what it was. And present was also the man who designed robots. Maybe the others just liked to dress that way.
27	* The idea of anachronism stew was theorized, later {{defictionaliz\|ation}}ed, and generally slammed in [[http://xkcd.com/239/ this]] ''Webcomic/{{XKCD}}'' comic.
28	** And again [[http://xkcd.com/771/ here]] and in the title text [[https://xkcd.com/2396/ here]].
29	* ''Webcomic/HarkAVagrant!'' [[http://www.harkavagrant.com/index.php?id=139 is all about this]].
30	* ''[[http://hellbastardcomix.com/ Hellbastard Comics]]'' starts with an alien war that interrupts {{Satan}}'s viewing of ''Bridezillas'' in what is later revealed to be the pre-Napoleonic era and just [[RuleOfCool gets better]] from there.
31	* ''Webcomic/BladeBunny'' takes place in a historical mashup of feudal Japan and ancient China, with [[spoiler: robots]] one of which has [[spoiler: futuristic guns]] and a [[PlayboyBunny BunnyGirl]] in a microskirt. Justified in that it's revealed that [[spoiler: the robots and the [[PlayboyBunny BunnyGirl]] come from different dimensions.]]
32	* [[Webcomic/SanThreeKingdomsComic San Three Kingdoms]] has no problem using modern machine guns.... [[http://san.paulguo.com/?id=150 in 208 AD]]. Or [[http://san.paulguo.com/?id=19 sniper rifles (Cao Cao is sexy...)]]
33	* [[http://www.penny-arcade.com/comic/2000/8/25/ This]] ''Webcomic/PennyArcade'' comic has a flashback to 1988 showing characters using a Powerglove (introduced in 1989 and quickly flopped), reading ''Magazine/NintendoPower'' #31 (December, 1991), talking about ''WesternAnimation/ThunderCats'' (ran from 1985-89), and drinking a New Coke (introduced in 1985 and quickly flopped). To be fair, the date is only implied, and everybody didn't immediately quit drinking New Coke, playing with Powergloves, or referencing cancelled cartoons. But the overall impression is a mishmash of things associated with the '80s, regardless of which part of the '80s (or early '90s) they actually came from.
34	* ''Webcomic/ProblemSleuth'' is theoretically set in the Prohibition era, but the main characters play board games from the 50s, have 90s murals celebrating ethnic diversity on their walls, and use computers to check [=GameFAQs=] to solve the hardest puzzles.
35	* ''Webcomic/{{Nimona}}'' often sees combinations of fantasy-medieval and sci-fi themes. The secondary main character, Ballister Blackheart, is a BlackKnight with a robotic arm.
36	* ''Webcomic/KnightsOfBuenaVista'' is a anachronistic as the Franchise/DisneyAnimatedCanon films it [[CampaignComic takes place in]]. Such as Haagan-Dazs existing in ''WesternAnimation/Frozen2013'' despite taking place over a century before that company was founded.
37	* ''Webcomic/PepsiaPhobia'' is set in UsefulNotes/AncientGreece and has things like banks, dining-and-dashing, XP points, and quotes of Creator/FriedrichNietzsche. This is lampshaded in a gag strip when Philia calls Klepto's drink, a Beijing Peach, anachronistic. The comic also parodies this trope by having the [[http://gastrophobia.com/pix/extras/mapofancientgreece.gif map of Greece]] be a recolored map of Texas. ''Some'' parts are justified due to the machinations of the cast's TimeTravel-capable characters ([[spoiler: Lord Nightsorrow]] explicitly claims to have brought back Halloween with him).
38	* ''Webcomic/BrunoTheBandit'' is set in a vaguely-medieval fantasy kingdom, yet features television, cell phones, [[BurgerFool fast-food joints]] and several other fairly modern inventions, heavily played for {{Rule of Funny}}.
39	* ''Webcomic/PowerOfEther'' In what world would [[http://www.powerofether.com/archive/14-comic-1-10 genetic manipulation]] predate [[http://www.powerofether.com/archive/14-comic-1-11 ocean travel?]] One where humanity is too busy fighting wars to bother with ocean travel. The author explains it in more detail in the commentary for [[http://www.powerofether.com/archive/14-comic-1-11 this]] page.
40	* While ''Webcomic/SaffronAndSage'' takes place in a fantasy setting there are still very noticeable non-fantasy elements such as modern looking swimsuits and spas.
41	* Deliberately invoked in ''Webcomic/NeverSatisfied''. Motorboats and polaroid photos exist alongside archaic clothing and pre-industrialization town square marketplaces. To quote [[http://ohcorny.tumblr.com/post/176656257510/ the author]], "Sometimes they dress like Tudors. Sometimes there's a car."
42	* Present Lady gives Willa a toy train for [[YouMeanXmas Xmas]] in ''Webcomic/LatchkeyKingdom'', which has a pre-industrial setting. She [[LampshadeHanging notices]] the anachronism and asks Willa to act surprised if a real one is invented.
43	* ''Webcomic/PoisonIvyGulch'': Some of the characters, namely Ace and Lorraine (a saloon girl), are shown chewing bubble gum and even blowing bubbles. Bubble gum wasn't invented until 1928; the time period is TheWildWest of the 19th century. But this modern inclusion is due to the RuleOfFunny.
44	* ''Webcomic/HobbitsAndHoleDwellers'': [[https://gemofwonder.livejournal.com/5815.html #22]] parodies this by Bailey using it as an off-the-cuff excuse for Balin being able to find Dwalin so quickly (Dwalin called Balin's cellphone-in a ''pre-medieval'' setting). Ted seems to be about to hang a lampshade on this, but he's interrupted.
45	* ''Webcomic/ThePrincesssJewels'' supposedly takes place in vaguely medieval fantasy kingdom, but features color-print magazines, polystyrene coffee cup, and mishmash between Victorian era and modern-day clothing.
46	* In ''Webcomic/KoanOfTheDay'', it appears to be a peaceful ancient village, but [[http://www.koanoftheday.com/zen/ hashtags]] and [[http://www.koanoftheday.com/76/ cars]] exist.

Context AnachronismStew / Webcomics