Line #45 Webcomic/ShenComix


1	[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/owl_9.jpg]]
2	[[caption-width-right:350:[[SadClown Don't let the smile fool you.]]]]
3
4	''[[https://shencomix.tumblr.com Shen Comix]]'' (or ''Owl Turd Comix'') is a webcomic by Website/{{reddit}}or Shenanigansen, aka just "Creator/{{Shen}}".
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6	He premiered the first installment in early 2013. It's popular for being a simply-drawn comic about relatable common life problems such as anxiety, depression, and the unfairness of life. It has grown famous for its [[MoodWhiplash sudden shifts in tone]] as well as its exaggerated art style.
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8	Subseries include:
9	* ''[[https://shencomix.tumblr.com/tagged/wacky/chrono Wacky Roommates]]''
10	* ''Little Firefighter'' ([[https://shencomix.tumblr.com/tagged/little%20fireman/chrono Part 1]], [[https://shencomix.tumblr.com/tagged/little%20firefighter/chrono Part 2]])
11	* ''[[https://shencomix.tumblr.com/tagged/fly%20to%20the%20heavens/chrono Fly to the Heavens]]'' (aka ''[[https://shencomix.tumblr.com/post/169556761124 Fly to the Heavens on a Bicycle Made of Stars]]'')
12	* ''My Life as a Skeleton'' ([[https://shencomix.tumblr.com/post/611142421461565440 Part 1]], [[https://shencomix.tumblr.com/tagged/my%20life%20as%20a%20skeleton/chrono the rest]])
13	* ''Catalogue of Increasingly Normal Stories'' (horror-themed short stories: [[https://shencomix.tumblr.com/tagged/story/chrono Part 1]][[note]]The first two listed posts are ''Little Firefighter'' comics[[/note]], [[https://shencomix.tumblr.com/tagged/catalog%20of%20increasingly%20normal%20stories/chrono Part 2]], [[https://shencomix.tumblr.com/tagged/shen%27s%20normal%20stories/chrono Part 3]], [[https://shencomix.tumblr.com/tagged/catalogue%20of%20increasingly%20normal%20stories/chrono Part 4]], [[https://www.patreon.com/posts/archive-of-66689004 Archive]])
14	* ''[[https://shencomix.tumblr.com/tagged/public%20u%20art%20club/chrono Public U. Art Club]]'' ([[https://shencomix.tumblr.com/post/707740314865106944/pt-01-pt-02-aiako-introduced-pt-03-pt Archive]][[note]]May not always be up to date[[/note]])
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16	A collection, ''Emotions Explained with Buff Dudes'', was published in 2018 by [=Andrews McMeel Publishing=].
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18	Also see ''Webcomic/SarahsScribbles'', which can be considered a DistaffCounterpart and ''Webcomic/LiveWithYourself'', another webcomic he made that premiered in 1st January 2017.
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20	----
21	!!''Shen Comix'' contains examples of:
22	* AffectionateParody: ''Fly to the Heavens on a Bicycle made of Stars'' is very animesque in style, especially the battle between Shen and Life.
23	-->'''Life:''' Behold, my [[SpecialAttack ULTIMATE TECHNIQUE!]] [[CallingYourAttacks SHOOTINGU STAR; BREAK THE MOLD!!!]]
24	* AlwaysSomeoneBetter: Even if the protagonist is good at art, it means less when he realizes there are way better artists in view, especially when they are younger than him.
25	* AnthropomorphicPersonification: Many characters are physical representations of concepts and things. These include Life, Depression, Anxiety, Emotion, Logic, Type A people, Type B people, the Internet, Night, Day, and the four seasons. And also of the recent years, like 2017 and 2018, shown as action anime villains.
26	* AscendedMeme: There was a popular StylisticSuck comic parody of Shen's comics which caricatured his usual "things are good until faced by personifications of bad things that happen" theme. Shen later redrew this exact same comic in his own style.
27	* AuthorAvatar: The protagonist is basically Shen's avatar.
28	* BenevolentConspiracy: The [[https://twitter.com/shenanigansen/status/945018063937789953 New World Order of Wholesomeness]] (NWOW). They use gas to spell "have a nice day" in the sky, put minerals and vitamins in the water supplies, and use mind control radio waves to tell people they are loved and valuable.
29	* BerserkButton: Shen doesn't really have any strong opinions on anything... unless you dare say that goth girls suck. Then, he would ready his gun in TranquilFury.
30	* BigBad: Life. It is presented as a featureless purple man with the word "life" written on his chest, and is often shown bullying the protagonist out of his dreams and wants. One story arc even has both of them engaging in a ''Manga/DragonBallZ''-style fight. In later installments, however, Shen has a more balanced relationship with Life, subverting their usual interactions.
31	* BilingualBonus: In ''Fly to the Heavens'', Life tries to brand Shen with an L (for Loser) on the forehead, but Shen turns it upside down. When Life asks what that's supposed to mean, Shen responds "Hero". How do you write "Hero" in Russian? герой.
32	* BreakTheCutie: The Superfriends have a member named Incredible Violence who gets darkly played for laughs, but an addendum showed that there used to be another member named Hope who isn't around anymore, and that Incredible Violence used to be known as Peace.
33	* BrutalHonesty: A common gag. Of note is [[https://www.webtoons.com/en/comedy/bluechair/ep-442-achieving-your-dreams/viewer?title_no=199&episode_no=614 this Bluechair comic]], where he tells the audience that if you wish ''reeeaaaallly'' hard, and you '''WORK''' FOR IT UNTIL YOUR '''BLOOD''' AND '''TEARS''' RUN IN '''MIGHTY RIVERS''', all your dreams can come true.
34	* CripplingOverspecialization: Type A is often a hyper-focused, overcompetitive individual, to the point where they can't even relax. This bites them in the ass [[https://www.facebook.com/shencomix/photos/a.248552535284688/744626465677290/?type=3 in a relaxing competition between Type B and themselves, where they lose.]] [[SoreLoser Type A's response is to break down crying.]]
35	* EasyRoadToHell: [[https://twitter.com/shenanigansen/status/1161651685632151558 In one strip]], Shen dies and goes to hell [[DisproportionateRetribution because he didn't like Kirby]]. ''[[SacredCow Even Satan likes Kirby.]]''
36	* EvilDoppelganger: In Bluechair, Shen goes on a journey to find himself. Instead, he finds a slightly bizarre version of himself from another universe. Behold, Shem.
37	* ExpoLabel: A common source of humor in the comics comes from having characters and objects act as metaphor for various things, along with a convenient label explaining what they represent. See Life in the page image for an example.
38	* {{Expy}}: Lilith from ''Public U. Art Club'' is based on Kobeni from ''Manga/ChainsawMan'', being a nervous ButtMonkey. In [[https://shencomix.tumblr.com/post/713413424758046720 this comic]], Shen refers to season 1 of ''Public U. Art Club'' as "17 updates of thinly veiled Kobeni shitpost".
39	* TheFakeCutie: Emotion. Presented as a yellow person with a pink flower on their head, they usually subvert their name by being utterly ruthless or terrifying.
40	* FormulaBreakingEpisode: Sometimes, Shen will do a comic that is very different from the "relatable life problem" theme that he is famous for. He doesn't do them too much because he knows they are not as popular.
41	* FriendlyEnemy: Life eventually becomes this.
42	* GagNose: Shen's nose is depicted as a ragdoll-like triangular purple block.
43	* MoodWhiplash: Many comics start out lighthearted and fun but quickly take a turn towards depression, anxiety, or denial towards the end.
44	* {{Motifs}}: Most of the human characters in ''Public U. Art Club'' have fruit motifs. Apple for Ana, strawberry for Sofia, banana for Beatrix, lemon for Lilith, grape for the art teacher, durian for the engineering student, and lime for Leanne.
45	* NamesToRunAwayFrom: In a superhero team made up of Friendship, Harmony and Love, perhaps the new member, Incredible Violence, might be one to flee from.
46	* NeverMyFault: The protagonist never seems to take responsibilities when faced with problems, because it seems he is powerless to either Life being an all-powerful bully to him or motivation running away. ''Literally''.
47	* NonIndicativeName: The original name of the comic is Owl Turd Comix. However, no mention was ever made of droppings by nocturnal birds.
48	* NothingIsScarier: [[https://twitter.com/shenanigansen/status/1087390030140715010 In a surreal one-off comic]], we're introduced to a bunch of friendly cartoon characters at a birthday... including a much more shady-looking one named "Yoyo" who simply [[ThousandYardStare stares]] at them from the corner. ''And that's it.''
49	* PictorialLetterSubstitution:
50	** In the logo for ''Little Firefighter'', the last "i" is dotted with the Little Firefighter's face.
51	** In the logo for ''My Life as a Skeleton'', the "o" is the skeleton's face.
52	** In the logo for ''Catalogue of Increasingly Normal Stories'', the "o" in "Normal" is a vertical eye, and the "o" in "Stories" is a door.
53	* PlotArmor: Parodied in a [[https://shencomix.tumblr.com/post/674278677026045952 one-off comic]]. Despite being shot at point-blank range, all the bullets curve away from the main character as though they have an invisible force field around them and hit the wall behind them instead. The main character then mocks the person shooting them, explaining that it's impossible for them to be killed because they're the main character.
54	* RealMenWearPink: The [[https://shencomix.tumblr.com/post/169284266119 Man-Bomb]], a bath bomb for men, produces a bunch of demons, which represent the user's inner demons and which they must fight. The final inner demon is the bath turning pink and girly, "because defying gender expectations is the manliest thing of all."
55	* TheRival: Type B is this to Type A, although it's one sided because [[TheCutie Type B is always polite and forgiving.]]
56	* SelfDeprecation: Will sometimes make fun of his own stereotypical formula, especially involving his constant conflict against Life.
57	* SemanticSuperpower: [[https://twitter.com/shenanigansen/status/1576039961261838336 This strip]] features a wizard who can make a ball disappear under a cup -- ''any'' ball, including [[https://twitter.com/shenanigansen/status/1577401461822132235 the sun.]]
58	* SeriousBusiness: Type A is so competitive that even when he just has to stop and smell the roses, he has to turn the rose-smelling into a ''competition'' and win a trophy.
59	* TheStinger: ''Fly to the Heavens'' ends with with two black panels reading "Art by Shen" and "Writing by Shen", followed by one additional strip showing a diminished Life getting up and running after Shen.
60	-->Always wait until after the credits.
61	* ThisLoserIsYou: One reason for the comic's popularity is for exposing the inner insecurities that is inside all of us, and how we feel victims of unfair common circumstances.
62	* TearsOfJoy: Emotion has this during "Fly to the Heavens".
63	* UncannyValley: Shem, the aforementioned "Slightly bizarre version" of Shen, [[InvokedTrope is intentionally drawn]] to look out of place in the cartoony world of Bluechair. He's also a shapeshifter with abnormally many teeth, that also helps.
64	* VillainTeamUp: Shem and Life in [[https://www.webtoons.com/en/comedy/bluechair/ep-432-shen-life-vs-shem/viewer?title_no=199&episode_no=604 Shen & Life vs Shem]].
65	* WhatKindOfLamePowerIsHeartAnyway: Parodied in [[https://imgur.com/k0HFLP6 this webcomic]], where the superhero team of Friendship, Harmony and Love are joined by their new heavy-lifting member: Incredible Violence.
66	* WideEyedIdealist: Type B. They always try to stay positive and look on the bright side of life, [[BreakTheCutie but Type A usually ruins it for them by being overly competitive.]]

Context Webcomic / ShenComix