Authors@Google: Chris Onstad

The Authors@Google program welcomed Chris Onstad to Google's New York office to discuss his comic "Achewood" and his first graphic novel, "The Great Outdoor Fight". He was interviewed by Google's own Dan Bentley.

Chris Onstad is the creator of Achewood, "the strip you'll wish you'd discovered as an underappreciated fifteen-year-old." Onstad attended Stanford University, where he edited the Stanford Chapparal humor magazine. He lives in Northern California with his wife and daughter.

From Publishers Weekly-
"This handsome hardcover compilation of the popular Web comic Achewood follows the strip's most epic story arc and should win many new fans. When Ray Smuckles, a thong-clad anthropomorphic cat, discovers his father was a champion of the Great Outdoor Fight, a yearly competition held in Bakersfield, Calif., he decides to enter the nearly ruleless three-day fight. Ray's best friend, nicknamed Roast Beef, reveals himself to be an expert on the fight as well as a first-time entrant. Ray quickly finds that his soft life as a pencil-neck may not have prepared him for the brutal, masculine violence the 3,000-man fight promises, but stubbornly aims to win anyway, with Roast Beef as his ally and steadfast supporter. The humor works on many levels—from the absurd, unexpected characters, including a Soviet robot, to their quirky speech patterns. Onstad's minimalist art leaves some of the larger action sequences taking place off-camera. Nevertheless, the narrative shines through as an epic battle rages and friendship between the protagonists deepens. Achewood devotees who know the story line will be pleased with the bonuses: long supplemental texts detailing the history of the fight and seven recipes from a fictional cookbook."

This event took place on November 7,2008.

Category:

Film & Animation

Tags:

• Chris
• Onstad
• Achewood
• The
• Great
• Outdoor
• Fight