MS Paint Adventures#Problem Sleuth
{{short description|Set of multimedia webcomics by Andrew Hussie}}
{{Infobox Webcomic
|title=MS Paint Adventures
|image = 300px
|caption=
|author=Andrew Hussie
|url=[http://www.mspaintadventures.com/newindex.php mspaintadventures.com]
|status= Online (Closed from 2018 to 2025, all works moved to [http://www.homestuck.com homestuck.com]))
|began=2007
|genre=Action-adventure, Puzzle, Comedy-Drama, Science Fiction, Science Fantasy
}}
MS Paint Adventures, abbreviated MSPAdventures or MSPA, was a website and collection of webcomics written and illustrated by Andrew Hussie.{{Cite web | last = Krell | first = Jason | title = MS Paint Adventures provides online fun | work = Arizona Daily Wildcat | publisher = University of Arizona | date = September 22, 2010 | url = http://www.wildcat.arizona.edu/index.php/article/2010/09/ms_paint_adventures_provides_online_fun | access-date = April 29, 2012 | archive-date = March 5, 2016 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20160305045641/http://www.wildcat.arizona.edu/index.php/article/2010/09/ms_paint_adventures_provides_online_fun | url-status = dead }} According to some estimates, in April 2016 MS Paint Adventures was the largest collection of comics on the Internet, containing over 10,000 pages among its five series.{{Cite web | last = McGown | first = Justin | title = Homestuck fans prepare for webcomic release | work = The Tartan | publisher = Carnegie Mellon | date = October 17, 2011 | url = http://thetartan.org/2011/10/17/pillbox/comics | access-date = October 23, 2011 }}{{Cite web | title=MS Paint Adventures: Statistics | publisher=readmspa.org | access-date= 2013-10-30 | url=http://readmspa.org/stats}}
The comics were written in serial works or "adventures" in a manner that parodied interactive fiction games.{{Cite web | last = Baio | first = Andy | title = Arcade Improv: Humans Pretending to Be Videogames | work = Kotaku | date = November 9, 2011 | url = http://kotaku.com/5858062/arcade-improv-humans-pretending-to-be-videogames | access-date = November 10, 2011 }} The characters' actions were originally driven by commands suggested by fans in the comics' official forum, but fan suggestions were eventually abandoned due to the size of the fanbase and the author's desire to tell a more coherent story.{{Cite web | last = Meeks | first = Elijah | title = Interview with Andrew Hussie, Creator of Homestuck | work = Digital Humanities Specialist | publisher = Stanford University Libraries & Academic Information Resources | date = December 3, 2010 | url = https://dhs.stanford.edu/social-media-literacy/interview-with-andrew-hussie-creator-of-homestuck/ | access-date = April 4, 2012 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20190813034401/https://dhs.stanford.edu/social-media-literacy/interview-with-andrew-hussie-creator-of-homestuck/ | archive-date = August 13, 2019 | url-status = dead }} The comics tended to draw inspiration from video games, imitating and parodying genres such as RPGs and simulation games.{{Cite web | last = Weiler | first = Lance | title = How Problem Sleuth Turns a Comic Into a Game | work = Culture Hacker | publisher = WorkBook Project | date = January 25, 2009 | url = http://workbookproject.com/blog/2009/01/25/culture-hacker-how-problem-sleuth-turns-a-comic-into-a-game/ | access-date = September 24, 2010 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20101130222827/http://workbookproject.com/blog/2009/01/25/culture-hacker-how-problem-sleuth-turns-a-comic-into-a-game/ | archive-date = November 30, 2010 | url-status = dead }} They frequently reference other aspects of current internet culture. Despite its name, the site's comics have been created primarily in Adobe Photoshop, not Microsoft Paint, other than the first page of Jailbreak; Hussie decided after that page that telling a story using Paint was not feasible. Over time, the comics evolved from simple static images and captions to frequent animations set to original music, and occasionally to interactive games created in Flash and HTML5.
One adventure, Homestuck, has given rise to a large fan community as made evident by the increasing amount of fan art{{Cite web | last = Price | first = Ada | title = Manga at NYCC 2011: Viz, Yen Press, Kodansha, Vertical and 'Homestuck' | work = Publishers Weekly | date = October 19, 2011 | url = http://www.publishersweekly.com/pw/by-topic/digital/content-and-e-books/article/49170-manga-at-nycc-2011-viz-yen-press-kodansha-vertical-and-homestuck-.html | access-date = October 23, 2011}} and cosplay at comic book conventions.{{Cite web |last=Christodoulides |first=Alex |date=October 16, 2011 |title=Geeks in disguise: New York Comic Con enthusiasts take costumes to extreme ahead of Halloween |url=https://www.nydailynews.com/2011/10/16/geeks-in-disguise-new-york-comic-con-enthusiasts-take-costumes-to-extreme-ahead-of-halloween/ |access-date=2025-03-22 |work=New York Daily News}} The rapid rise in the popularity of Homestuck led to its recognition at the Toronto Comics Art Festival for two years running,[https://archive.today/20130204141826/http://torontocomics.com/news/update-new-exhibitors-at-tcaf-new-books-and-some-cancellations/ "Update: New Exhibitors at TCAF, New Books, and some Cancellations!"], Toronto Comics Art Festival website. Retrieved April 4, 2012. and it brought, on average, over 600,000 unique views to the site daily. An adventure game spinoff of Homestuck titled Hiveswap was released September 14, 2017, and was produced with funds contributed by fans of the comic via Kickstarter.{{cite news |title=What The Heck Is Homestuck, And How'd It Get $750K On Kickstarter? |author=Ryan Rigney |url=https://www.wired.com/gamelife/2012/09/homestuck-kickstarter/ |newspaper=Wired |date=September 6, 2012 |access-date=September 6, 2012}} This project raised nearly $2.5 million, exceeding its goal of $700,000 in a little under two days, at that time being the 6th largest Kickstarter drive. A followup titled Homestuck: Beyond Canon was launched October 25, 2019.
MS Paint Adventures supported its author financially, formerly through the sale of merchandise on the online store TopatoCo{{Cite web | last = Chen | first = Jialu | title = See you in the funny pages | work = Boston.com | publisher = The New York Times Company | date = August 2, 2011 | url = http://articles.boston.com/2011-08-02/lifestyle/29843469_1_comic-strip-creators-webcomics-diesel-sweeties/3 | access-date = October 24, 2011 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20111211130626/http://articles.boston.com/2011-08-02/lifestyle/29843469_1_comic-strip-creators-webcomics-diesel-sweeties/3 | archive-date = December 11, 2011 | url-status = dead }} as well through advertising, and the site's own store and record label, What Pumpkin.{{cite web|url=http://www.whatpumpkin.com/|title=What Pumpkin Projects and Stores|publisher=What Pumpkin Studios|access-date=June 13, 2016}} Music used in the comics is sold through Bandcamp.{{Cite web|title=HIVESWAP: ACT 2 Original Soundtrack, by James Roach, Toby Fox, and Clark Powell|url=https://homestuck.bandcamp.com/|access-date=2020-12-01|website=Homestuck}} In 2014 a majority of merchandise began a slow migration to We Love Fine.{{cite web | last = Hussie | first = Andrew | title = introdoucing, 20104............ the NEWD YEAR | work = MSPaintAdventures.com | date = January 24, 2014 | url = http://mspaintadventures.com/ | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20140208014631/http://mspaintadventures.com/ | url-status = dead | archive-date = February 8, 2014 }} In October 2017, VIZ Media announced acquisition of the publishing rights to Homestuck, and their plans to republish the graphic novel adaptations of Homestuck starting in April 2018.{{cite web | url = https://www.viz.com/news/newsroom/v/1006506 | title = VIZ MEDIA ANNOUNCES ACQUISITION AND PUBLISHING PLANS FOR HOMESTUCK COLLECTOR'S EDITION SERIES | publisher = VIZ Media | access-date = April 8, 2018}}
Today, the MS Paint Adventures website redirects to homestuck.com; all works prior to Homestuck are available at this URL, while later works such as Homestuck: Beyond Canon are on their own websites. MS Paint Adventures is still available online, albeit in a slightly buggy form, at its website.{{efn|Which is {{URL|mspaintadventures.com/newindex.php}}}}
Works
=Early adventures=
Jailbreak, the first adventure written by Andrew Hussie, was originally a forum game following an unnamed man as he attempts to escape from a prison cell, first launched on September 25, 2006. The first page of Jailbreak is the only panel of any MS Paint Adventures work actually created using MS Paint; Hussie created the rest of Jailbreak and later webcomics using Photoshop.{{cite web|url=http://www.polygon.com/2013/1/24/3780850/land-of-memes-and-trolls-the-epic-and-ridiculous-self-aware-world-of|website=Polygon|title=Land of Memes and Trolls: The Epic and Ridiculous Self-Aware World of Homestuck|last=Funk|first=John|date=2012-10-15}} Jailbreak was written entirely as a forum adventure, and the first suggestion anyone posted was taken, however ridiculous, leading to a rambling and haphazard story line. Jailbreak was only drawn to a vague conclusion, and Hussie considers it unfinished, but wishes to leave it as is. This led to the creation of the MSPA site and the closed format of later adventures.{{cite web|url=http://www.mspaintadventures.com/?viewpage=new|publisher=MS Paint Adventures|title=New Reader?|access-date=June 13, 2016}} In 2011, a short official ending was added to Jailbreak as a callback during a notably lengthy Homestuck hiatus.
The second adventure, Bard Quest, was an experiment in creating multiple, branching paths rather than a single linear storyline. In Bard Quest, Hussie provided choices as hyperlinks in a choose-your-own-adventure format. It was the first adventure to be hosted on its own website, but was ultimately left unfinished due to the difficulty Hussie faced in maintaining the complex web of branching storylines. Bard Quest was updated from June 12 to July 6, 2007, after which the site was left on hiatus.{{cite web|url=http://www.mspaintadventures.com/?viewlog=2|publisher=MS Paint Adventures|title=Bard Quest Adventure Log|access-date=June 13, 2016}}
=''Problem Sleuth''=
A parody of interactive fiction games and the film noir genre, Problem Sleuth began by presenting three detectives who are attempting to escape from their respective offices, though the story quickly turned into a pastiche of video games and science fiction. Problem Sleuth ran from March 10, 2008, to April 7, 2009.{{cite web|url=http://www.mspaintadventures.com/?viewlog=4|publisher=MS Paint Adventures|title=Problem Sleuth Adventure Log|access-date=June 13, 2016}} Unlike its predecessors, it received a proper ending, becoming the first complete adventure. It is the second-longest comic on the website so far, after Homestuck, with 1,674 pages.
=''Homestuck''=
{{main|Homestuck}}
Homestuck is the longest adventure hosted on MS Paint Adventures with over 8,000 pages and over 800,000 words.{{Cite web|url=http://readmspa.org/stats/|title=MS Paint Adventures: Statistics|website=readmspa.org|access-date=2019-03-26}} It ran from April 13, 2009, to October 25, 2016, and followed four teenagers as they play a reality-altering video game that brings about the end of the world. They must work with an alien species from another universe to create their own universe and essentially become its "owners". Homestuck
Homestuck has a large following and fandom. Homestuck has been compared to James Joyce's Ulysses in relation to the webcomic's complexity and how the task of finishing it is an example of effort justification.{{cite news |title=Is Homestuck the Ulysses of the Internet? |author=Mike Rugnetta |url=https://www.pbs.org/arts/gallery/idea-channel-season1/idea-channel-s1e20-homestuck/ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120918082832/http://www.pbs.org/arts/gallery/idea-channel-season1/idea-channel-s1e20-homestuck/ |url-status=dead |archive-date=September 18, 2012 |newspaper=PBS Idea Channel |date=September 5, 2012 |access-date=September 5, 2012}}{{cite news |title=Is Homestuck the "Ulysses" of the Internet? |author=Lauren Rae Orsini |url=http://www.dailydot.com/culture/homestuck-ulysses-james-joyce-internet/ |newspaper=The Daily Dot |date=6 September 2012 |access-date=13 September 2012}} Homestuck{{'}}s Adventure Game Kickstarter reached approximately $2,485,506 of a pledged $700,000 by the ending of the fund, and had 24,346 backers. The video game was expected to be released some time in early to mid 2015, but was delayed to January 2016 and then again to January 2017 until September 14, 2017, when Hiveswap was released. Hussie also stated that he will make an epilogue for Homestuck with Viz Media's help.
=''Sweet Bro and Hella Jeff''=
Sweet Bro and Hella Jeff is a spin-off of Homestuck. Within Homestuck, the comic Sweet Bro and Hella Jeff is written by the character Dave Strider, and several actual comics were produced by Hussie. It is presented in a different format than the other adventures, formatted more similarly to that of a traditional comic, having multiple panels per page.
= Associated works =
Other works have been sequels of MS Paint Adventure stories, but never hosted on that website. The Homestuck Epilogues is a partially canon continuation of Homestuck that ran from April 13 to April 20, 2019. This also is formatted differently from the other adventures, as there are no pictures. There are two different plotlines, a "more canon" one represented by meat, and a "less canonical" one, represented by candy. Homestuck: Beyond Canon is the second most recent work of Homestuck's franchise. It was launched on October 25, 2019, and continues the plot of Homestuck and its epilogues. The new webcomic was at first a collaboration between What Pumpkin and Snake Solution Studios LLP. It started with a new writing team led by Kate Mitchell and Andrew Hussie, who both later resigned from the writing team and the comic was put on hold indefinitely on December 25, 2020. On October 8, 2023, it was announced that production had been restarted by a new group of authors (many of whom have worked on the series in the past) under the name "Homestuck Independent Creative Union", spearheaded by Hiveswap composer James Roach and Hussie acting as Executive Producer.{{cite web |title=Homestuck^2: News |url=https://www.homestuck2.com/news|access-date=2023-10-29 |website=Homestuck^2: Beyond Canon}} Updates are planned to be monthly and several have already been published.
Conversion from Flash and closure of website
On April 2, 2018, the site was updated to automatically redirect to Homestuck.com, although the majority of content on the MS Paint Adventures site is still available on Homestuck.com. Pages operating through the Flash software were converted by workers at VIZ Media into HTML formats or video files. Andrew Hussie said that he had been thinking about the obsolescence of Flash and that it was never his intent for MSPA to last forever "or to concern myself with maintaining a labyrinthine, crudely-coded website for the rest of my life."{{Cite web|title=Homestuck News|url=https://www.homestuck.com/news|access-date=2018-04-16|website=www.homestuck.com|language=en-US}} However as of 2024, the site is online and does not redirect to Homestuck.com when visited directly. Due to the broken state of Homestuck.com, several community members have created an unofficial collection to view Homestuck in its original state, with a fork run by the Homestuck Independent Creative Union as of 2024.{{Cite web | title=Unoffical Homestuck Collection |url=https://github.com/homestuck/unofficial-homestuck-collection |access-date=2025-03-05 |website=github.com}} Homestuck.com is reportedly longer responsive as of June 2025.
Notes
{{notelist}}
References
{{reflist|30em}}
External links
{{Portal|Internet|Comics}}
- {{Official website|http://www.homestuck.com/}}
- {{cite web |url=http://www.mspaintadventures.com |title=MS Paint Adventures |url-status=dead |archive-date=June 25, 2007 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070625194237/http://www.mspaintadventures.com/ |quote=(c. Bard Quest) |access-date=February 13, 2009}}
- {{wikia|homestuck}}
- {{cite web|url=http://www.whatpumpkin.com/|title=What Pumpkin|work=Directory|series=Fan sites and merchandising}}
- {{cite web |url= https://topatoco.com/collections/mspa |title= MS Paint Adventures |series= Merchandising |website= TopatoCo }}
{{MSPA|state=collapsed}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Ms Paint Adventures}}