View source for Mr. Boop

{{Short description|Satirical webcomic}}
{{use dmy dates|date=May 2024}}
{{primary sources|date=October 2022}}

{{Infobox Webcomic|author=Alec Robbins|status=Concluded on January 1st, 2021|url=https://mrboop.net/|followed by=Crime Hot|began=February 28, 2020|preceded by=Show Me Less Like This|image=File:Mr. Boop first strip.png|caption=The first strip}}

'''''Mr. Boop''''' was a satirical webcomic created by Alec Robbins about him being married to [[Betty Boop]]. The comic launched on February 28, 2020.<ref name=":0">{{Cite web |last=Meslow |first=Scott |date=2022-05-24 |title=Meet the sicko behind Mr. Boop |url=https://www.theverge.com/2022/5/24/23132622/mr-boop-alec-robbins-interview-webcomic-betty-boop |access-date=2022-05-29 |website=The Verge |language=en}}</ref> The comic comprises four "books" made up of 217 strips.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Mr. Boop On Line Web Portal |url=https://mrboop.net/21.html |access-date=2022-05-29 |website=mrboop.net}}</ref>

== Background ==
Alec enjoyed the notion that a character designed as a [[sex symbol]] was now mostly remembered by grandmothers.<ref name=":0" />

Robbins' comedic style was influenced by a company he works for, ''[[Abso Lutely Productions]]'', especially ''[[Jon Benjamin Has a Van]]'', ''[[The Birthday Boys (TV series)|The Birthday Boys]] & [[Nathan for You]].''<ref name=":1">{{Cite web |last=Brady |first=Erin |date=2020-10-06 |title='Mr. Boop' creator Alec Robbins on boundaries, creative control, and his creative future • AIPT |url=https://aiptcomics.com/2020/10/06/qa-with-mr-boop-creator-alec-robbins/ |access-date=2022-06-22 |language=en-us}}</ref>

== Plot ==
{{More plot|date=May 2024}}
Book III features a meta-narrative about Betty Boop's father breaking up the marriage between Alec and Betty as it breaches copyright law. The arc was fuelled by a "scare" Robbins had with copyright violation combined with a want to shift gears into other topics.<ref name=":1" />

Book III concluded with a series of two short videos, featuring appearances from [[Tim Robinson (comedian)|Tim Robinson]], [[Mara Wilson]] and [[Justin McElroy]].<ref>{{Cite tweet |number=1303339904454111232 |user=alecrobbins |title=EXCLUSIVE BREAKING NEWS: Guest Alec Robbins, creator of Mr. Boop, breaks his silence on a very special new episode of The Strip Club. Please watch all the way through if possible. |first=Alec |last=Robbins |date=September 8, 2020 |access-date=July 24, 2024}}</ref>

Book IV contains [[Horror fiction|horror]] elements. Robbins had his reservations about the ending, unsure if he was sending out the right message. He noted that he didn't want the message to be that "it's bad to fall into fantasy worlds and enjoy them."<ref name=":0" />

== Physical releases ==
The physical releases of Book I, II, and III featured guest strips drawn by other artists, notably [[Kate Leth]], [[Ryan North]], [[Julia Kaye]], and ''[[Night in the Woods]]'' creator Scott Benson.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Robbins |first=Alec |title=Mr. Boop Volume II: "God Is A Woman, and She's My Wife" |publisher=TTC |year=2020 |pages=79}}</ref>

==Reception==
''Mr. Boop'' was shortlisted for [[Heidi MacDonald]]'s 2021 Cartoonists Studio Prize,<ref>{{Cite web |last=Kaplan |first=Avery |date=2021-03-16 |title=Syndicated Comics |url=https://www.comicsbeat.com/announcing-the-shortlist-for-the-2021-cartoonist-studio-prize/ |access-date=2022-05-29 |website=The Beat |language=en-US}}</ref> and was nominated for an [[Ignatz Awards|Ignatz Award]].<ref>{{Cite web |last=MacDonald |first=Heidi |date=2021-09-01 |title=Syndicated Comics |url=https://www.comicsbeat.com/2021-ignatz-awards-nominees-announced/ |access-date=2022-05-29 |website=The Beat |language=en-US}}</ref> Zachary Jenkins of ComicsXF said "Until the team behind [[Sonic the Hedgehog|Sonic]] understands our dark desires, we will have to fulfill our needs with underground art like ''Mr. Boop''."<ref>{{Cite web |last=Jenkins |first=Zachary |date=2020-09-04 |title=Explore Sonic The Hedgehog's Jealousy And Vengeance as Zacky Reads Hedgehog Reads 'Mr. Boop' Vols. 1 & 2 |url=https://www.comicsxf.com/2020/09/04/explore-sonic-the-hedgehogs-jealousy-and-vengeance-as-zacky-read-hedgehog-reads-mr-boop-vol-1-2/ |access-date=2022-10-25 |website=ComicsXF |language=en-us}}</ref> In 2022, [[Silver Sprocket]] released a hardcover collection of the entirety of Mr. Boop, which won the Ignatz Award for Outstanding Collection later that year.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Mr. Boop by Alec Robbins |url=https://store.silversprocket.net/products/mr-boop-by-alec-robbins |access-date=2022-05-29 |website=Silver Sprocket |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |date=2022-09-18 |title=2022 Ignatz Awards Winners Announced |url=http://www.multiversitycomics.com/news/2022-ignatz-awards/ |access-date=2022-09-18 |website=Multiversity Comics |language=en}}</ref>

''[[The Verge]]'' called it "a hilarious, sometimes existentially troubling interrogation of what’s fascinating about fandoms and dumb about copyright law" and "a note-perfect satire of a very specific time on the internet".<ref name=verge>[https://www.theverge.com/2022/5/24/23132622/mr-boop-alec-robbins-interview-webcomic-betty-boop Mr. Boop, the psychosexual webcomic that is a scathing critique of copyright / It’s also about being married to Betty Boop], by Scott Meslow, in ''[[The Verge]]''; published May 24, 2022; retrieved February 27, 2023</ref>

== References ==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
* [https://solrad.co/free-sex-free-beer-free-speech-mr-boop-and-the-problem-of-desire Free Sex, Free Beer, Free Speech – Mr. Boop and the Problem of Desire]

[[Category:2020 webcomic debuts]]
[[Category:2021 webcomic endings]]
[[Category:American webcomics]]
[[Category:Betty Boop]]
[[Category:Romance webcomics]]
[[Category:Satirical webcomics]]