''Boots and Pup'' is a science-fiction webcomic by John Yuskaitis Jr.. Launched in February 2005, ''Boots and Pup'' is about an alien duo traveling through space.

Synopsis

''Boots and Pup'' centers on the titular characters Boots and Pup as they travel through space. Boots is the son of an

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and his dream in life was to be as uninteresting and stable as his parents were, while Pup is an impulsive orphan raised by circus clowns. Despite their differences, the two characters become lifelong friends and traverse the universe together.

Development

Yuskaitis grew up on his father's ''

Donald Duck Donald Fauntleroy Duck is a cartoon character created by The Walt Disney Company. Donald is an anthropomorphic white duck with a yellow-orange bill, legs, and feet. He typically wears a sailor shirt and cap with a bow tie. Donald is known fo ...

'' comic books. He originally conceived of the idea of ''Boots and Pup'' in high school, inspired by the back-and-forth interactions of comedy duos such as

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. Yuskaitis had not heard of webcomics before, but when a friend suggested publishing ''Boots and Pup'' online in 2005, Yuskaitis began posting it as such. As he was writing the webcomic, Yuskaitis took more inspiration from series such as ''

Star Wars ''Star Wars'' is an American epic film, epic space opera multimedia franchise created by George Lucas, which began with the Star Wars (film), eponymous 1977 film and quickly became a worldwide popular culture, pop-culture Cultural impact of S ...

'' and ''

Star Trek ''Star Trek'' is an American science fiction media franchise created by Gene Roddenberry, which began with the eponymous 1960s television series and quickly became a worldwide pop-culture phenomenon. The franchise has expanded into vari ...

'' to make ''Boots and Pup'' more narratively driven. ''Boots and Pup'' went on hiatus in 2007, but returned to a six-day-a-week schedule in 2011. Yuskaitis also created an animated short based on his webcomic, and a free iOS game featuring series' side character Sniffles the Fish. In an interview in 2018, Yuskaitis said that "the characters write themselves. I am continually surprised by the outcome of these stories. I think that's because on a subconscious level, these characters are me." He noted here that he was "firmly raised on the

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school of storytelling," and that he was inspired by TV series such as ''

Futurama ''Futurama'' is an American animated science fiction sitcom created by Matt Groening for the Fox Broadcasting Company. The series follows the adventures of the professional slacker Philip J. Fry, who is cryogenically preserved for 1000 years a ...

'' and '' Aqua Teen Hunger Force''.

Publications

Collected volumes of ''Boots and Pup'' have been released through the CreateSpace Independent Publishing platform since 2014. * * * * * *

Reception

Barbra Dillon of ''The Fanbase Press'' praised ''Boots and Pup'' strongly, calling it "easy to engage for younger readers while also captivating and entertaining for adults." Reviewing ''Book 2: The Amulet of Sum-Tin'', Dillon praised Yuskaitis' "incredible talent and energy", said that he had "brought a lively world (and cast of characters) to life," and said that she hoped to see the "lovable" characters transition to animation and video games." Shawn Perry of '' Bleeding Cool'' listed ''Boots and Pup: Collected Craziness'' as one of the best

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releases of 2014, describing it as a "great gateway series for families." '' Comic Book Resources'' called the webcomic "colorful, simply drawn, and kid-friendly yet witty enough for older readers to appreciate."

References

External links

*{{Official website, https://www.bootsandpup.com/ 2005 webcomic debuts 2000s webcomics 2010s webcomics Science fiction webcomics