Randal Keith Milholland (born November 25, 1975
), better known as R. K. Milholland, is an American
webcomic author. His works include ''
Something Positive'', ''
New Gold Dreams'', ''Midnight Macabre'', ''Classically Positive'' and ''Super Stupor''. In 2022, he took over as author of the
Sunday edition of the Popeye syndicated comic strip.
History
Raised in
Bedford, Texas, Milholland attended Harwood Junior High and
Trinity High School in neighboring
Euless, Texas.
During
high school he won several awards for his
editorial cartoons. He went on to enroll in the
art department at the
University of North Texas where he spent four years.
Milholland moved to
Boston in the spring of 1999. He worked odd jobs, including stints at a dot com startup, scientific non-profit, medical billing and medical research companies. During this time he started the ''Something Positive''
webcomic, in response to a
criticism
Criticism is the construction of a judgement about the negative qualities of someone or something. Criticism can range from impromptu comments to a written detailed response. , ''"the act of giving your opinion or judgment about the good or bad q ...
from his friend, voice actress
Clarine Harp, that he should "do something positive" with his life. The protagonist in this comic, Davan, is loosely based on Milholland and the stories are often inspired by real life experiences. Davan's best friend Aubrey Chorde is based on Harp.
In June 2004, faced with increasing complaints about his lateness in updating the comic, Milholland challenged his readership to donate enough money to pay for a year of his salary so that he could quit his job and become a full-time cartoonist.
To his surprise, this amount was reached and surpassed in less than a month, making Milholland one of the successful pioneers of
micropatronage. Since then, his webcomic has expanded into many realms of merchandising.
[
]
Milholland has relocated to Texas and travels the
con circuit frequently. He also sometimes performs in
community theater, especially children's theater. In 2017, he moved to Georgia. In 2019, he moved back to Texas following the signing of
Georgia House Bill 481, a so-called "fetal heartbeat bill", into law.
Comics
''Something Positive''
''Something Positive'' started its run on December 19, 2001. , it is still being actively updated.
''Something Positive 1937''
Starting on September 7, 2007, Milholland launched a third spin-off from ''Something Positive,'' this one also taking place in the same continuity as the original but taking place many years earlier. ''Something Positive 1937'' follows the relationship of Fred's father Vester Macintire and his cousin Davan (Davan of ''S*Ps namesake, first mentioned in the comic's May 8, 2007 strip.) The comic is in black and white and for a time featured in a sidebar next to the original, with archives available on the same page as the original strip. Milholland has said in news posts he expects the story to last for a few years, and provided it with its own website
on September 24, 2007. The strip stopped updating in 2008.
''Midnight Macabre''
''Midnight Macabre'' is another spin-off from ''Something Positive''. It features Gaspar Baugh, the father of ''Something Positive'' secondary character Lisa Baugh, as he attempts to resurrect a horror TV show presenting
Midnight movie
The term midnight movie is rooted in the practice that emerged in the 1950s of local television stations around the United States airing low-budget genre films as late-night programming, often with a host delivering ironic asides. As a cinematic ...
s.
''New Gold Dreams''
''New Gold Dreams'' is a strip that spoofs the conventions of the
heroic fantasy genre. It also ties in with Milholland's interest in
role-playing game
A role-playing game (sometimes spelled roleplaying game, RPG) is a game in which players assume the roles of player character, characters in a fictional Setting (narrative), setting. Players take responsibility for acting out these roles within ...
s, as the comic is portrayed as a game run by Pee-Jee, one of the main strip's cast members; some of the characters in ''New Gold Dreams'' have the same appearance and personality as regular ''S*P'' characters. The comic started on April 2, 2004 but has been entirely on hiatus since the 20th issue in August 2005.
''Super Stupor''
''Super Stupor'' is a
superhero
A superhero or superheroine is a stock character that typically possesses ''superpowers'', abilities beyond those of ordinary people, and fits the role of the hero, typically using his or her powers to help the world become a better place, ...
comic, which mocks the conventions of the genre. Four self-published volumes of the strip are currently available from the Rhymes With Witch store.
''Popeye''
''
Popeye'' is a newspaper comic strip from
King Features Syndicate
King Features Syndicate, Inc. is a American content distribution and animation studio, consumer product licensing and print syndication company owned by Hearst Communications that distributes about 150 comic strips, newspaper columns, editoria ...
, starring an ornery sailor and a large cast of quirky characters. In 2022, ''Popeye''
's 93rd year, Milholland took over the Sunday edition from
Hy Eisman as the latter retired.
References
External links
Something PositiveNew Gold DreamsMidnight MacabreRhymes With WitchSuper Stupor
{{DEFAULTSORT:Milholland, Randal Keith
American webcomic creators
Living people
People from Euless, Texas
1975 births