1998 / Web post / Creator-owned absurdist webcomic
Pokey the Penguin: The First Strip
A crudely drawn penguin says hello while an Italian ship threatens the Arctic Circle-Candy.
The original is hosted off-site; this page provides context and a link to it.
What was this?
The opening strip introduces Pokey in the Arctic, calls the cartoon educational, and immediately gives him a comic grievance: an Italian ship wants the Arctic Circle-Candy that grows there.
Why it spread
Pokey the Penguin was published as an independent online comic, with its numbered archive preserved on its creator-run Yellow5 site.
What happened
The opening strip introduces Pokey in the Arctic, calls the cartoon educational, and immediately gives him a comic grievance: an Italian ship wants the Arctic Circle-Candy that grows there.
Where it came from
Steve Havelka, publishing as “The Authors,” launched Pokey the Penguin on February 18, 1998.
Why it mattered
Its deliberately low-fi drawing, direct web publishing, and nonsensical premise are a clean surviving example of late-1990s independent webcomic humor.
How it spread
Pokey the Penguin was published as an independent online comic, with its numbered archive preserved on its creator-run Yellow5 site.
Keep going
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