{{Short description|American webcartoonist}} {{Use mdy dates|date=April 2022}} {{Infobox person | name = Kris Straub | image = Kris Straub by Gage Skidmore.jpg | caption = Straub at the 2018 PAX West | birth_name = Kristofer Straub | birth_date = {{birth date and age|1979|01|17}} | birth_place = [[Los Angeles]], [[California]], U.S. | other_names = | known_for = Creator of ''Starslip'', ''Checkerboard Nightmare'', ''Chainsawsuit'', ''Broodhollow'', ''Candle Cove'', ''Local58'' and ''F Chords'' | alma_mater = [[University of California, Los Angeles]] | employer = | occupation = Cartoonist, graphic designer, story writer | years_active = 2007–present | title = | height = | term = | predecessor = | successor = | party = | boards = | spouse = | partner = | children = | parents = | relatives = | signature = | website = http://www.krisstraub.com | footnotes = }} '''Kristofer Straub''' (born January 17, 1979) is an American [[Cartoonist|web cartoonist]], performer, and content creator. His key web comic projects include ''Checkerboard Nightmare'', ''Starslip'', ''Chainsawsuit'', ''Broodhollow'', and ''F Chords''. Other notable projects include the [[creepypasta]] "[[Candle Cove]]" as well as collaborations with [[Scott Kurtz]] ("''Blamimations"),'' [[Paul Verhoeven (broadcaster)|Paul Verhoeven]] ("''28 Plays Later"''), and [[Penny Arcade]] (''"Strip Search", "Kris and Scott's Scott and Kris Show," "[[Acquisitions Incorporated (actual play)|Acquisitions Incorporated: The C-Team]]").''
He has written and produced the YouTube [[analog horror]] series ''[[Local 58]]'' since October 26, 2015. He also works with [[Penny Arcade]] in graphic design, as well as co-hosting the [[PAX (event)|PAX]] gaming conventions and appearing in their collaborations with [[Wizards of the Coast]] and [[Chaosium|Chaosium, Inc]].
==Career== Straub graduated from the [[University of California, Los Angeles]], with a degree in computer science.{{cn|date=April 2023}}
===Web cartoonist=== Straub launched his first comic, ''Checkerboard Nightmare'', online in 2000. The strip was self-aware and used [[metahumour]] to follow the main character Chex's obsession with gaining fame as a webcomic character.<ref name="CBR">{{cite web|url=http://www.comicbookresources.com/?page=article&id=12723|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080502173235/http://www.comicbookresources.com/?page=article&id=12723|url-status=dead|archive-date=May 2, 2008|title= Killing Time with Kristofer Straub, Part 1| publisher=Comic Book Resources|access-date=October 24, 2013}}</ref>
In 2005, Straub began creating ''Starslip Crisis'' (eventually shortened to ''Starslip''), a daily science fiction/comedy webcomic. ''Starslip'' was first set in the 3440s and followed the crew of [[starship]]-museum IDS ''Fuseli'', named after painter [[Henry Fuseli]],<ref>http://www.starslip.com/concepts.shtml{{dead link|date=January 2018 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}</ref> which largely featured 20th and 21st century art.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.starslip.com/archive/20050524.shtml |title=Starslip – Tuesday, May 24, 2005 |date=May 24, 2005 |author=Kris Straub |access-date=February 8, 2008 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090724121154/http://www.starslip.com/archive/20050524.shtml |archive-date=July 24, 2009 }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.starslip.com/archive/20051116.shtml |title=Starslip – Wednesday, November 16, 2005 |date=November 16, 2005 |author=Kris Straub |access-date=February 8, 2008 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090514083020/http://www.starslip.com/archive/20051116.shtml |archive-date=May 14, 2009 }}</ref> ''Starslip Crisis'' was part of the webcomics cooperation collective Blank Label Comics<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.editorandpublisher.com/eandp/article_brief/eandp/1/1000939106 |title=Blank Label Comics is Formed |date=May 31, 2005 |publisher=[[Editor & Publisher]] |access-date=February 8, 2008 }}</ref> until Straub split away from Blank Label to merge Starslip with his new collective, Halfpixel, in November 2007.<ref>{{cite web |url = http://www.halfpixel.com/2007/11/01/three-cartoonists-leave-blank-label-comics-to-form-new-halfpixel/ |title = Three Cartoonists Leave Blank Label Comics to Form New Halfpixel |date = November 1, 2007 |publisher = Halfpixel |access-date = February 8, 2008 }}{{dead link|date=January 2018 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}</ref>
The comic initially ran under the name ''Starshift Crisis''. The nearly identical ''Starslip Crisis'' appeared early in the strip's run, with its own website and associated content, differing only in that the term "starslip" replaced "starshift". The two ran in parallel, until a strip in August 2005 which definitively ended the plot of ''Starshift Crisis'', but which played out differently in ''Starslip Crisis''. Reportedly, the name change was caused by a legal issue.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://comixtalk.com/starshift_crisis_changes_its_name|title=Starshift Crisis Changes Its Name?|publisher=Comixtalk|access-date=October 24, 2013}}</ref>
In 2008, Straub began writing another webcomic, ''Chainsawsuit'',<ref>{{Cite web |title=chainsawsuit by kris straub |url=https://chainsawsuit.krisstraub.com/ |access-date=2023-09-14 |website=chainsawsuit.krisstraub.com}}</ref> publishing three strips a week. The comic featured simple black and white drawings and slapstick humor. It ran for 11 years and achieved particular notoriety for its strip [https://chainsawsuit.krisstraub.com/20160707.shtml All Houses Matter] upon release in 2014<ref>{{Cite web |last=Dieker |first=Nicole |date=2015-12-09 |title=The Business of Creative Careers: Kris Straub, Cartoonist |url=https://medium.com/the-billfold/the-business-of-creative-careers-kris-straub-cartoonist-3b8a3b7fb6c5 |access-date=2022-12-14 |website=The Billfold |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Lopez |first=German |date=2015-09-04 |title=Next time someone tells you "all lives matter," show them this cartoon |url=https://www.vox.com/2015/9/4/9258133/white-lives-matter |access-date=2022-12-14 |website=Vox |language=en}}</ref> and then again during the 2020 [[Black Lives Matter]] protests.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Yes, all lives matter, but black lives REALLY matter, right now |url=https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/yes-all-lives-matter-black-really-right-now-barbara-briggs-davies |access-date=2022-12-14 |website=www.linkedin.com |language=en}}</ref>
In 2012, Straub launched the webcomic ''Broodhollow'', a self-described "serial horror comic."<ref>{{Cite web |title=Broodhollow by Kris Straub |url=https://broodhollow.krisstraub.com/ |access-date=2023-09-14 |website=broodhollow.krisstraub.com}}</ref> Set in the titular town, the story follows door-to-door encyclopedia salesman Wadsworth Zane as he uncovers the town's secrets. The first two volumes ''Curious Little Thing'' and ''Angleworm'' pair horror with a quirky tone to explore themes of community and tradition,<ref>{{Cite web |last=Cruz |first=Larry |date=2014-06-16 |title='Broodhollow': Head like a hole |url=https://www.cbr.com/broodhollow-head-like-a-hole/ |access-date=2023-09-14 |website=CBR |language=en}}</ref> among others. The series went on hiatus in 2015, and is listed as such on Straub's home site as of December 2025.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Kris Straub |url=https://krisstraub.com/ |access-date=2023-09-14 |website=Kris Straub |language=en-US}}</ref>
===Writer and producer=== In December 2006, Straub became co-writer and co-producer alongside [[Scott Kurtz]] on ''PvP: The Series'', a series of animated shorts featuring the [[PvP]] characters. In 2007 he repurposed the ''Halfpixel'' site to serve as a hub for his and Kurtz's joint creative projects. ''Halfpixel'' later expanded to include webcartoonists [[Brad Guigar]] and [[Dave Kellett]] of the comics [[Evil Inc.]] and [[Sheldon (webcomic)|Sheldon]], respectively. The four published ''How To Make Webcomics'' through [[Image Comics]] in the first quarter of 2008. The book covers a variety of topics of interest for beginning and intermediate webcartoonists.<ref name="htmw">{{Cite web |url=http://drawn.ca/2008/04/06/how-to-make-webcomics/ |title=Drawn.ca review of ''How To Make Webcomics'' |access-date=April 18, 2008 |archive-date=April 10, 2008 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080410222323/http://drawn.ca/2008/04/06/how-to-make-webcomics/ |url-status=dead }}</ref>
Straub went on to co-produce ''Blamimations'' and the ''Kris and Scott’s Scott and Kris Show'' for Penny Arcade TV. In 2012, [[ShiftyLook]] announced that Straub and Kurtz were co-producing a new animated web series, ''[[Mappy#Web series|Mappy: The Beat]]'', in which they also voiced all the characters. The series premiered in July 2013 and aired for 13 episodes.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.icv2.com/articles/news/23405.html|title=ShiftyLook Announces First 2 Animated Series|publisher=icv2|access-date=October 24, 2013}}</ref>
From 2008-2012, Straub managed and wrote for his own horror fiction website ''Ichor Falls'', which featured his most notable work of short fiction, ''[[Candle Cove]]''. Structured as a series of [[Internet forum|forum posts]], it follows people discussing a forgotten children's program. They uncover increasingly disturbing shared memories of the program before discovering that ''Candle Cove'' was merely half an hour of TV static which they, as children, had collectively perceived as a story.<ref name="Candle Cove">[http://www.ichorfalls.com/2009/03/15/candle-cove/ Candle Cove] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121203232817/http://www.ichorfalls.com/2009/03/15/candle-cove/ |date=December 3, 2012 }}, Kris Straub</ref> Rights to the story were picked up by [[Syfy|SyFy]] in 2016 and served as the basis for the first season of the series [[Channel Zero (TV series)|Channel Zero]].<ref>{{Cite web |last=Miska |first=Brad |date=2016-02-18 |title=The First "Channel Zero" Will Tell the Tale of 'Candle Cove' |url=https://bloody-disgusting.com/news/3380332/the-first-channel-zero-will-tell-the-tale-of-candle-cove/ |access-date=2022-12-14 |website=Bloody Disgusting! |language=en-US}}</ref>
In 2015, Straub published the first video in his horror web series [[Local 58|''Local 58 TV'']],<ref>{{Cite web |last=LaVigna |first=Chris |date=2019-07-15 |title=Tune in… Or Else: Kris Straub Has Created a Viral Internet Nightmare With 'Local 58' |url=https://bloody-disgusting.com/editorials/3572854/tune-else-kris-straub-created-viral-internet-nightmare-local-58/ |access-date=2022-12-14 |website=Bloody Disgusting! |language=en-US}}</ref> which was later moved to YouTube. The series coined the term [[analog horror]] and arguably kickstarted the popularity of the genre.<ref>{{Citation |title=The History of Analog Horror [ft. Nexpo, Alex Kister, NightMind, Kris Straub] {{!}} Documentary (2022) |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-I_4ph-L19U |language=en |access-date=2023-01-21}}</ref> Some critics cite Straub and ''Local 58'' as having solidified conventions which would go on to define the genre<ref>{{Citation |title=The History of Analog Horror [ft. Nexpo, Alex Kister, NightMind, Kris Straub] {{!}} Documentary (2022) |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-I_4ph-L19U |language=en |access-date=2023-01-21}}</ref> and even indirectly influence feature-length horror films such as [[Skinamarink]] (2022).<ref>{{Cite web |last=Hoeffner |first=Joe |date=2023-01-14 |title=How 'Skinamarink' Uses - and Expands Upon - the Tropes of Analog Horror |url=https://collider.com/skinamarink-analog-horror/ |access-date=2023-01-21 |website=Collider |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Shuman |first=Sean |date=2022-12-07 |title=Shudder's Skinamarink and Analog Horror: The Explosion of a Niche Subgenre |url=https://movieweb.com/shudder-skinamarink-analog-horror/ |access-date=2023-01-21 |website=MovieWeb |language=en}}</ref> Additionally, in 2021 Straub launched an [[Alternate reality game|Alternate Reality Game]] based on the series hosted at [http://Local58.tv local58.tv], which is still running as of April 11, 2026.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Local 58 |url=https://wiki.gamedetectives.net/index.php?title=Local_58 |access-date=2022-12-14 |website=Game Detectives Wiki |language=en}}</ref>
===Podcast host=== Straub has co-hosted numerous podcasts, most of which center around the online comic industry, daily life, or comedy talk shows.
In 2005, while part of the comic collective ''Blank Label Comics,'' Straub and [[Dave Kellett]] co-hosted the ''Blank Label Comics Podcast''.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.digitalstrips.com/2005/09/news-blank-label-comics-launches.html|title=Blank Label Comics Launches Podcast|date=September 7, 2005 |publisher=Digital Strips|access-date=October 24, 2013}}</ref> The podcast interviewed fellow webcomic creators about their comics and creative process.
In 2007, leading up to the release of ''How To Make Webcomics'', Straub - alongside the books co-authors, [[Scott Kurtz]], [[Brad Guigar]], and [[Dave Kellett]] - produced the podcast ''Webcomics Weekly''.<ref name="ww">[http://ww.libsyn.com/ Webcomics Weekly] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130501232751/http://ww.libsyn.com/ |date=May 1, 2013 }}</ref> The show featured industry news and insight on making a successful web comic.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Sheldon® Comic Strip: Daily webcomic by Dave Kellett |url=http://www.sheldoncomics.com/archive/... |access-date=2022-12-14 |website=... |language=en-US}}</ref> In this same time period, Straub and Kurtz also produced two joint podcasts, ''The Kris and Scott Power Hour''<ref name="power hour">{{cite web|url=http://www.talkshoe.com/talkshoe/web/talkCast.jsp?masterId=5809&cmd=tc|title=The Kris and Scott Power Hour - Live & Recorded Episodes}}</ref> and ''Daily Affirmation''.<ref name="affirmation">{{cite web|url=http://www.talkshoe.com/talkshoe/web/tscmd/tc/26757|title=Daily Affirmation with Scott and Kris - Live & Recorded Episodes}}</ref>
From 2009 to 2012, Straub also hosted the comedy internet radio talk show ''Tweet Me Harder'' with [[David Malki]]. The show was recorded live, with the hosts taking comments from Twitter.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Tweet Me Harder on Apple Podcasts |url=https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/tweet-me-harder/id320469498 |access-date=2022-12-14 |website=Apple Podcasts |date=April 24, 2014 |language=en-US}}</ref> Its transcripts were later published in paperback form under the title, "Hey World, Here Are Some Suggestions."<ref>{{Cite web |title=Hey World Here Are Some Suggestions: Tweet Me Harder David Malki - Google Search |url=https://www.google.com/search?kgmid=/g/12bn5p3b7&hl=en-US&q=Hey+World+Here+Are+Some+Suggestions:+Tweet+Me+Harder |access-date=2022-12-14 |website=www.google.com}}</ref> Following ''Tweet Me Harder'', Straub then co-hosted ''Chainsawsuit: The Podcast'' with [[Mikey Neumann]]. The show began in April 2013 and spanned to December 2014.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Chainsawsuit: The Podcast |url=https://blubrry.com/chainsawsuit/ |access-date=2022-12-14 |website=Blubrry Podcasting - Podcast Hosting, Statistics, WordPress Hosting, Syndication Tools and Directory}}</ref> Beginning in January 2015, Straub and Neumann began hosting ''Morning Rush'', which ended in June 2015 after 16 episodes.{{citation needed|date=January 2020}}
In 2016, from July to December, Straub co-hosted the horror podcast ''Scared Yet?'' with cartoonist [[Abby Howard]]. It lasted 6 episodes, with Straub and Howard discussing horror storytelling, writing advice, personal favorite horror stories, as well as personal experiences with writing horror.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://scaredyet.chainsawsuit.com/|title=Scared Yet - A horror podcast|website=Chainsawsuit.com|access-date=August 16, 2019|archive-date=August 16, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190816224642/http://scaredyet.chainsawsuit.com/|url-status=dead}}</ref>
=== Performer === Beginning in 2017, Straub has had recurring roles in the [[Tabletop role-playing game|table top role playing game]] (TTRPG) ''[[Dungeons & Dragons]]'' (''D&D'') [[Actual play|actual-play]] series ''[[Acquisitions Incorporated (actual play)|Acquisitions Incorporated]]'', and spinoff ''Acquisitions Incorporated: The "C" Team''.<ref>{{Citation |title=Acquisitions Incorporated: The C Team |date=2017-03-18 |url=https://www.imdb.com/title/tt6765378/ |type=Adventure, Comedy, Fantasy |access-date=2022-11-07}}</ref> The series is a collaboration between [[Penny Arcade]] and [[Wizards of the Coast]], and was eventually canonized in the official ''D&D'' sourcebook ''[[Acquisitions Incorporated]]'' (2019).<ref>{{Cite web |title=Acquisitions Incorporated |url=https://dnd.wizards.com//products/acquisitions-incorporated |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220621173524/https://dnd.wizards.com/products/acquisitions-incorporated |url-status=dead |archive-date=June 21, 2022 |access-date=2022-12-14 |website=D&D Official {{!}} Dungeons & Dragons}}</ref> Straub's character, writing, and art appear in the book and its related materials.<ref>{{Cite web |title=WotC & PA Review: Acquisitions Incorporated for D&D 5e! |url=https://dropthedie.com/acquisitions-incorporated |access-date=2022-12-14 |website=DropTheDie |date=June 19, 2019 |language=en-US}}</ref> He also writes and produces animated recaps and interstitials for both series.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Friedman |first=Em |date=2022-09-14 |title=How the first decade of actual play has defined the template |url=https://www.polygon.com/23334732/how-the-first-decade-of-actual-play-has-defined-the-template |access-date=2022-12-14 |website=Polygon |language=en-US}}</ref>
In 2022, Straub took over for Penny Arcade's [[Mike Krahulik]] to co-host some key PAX events with [[Jerry Holkins]].<ref>{{Cite web |title=PAX Stuff - Penny Arcade |url=https://www.penny-arcade.com/news/post/2021/06/18/pax-stuff-2 |access-date=2023-01-21 |website=www.penny-arcade.com |language=en}}</ref> He is also the lead storyteller in Penny Arcade's ''[[Call of Cthulhu (role-playing game)|Call of Cthulhu]]'' live-play collaborations with [[Chaosium|Chaosium, Inc]]. at PAX Australia.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Acquisitions Inc presents Call of Cthulhu at PAX Aus; now on YouTube |url=https://www.chaosium.com/blogacquisitions-inc-presents-call-of-cthulhu-at-pax-aus-now-on-youtube/ |access-date=2023-09-14 |website=Chaosium Inc. |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Acquisitions Inc play Call of Cthulhu - watch the feature event from this year's PAX AUS on YouTube |url=https://www.chaosium.com/blogacquisitions-inc-play-call-of-cthulhu-watch-the-feature-event-from-this-years-pax-aus-on-youtube/ |access-date=2023-09-14 |website=Chaosium Inc. |language=en}}</ref>
==References== {{Reflist}}
==External links== * [http://www.krisstraub.com/ Straub's personal hub site] * {{IMDb name|2596907}}
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Straub, Kris}} [[Category:1979 births]] [[Category:Living people]] [[Category:American webcomic creators]] [[Category:American people of Egyptian descent]]