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{{Short description|Webcomic}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=August 2013}}
{{Infobox Webcomic 
| title = Boy on a Stick and Slither
| image = [[File:BOASAS.png|Boy on a Stick and Slither]]
| caption = The Boy and Slither in the 2011 strip "Any Day Now"
| author = Steven L. Cloud
| url = http://www.boasas.com/
| status = Infrequently updated
| began = 1998
| ended =
| genre = Existential Humor
| ratings =
}}

'''''Boy on a Stick and Slither''''' (sometimes abbreviated as '''''BOASAS''''') is a [[webcomic]] by Steven L. Cloud. Strips usually feature a short, pithy and sometimes [[surreal humour|surreal]] exchange between the title characters. The strip is characterized by [[Dry humor|dry]] and [[Cynicism (contemporary)|cynical]] humor.

==History==
''Boy on a Stick and Slither'' was first uploaded in 1999 and was originally a member of webcomics collective Dumbrella. Though ''Boy on a Stick and Slither'' primarily exists on the web, it has also been published in ''[[The Atlanta Journal-Constitution]]'' and in [[Esquire (magazine)|''Esquire'' magazine]]. In April 2007, the webcomic was picked up by [[United Media]], which syndicated the webcomic online at [[Comics.com]] until February 2009.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.comicsbeat.com/boy-on-a-stick-and-slither-goes-to-comicscom/|work=[[Comics Beat]]|title=Boy on a Stick and Slither goes to Comics.com|date=2007-04-25}}</ref> ''Boy on a Stick and Slither'' has since been hosted on its own website.

==Style==
Tym Godek of ''[[The Webcomics Examiner]]'' described ''Boy on a Stick and Slither'' as with saying "Nothing in BOASAS stands still. Jittering characters, constantly shifting backgrounds and frequent non-sequiturs proliferate through the webcomic."<ref name=Examiner /> Cloud's day job in [[online marketing]] is apparent in the strip's design, as ''Boy on a Stick and Slither'' looks very cognizant of color and layout. Michael Whitney of ''Comixtalk'' prompted that "aesthetically, the strip smacks of commercial art: full page ads and catalog layouts."<ref name=Comixtalk>{{cite web|url=http://comixtalk.com:80/boy_on_a_stick_and_slither_by_steven_cloud_reviewed_by_michael_whitney|work=Comixtalk|title=Boy on a Stick and Slither by Steven Cloud, reviewed by Michael Whitney|last=Whitney|first=Michael|date=December 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090326115453/http://comixtalk.com/boy_on_a_stick_and_slither_by_steven_cloud_reviewed_by_michael_whitney|archive-date=March 26, 2009|url-status=dead|df=mdy-all}}</ref> Cloud breaks the mold in composition, frequently experimenting with backgrounds and panel layouts. Cloud noted in an interview that color is very important to him, and he described picking colors for any given strip as "probably my favorite thing to do." For print publications, Cloud draws alternate black-and-white versions of his strips.<ref name=Attitude />

==Characters==
Steven Cloud conceptualized the titular "Boy on a Stick" as he was [[doodle|doodling]] a boy's head one day and didn't want to mess it up with a poorly-drawn body. He drew a simple rectangular shape below the neck, and to his surprise, the design worked out fairly well. He gave him Slither as a friend, because Cloud found snakes to be exceedingly simple to draw. Cloud wanted his characters to become iconic and easily recognizable, like the characters in ''[[Peanuts (comic)|Peanuts]]''. The Boy on a Stick gradually developed a highly optimistic personality, while Slither became a pessimistic character: Cloud said of the Boy on a Stick and Slither that "the characters allow me to debate myself. They're the best and worst of me."<ref name=Attitude>{{cite book|title=[[Attitude 3: The New Subversive Online Cartoonists]]|publisher=[[Nantier Beall Minoustchine Publishing]]|last=Rall|first=Ted|author-link=Ted Rall|date=June 2006|isbn=1-56163-465-4}}</ref> Godek of ''The Webcomics Examiner'' described Boy on a Stick as "the voice of innocence and possibility" who is paired with Slither, "the voice of cynicism and negation." However, Godek also described both characters is inherently [[nihilism|nihilistic]], though the Boy in a more cheerful manner.<ref name=Examiner>{{cite web|url=http://webcomicsreview.com/examiner/issue050613/nihilism.html|work=[[The Webcomics Examiner]]|title=Nihilism is Easy: the Theory of Entropic Narrative or Webcomics and the Death of Culture|last=Godek|first=Tym|year=2005|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20061111102502/http://webcomicsreview.com/examiner/issue050613/nihilism.html|archive-date=2006-11-11}}</ref> Whitney of ''Comixtalk'', meanwhile, described the two characters as "icons or stand-ins for any two people."<ref name=Comixtalk />

Other characters in ''Boy on a Stick and Slither'' play a very minor role, and were primarily created when Cloud was low on ideas. Two characters, the "Florida Cracker" and "Frickles Mudcat", helped Cloud present political topics during the [[2004 United States presidential election|2004 presidential election]].<ref name=Attitude />

==In Print==
* Material from ''Boy on a Stick and Slither'' was included in ''[[Attitude 3: The New Subversive Online Cartoonists]]''.
* ''Boy on a Stick and Slither'' appeared weekly in ''[[The Charlotte Observer]]'' from 2007–2008.
* ''Boy on a Stick and Slither'' appeared weekly in ''[[The Atlanta Journal-Constitution]]'' (2001–2002)
* ''Boy on a Stick and Slither'' appeared in the October 2002 issue of ''[[Esquire (magazine)|Esquire]]'' (p. 70)

==References==
{{reflist}}

==External links==
{{Wikiquote}}
* [http://www.boasas.com/ Boy on a Stick and Slither website]

{{Dumbrella}}

[[Category:American comedy webcomics]]
[[Category:1990s webcomics]]
[[Category:2000s webcomics]]
[[Category:2010s webcomics]]
[[Category:Webcomics in print]]
[[Category:1998 webcomic debuts]]

Boy on a Stick and Slither - Revision history

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