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[KSweeley]

Link: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/615106574/save-pepe

Save Pepe
Our aim is to resurrect Pepe the Frog in a new comic book reclaiming his status as a universal symbol for peace, love, and acceptance.

"Before Pepe the Frog was a meme designated a hate symbol by the Anti-Defamation League, he began his life as a blissfully stoned frog in my comic book Boy’s Club where he enjoyed a simple life of snacks, soda and pulling his pants all the way down to go pee. Boy's Club debuted in 2006, Pepe became a meme around 2010, then stuck around the internet long enough to become an institutionally recognized hate mascot. Needless to say it’s a nightmare so I killed him off. But now I’d like to bring him back, and I’d like to ask your help in funding a new zine celebrating a resurrected Pepe, one that shall shine a light in all this darkness and feel good again." -Matt Furie

 

[Shaanyboi]

It's dead bro.

Edit: this person totally got a Pepe tattoo and are trying to avoid having it removed before they get called an alt-right asshole

 

[chicken_pasta]

No meme deserves this. Poor pepe

 

[Electric Eye]

Only if he brings him back like the Death of Superman arc in the 90's.

 

[Ryuuroden]

Yeaahhhh, no thanks, leave it dead.

 

[benicillin]

I appreciate his efforts.

 

[George Oscar Bluth II]

Afterlife with Pepe

 

[Linkura]

It's dead bro.

They already exceeded the goal.

 

[Futureman]

Pepe can shove it up his ass.

 

[Phrozenflame500]

feels bad man

 

[Slayven]

Feels like a scam

 

[Alienous]

Sure dude, ride the "I made Pepe" train for all it's worth.

 

[KSweeley]

Link: http://mashable.com/2017/06/27/pepe-frog-kickstarter-new-comic/?utm_cid=hp-n-5#2XM65pBdysq1

Cartoonist Matt Furie wants to wrest control of a meme away from virulent internet cesspools and turn it back into the funny, chill character he created.

Furie held a faux funeral for Pepe the Frog last month after his creation had warped into an international symbol of alt-right racism and bigotry, but now he's started a Kickstarter campaign to give his character a new life on the page and the interwebs.

Furie first drew Pepe as a "chill-frog dude" in 2006 as part of an ensemble of characters in a series he named "Boy's Club." The frog eventually made his way to the internet, where, naturally he was memed. Then, in late 2015, racists who inhabit certain corners of the internet got a hold of him.

 

[tkscz]

I mean, I can't blame the guy. He created Pepe and some assholes took him away. Like have your art stolen. I can understand wanting him back, but I'm not putting money towards this.

 

[thebeeks]

I love Boys Club, but let Pepe die.


Everyone knows Andy and Landwolf are where it's at.

 

[Mushroomer25]

13 grand? To produce a zine of memes?

Man, I wish I could've thought to fleece people out of their money like this.

 

[Rollo Tomasi]

It's dead bro.

Edit: this person totally got a Pepe tattoo and are trying to avoid having it removed before they get called an alt-right asshole

He is the creator of Pepe.

Everyone knows Andy and Landwolf are where it's at.

YES, thank you.

 

[NOLA_Gaffer]

I don't understand how a frog from a comic strip was turned into an alt-right symbol. You think they'd try to go for something a bit more mainstream.

 

[Beer Monkey]

I bought the actual comic book with the funeral.

No retcon, please.

 

[radios shipping overview]

He hit his goal already. Good for him.

 

[ShadowSwordmaster]

It's already taint. There is no turning back.

 

[wesleyshark]

Lol I can just see this backfiring somehow

 

[PSqueak]

13 grand? To produce a zine of memes?

Man, I wish I could've thought to fleece people out of their money like this.

Zine of memes?

No, he wants to go back to Pepe's original context as a character in his "Boy's Club" comic.

 

[Psychoward]

I was going to post a sad Pepe as a reaction image but it was only the third result from google and a breitbart link. ugh

personally I still use it among my gf and close friends even though we're aware of its rise in popularity among shitheads but I wouldn't use it on a public outlet or anything

 

[chicken_pasta]

Someone pledged $5000 damn.

 

[KrellRell]

Good luck to him.

 

[Shaanyboi]

He is the creator of Pepe.

And he really thinks he can just polish that image after the alt-right have completely tainted it?

It's like trying to bring back the Hitler-stache. You can say you're trying to "take it back" and that it's really 'the Charlie Chaplin', but you ain't gonna undo that it's also called the Hitler-stache. Just let it go.

 

[yanipheonu]

I'm not sure that's how memes work.

 

[norm9]

Why doesnt he just retcon Pepe as queer or black?

 

[axisofweevils]

I thought the original creator drew a picture of pepe dead in a coffin indicating he's done with it.

 

[Psychoward]

Why doesnt he just retcon Pepe as queer or black?

1) #twinksfortrump

2) they'd probably make more edits that made him look like a gorilla or something else incredibly racist

 

[RinsFury]

Ugh. Just let the meme run its course and die, this will only fuel the 4chan and the_donald alt right nazis that spam it everywhere.

 

[chicken_pasta]

And he really thinks he can just polish that image after the alt-right have completely tainted it?

Actually, he might. The movement that appropriated Pepe is pretty US-centric, if I'm not mistaken. The rest of the world used Pepes before, and will probably continue to use them. I'm inclined to believe the biggest reason you don't see many Pepes now is because, as it happens with memes, popularity declines with time.

 

[Imperial Bishop]

A fool and his money will soon depart.

 

[meltingparappa]

You cannot stop Dr. Robotnik's Meme Bean Machine once the gears have already started turning, particularly if you're trying to instill empathy to 'ironic' racists.

 

[Angry Grimace]

I had no idea it was even named Pepe. I usually just think of the orange bird in World of Warcraft that sits on your head.

 

[perfectchaos007]

It may be too late. He's already the leader of "Kekistan" whatever that is

 

[Arozay]

Great scheme to milk his meme and people with money who want other people to know they're "good people"

 

[SpaceWolf]

The frog is dead. Bury it.

 

[stan423321]

The only way I can see this working is with the plot going full meta on the issue AND somehow getting popular enough. The first point sounds possible if author reaches the same conclusions, though given my minimal knowledge of the setting and author it actually may not. (I imagine something along the lines of clone machine resulting in an army of reprogrammed frogs becoming a thing.) However, the second point is problematic, not just due to its coexistence with the first point, but also due to fact that public that produces and consumes memes is somewhat larger than public that produces and consumes longer comics.

 

[Toad.T]

Afterlife with Pepe

So it gets numerous delays each issue before silently dying?

Spoiler

fuck you archie comics

 

[johnsmith]

Funded already. Pepe's back!

 

[Leunam]

Can I pay money to take away money from this Kickstarter?

 

[Mask]

If you wanna get it back, just keep making the character talk absolute shit about alt-right fuckheads. Like, the most roasting stuff you can, until they get pissed off and start being angry at the character.

Make Pepe what they hate, and they'll leave him alone themselves.

 

[Baraka in the White House]

Forget Pepe.

Embrace dat boi.

Spoiler

o shit waddup

 

[Camper Van Beethoven]

He’ll always be the feels bad man frog to me. He’s charming.

 

[jstripes]

Only if he brings him back like the Death of Superman arc in the 90's.

So there's 4 Pepes and no one knows which is the real Pepe?

 

[KeyBladerXIII]

Pepe is far too corrupted at this point.

 

[LumpOfCole]

There's no saving Pepe like there is no saving the swastika (no matter if it's reversed or not). Both memes and otherwise benign symbols can become additional victims of hate.

 

[MetroidPrimeRib]

I mean there is something I can appreciate about trying to take a symbol back (especially if its the creator itself spearheading it) but Pepe was always just a dumb meme and I wish it stayed that way