Pouchémon Go!

September 3, 2016

This comic strip was inspired by the recent popularity of Pokemon Go. Generally I don’t like the idea of making a specific pop culture reference in my comic strip because its relevance could be fleeting if it turns into a brief fad. But with all of the attention that Pokemon Go has been receiving this summer in news reports and on social media it seemed like something worthy of Norton’s attention. And instead of making direct reference to it, in the wonderful world of Norton and Wilfrid it is referred to as Pouchemon Go. Similar enough to be recognized as a parallel to the real thing, but unique enough to exist only in Norton and Wilfrid’s universe.

The absurdity that abounds in this strip is what makes me laugh quite a bit. Norton clearly does not have a solid idea of what Pouchemon Go is all about, but he earnestly wants to participate. He refers to it as “Pouchemon Go hunting”, implying that he probably thinks that Pouchemon are some form of actual small woodland critters that can be spotted in the wild. It sounds as though he heard about it in passing, assumed it meant one thing and decided to get involved without learning about it any further. Time must have been of the essence that he didn’t want to miss out on the craze. You have to give Norton at least a few points for trying.