In the world of webcomics, there exists an infamous genre known as "sprite comics". Some say they're a menace to society; others say they're the best thing to hit webcomics since Microsoft Paint¹. The existence of this genre has been the subject of much debate throughout the Internet, but to this date no consensus has ever truly been reached. So what's the controversy all about?

What Is a Sprite Comic, Anyway?

A sprite comic, by definition, is a comic (usually on the World Wide Web) created by arranging character sprites from old video games. "Spriters" (as the creators of these comics are usually known) use a graphics editing tool such as Adobe Photoshop or Microsoft Paint to take sprite

The Origins of the Sprite Comic

Neglected Mario Characters is widely regarded to be the first ever sprite comic. Created in September of 1998, it exhibits most of the hallmarks of the genre;

The Controversy

Are They Art?

Legality