Pibgorn (webcomic)

Pibgorn is a webcomic by Brooke McEldowney that began in early 2002. The title character is a fairy whose adventures span the fantasy and real worlds. McEldowney also creates the syndicated comic strip "9 Chickweed Lane", occasionally crossing over to "Pibgorn", which explores stronger themes of sexuality and violence.
Publication history.
Origins.
"Pibgorn" slowly evolved over the years after McEldowney had begun "9 Chickweed Lane", wherein Edda would occasionally have flights of fancy where she appeared as a prototype Pibgorn on rare occasions. He finally started adapting the idea into a proposed spin-off entitled "The Titans", which was rejected by syndicate editors, in 2000. These proposed strips and accompanying sketches were presented on the "Pibgorn" website in 2005 during one of McEldowney's hiatuses from the strip.
"Titans" would have been a gag-a-day format strip, in which Pibgorn (named Oola Inch here), disenchanted with her expected role as a fairy, usually would break away from her regular routine to wax philosophical. Unfortunately, Oola was also one of life's losers, her dialogues often resulting in misfortune, such as having a magic 8-ball roll over her, or nearly being eaten by whatever animal she's conversing with (a spider, a duckling, etc.). The strips also showed a darker side to her character, as in addition to managing dewdrops, her responsibilities include serving as the "voices-in-my-head" of disgruntled government employees, driving one to attempted homicide on at least one occasion.
The final set of proposal strips showed Oola running afoul of Prince Crewth and Gaggot, here named Prince Grabstein and Rhune, when she petitions to leave "dewdrop brigade" and become a stand-up comedian. Unable to tell if she's laughing with him or at him, Grabstein outlaws laughter altogether and sets Luciano after Oola, only for the fly to fall in love with her. These situations were later recycled as part of the early "Pibgorn" story arcs.
Format.
Until April 18, 2007, "Pibgorn" was published on internet by United Feature Syndicate on their Comics.com website. It has also been published as a graphic novel, "Pibgorn: The Girl in the Coffee Cup", which was released in October 2006. Other releases include "A Midsummer Night's Dream", "The Poltergeist in the Piano", and "The Borgia Cantus". Possibly because of graphic novel considerations, "Pibgorn" is characterized by involved story arcs which may seem better suited to a graphic novel than a daily comic, and it is also notable for its creative use of color and large format, together with strong themes of violence (explicit) and sexuality (generally implicit), attributes not usually associated with daily print comics. The artist has made the point that he wants to create a story without worrying about the editors of family newspapers. 
"Pibgorn" originally ran daily Monday through Saturday, but on February 8, 2006, it was announced that beginning on February 13, the strip would run only on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday. It ended its run on Comics.com on April 18, 2007, and resumed with GoComics.com on May 14, 2007. McEldowney stated the burden of writing two daily strips concurrently as the reason for the cutback. As of July 14, 2008, the strip began running 5 days a week, Monday through Friday; McEldowney indicated in his blog that despite time constraints, he wanted the story to move along at a brisker pace.
Discontinuation from Comics.com.
On April 17, 2007, United Feature Syndicate announced through Comics.com that "Pibgorn" would be discontinued on the following day. Brooke McEldowney has indicated that United Feature Syndicate accommodated his request to be released from his contract in order to secure a new online home for "Pibgorn."
From a letter from Brooke McEldowney to his readers:
With United Media’s announcement that “Pibgorn” is to be discontinued, I have been inundated with e-mail, much of it agitated and distressed. I’m very sorry you had to get the news in this rather dispassionate way. That I may answer your central question forthwith, I’ve composed this response for everyone – so please forgive me if I seem impersonal.
“PIBGORN” WILL CONTINUE.
There. That is the main thing I wanted to say. Comics.com, however, will, as they have announced, no longer be the source. Nothing dramatic happened, really. I simply came to feel that the editorial needs of comics.com and those of “Pibgorn” were becoming more and more divergent and incompatible. For this reason I asked to be released from my contract with United Media in order to secure a new online home for “Pibgorn.” United Media most graciously, and reluctantly, agreed. In short order I hope to get Pib back up and flying.
Meanwhile, you have seen the most current installments of '"Pibgorn." Hold that thought. We’ll be back.
All best wishes, and thanks so very much for writing.
After the move to GoComics.com, the content became more risque, including nudity and implied sexual content. For example, in the August 22, 2008 strip, Geoff is seen walking down the street, nude, with his bare buttocks on display.
Return of "Pibgorn".
"Pibgorn" returned to the Web on May 14, 2007, at gocomics.com, owned by Universal Press Syndicate. Continuing in its three-per-week format, the interrupted story arc was presented from the start so as not to confuse new readers.
In late 2015 Pibgorn switched to presenting an older series of WAHOO TERMINAL comics, which continued through September, 2016. Afterwards, Pibgorn returned to its earlier story arc, but on an intermittent basis while presenting some experimental styles.
On August 17, 2017, McEldowney posted a note on Pibgorn’s Gocomics page, explaining that he was still recovering from a stroke, and that in the meantime, there would be a rerun of the storyline “Pibgorn and the Djinn of It,” which began four days later, on August 21.
Storylines.
Pibgorn has completed 13 distinct adventures to date, and has begun another. The story arcs are as follows, named as McEldowney conceived them: