Web comic (Zack Karas)

Student Zack Karas worked with a team of classmates on an assignment to do field research in a public space. His group chose a local coffee shop, and after conducting observations of the environment and the interactions among people there, they presented a critical analysis of the coffee-drinking scene to the rest of the class. Zack then used his team’s coffee shop experience as the basis for a comic, which he posted on a blog created to host his artwork. The final panels include a twist: Zack’s comic avatar fails to recognize that he, like many of the customers, is also a “post-ironic hipster . . . with facial hair, a hoodie, and an iPhone.” Turning the report into a comic allowed Zack to reach an audience beyond his classmates—readers who share his interest in humor, online comics, and the critique of the coffee-culture demographic.

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Zackery Karas