[11] Throughout Achewood, there is no distinguishable underlying storyline, only the general passing of time and development of the comic's characters and their interrelationships.
The pages often rely upon strange humor as well as stereotypes, literary and historical references, and an in-depth knowledge of the characters and their interactions.
In October 2002, Achewood's "Sunday Edition" became part of the online alternative comics anthology Serializer.
"[citation needed] Achewood is sometimes featured in the Chaparral, Stanford University's humor publication, of which Onstad is a retired editor.
Onstad stated in an interview that he found the blogs easier to maintain than the strip, as they do not require as much refining.
[citation needed] In late 2004, it was announced that Checker Book Publishing Group was to release a collection of Achewood comics later that year.
Onstad resumed posting comics on December 24, 2015, with the first new strip in 20 months, and continued to update the site on most subsequent Fridays throughout 2016.
He tends to throw lots of parties and is generous to his friends, but he has a weakness to gambling and is occasionally rude and insensitive.
He is interested in Unix computer programming, poetry, and he has a wife named Molly Sanders whom he met in Heaven but eventually she came down to Earth to marry him.
Despite a difficult childhood marked by poverty and trauma, including his mother killing his father, Beef battles his constant depression and suicidal thoughts.
His housemates collectively raised him with varied success,[18] with Téodor acting as a nurturing motherly-type; Lyle as a neglectful big brother, and Mr. Bear as a stern but gentle father.
He was previously employed in every position in a kitchen at one point, but now films pornography, usually involving transgender women.
Téodor died in the April 28, 2005 comic strip due to choking on a bottle cap but was revived when Lyle kicked him in the gut.
He was put in jail for shooting the character Roast Beef, but escaped and got off the hook due to Ray's connections.
He lives with a serial killer he met in jail named Peter "Nice Pete" Cropes.
Roast Beef's lack of social skills means their relationship is often strained, but Molly's patience and tolerance often win out.
Molly picked up programming in Heaven, but since she died long before computers and coding were invented she has no official qualifications and was forced to get a job in the service industry.
"In the early months of Achewood, the strip takes place entirely at Chris Onstad's house, and the four original characters, Philippe, Téodor, Lyle, and Cornelius Bear, are implied to be essentially trapped there.
They are forced to hide from normal people due to being alive stuffed animals, and there is no mention of having jobs, money, or any real responsibilities.
After Ray, Roast Beef and Pat are introduced, however, the characters begin to assume more complex personalities and exercise greater independence.
The transition from a gag-a-day webcomic to a more involved one happened abruptly during an extended story arc called "The Party," the first of the long-form storylines which would become a staple of Achewood.
Subsequent chapters establish more clearly defined relationships between the characters, add additional depth to their personalities, and follow the main cast through other major story arcs.
[25][26] Time magazine's Lev Grossman named it number one on its list of the top 10 graphic novels of 2007.
[29] Achewood has been nominated for multiple Web Cartoonists' Choice Awards: Chris Onstad was born June 14, 1975, in California and grew up in a small town near Sonora, in the Sierra foothills.
Onstad formerly had a section on his website about his son, titled "current kid status," which he updated regularly with stories and happenings.
[34] Chris Onstad has self-published sixteen books: seven collections of Achewood comics, two books by character Nice Pete (A Wonderful Tale and A Hilarious Comedy), six 'zines by another named Roast Beef, and Recipes for a Lady or a Man: The Achewood Cookbook with recipes from several of the main characters.
Onstad remarked in an interview that "You can't help but be affected by Mark Twain books, Lay's Potato Chip ads, a fat lady who is yelling outside, David Letterman, etc.
He has also claimed to be influenced by "Bryson, Barry, Twain, Elton, Wodehouse, Adams, Vonnegut, John Irving, Arthur Conan Doyle, Jack Handey, Al Franken, that sort of thing.
"[37] In another interview with Brian Palmer, he professed his admiration for the British comedy show Look Around You and also stated, "I haven't seen anything that tops Mr.
In addition, since Onstad's wife was an employee of Williams Sonoma, the two received discounted high end cookware that they normally would not have bought.