Big Nate

Big Nate is a franchise of comic strips from 1991–present by Lincoln Peirce, a book series from 2010–16 by Peirce, a series titled Little Big Nate by Peirce, and an upcoming Nickelodeon TV series called Big Nate. Starting with the comic strip beginning on January 7, 1991, the comic has since inspired book collections, theatrical performances, and an upcoming television series.[1]

Big Nate
Author(s)Lincoln Peirce
WebsiteOfficial GoComics page
Current status/scheduleRunning
Launch dateJanuary 7, 1991 (dailies), February 10, 1991 (Sundays)
Syndicate(s)Newspaper Enterprise Association
Genre(s)Humor, school life, readable
Followed byBig Nate books

Synopsis

Big Nate follows the adventures and misadventures of Nate Wright, an incompetent, spirited and rebellious sixth-grader, along with his best friends, Francis and Teddy. Other characters include a variety of teachers at Public School 38. Nate hates social studies teacher Mrs. Godfrey, whom he considers his nemesis and calls her names like the school's Godzilla. Peirce also focuses on Nate's home life and friendships. Answering questions from fans in The Washington Post'',[2] Peirce revealed the following about the creation of the strip:

"Big Nate started as more of a "domestic humor" strip than it is now. "I intended to feature a lot of stories about Nate's single dad, and all the comic possibilities inherent in that. But before too long, I realized that the part of the strip that I enjoyed most was the school humor. I'd been a teacher myself, and schools can be very funny places." says Peirce.

Characters
Main article: List of Big Nate characters and premises
  • Nate Wright: The comic strip's main character. Nate is in sixth grade and 11 years old, a talented cartoonist, drummer, and chess player. He also believes he is a natural prankster, as he attempts funny and difficult pranks on the second to last day of school (known in the book as "Prank Day"). He is somewhat vain, believing himself to be irresistible to girls despite being rejected repeatedly by his crush, Jenny Jenkins. He believes he is a brilliant sports player despite his lack of athletic abilities. He also thinks of himself as a genius despite his below-average grades. Nate spends much of his time in detention, in the art room drawing comics, or playing drums for his rock band, Enslave the Mollusk, which also comprises his friends Francis, Teddy, and Artur. Nate is desperate to own a dog as he is a dog person who is ailurophobic, but rarely gets his wish, as his father does not want to own a dog. He also has ailurophobia, and hates Figure skating and egg salad, but loves Cheez Doodles. Surprisingly, Nate's most well-known talent is that he is a skilled chess-player, to the complete confusion of his friends and family. Nate is also well known as being able to detect vibes. He even tried to teach Chad Applewhite this ability but failed. Nate is also known for having a very accurate sense of smell.
  • Martin Earl "Marty" Wright: Nate's father, a bald, overweight divorcée who lost his job in the eighth novel of the series (eventually getting another one). Like his son, he is somewhat clueless about his failings and considers himself a professional musician despite his indescribably horrible singing voice and initially poor steel-string guitar playing, an athlete despite his inherent laziness, and an expert golfer, though he constantly cheats or loses his ball. He is a health nut and always tries to hand out healthy alternatives to candy on Halloween (raisins, prunes, trail mix, etc.), which are always rejected by trick-or-treaters. He also was the hero of the first Mud Bowl, according to Big Nate: Blasts Off. His first name was first stated on July 28, 2005.
  • Ellen Wright: Nate's fifteen-year-old sister. Unlike Nate, Ellen is responsible and hardworking and loves cats and figure-skating, and egg salad. Nate is always compared to Ellen in school by teachers, especially Mrs. Godfrey. She is Nate's consistent rival, and he enjoys playing pranks on her. Ellen also dates Gordie on and off, who works at the comic book store, Klassic Komix and has previously dated Kenny Smithson, the captain of the football team and is considered her crush. They briefly broke up before reconciling. She is 4 years older than Nate.
  • Francis Butthurst Pope: Nate's number #1 friend, Francis is very intelligent, and this upsets his friends from time to time. He has a gap between his teeth and lets people bully him often. Nate and Francis frequently make fun of each other, but he states that this is how they operate. He also likes to read ‘The Book of Facts’ which annoys Nate and Teddy. Nate and Francis often argue about cats vs dogs as Francis is a cat person, he also has a cat named Pickles. Contrary to Nate's feelings for them, Francis is friendly with both Mrs. Godfrey and Artur. Francis plays the electric guitar in Enslave the Mollusk and dates Sheila Stapleton.
  • Teddy √ Ortiz : Nate's number "1A" best friend, Teddy is a comedic character who frequently cracks jokes and annoys Nate. Like Francis, Teddy likes Artur and is a member of Enslave the Mollusk. His middle name is the square root symbol since his parents are math teachers. In Big Nate: Flips Out, it is revealed that he is fluent in Spanish. He plays the musical keyboard in Enslave The Mollusk. In 1994, it is revealed that Teddy is half Mexican, and half Puerto Rican. In 1994, it is revealed that over the summer Teddy gets to live in Mexico with his grandparents, however, this stopped happening in 1996. Teddy also knows a lot about the Civil War, as his dad is an expert of the Civil War, and has been teaching him facts since he was a baby.

Bibliography

38 print collections and novel books, and six activity books have been published.

Collections

(See: List of Big Nate collections)

Book series
  1. Big Nate: In a Class by Himself – March 23, 2010
  2. Big Nate: Strikes Again – October 19, 2010
  3. Big Nate: On a Roll – August 16, 2011
  4. Big Nate: Goes for Broke – March 20, 2012
  5. Big Nate: Flips Out – February 5, 2013
  6. Big Nate: In the Zone – March 11, 2014
  7. Big Nate: Lives It Up – March 10, 2015
  8. Big Nate: Blasts Off – February 16, 2016

Activity books
  1. Big Nate Boredom Buster: Super Scribbles, Cool Comix, and Lots of Laughs (April 12, 2011)
  2. Big Nate Fun Blaster: Cheezy Doodles, Crazy Comix and Loads of Laughs (July 10, 2012)
  3. Big Nate Doodlepalooza: Scribble Games, Secret Codes, and Nonstop Laughs (July 9, 2013)
  4. Big Nate Laugh-O-Rama: Daring Drawings, Maze Madness, and Tons of Fun (July 8, 2014)
  5. Big Nate Super Scribbler: Cheezy Doodles, Crazy Comix, and Epic Laughs (July 7, 2015)
  6. Big Nate Puzzlemania: Super Scribbles, Goofy Games, and Tons of Fun (May 17, 2016)

Board books
  1. Little Big Nate Draws a Blank - September 3, 2019
  2. Little Big Nate: No Nap! - September 1, 2020

Other media

Musical

In May 2013, a stage musical adaptation of the comic strip debuted at the Adventure Theatre MTC in Maryland.[3] The production's story centers on Nate, who tries to enter his school's Battle of the Bands competition but must try to avoid getting any more detentions, as too many would disqualify his band from competing. Critical reception for the musical has been positive.[4][5]

Television series adaptation
Main article: Big Nate (TV series)

On February 19, 2020, it was announced that Big Nate would receive a 26-episode animated adaptation called Big Nate, which will air on Nickelodeon.[6]

References
  1. "Theatre Review: 'Small Nate' at Adventure Theatre MTC". MD Theater Guide. Archived from the original on 2017-11-12. Retrieved 11 December 2013.
  2. Tobin, Suzanne (August 27, 2004). "Comics: Meet the Artist". The Washington Post.
  3. Cavna, Michael (May 4, 2013). "'Big Nate' Musical Debuts: Encouraged by 'Peanuts,' Lincoln Peirce's comic-strip hit comes to the Maryland stage". The Washington Post. Retrieved 11 December 2013.
  4. "Review: In 'Big Nate' musical, audience cheers on mischief maker". Omaha.com. Archived from the original on 9 November 2013. Retrieved 11 December 2013.
  5. Wren, Celia (May 26, 2013). "'Big Nate' travels outside comic strip borders in affable Adventure Theatre musical". The Washington Post. Retrieved 11 December 2013.
  6. Milligan, Mercedes (February 19, 2020). "Nickelodeon Slates 'Big Nate' Series, 'Kamp Koral' Cast, 'Loud House' Live-Action Movie". Animation Magazine. Retrieved March 24, 2020.
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