View source for Schlock Mercenary

{{Short description|Comedic science fiction webcomic}}
{{Infobox Webcomic <!-- Part of [[Wikipedia:WikiProject Webcomics]] -->
| title = Schlock Mercenary
| image = [[File:Schlock Mercenary book 1 - Under New Management.jpeg|250px]]
| caption = ''Schlock Mercenary book 3: Under New Management''
| author = [[Howard Tayler]]<ref name="ferro swedin 2011"/>
| url = [https://www.schlockmercenary.com/ www.schlockmercenary.com]
| status = Completed
| began = {{Start date and age|2000|6|12}}<ref name="first strip"/>
| ended = July 24, 2020<ref>{{cite web |last1=Tayler |first1=Howard V. |title=Book 20: Sergeant In Motion — THE END |url=https://www.schlockmercenary.com/2020-07-24 |website=www.schlockmercenary.com |language=en}}</ref>
| genre = [[Science fiction]], [[comedy]]
| ratings =
}}

'''''Schlock Mercenary''''' is a comedic [[webcomic]] written and drawn by [[Howard Tayler]]. It follows the tribulations of a star-travelling [[mercenary]] company in a satiric, mildly [[dystopia]]n 31st-century [[space opera]] setting. After its debut on June 12, 2000, the comic was updated daily until its conclusion in July 24, 2020, [[webcomics and income|supporting its author]] and receiving five [[Hugo Award]] nominations.

The comic had been collected into fifteen print volumes {{as of|April 2019|lc=yes}}, and a sixteenth volume has been announced.

The online comic concluded in July 2020 at the end of the twentieth volume, with an announcement by Tayler that the main story was complete, though spin-offs might be expected in the future.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.schlockmercenary.com/blog/done-at-least-for-a-while/|title = Done, at Least for a while…}}</ref>

==Story==
The story primarily centers on Captain Kaff Tagon, his mercenary crew, Tagon's Toughs, and their roles as members in a for-profit military organization. Various story lines have the crew swept into conflicts on a single planet, a galaxy-spanning apocalyptic crisis or intergalactic war.

In the distant future of ''Schlock Mercenary'''s setting, many changes face Terran society. [[Faster-than-light]] travel is attained, alien races are contacted, and technology undergoes radical improvements.

Alien species vary from fairly [[humanoid]] to almost unrecognizable. There are carbosilicate amorphs with no easily definable limbs or organs (the eponymous Sgt. Schlock), eight-limbed Gatekeepers, two-bodied Uklakk, and the unknowable Pa'anuri, beings made of [[Dark matter in fiction|dark matter]].

The number of sapient [[species]] descended from Terran stock increased as Earth's genetic engineers refined their craft. Enhanced [[chimpanzee]]s, [[gorilla]]s, [[orangutan]]s, [[dolphin]]s, [[snake]]s, [[octopus]]es, at least two types of [[bears]], and two species of [[elephant]] have citizenship. Genetic enhancement of the [[human]] population resulted in the purple-skinned photosynthetic "Purps", along with general improvements to the population.

===Technology===
As in many science fiction stories, technology forms a large part of ''Schlock Mercenary'''s storytelling framework. Several story arcs revolve around the political conflict surrounding rapid technological change. After a particularly complex or interesting new system is introduced to the comic, its in-comic explanation is often supplemented with a footnote.

Travel between the stars is accomplished through the use of "wormgates", large [[wormhole]] generators controlled by the enigmatic F'sherl-Ganni Gatekeepers. Within the storyline of the comic, wormgates are supplanted by the "teraport", a device allowing near-instant travel between any two points, as long as neither point is within range of an interdicting device. In that case, the teraporting object may be destroyed.

The F'sherl-Ganni also constructed several buuthandi, ''Schlock Mercenary'''s take on a [[Dyson sphere]]. A buuthandi is a balloon of [[solar sail|solar-sail]] material around a star. Light pressure and solar wind offset the star's gravitation to keep the balloon inflated, while habitats and maintenance facilities dangling from the inner side act as ballast to balance the sails. Despite their tremendous surface area, a buuthandi provides a disproportionally small amount of livable habitat.<ref name="buuthandi"/>  "Control cables, millions of square kilometers of slack sail material, and some very clever engineering allow the 'balloon' to compensate for (and, in some cases, mitigate) the mood swings of the contained star."<ref name="buuthandi 2"/>  In the ''Schlock Mercenary'' universe, a buuthandi is about 300 million kilometers in diameter.<ref name="buuthandi 3"/> ("Buuthandi" is a shortened form of a F'sherl-Ganni phrase which, after the foul language is removed, can be roughly translated as "This was expensive to build.")

Medical technology includes nanobots and both artificial and regrown replacements for damaged body parts. One important item in the comic is the "magic cryo-kit", an illegally-modified device with the capability to rebuild an entire body as long as the brain is intact. In the strip, this is shown as "from the head down", but, presumably, nothing more than the brain is necessary. Conventional legal medical technology is also capable of full-body regeneration, although at a much slower pace and dependent on your [[HMO]] insurance options. The Toughs employ various technologies to protect survival of heads until their owners can be regenerated. An example of this technology is the comedically ubiquitous "head-in-a-jar", which permits a character to interact in a storyline despite [[decapitation|an otherwise-fatal injury]]. Another is the "nanny-bag", which maintains the severed head and/or entire body of an otherwise mortally-wounded teammate for an unknown length of time. For example, Kevyn Andreyasn's head was sustained for several weeks.<ref name="schlock 20050623"/>

In addition to medical benefits, nanotechnology can "boost" soldiers to levels of physical performance unmodified humans cannot reach. Minor enhancements are legal, but extreme military modifications are highly-regulated. Significant examples of soldier-boosting within the strip are the mercenary grunt Nick and the bounty hunter Doythaban,<ref name="Nick"/><ref name="Doythaban"/><ref name="Doythaban 2"/> as well as  Kevyn in a particular story arc.<ref name="Kevyn"/>

Computer hardware has progressed to the point that [[artificial general intelligence|true, strong artificial intelligence]] is common, and several artificial intelligences are characters in the story.

Weapons technology drastically improved as well. A mercenary's arsenal can include [[railgun]]s, [[laser]]s, [[Non-lethal force|non-lethal]] [[nanotechnology|nanomotive]] "goober" rounds, and [[Plasma (physics)|plasma]] cannons. Old-fashioned [[bullet]]-firing [[firearm]]s continue to be effective against unprotected targets... and are less likely to rupture a hull than a plasma bolt.

Energy is a resource literally [[too cheap to meter]]. Anything powered by miniaturized [[Nuclear fusion|fusion]] reactors (which, in the 31st century, are so advanced, they can operate solely on atmospheric gasses),<ref name="atmospheric gasses"/> is easily-fueled by massively powerful [[neutronium]]-annihilation "annie" plants—spherical devices generating massive amounts of power by [[gravitation]]ally converting mass to energy, a means of power generation made possible by ubiquitous gravity manipulation. One-shot devices (and [[bomb]]s) are often powered by [[fullerene]]d [[antimatter]], a carbon-based powder which contains antiprotons at the parts-per-thousand level, and should ''never'' be incinerated.

Gravity manipulation is a process as commonplace as modern electronics, employed in starship propulsion and artificial gravity, and weapons and shielding against weapons. Controlled/artificial gravity is referred to as "gravy." Gravitic weapons in particular are common and developed due to their dual purpose—as potent weapons, they can compress matter into neutronium which can then fuel an annie plant. The degree of this control is dependent on the number of projectors. For example, the battleplate ''Tunguska'' was able to manipulate individual limbs, and individual ''digits'' of crew on board the ''Serial Peacemaker''<ref name="Serial Peacemaker"/> while smaller ship create nodes of gravity in a few points on the ship and without the same level of control. However, the generation of gravity is beyond the capabilities of the sophonts of the Milky Way, necessitating ships to be constructed around annie plants as sources of gravity to manipulate.{{Citation needed|date=June 2011}}

These devices and more are built using fabrication technology, or "fabbers". While rare and expensive, possession of one of these portable factories and the appropriate designs allows for the cheap mass-production of any physical item.<ref name="fabber"/>  Several of the mercenaries are trained in fabber design, allowing the company to cheaply produce and repair their gear.

==Main characters==
Notable members of the crew include  Kevyn Andreyasn; title character Sergeant Schlock, who is a carbosilicate amorph; Petey, a former artificial intelligence and now Fleetmind and pseudo-God; and the wry AI and former [[boyband]], Ennesby.

;Sergeant Schlock
:The title character, a carbosilicate amorph "[[everyman]]" with no easily definable limbs, organs, or moral compass. He normally appears as a large greenish-brown mass coming up to about normal human chest height.

;Captain Kaff Tagon
:The human leader of the [[mercenary]] company "Tagon's Toughs". In early strips of the comic, he exhibited overt sexism, such as proclaiming that "women don't belong in my command structure"<ref name="schlock 20000617"/> and hiring a doctor based on her looks.<ref name="schlock 20001116"/>

;Kevyn Andreyasn
:Munitions Commander and resident mad scientist, an [[engineering]] genius. He has more common sense and faster intuition than most of the members of the mercenary company. He enjoys tinkering with stuff in his lab, being crazy over mechanical stuff as the [[nerd|stereotypical nerd]]. His most notable invention is the teraport, a [[teleportation]] technology which eventually led to full-scale warfare spanning the [[galaxy]] when it was made [[Open-source license|open source]].

;Breya Andreyasn
:Former leader of the mercenaries, now diplomat, and Kevyn's sister. She is highly competent, can operate in a variety of fields, and has little tolerance for disrespect, having once injured Captain Tagon after he purchased power armor for her which featured exaggerated breast sizes. She was first seen collaborating with her brother on commercializing his "teraport" stardrive, handling marketing and business aspects.

;Ennesby
:Ennesby is an [[artificial intelligence|AI]] with Tagon's Toughs who looks like a "flying [[maraca]]" (the shape of his first physical body). He has human-looking eyes, a speaker grille in front that moves like a mouth, and floating eyebrows. The maraca is capable of withstanding chemical explosives at point-blank range.  His various additional capabilities include short-ranged levitation and a [[maser]].

;Post-Dated Check Loan ("Petey")
:The [[artificial intelligence]] of the massive warship of the same name, originally the ''Sword of Inevitable Justice''. Driven mad by a gruesome mutiny, Petey existed in a state of total introversion, rendering the ship nearly inoperative, until coaxed back to reality by the mercenary company. He controls the ship's every function and manifests an avatar in the form of a floating hologram of an Ob'enn, the koala-like race of warmongering [[xenophobia|xenophobes]] that constructed him.

;Chief Warrant Officer Gunther Thurl
:His job entails sitting at a console, and that, coupled with a tendency to snack and some genetic predispositions, meant he used to be [[obese]]. Because of a botched mission during which Schlock ate everything but his head, his body had to be regrown. He is now a lot slimmer than what he was used to.  When the company added several new recruits (including Andy and Legs, q.v.), he was promoted to Chief Warrant Officer.  Due to his experience and age, Thurl handles many of the administrative tasks that the current ship AI, Tagii, and Ennesby do not or are not authorized to do.

;Doctor Edward Bunnigus
:Originally hired by Captain Tagon for her well-endowed figure, she has consistently demonstrated an ability to deal with every situation Tagon's Toughs encounters. Less of a mercenary than many of her fellow officers, she concentrates on keeping the trigger-happy mercenaries alive. Her gender-inappropriate name, sizable intellect, and absurd proportions are the consequence of idiot parents and pre-birth gene therapy. Her parents wanted a child who had both a brilliant mind and the body proportions of an [[exotic dancer]], because they thought their child should be both smart and beautiful. When the parents first looked upon the baby, the serial code on the tag on her wrist started with "E.D.", for exotic dancer. Her parents, nowhere near as bright as she would one day be, assumed that 'Ed' was her name, and called the girl Edward. She is married to Reverend Theo Fobius.

;Ellen "Elf" Foxworthy
:Elf began as a powered-armor soldier until a failed bounty hunt. She then became a tank pilot (her small size allowing her to fit into the Ob'Enn minitanks Petey had schematics for), and rose to become the head of her own minitank team.

;The Very Reverend Theo Fobius
:The company [[priest]] of an unspecified but fairly Christianesque faith, Theo is still a mercenary and has shown considerable theological flexibility when confronted with such things as an AI that goes explosively suicidal at the thought of the supernatural. His name, assuming it is derived from [[Greek language|Greek]], most fittingly means ''"God-Fearing"''.

;Alexia Murtaugh
:Tagon's Toughs first encountered Murtaugh when she was serving as head of security company "Sanctum Adroit" at the Haven Hive habitat. She was later fired from her security company and joined Tagons's Toughs. She started at the bottom, but due to her long military experience she was later made a captain when the mercenary company obtained new ships.

==Publication history==
[[File:Howard Tayler at CONduit 2007.png|thumb|right|Creator [[Howard Tayler]] at [[Conduit (convention)|CONduit]] in 2007.]]
Over time, Tayler's art improved, in his words, from bad to "marginally less bad."<ref name="first strip"/> [[Jean Elmore]] served as colorist for the strip from February 9, 2003, to the spring of 2004 when she developed a [[repetitive strain injury]] from her work.

On March 3, 2003, the comic reached its 1001st strip. Tayler marked the milestone by "re-launching" the comic. With the relaunch, the strip was slightly reoriented for publication, organizing the comic's ongoing story into "books". Each book has a fairly self-contained story, although they are still chronological and connected.<ref name="schlock-archives"/> On December 2, 2005, Tayler published the comic's 2000th daily strip<ref name="comicon interview"/> since the series' debut. On June 12, 2010, ''Schlock Mercenary'' marked ten years of uninterrupted daily run, a feat matched by few other webcomics.{{citation needed|date=October 2019}}

In March 2006, Tayler published ''Schlock Mercenary: Under New Management'', the first book-based collection of ''Schlock Mercenary'' comics. This collection features stories printed from March 9, 2003, through August 23, 2003, plus five pages of new material including a foreword by [[John Ringo]], a feature explaining how Sgt. Schlock "got turned on to plasma cannons", bonus art, the author's biography, and architectural deck plans to Tagon's third ship ''Serial Peacemaker''.

In December 2007, Tayler published ''Schlock Mercenary: The Tub of Happiness''.  It features stories from the beginning of the webcomic to October 2001, as well as the bonus story "Baggage Claim," explaining the circumstances around Schlock joining the Toughs.  There are numerous pieces of fan art throughout the book, as well as early concept art drawn by Tayler and notes to the reader from both Tayler and his wife, talking about the characters and Tayler's early cartooning efforts.

On Monday, February 17, 2014, Tayler announced that the strip had reached 5,000 comics.<ref name="5000-comics"/> On Tuesday, June 11, 2019, Tayler announced that the strip had reached 19 years of continuous daily comics.<ref name="19yo-comics"/>

===Schlocktoberfest===
Schlocktoberfest was a mostly-annual storyline that occurred during the month of October prior to 2009. The story arc generally started out typically, but soon developed a dark tone, usually involving gruesome events and often character death, before typically resolving itself at the end of the month. The last year with a Schlocktoberfest storyline was 2008, and Tayler has stated that he is no longer doing it.<ref name="schlocktoberfest"/>

===Collections===
Collections of ''Schlock Mercenary'' strips were originally published in book form by "The Tayler Corporation", and are now published through Hypernode Press. Tayler's wife, [[Sandra Tayler|Sandra]], is the publisher. The first published collection, ''Under New Management'' does not start at the beginning of the archive, but at the 1001st strip, when the strip was relaunched. The first 1,000 strips were published later in books 1 and 2.

Released and announced book titles are as follows:<ref name="schlock-archives"/><ref name="schlock blog 20151019"/><ref name="schlock blog directors commentary"/>

# ''The Tub of Happiness'' ({{ISBN|978-0-9779074-0-3}}, December 2007)
# ''The Teraport Wars'' ({{ISBN|978-0-9779074-1-0}}, October 2008)
# ''Under New Management'' ({{ISBN|978-0-9779074-2-7}}, May 2006<!-- This volume was published before the first two in the series-->)
# ''The Blackness Between'' ({{ISBN|978-0-9779074-3-4}}, November 2006<!-- This volume was published before the first two in the series-->)
# ''The Scrapyard of Insufferable Arrogance'' ({{ISBN|978-0-9779074-4-1}}, June 2009)
# ''Resident Mad Scientist'' ({{ISBN|978-0-9779074-7-2}}, July 2010)
# ''Emperor Pius Dei'' ({{ISBN|978-0-9835746-0-6}}, July 2011)
# ''The Sharp End of the Stick'' ({{ISBN|978-0-9835746-2-0}}, June 2012)
# ''The Body Politic'' ({{ISBN|978-0-9835746-4-4}}, August 2013)
# ''The Longshoreman of the Apocalypse'' ({{ISBN|978-0-9835746-7-5}}, June 2014)
# ''Massively Parallel'' ({{ISBN|978-0-9835746-8-2}}, December 2014)<ref name="schlock-archives"/>
# ''Force Multiplication'' ({{isbn|978-1945120015}}, August 2016)<ref name="schlock blog plate piled high"/>
# ''Random Access Memorabilia'' (February 2018)<ref name="schlock 20111112"/>
# ''Broken Wind'' (April 2019)<ref name="schlock 20121231"/>
# ''Delegates and Delegation'' (April 2019)<ref name="schlock 20140316"/>
# ''Big, Dumb Objects''<ref name="schlock 20150330"/>

The books were renumbered in 2007 to allow for the release of ''The Tub of Happiness'' and ''The Teraport Wars''. Originally, [[Roman numerals]] were used, with ''Under New Management'' as the first book.

=== The Seventy Maxims of Maximally Effective Mercenaries ===
{{anchor|The Seven Habits of Highly Effective Pirates|The Seventy Maxims of Maximally Effective Mercenaries|habits|rules|maxims}}
''The Seventy Maxims of Maximally Effective Mercenaries''<ref name="seventy_maxims"/> is a popular handbook in the ''Schlock Mercenary'' universe, with characters regularly quoting from it. It was originally called ''The Seven Habits of Highly Effective Pirates'',<ref name="halr9000 seven habits"/><ref name="herald uk 200511"/><ref name="denubis tagons toughs"/> a parody of ''[[The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People]]'', but after Tayler received a [[cease and desist]] letter from [[FranklinCovey]], he made the [[retcon]] on January 24, 2011. Tayler said that the letter "was worded as nicely as such a thing can be".<ref name="seven to seventy retcon"/>

Two print versions of ''Seventy Maxims'' were released:
*Pristine ({{isbn|978-1-945120-02-2}}, December 2016)
*Defaced (has handwritten notes and "stains" from being "used" by the characters) ({{isbn|978-1-945120-03-9}}, February 2017)

===Games===
====Capital Offensive====
In 2012, [[Living Worlds Games]] published ''Schlock Mercenary: Capital Offensive'', a board game based upon the webcomic, to positive reviews from reviewers such as [[Tom Vasel#The Dice Tower|The Dice Tower]].<ref name="dice tower"/>

====Planet Mercenary====
A role-playing game, based on the comic and written by Alan Bahr and Howard Tayler, was launched as a [[Kickstarter]] on April 14, 2015. It successfully funded the following day.<ref name="planet mercenary"/>

===Other related works===
[[John Ringo]]'s ''[[Troy Rising]]'' series has been inspired by the ''Schlock Mercenary'' universe. It is set in the early days of human-alien contact, but is not considered [[Canon (fiction)|canon]] for the comic series.<ref name="ovalkwiki faq"/>

The webcomic ''Under the Lemon Tree'' published a crossover with ''Schlock Mercenary'', though it is non-canon in the ''Schlock Mercenary'' continuity.<ref name="under the lemon tree"/>

==Reception and honors==
The first ''Schlock Mercenary'' book publication was covered in ''[[Analog Science Fiction and Fact]]'', which described it as "inventive and humorous."<ref name="Analog"/> The comic tied for outstanding science fiction comic in the [[Web Cartoonist's Choice Awards]] in 2004, and was again nominated in 2005 and 2007.<ref name="wcca2004"/><ref name="wcca2005"/><ref name="wcca2007"/> The strip won for Best Cameo in the 2001 awards.<ref name="wcca2001"/>

Five story collections have been nominated for the [[Hugo Award for Best Graphic Story]]: ''The Body Politic'' (2009),<ref name="hugonom2009"/>
''The Longshoreman of the Apocalypse'' (2010),<ref name="hugonom2010"/> ''Massively Parallel'' (2011),<ref name="hugonom2011"/> ''Force Multiplication'' (2012),<ref name="hugonom2012"/> and ''Random Access Memorabilia'' (2013).<ref name="hugonom2013"/>

''Schlock Mercenary'' has also been cited on lists of top web comics published by ''[[Wired (magazine)|Wired]]'' and ''[[Ars Technica]]''.<ref name="lawton"/><ref name="arstechnica"/>

==See also==
* {{Wikinews-inline|Wikimedia fundraiser highlights webcomic community's frustration with Wikipedia guidelines}}
* [[List of webcomics]]

==References==
{{Reflist|2|refs=

<ref name="19yo-comics">{{cite web
|url=https://www.schlockmercenary.com/blog/nineteen-years/
|title=Schlock Mercenary - Nineteen Years
|first=Howard
|last=Tayler
|author-link=Howard Tayler
|access-date=June 12, 2019
|publisher=The Tayler Corporation
}}</ref>

<ref name="5000-comics">{{cite web
|url=https://www.schlockmercenary.com/blog/5000-strips/
|title=Schlock Mercenary - Five Thousand...
|first=Howard
|last=Tayler
|author-link=Howard Tayler
|access-date=June 12, 2019
|publisher=The Tayler Corporation
}}</ref>

<ref name="Analog">{{cite web
|url=http://www.analogsf.com/0611/reflib_11.shtml
|title=The Reference Library: Schlock Mercenary: Under New Management
|publisher=[[Analog Science Fiction and Fact]]
|date=November 2006
|access-date=June 3, 2010
|url-status=dead
|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110615190453/http://www.analogsf.com/0611/reflib_11.shtml
|archive-date=June 15, 2011
}}</ref>

<ref name="arstechnica">{{cite web
|url=https://arstechnica.com/gaming/2013/01/ars-readers-pick-the-12-most-incredible-webcomics/
|title=Ars readers pick the 12 most incredible webcomics
|author=Ars Staff
|publisher=[[Ars Technica]]
|date=January 1, 2013
|access-date=October 11, 2019
}}</ref>

<ref name="atmospheric gasses">{{cite web
|url=http://www.schlockmercenary.com/d/20000829.html
|title=Schlock Mercenary
|date=August 29, 2000
|first=Howard
|last=Tayler
|author-link=Howard Tayler
|access-date=June 3, 2010
}}</ref>

<ref name="buuthandi">{{cite web
|url=http://www.schlockmercenary.com/d/20020421.html
|title=Schlock Mercenary
|date=April 21, 2002
|first=Howard
|last=Tayler
|author-link=Howard Tayler
|access-date=February 15, 2007
}}</ref>

<ref name="buuthandi 2">{{cite web
|url=http://www.schlockmercenary.com/d/20020309.html
|title=Schlock Mercenary
|date=March 9, 2002
|first=Howard
|last=Tayler
|author-link=Howard Tayler
|access-date=February 15, 2007
}}</ref>

<ref name="buuthandi 3">{{cite web
|url=http://www.schlockmercenary.com/d/20010707.html
|title=Schlock Mercenary
|date=July 7, 2001
|first=Howard
|last=Tayler
|author-link=Howard Tayler
|access-date=February 15, 2007
}}</ref>

<ref name="comicon interview">{{cite web
|url=http://www.comicon.com/cgi-bin/ultimatebb.cgi?ubb=get_topic;f=36;t=004490
|title=Howard Tayler interviewed at The Pulse
|publisher=Comicon.com
|access-date=June 3, 2010
|url-status=dead
|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110605172652/http://www.comicon.com/cgi-bin/ultimatebb.cgi?ubb=get_topic;f=36;t=004490
|archive-date=June 5, 2011
}}</ref>

<ref name="denubis tagons toughs">{{cite web
|url=http://unseen-u.org/~denubis/tdzk/TagonsToughsCaseStudy.pdf
|title=Tagon's Toughs and Improvisational IT
|last=Ballsun-Stanton
|first=Brian
|date=September 26, 2005
|publisher=Rochester Inst. of Technology
|quote=References to the rules comes from the fictional book "The Seven Habits of Highly Effective Pirates." This book is referenced in the webcomic Schlock Mercenary.
|access-date=January 25, 2011
}}</ref>

<ref name="dice tower">{{cite web
|url=http://www.dicetower.com/game_reviews/s/schlock-mercenary-capital-offensive.html
|title=A Review of Schlock Mercenary: Capital Offensive
|last=Vasel
|first=Tom
|date=August 13, 2012
|publisher=dicetower.com
|access-date=January 14, 2013
|url-status=dead
|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141016055636/http://www.dicetower.com/game_reviews/s/schlock-mercenary-capital-offensive.html
|archive-date=October 16, 2014
}}</ref>

<ref name="Doythaban">{{cite web
|url=http://www.schlockmercenary.com/d/20021117.html
|title=Schlock Mercenary
|date=November 17, 2002
|first=Howard
|last=Tayler
|author-link=Howard Tayler
|access-date=April 30, 2007
}}</ref>

<ref name="Doythaban 2">{{cite web
|url=http://www.schlockmercenary.com/d/20010309.html
|title=Schlock Mercenary
|date=March 9, 2001
|first=Howard
|last=Tayler
|author-link=Howard Tayler
|access-date=April 30, 2007
}}</ref>

<ref name="fabber">{{cite web
|url=http://www.schlockmercenary.com/d/20040425.html
|title=Schlock Mercenary
|date=April 25, 2004
|first=Howard
|last=Tayler
|author-link=Howard Tayler
|access-date=February 15, 2007
}}</ref>

<ref name="ferro swedin 2011">{{cite book
|last1=Ferro
|first1=David L.
|last2=Swedin
|first2=Eric G.
|author-link2=Eric G. Swedin
|editor=David L. Ferro, Eric G. Swedin
|title=Science Fiction and Computing: Essays on Interlinked Domains
|year=2011
|publisher=[[McFarland & Company]]
|isbn=9780786445653
|page=303
}}</ref>

<ref name="first strip">{{cite web
|url=https://www.schlockmercenary.com/d/20000612.html
|title=Schlock Mercenary archives - Monday, June 12, 2000
|date=June 12, 2000
|first=Howard
|last=Tayler
|author-link=Howard Tayler
|publisher=The Tayler Corporation
|access-date=June 3, 2010
}}</ref>

<ref name="halr9000 seven habits">{{cite web
|url=http://halr9000.com/article/281
|title=Seven Habits of Highly Effective Pirates
|author=halr9000
|date=2006-03-13
|access-date=January 25, 2011
|url-status=dead
|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110917212959/http://halr9000.com/article/281
|archive-date=17 September 2011
}}</ref>

<ref name="herald uk 200511">{{cite web
|url=http://lists.herald.co.uk/pipermail/lois-bujold/2005-November/009496.html
|title=[LMB] OT: The 7 habits of Highly Effective Pirates
|author=Countryboy
|date=November 12, 2005
|access-date=January 25, 2011
}}</ref>

<ref name="hugonom2009">{{cite web
|url=http://www.thehugoawards.org/hugo-history/2009-hugo-awards/ 
|title=2009 Hugo Awards 
|publisher=[[World Science Fiction Society]] 
|date=August 10, 2009 
|access-date=April 20, 2010 
|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100418022313/http://www.thehugoawards.org/hugo-history/2009-hugo-awards/ 
|archive-date=April 18, 2010 
|url-status=dead 
}}</ref>

<ref name="hugonom2010">{{cite web
|url=http://www.thehugoawards.org/2010/04/2010-hugo-award-nominees-details/ 
|title=2010 Hugo Award Nominees – Details 
|publisher=[[World Science Fiction Society]] 
|date=April 4, 2010 
|access-date=April 20, 2010 
|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100407014134/http://www.thehugoawards.org/2010/04/2010-hugo-award-nominees-details/ 
|archive-date=April 7, 2010 
|url-status=dead 
}}</ref>

<ref name="hugonom2011">{{cite web
|url=http://www.sliceofscifi.com/2011/04/25/hugo-nominees-announced/ 
|title=Hugo Nominees Announced 
|publisher=Slice of SciFi 
|date=April 25, 2011 
|first=Michael 
|last=Hickerson 
|access-date=July 7, 2011 
|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110824082203/http://www.sliceofscifi.com/2011/04/25/hugo-nominees-announced/ 
|archive-date=August 24, 2011 
|url-status=dead 
}}</ref>

<ref name="hugonom2012">{{cite web
|url=http://www.thehugoawards.org/hugo-history/2012-hugo-awards/
|title=2012 Hugo Nominees - Details
|publisher=[[World Science Fiction Society]]
|date=April 7, 2012
|access-date=April 7, 2012
}}</ref>

<ref name="hugonom2013">{{cite web
|url=http://www.thehugoawards.org/hugo-history/2013-hugo-awards/
|title=2013 Hugo Awards
|publisher=[[World Science Fiction Society]]
|date=September 2, 2013
|access-date=September 2, 2013
}}</ref>

<ref name="Kevyn">{{cite web
|url=http://www.schlockmercenary.com/d/20070429.html
|title=Schlock Mercenary
|date=April 29, 2007
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|author-link=Howard Tayler
|access-date=April 30, 2007
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<ref name="lawton">{{cite web
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|title=10 Great Webcomics You Should NOT Share With Your Kids (GeekDad Wayback Machine)
|last=Lawton
|first=Chuck
|publisher=[[Wired (magazine)|Wired]]
|date=August 25, 2009
|access-date=January 14, 2012
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<ref name="Nick">{{cite web
|url=http://www.schlockmercenary.com/d/20011105.html
|title=Schlock Mercenary
|date=November 5, 2001
|first=Howard
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|access-date=April 30, 2007
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<ref name="ovalkwiki faq">{{cite web
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|title=FAQ 
|author1=Gary
|author2=Tarlen
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|date= August 2, 2017
|access-date=October 11, 2019
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<ref name="planet mercenary">{{cite web
|url=https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/howardtayler/the-planet-mercenary-role-playing-game/ 
|title=The Planet Mercenary Role-playing Game 
|publisher=[[Kickstarter]] 
|access-date=January 5, 2017 
|archive-date=January 6, 2017 
|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170106103953/https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/howardtayler/the-planet-mercenary-role-playing-game/ 
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<ref name="schlock 20000617">{{cite web
|url=https://www.schlockmercenary.com/2000-06-17
|title=Schlock Mercenary
|date=June 17, 2000
|first=Howard
|last=Tayler
|author-link=Howard Tayler
|access-date=March 5, 2019
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<ref name="schlock 20001116">{{cite web
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|title=Schlock Mercenary
|date=November 16, 2000
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|last=Taylor
|author-link=Howard Tayler
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<ref name="schlock 20050623">{{cite web
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|title=Schlock Mercenary
|date=June 23, 2005
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|author-link=Howard Tayler
|access-date=January 3, 2019
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<ref name="schlock 20111112">{{cite web
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|date=November 12, 2011
|first=Howard
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|author-link=Howard Tayler
|access-date=October 11, 2019
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<ref name="schlock 20121231">{{cite web
|url=http://www.schlockmercenary.com/2012-12-31
|title=Schlock Mercenary
|date=December 31, 2012
|first=Howard
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|author-link=Howard Tayler
|access-date=October 11, 2019
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<ref name="schlock 20140316">{{cite web
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|title=Schlock Mercenary
|date=March 16, 2014
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<ref name="schlock 20150330">{{cite web
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|date=March 30, 2015
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<ref name="schlock-archives">{{cite web
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|title=Schlock Mercenary: The Archive Synopsizer
|access-date=November 18, 2010
|publisher=The Tayler Corporation
|url-status=dead
|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060622030958/http://www.schlockmercenary.com/archive.html
|archive-date=June 22, 2006
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<ref name="schlock blog 20151019">{{cite web
| last = Tayler
| first = Howard
| url = http://www.schlockmercenary.com/blog/sketch-editions-will-hit-the-mail-tomorrow
| title = Sketch Editions will hit the mail tomorrow
| access-date = 2015-10-19
}}</ref>

<ref name="schlock blog directors commentary">{{cite web
|last=Tayler 
|first=Howard 
|author-link=Howard Tayler
|url=http://www.schlockmercenary.com/blog/some-directors-commentary 
|title=Some "Director's Commentary" 
|access-date=2015-10-19
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<ref name="schlock blog plate piled high">{{cite web
|url=http://www.schlockmercenary.com/blog/my-plate-is-piled-high 
|title=My plate is piled high
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|last=Tayler 
|first=Howard 
|author-link=Howard Tayler
|access-date=October 11, 2019
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<ref name="schlocktoberfest">{{cite web
|url=http://www.schlockmercenary.com/blog/halloween2010
|title=Schlock Mercenary
|date=October 31, 2010
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|last=Tayler
|author-link=Howard Tayler
|access-date=October 31, 2010
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<ref name="Serial Peacemaker">{{cite web
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|date=February 29, 2004
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|author-link=Howard Tayler
|access-date=June 3, 2010
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<ref name="seven to seventy retcon">{{cite web
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|title=Schlock Mercenary
|date=January 24, 2011
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|author-link=Howard Tayler
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<ref name="seventy_maxims">{{cite web
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|date=April 4, 2004
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|last=Tayler
|author-link=Howard Tayler
|access-date=June 3, 2010
}}</ref>

<ref name="under the lemon tree">{{cite web
|url=https://www.schlockmercenary.com/blog/fan-art-the-lemon-tree-crossover/
|title=Fan Art: The Lemon Tree Crossover
|date=February 3, 2006
|first=Howard
|last=Tayler
|author-link=Howard Tayler
|access-date=October 11, 2019
}}</ref>

<ref name="wcca2001">{{cite web
|url=http://www.ccawards.com/2001.htm 
|title=2001 Winners and Nominees 
|publisher=Web Cartoonist's Choice Awards Committee 
|year=2001 
|access-date=April 21, 2010 
|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20091231152414/http://www.ccawards.com/2001.htm 
|archive-date=December 31, 2009 
|url-status=dead 
}}</ref>

<ref name="wcca2004">{{cite web
|url=http://www.ccawards.com/2004.htm 
|title=2004 Results 
|publisher=Web Cartoonist's Choice Awards Committee 
|year=2004 
|access-date=April 21, 2010 
|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100117080609/http://www.ccawards.com/2004.htm 
|archive-date=January 17, 2010 
|url-status=dead 
}}</ref>

<ref name="wcca2005">{{cite web
|url=http://www.ccawards.com/2005.htm 
|title=2005 Results 
|publisher=Web Cartoonist's Choice Awards Committee 
|year=2005 
|access-date=April 21, 2010 
|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100109085640/http://ccawards.com/2005.htm 
|archive-date=January 9, 2010 
|url-status=dead 
}}</ref>

<ref name="wcca2007">{{cite web
|url=http://www.ccawards.com/2007.htm 
|title=2007 Results 
|publisher=Web Cartoonist's Choice Awards Committee 
|year=2007 
|access-date=April 21, 2010 
|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100204090116/http://ccawards.com/2007.htm 
|archive-date=February 4, 2010 
|url-status=dead 
}}</ref>

}}

==External links==
{{Wikiquote}}
* [http://www.schlockmercenary.com ''Schlock Mercenary'']
* [https://www.ovalkwiki.com/ Ovalkwiki: The Official Encyclopedia of All Things Schlock Mercenary]
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20110312013502/http://www.chupaqueso.com/ Chupaqueso Recipes] (archived)—blog created by Maynard and Tayler

[[Category:2000 webcomic debuts]]
[[Category:2000s webcomics]]
[[Category:American comedy webcomics]]
[[Category:Blank Label Comics]]
[[Category:Comics set on fictional planets]]
[[Category:Comics about anthropomorphic apes]]
[[Category:Comics about talking animals]]
[[Category:Fictional amorphous creatures]]
[[Category:Fictional mercenaries in comics]]
[[Category:Internet properties established in 2000]]
[[Category:Science fiction webcomics]]
[[Category:Web Cartoonists' Choice Award winners]]
[[Category:Webcomics in print]]