The Meme Textbook Part 2: The Language of the Internet | Page 12

Rage Comics
Rage comics are the broad category for sim-
ple, usually drawn in MS Paint, mostly four
panel comics portraying relatable events, cre-
ated using a number of collectively invented
personifications of emotions, which came to
be known as “Rage Faces.” (Fig. 18) The com-
ics first became popular in 2008 on 4chan.
The format and “Rage Faces” were popular
until 2011. While their use is limited today,
their effect on internet culture is clearly seen.
Rage Guy
“FFFFFFFUUUUUUUUUUUU-” (F7U12) or
“Rage Guy” is the first “Rage Face” created and
is the namesake of “Rage Comics.” The first ever
12 | Part Two: The Language of the Internet
fig. 18
“Rage Comic” comic is Fig. 19, posted in 2008
on 4chan’s /b/ board portraying the frustration
one feel after pooping and being hit by the toi-
let ‘splashback.’ Another comic was created to
show a successful encounter in the bathroom,
which spawned a secondary “Rage Face.” (Fig.
20) In 2010, the store Hot Topic began selling
shirts with “Rage Face” on them. 4chan users
saw this as the beginning of commercialization
of their meme culture and began “Operation:
Black Rage” in retaliation. The premise was to
give the “Rage Face” character a racist backstory
so that mainstream culture would not want to
sell merchendise with it. This essentially failed
because Hot Topic learned that it was a hoax,
and after initially suspending the shirt design
for a day, decided to continue printing them.