Big Nate is an American comic strip written and illustrated by Lincoln Peirce. Originally launched on January 7, 1991, the comic has since inspired book collections, theatrical performances, and an upcoming television series.
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 and other people and animals in the fictional town of Rackleff, Maine. Nate hates social studies teacher Mrs. Godfrey, whom he considers his nemesis. Peirce also focuses on Nate's home life and friendships. Answering questions from fans in The Washington Post'', Peirce revealed the following about the creation of the strip:
Characters
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. 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 band, Enslave the Mollusk, which also comprises his friends Francis, Teddy, and Artur. It was assembled and suggested by Nate, after a high school band called the Distempers performed at the spring dance 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, the fear of cats, 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. 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, which are always rejected by trick-or-treaters. He also was the hero of the first Mud Bowl, according to '. 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. 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 ', 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.
In May 2013 a stage musical adaptation of the comic strip debuted at the Adventure Theatre MTC in Maryland. 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.
