''Least I Could Do'' (''LICD'') is a humor
webcomic
Webcomics (also known as online comics or Internet comics) are comics published on the internet, such as on a website or a mobile app. While many webcomics are published exclusively online, others are also published in magazines, newspapers, or ...
by
Ryan Sohmer
Ryan Sohmer (born July 5, 1978) is a Canadian writer and businessman. Sohmer writes the webcomics ''Least I Could Do'' and ''Looking for Group''. Sohmer is the Vice President/Creative Director of Blind Ferret Entertainment and was the owner of Th ...
and Lar deSouza (also the creators of the fantasy webcomic ''
Looking for Group
''Looking for Group'' (LFG) was a fantasy-themed Canadian webcomic written by Ryan Sohmer and Ryan Costello and drawn by Lar DeSouza. The comic follows the adventures of Cale'Anon (an elven hunter) and Richard (an undead warlock), as well as ...
''). The strip debuted on February 10, 2003. Past artists for the strip include J Horsley III from y2cl, who dropped out before the strip launched, Trevor Adams, who was on board for about six months, then Chad W. M. Porter, who drew the strip for two years.
''Least I Could Do'' is produced by Blind Ferret Entertainment, which owns the rights to the strip.
The primary
theme
Theme or themes may refer to:
* Theme (Byzantine district), an administrative district in the Byzantine Empire governed by a Strategos
* Theme (computing), a custom graphical appearance for certain software.
* Theme (linguistics), topic
* Theme ( ...
of the strip is
sexuality
Human sexuality is the way people experience and express themselves sexually. This involves biological, psychological, physical, erotic, emotional, social, or spiritual feelings and behaviors. Because it is a broad term, which has varied ...
, especially the
promiscuity
Promiscuity is the practice of engaging in sexual activity frequently with different partners or being indiscriminate in the choice of sexual partners. The term can carry a moral judgment. A common example of behavior viewed as promiscuous by man ...
of the primary character, Rayne Summers, who is loosely based upon Sohmer himself.
The strip updates every day.
Sunday features ''Least I Could Do: Beginnings'', a strip following Rayne at age 8 with storylines unrelated to the main strip. Story lines tend to last for only a few strips, but some have gone several weeks.
History
The original artist for the strip was Trevor Adams, who drew the strip from its debut until July 18, 2003, later moving on to create his own comic ''Gemini Paradox''. Chad Porter took over on July 28, 2003. In late 2004, ''I Have My Moments'', a full-color book featuring the first year of ''LICD'' with Porter as the artist, was published.
In early 2005, the strip underwent a major change with the introduction of a new character, Noel, Rayne's friend. Noel was often given roles that previously would have gone to the character John Gold, whose frequency in the strip had been reduced. Rayne soon became a business executive on falsified credentials, with the intent of sleeping with the CEO of IDS Enterprises, Marcy McKean.
''Least I Could Do'' "3.0" launched on August 15, 2005 with the departure of Porter as the artist. Lar deSouza, a long time friend of Sohmer and his artistic partner on the daily comic ''In Other News'', took over as the artist. The comic and website have been undergoing some major changes as a result.
December 2005 marked the publication of ''My Will Be Done'', the complete 2nd-year collection featuring Chad Porter's final strips for the comic. It also included a mini-comic drawn by Lar, depicting the origins of "Bra-Man". In July 2006 the first Bra-Man comic was released.
In November 2006, ''Because I Can'', the 3rd year collection, and the first to feature current artist Lar deSouza was published.
In the July 9, 2007 strip, the cast opened a "letter" from the writer and artist which stated that from that moment on, they would age normally rather than remain a perpetual age 24 or so. Since then, the strip's characters have enacted major life changes: notably, Noel moved in with and later married his girlfriend, and Rayne, in a plot arc beginning in September, experimented with
monogamy
Monogamy ( ) is a social relation, relationship of Dyad (sociology), two individuals in which they form a mutual and exclusive intimate Significant other, partnership. Having only one partner at any one time, whether for life or #Serial monogamy ...
.
In 2010, Sohmer announced that deSouza will be re-drawing the original strips done by Trevor Adams in the current artistic style.
Main characters
Though the primary character is Rayne, there are a large number of supporting characters, and the strip will sometimes go for up to a week without a strip featuring Rayne. These usually involve large story arcs involving the other characters, though ''Least I Could Do'' still specializes in the one strip joke.
Rayne
Rayne Summers is the
protagonist
A protagonist () is the main character of a story. The protagonist makes key decisions that affect the plot, primarily influencing the story and propelling it forward, and is often the character who faces the most significant obstacles. If a ...
of "Least I Could Do". He is a shallow, childlike, and sexually driven 24-year-old (now ) with an underdeveloped
emotional intelligence
Emotional intelligence (EI), also known as emotional quotient (EQ), is the ability to perceive, use, understand, manage, and handle emotions. High emotional intelligence includes emotional recognition of emotions of the self and others, using ...
as well as a severe
superiority complex
A superiority complex is a defense mechanism that develops over time to help a person cope with feelings of inferiority. The term was coined by Alfred Adler (1870–1937) in the early 1900s, as part of his school of individual psychology.
Indivi ...
. Rayne shares a joyful
sibling rivalry
Sibling rivalry is a type of competition or animosity among siblings, whether blood-related or not.
In childhood, siblings generally spend more time together than they do with parents. Sibling bonds are influenced by factors such as parental ...
with his older brother Eric Summers, who is a surgeon. In the 2006 storyline, Rayne and Eric found out they had a sister they never knew about, and a niece named Ashley. Rayne eventually takes a liking to his niece, despite a rocky start, and eventually comes to care for her as a surrogate father, with Ashley considering him her favourite ''Unca''.
As the comic progressed, Rayne's character developed and has been dealing with increased maturity and vulnerability. It was revealed that much of Rayne's promiscuity and childishness came as a reaction to severe depression caused by his inability to settle down and his fear of change. His promiscuity has become less and less of a theme as the strip has progressed, and as of March 8, 2014, he is in an exclusive relationship with the character Jumpmaster Julie who first appeared on August 23, 2006.
Noel
Noel is Rayne's best friend, a later addition to the strip, first appearing on January 5, 2005. Noel's first appearances lined up with a period in which the Rayne character needed a
comedic foil
A double act (also known as a comedy duo) is a form of comedy originating in the British music hall tradition, and American vaudeville, in which two comedians perform together as a single act, often highlighting differences in their characters' ...
. Noel is the calm, sardonic yin to Rayne's yang, and although he is more than willing to participate in Rayne's insane schemes, he has learned to sit back and watch the carnage rather than get too involved. Although introduced as Rayne's wingman, Noel soon found himself in a serious relationship with Kate, a woman he met at a speed dating event. Over the course of the comic, they married and had three children: A boy, Logan (named after
the X-Man) and twins
Lucas
Lucas or LUCAS may refer to:
People
* Lucas (surname)
* Lucas (given name)
Arts and entertainment
* Luca Family Singers, or the Lucas, a 19th-century African-American singing group
* Lucas, a 1960s Swedish pop group formed by Janne Lucas Perss ...
and
Leia
Princess Leia Organa ( or ) is a fictional character in the ''Star Wars'' franchise. Introduced in the original ''Star Wars'' film in 1977, Leia is a princess of the planet Alderaan, a member of the Imperial Senate, and an agent of the Rebel ...
.
Issa
Melissa "Issa" Allie is one of Rayne's few platonic female friends. An extremely gorgeous redhead with a voluptuous figure and natural yellow eyes, Issa is the object of Rayne's frequent sexual advances which she continually rejects. Despite this, it sometimes seems as though she has a slight subconscious
crush
Crush may refer to:
* Infatuation or limerence, the romantic attraction to another person
* Puppy love, feelings of love, romance, or infatuation felt by young people
Crush may also refer to:
Film
* Crush (1972 film), ''Crush'' (1972 film), a H ...
on him. When she introduced her friends to her farmer-boyfriend, Huck, the crew noted his resemblance to Rayne. Despite her attractiveness and continual disgust at some of their antics, Issa still manages to play the voice of reason and fits in with Rayne and the rest of the boys. She is not above manipulating her male friends, such as offering to try on underwear at Victoria's Secret for Rayne, in exchange for him accompanying her to the mall.
Issa has known Rayne since at least his teenage years, offering him advice after the relationship that started his womanizing streak, showing her to be one of Rayne's oldest friends. Issa holds the record for holding out against Rayne's advances. Rayne got her a job at IDS as a replacement for a staff member on maternity leave, although it remains to be seen if this is a permanent post. She and Michael Von Huntington, an IDS employee, are married and have a daughter.
Mick
Mick Alfa is an overweight and socially awkward friend of Rayne's, who is often used as a wingman. Rayne often enlists Mick in elaborate (and occasionally bizarre) charades to help him get laid. Mick is a TV program director, and has had a greater number of steady relationships than Rayne, Noel and John combined. Mick has been dating Tamara, a young college student, for two years. Mick also has a passion for potato chips. Recently, it has been revealed that Mick's father was murdered by his mother's lover, after which his mother went to prison and became a lesbian. In July 2011 it was revealed that Mick will be marrying Tamara (Tammy) after a six-year relationship.
John
John Gold is Rayne's childhood friend and roommate, who often acts as his
foil
Foil may refer to:
Materials
* Foil (metal), a quite thin sheet of metal, usually manufactured with a rolling mill machine
* Metal leaf, a very thin sheet of decorative metal
* Aluminium foil, a type of wrapping for food
* Tin foil, metal foil ma ...
. He continually expresses a resigned discontent with Rayne's promiscuity. John is looking for a wife, which has been shown to lead him into being somewhat needy and over-hasty in relationships. He is a grade school teacher. One relationship of John's was with a woman named Hannah, who became a major part of his life and even moved in with him, but eventually left him due to Rayne's antics. John's temptations are represented by a small
Darth Vader
Darth Vader () is a fictional character in the ''Star Wars'' franchise. He was first introduced in the original film trilogy as the primary antagonist and one of the leaders of the Galactic Empire. He has become one of the most iconic villain ...
, a
parody
A parody is a creative work designed to imitate, comment on, and/or mock its subject by means of satire, satirical or irony, ironic imitation. Often its subject is an Originality, original work or some aspect of it (theme/content, author, style, e ...
of the
shoulder devil cliché
A cliché ( or ; ) is a saying, idea, or element of an artistic work that has become overused to the point of losing its original meaning, novelty, or literal and figurative language, figurative or artistic power, even to the point of now being b ...
. The Darth Vader character frequently appears, not only to tempt him, but also to voice the darker thoughts that John represses. As of 2015, he moved from Rayne's apartment to a new house to start a family with his girlfriend Laura, whom he met in 2013.
Books
As of 2009, there were six ''Least I Could Do'' collections published,
which include the two years that the comic was drawn by Chad and the three years of deSouza's work. The second book includes a mini-comic drawn by Lar that explains the origins of Bra-Man. They have also printed the first edition of Bra-Man, a spin-off comic based on Rayne's drunken alter-ego and a book of ''Least I Could Do: Beginnings'' which tells stories about Rayne's childhood along with his friends and family.
Complete Year Collections
# ''I Have My Moments: The Complete First Year Collection''; December 2004
# ''My Will Be Done: The Complete Second Year Collection''; December 2005
# ''Because I Can: The Complete Third Year Collection''; December 2006
# ''I Love This Guy: The Complete Fourth Year Collection; October 2007
# ''Yield To Me: The Complete Fifth Year Collection''; September 2008
# ''I Am Not A Credible Source: The Complete Sixth Year Collection''; November 2009
# ''I Can't Help You Here: The Complete Seventh Year Collection'';
# ''I Must Do This: The Complete Eighth Year Collection'';
# ''I Play To Win: The Complete Ninth Year Collection'';
# ''The Answer May Surprise You: The Complete Tenth Year Collection'';
# ''The Planet's Fine: The Complete Eleventh Year Collection'';
# ''I Just Solved Everything: The Complete Twelfth Year Collection'';
Collections
# ''Jesus Made Me Do It: Least I Could Do, Volume 1''; November 2008
# ''Velcro Pants Are Awesome: Least I Could Do, Volume 2''; June 2009
# ''My Eyes Are Up Here: Least I Could Do, Volume 3''; February 2010
# ''I Wish You Were Chewbacca: Least I Could Do, Volume 4''; April 2011
''Beginnings''
# ''Look At Me: A Month's Worth of Sundays of Least I Could Do Beginnings''; June 2009
# ''Adorableness: Least I Could Do Beginnings, Volume 2''; January 2010
# ''Fire In The Hole: Least I Could Do Beginnings, Volume 3''
# ''Don't Make This Weird: Least I Could Do Beginnings, Volume 4''
# ''I'll Field This One: Least I Could Do Beginnings, Volume 5''; August 2012
Others
# ''Bra-Man #1''; July 2006
# ''Least I Could Do: Noir et Blanc''
Recurring features and related projects
Valentine's Day Contest
Since February 2004, ''Least I Could Do'' has had a yearly event in which fans can submit themselves to be 'dates' for one of the strip's characters, either primary or secondary. The selection process is shown in the comic, with the cast sorting through letters and often with Rayne attempting to be the selected date. Upon the decision, the fan is drawn into the strip, sharing a date with the cast member of their choice. If supporting cast members are selected, the date storyline often involves Rayne attempting to sabotage things, primarily out of jealousy for not being selected. The Valentine's storyline runs for roughly a week's time. In recent years, three of the five primary characters (Issa, Noel & Mick) are now officially in committed relationships, which calls into question whether or not the contest will be run differently and if said characters can still be selected by fans.
''Looking For Group''
Starting in 2006, Sohmer and DeSouza began a comic-fantasy webcomic called ''
Looking For Group
''Looking for Group'' (LFG) was a fantasy-themed Canadian webcomic written by Ryan Sohmer and Ryan Costello and drawn by Lar DeSouza. The comic follows the adventures of Cale'Anon (an elven hunter) and Richard (an undead warlock), as well as ...
''. Characters from ''Looking for Group'' have appeared in the background of a May 7, 2008 ''Least I could Do'' strip. Richard the Warlock and his rabbit also appeared during the CRISIS Arc on April 6, 2009 and incinerated a future version of Rayne. Krunch Bloodrage also appeared in the same arc, fighting Rayne's Audibot in the background of the April 10, 2009 strip.
''Bra-Man''
In July 2006, the first "Bra-Man" comic was released. The 24-page comic showcases the adventures of Bra-Man, Rayne Summers' alter-ego. Bra-Man No. 1 was written by Ryan Sohmer, drawn by Lar deSouza, and coloured by Marc Brunet.
''Least I Could Do: Beginnings''
On November 9, 2008, Sohmer and DeSouza announced that a new strip would appear on Sundays, thus having a strip every day of the week. Sohmer said, "For quite some time now, Lar and I have been toying with the idea of going to a 7-day a week schedule with ''LICD''. While other creators seem to be cutting back on their output lately, we wanted to do more."
But, not wanting to do just another normal strip, Sohmer and DeSouza decided to start up "Beginnings," a Sunday-only strip on the website with storylines separate from the rest of the comic based around Rayne's childhood, specifically at 8 years old. Beginnings is similar in both format and artistic style to ''
Calvin and Hobbes
''Calvin and Hobbes'' is a daily American comic strip created by cartoonist Bill Watterson that was Print syndication, syndicated from November 18, 1985, to December 31, 1995. Commonly described as "the last great newspaper comic", ''Calvin a ...
'', which has been occasionally referenced in ''LICD'', including Calvin's sled (with a stuffed tiger clearly visible) running over Noel and Rayne offering Calvin money to run him over again.
Animated series
Blind Ferret Entertainment and
Teletoon
Cartoon Network (formerly Teletoon) is a Canadian English-language discretionary specialty channel owned by Corus Entertainment. The channel primarily broadcasts animated series aimed at children and teenagers. It was launched on October 17 ...
had a development deal for an animated version of ''Least I Could Do''; however, Blind Ferret opted out of the deal because it believed they would have to surrender too much creative control.
Following the collapse of that deal, Sohmer entered into negotiations with an American network for a potential development deal.
In response to the failed Teletoon deal, Sohmer subsequently created a
Kickstarter
Kickstarter, PBC is an American Benefit corporation, public benefit corporation based in Brooklyn, New York City, that maintains a global crowdfunding platform focused on creativity. The company's stated mission is to "help bring creative project ...
project, asking fans for donations to produce a television pilot consistent with the original vision for an animated series. The project garnered over $100,000 in pledges in 2011.
Rayne Summers Webcomic Scholarship
In November 2009, ''Least I Could Do'' announced a scholarship program for students pursuing degrees in art with a focus on webcomics at The Center for Cartoon Studies in Vermont. Although the scholarship was originally announced to begin in the fall 2010 semester and cover full tuition, increasing to five students per year by 2015, no scholarships were ever distributed.
Awards
* Wizbang!'s Weblog Awards:
** 2006: Won for Best Comic Strip
* Cartoonist's Choice Awards:
** 2007: Nominated for Outstanding Comedic Comic
* Schuster Awards:
** 2008: Won for Outstanding Canadian Webcomics Creator/Creative Team for ''Least I Could Do'' and ''Looking for Group''
** 2009: Nominated for Outstanding Webcomic
* Harvey Awards:
** 2009: Nominated for Best Cartoonist
** 2009: Nominated for Best Online Comics Work
** 2009: Nominated for Humor in Comics
References
External links
{{wikiquote
Canadian comedy webcomics
2000s webcomics
2003 webcomic debuts