From Daredevil to Rainman, we’ve never really seen a movie or TV show about disability that spoke to our experiences. If your only encounters with disability came through the media, you would have some pretty bizarre expectations of what life in a wheelchair must be like. But what if we could watch and listen to and read about disabled characters that didn’t spend all day either whining incessantly about how their penises don’t work or improbably rescuing a bunch of kids from an underwater bus wreck? That’s where the idea for Cripz was born. That, and Beverly Cleary’s kind correspondence to a 9-year-old Jeff Preston, recommending, “why don’t you write a story about a regular little boy in a wheelchair?”. Granted, Rhett and Griff aren’t exactly “regular”… but neither are most people. But Rhett and Griff aren’t weird because they’re disabled. Or disabled because they’re weird (whatever that might entail). Ultimately, they’re weird because they’re two teenage boys growing up in the magical place that is London, Ontario, home of the Great and Muddy Thames River, Adventures in Sex City, old men who obsessively watch 18 year old boys duke it out with one another every Friday night, and two university students with too much time on their hands who decided to do a damn webcomic.
So what’s Cripz all about?
Cripz tells the story of Rhett Breton and Griffin Moonlove, two ordinary guys living in a (mostly) fictional London, Ontario, navigating the complex world of high school, friendship and disability.
Is Cripz a true story?
While the characters and situations are fictional, many of the obstacles and challenges that Rhett and Griff face are based on real issues facing the disabled population in Ontario. And though Jeff seems embarrassed to admit this, there is a LOT of real Jeff-ness in both Rhett and Griffin; they’re sort of like what would happen if he had twins with himself.
When do new episodes come out?
New episodes of Cripz will be released every Wednesday morning on the front page. If you’re new to these parts, use the navigation menu on the left side of the page to check out previous episodes.
I really like Cripz and want to make sure it keeps going. How can I help?
Honestly? The best way to help is through cold, hard, cash money. I mean, we love you reading our stuff, but a crigga’s gotta eat… and gold-plate his wheelchair, if possible. For real though, donations go a long way to covering expenses (art materials, web hosting, printing, etc.). So there’s a donate button right below this paragraph, if you just wanna give something for nothing. If you’re not into philanthropy (Scrooge! …we love you, but…seriously) we will be setting up a merch section of the site so you can criggify your wardrobe. On that note, if you have any T-shirt or button suggestions, feel free to email us and we’ll take them into consideration.