Introduction

I was never much of a comic reader. From the perspective of a recreational CG animator, I felt that comics had only the "key" frames. With only the skeletal frame, I found it hard at times to track the plot and action sequences. It is rather ironic then that I find myself now involved in web comics. I first chanced upon web comics when a user on a forum I frequented posted a single frame from Megatokyo as his (or her - such is the anonymity the web offers) avatar. Today, a simple web search will show that there are hundreds of web comics created by both recreational and professional artists.

New Cryptographic is not my first web comic. Rather, my first web comic was entitled Project Airvolution and was loosely based upon story I wrote eons ago. The frames were rendered using 3DsMax and touched up with Photoshop. As a recreational CG animator, it was the most convenient and familiar tool I had then. The story progressed to tenth page whereupon the scale of the sets became too daunting for a one-man effort. These ten pages are still hosted on the Andrew servers over at Carnegie Mellon University and can reached via the following URL: www.andrew.cmu.edu/~jchow/pg0.html

New Cryptographic Story is created using the traditional paper and pencil with the computer thrown in for post processing. As its title suggests, this web comic has its origins in cryptography. For those who have never heard of Alice and Bob, I point to Wikipedia and its excellent introduction to cryptographic stories.

The purpose of this web comic is twofold. Firstly, as with Project Airvolution, it is a personal project through which I learn and improve upon my pencil drawing skills. Secondly, through the events that link Alice and Bob, I hope to inform you readers on the importance of computer security and the various concepts that affect our lives.