Templar Arizona is a webcomic written and drawn by Charlie Spike Trotman. It was hosted on Webcomics Nation. Trotman describes Templar, Arizona as "a story about a town, and the people who live there", specifically referring to the city of Templar as a character rather than a setting. The neologism "culture fiction" was coined to describe it.
The fictional city of Templar exists in a subtly different alternate universe. Trotman describes it as "a slightly irregular Arizona that fell off the back of a truck somewhere, and now all the power outlets are a weird shape and a couple of wars never happened". This city is most strongly marked by its fictional subcultures (many of which are veiled commentary on real ones), as well as its unusual architecture and fashion. However, it lacks any fantasy or science fiction elements, which suggests that the comic is closer to the alternate history genre.
The webcomic has received various awards since its start in 2005.
Development
Spike Trotman started created Templar, Arizona on June 5, 2005, and she ended the series on September 29, 2014.
Before Kickstarter came into popularity, Trotman implemented PayPal and similar online banking services to set up an independent pre-ordering system for Templar, Arizona.