Joining the gang of web series that aspire to become actual TV shows (Broad City, Drunk History, Childrens Hospital), Comic Strips is a dark comedy about a comedian living in New York City who doubles as a stripper to pay her bills. Created by best friends Jaime Alyse Andrews and Angelica Pasquini, the series aims to shed light — and laughs — on stripping to make it rain in the big city. Thus far, the duo have created just one four-minute episode, but the hope is to film more mini episodes, and then turn the series into a pilot.

In a video on their new Kickstarter campaign page, Andrews says: "There are a lot of misconceptions about strippers. But I found the truth to be that there are such a vast array of rich characters that I met: In customers, in coworkers, in dancers, in bartenders — everybody was so interesting and had such complex personal backgrounds." Pasquini adds: "If we are fortunate enough to be funded, we will take it as our personal responsibility to tell the stories of these people, and inject humor along the way, and show you something that's fucking awesome, fun to watch, respectful and dope."

The idea for the series was borne a few years back over a snack at a diner. Last winter, Andrews started stripping, so she has plenty of first-hand experience from which to draw for the show. After her shifts, she'd tell Pasquini all of the gory details. She and Pasquini describe themselves as "creatives" and "nice people" living in Brooklyn. Here's what their website has to say about the show:

We follow our main character, Jordan Anderson, as she navigates life as a rookie stripper and amateur comedian. While maintaining her secret source of income, she struggles to balance her personal and professional identities.

Comic Strips aims to shine light on the untold stories and complex personal backgrounds of strip club dancers and stand up comedians. Often disregarded in the media as damaged or worthless, this series attempts to inject humor while respectfully telling the truth, for better or worse, about both professions.

So it's a feminist comedy series about stripping to pay the bills. They add on their website: "The series explores making unconventional choices, personal ambition and the stigmas surrounding the (adult) entertainment industry."

To sum it up, Andrews says, "When you're a standup comedian, you're bearing it all from within; and when you're a stripper, you're bearing it all on the outside." Pasquini adds: "Get it? Parallels." Seems like these two are committed to having a good time; the jury is out as to whether the series itself will be a hit, but time will tell. To back their Kickstarter, go here.

Here's the first episode:

Here's their Kickstarter video:

Images: Jake Guild/Flickr; WiffleGif (2)