'Waffley Wedded'. Comic strip posted on 11 June 2019.
Antonia Pinnola, who uses the pseudonym Acerotiburon, is a German-born, U.S. webcomic artist who moved to Belgium in 2021. She is most notable for her retroactively titled series 'Waffley Wedded' (2019- ), about her relationship with her Flemish partner. The episodes revolve around their happiness as a couple, but also her impressions of Belgium from a foreigner's perspective. Pinnola also makes more fantasy-based comics, like a sword & sorcery series starring herself and friends as gnomes and elves, as well as a funny animal gag comic starring her cat Soup as a store employee. All her webcomics are drawn in a manga-flavored style.
Early life
Antonia Pinnola was born in 1987 in Nuremberg, Germany, into a family of Italian descent. Her family later moved to the United States, where she lived in Columbus, Ohio, until 2021. As a German-born U.S. citizen with an Italian-sounding name, customs officers and other bureaucrats have often been confused about her origins, even the verifiability of her legal documents. Pinnola later addressed this recurring problem in several of her webcomics. Pinnola grew up in the United States, where she developed a love for manga and anime. She had a 15-year long abusive relationship with a manipulative, controlling husband, who treated her badly, stole her money and, hypocritically enough, committed adultery. Pinnola also went into therapy, since she was worried about possibly repeating this cycle of staying in abusive relationships if she didn't work on herself.
Comic strip posted on 13 September 2017.
Early comics
In the 2010s, Pinnola started drawing autobiographical webcomics and cartoons. She first posted them on DeviantArt and later on WebToons, Instagram, Tumblr and Facebook. One collection of her comics, titled 'Fandumb' (Lulu.Com, 2011), was published in book format. She draws in a manga style, with an emphasis on "kawaii" ("cute") designs and expressions. Most of her early comics were based on personal anecdotes and not yet part of a genuine series. Each episode had its own one-shot title and was posted online on an irregular basis. Apart from herself, the only recurring character was her black-and-white cat Soup. Pinnola uses the pseudonym "Acerotiburon". As explained in a comic posted on 29 April 2021, she has used this name since childhood and it means "steel shark".
Waffley Wedded
In 2019, Pinnola met a Belgian man, Jarl, who lives in Antwerp. They started dating and traveling between Ohio and Belgium. On 28 January 2020, the couple got engaged and Jarl was expected to travel to the USA by March. However, the COVID-19 pandemic delayed these plans for months, since quarantine requirements implemented a travel ban. Finally, after almost half a year, U.S. citizens could travel to Europe again. Between November 2020 and 3 February 2021, Pinnola spent three months in Belgium. After returning to the USA, she decided to migrate to Belgium on 15 May 2021. She had little affinity with her home country, anyway, and it would put an end to the exhausting, time-consuming travels between the two continents. Pinnola also prefers a lot of things in Europe over those in the U.S., namely the healthier and tastier food, the welfare society and the sheer quietness in European towns. In 2023, Pinnola married Jarl.
'Waffley Wedded' (8 September 2022), featuring Pinnola and her American-British friends confused about the children's novelty song 'De Kabouterdans', derived from the Flemish children's TV show 'Kabouter Plop'.
In 2019, Pinnola started posting new episodes of her webcomics on a weekly basis. On 24 May, she revealed the identity of her new partner Jarl to her followers. The comics became an account of their romantic bliss. As soon as they became engaged, Pinnola retroactively retitled her webcomic 'Waffley Wedded'. The title refers to one of Belgium's famous export products, waffles, and her affectionate nickname for her partner: "waffle". Previous episodes, when they were still regular partners, were described by her as a "prologue".
Many episodes of 'Waffley Wedded' express Pinnola's joy over finally having met the man of her life. They document their heartwarming moments. During the COVID-19 lockdowns of 2020, episodes focused on her frustrations about having to wait so long before they could meet each other again. 'Waffley Wedded' also documents the couple's travels to Ohio, Paris, London and various Belgian tourist hotspots, like the Antwerp Zoo, Manneken Pis and the Belgian Comic Strip Center in Brussels. Pinnola was, for instance, very fond of seeing a cardinal bird in the Antwerp Zoo, since in her previous hometown Columbus, Ohio, this avian species lives in the wild. To her it felt like meeting "somebody from home." Moments like these add an amusing "fish-out-of-water" flavor to 'Waffley Wedded'. Pinnola is intrigued by the differences between Belgium and the U.S. She asks her Flemish partner questions about strange Belgian phenomena, like the language border, national cuisine, pay toilets and "that strange gnome dance" (the song 'De Kabouterdans' from the Flemish children's TV show 'Kabouter Plop'). Certain Dutch words and expressions (some of which are French loanwords) also bewilder her. Pinnola also translates jokes by her partner. For instance, as somebody from the province Antwerp, he jokingly considers the provincial city Antwerp more important than the neighboring provinces, which leads to the common expression "Antwerpen en al de rest is parking" ("Antwerp and everything else is a parking lot").
'Waffley Wedded' (15 March 2020).
Apart from their trans-Atlantic romance and cross-cultural observations, 'Waffley Wedded' also reports how Pinnola tries to integrate in Belgian society. She obtained legal residency, a work permit and a passport, but finds out that getting a marriage certificate is more difficult, given that she needs a German birth record. She also follows a Belgian integration and Dutch-language course. To practice her new native tongue, she watches the Dutch dub of the Disney animated TV series 'Darkwing Duck'. In one episode of her strip, she feels embarrassed when her partner lets her order something in Dutch. Sometimes she feels despair over bureaucratic complications or her struggle to master Dutch. But her partner always manages to comfort her.
Other comics
Pinnola sometimes makes gag comics about her cat Soup. The feline is portrayed in realistic stories, but also featured as an anthropomorphic character, who works as an employee in a Starbucks restaurant. In 2025, Soup died, which presumably will put an end to the comic. Another ongoing series depicts herself, her partner and friends as characters in a sword & sorcery-themed setting.
'Soup'.