Favourite story-based webcomics?

[NerfedFalcon]

Simple enough. I'd like to know your favourite webcomics you've read that had a major focus on story, instead of daily/thrice-weekly/monthly gags with the occasional plot arc.

Personally, I have to go with 8-bit Theater: had a better plot than most games these days, ran for over a thousand story comics over nine years, and it was all done with video game sprites. Also, Captain SNES (which is like that, but darker and draws on more games) and DM of the Rings (taking stills from the Lord of the Rings movies and pretending it's a D&D campaign) get very, VERY honourable mentions from me.

So what are your faves?

 

[DJDarque]

I like Eerie Cuties and Menage a 3. Both are done by the same artists and are all about story. The latter is meant for more mature audiences than the former.

 

[Vault Girl]

Questionable Content is my fav, followed closely by Lackadaisy Cats.

 

[Farseer Lolotea]

Mostly Goblins, The Meek, Wurr, and Elspeth nowadays. And Shadowgirls, if that counts.

 

[rabidmidget]

Scary-go-round, I loved it to bits while it's main story ran, although Bad Machinery (a spin-off) is also pretty good.

Questionable Content is always good too, shame that as soon as I started getting the Indie Music references, they stopped making them.

 

[Scarim Coral]

I guess it would be Bleedman webcomics PPG Doujinshi, Grim Tales from Down Below and Sugarbits

I would of said Megatokyo but I have competely lost the plot to it now...

 

[Nikola Brankovic]

Order of the Stick and Looking for Group both have a special place in my heart. 8-Bit Theater was superb, but sadly, that story had ended. Kagerou (Electric Manga) is also a fine example of a story driven comic, only in this story the main character is very much so insane.

 

[Mathak]

Darths and Droids.

The prequels being a D&D campaign with a disastrous group makes so much sense. Also, Summon Bigger Fish.

 

[Cheesus333]

Questionable Content is my fav

Same here, Questionable Content [http://www.questionablecontent.net/index.php] is great.

[sub]Even though Faye is a colossaly unlikeable mega-*****...[/sub]

 

[9thRequiem]

Think my favorite is Erfworld - guy is taken inside a turn-based strategy game he designed, in a scenario that is pretty much unwinnable.
Also enjoy the previously-mentioned Order of the Stick, QC, LFG, plus the not-yet-mentioned Schlock Mercenary.

 

[Gaiseric]

Dominic Deegan. Though I haven't actually read it in over a year and now the task of catching up becomes more unpleasant everyday.

 

[Prince Regent]

Dresden Codak though I like his non story based comics better than the story based ones.

 

[Ikaruga33]

Dragontails

An obscure little webcomic that seems to have gone on permanent hiatus but still has some brilliant archived stuff
Its been going on since 1991 and as well as the main comic has also done a superhero and and rpg parody both of which are brilliant
http://dragon-tails.com/
The webcomic its self
http://dragon-tails.com/bio/
And character bios

Go read it.Now

 

[Pappytech]

Homestuck. Great, if slightly confusing story, amazing characters, and a sense of humor all its own.

Questionable content is also great, as is Sam and Fuzzy and the Adventures of Doctor McNinja.

 

[tahrey]

There's far too many of these things now for us to give you any kind of a recommended reading guide unless you cut off at about post #5...
.

But, for what it's worth... top picks:

Questionable Content, Girl Genius, Paradigm Shift, El Goonish Shive, Freefall FOR THE LOVE OF GOD FREEFALL (and, I guess, Kevin & Kell though I never got into it myself), Elf Life if it's still going (I gave up following...), 8 bit theatre, Roza the Cursed Mage, DMFA, 2Kinds, Slightly Damned, The Meek, Lackadaisy (the last two if you're patient)... *breath*
.

Honourable mentions for various reasons (ended their run, gone on indefinite hiatus, eventually lost interest or ability to hold onto the story - but before those events, they were well worth keeping up with):

Unicorn Jelly et al, Goats, It's Walky! et al, College Roomies From Hell, Kid Radd, Hana is Not a Boy's Name, Order of the Stick, Misfile / Venus Envy / The Wotch (if you start at the beginning then abruptly stop around 2006 in the archives because the stories terminally foundered and became hollow shells around a dwindling core of morbid transsexual voyeurism, you'll mirror what I did "live"), Bobbins / Scary-Go-Round and the follow ups, Dresden Kodak
.

See, just off the top of my head, that's 26+ examples I've been able to give you just in terms of good quality continuing story comics, and I've actually missed out a few classics, I'm sure - and haven't even got into semi-story/semi-gag, or multiple short-story strips like Sandra and Woo, Housepets!, SSDD, etcetera.
.

Your hit rate will probably be almost as good if you just load up a few webcomics ranking sites and start clicking amongst the top-50s at random. If the internet has shown us anything, it's that competent, inventive story writers and artists are ten a penny and just need an outlet, given that serials as good as (IMHO) almost any sweatshopped costume-hero pulp releases rise and fall like seedlings in the forest.

The above ones are just those of which I've had the fortune to get to know over the past 12 years or so (since I saw my first one), the top list is largely those I still follow, because they're worth taking time out of your week to keep up with.

Heck, I even bought the first three printed volumes of Paradigm Shift, and I can rarely afford to buy graphic novels. Last time I stretched to that it was Nausicaa, for heaven's sake.

 

[DonMartin]

I read Yahtzee's "YAHTZEE TAKES OVER THE WORLD" a week or so ago, and I enjoyed it, thought it was very good and very funny.

Other than that, I suppose the two basic ones. Cyanide and Happiness and Penny Arcade.

 

[Scorched_Cascade]

I used to like Misfile and Dead Winter but that was a few years ago now so I can't vouch for their current content.

 

[SL33TBL1ND]

Questionable Content is quite good, as is Sock Puppet Army.

 

[Antitonic]

The two that spring to mind immediately for me are El Goonish Shive and Flipside. There's never a bad time to recommend EGS, as far as I know.

 

[Jodah]

LFG. Who couldn't love Richard's antics?