Webcomics! Totally not a knock-off!

[RentCavalier]

Honestly! I'm not doing this just because Yahtzee did. I'd be a hypocrite if I did that, and hypocrites are EVIL PEOPLE. No, I've been meaning to do this for awhile, and since I've been engrossed in the world of comic books of late, be it writing my own scripts or reading Preacher or, as this topic will indicate, reading a lot of webcomics. So, here, I'm presenting three categories of mini-reviews: Comics I like, Comics I've rediscovered, and Comics I want to like. Go go gadget REVIEW!

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Comics I like:

Penny Arcade(http://www.penny-arcade.com/):
Not much really needs to be said here, but I'll say a little anyway. Penny Arcade is outstanding. Its basically the go-to, perfect spot for gaming news, satire, criticism and appreciation. Almost every strip is guaranteed to make you chuckle, and the archives are vast and chock full of great strips. These guys have been classics practically since the comic went up, and though most of their old stuff makes no sense to me, a non-PC gaming enthusiast, its still funny as hell. If you haven't been reading this, start.

Ugly Hill (http://www.uglyhill.com/):
I like Ugly Hill, against all odds. The premise (A slacker lives with his workaholic facist brother) doesn't really offer anything, and I tend to avoid these sorts of obviously cartoony, more old-school comics like the plague, but I absolutely adore Ugly Hill because it is genuinely funny. The characters are likeable, the writing is top-notch, and the artwork is great, even if you may find the style of the characters a bit much (everyone is a monster of some sort). The comic doesn't really TRY to do anything. It has no real focus outside of its characters, but its got a decidedly political base, dealing with issues of racism, sexism, corporate culture and our current political climate with dexterity and grace, and it never feels heavy-handed. It won't neccessarily showcase a shocking truth to you about the world, but its so damn funny that almost every storyline is golden. A few choice examples: Cthulu Motors (just what it sounds like), Forebodings and a Funeral, and the Kilgore Redemption. EVERY storyline is good though, definitely check this out.

Templar Arizona (www.templaraz.com):

Here, for my indie-cred, I present Templar Arizona, possibly one of the best webcomics out there today. Its got humor, quirky characters, some action, maybe some romance, but above all, its got IMAGINATION. God, its like...the hardest thing to describe, because there's a little of everything in this. Its well-drawn, well-written, and its just plain ORIGINAL. The closest thing it reminds me of is Transmetropolitan--it sort of channels a great deal of Warren Ellis, and NEVER is this a bad thing. Read this. Now. You won't regret it unless you have no SOUL.

Lackadaisy (http://www.lackadaisycats.com/):

Lackadaisy is a 1920's rum-running drama starring talking cats.
And it is arguably the best comic on the web. Every single aspect of this comic is solid genius, from the art, from the writing, from everything. Its the strangest thing, perhaps, you'll ever read, but its not really complex. In fact, its simplicity is refreshing--there's no visible overall storyline, there's no huge goal looming in the distance: we have no clue what is about to happen, and so every single update is sort of like discovering a new treasure in your attic. If Mark Twain met Tennesee Williams and they drew comics about speakeasy-owners in the 1920s, anthropomorphosized as cats, then this would be the result. Oh, and no--it has nothing to do with the Furry Fandom at all. There has been and never will be ANYTHING that the Furry Community has created that will ever touch this. Read it now and if you don't like it then we simply cannot be friends. Ever.

Dresden Codak (http://dresdencodak.com/):

There's not much I have to say about this one. Its a bit more off-kilter than all the others, with it dealing with themes of secular humanism, trans-evolution through artificial growth, Carl Jung's collective unconscious, and the nature of the human mind and soul against a backdrop of scientific reason and thought. I love this comic, but even I, smart as I like to think I am, have trouble figuring out just what the main characters are talking about. Read it for the art--the artist draws some of the most beautiful THINGS you've ever seen. His artwork is reminiscient of the artistic stylings of Hayao Miyazaki, though it may take a little while to see what I mean. Its like watching somebody illustrate their dreams, if those dreams were the most beautiful pictures ever seen. With robots in them.

Dominic Deegan (www.dominic-deegan.com):

Shut up. You know who you are, and we both know what you will say, but shut up. I like Dominic Deegan. Its a guilty-pleasure comic, really--its not terribly well-drawn and it doesn't have the best writing, but when its good, its great, and there's something so amazingly old-school, yet anarchic about it that it appeals to me. It has a lot of great characters, and even though a lot of storylines are hit and miss, chances are there's something here you'll like if you've ever enjoyed simple fantasy, or Dungeons and Dragons.

Least I Could Do/Looking For Group (www.leasticoulddo.com http://www.lfgcomic.com/):

We're back to the funny, and if you want a laugh, look no further than Least I Could Do. Its the story of the ongoing misadventures of a ladies man with the maturity of a child and a lot of disposable income. Its sort of a "guy" comic, with lots of crude humor and fart jokes, but there's so much variety in the comic that it never feels or gets stale, and every so often Ryan Sohmer, the comic's writer, throws us an emotional curve-ball to make us smile or make us think. Looking for Group is another comic done by him, with the same artist as well, and its sort of like a parody/homage to classic fantasy books, like the Wheel of Time and A Song of Fire and Ice, and of course LOTR. They both have a common sense of humor, and the artwork by Lars DeSousa is just stellar. Check it out, they're both great for a laugh.

Questionable Content (http://www.questionablecontent.net/):

Its an indie-romantic comedy comic! I used to live in Northampton, where the comic takes place, so I had to include this one, but its really stellar. Its for music nerds, but everybody can get a laugh out of it, and if you are ever a sucker for romance and soapy plotlines, give it a shot, its really very clever. I haven't read a strip in it that I haven't smiled at, and there's some truly funny stuff here, as well as a lot of emotion and heart. This one will also appeal to any girls out there, as the cast is mostly female.

8-bit Theater (http://www.nuklearpower.com/):

Come on. It's 8BT. Everyone knows this. Its still great, and if you've never read it, you've missed out on the only truly good sprite comic. Its winding up towards its climax...I think...so now is as good a time as ever to get into it. Its as funny as Penny Arcade.

The Adventures of Dr McNinja (http://www.drmcninja.com/):

Another one for the "weird category". If the title alone didn't pique your interest, you'll probably not like this one, but its really just sheer silly fun. There's a 10-year old gunslinger who grew a mustache out of sheer force of will, there's a robot clone of Dracula, Ben Franklin, pirates, a family of Dysfunctional ninjas, and evil midgets. Check it out--I promise, at the very least, you'll be entertained, if not rolling on the ground laughing.

Wow, that was longer than I thought. I'm thinking I'll do three posts instead of making one huge one. To end this category, I'll put a brief section on the gaming comics I like:

Gaming Comics:
F@nboy$: Silly but fun. Great art, some good jokes, and a genuine sort of innocent cuteness to it. Not super great, but I like it.
Dueling Analogs: Great strip, one of the few gaming comics that could really stand proudly next to Penny Arcade, though it isn't as consecutively funny. Plus, there's a comic homage to Yahtzee you guys will like.
Awkward Zombie: This is a Super Smash Bros comic, really. Well-drawn and pretty new, there's a lot of silly fun here too.

Alright, next post: Comics I Want to Like (I.E. The shit I'm sad about)

 

[PurpleRain]

What happened to Concerned? Or xkcd?! Those two make my day.

 

[RentCavalier]

Alright, let's keep the momentum rolling--here are the currently shitty comics that I wish were better.

Top of the list...

Megatokyo (http://www.megatokyo.com/):

If you want to know everything I hate about anime, I'd basically just point to Megatokyo and say "pretty much this". The sad part is, I used to LOVE Megatokyo. Its early years are still really good, and even after Largo left, the comic actually got even better, with a sort of sprawling storyline and plenty of romantic tension. But as the years have gone by, the comic has become just senseless self-indulgent DRIVEL. Its one thing for a guy in America to love Manga enough to do his own comic rip-off of the medium--its another thing for him to basically turn his comic into a mishmash of every conceivable anime cliche known to man and some known only to the lesser forms of Manatees. Megatokyo has become simply too MUCH--its overly dense, overly full of itself, and it has a fanbase of people I would be afraid to meet in a dark alley. Sad thing is, the fanbase itself is as rabid as that poor dog Atticus Finch has to shoot in the street. They're completely obsessed with the artist/writer's work, and they only serve to encourage him. He's been jerked off so much by his fans that all he does now is spread the ejaculate on paper, stick some cut-out images of Japanese schoolgirls, and giggle insanely all the way to the bank. Its a comic that's lost its soul, and I hope that, someday, it may find it again. I just doubt that day is going to come.

Three Panel Soul (http://www.threepanelsoul.com/):

Everybody loves this comic. Its by the Mac Hall guys. I just don't see why everyone thinks this is the Second Coming of Webcomic Christ. Its really not that great. Its not bad, certainly, and its even really funny at times, but it puts out just three panels a week, and unless there's some extremely deep subtext I'm missing, there doesn't seem to be anything there WORTH the praise that this bloody thing is shown. Maybe somebody can tell me what the big secret is, because as far as I can tell, three panels a week is plain laziness.

Snafu (http://www.snafu-comics.com/):

This is actually a collection of webcomics, the majority of which are utter shit, but the one I'm focusing on is Bleedman's comics. Bleedman did the rather surprisingly brilliant Powerpuff Girls' Doujinshi, and for a Phillipino comic artist/writer he's very good with his English, but...ok, here's the thing. I LIKED the PPG thing. Its extremely well drawn, cheesy as hell, but its like the best fanfiction you'll ever read--all nostalgia, with some cool twists and emotional thrills too. He's now doing two comics at once, and I feel that both are suffering, because neither is nearly as good. One is like a darker sidestory to the PPG thing, starring the son of Grim and Mandy from the Cartoon Network show, and the other is an original work...that, really, feels exactly the same. He updates so infrequently nowadays that by the time you finally see a new page, it just doesn't seem like anything is ever HAPPENING. I've stopped caring, and I really want to. Also, Ever After is another comic on that site that needs to FUCKING UPDATE. God damn, I really liked it, and it pains me to see it not progressing because its twenty times better than Bleedman's shit and its so damn imaginitive that it needs to EXIST.

I also like Sticky Floors, but like everything on Snafu, it doesn't care much about updating.

Slackerz (http://theslackerz.com/index.php):

I'm actually starting to like this again, but I fear that may be a fluke. This comic starts off great, with some really funny shit in the beginning, but there was a period of about two months where every single update suffered the same problem (and the problem persists, actually): there's no fucking PUNCHLINE. The comics MEANDER endlessly, often basing entire jokes on pop culture icons that nobody has ever heard about, requiring them to be explained in the news post, and while I dig the art style, I just feel as though the writer needs to learn a lesson about "less is more" and just give us a single, simple funny joke over...well, read the strip and you'll see what I mean. Now, his recent stuff is pretty funny though...but I'm skeptical to how long that'll last.

Real Life (http://www.reallifecomics.com/):

I actually also rather like this one...I just sort of wish there was more to it. This is the DEFINITIVE problem comic, as you can tell when the writer gets bored and throws out some random storyline about time travel. Its got this sort of cozy slice-of-life aspect that I really enjoy, but sometimes I just sort of feel that some guy just posts those sort of "cute" comments/jokes/observations that one chuckles at during an average day. Not bad--but it needs to be better. I almost wish they'd bring back the time travel. That was good. I miss that.

White Ninja (http://www.whiteninjacomics.com/):

What the FUCK is with this comic? Seriously, this is another one of those comics that a lot of people say is brilliant. I don't get it. Its often more depressing or morose than funny, and the art is really poor. I mean, arguably speaking, *I* could draw this, and when I draw anything, the end result looks like the result of an epileptic taking LSD and trying to draw with all of his fingers broken. That's all that needs to be said here.

Ctr-Alt-Delete (http://www.ctrlaltdel-online.com/):

Stop sucking, you unforgiveable piece of pompous, mediocre drivel. Stop sucking, you cock-sucking asinine immature piece of idiotic, ill-thought out and uninspiring shit. Stop fucking sucking you unfunny shriveled pile of bleeding placental discharge, you mucus-consuming shit-stain on the face of all that is good and holy of the webcomic work, you ****-eating shit-spitting cum dumpster of a web comic. In fact, I don't wish I liked this--I wish it would go away. No, I don't wish it would go away. I wish it would disembowel itself, pull its entrails from its slit stomach, and eat as much of them as it could before it chokes on its own bleeding insides, its last thoughts being the agonized realization that it is an abomination upon this world and the next, and that the world is made a better taste by its agonized and slow demise.

 

[Stammer]

8-bit Theater is the only one I read.

 

[RentCavalier]

Now, much shorter, comics I've recently learned to love again. Also, a shout out to Concerned, I'd chosen not to include that because it's ended.

First up (and my fingers hurt):

xkcd (http://xkcd.com/):

Why this is good, I cannot fathom. At first, you'd say the art is terrible, but it really isn't. Its as expressive as it needs to be, and its almost purposefully done, as if we're literally reading the amusing scribblings oozed from the bored mind of some mathematician somewhere. I can't fathom why, but I really like this comic, and having never given it the fair shake it deserved earlier, I've finally swallowed by apathy and have been dutifully going through the archives. Its good kids--just don't ask me why.

PVP (http://www.pvponline.com/):

I used to think this was the shit. Then, I decided it WAS shit. Now I've reached a happy medium. I sort of began to lose interest in the comic somewhere around the time when Brent proposed to Jade and she said no, because I no longer recognized the comic I was reading. Steering away from the black abyss that is a gaming comic, PVP had become a really cheesy sitcom that I had no interest in watching. Yet, just today really, I randomly clicked a link to it, started reading...and I found myself enchanted again. Yeah, it plays itself far too safe, and its the sort of webcomic that your grandmother would like if it didn't talk about all them fancy computer games, but there's an undeniable charm and humor to it, and the artwork has only grown better as the story continues. Plus, Francis finally got laid. About god damn time, he was my favorite character, and I like it when my characters start mirroring my life some.

Multiplex (http://www.multiplexcomic.com/):

Continuing the trend of "It's a comic about people working in a..." format that PVP started and everyone else continued, this is a comic about people working in a movie theater. I didn't find much to like at first--the artwork seemed squashed and unexpressive, but returning to it later on, I find myself sort of sucked into the whole soap opera side of it--something I try to limit myself to. The humor can be hit or miss, but there are some pretty good jokes, and the comic is saved by likeable characters and, of course, MOVIES. Lots of movies. Movies movies movies. I love movies. Who doesn't? What? You don't? Well FUCK YOU.

ADDENDUM: Something I forgot to put in the last post, this is the last comic I want to like, but don't:

Comedity (http://www.comedity.com/):

I'm not sure what happened to this comic. I really liked it when it first started out, but nowadays I've sort of lost track of whats happening. It seems so...boring. Really, really boring. Like, INCREDIBLY BORING. There's nothing much going on, and in the past five weeks, the only update I liked was the "filler" involving the crazy antics of a penguin. I liked that. Bring back the fucking penguin and go back inside your damn head, idiot. I don't fucking care if you go rock climbing. Are you a nerd or aren't you? Nerds don't rock climb. Rock Climbers rock climb, and they also get lost in canyons and have to cut off their own arms. Do you want that to happen to you? Because it will. It. Will.

VGcats (www.vgcats.com):

Somehow, I lost interest in this one too. Too few updates, too many filler bits, it lost its charm. Since I go to it all the time because of its library-sized page of links to other, better webcomics, I always check it out when it updates, but it was only recently--around the time he added "Super Effective" to his side comics bard--that a strange thing happened: I found myself enjoying myself again. See, he's such a good artist that, when he puts his mind to it, Scott Ramoosair can really make a great-looking comic. I just wish it didn't take him so damn long.

Alright. There we go. Three posts of my blathering opinion. This is what you get when I feel inspired on a Friday night. I'd tell you this would stop if I wasn't single, but frankly, I feel we know each other too well to start lying to each other. I hope you were entertained--I put a lot of effort into that CAD paragraph. I hope it doesn't get me banned.

 

[Somethingironic]

http://theslackerz.com/index.php?Page=3

Cool we get mentioned! (sorta)

EDIT: Also, check out Blastwave. It's a good comic.

 

[RentCavalier]

http://theslackerz.com/index.php?Page=3

Cool we get mentioned! (sorta)

EDIT: Also, check out Blastwave. It's a good comic.

This: http://theslackerz.com/index.php?Page=77

Sorry Slackerz, but if you didn't suck at riding bikes so much, maybe we wouldn't make fun of you about it so much. Also, sad fact: the best strips are the ones written by the artist. So, its not they they suck at riding bikes--they're just riding a bike with one flat tire, if you catch my drift.

Also, Blastwave rocks, but that shit don't ever update. And it's off the internet now. Shame.

Oh, and Stammer: That's why I posted links. ^_^

 

[PurpleRain]

Hmm, I don't mind Ctrl Alt Del and White Ninja can be good at times. I've never read VGcats before or PVP. Maybe I should get into those.

 

[sammyfreak]

Least I Could Do is actualy one of my favorites. Updated every day and funny most of the time, Rayne really has grown on me.

 

[Larenxis]

I don't really like these multiplying reviews to be honest. I disagree with a lot of them, and find a fair few short on information or adequate insight. It's much softer than Your Webcomic Is Bad And You Should Feel Bad though.

 

[RentCavalier]

I don't really like these multiplying reviews to be honest. I disagree with a lot of them, and find a fair few short on information or adequate insight. It's much softer than Your Webcomic Is Bad And You Should Feel Bad though.

I know what you mean, but I mostly did this to try and get more people to read Lackadaisy and Templar. XP I cannot stress enough how AMAZINGLY GOOD these two comics are.

 

[Mullahgrrl]

http://www.goblinscomic.com/

Now this is lovely, if geeky.

 

[Saevus]

To avoid angering people who just enjoy things for what they are, I won't mention specifics. But about 90% of what I see in this thread I know from experience is just bad.

I'm not saying this as a critic, but with about a decade of experience as a writer, some serious study into fiction, and a few of my glorified scribblings published, I've got to say that 99.9% of webcomics are painfully bad and mostly useful as textbook examples of phenomenally bad writing. Stock characters, blatant wish fulfillment and self-insertion, shoddy or more frequently no characterization, painful dialog, and enough tropes and cliches to populate the whole of Siberia more densely than NYC. I could go on, and on, and on, but that'd just be pedantic.

Quality art is a bit easier to come by, but it still largely fails to do what the art of a comic needs to: express. It isn't enough to supplant 'Back in his apartment, John reclined on his sofa' with the art; it needs to evoke a response from the reader, provide emotional context, anything. Complexity isn't what's lacking; no one expects every panel to be a bloody Las Meninas. But even that which is technically quite accomplished all too often fails in actually communicating something important to the reader.

 

[sms_117b]

I enjoy Happiness and Cyanide, some are stupidly funny others are amazingly awkward, but they balance out to be pretty good, I think so anyway

 

[RentCavalier]

To avoid angering people who just enjoy things for what they are, I won't mention specifics. But about 90% of what I see in this thread I know from experience is just bad.

I'm not saying this as a critic, but with about a decade of experience as a writer, some serious study into fiction, and a few of my glorified scribblings published, I've got to say that 99.9% of webcomics are painfully bad and mostly useful as textbook examples of phenomenally bad writing. Stock characters, blatant wish fulfillment and self-insertion, shoddy or more frequently no characterization, painful dialog, and enough tropes and cliches to populate the whole of Siberia more densely than NYC. I could go on, and on, and on, but that'd just be pedantic.

Quality art is a bit easier to come by, but it still largely fails to do what the art of a comic needs to: express. It isn't enough to supplant 'Back in his apartment, John reclined on his sofa' with the art; it needs to evoke a response from the reader, provide emotional context, anything. Complexity isn't what's lacking; no one expects every panel to be a bloody Las Meninas. But even that which is technically quite accomplished all too often fails in actually communicating something important to the reader.

I agree with you mostly, but I would point to any of the comics I put in my "good" section, with the exception perhaps of Dominic Deegan, of being extremely good in both writing and artistry. Chalking up 99% of webcomics as shit is, honestly, an extremely broad and rather bad generalization. Like any medium, the majority of webcomics are fairly mediocre, which is why we appreciate the good webcomics when we get them.

 

[Johnn Johnston]

I enjoy Happiness and Cyanide, some are stupidly funny others are amazingly awkward, but they balance out to be pretty good, I think so anyway

Don't you mean Cyanide & Happiness?

 

[Evilbunny]

I enjoy Happiness and Cyanide, some are stupidly funny others are amazingly awkward, but they balance out to be pretty good, I think so anyway

Don't you mean Cyanide & Happiness?

Yes, this comic has to be my favorite. It updates every day and is consistently funny. VGcats is hilarious as well but the fact that he takes forever and a half to update gets to me sometimes.

 

[Spleeni]

PBFcomics
http://www.pbfcomics.com/

Is IMO the best comic around. It's just a pity that the creator doesn't update...like, at all anymore.

*PROOF* http://www.pbfcomics.com/?cid=PBF202-Post_Apocalyptic.jpg

 

[Dracomancer]

Cyanide and Happiness is probably the only webcomic that makes me laugh on a continual basis, and I honestly think White Ninja has its moments (its probably the only example of completely random humour actually working i've encountered).

But seriously, Dueling Analogues? The amount of pure smug that rediates from that webcomic is unbelievable, and any webcomic that continually relies on jokes about mario and luigi being gay deserves an immediate classing under the "shit" folder, once is more than enough people...

 

[PedroSteckecilo]

Good Calls on most of them, but what... No Dinosaur Comics?

I also happen to like White Ninja, it's more insane than anything I've ever seen.

Also www.scarygoround.com , it's so british it makes my head hurt.