Mr Myth

Moving On

2007-03-19T12:49:00.000-04:00

Big news today - this blog is moving to a new location.

Why the move?

It's been something I've wanted to do for a while now, mainly so I can streamline my writings a bit more, and have a slightly more effective presentation. I go into the reasons a bit more at the new site, however, so you might as well head over there to find out more.

I'll be leaving this site up for now, but all the archives have been moved to the new site, and all new posts will only show up there. So... enjoy!

Also, starting tomorrow I'll be relaunching my short fiction site, so feel free to to take a look at that as well!

Shattered View

2007-03-14T11:07:00.000-04:00

I talked about Home on the Strange just last week, yet already I find myself needing to discuss it again.

As mentioned back then, hefty stuff has been happening, and we knew we were going to be coming upon a scene of significant disaster.

I just didn't think it would involve the brutal mauling of an almost-naked woman.

Clearly we're intended to be cheering for the possum. I mean, Ann is a bitch. She treated Tanner horribly and was in the process of trying to sabotage his current relationship.

(Of course, he bears no small blame for both how she treated him and her current presence in his apartment, but nonetheless - she's not a nice person.)

Ferrett says, regarding the strip, that hopefully this is everything the readers wanted to see.

And maybe, for most of them, it is. As I mentioned, Ann isn't a figured designed to deserve sympathy.

Still, given the flaws and actions of the other characters, she has been established - at least in my eyes - as such a villain as to deserve this level of brutalization.

This isn't to say it kills the story. It is, in many ways, an interesting development. But I just don't think it is the development the writer intended it to be. He wants us to feel triumph from this, not disgust. He wants us to be laughing, not staring at the screen in horror.

Reading the script he wrote for the strip, it says the following: "The possum is violent against Ann, clawing at her in a cartoon frenzy of animation (funny, not realistic) as she flails about, knocking all sorts of shit over and smearing blood around the room."

I'm not quite sure what went wrong. Somewhere in there, the 'cartoon' and 'funny' parts didn't get through - and if they had, I probably would have been able to accept it. As it is, though, the woman fled the room completely drenched in blood. We saw the possom tearing into her face, possibly disfiguring her for life. And we're supposed to find it funny.

Well, like I said, maybe other readers do. I suspect I won't be the only one a little put off by the brutality of it. I wonder whether this will result in any change in what plot they have planned ahead. There certainly seems a difference between the way the script reads and the way the art itself plays out, and that could certainly play havoc with whatever they intend to come next.

Of course, it is to the credit of the strip that, as much as the scene pushes me away, I still find myself left with curiousity. Where will the plot go from here - will future strips be written with what this scene was intended to be, or what it actually ended up as?

Anything But

2007-03-12T11:47:00.000-04:00

I mentioned Home on the Strange last week (which is already moving in directions that I, at least, certainly didn't see coming), and I mentioned The Ferrett, the writer of the strip.

In addition to scripting out each installment of the feature, he has a rather entertaining blog of his own - which happens to feature weekly webcomic reviews. His goal, primarily, is to focus on some of the strips that aren't directly in the spotlight, and which deserve some solid attention. Unsurprisingly, that's a goal I can easily agree with.

Especially as this introduced me to Yet Another Fantasy Gamer Comic, which really is anything but.

The Ferrett's review does a good job of covering what makes the strip stand out - the vibrancy of the art, the unrepentant fun that manifests throughout, the skill with which a world full of characters and plot is interwoven without ever leaving readers lost or confused.

But that isn't really why I wanted to talk about the comic today.

It is, hands-down, definitely a good strip, for all the reasons mentioned above and probably a few more. But what really impressed me was the resolution to the latest little round of plot. (Spoilers ahead, so now would be a good time to go and read through from the beginning.)

The comic began following the tale of Bob the Beholder and Gren Razortooth, a beholder and a goblin who happened to fall in life. Antics ensued, and the strip went from there, developing an immense and fascinating cast. Some characters have popped in and out, and some have had more focus given to them then others... and then along came Glon, just over a hundred strips down the road.

And from that point on, Glon became the star of the show. Oh, the other characters were there, but he was the central figure. He had his quest, even though it wasn't what he thought it was. He lost family and he gained family, and it was his actions, however indirectly, that led to the massive fight that took center-stage these past few weeks, with nearly the entirety of the cast involved in a epic battle. Other characters had their time in the spotlight, sure, but it was almost all revolving around him.

And then he died. After being the primary character for more than half of the strip's run, his show is over. Characters grieved... and moved on.

We're back with Bob and Gren in their underground home sweet home. The strip has come full circle. We have had, essentially, the entire story of this one character's life, and how that life changed those close to him, and affected countless others far and wide.

And Rich Morris, the strip's creator, is somehow able to have the intensity and impact of all that sit side by side with the same silly humor, day after day, and somehow make it all work perfectly.

That's why Yet Another Fantasy Gamer Comic is such a damn good comic.

Second Chances

2007-03-09T16:22:00.000-05:00

I have something of a confession to make - when it first started, a bit over a year ago, I didn't like Home on the Strange.

Or rather... I just didn't get it. It didn't click for me. I went there on day one, sent via Websnark, and was surprised to find that it just left me shrugging.

(Ironically, I went on to check out the words of the strip's writer, the Ferret, and was impressed by them.)

But the strip itself... nothing. I kept up with it for a few weeks - after all, it would be downright foolish to judge it by a single strip. And it didn't grab me, and I eventually just stopped reading.

A couple months later, I saw notice of it... somewhere... and decided to take another look, and quickly went through the archives. And was promptly blown out of my shoes.

I was trying to figure out what exactly had changed, and realized only one thing - the strip had had enough time to start actually developing. Character interaction, full-on plotlines, drama - all the good stuff.

Let us make one thing clear - Home on the Strange is a sterling example of an almost perfectly designed webcomic. Clean site design, die-hard update schedule, connects to all manner of audiences (albeit almost all of them geeky), and has a great mix of humor and plot.

The early humor? For me, it didn't work. But once it had the plot rolling... bam! Snagged me without a chance of escape.

It isn't because I only like story-heavy comics, because I enjoy plenty of strips that run on nothing more than humor. But with Home on the Strange, the humor alone wasn't enough to pull me in - and one instance where I was sad that I had first come upon it while it was starting out, rather than later, once it had built up what it needed to draw me in.

Which goes to show that it doesn't hurt to hedge your bets. Home on the Strange was very carefully constructed to appeal to a multitude of people. Not that there is anything wrong with that - it isn't any less good for being planned out that way!

In any case, as time moved one, I became a devoted reader of the strip. The last few arcs have been especially compelling - they focus on the relationship of Izzy and Tanner, whose relationship has been one of the central developments through the strip's run thus far. A relationship that, ever since it began, has teetered precariously on the edge of disaster.

When Izzy was confronted by an attempted seduction by Seth, local GM (as well as an incredibly wealthy womanizer), things didn't look good. But instead, his attempt helped her take a closer look at her relationship with Tanner, and head home, intent on making their relationship a real thing.

When she got home, however, things didn't look so good...

...and the storyline was then followed up by a retelling of what was happening to Tanner while Izzy was away. This involved getting drunk, and inviting over his ex-girlfriend, which would have been a bad idea at the best of times.

But in Monday's strip, he seemed to have his own epiphany. And here is where I give credit to the artist Roni as well, because that strip floored me with its simple change of posture. I thought it was all going to work out, having somehow forgotten the horrible scene that had to somehow transpire by the end of the night.

The battle clearly isn't over yet. I'm hoping - really hoping - that everything works out in the end, because these two arcs have really matured Izzy and Tanner an incredible amount... but the creators of the strip like to toy with us mere readers, and the ending could go any which way. Right now I find myself checking this strip first thing on every day it updates, and I'm confident that will stay the case until the arc is done.

And in the end, I'm just glad I had a second chance to discover it.

Recognition

2007-03-08T15:27:00.000-05:00

I considered spending today giving my own thoughts on yet another bit of drama making the rounds, involving the comic book industry and the fallout from certain massive crossover events. But... others have already written about that, and I don't think there is much more I can add to the discussion.

I did, however, notice that it is International Women's Day. And being that my mind was on the topic of comics, that made me think of Girl-Wonder.org, a site with a very strong, and very important, message. The focused campaign of the site is to get recognition for Stephanie Brown, who took up the mantle of Robin, and then was brutally killed - at which point DC mostly forgot about her.

I originally agreed with the site's goal, largely on the basis that this was a character I had grown up a fan of. One of, sadly, many that DC has done terrible things to in recent years. But it wasn't really until I started to read Girls Read Comics! (And They're Pissed), by Karen Healey, that I started to 'get' the message they were trying to get across. That I started to genuinely notice the sexism and misogny unfortunately all too present in modern comics.

That was really what struck me about the state of things. That until it was pointed out to me, I just had not noticed. I didn't agree with women being demeaned in comics, nor could I defend it - but until I had my face shoved in it, it didn't occur to me to question it.

I think highly of myself as a rather reasonable, open, and well-meaning individual. So being put face to face with my own... ignorance? Apathy? Unawareness? Well, whatever it was, it wasn't exactly the best feeling.

Since then, I've continued to read Karen's column, and to genuinely keep my eyes open when I'm reading comics. (Both in print and on the web.) I couldn't claim to have accomplished anything more than become aware of when I am reading something that is slealthily offensive, but I'm glad to take that as a start.

Some time after this point, I was talking with a friend about All Star Batman and Robin. It's by Frank Miller, and it is pretty damn terrible, in all manner of ways. Most people are aware of this by now.

I was telling a friend how bad it was, and he asked me exactly what made it so bad. My response: "The gratuitous amounts of fanservice, the exceedingly lame dialogue, and the thoroughly incompetent pacing of time."

His response: "Well, only two of those are really reasons not to read the comic."

Now, this individual is one of my most intelligent friends, and a person I have a considerable amount of respect for. So seeing him just as stuck in that mindset, not even seeing anything wrong with it... well, that was another shock.

I don't know how to stop the problem. But I think talking about it, getting it out in the open, is definitely an important part of the process. Making people aware of it is important. Because it really is far too easy for someone not directly affected by it to just not notice. And that says plenty of bad things in its own rights, but also means that the more people that can be made aware, the more progress can be made.

I'm sure there is plenty more I can do to contribute. For now, though, I'll point people towards Girl-Wonder.org, and recommend they take a good long look. They've said it better than I ever could, and are saying things that damn well need to be said. And, honestly, it shouldn't take it being some special day of the year for me to mention them - but the topic has been in the back of my mind for a while, and I'm glad I had something prompt it to the front.

And hopefully, in the future, I won't need even that.

Shifting Focus

2007-03-07T15:14:00.000-05:00

Let's talk about Wikipedia.

Wait, wait, wait! Don't run away! At least not yet!

I know that the subject has already been beaten into the ground. Repeatedly. I know that the majority of people are either tired of the entire debate, or only growing more upset the more they hear about it. And, honestly, I'm halfway in both camps - equally frustrated by the situation itself, as well as all the drama (often meaningless) it's creating.

So why, then, am I writing about it?

That's a very good question.

Quick summary for those who somehow missed the rest of the drama: Wikipedia has had a tendency to delete non-notable webcomics listings from their site. Their definition of non-notable clashes significantly with that of the webcomic community itself. Thus, conflict.

One thing I've noticed, recently, is that many people seem to have a hard time pinning down the purpose of webcomic listings on Wikipedia. They aren't there to lead people to the comic - if you are listed on Wikipedia, it isn't going to get you any noticable new traffic. It is a nice mark of accomplishment - but a webcartoonist who has thousands of readers should feel that regardless of whether Wikipedia recognizes them as notable or not.

The primary use of those Wikipedia entries, in my mind, is to provide information. Wikipedia is an encyclopedia. It is a catalogue and compilation of information. With the majority of its topics, that information isn't something easily found elsewhere on the web. If I am trying to learn about a specific novel, and I don't have that novel on hand, Wikipedia just might have an entry with some valuable information.

I don't go to Wikipedia to find new books to read - I go there to find information about books I already know about.

When I go there looking for webcomic information, it is usually to dig up random facts about the webcomic itself. When it began, names of characters, etc.

All information, by and large, that I would much rather have on the webcomic's site itself. After all, webcomics are on the web. If I can get to Wikipedia, I can get to the webcomic's homepage. In a perfect world, everything I need to know about a strip would be right there next to the archives.

Unfortunately, many webcomics don't have much more than the bare bones around. They've got archives, and usually a forum or place for comments. If we're lucky, a cast page (which, more often than not, isn't up to date).

If I get more than that, I count it as a genuine accomplishment. Having a storyline guide, detailed character pages, searchable archives - those are amazing things. But generally, the webcartoonists are too busy with, say, actually producing new material (entirely for free), and simply don't have the time, energy, or know-how to put those features in. I can't complain about it - that's just the way it is.

It would be nice if every webcomic had all the info we needed right there on the page, but it just isn't going to happen.

Hence why I go hunting through Wikipedia. Or, with Wikipedia yanking out entries left and right, to Comixpedia.org. Gilead Pellaeon, over at the Webcomicker, gives his own response to the matter - he plans to work hard at fleshing out Comixpedia.org and the information there. Which is an idea I can certainly get behind, and I plan to do my own fair share of work on the database there.

There have been those who have... well, let's not say criticized, but rather, been dubious of the use of Comixpedia.org. The arguments have often been that it isn't going to do what Wikipedia does, and that only people already in the webcomic community will even know about the page.

But that's ok. The purpose of Comixpedia.org is to be a collection of information on webcomics. Not a guide to introduce us to the outside world, not a guide to lure newcomers into the fold. Which isn't to say we don't need more along those lines - but being posted on Wikipedia certainly didn't do that. It collects knowledge in a place we know where to find it.

The more people working on it, the better a tool it is. Gilead's got the right idea. If you want to worry about notability at Wikipedia... well, go for it. I do agree that their current standards are fundamentally flawed, regardless of whether the concept itself is or not. But I think Wikipedia is a lot less important to us than we think - and while it is easy to feel it is a personal attack, the amount of energy wasted on the matter could be put to far better use.

Like fleshing out the websites of the comics themselves. Or working on Comixpedia.org. Or finding new and innovative ways to draw people into webcomics.

I suspect if we could spend half the time being productive as we do ranting, we'd see a world of difference.

"Everything is connected... no one thing can change by itself."

2007-03-06T16:53:00.000-05:00

Longevity can be a dangerous thing.

The majority of webcomics are still in their youth, these days, but we have started to get more and more passing the decade mark. Which isn't a sign of old age, persay - but it does occasionally make me worry. How long until we have gag comics that go the way of Garfield, reduced to a formula and devoid of all real humor? How long can a story run before wandering over its own tail in complex plot after plot, needing to hit the reset button over and over again in the fashion of so many comic-book superheroes?

There are a lot of comics I have faith in to avoid such fates - but the more solid the world of webcomics becomes, the longer it survives and evolves, the more likely that many of my favorite strips see similar dilemmas to those that plague the newspaper strip and comic book industries.

Which is why it is often a relief to see a story that has a beginning, a middle, and an end, and enters into the game fully aware of this fact.

Empty Words is one such strip.

Empty Words is a beautifully illustrated story that deals with some very heart-wrenching issues, and more importantly, some very realistic people dealing with those issues. And as of last week, the story has come to an end.

There aren't many characters in the story. There aren't many locations. The plot itself is driven almost entirely, intensely, by the people in the story and their interactions with each other.

Which seems perfectly appropriate, given the topics the comic is about. Loneliness. Family. Relationships.

The art is striking, and despite the almost hollow eyes of the characters, they convey a very real - very powerful - sense of life. The story adds that realism as well, with people and moments that connect the characters to a larger life, outside of what we see. They have a past, and seeing bits of those details helps ground the story in a much larger world than what we are shown.

Some pages have many words, and some have nearly none at all. Both have their place in telling the tale of Audrey, a young woman who works in a caretaking home for the elderly, and Greg, a journalist in search of a story.

As I said above, it is a very powerful story. At it's heart, it deals with the connections between people, both those they yearn for and those they try to run away from. Along the way it touches on motivations, infallibility... Life. Death.

Serious stuff, but it manages to deal with it without ever feeling forced, without ever feeling fake.

It took three and a half years for Ben Rivers to tell this story.

I'd say it was worth every minute of it.

The Return

2007-03-05T10:15:00.000-05:00

My apologies for the absence last week, as life was exceptionally hectic. Given that I would have likely spent most of the week whining about the latest Sluggy storyline being lame, it is probably for the best everyone was spared that.

I'd like to start things off on a good note this week, however, so let's talk about Penny and Angie.

Last week, it is altogether likely I would have spoken poorly of the current storyline. The premise: Aggie's dad Nick is introducing her to his girlfriend Charisma, and her son Marshall, whom she has a major crush on despite him currently dating Karen, an enemy of both Aggie and her rival, Penny, who happens to be stalking the lot of them.

Yeah.

I mean, even from the start it seemed clear it would be one of those stories about a bunch of people embroiled in an atmosphere of extreme awkwardness, with all sides embarrassing themselves and various hijinks ensuing.

Which is fine, but is simply a brand of humor that has never really worked for me. Watching a trainwreck in action, knowing that there is going to be misunderstandings and silliness and so forth... just leaves me feeling frustrated, not amused. Which is my own personal taste, and no real fault of the humor in question. Still, it is a good comic, so I knew I would keep reading through the storyline despite it not being for me.

My suspicions about the direction of the storyline were confirmed when I saw the interactions between Aggie and Marshall. The parents own little run-in left me mostly confused.

And then I got to today's strip, and realized I was starting to enjoy the entire fiasco. I'd say this is in part because the dialogue is finally starting to ring true, whereas the Aggie/Marshall interaction felt a bit too idealized. But honestly, it is also just due to the set-up itself finally growing on me.

I found myself looking forward to whatever was coming next, and the fall-out thereof. I found myself actively enjoying a brand of humor that normally leaves me numb.

I'd say that is a damn fine testament to the skill of T Campbell and Gisele Lagace, the minds behind the mayhem.

Penny and Angie has been running strong for two and a half years now, and has definitely come into it's own. Perhaps the defining moment occured in this strip, right near the start of the storyline.

Didn't notice anything too special? Penny trying to chastise Aggie, and Aggie blowing it off - doesn't seem all that important, does it?

But if you dial way, way back, to the very first storyline, and to a moment when Penny learned that Aggie had lost her mom, and filed it away as future ammunition, imagining it was knowledge that would cripple her rival if she brought it to the fore.

Except... she couldn't bring herself to do so. It came up, time and time again, but for over 400 strips it faded into the background.

And finally, humiliated, she breaks it out - and it is shrugged off. And that - that hits Penny hard. That's what truly drives all the frustration and hate to the surface. That is what brings her into the entire catastrophe we have unfolding before us.

I can't deny that sort of connection. So I really shouldn't have been surprised that even the storyline I was dreading has won me over, and left me coming back for more.

Spread the Word

2007-02-26T10:26:00.000-05:00

I think it is pretty commonly agreed that Queen of Wands was a hell of a comic - so good, in fact, that it ran a second time with commentary for those who couldn't get enough of it.

And now the sequel is out. Punch an' Pie, written by Aeire, drawn by Chris Daily, and featuring Angela, still the same tiny, crazy blonde as before.

So here I am, getting the word out.

The one thing that I am sad about is that the strip is black and white. Don't get me wrong - the art looks great, and I've been a longtime fan of Striptease, wherein Chris Daily does some amazing things in black and white.

But Queen of Wands was one of those comics that really felt alive, and in large part thanks to the brilliant use of color.

That said, given the overload of work the artist is involved in, I certainly can't find fault in the quality of the strip. And I'm certainly looking forward to many more comics to come.

So it was written, so shall it be.

2007-02-23T19:38:00.000-05:00

Penny Arcade's latest adventure into continuity has involved an imaginary world wherein the duo behind the strip unleashes Olympus: the future of the arcade, and/or the arcade of the future.

It's a fun little tale, and delivered as brilliantly as usual. People ask me why I like Penny Arcade, and even occasionally accuse me of rapid fandom, but I'll hold by my guns - these guys have the comic art down. Even aside from my particular enjoyment of Gabe's art and Tycho's writing, I find the rhythm of the strip to be invariably spot-on.

But what struck me the most, in the latest two installments, was that I had several moments of pondering whether or not the plan proposed in the strip was grounded in reality. It's a foolish, ludicrous thought - but immersed in the grand vision of what Penny Arcade has become, it seems almost tangible.

I'll get back to why that is possible in a few moments. For now, let me make mention that I picked up a copy of the Warsun Prophecies.

As with their previous books, it is an unsurprisingly quality - and professional - piece of work. The only thing that astounds me is how fast they are coming out with these, without even any noticeable slowdown in their production of new strips.

But aside from the book itself, what caught my attention was the bonus feature in the last few pages - some previews of concept art on their upcoming video game, On the Rain Slick Precipice of Darkness. It's pretty brilliant stuff - the game is set in New Arcadia, a humble city in 1920s America, no doubt infested with hobos, gangsters, and more.

What especially stood out, though, was the following statement: "Rather than simply licensing the property to a developer and then standing back while they make the game, we're actually partnering with Hot Head and making the game together. That means Tycho and I are writing the entire thing and I'm doing all the concept artwork."

So, obviously, that both bodes well for the game itself, and again, leaves me wondering how they have the time to accomplish all of this. (Enslaved colonies of clones? Diabolical machinations? Potential radical temporal manipulation?)

The big realization, though, was that I expected the game to rock. To rock hard. Which wouldn't seem so weird... if I didn't realize how little faith I had in other webcomic pros similarly branching out into new areas.

The foreward of the book is by Scott Kurtz, and is a clearly tongue-in-cheek attack on the success of Penny Arcade over PvP (along with a brief shot at Ctrl-Alt-Del.) And yet, for all of Scott's cracks at Ctrl-Alt-Del, and his claims that PvPs animated series was going to blow Buckley out of the water... he failed to deliver.

Oh, the PvP animated series isn't bad. It also has barely even started - I'm sure it will ramp up as they polish the show and get into their proper rhythm. But I am confident that even at it's best, it won't blow me out of my shoes. It will be a nifty little novelty, but not ground-breaking. A nice addition to the strip itself, something for the dedicated fan to enjoy, but that's about it. And, generally, all I can see from most similar endeavors from many and sundry webcomics out there.

Somehow, Penny Arcade inspires a much higher level of faith in what they can accomplish. Partly because of what they have already accomplished. The most readers of any webcomic, by a landslide, if I remember my numbers right. Child's Play. PAX. And, yes, it helps that they have the weight to through around to get something like this done.

But having the ability to make it happen isn't as important as having the drive to make it happen right - and that's what I've got faith in.

That's why, if they said they were going to sit down and open their own utopia of a gaming arcade, I'd take them at their word. And I know for damn sure there isn't any other webcomic that would get the same response from me.

Sure, they aren't perfect - for one thing, they need to fix their archives into a slightly more functional state. (Read: a state wherein navigating feels more like searching for strips, and less like wading through a rabid pack of mutant weasels.)

But damn, New Arcadia is gonna rock.

Ow. Ow. Ow.

2007-02-21T12:02:00.000-05:00

So I'm recovering from a weekend of gaming my health away, the WCCAs are out and the usual deliverances of injustice have occured, Sluggy is only a day away from a dramatic reveal whose countdown has thoroughly sapped my interest in the matter, and yet... overall, I'm content.

You see, I noticed that the William G has pointed out the return of KraziKimchi and the artistic stylings of Hyung Kim, old school webcomics madman.

Even better, he's actually got several months of solid, consistent updates, which is pretty good evidence for the continuance of said solid, consistent updates.

So that's pretty darn good news.

My apologies for the brevity in updates - hopefully I'll be back to a more regular schedule once I stop feeling like I've been repeatedly bludgeoned into senselessness.

In which I rant far longer than is necessary

2007-02-16T14:49:00.000-05:00

Today...

Today, I rant.

I normally tend to look for the positive in a comic rather than the negative. Given that you don't (usually) pay for webcomics, pointing out bad ones to 'steer people away' doesn't strike me as quite as effective a service as it is for critics in other fields. I'd rather, say, point people towards the good stuff, right off the bat.

But the last few days have been a major pain, what with ice, ice, more ice, and the occasional spider.

So you get a rant.

When I do tend to focus on the weaknesses of a strip, I tend to focuses on strips that have promise despite those weaknesses. Like I said - singling out an irredeemably horribly strip is pointless. A strip that has potential, if it can overcome one tiny hurdle or another.
In this case, Trouble Konflik might have potential, or it might not. For the last six months that the strip has been updating, I have been entirely unable to discern what is happening or whether it is interesting or not. That in and of itself should be a sign something is wrong.

Now, let me pause for a moment, and read through the archives...

...done.

There is currently just over one chapter updated. And, reading it in one fell swoop... it's actually not that bad. The art is really cool, with vibrant and engaging character designs. The plot... well, hard to say, as the story is exceptionally slow-moving.

Which is the problem. Or part of the problem, at least. A story doesn't have to move fast to be good - but Trouble Konflik is relatively unique, in that each update consists of no more than one. single. panel.

There are good single-panel strips out there, sure - but they are gag strips. A new joke every update. They don't have to deal with the struggle to tell a story, because you can't tell a story with one context-less frame every week. It is completely incapable of conveying the necessary information to actually understand - let alone enjoy - the story being told.

Until I read through the archives today, my impression of Trouble Konflik was essentially a memory of watching a slideshow of disjointed images. Indeed, there were times when I wasn't sure if it was updating with a story, or just... sketches, filler, meaningless images. I could not tell.
That, I say, tells me there is a problem at hand.

Reading the archives - having the entire story on a single page - is a different situation entirely.

And, sure - anyone reading the strip can skim back through the archive with every update, to refresh themselves on what is going on. And once they've done so enough, it will probably start to fall more into place with each strip - though some will still feel empty on their own.

When a strip relies both on what comes before for the entirety of its context, and what comes after, and is presented independent of either of those, it isn't a strip at all. It is nothing.

That's the tragedy of Trouble Konflik. Looking back through the archives, I can see a promising tale. But I read it for half a year without getting anything out of it. A newcomer, glancing at the latest strip, will be completely lost. Sure, the archives are there, but isn't the purpose of a strip that updates on the web to be about the updates, not the archives?

The strip is just now starting to hit its stride - from what I understand, just starting to see newly crafted pages (panels) twice a week. Which is great - if anyone is still reading. If anyone will continue to remain reading.

The solution is a simple one - don't update one page at a time. Cut the updates from twice a week to twice a month, and update four panels in one fell swoop. Update, basically, with one full page at a time - or hey, only update three or four times a year, but give a full chapter every shot. It might seem like less output - but it would be output that a person could actually read.

The whole is more than the sum of its parts. Alone, they are nothing more than pretty pictures. Together, they tell a story. Which is the goal of the comic? That's the decision that has to be made.

Happy Wednesday!

2007-02-14T13:09:00.000-05:00

A few short notes today:

NEWS: Hob has shown itself to the light of day, and it is very pretty.

CATS: VG Cats wins for best Valentine's cards ever.

HEARTS: Something*Positive wins for best Valentine's Day strip ever.

Whisper on the Wind

2007-02-12T16:44:00.000-05:00

As a reader of what is, in all honesty, far too many webcomics, I tend to find myself often trying to share my favorite strips with my friends. Occasionally I manage to spread a winner like xkcd through the whole crowd - occasionally I'll ramble on about Cigarro and Cerveja, and everyone will just smile and nod.

It was something of a surprise when one of my friends gave me a taste of my own medicine, and told me - repeatedly - to read Storm Corps.

I'm ashamed to say I didn't listen to her for months.

Partly because I already read - as previously established - far too many webcomics. I'm doing my best to keep my list manageable - adding another to the pile is just asking for trouble.

But nonetheless, I keep stumbling across ones that I just can't say no too, and trying to find the time in the day to keep track of them all.

Hence, when I finally got around to taking a look at Storm Corps, I resigned myself to yet another addition to the list.

Storm Corps is science fiction that I can get behind. It has just the right amount of action and deliberation, it is filled with its own nifty brands of sci-fi tech, and it has interesting - and mysterious - otherwordly happenings shrouded behind it all.

The art is gorgeous (I'm a sucker for pretty much anything fully colored and developed.) The characters are distinct, the premise is great.

Most of all, it leaves me wanting more. The second major story arc has just kicked off, and I'm even more desperate to find out what is going on. There is a ton of things currently up in the air, I've got no idea what is going on behind the curtain, and I'm loving every moment of it. That's a very nice trick to pull off.

If you like a good story and good art, and a fair share of almost psuedo-mystical science fiction, check it out. And hey, if you feel up to it - tell your friends, too.

Tales and Tribulations

2007-02-07T17:06:00.000-05:00

Of late, Modern Tales has definitely been winning me back.

The site's design remains... well, not what I would expect from something calling itself "professional webcomics." Navigating to the latest updates requires extra clicks, trying to determine if you missed updates requires checking every strip one by one, and the design itself is a tad cluttered.

But, you know - I can live with that. Because MT has finally gotten it's groove back, with a ton of new content that seems perfect for the site. Being able to load the page and see over a half-dozen updates a day? That means the site is alive, and that is totally awesome.

The latest additions in particular have been a great crop. Not long ago I reviewed the brilliance that is Alma Mater - now that the rest of the line up has hit the page, I see that they definitely know how to pick 'em.

One of the other big winners that has really grabbed me is Steverino! The title character is a hopeless little guy who fails at life, and relationships, and yet makes for an incredibly charming read. It's odd, because normally I shy away from humor that revolves around failure, and people making fools of themselves - but Steverino is a modern Charlie Brown, still forlornly chasing after his Little Red-Haired girl, and I'm able to empathize with his heartache even while it keeps me laughing.

Now I'll just cross my fingers for Girlamatic to breathe again,and then I'll be a happy camper.

Guidelines

2007-02-05T16:59:00.000-05:00

Most people have noticed that, lately, Order of the Stick has been "rocking the house," as the saying goes.

While not an incredible surprise - Burlew has always written a strong story - what has impressed me is how strong and fast the hits have been coming. The recent arc with the linear guild was brilliant, we have a confrontation with Xykon moments away - and suddenly we have a brilliant series of strips focusing on Miko. Things get taken from one level to the next with every single strip, and I'm confident OotS has been at the top of a lot of reading lists for the last couple weeks.

But what I really wanted to make note of? That Burlew has been churning out double the content over the last week and a half. We've recieved nine pages over the last four updates. We've had two triple-length days!

Now, that is clearly awesome, yeah. But what it tells me is that as much as we are enjoying reading the latest plot developments, Burlew is enjoying writing them twice as much. And, really, I'm perfectly ok with that.

WCCAs 2007, Part 2

2007-02-01T13:36:00.000-05:00

OUTSTANDING COMEDIC COMIC:
I find myself having a difficult time making a choice in this category, and not for the usual reasons. Usually the problem is having too many outstanding comics and having to choose just one. In this case, despite pretty much all of these comics being on my reading lists, and being among my favorite comics, none have really blown me out of my shoes this year.

The exception would be Sinfest, which had a fantastic year - though less due to its humor, and more due to the addition of full color sundays and some genuinely strong storylines. Still - it did so without losing its sense of humor, so I'd say that would be enough to put it at the top of the pack in my book.

OUTSTANDING DRAMATIC COMIC:
Something Positive. The death of Faye. Mike having a kid. Aubrey and Jason's marriage. The fall of Kharisma. No way this doesn't win.

OUTSTANDING LONG FORM COMIC:
I'm gonna go with Order of the Stick, which had a really good year - and one primarily built around long, well-developed storylines.

OUTSTANDING SHORT FORM COMIC:
Penny Arcade remains, in my opinion, the masters of the three panel strip.

OUTSTANDING SINGLE PANEL COMIC:
Saturday Morning Breakfast Cereal is the only one of these that I read, so... yeah.

OUTSTANDING ANTHROPOMORPHIC COMIC:
This is a rather tricky category. Many of the comics that end up in this category have anthropomorphic characters, but don't really put any emphasis on that in the story itself. Digger has always been a strong choice, due to actually having a great deal of background and detail on the wombat element itself (and the occasional psychic slug). Personally, I'd like to see Dan and Mab's Furry Adventures win, as a comic that is pretty much defined by anthropomorphism at it's core.

But my money's on Digger taking it home again.

OUTSTANDING FANTASY COMIC:
This one is a genuinely difficult choice, with all the comics being top notch. I'm torn between Gunnerkrigg Court and No Rest for the Wicked, but I suspect GC will be the popular choice.

OUTSTANDING GAMING COMIC:
Toss-up between Order of the Stick and Penny Arcade. OotS had a stronger year in general, but is much more confined in its gaming roots. And Penny Arcade is, well... Penny Arcade.

OUTSTANDING SLICE-OF-LIFE COMIC:
I might like Questionable Content and Something Positive, but they don't really fit the category in my mind. They might capture life well at times, but they have a lot of absurdities and unrealisms that should take them out of the running. Sadly, I suspect one of them will be the winner, though I'd take any of the others over them, as The Devil's Panties was my pick last year, and Stuff Sucks one of my top discoveries of this year.

Smile, really, is the best of the lot - perhaps unsurprisingly so, given its autobiographical nature, but it really is much more true to life than any of the rest. It won't win, I suspect, but it really deserves it the most.

OUTSTANDING ROMANTIC COMIC:
I'm afraid Questionable Content will likely claim the prize here as well - or Megatokyo. That would make me exceptionally sad.

I've heard good things about Red String, though I still haven't managed to get around to reading it. Still, I'm rooting for Girly - some of the romantic plots going on this year have been years in building, and have been incredibly well done.

OUTSTANDING SCIENCE FICTION COMIC:
I think Schlock Mercenary really resonates as science fiction more than almost any other comic out there, and will win accordingly. I'm hoping for Girl Genius to win, myself, but with the other comics on there, it will be a tough run either way.

OUTSTANDING SUPERHERO / ACTION COMIC:
Given the plethora of superheroes in print comics, it remains a surprisingly small category online - though still solid enough to produce a lot of quality choices for this category. I think Dr. McNinja will take the cake, which I can't really complain about. Nonetheless, I'm going to have to root for Magellan, which has really been on a roll this last year, and deserves the chance to finally win this one.

So there are my predictions - accuracy will be verified in some two and a half week's time. I'm looking forward to it - if nothing else, the online ceremony has always been a clever and enjoyable production, and I suspect that is something that won't be changing any time soon.

WCCAs 2007, Part 1

2007-01-31T15:31:00.000-05:00

The list is out, the usual discussion has ensued, the usual drama has flared, and despite the different date, the Web Cartoonists' Choice Awards are proceeding pretty much as normal.

Here is my list of the categories, who I'm rooting for in each one, and occasionally who I actually think will win the award.

The biggest surprise for me, this year, was how many comics I simply had never heard of. Admittedly, I have been actively trying to keep my webcomic reading list in check - but given the frightening number I read already, and how many of the categories I looked at without having any sense of most of the comics, I'm wondering who really is capable of genuinely evaluating each category.

OUTSTANDING COMIC:
Let's be honest now - after Narbonic wrapping up in their grand finale, it would be surprising to see anyone else take this one home. All the nominees are quality strips, and if it wasn't for the sheer emotional impact of the end of Narbonic, I'd have a tough time deciding.

OUTSTANDING NEWCOMER:
I was very, very sad not to see Minus make the list. The ones on there... are good, but none of them really knock me out of my shoes. I'd be happy seeing Out There as the winner, but suspect Lackadaisy will be the popular choice.

OUTSTANDING ARTIST:
Given that Perry Bible Fellowship is the only one of the lot that I read, it seems like the natural choice. Still, even after glancing at the other strips, I'll stand by it - it isn't the fanciest or most visually cinematic, but Gurewitch is able to very effectively, very vividly, capture and display his ideas. That seems like a good qualification for the title in my book. I think Lackadaisy will win it, though.

OUTSTANDING WRITER:
I suspect this will be another win for Scary-Go-Round has really floored me this year, so I'm rooting for John Allison.

OUTSTANDING LAYOUT:
I'll stay Stuff Sucks, just cause it's awesome, and should win something. The only one of the lot that I feel fits the category is A Lesson is Learned... who didn't quite have enough content this year for me to really feel they qualified.

OUTSTANDING BLACK AND WHITE ART:
Gonna be Digger. It's won it the last two years running, and honestly, hasn't had any others that could really challenge it.

OUTSTANDING USE OF COLOR:
I'd really like to vote for Copper, because it's gorgeous. But, again, it's been absent much of the year in question.

OUTSTANDING PHOTOGRAPHIC COMIC:
I don't read any of these, but from the little I've seen, I'd say A Softer World is where my money lies.

OUTSTANDING CHARACTER RENDERING:
There has to be a better name for this category. Templar Arizona all the way, in any case.

OUTSTANDING ENVIRONMENT DESIGN:
While Gunnerkrigg Court hasn't been quite as intense at dominating the field as last year, it this is one area where it just rocks the house.

OUTSTANDING USE OF THE MEDIUM:
This is a tough choice, as for me, it usually comes down to "Which of these elaborately designed sites least impairs my reading endeavors?" However, this year both Halfpixel and I Am A Rockey Builder actively had some good stuff going for them, so I'd be happy seeing either of them win.

OUTSTANDING WEBSITE DESIGN:
PvPs new design really is slick. And yeah, he didn't design it, and doesn't want the award 'cause he's busy being a grouch, but credit where credit is due - it is the best of the lot.

OUTSTANDING CHARACTER WRITING:
Now this... this is a tough choice. I'm betting Something Positive takes the title back, though I'd personally rather see it go to Scary Go Round.

Tomorrow... the Genres!

Moments in Time

2007-01-29T16:03:00.000-05:00

I had a lot of different topics I was thinking on writing about this weekend. The WCCA nominations have been listed, momentous happenings have been ongoing in The Order of the Stick, and the fact that little blog of mine has now been around for one whole year.

Instead, I must give props to Arthur, King and Time and Space, for the following strip:

It isn't the funniest joke in the world. I'd go so far as to say that, as far as many of the jokes Gadzikowski makes, this is one of the weaker ones.

But the second I saw the strip on Saturday, it instantly got my attention. You see, I have always been a picky eater. Less so now than when I was younger, but the fundamental nature remains. And when I was younger, in my highschool days, I would invariably eat in the same manner as L does above. Take one item on the plate. Clean it out, precisely and efficiently. Move on to the next. Repeat.

My parents pestered me about it. For years. That very same question!

And suddenly, a decade later, I stumble across a comc that perfectly captures that moment, and the frustration of hearing that question, yet again. And I connect. Bam.

It wasn't the strongest joke in the world. It wasn't the strongest set-up. And there are probably a lot more people who won't get any connection than those that do.

But when you can capture a moment like that - something real, something that people will recognize, remember, and take to heart - you've managed to get their attention in a much more personal way. You've given the joke a little special meaning that they can see as their very own. And they'll keep that with them, and keep coming back, because your comic seems that much more real.

That's a touch that's hard to fake, and one that will stay with people a lot longer than just another punchline.

As usual, I'm a sucker for stories focused around the bad guys.

2007-01-26T15:41:00.000-05:00

Looking For Group is a comic by Ryan Sohmer, the guy responsible for Least I Could Do. While they are rather vastly different comics on the surface, any reader of LICD will know that Sohmer is as much a geek as the next man, and it's no surprise that he now has a comic more directly focused on it.

More of a surprise is exactly how well his humor works in the new setting. LFG, which is a pretty clear-cut parody of a certain MMO out there, follows a band of characters from the horde side of things, and their merry travels across the land.

Despite being loosely based on Warcraft, though, Sohmers is telling his own story. In WoW, regardless of the faction you join, your characters are presented as the good guys in their own fashion. The characters in Looking For Group, on the other hand, seem to have no qualms about being the evil guys on the block - though ones with character, and their own brand of snarky humor that Sohmers excels at.

So it's a good comic. Big, brilliant pages of art, good characters, good humor, yadda yadda. Now it's moving to twice a week, which floors me - given that will be in addition to the six pages a week of LICD, plus the work on the LICD animated series, and the running of Blind Ferret in general. That's a ton of output from Sohmers - as well as Lar DeSouza, the artist behind the constant, full color output. Credit where credit is due - Sohmer gets a lot of notice as the public face of the comics, but DeSouza must be a working machine to produce all those strips.

LICD might not always appeal to me (what with my 'morals', and 'sensibilities'), but I have to give props for the quality strips these guys keep on delivering.

Surprisingly Fulfilling

2007-01-24T15:59:00.000-05:00

Today was the last Killroy and Tina.

It might return somehow, someday - but when an author puts his comic on indefinite hold, it tends to be the exceptions that return to life. Justin Pierce has put Killroy and Tina to rest, and the safe bet is that they won't be seen again.

He's done so masterfully, admittedly. When you consider that the strip was all set to build up to a grand, epic story, when you had glimpses of the future to come, you would imagine that cutting things short would be a recipe for disaster.

But he ends it well. He finds the point where we can disengage from the story without feeling cut off. Where we can appreciate the five years of comics he's given us, rather than despair over the fact that there won't be five years more.

When I first heard the news, I'll admit I was distressed, despairing, dismal, and sundry other words that begin with 'd'. But that state has passed, and we do still have nonadventures to embark upon, and in the end, I suppose we can safely say, everything is fine.

In a galaxy far, far away...

2007-01-22T15:15:00.000-05:00

Banished returns.

For me, this was unexpected.

It is not that I thought poorly of Banished in any way. It was an enjoyable comic, sure. It had a good sense of humor and was developing into an interesting story.

But the artist left. And while that isn't a guaranteed deathknell for a comic... well, I've seen too many fall by the wayside. Rising from the ashes is the exception, not the norm.

Banished seems to have pulled it off.

Now, there is only one strip by the new artist thus far. We've yet to see if they can maintain a solid schedule, etc. But that one comic... damn, but it is promising.

Previously the strip has been more of a gag comic than anything else. The art was very cartoony, which worked perfectly. Freaky aliens, silly robots, even mammazons - the strip was clearly driven by laughs.

Over time, though, story began to develop. And with the emergence of the new artist, it looks like the story will have the chance to shine. The new art is really, really forceful. Before, the cartoony looks helped convey the jokes and punchlines of the strip - now, while the laughs are still around, there is instantly a much more powerful sense of action and drama.

Making that change can be good and can be bad, but with this one strip, I've got high hopes about what is coming. That in itself is pretty promising.

The Fundamentals

2007-01-19T11:42:00.000-05:00

I was pleased to discover a new comic, Alma Mater, over at Modern Tales today. I was surprised to discover it - namely because I hadn't heard of it before, and MT has a tendency to pretty thoroughly hype new additions to the collective.

But there it was, updating 3 days a week, apparently available for mass consumption. With nothign to lose, I took a look - and was rather glad I did so.

It wasn't the strip's characters that won me over, though they are good, quality characters. It wasn't the humor, though it definitely had moments where it shined. It wasn't the art, though I really enjoyed it once I got used to it - and thought was especially cool on occasion.

No, what did it was that the creator, Whitney June Robinson, knows her material, and knows it well.

Given the name, one can pretty easily extrapolate that the comic is about going to school. But a comic could easily be set in a school without being about one, and in a lot of cases, setting is just that - background material, scenery, nothing more. Alma Mater, on the other hand, perfectly captures a lot of the school experience, and delivers that material brilliantly.

It may not have experiences that will tap into absolutely everyone's memories - what with being set at an all-girls secondary school - but it manages to capture a lot of the fundamentals, and that can be all one needs to connect with an audience, and win them over.

Who says superheroes have to be filled with angst?

2007-01-17T17:19:00.000-05:00

There are surprisingly few good webcomics about superheroes. I suppose on the one hand it is understandable - superheroes have been done. You've got as many as you can handle in the print world of comics, and it is hard to find a story that hasn't been already written a dozen times before.

A few good ones do still manage to crop up - and the latest one I've stumbled across is Special School.

The name... yeah, leaves a bit to be desired. But the comic itself is good.

The premise of the comic, as one might surmise from the name, is that is about a handful of young, super-powered kids who are taking a government-sanctioned class training them to be heroes. So it is both a superhero strip and a college drama, and maybe that's what works so well.

See, the characters have character. They are normal, fun-loving college kids - who just happen to have powers. The powers aren't irrelevant, but don't define them. They tend to reflect their personalities, sure - but they are themselves first, superheroes second, rather than the other way around.

At four panels a strip, gags and punchlines about, but that doesn't stop the strip from developing a story - and generally doing so with ease. We've got one conflict after another within the first dozen strips. The ability to blend drama and humor without letting either take control is the sign of a very talented creator.

And, of course, he pays homage to the evil overlord list. Which gets him a free win in my book.

So check it out - Special School, by Andy Mason. Enjoy.

Dancing with the Devil

2007-01-16T11:40:00.000-05:00

Ok - I'll admit I was rather dubious when the latest PvP storyline seemed to be an arbitrary strike against those who weren't entirely happy with Skull's voice in the upcoming PvP animated shorts. Grinding the point into the ground... well, it seemed to be doing the very thing that Kris Straub spoke out against not long ago.

Kurtz wants to use a high-pitched voice for Skull. That's how he views the character, it's his property and his show, so no problem - that's his call to make. Of course, he shouldn't be angry at fans for giving their honest opinions on the topic - they are entirely able to feel however they want about it, and certainly free to not spend the relatively insane price of purchase if they don't want to. Regardless of which side you are on, it's not worth continuing to beat the topic to death - which is what I was afraid Kurtz was doing in this sequence.

But while the first strip or two seemed along those lines, I was pleased to realize that wasn't entirely the case. Kurtz has taken the topic and run with it, with some very funny results. But more than that, I realized what was actually going on.

See, one of the worries about this just being a grudge-fest on Kurtz's part is that it would be meaningless to the majority of readers. If they didn't watch the animated PvP teaser - or if they did so, but didn't pay any attention to the discussions that sprung up regarding it - some of the strips just would have neither point nor punchline.

But what Kurtz is doing is establishing Skull's voice within the story. Readers generally have to invent within their own minds how each character sounds. Given that this is a character that clearly engenders all manner of different possible voices... Kurtz is putting his view of the character clearly in the story.

This way readers who have read through this arc won't be as startled if they go on to watch the tv series. More than that, it allows Kurtz to flesh out details of the world that normally he can't convey on paper.

So I'm ok with that. I'm hoping the storyline doesn't feel the need to make any more low blows at those who originally imagined Skull's voice different than Kurtz did, because attacking a loyal fanbase over such an irrelevant detail is... well, let's just say that Kurtz has spoken out against other webcomic creators who have acted like that, and here is his chance to prove he is better than them.

In other news, given that I realize that I've had a lot of posts on the same strips of late, I'm making an on-the-spot, Third-Tuesday-Afternoon-of-January Resolution to spend the next few weeks focusing on new comics, or ones that have fallen by the wayside. So if Kurtz does descend into rampant villainry, or if the current Sluggy storyline proves to be as inane as it looks to be, you won't hear about it from me!

I'm Back!

2007-01-13T17:00:00.000-05:00

When Randy first introduced the little blue... thing... during some of the holiday filler at Something*Positive, I was officially horrified. Despite the desensitization of the modern age, I finally had found something in a webcomic that seriously made my skin crawl.

But it was just filler, right? I can live with that.

When he mentioned he had a way to work it in as a ongoing cast member, I again felt that feeling of absolute dread sinking into my stomach. S*P has some odd characters, but Choo-Choo Bear and Pepito - even Twitchy-Hug - managed to work within the confines of the strip. And I couldn't for the life of me think of any possible way the blue thing could be worked in without entirely disrupting the strip. I pondered, with no avail, what possible bribe I could offer to keep this monstrosity from appearing.

I should have known better than to doubt. It's in the strip... and it works perfectly.

Nothing Special

2007-01-08T13:56:00.000-05:00

Starting off the new year sick has not been the best experience to me, and refreshed me on exactly why I dislike the common cold. Despite thinking I was just about over it, it decided to hit me for one last day of 'fun'.

So no rants or insights today, I'm afraid. Instead, I'll just share that my day was fortunately improved by the unexpected (at least by me) return of CRFH, along with noticing the eerie similarities between today's Sam and Fuzzy and Something Positive strips. How about that, eh? Coincidence or conspiracy, the world may never know.

Second Looks

2007-01-05T16:26:00.000-05:00

Websnark is back, in force. Websnark is the grand-daddy of webcomic blogs, but I'm pretty sure everyone already knows that. The esteemable Eric Burns has set a challenge for himself in 2007, and set out to accomplish a certain amount of writing by the end of the year. Towards this writing, he'll be endeavering to post daily on Websnark.

I'm pretty pleased to see this for a number of reasons. One, my own webcomic blog was inspired largely by Websnark. Two, the final motivation for actually starting it was to give myself something to keep me actively writing day in and day out. And three - well, let's face it, he writes some damn powerful stuff.

Already worth checking out is his final tribute to Narbonic, which says it better than I ever could.

I'm confident he doesn't need the plug, but for those who weren't aware of his resurgence, I figure it can't hurt to mention it.

The Webcomicker is launching similarly forward with a hefty goal of a post for every single day in the year - and has brought back his webcomic, Birdsworth, as well.

While I don't have any such lofty ambitions for my own blog, I do have some big ideas in store for the coming year. More will be revealed in time!

Moving on to other topics - I've got to give props to Questionable Content for some strips earlier this week. After suddenly (and skillfully) making Ellen into a villain a little while ago, he equally skillfully has rendered her human again. Despite being let-down by a lot of the other storylines in the strip of late, J.J. has done this little exchange extremely well, and I have to give him credit for that.

And finally, Scott Kurtz seems to be continuing his recent trend of stealing material from Tim Buckley, as he suddenly has his characters launching their own winter gaming holidays (complete with bizarre holiday outfit) in eerie similarity to Ctrl+Alt+Del's Winter-een-mas.

Which, let me clarify, I don't find despicable for its own sake. Stealing ideas you like from other sources is a long honored tradition in pretty much all forms of creative work, and there isn't anything inherently wrong with that.

The problem is that Kurtz has spent so much time lambasting Ctrl+Alt+Del for just that - being a rip-off of PvP and Penny Arcade. Taking their ideas and somehow finding success with it. Kurtz has ripped into Buckley time and time again for this very thing. I simply find it rather... ironic that Kurtz is now doing the exact same thing. The plagiarism is fine - the hypocrisy, a little less so.

I'm sure Kurtz would give the same defense he gave when he launched the Animated PvP Series - namely that even if he was doing the same thing as Ctrl+Alt+Del, he was doing it better, funnier and with more quality than Buckley ever did. While I don't believe that renders the hypocrisy null, I can't deny the truth of it - I've generally flinched when I saw a new Winter-een-mass storyline, whereas this last week of PvP has been one of the funniest I have ever read.

So I can't deny having enjoyed this storyline. I just hope that, after all this, Kurtz will at least ignore Buckley, rather than continue accusing him of ripping off other artists.

Oh, and a final disclaimer - I'm not saying all this in defense of Tim Buckley. Even if he's behaved himself in recent drama this year, and regardless of his comic's quality or lack thereof, his actions in the past have still rendered him, in my eyes, the vilest webcartoonist I know of.

Rather, I'm simply taken aback by Kurtz's actions after his rants in the past. It seems a strange note on which to start the new year, but I suppose if Brent can do it, then so can he.

Happy New Year

2007-01-03T13:02:00.000-05:00

A new year is here, and unsurprisingly, many changes come with it.

Some comics have ended, others have merely toyed with us, more than a few sport shiny new site designs, and while some comics are returning from hiatus, entirely new ones are beginning.

I hope everyone wrapped up 2006 successfully, everyone's resolutions are working out well, and 2007 is off to a good start.

I'll be back to regular updates on Friday.

Spoiler Warning!

2006-12-29T20:39:00.000-05:00

Candi (by Starline X Hodge) (which is one of those officially awesome names) is one of my favorite comics out there.

It is yet another one of the ones that suprises me when I realize its been around for several years now, and how much plot has developed over time.

Lately the strip has been at absolutely the top of the game, and the county fair storyline (which it has been building up to for over a year) has left me laughing harder than I have in a long while. But despite all the laughs, I've got the sense some more intense moments are about to come to the fore.

It's easy to overlook the more serious plot in Candi. We're talking about a comic centered around a relatively care-free college student hanging out amidst your typical college crowd, with the occasional flying, intelligent ferret thrown in for good measure.

Now, college being college, that means that one can expect most conflicts to center around drama dealing with relationship, classes, etc.

The current storyline certainly has some, as all manner of badness is cropping up at the same time. Rebecca, who has started dating Jon, has already shown herself to be a bit jealous of Jon's friends, and threatened when he isn't devoting his time to her - so she's off to the fair to make sure he doesn't enjoy himself without her.

Meanwhile, we've got a slightly less down-to-earth plot, as the students' faithful telepathic ferret Menjou is confronted by the deadly squirrel mafia, and has no one to turn to for aid.

Yeah, I never imagined I'd be writing a sentence like that either.

So we've got some pretty ordinary drama going on, and we've got some slightly surreal (and certainly silly) plot unfolding at the same time. So far, not too different than what one would expect from most webcomics.

Of course, we've also got the sinister reappearance of Andrew, the mildly creepy brother of Jessica. When he first appeared, recently released from a mental hospital, it was easy to give him the benefit of the doubt - he seemed earnest in seeking a second chance. Of course, it was also easy to see why Jessica wanted nothing to do with him... and that nothing good would come of that.

He may well be in collusion with the squirrels, he may well be running around in a ridiculous get-up - but that doesn't make it any less scary that Jessica is being stalked by her psychotic and disturbed brother. This is a guy who tried to kill her when they were children. That's not an entirely light subject, now is it?

And there's the impressive part, the element that has me really excited about the current storyline in Candi. It's not just that all these different conflicts are interwoven, from the ordinary to the absurd to the downright frightening - it's that the strip is able to hold all of them at the same level without losing anything of itself.

Each of the different dramas fits equally well into the strip's atmosphere without missing a beat. I don't see that often, and unsurprisingly, it impresses me whenever I do. Candi certainly isn't an exception.

The Future is Now

2006-12-27T17:33:00.000-05:00

A little while back Kris Straud (the webcomic tactician behind Starslip Crisis) started Halfpixel.com, a site devoted to "disposable internet humor." As far as I can tell, it is designed to give Kris a chance to experiment with spontaneous new comics without having to create a new site for each one - as well as all manner of other humor and thoughts as well.

And hey, that's cool - it's something between a webcomic artist's blog and a new comic itself, and is both handy at peaking into his deranged mind and enjoying some random funny on the side.

But what makes the site really awesome is that you can use it too. Users can submit their own posts, and if he likes them, he puts them up. That's wicked cool. I imagine there are a lot of funny people on the internet, and quite a few of them are part of the webcomic crowd. And quite a few of those don't have the time to make their own daily comic - but will be able to produce some real gems on a site like this.

It gets even better, too. One of the funny little strips he came up with on the site is Time Friends. Each strip of Time Friends has the same art as the others, but with the joke and punchlines changed. Very similar to many other fixed-art webcomics out there, though few of those were quite as gag-oriented, and tended to thrive more on their own wordiness. (Which is not to say that is a bad thing.)

But Straub's little strip was quick and easy. So easy that everyone could pop their own words in, and could make their own Time Friends strips. Heck, they didn't even need to photoshop the strip (though plenty did), but simply post the four or so phrases the comic would consist of. And when Straub saw these goings on... well, at first he was less then pleased at seeing others honing in on his field. After some thought, however, his generous nature won out, and he not only accepted it, he embraced the idea with the Time Friends Maker.

Enjoy.

Weekly Round-up

2006-12-22T13:15:00.000-05:00

I haven't done one of these in a while, so here's several tidbits of news or observations regarding developments in webcomics this week:

NEWS: Gunnerkrigg Court is moving to three days a week, starting next week. Voted as the Outstanding Newcomer in this year's Webcartoonist Choice Awards, Gunnerkrigg Court has been living up to its potential, and having even more content from it is nothing but good news.

NEWS: Kismet: Hunter's Moon has come to a close. When I first joined Girlamatic, this comic was one of the top discoveries that convinced me I made the right choice. Even though I've since unsubscribed from Girlamatic (primarily due to the sparsity of new content), I still made sure to follow this strip on it's own site.

It's a good strip that goes into unexpected places, and I'm eager to see the short stories that flesh out the backgrounds of the strip's characters, as well as keep my eyes out for the sequel coming next year. Congratulations to Layla Lawlor on a strip well done.

NEWS: Drama has been at an all-time low in webcomics this year, but that doesn't mean it isn't there - and another scuffle has broken out in a debate between such long time stars as DJ Coffman, Joey Manley, and William G.

What really struck me about the entire debate was how... well, completely silly it was. I mean, not that I don't normally find most flame-wars a tad ridiculous, but this one seemed to be entirely insults and misrepresentation for its own sake. When all an argument does is paint every single participant in a bad light... well, far be it from me to be the voice of reason, but I'm wondering when will some of these people realize that arbitrary mockery and debate is tarnishing their own reputation as much as the person they are trying to make look bad?

I just feel bad for Xavier Xerexes, since he had to deal with all the hullabaloo taking place on his site.

NEWS: Speaking, however, tangentially, about William G, he's posted some preview art for his upcoming storyline (which arrives tomorrow, if I don't have my wires crossed.) And let me tell you, that has to be the most horrifying thing I've seen all day.

RANT: Least I Could Do has been running a serious and intense storyline all week, which has been both heart-wrenching and an insight into Rayne's character. I was really impressed with it, right up until today, when I wanted to reach into the computer and start punching people. (And, let me assure you, I'm usually a far more peaceful sort.)

Let's talk about Rayne Summers.

Rayne Summers is an asshole. There's no two ways about that - it's basically the premise of the strip. And I'm ok with that - the strip is not only aware of this, but bases a significant majority of it's humor off of this. Rayne's a dick. He sleeps with women. He messes with his friends, and occasionally comes to their rescue. He's shallow and self-centered, but charming enough to thrive despite this.

While I typically have a tendency to hate this sort of character (male Mary Sues who manage to miraculously come into dream jobs and have their way with the world without any real reason for it), Least I Could Do pulls it off well enough for me to stay interested, and even enjoy the strip. I tend to enjoy seeing Rayne get his comeuppance, of course, but I still laugh and read along in the storylines when (as is often the case), he comes out on top. (No pun intended.)

But this latest storyline left me intrigued. Rayne get's his own little christmas spiritual visituation, in the vein of Scrooge before him. We all know where this starts, and we get to see Rayne in his past. We get to see exactly how Rayne became the asshole we know and love. And that was a great scene - it not only worked, it not only was enjoyable to read, but it genuinely was decent character development.

Next step: the present. Rayne waxes eloquent upon seeing the results of his actions, and professes how he never set out to hurt anyone, just to have a good time. And again... I can buy that. It might ring a little false, given some of his behavior in the past, but I can accept this attitude. And seeing him feeling remorse at his actions... not expected, but again - he pulls it off well. I can buy it.

Today, though, we get to find out that Rayne's not really responsible, however. Apparently, the only women who he hurt are the ones that brought it on themselves.

Fuck. That.

Look, as I mentioned earlier, Rayne being an asshole has been core to the strip from the very beginning. He has treated women poorly on many, many occasions. Ok, that's fine. (Well maybe not fine, but it's basically acceptable within the context of the strip.)

But going on to then say, "Hey, just kidding, he's actually not an ass - it's their fault for sleeping with him and expecting something more out of it?" Once again: Fuck. That.

It's a shame, because Rayne, as a character who was hurt in the past and chose to become a womanizing asshole, but is now regretting the harm he has caused, is an intriguing character. Rayne, as a character who remains infallible and bereft of the responsibility of his actions, is completely uninteresting. It not only doesn't help to develop the character, it actively undermines what the last week of strips has been building up.

If all that was happening was losing out on Rayne's character development, that would be one thing - but this is actively sending a pretty terrible message down the line. Oh, I know what you're saying - why in the world shouldn't I expect a strip like LICD to be sexist? Isn't it sexist all the time?

Well no, it's not. Characters in it are, sure. But you can tell when Rayne's being a dick, that's because he's a dick. There is a difference between that and the strip itself saying, "Hey, it's ok for a guy to be an ass, he's only going to hurt girls who are asking for it."

Maybe I'm reading things wrong. The storyline isn't over, and we still have (assuming things stay true to form) Rayne's future to look in on. But seeing the morale of the story - even if only for a single day - be that the only women Rayne hurt were the ones who brought it on themselves? After seeing countless examples throughout the strip where that just isn't true?

Once more with fervor:

Fuck. That.

NEWS: Finally, since I'd rather not end things on a bad note, especially so close to the holidays... go check out the news over at Penny Arcade today. In addition to some very nice discussion on everyone's favorite Cardboard Tube Samurai, it looks like Child's Play will be going the distance and breaking the one million mark this year.

Go ahead, spend a few minutes grinning about that figure. I know I did. Anyway, I'll be back next Wednesday - till then, enjoy the holidays!

Happy Birthday, Something Positive.

2006-12-20T14:12:00.000-05:00

In the Comixpedia End of 2006 Roundtable, Something Positive's Death of Faye storyline was mentioned as one of the top webcomic storylines this past year.

Mike had a kid.

Jason and Aubrey got married.

And we saw the Fall of Kharisma which I discussed on a handful of occasions.

All those things right there - that's enough to make a good year. That's a ton of change. That's a ton of development - some development's more meaningful than others.

But Randy, apparently, isn't so easily satisfied.

He traditionally ends each year of Something Positive with a significant moment. The first three years ended with darkness and depression. Year four ended with a ray of hope.

Year five is ending with a very intense moment, yes - but it isn't like all the other endings. It's not actually outright good or bad. Once you get past the sheer shock of it, ask yourself - what exactly does this mean for Davan?

Remember, we're talking about Davan, who has been drifting through life since the strip began. He has gone from one relationship to another, most ending badly - and even the ones that didn't end badly still ended. His latest relationship has been casual sex with Kim (which seems pretty clearly to be nothing more than that). He is moving back home to Texas out of a sense of familial obligation.

And now he has a kid.

More than that - he now has had a kid for the past three years, one that has been growing up without him. That's a bit to take in, yeah? I'm sure Donna had her reasons (whether good ones or not), and I'm sure that Davan is likely to not hold the lapse against her - and feel that sense of familial obligation weighing down on him once again.

Still, speculation about Donna's situation and how much Davan will interact in his son's life... well, we'll see where that goes. I'm not going to hazard too many guesses without knowing enough about Donna (though it seems likely she will need Davan's help, though seems unlikely to demand - or possibly even ask - for it.)

But you know who this really leaves me wondering about?

PeeJee.

A year ago, PeeJee was alone and filled with despair. We've all been there - though she was lucky enough to have a friend to show up and remind her that she was loved.

A year later, and she's alone again.

Well, not alone. She's got Choo-Choo Bear. She's not confined to a hospital, and has friends she can visit nearby.

But she doesn't have Davan.

Does she love Davan? Well, duh - they've been friends for years. The two of them, and Aubrey, are bound by ties as close as they get.

But does she love Davan?

That's a hard question. He's been there for her through thick and thin, more than any other. He moved to Boston for her sake, and now she's moving back to Texas for him.

And look at how many of their friends have paired off or left the picture in the last few years... Aubrey and Jason, Monette... even Mike has found a family.

Family. Back to that word again. A general perusal of S*P would indicate that Davan would probably be the last man to want kids, to have to deal with children, to be a 'father figure.'

But... Davan's a decent guy, at heart. Angry, bitter, and fed up with the stupidity of the world? Sure, more often than not. But you can't forget that he was raised by the best. You think that with the example of his parents, there's even the slightest chance that Davan wouldn't make a good father?

Now he has a son... and we still haven't determined just how fully PeeJee cares for him. Her own family... oh, it's a good one, but while Davan's family in many ways was a haven against the bitterness the world instilled in him, her own presented it's own share of turmoil. And let's not forget that her track record with relationships seems even worse than Davan's. He at least had Branwen. I don't know if PeeJee's ever had someone get truly close to her.

Except for Aubrey, who has now gotten married.

And except for Davan, who is off in Texas, and suddenly has a son.

Regardless of how she loves him or not, PeeJee suddenly is very much in danger of being alone. Well and truly alone. She isn't at her darkest moment, like she was a year ago. She is simply sitting there, in the middle of her life... and she's still alone.

You know how earlier I said that the ending of Year Five of S*P was different from the others, because it wasn't actually outright good or bad, just momentous? Yeah, not quite true.

I've got the sneaking suspicion it will be good for some people... and potentially very bad for certain others. We'll find out next year.

I know that I'll be watching.

On Bats and Bones and Many Things

2006-12-19T10:09:00.000-05:00

I had meant to comment yesterday on the appearance of a familiar face in Scary Go Round, but... well, let's just say that dodging falling meteorites would have been a less harrowing ordeal than some of the chaos that ambushed me.

But aside from assuring us that the inimitable Rich Tweedy hadn't simply just ceased to exist, we only had a moment's glimpse at the blast from the past - and today we're dealing with far more urgent affairs.

Still, as interesting as the current storyline is (the return of the inimitable Ryan Beckwith! Troubled times for Tim and Riley! Friend Bat is dead; long live Comrade Bat!), that glance back at the days of Bobbins did bring out a certain nostalgia.

Scary Go Round is one of several comics that I still think of as new, solely because I was around when they began. Of course, by now, it's actually been around for four years, and almost as large as it's predecessor. It is also sometimes hard to keep track of time in Mr. John Allison's works due to the very structure of them, and the fact that he bounces from one set of characters to the next with abandon.

Scary Go Round represents a number of curious contradictions in my eyes. Allison doesn't really like jokes, persay - but that doesn't mean it isn't funny. Humorous dialogue and scenes are as fundamental to the strip as anything else, and Allison shows that his comic can make you laugh at every panel without worrying about setting up punchlines.

Similarly, the plot tends to lack a central focus, and instead have any number of ongoing threads that it jumps to and from at any given time. When the strip started, the focus was a bit tighter than it had been with Bobbins. But over time it's return to a similar style, and while a more polished work in general, it still seems to move from scene to scene at it's creator's whimsy.

Which isn't a bad thing, mind you. Whimsy is what makes Scary Go Round... er, go round. Allison has never feared change in his comic. He often experiments with new art styles, ditches some characters and focuses on others, and occasionally even kills characters off... even if they equally occasionally come back. And despite the fact he doesn't simply stick to a single tried and true formula, he's one of the fortunate few making a living from his comic.

That certainly says a lot to me.

Addendum: Check out Saturday's post, now that I've gotten around to realizing I only posted half of it.

Two Funny Guys

2006-12-16T10:03:00.000-05:00

Today is the last day of Bikini Suicide Frisbee Days.

It is strange to mourn it's passing, for it isn't the end of a webcomic, merely the end of guest filler in a webcomic. Of course, most guest strips are brief things, not weekly reoccurences - nor of they as supremely well done as BSFD.

Clay Yount, one of the geniuses behind Rob and Elliot, was able to perfectly capture the essence of classic Sluggy Freelance. Doing that in a single guest strip is hard - doing it week after week takes skill.

It helps that it isn't too great a leap from the friendship and wackiness of Rob and Elliot to that of Torg and Riff - but at the same time, he managed to use the similarities without just writing a Rob and Elliot comic with a few names changed.

The previous guest-strip maker on Sluggy Freelance gave us Meanwhile, In the Dimension of Pain... which, let's face it, just didn't work. I have nothing against McDonald, but he just had a different brand of humor, and a different style of art, that just couldn't quite do the job. It is nothing I would hold against him - after all, I don't expect perfection from most guest strips I see - but it meant I skipped every Saturday strip as hastily as I could.

But Bikini Suicide Frisbee Days? They didn't just work, they worked well. And at times, I even found myself as eager - if not more - for them as for some of the currently running Sluggy storylines.

Lately Sluggy has had my interest again, but I'll be honest - I like seeing Torg and Riff around again, but just seeing them wandering around acting like the idiots they were in the good old days just doesn't work. They've been through too much (Torg especially), and while I understand that they themselves want nothing more than to go back to being carefree and silly... it still rings a little false. It doesn't drive me away from the strip, mind you - but it doesn't do much for me, either.

We're waiting for the more momentous events, these days. I know that Pete wants to preserve the humor that the strip was founded on, rather than just run with the more serious storylines it has built up to... but it is already past that stage. Does this mean the comic should abandon humor entirely? No way, certainly not!

But it needs to place the humor within the current setting it has grown into. Bikini Suicide Frisbee Days work because they were outside of continuity, set in the past, set in that atmosphere that really was just about random amusement.

The Bikini Suicide Frisbee days are long past in the main storyline, however - and now they've come to a close for a second time.

It is no small act that Clay Yount has managed to create a series of guest strips of such quality that people are sad to see it go. Rob and Elliot is slowing it's weekly activity as well, due to the coming of Cosmobear.

Which I currently no nothing about, but let's face it - it's likely to be just as good as the rest of their works, and I'm sure I'll be there in two weeks to take in the laughs when it is released.

All the pieces fall into place...

2006-12-15T17:09:00.000-05:00

I read this week's Perry Bible Fellowship, and somehow forgot which comic I was reading. I managed to finish the strip, thinking, "Aw, gee, this week's PBF was actually nice and happy, with the kid using his gaming skillz to clean his room in a new and innovative way and OH MY GOD."

Maybe it's a sign of my boundless optimism that I didn't immediately notice that this week's strip was just as horribly evil as the rest of them. Maybe it's just due to the wooziness from all the strange chemicals they dripped into my eyes during my eye exam earlier today. The world may never know!

No more to report today, but tune in tomorrow for a special Saturday post!

Topics of Merit

2006-12-14T16:24:00.000-05:00

I found myself hunting around on the website of Ryan Estrada (artist and adventurer!) Wandering through his site is always a pleasant experience, even if not a fruitful one - it is easy to get sidetracked from one's original goals, and end up reading through any manner of assorted oddities.

My goal in venturing to the site was to discover when Ryan Estrada (artist and adventurer!) planned to continue the great work that is Aki Alliance. My search, sadly, ended in failure, but I will hold out hope that it shall return when we least expect it, bringing with it salvation and hope.

...or something along those lines.

Anyway! As usual, despite a lack of success in what I was actually looking for, I did manage to find two things of note. The first was Ped X-ing, his 168 hr comic (yes, he's aware that he's stark raving mad.) Aside from the fact that it was, as mentioned, a 168 hr comic, it also stars Aki, of the self-same comic mentioned above. And some other interesting characters, too.

But the real treasure was Gamer's Edge, World Reknowned Comic Strip of the Future, as produced by Ryan Estrada (artist and adventurer!) You see, there is this website called Acts of Gord. Acts of Gord is a collection of stories about a man named Gord who runs a gaming store, and the myriad and sundry acts of stupidity he must face on a daily basis, and his righteous humiliation of his most incompetent customers/rivals/foes.

It's a genius little gem of a site, and sure to bring many hours of amusement if you haven't read it before. It's been around for ages, and though finite (as Gord's gamestore days came to an end), it is a long honored site in the stockpile of any true devotee of the internet. So to summarize: Act's of Gord = awesome.

Gamer's Edge is a comic based on it.

How cool is that?

(Answer: It's pretty damn cool.)

The comic rendition is a tad more action-packed, but as mentioned above - it's pretty damn cool. And really, anything done by Ryan Estrada (artist and adventurer!) is destined to be a quality read. So go, check it out, and hope nothing else on his site draws you in for another hour... or three.

Addendum: In other news, while shopping for holiday presents today, I spotted a copy of American Born Chinese in the local bookstore, and treated myself to it. It really does feel good whenever I see this material out in the open for the rest of the world to take a look at, and maybe take a chance on.

Additional Addendum: This is post number 200 of this here blog! It may not be much, but it still feels nice. You may have noticed the new look of the site, which I picked up when converting to the new version of Blogger now controlled by the powerful entity that is Google. I'm not entirely happy with it, but I think we can all agree it is much better than the horror that was the last site layout, yes?

Alternate Additional Addendum: Fleen has hit an even bigger landmark, and turns one year old on this very day! They've had some brilliant articles and some silly ones, but Fleen has definitely made itself a place in the wide world of webcomics, and all the more props to them for that. Regardless of the reviews themselves, what makes Fleen great (at least in my mind) is it's presence as the most prominent news source on webcomics. They've done some solid stuff, and they certainly seem to be here to stay, so drop on by and say a few good words.

Something Wicked this Way Comes

2006-12-13T18:21:00.000-05:00

R.K. Milholland likes to append a message at the bottom of every comic he posts. Sometimes these are in-jokes, sometimes they are random quotes, sometimes they are a commentary on the comic itself.

One such comment, placed at a turning-point in the most recent storyline, was as follows:

"'You're supposed to redeem Kharisma.' Funny. I don't remember making that promise."

It seems self-explanatory from the quote that there were quite a few people who expected Kharisma to overcome her own inherently hateful nature. The seeds were there, sure - Something Positive is about people, and no one person is no more than an icon of evil or hate.

(Well, not entirely true - many side characters, from e-bay scammers to perverse gamers, are presented as two-dimensional objects to be mocked and pitied and hated. But all the recurring characters in S*P have at least some measure of depth.)

I've touched on this topic before, when Kharisma's fate was still up in the air. Would she end up like Mike, and find some measure of acceptance... and personal redemption? Or another Eva, whose view of the world would only grow darker as it fed upon itself?

I use Eva as an example here, but it is an imperfect one. We saw Mike's redemption and development throughout the first years of the strip. Eva's downfall happened in pieces here and there, often off-screen. She was more scenery than character, and while her flaws certainly grew and grew, it was more as an obstacle in Davan's life, not as fully a story all her own.

So I suppose I can understand why some people expected Kharisma to find her better side. Randy invested time in her. She's shown up more and more the last few years - and even had quite a few storylines focusing around her. Like Mike she was an outcast, slowly becoming more and more attached to the main cast.

And for a time, she actually was a sympathetic figure. While working alongside Davan in his hellish job... well, let's say she was the lesser evil in those environs. And when she left... well, those were the moments when she seemed to genuinely have the capacity to interact with the rest of the cast on an equal level. And when she even seemed to have a heart.

And then she embarked on the path to becoming a homicidal murderess.

Kharisma is the counterpart to Mike. Eva wasn't - Eva started off good, and then her duplicity was revealed. That's a different story entirely - and one that, for the most part, happened out of sight.

We've watched Kharisma. Like with Mike, we saw her fail at being a human being from the very start, but she stayed in sight despite it. And we saw that the possibility for redemption was there.

But it was never promised. It was never guaranteed.

And in the end, she fell, and she fell hard.

I'm not surprised, and I'm not disappointed. I liked Mike's path to humanity, but if every character was destined to overcome their petty flaws? Then doing so would be absolutely meaningless.

Would I have enjoyed a storyline where Kharisma did manage to overcome her failings? Probably. But this is the story Milholland is telling... and he's telling it damn well.

This ain't your momma's fairy tale...

2006-12-12T14:00:00.000-05:00

I'm surprised I haven't heard more about Erfworld.

It's a brand new webcomic. It just began last week, with a hefty start in the form of six full pages, each one a pretty impressive production. It came out the gates running, and even had a cast page all ready to go. That's a damn good start - though it isn't what caught my attention.

The comic is written by Robert Balder, the brilliant (and occasionally evil) mind behind Partially Clips.

The comic is illustrated by Jamie Noguchi, the enlightened artist responsible for Angry Zen Master.

The comic is hosted at Rich Burlew's website, Giant in the Playground, most well known as the home of the Order of the Stick.

That's a pretty impressive bunch of names. That's a lot of individuals whose work already impresses me, and whose creative opinions I'll put a lot of faith in. So right off the bat, I'm inclined to expect good things from Erfworld - and right off the bat, it doesn't disappoint.

The comic takes a graphic novel style format, and seems to be unfolding a lengthy and elaborate story - but despite this, is filled with humor and just plain silliness. As soon as one sees the curiously familiar titans forging the world, it becomes obvious this isn't just another epic fantasy.

It seems too soon to say much more. But the writing is sharp, the art is gorgeous, and the story is already intriguing. With less than a week under it's belt, it's hard to do better than that.

Second Verse, Not Quite the Same as the First

2006-12-11T06:12:00.000-05:00

If nothing else comes of ComicSpace, it has already done me one great service - it has reintroduced me to the works of Corey Marie.

Some years ago, when the internet was young(er), she was the artist of a strip called Life's So Rad. It was a brilliant fun little comic - and then it went away. It was taken down for personal reasons, and I can't find any fault in that, though I remained sad to see it go.

Fast forward several years. Corey Marie apparently has a new comic: Scene Language. It's been around for almost half-a-year now, but as is often the case, I only discovered it through sheer chance.

I will momentarily pause to belabor a point I've touched on before - keeping track of comics or artists who have gone on hiatus is difficult. I don't know how many strips are out there that I once read, paused when they stopped updating, and never checked back with when they returned to action.

That's one of the reasons I make posts like this, both for comics new and old - a comic tends to be almost entirely carried along by word of mouth. Advertising can help, sure, but that only does so much. A group can notice new comics (or returning ones) much, much easier than a single person can. That, in my opinion, is one of the real values of the webcomic blogs and news sites.

Anyway, back to the comic itself.

I'll be the first to admit that I know very little about the scene. I enjoy music, but my knowledge of the subject is supremely limited. All I know about rockers I learned from... well, from webcomics much like this one. There are certainly comics with all manner of inside jokes that I just don't get.

Fortunately, this isn't one of them. My knowledge (or lack thereof) does little to impair my appreciation for the comic. Despite the setting, the subject isn't really about bands and music - it's about people. Which people isn't entirely obvious at the start - we follow the misadventures of Phil for a bit, but he's hardly the hero of the story. (Or, really, at all...)

The cast page lists four main characters. It seems clear the story is going to be about them, even if it isn't entirely just yet. One of them has only just arrived, and the connections between the four are still immersed in a mess of other people and other lives.

It's interesting, seeing where a story is going, and how far it has to go.

The comic is only in it's infancy, despite already having 64 strips under the belt. But I can already tell that I like it. The art is solid and lively, a stronger version of the style I liked from Life's So Rad. The characters are... well, human, to start, which means they are engaging, interesting, and flawed.

Which, really, is about as good as it gets.

It's not Life's So Rad, but it isn't supposed to be. It's good, and that's all that matters. I know I'll be watching it eagerly.

The Hits Just Keep Coming

2006-12-09T18:22:00.000-05:00

Scott Kurtz never ceases to surprise me.

Addendum: Oh, and what's with this? You guys aren't allowed to be all serious and cliffhangery on a weekend! I'm not primed to deal with character development right now, man - it's just too much!

Collective Contributions

2006-12-08T15:57:00.000-05:00

Child's Play is once again doing amazingly, and is already just shy of the half a million mark - with plenty of time still to go.

But this comes as no surprise, really, considering its past success. It's good news to be sure - but it isn't what caught my attention in the latest Penny Arcade news post.

GameTrailers.com is having a promotion. You earn some virtual money on their site - via watching trailers, writing reviews, rating games, etc - and you can turn that virtual money into a donation from them to Child's Play. They've got a cap on it - their goal of $10,000 - and at the rate the donations are going, it seems likely they'll easily meet that within the day.

I find this vastly intriguing. The virtual money idea in general is pretty cool, and certainly makes for a solid way to forcibly build community. More than that, I like the way that gaming entities are working just as hard as individuals to contribute to Child's Play - while in many ways this isn't really any different than other companies directly donating money to the charity, I like the way it lets people help make a difference, even if they can't directly donate themselves.

Sorry there isn't anything of more substance today (or even this week) - I've got a ton of things that I've been wanting to review, and just haven't had the time to really sit down and do them justice. Hopefully next week will be a bit less hectic.

Till then, do what you can to help Child's Play, even if it's nothing more than continuing to spread the word!

Com(ics) Unity

2006-12-06T11:51:00.000-05:00

So... there's now a MySpace for Comics.

I like the idea, certainly. I don't know how much I, personally, will make use of it, as I never really entered the MySpace craze... but nonetheless, I like the concept of it.

There is often a lot of discussion regarding the so-called webcomics community. Sometimes the talk centers around whether or not there actually is one. A year or two back, when it seemed drama lurked around every corner from one month to the next, it seemed like the community was nothing more than small dedicated camps devoted to their favorite authors, ready to tear into each other at the slightest provocation.

Hmm. That might, just might, be overstating the case a tad. But it is certainly true that many people, time and again, have proclaimed the need for more of a sense of... unity, among the movers and the shakers of the webcomic world. It's a young medium, sure, but that can be all the more reason for people to be presenting a undivided front, all the more reason to work on improving the entire field as a team.

Now, this is another idea I like. It's a great sentiment. That said, I don't expect cartoonists to feel any obligation to work together or devote valuable time and resources to building up the ethereal concept of a webcomic society. The fact is, the majority of webcomickers have enough troubles working on their own comics alone. It's enough that they put up free comics once, twice, three times a week - if not daily - and expecting them to work on things beyond that scale is, well, somewhat unreasonable. More than that, many of the greatest strides and recognitions earned for webcomics comes from individual successes - Penny Arcade's work with PAX and Child's Play, for example.

So I don't expect much. I can't demand much - most webcomics are free. I support them where I can, I enjoy their works and recommend the ones that impress me, and as long as they keep providing them, they've already done far more than they are obligated to.

But it's still damn nice when I see groups like Blank Label form, with members pooling their resources to work together. It's nice to see more and more panels on webcomics, especially with some going an extra step to really discuss more than just your stand Q&A. It's nice to see, in the last year, a lot of previously antagonistic webcomic camps acting reasonably civil with each other in various matters.

Sure, the drama still pops up from time to time. And sure, the webcomics 'community' remains something hard to pin down and point at. But there is more and more discussion going on, both among those who want to take a more intellectual approach, as well as those who just want to sit around and talk about comics. There are more and more gatherings of fans, more and more webcomic collectives, and more and more independant locales for fans of the medium to gather.

ComicSpace isn't really anything world-shattering, or even entirely dedicated to webcomics alone - but it's a neat place on several levels. "A place for comic fans and creators to connect with each other." Sure, you have plenty of those in the form of private forums and messageboards - but an impartial one, open to all? That's a bit scarcer. Also, free comic hosting. That's never a bad thing.

Even if it isn't anything more than a nice little idea, that's good enough for me.

This has been your daily overanalysis of a very simple topic. Tune in next week, same bat-channel, same bat-time!

Dresden Codak is fueled by the power of Science

2006-12-05T00:19:00.000-05:00

Not long ago I reviewed Minus, which remains a phenomenal strip.

Some of the discussion arising from that brought to light that Koala Wallop, the collection that Minus was a part of, did not recieve nearly as much attention as it rightfully should. Intrigued, I poked around the other strips on the site, and lo and behold, found myself quite taken with them.

The one that most caught my eye - in much the same vein as had Minus itself - was Dresden Codak.

Dresden Codak is, similarly, a hard comic to describe. Both philosophical and fantastical, each strip is generally a self-contained clever adventure following the principles of wit and whimsy. A Lesson Is Learned But The Damage Is Irreversible is mentioned as an inspiration, and the influence is clear. A Lesson Is Learned may be in absentia these days, but it's legacy lives on in Dresden Codak and many others who follow in it's footsteps.

You know, I like this genre of comics. I like it a lot. There seems to be more and more quality comics emerging that deal in the absurdly profound, in surreal humor, in both intellectualism and childhood innocence, and their presence is a damn good thing.

Dresden Codak only cements my feelings on the subject. The material is both beautiful to behold, enjoyable to read, and intensely thought-provoking. I like my gag strips, sure, and I love my comics that tell a deep and emotionally powerful story... but the ones that leave me thinking really are gems found few and far between, and all the more important for their rarity.

The greatest strength of Aaron Diaz (the genius behind Dresden Codak) may be the ability to tell a powerful story in a single moment. It is in this that I see the strongest influence of A Lesson Is Learned, and Dresden Codak may be the only comic able to pull of the simple story just as well. A single strip can contain laughter, philosophy, and a heart-wrenching story.

And as with A Lesson Is Learned, the art plays as strong a part as the story. The scenes come to life with brilliant colors and gorgeous images. Each page is a full dose of webcomic goodness.

The only downside? The archive is small, and updates seem to be on a monthly basis. Each update is a world of awesome, but they are few and far between.

Still - there are worse things than to have the quality of a comic leave you desperate for more. Dresden Codak is another font of genius, and all the more proof that Koala Wallop has something special going for it.

Not Actually a Post About NaNoWriMo, No Really, I Mean It

2006-12-01T07:52:00.000-05:00

Last night I met up with a number of other local NaNoWriMo writers to celebrate our success. We discussed all manners of things, but unsurprisingly, the topic of writing came up an inordinate numbers of times.

One of the other writers there started explaining some principles of mad science that she had begun applying to her villains in her writing. Infection. Obsession. Challenge. Chase Scene. Denouement.

It truly is a wonderful world we live in.

The obvious inspiration for this philosophy, A Miracle of Science, continues to excel.

We have entered what may be the final showdown between the good guys and the bad, and our hero Benjamin is doing his best to stop the enemy with the most powerful weapon at his disposal - the power of memetics.

It's a good comic, and it's a good time to be reading it.

Thoughts on NaNoWriMo: Mark 2

2006-11-30T16:03:00.000-05:00

This evening NaNoWriMo 2006 draws to a close, and I get to enjoy the feeling of a job well done.

This year I managed to actually go the distance, and yes, that is a damn good feeling.

I only wrote the first third of the novel I set out to write - however, I think it ended up more coherant than it would have otherwise, so that's a plus. And, of course, it leaves me with material to continue with if I undertake this madness next year.

In the end, it sucked up a bunch of time I likely would have otherwise spent playing video-games. It let me test my limits, and let me actually prove that I can sit down and write something extensive. One of my old writing teachers told me that every person in the world has stories in their head they could tell, but you only are a writer if you sit down and write them.

That doesn't make you a good writer, mind you. That's the next step.

But the first step is writing, and this is the first time I've produced a clearly finished work of significant length. It isn't as long as a standard novel, it isn't a masterpiece, and I quake in fear at actually showing it off to my friends and family who demand a chance to read it. The narrative voice is constantly shifting, I'm not entirely positive I maintained the same tense throughout the work, and the most interesting character is an ordinary housecat. The dialogue is poor, the plot resorts to exposition, and the proofreading was nonexistant.

...but it is complete, and it is mine, and I can be damn proud of that.

And that's what the month is all about.

Comics I Read on My Lunch Break

2006-11-29T14:59:00.000-05:00

There has been a good deal of hubbub this week concerning the new PvP animations, and discussion regarding that is scattered... well, all over the web.

But the news that I heard that really got me excited was that Crap I Drew on My Lunch Break is back!

Rest assured, the comic is far from crap. It's a fun little strip with gorgeous art - it doesn't hold itself to be more than that, and that's what makes it great.

The strips are sometimes just simple randomness from life, sometimes rants on the trivial, sometimes rants on the profoundly horrible. It's about the artist, her boyfriend, and their pet rats.

And really, that's all it needs to be. Sometimes the simple things are best.

So Much Writing. So Little Time.

2006-11-27T14:09:00.000-05:00

Today Queen of Wands attained the honor of having successfully completed it's second full run, this time with full commentary from Aeire.

Part of the final comic is in absentia, (though can still be found in the archives), and the last sequence remains just as bittersweet as it was the first time around.

When Queen of Wands first ended, over a year and a half ago, it was an unusual decision to air the old strips once more - but I think it was clearly a successful one. The commentary was... nice, though I think it is to the comic's credit that it can easily stand alone without the explanations being needed.

I recall, in the distant days of yore, reading Xenith. Xenith was Aiere's first comic. It was... good, yes, in it's own way. Incredibly pretty. Incredibly dark. And yes, you could very much feel the youthfulness of the work.

I remember discovering Queen of Wands, early in the strip's infancy, quite some time after Xenith had stopped updating and/or vanished from my mind. I remember, after falling in love with the strip, at some point noticing it was produced by the same author. And I remember being amazed.

There was a world of difference between the two strips. It wasn't just that Queen of Wands was light and funny and true to life where Xenith had been dark and depressing and fantastical - her new comic showed her maturity, as an artist, as a storyteller, as a person. And yes, it may seem a bit much to judge a person by the comic that they draw - but it seemed clear that the person telling the story of Kestrel and friends was a far cry from the person behind the story of Xenith.

And Queen of Wands was clearly a success. It was a comic with characters that many people formed attachments to - no doubt Aeire most of all - and she still managed to bring it to it's proper ending. Well... a proper ending, if nothing else, and I think that was half the story behind the strip.

These days, Kestrel lives on through the magic of r*k*milholland. As for what may be next in line for Aiere herself?

I've heard word of a sequel arising sometime early next year. That could be cool. It's certain I'll be keeping my eyes and ears open, given my usual propensity to completely fail to notice important announcements. If something nifty develops, there will be no complaints here.

And if not?

Well, we've always got the Queen of Wands archives. They were just as good a second time around, and I'm sure they'll be just as sweet every time thereafter.

A pirate, a flying monkey, and a mad hatter walk into a bar...

2006-11-26T18:50:00.000-05:00

Public Service Announcement:

Issue 2 of Cheshire Crossing is now available.

And yes, it rocks out just as much as the first one.

Enjoy.

The usual

2006-11-24T15:23:00.000-05:00

Ok, I am aware that I talk about Sluggy Freelance all the damn time. My bad. Apologies in advance. Etc.

But I felt that today could not go by without commenting on today's strip. While Oasis has continued to develop as a character, her mystery still remains in full force, with more unanswered questions around every bend. Which isn't a bad thing - having her resolve any core complexities while isolated from the main cast would have, at best, been a bittersweet success.

More importantly, though, we have the survival of our latest favorite bad guy, "Nash Straw." I had been fairly certain Pete wasn't going to kill him off, given the instant hit success he was - but I admit to having been left with my share of doubts after the latest scuffle.

In any case, my final verdict on the latest Sluggy storyline: A+! Oceans Unmoving definitely left a lot of people anxious about the state of the strip, and Sluggy started rather slowly building back up since then, but I'd say the old magic is back and in action.

Now, a lot will still depend on how things pan out once the camera is focused once more on the standard cast and crew... but Pete has done a lot to restore my faith in the strip. I'm grateful for that.

Anyway! I hope yesterday everyone had a merry Thanksgiving, or for those for whom it is irrelevant, a fantastic thursday!

Today we rant about videogames.

2006-11-22T15:32:00.000-05:00

By we, I mean I.

By videogames, I mean Neverwinter Nights 2.

I've just finished playing this game - a good thing, since it was the biggest hurdle in my completion of NaNoWriMo.

The game itself is quite enjoyable, by and large. Fun and engaging characters, an entertaining if unoriginal story (with a few genuinely impressive moments), and all the standard leveling and equipment joy that placates hardcore d&d players.

The problem, unfortunately, is that the game is unfinished.

It is fiddled with more bugs and glitches than I care to go into - including several ones very key to the game itself, such as the AI controlling your character's companions, the camera views through which you observe the game, and various pieces of the combat system that drives encounters.

But I was able to accept that. Perhaps it is a bad thing that I expect games to have their share of quirks, and look upon something buggy as the norm, and something that works properly to be a grand success.

What struck me to the core was the ending. Now, I won't get into any details as to the final plot itself. But the ending, and indeed much of the scenes leading up the end, were tagged on almost as an afterthought. The designers ran out of time or money, and suddenly had to wrap it up and push it out the door.

We're talking about a game that drops into cut-scenes every time you turn a corner, and has exciting and skilled voice actors for bums you run into on the street for five minutes.

The ending of the game consists of a series of still images (that may not even be entirely accurate), and a voice-over by what appears to be Bob the Pizza Guy.

I kid you not. The entire game is filled with an exceptional soundtrack, and the ending of the game is a slideshow narrated in a dead monotone.

Ok, I've had my rant. The reason for the game's flaws is easily found - the company needed the game out the door, and had to ship it a few months before it could actually be developed into a quality game. Disappointing, but I'll live - even if I did feel the need to spend some time venting on it.

Now, I thought about quite a few ways to compare my complaints here with the wonderful world of webcomics.

It would not be a difficult comparison to make. I could say that webcomics, after all, usually fall on a specific schedule, and the demands to meet deadlines (even self-imposed ones) has left many artists pondering what to do. Put up an unfinished work, and color it later? Put up filler for now, and the final product when it is ready? Just skip the deadline?

It is a tough choice, and one that invariably will end with someone unhappy, and one side of the crowd yelling at those who get upset about delays in free comics, and the other side demanding more professionalism from those who want to make a living from their work. It's a debate that makes me twitch, because I'm usually able to see valid points in both sides.

As such, I will kindly refrain from making the comparison between my video game woes and the webcomic industry. Instead, like everyone else on the face of earth, I shall succub to peer pressure and link to the new face of WIGU.

I like the name, even if I don't understand it

2006-11-20T15:14:00.000-05:00

A month ago (to this day) I recieved my first request to take a look at a specific comic, so now seems a proper time to do a review of it.

The comic in question is called the Flowfield Unity; the man behind the comic is one Adam York Gregory, an impressive name in it's own right.

It began, as I understand it, as a print comic that is now being posted to the web. Much like others who have done the same, as well as the countless ones that have done the opposite, it shows that it is quite feasible for a comic to work equally well in either medium.

As for the comic itself, it definitely has potential.

Potential is a funny word. While technically complimentary at its core, it comes across much harsher. After all, saying that something might eventually be good is simply a roundabout way of saying it isn't good right now, yes?

So I don't want anyone to get the wrong idea - I definitely like the Flowfield Unity. It has been a little hit or miss to my tastes, with some strips going over my head and others just falling flat. One of the most visually exciting ones left me indifferent as to the actual content.

But for each one of those, there would be another one that I found exceptionally clever and insightful and amusing.

The larger portion of the strips, though, the largest feeling I felt... was potential.

It comes down to rhythm in a lot of ways. The strips from the very beginning involve exceptionally cool concepts, but they don't quite convey them with the same beat, the same punch as does xkcd or the Perry Bible Fellowship.

They are well-crafted, there is no denying it. When I look at the first strips, I get the sense of nothing so much as visual poetry, illustrated haikus. That is hardly anything to laugh at - and therein lies the problem.

The strip revolves around the premise of turning ideas on their head, and presenting concepts broken ever so slightly askew. But the cleverness of such things will only take you so far, and without the humor found in those oddities, it will be hard to truly leave an impact on the reader.

Of course, there is only some twenty-odd strips in the archive at present date. The beat of the strip may very well change, and start fully delivering on the possibilities it touches upon. May already have done so, in fact, given he is drawing from an already published resource that consists of a much larger body of work.

For right now, though, it remains worth reading. Sometimes it won't do much for me, and sometimes it will deliver something that genuinely leaves me smiling.

Right now it is a comic with potential, and that is nothing to be ashamed of.

A Second Look through the Scrying Ball

2006-11-17T09:40:00.000-05:00

Last week I mentioned Dominic Deegan, and spoke about how pleased I was with what was going on.

Or, more specifically, how pleased I was about how well Mookie was avoiding falling into old potential pitfalls, and making use of a new plot focusing on many of the side characters.

It strikes me, however, that I wasn't so much talking about the things he was doing right as I was talking about the things he wasn't doing wrong.

And while it is all well and good to avoid making blunders, not screwing up alone won't make a comic inherently good.

So what is it about Dominic Deegan that has, for the last few weeks, been constantly rocking my socks off?

Concerning the overall plot, he's certainly been doing strong.

He's added an new villain who isn't an infernomancer, or an arch-devil, or an ancient reincarnation of an powerfully evil wizard.

He has our band of heroes up against someone who, in the end, is just a petty thug.

Of course, more than that, he's a petty thug trying to hit the big leagues of organized crime. And he is smart, and it isn't just a matter of going toe to toe with brute force, but having them actively do their best to outthink each other. That's not just a nice change of pace - that's a genuinely interesting new character and a great set-up.

In the realm of humor I have no real complaints. I've never been big on the puns laden throughout DD, but I've been finding even them charming throughout this storyline. (Well ok, that might not accurately describe today's all that well.) But in general he's managed to mix things up just right, with the jokes laden throughout the story naturally rather than having them actively bog it down.

Output of content, of course, has always been a strong point - 8 panel strips every day of the week? Full color sundays? You are going to be damn hard pressed to find a match for that.

But what has really been doing it for me, in the end, is the crafting within each individual strip. Throughout this storyarc there have simply been a slew of great individual moments.

Moments that are either picture perfect segments of humor, or ones that nail a character perfectly dead-on.

That's the impressive part. We've got this large-scale production of content, and yet we have these moments being perfectly executed in every single strip. That takes more than just dedication - that takes damn solid skill.

And that's what Dominic Deegan is doing right.

Thoughts on NaNoWriMo: Mark 1

2006-11-15T17:23:00.000-05:00

15,193 / 50,000
(30.4%)

It is the fifteenth of the month.

NaNoWriMo 2006 is halfway over. In theory, were I on track, I'd be at 25k words, instead of 15k - but while I'm behind, that would worry me more if I hadn't gone the first week without any serious progress. As long as I'm able to keep shiny distractions away, the word output itself isn't really what worries me, especially with two more weekends in the month to crunch it out.

What worries me is the story itself. It's not a great story, but I'm fine with that - walking into NaNoWriMo and expecting to write a masterpiece is a recipe for failure.

The problem is that I'm at 1/3 of my word count, but only 1/9 of the way through the plot in the book.

Once upon a time, I had great ideas for stories - but usually those ideas were broad and sweeping. I had the momentous climax mapped out, the dramatic showdown, the key moment... but I could never fill in the rest of the story.

Now I'm running into the opposite problem - the filler isn't pausing to let me progress. The characters run rampant over the story, and I'm trying to decide if I'll have to accept cutting the plot short, trying to cram the entire thing into the rest of the month, or just skipping past long chunks of the tale.

Still, NaNoWriMo is definitely providing an interesting and intense experience. And if my only difficulties so far are having too much story to write, then I don't think I'm entitled to spend time complaining!

Minus

2006-11-13T08:20:00.000-05:00

Do you know what comic you should be reading?

I know what comic you should be reading.

You should be reading Minus.

Minus is the story of a young girl with incredible powers, who goes about the business of... well, of being a young girl who happens to have incredible powers.

The comic is Count Your Sheep meets Calvin and Hobbes meets xkcd. Filled with a mixture of the strangely horrible, the beautifully profound, and the absurdly whimsical, the comic is genius from start to finish. The concepts are incredible, the art (hand painted!) is gorgeous.

I know of few other strips that can tell a story to break your heart in three simple strips.

It isn't a long read - the comic only has 41 strips to its name. But I can't proclaim it's greatness enough - all I can say is that, right now, you should be reading Minus.

Fervor on a Friday: This Week in Comics

2006-11-10T13:33:00.000-05:00

The last week or so, quite a few comics have really been taking the game to the next level. Usually, at any given time, there is only one or two comics keeping me on the edge of my seat, furiously checking the latest happenings come the light of dawn.

Right now, though? Close to a dozen.

Some of the crew aren't doing anything, oh, specifically special. Simply delivering quality content day after day. Order of the Stick would fall into this category - back to consistently updating three days a week, the strip has just come out of an intense plot arc, and hit the ground running, tearing straight into the next plot without a pause for breath. I've heard quite a few people who advocate breaking up such storylines with a bout of good old fashioned laughs... but I think OotS is proof that while sticking to formula like that might keep your content constant, it won't let you know one out of the park.

Sluggy, Narbonic, Sam and Fuzzy are all in the middle of seriously intense plot. Scary Go Round is reuniting friends long gone missing. PvP appears to have imported Jerry Holkins and Mike Krahulik into its world. I am confident hijinks shall ensue.

And while some have been laying down aces, others have, unfortunately, been coming up short.

I'm pretty sad. For a while, I felt like I was really getting Questionable Content. I was enjoying the plot, the characterization. I thought the Vespavenger's entrance was incredibly fun and cool.

And then... blah. The entire storyline smacked of super-heroism - the hero characters of the story (Faye and Dora, in this case) set-up something foolish, but ends out working out just fine for them. They arrange a fight with this vigilante, beat the crap out of her, and the police thank them for it. I dislike that type of plotline in general - I can barely stand when Milholland does it, and he does it as well as it can be done.

But it was tolerable right up until the Vespavenger's vespa turned into... a killer robot. An incredibly stupid-looking killer robot.

It's not that I think there is something inherently wrong in the robot's and assorted surrealities in QC. But I rarely find them funny, and I get the sense that I somehow should be - that they are tossed in so the audience can oooh and aaah. And instead I always feel like the quality of the story vanished in a puff of smoke.

Bah. I always feel bad when I'm just all-out critiquing a strip, so I won't lay into it any more. Part of what really brought out the rant was that, for a time, I was really digging the strip. Top of my list, had me engaged in the characters and interested in the plot. And then two weeks of watching that feeling wash away.

At least I have Dominic Deegan to fall back upon. I was worried - really worried - that our erstwhile seer was going to swoop in once again and solve everything... but Mookie managed to avoid falling back that old pitfall. Pretty intentionally so, from what I can tell. That is awesome. We've managed to have a plot where the enemy isn't yet another world-shattering epic madman out to end the world. We've managed to have a plot where Dominic doesn't just snap his fingers and save the day. It is a really good feeling to see an artist actively learning from what they've done before.

And it certainly is going to keep me coming back, and checking the strip every day of the week.

Whimsy on a Wednesday: Adrift in a Sea of Choices

2006-11-08T18:42:00.000-05:00

Sunday was the fifth of November.
Monday, entirely by coincedence, I read V for Vendetta.
Tuesday I went and did my civic duty, and voted in the elections.
Today I sit and ponder the act of voting.

I always feel... out of my depth, I suppose. Here I am, lending my tiny but not insignificant voice in a grand decision, and I am never sure if I am truly qualified for the job.

I have a remarkable amount of trouble staying abreast of current events in general, and politics are hardly an exception. I don't hide my head under a rock by any means, but it is often the last thing I pay attention to, and the more my knowledge of things comes secondhand, is filtered through other peoples views and voices, the more I wonder how much of my opinions are my own.

Even so, I'm firmly on one side of things given the current state of affairs in the US. As uneducated about things as I am, I am solidly against Bush and what he has done. Unlike many of my friends, I've never threatened to run off to Canada. I've never proclaimed him a fascist, or called him Hitler. But I disagree with what he's done, and would like to do what I can to change those in power who support it.

With that as my outlook, my voting should in theory be simple - Republicans bad, Democrats good, right? Knowing so little of the specifics of things, doing all I can to put the democrats in power should be an easy choice, yes?

And yet, I dislike the simplicity of it all. So just to confirm my outlook, I go and do my research on the candidates. I try to find what truth there is in between the mudslinging and the handwaving. I look up past activities, I look up voting records. (I discover, among other things, that Maryland is home to 2 of the 7 Republican Representatives who voted against the bill that suspended Habeas Corpus.)

I do a great deal of research, and come out of it knowing very little more than I did when I began.

I go to the assigned location, and I vote as seems best to me. And I do it all plagued by the fear that, all in all, it is far too difficult to really know what affect my actions will bring, if any. Part of it is the fear enounced by Spider - but much more is simply the fear that nothing is that clear-cut, and decisions are not so easily made.

I voted, and I did a great deal of research that changed very little about how I voted, and left me not much more confident in my knowledge of the strange world of politics.

But I still feel glad I made the effort, and I feel glad I got a nice little sticker with a flag that says "I Voted." And on all accounts, I should be damn well pleased with the results of the election itself.

Still, I find myself feeling more contemplative of things than anything else - and in the end, that isn't necessarily a bad thing.

Moments on a Monday: Shit Happens

2006-11-06T15:38:00.000-05:00

I'm beginning to become depressed by how many bad webcomics I find myself enjoying.

Shit Happens is the latest in the line-up.

The comic itself, as many do, starts with random roommate humor and hilarity, and then somehow finds its way to exploring dark and intense drama, with the requisite blood and glory that entails.

But as much as I hate to see that sort of thing happen, eh, it doesn't really frustrate me - man wants to tell a more serious story, more power to him.

What bugs me is the main character.

Halifax.

You see, Halifax is a Gary Stu, which I just learned is the term for a male version of a Mary Sue, thanks to the wonders of the internets.

To quote wikipedia: "Characters labeled Mary Sues, as well as the stories they appear in, are generally seen as wish-fulfillment fantasies on the part of the author."

It irks me. It is one of the single biggest pet peeves I have with webcomics, and largely because I keep running into it, over and over, and it invariably is the single biggest thing that keeps the comic from being a quality piece of work.

I read a handful of other comics that are offenders. Ctrl+Alt+Del has been well-famed for it, and seems, at least of late, to use that element almost self-referentially. Least I Could Do is practically built around it as a core concept. And even with those two comics, which do it about as well as it can be done, it makes me want to shake my head and walk away when I see it in action.

Halifax lives up to all the expectations. He treats his friends like dirt without them actually, say, stopping to be his friend. His job consists of not doing anything and getting paid tons of money for it. Pretty much every female character in the series has been in love with him at some point. Did I mention in his past he was a secret agent, for no apparent reason?

Anyway. We've got a comic with a lame and cliche plot, with a main character who fits every archetype I despise about main characters. Yet somehow, by the time I finished the archives, I find myself enjoying the comic.

Why?

Well, the main problems aren't quite as terrible - the plague of drama has wandered off, leaving the crew mostly meandering through life - which I find far more engaging then mafioso deals and back-alley shootings. Our 'hero', Halifax, remains a pristine asshole, and the friends he so mistreats seem unable to do anything about it despite being in a position of power over him - but baby steps are fine.

No, I find myself far more interested in the side characters. Former villains seeking a better understanding of the world. Demonized ex-girlfriends now offered the possibility of redemption. (Both featured in the picture above.)

Now, both of these characters suffered from being forced into the formulaic drama that dominated the strip for so long. (And for at least one of them, it was a terrible disservice to their character's representation up until then.) But I've found the small dwellings on their current state, and the possibly of redemption for the two of them, to be strangely compelling.

On the one hand, I know that that plot element itself - that of 'redemption for the fallen' - is itself formulaic in many ways. But even with the build-up from the rest of the comic, and walking into the scenes dealing with those characters keeping that in mind... I found myself engaged, and actively interested.

That was a surprise, and surprises can be good things.

So there it is - not exactly the most inspiring review, I imagine. I generally try to avoid too much naysaying here - if I have a comic that I honestly can't find anything good to say about it, it isn't worth the time to do so, as much desire as I may have to rant about it. Even the trashiest comics are the product of hard work and a story that someone, somewhere, is proud of, and I don't feel it is my place to do nothing but sit back and rag on that. (Cept Megatokyo. I kid, I kid!)

But here you have a comic that starts off weak and walks into the pitfalls that many have before it. And at the end of it all... well, at least for me, I found a faint spark of quality, enough to keep me interested. I can't promise it will make the best reading experience for anyone, but it was enough to give it some recognition.

And that's definitely better than nothing.

Child's Play

2006-11-04T09:56:00.000-05:00

One doesn't really need to extol the merits of Child's Play - but it is so incredibly hard to avoid doing so.

This is a program that has seen an astonishing amount of success. It has earned recognition from defendants and opponents of the gaming world alike, and has gone a long way to combat the ill reputation that is sometimes thrown against video gamers. It has seen public exultation by the very same people who previously criticized gaming as violent and causing violence.

It is amazing because it shows the character behind the people at Penny Arcade - the most successful webcomic to date, which doesn't have the slightest need to produce things like Child's Play or the Penny Arcade Expo, or to have demonstrations at children's schools or do any of a number of myriad things outside the base needs of their comic. But they do so anyway, because they want to give back to the community, and they want to celebrate the gaming community.

It is amazing because it is successful due to the thousands of ordinary folks, gamers and non-gamers alike, who donate to it.

I doubt it needs, even remotely, any mention from me. I doubt I can say anything about it that hasn't been said with better words and more effect by other people. But that doesn't mean it isn't still worth saying, still isn't worth recognizing the power of this program and value of this effort.

Child's Play is back for another year, and that is a damn fine thing to take note of.

Dirty Deeds

2006-11-03T08:29:00.000-05:00

Sluggy Freelance has been running the long-awaited next chapter in the story of Oasis.

And it's definitely good stuff, and a long way away from the slump Sluggy had been going through. We have glimpses into Oasis's past, though the mystery of her origin remains unrevealed. Torg and Riff are doing their best to track that down - and unsurprisingly, their 'best' involves blundering through sewers ineffectually.

And, primarily, we get to see what Oasis herself has been up to, having taken up residence in a nice little town where she exterminates crime with an iron fist. A ton of new characters are introduced: her adopted family, her mentor, a variety of townsfolk... and Nash Straw.

Nash is an intrepid reporter out to figure out the town's secrets, despite the fact that everyone in town is doing their best to confound him.

He's a fun character to follow the exploits of, and even though if he gets his story, it won't bode that well for Oasis or the town, watching him work on uncovering the truth leaves us half rooting for him.

Unfortunately he's also a bad guy.

He's a professional bad guy. That means that he's not outright unlikeable, not just cruel for the sake of being cruel - but it also means he'll kill a young girl if the job calls for it.

I'm torn. He's a really well designed character, and its not like half of the cast and crew of Sluggy haven't been villains at one point or another. But I get the feeling it's only a matter of time before he gets taken out - Oasis has survived far, far worse in the past, and has an unfortunate tendency not to leave her enemies alive.

I think a lot of the success of any given storyline in Sluggy comes down to the villains. Pointless and stupid villains just don't work for me. That's why I hated Gofotron - and conversely, some of my favorite storylines - The Bug, the Witch and the Robot, Fire and Rain, That Which Redeems - all have an interesting take on the good guys vs the bad guys.

So I'm really liking what Abrams has done here, even as I'm torn as to what direction I want to see the story go.

Lesson of the day - getting your audience invested in your bad guy before the evil reveal is both very effective, and very, very mean.

Happy Halloween!

2006-10-31T17:12:00.000-05:00

Boo!

I hope everyone is enjoying a Happy Halloween, filled with elaborate costumes, delicious candy, horrifying nightmares, or whatever element of the holiday is your very special favorite part. Or, if you hate the whole get up, enjoying a very happy... Tuesday.

And if you hate Tuesdays, I'm sorry, not much I can really do for you.

Anyway! All Hallow's Eve seemed a good occasion to throw off one look for my journal and find a new one - and more importantly, adjust a few things behind the scenes.

I went through a pruning of my webcomics today, and it was no easy task. Suffice to say that, when the job was done, I managed to whittle my way down to a meager 200. Yes, a meager 200. No, you don't want to know how many were on the list previously.

I was amused that the number came out so rounded, and while not a fully accurate accounting (as some of those links include collections or multiple comics within), it seemed a fortuitous sign. More over, when I then divided that list into the "A Team" (those comics which I can't get by without) and the "B Team" (the ones that, while fun, I read as much from habit as anything), I discovered that I ended up with nigh spot on 100 on each side.

Speaking of those links, you may have noticed I've added quite a few off to the side. This includes a pick of the week, as well as a selection of the top ten comics that have been on my mind. These include old favorites as well as new discoveries, and quite a few comics that after a long stretch of meandering have pulled it together and reeled me in big time. I plan to keep the list updated on a regular basis. Also, I blatantly stole the entire idea from Comics Rock, another webcomic blog.

Speaking of which, I've also added a list of other blogs that I keep my eye on. Some, sadly, have gone off into the wild beyond of hiatus, but they are in large part the blogs that inspired me to start this up, and have a wonderful repository of past articles.

And finally, I threw up the entire list of the "A Team" strips that I read - my personal recommendations for the best and the most brilliant strips out there today. While that list may also shift over time, it will probably not be quite as regularly as the top ten.

Now unfortunately all this work is done, in part, in anticipation of a distinct lack of free time in the upcoming month. You see, there is this little thing called NaNoWriMo. You may have heard of it.

If not, a summary might read as thus: It is a challenge for aspiring writers to sit down, over the course of November, and crank out a 50,000 word novel. Quality does not matter. Depth does not matter. Subject does not matter. Just words. It is, at short, perhaps the most elaborate writing exercise developed. It is a chance to show that one has the stuff to go the distance, and can produce the content, if nothing else.

I tried and failed last year. This year, I plan to give another go at it.

I will also have the grim spectre of Final Fantasy XII hovering over my shoulder the entire month. (And most likely absorbing as much time as it can tempt me to burn on it.)

Now, despite these little side-projects, I plan to keep up with my posts here. But in an attempt to do so, I plan to pace myself with a nice little schedule. Even beyond helping keep me on track, I like the idea of adding a little focus to my blog - as much as I enjoy torturing everyone with the chaotic meanderings of my mind, a little order could be nice.

The plan is as follows:

Mondays: Reviews and Remembrances. I'll devote each Monday to either a review of a lesser known comic that I think could use the exposure... or to taking a look at a comic that has ended, and may be in danger of fading from public view.

Wednesdays: No Strings Attached. This is my chance to let loose! Whatever random topics are on my mind will hit the page midweek. Might be on more ephemeral aspects of the webcomic world, might deal with different things entirely. It will no doubt be a surprise to both you and me.

Fridays: The Latest Happenings. Here is where I'll be pondering recent events and surprises in the comics I read. There will likely be exclamations of surprise, joy, and dismay. There may even be, dare I say it... rampant speculation.

So that is the plan, gentle readers! I'll be spending the next few days getting a start on my NaNoWriMoing (my apologies for inflicting that verb upon you), so it is likely you won't see any sign of me until Friday. But a few last Halloween happenings first...

My, my, my, quite a lot of activity for this simple blog. Why, all this plotting has driven me positively... mad!

Actually wait, no... that would simply be my Halloween costume, going as everyone's favorite mad computer scientist (as inspired by Lord_dave's coloration of Kirk Tiede's fan-art, to be profoundly technical.)

Yes, I know, exceedingly lazy costume.

Nonetheless, I like it.

Finally, a few props must be awarded today in honor of some excellently done comics.

Most Stunningly Genius Storyline: Elf Only Inn.

Best Katamari Costumes: Krakow!

Most Shocking Reveal: Scary Go Round.

Absolutely Best Costume: VG Cats, with Aech.

Edit: It has been pointed out to me that the true mastery of costuming is on display over at Penny Arcade. This, in truth, I cannot deny.

Till next time, safe hauntings...

The Art of Advertising

2006-10-30T13:09:00.000-05:00

Advertising has always struck me as one of the mundane elements of the internet experience.

It is something one does to pay the bills. (Well, to pay a bill. A small one. Maybe.) I'm not entirely sure how much selling advertising space really pulls in - I'm a consumer of the webcomic experience, not a producer. I see the flashy ads and shiny buttons, but not the numbers behind the scenes.

Despite that, it seems clear that it is a hassle to deal with selling ad space, and the business has gone through rough stretches without substantial returns.

The market doesn't seem as bad these days - I've seen many comics running google ads, presumably due to it being low management. Something*Positive is one of a handful I've seen that run personalized advertisements. And while most places generally run ads from other webcomics, or online merchandising stores, Penny Arcade has ads from big hitters in the video game industry. Some of these companies are genuinely recognizing the webcomic audience as a player base - that's definitely a good sign.

Still - advertising isn't fun. It isn't really interesting. It is, more often than not, a chore.

But lately a few folks are trying to change that.

Project Wonderful hit last week, presenting a transparent system for bidding on ad space, allowing a method that results in cheap advertising paid by the hour, not by the clickcount. More than that, it debuted with style. The front page is dominated by a randomly selected piece of powerful photography. The page's motto: "Advertising online just got totally awesome."

There is no question about whether or not it looks nice. It is a damn elegant site. Whether it will actually be a success? Time will tell. It looks sweet, and looks like a great deal for those buying ads... but that's only half the business. Selling ads stupidly cheap doesn't do great things for those on the other end of the line. But it is an innovative concept, and one it will be exciting to watch as it develops.

It was with a bit of surprise that, only a week later, I got notice of another new advertising project: One Simple Ad.

Continuing with the elegance, One Simple Ad seems to set out to present advertisement in a new fashion - rather than have ads hidden away on the sideline, on this site they are the very focus of the page. One ad at a time, allowed to be as large and imposing as desired.

Again, conceptually exciting. Again, potentially not feasible. Advertising is almost always parasitic, attaching to some other medium that people are already observing. Standing alone, can advertising attract an audience for its own sake alone?

Hard to say - other gimmick based sites have certainly had success in the field. If word spreads and enough people find it interesting enough to keep an eye on, it may do well. Or it might not - again, I don't know if I'll be able to judge until I've seen it in action.

That said, I'm hoping it will succeed. The mind behind the project is T Campbell, who has contributed vast amounts to the culture of webcomics. He has had his hand in writing webcomics, editing them, contemplating them. But... creative minds don't always have the greatest business sense, and from the sounds of things, all he came away with was debt. Which is a damn shame, because the man really did do a hell of a lot for the world of webcomics.

So if all I can do to repay that is to link his new project, and spread the word... well, here it is once more:

One Simple Ad

A Step Beyond

2006-10-27T14:51:00.000-04:00

It's funny. I've spent the entire week thinking, quite a bit, about webcomic peripherals. The little things that are part of the web experience - that, in many ways, help define webcomics as seperate as print comics.

You've got the basics - things that are pretty much just requisite, such as a good archive system, decent layout, cast pages, and a forum / email / tagboard or some other form of contact and communication with the reader. You can get by without them - but these are the building stones of a good site.

But the things that has been running through my mind has been the goodies, the extras. Newsposts that are as humorous in their own right as the comic. Fan art, side strips, puzzles, games, alternate scripts - the whole shebang.

And alt text. Man. I've recently fallen in love with alt text. Some comics just use it for a bit of witty explanation, but in the hands of a master it can add an entire new level to the joke. I mean, we're talking about comics that already twist ideas in ways that I have trouble following, and here's a chance for them to finish up with a final one-two punch. Or one-two punchline, as the case may be.

Unfortunately, after spending all week pontificating on this, my train of thought on these web-only wonders was completely derailed yesterday when I picked up Penny Arcade Volume 2: Epic Legends of the Magic Sword Kings.

(Momentary tangent - I am only now picking it up because I tend to favor purchasing such works in a local bookstore. Not out of any irrational fear of the internet, but because I like the confirmation that they've infiltrated right out into the open, where anyone can pick them up and take a look.)

In any case, the book proved that print comics can have plenty of bonus features too - I was blown away by the commentary on every strip, along with news posts transcribed from their electronic haven, a collection of their illustrations for the Penny Arcade card game, and a selection of other unfinished works of theirs. To quote the back of the book - it was filled with "bonus content that defies description!"

...though I suppose I did just describe it. Hmm. Hyperbole or not, the book was more than just a collection of strips, just as all the quality webcomics online are more than just a series of pictures.

And I began to wonder if the real lesson wasn't about the medium, but about the creators - the artists behind webcomics have a tendency to love their works. To want to make more out of them. To add in historical backgrounds and imaginary blogs; to lay out lengthy story guides; to both create and invite guest strips; to explain how they create their art; to produce livejournal icons, animated strips, podcasts.

That's a lot of extra effort they put into their works, well and beyond the already pretty momentous production of the comic itself.

And, well... I guess the only real point to all this is to say that it's appreciated. I like finding the easter eggs, reading through the extras, downloading the wallpapers. I like the immersion into the strip.

I like that for a lot of webcomic artists, it goes beyond just creating a work - it becomes about creating a community, and building attachments with the reader.

That's a really good feeling.

Lightning in a Bottle

2006-10-26T20:54:00.000-04:00

I've spent the day rereading through Squidi's A Modest Destiny.

Now, Squidi's has gotten a lot of flak for various things in the past, but the comic itself is, in my opinion, a pretty damn good one. Pixel based art that is quality - expressive and interesting and diverse characters, backgrounds and scenes. That's not easily done, and a lot of people overlook the quality simply due to the medium alone.

Even more than that, it is a good story with good characters. Sometimes it falls into formula - but one that fits smoothly within the essentially video-game RPG world it has set up for itself. It works, and I was glad to have the comic return, because the story really dig grab me up and leave me eager to see how it all ends.

It's not a perfect comic, admittedly, but there are no really glaring problems that leap out of the page at me.

...

...well, ok. Maybe just one.

See, he has trouble writing the crazy.

Now, I'll be the first to admit that madness is a damn hard element to capture in a character. Convincingly showing someone as crazy is never and easy task. Sure, some can pull it off on a regular basis, but that's usually the product of a powerfully intense and creative mind.

And I am willing to allow him some leeway, because he isn't just arbitrarily throwing in a crazy dude for shits and giggles. The crazy dude in A Modest Destiny is a combination of victim and plot device - there is both legitimate reason for his insanity in character, and deliberate use of it to further the story.

Unfortunately Squidi has trouble with, well... portraying the madness. The only way he can think of to do so is through the same fail-safe most people fall back upon - random gibberish.

Now it might just be me. I mean, sure, there are crazy people in real life do just say random crap all the time. I am not an expert in that field, but it is not an entirely illegitimate portrayal of some varieties of insanity.

But nonetheless! It doesn't work for me. It feels forced, it feels arbitrary... it feels lazy. Rather than try for convincing dialogue, the artist just puts in words. Any words, any topics, any concept that pops to mind. Bam! Cheese monsters devour Denver with perplexity! Done.

Now, I mentioned before that our good friend... Pippity Bobo... is occasionally used as a plot device. The old 'crazy guys hears voices, and some of those voices say important things.' A time honored tradition, really, and Squidi does a better job with it than the normal randomness. It still isn't flawless, and often feels a little forced with his 'cryptic advice' - but I much prefer having a guy who clearly has something important to say, but is genuinely unable to directly say it. And is more frustrated by that his listeners. When it seems that he isn't just speaking random words, when he is honestly trying to communicate as best he can, but is limited almost as much as if he was speaking another language entirely...

...well, that has context. That has a grounding in his setting, and his character, and his relationship with other characters. And it is that sort of context that makes madness something interesting.

So I've got hope that Squidi's eccentric little madman will keep developing, and maybe find a bit more of a method in his madness. If not? Well... it's just one character, and one irritation alone won't break me out of the story.

And if he does pull it off? Then that's more than worth the trouble getting to that point.

Madness is difficult to master, but if you can accurately portray that combination of disconnection and genius? Convincingly get into the mind of something that is a half-step to the left of our own mental workings, and then draw out that disruption for us all to see?

Then let me tell you - you've got it made.

This post doesn't really cover any new ground.

2006-10-24T17:04:00.000-04:00

I've spent the day catching up on comics from the last few days, and being pleasantly surprised by a number of things:

1) Something*Positive is running a halloween story on "Operation: Terror for Jesus!" Apparently Christian "Hell Houses" are very, very real.

I'll be honest - this storyline is probably going to make me laugh. A lot.

2) Loserz is back! I can't blame the guy for taking a break, given the others things keeping him busy, but it went on hiatus at quite the cliff-hanger, and I've been rather eagerly waiting it's return.

3) I found the new website for My Nemesis! I continue to like this comic a lot, even if I can never tell if it is taking itself too seriously or consciously riffing on itself.

4) The recent run of Rob and Eliot guest strips has been phenomenal.

5) I've been liking Questionable Content more lately than I have in... well, probably ever. The comic was pretty much teetering on the same love-triangle/unresolved-tension for the longest time, and resolving that (at least for now) has allowed Jeph to start moving the comic through some pretty damn good new storylines.

I actually thought he'd have trouble keeping me on after the sheer awesome insanity of a few weeks back, but no, I keep going back for more.

Once again round the bend

2006-10-20T17:43:00.000-04:00

Over at PvP, Kurtz has been working on a story about Jade. (He'll also be a guest of honor at next year's San Diego Comicon - good deal, no? Back to the story, though.)

His stated goal with the current storyline is that he wants to "move Jade from a reactionary role into more of a protagonist." So the arc is about developing Jade as a character, and more than that, about changing the very way she interacts with the rest of the strip.

It's a neat idea, and it is always good to see strips that are already solid, already established, and have no need for change... to still go ahead and try to change anyway. To keep evolving, not out of need, but out of a desire for self-improvement. So that's good, and Jade is definitely a good character to do it with.

But that isn't what has really caught my attention in the most recent strips. It's the new character - Samantha. She was brought into the strip pretty much for the sole reason of letting this storyline come about, and helping to further Jade's characters (in ways we have not yet entirely seen)... but Kurtz managed, in the process, to add another interesting figure to the cast.

She easily seems to fit in with the crew, to play along and improvise with all the normal wacky interactions. I don't know if we'll see much of her when the storyline is over - she'll probably pop in and out much like Gwen and some others, becoming supporting cast, not a regular.

But still - she was brought into the strip as a plot device. Period. Scenery, catalyst, nothing more. And yet, instead, she already actually is a character, one distinct - in several ways - from the rest of the cast and crew.

One of the biggest criticisms against PvP, back in the day, was that it was too formulaic. It was designed to be marketable, to be easy to produce, not to tell a story. Now, putting aside whether or not that was true - or even whether or not it mattered - I think you'd have trouble saying the same today.

Andie Again

2006-10-19T16:53:00.000-04:00

I've been following Flint Again for a while now, and it hasn't failed to disappoint. As usual, Troutman is a good storyteller, and even though we're delving into the backstory of characters from his previous works, it manages to be pretty new and exciting at every turn.

But what recently has really been getting my notice isn't the character development and the ability to see some of the defining character moments and first meetings among the crew - it's the art.

Now, John Troutman has had more than a few webcomics. Many of them have been successors or side-strips or prequels or sequels or all manner of interconnected works - but they have each been pretty distinctly different. His art style is constantly changing - in some cases simple improvement, in some cases simply trying out different styles and techniques.

His latest style is much more intensely detailed then his previous works. It's a good style, and works well with moving from pure comedy to a more story driven setting.

The only thing I had found slightly disconcerting was the way he drew the faces - adding in some prominent cheekbones on many of the characters was mildly disorienting. But my uncertainty about the new style was blown out of the water when I saw the latest update - which features our first scene with Andie.

Now, Andie was never really my favorite character in the strip. I mean, I liked her, but she just never pulled me in as well as some of the others.

I think, though, that has now officially changed.

The image on the left is the one that Troutman has been using to represent the latest update - on the Keenspot newsbox, on his own update page. Its a good image, and its definitely cute.

But it's the image on the right that won me over.

Troutman was able to capture an incredible depth of expression with this new style. I'm not even going to get into the new look for Andie - other than to say that it works, and works well - but just with the face alone, he seems to have caught a moment of real honesty. Real feeling.

That's hard. That's a challenge no matter what style you're using.

I am confident that this is by no means the final stage of his artform. We will see it continue to evolve throughout this work alone, let alone any projects that follow. And that's good - that's a good thing.

But right here, right now, he got it right.

Andie was a prominent character throughout almost all of his previous works. She even had her own entire spin-off. She had, arguably, a more complex background than many of the other characters. Througout all of that, though, I never really got her. Never felt any great attachment.

4 pages. It took him all of 4 pages to change that.

Now that's skill.

Graphic SMASH!

2006-10-18T16:20:00.000-04:00

I continue to be impressed with Tim Demeter's work as the new editor of Graphic Smash. Even aside from the quantity of work now available on the site - I count 10 updates today, and believe there was over a dozen this Monday - the strips being added are distinctly quality.

Just last week I waxed eloquent on the glory of Wonderella, which it seems will be joining the fold. Today's pick, though, is Brat-Halla - the adventures of Thor! (and friends)... when he was a boy.

I'm not sure if we've seen the last of the new line-up, or if GS will just keep on growing until it devours the entirety of the internet. So check some of the new stuff out - it will be a great way to placate our future lord and master!

Shouldn't the sound effect be something like "Released!"? Or "Ka-Released!"? Isn't that all the rage these days?

2006-10-16T23:02:00.000-04:00

Confession:

I have never ever ever ever liked Chef Brian. Random gibberish is not humor. A moment of chaos can be surreal and exciting - a full page of inserting whatever words and images come to mind is pointless.

Twisp and Catsby, while surreal, has a distinct method to their madness, and that is what lets it work. Yes, it started out as a random gag, but Penny Arcade can pull it off well, because they treat it as carefully as the rest of the strip.

Chef Brian is pure inanity and nothing more, and that doesn't just not work for me - it actively rubs me the wrong way.

Which is why I have to give credit where it is due - last Friday's Ctrl+Alt+Del actually had a moment where I appreciated Chef Brian. That panel, off to the side?

Left me in stitches.

It actually has meaning. It isn't just a throwaway of garbled words - it is zany and surreal, but you can still fit it into context.

Now, the rest of the strip unfortunately reverted to form. But I'm a forgiving sort, so I'll overlook it this once, and give props to Mr. Buckley on a job well done.

That special time of year...

2006-10-13T16:28:00.000-04:00

It's Friday the 13th. Friday the 13th of October, even. Should that be scary? Should I be scared?

Man, I just don't know. The worst thing that has happened to me today is drinking Mountain Dew for the first time in two years. Is that scary? Bad, sure, but I wouldn't say it's left me shaking in my boots. (Well, poor choice of words - the caffeine has had its inevitable effects upon my system. Bah! Moving on now...)

It strikes me that horror seems to be a genre pretty absent in webcomics. It may be that the medium doesn't work well for it - it is much harder to shock and scare the reader moving one panel at a time.

Now, I'm not saying I'm really looking for horror comics, as it isn't really my favorite genre. I'm just a little surprised by the general lack of it on the web.

A quick review of possible contenders on my comics list doesn't turn up much hope:

Scary Go Round: Delightfully quirky and with plenty of gothic elements, but not really frightening.

The Devil's Panties: I wouldn't say the comic's all that fearsome, but yeah, I'll admit that Jennie herself is kinda scary (in a good way.)

Hellbound: Zany, sure. Diabolic, technically. Not actually scary, though.

Jack: The best on the list thus far - but Jack is, in many ways, more philosophical than terrifying.

Megatokyo: Piro genuinely feels that having all his main characters strip down to their underwear is a genuine extension of the story, not fanservice. Including, potentially, an entire classroom of underage kids. Hmm... yeah, that is kinda scary.

No Rest for the Wicked: It definitely has elements of "the Brothers Grimm" creepiness to it, but it is generally a little diluted by the other fantasy elements. Moments of darkness, but not necessarily horror.

Suburban Tribe: This gets a spot on the list for having quality, non-continuity halloween arcs every October, much as I fondly recall the Simpsons doing. Rock on!

Toasted Pixel: Ok, I'll admit that the news articles about phenomena found on the internet almost invariable leave me horrified.

Oh damn. I was about to give up hope - no real qualifiers in the list above. I'm ashamed to admit I almost forgot about The Stiff. The story is definitely up there for creepy. I mean, weird things are happening to the main character. It's easy to focus on all the random school drama and highschool love crap happening - but at heart, this seems to be something of a zombie story, and I have a feeling it won't stay hidden forever.

The art also really works for leaving one... disturbed.

Unfortunately it has also been on hiatus for a bit - but Jason Thompson (the disturbed mind behind its creation) hopes to be back and happening in November.

So I'll keep my fingers crossed on that, and in the meantime, give out the First Friday the 13th Webcomic Horror Award!

(Can he do that, they ask? Ha! I just did!)

(And before you ask, no, the award doesn't come with any special prizes. Just, you know... recognition on a horror well done. And really, in these days of half-assed efforts and disappointments, can one ask for any more than that?)

(On second thought, don't answer that question.)

What, exactly, does a non-adventure consist of?

2006-10-12T15:33:00.000-04:00

It is rare for a webcomic to win me over instantaneously - yet I should have known to expect no less from any product of the diabolical mind of Justin Pierce.

Most webcomic parodies riff on Batman. And hey, that's all well and good, it's damn funny stuff. Superman makes the rounds as well, and again - good stuff. But once it's been done... well, it's been done.

So maybe that's why Wonderella stands out right off the bat. Or maybe its the suprisingly well crafted facial expressions? The cluelessness of our heroine? The witty alt-text? The 500 bears??

Does it matter? The comic is good stuff. Give it a whirl.

This sentence is a lie.

2006-10-11T17:05:00.000-04:00

Filthy Lies is a webcomic by Enigma (the webcomic artist formerly known as Scrubbo).

Enigma is currently asking for help from his readers. The more success the drive has, the more days a week he plans to update his comic.

The catch? He isn't asking for money. He's just asking for more readers.

More comics in return for nothing more than spreading the word? That's a pretty good deal, I'd say.

So hey - if you already read the comic, why not go and mention it to a friend or two, and see what they think?

And if you don't already read the comic - well, now's a damn good time to go and check it out.

(Wait, you say, shouldn't I actually talk about the comic before sending people to look at it? Maybe point out that its crudeness and irreverance might turn some readers away, but qualify that by saying that its lively antics can win over the coldest heart? Well maybe so, but this is my blog, and if I feel like sending readers off blindly, and letting their experiences speak for themselves, I can damn well do so!)

Madness

2006-10-10T16:59:00.000-04:00

Hey guys and gals - been a while, hasn't it?

I've been a bit distracted by addictive writing, food poisoning, and skirmishing on the high seas. Not necessarily in that order.

Anyway. More to come tomorrow, in detail, on a variety of things.

For today, there is simply this:

Now, this event is very, very important. But I'm not going to start layering on the predictions and surmisings just yet - Garrity could still take the plot any which way. It's still too early to start discussing conclusions - but that doesn't mean it isn't worth taking note.

So note: The pool was filled. Let's see exactly what that means from here.

Cereals and Serials

2006-10-03T16:59:00.000-04:00

So I made the mistake of picking up George R. R. Martin's Song of Ice and Fire.

(Which I only just now, in looking up the title, realize is incomplete. Double damn.)

In any case, I've found the books exceptional, thrilling, and highly addictive... and thus, have had trouble putting them down and doing other things. So a quick post on some of my recent thoughts:

As October comes upon us, I've seen all the classic Halloween breakfast cereals hit the shelves - Count Chocula, Franken Berry, Boo Berry. And, of course, I had to by them, inspired by numerous webcomic references in recent years that have helped bring back that nostalgia for mostly tasteless sugary foods.

Unfortunately, I couldn't remember which webcomics were the culprits! Oh No Robot was sadly no help, though a google/Wikipedia search was able to confirm Something Positive as one of the guilty parties. I'm positive (no pun intended) that at least one or two other popular webcomics have references the cereals, but I can't remember which ones!

(This will be the thing that slowly drives me insane.)

In more important news, Adventurers! has come to an end. It's been building up to it in true RPG style, with final boss battle after final boss battle, and an elaborate epilogue that covers everyone from the main cast and crew to fellows that most readers have long since forgotten. It leaves the desire to reread back through the entire story, and that is certainly one mark of a good ending.

It was a good story, Mark Shallow, and ended well.

Thanks.

From Humble Beginnings

2006-09-29T17:07:00.000-04:00

So I noticed that SMBC has recently trimmed the archive down to only include the most recent 120 comics, presumably to avoid having his earlier, less refined work evaluated by potential publishers.

I imagine that dealing with the change in one's quality is a debate for many, many artists out there. Some ignore it, some fix up the most obvious offenses and leave the rest, some fully redo their strips one by one, and some restart their comic entirely.

Simply... removing the offending comic isn't done quite as often, though I have seen some artists occasionally treat the older work as a seperate strip, and having it available but disconnected from their current projects.

But I guess the advantage of a gag strip is that one can cut out the past without disrupting continuity.

Is it worth it? I mentioned the other day that my first impression of xkcd was a bit weakened by his early work in the archives, so I can certainly see the benefit of 'pulling a Lucas', one way or another. But even with that, you might be losing good stuff along with the old - and how exactly do you draw the final line?

Bandwagon Time!

2006-09-27T13:50:00.000-04:00

I suppose I should be talking about Platinum Studios.

Everyone else seems to be.

At first, I couldn't really get why it merited such uproar. I mean... ok, so they had a relatively silly article that didn't pay much attention to the current existence and success of numerous online comics.

Ok, haha, pretty much everyone within this community knows they are full of it. I didn't really see why that merited more than, say, one day of internet mockery. Why did it keep coming up all week long?

But listening a bit more carefully, I realized maybe it does merit a bit more discussion.

On the upside, maybe this genuinely will bring a bit more mainstream attention to webcomics. Even if they misrepresent the current status of webcomics, Platinum seems to like its PR, and will likely be trying to draw in as much attention as it can. If that does success in raising webcomic awareness, that is pretty much a solid plus.

On the downside, Platinum may have a tendency not to deal entirely evenly with their artists. I don't really know the details of their plans for the web, and how fairly their deals will be with burgeoning webcomic creaters, but if it does look like they plan to grab some hot properties and shaft the artists, thats worth keeping an eye out for.

But as for the rest, we get to sit and wait and see what happens.

Digital Poetry

2006-09-25T16:05:00.000-04:00

It is possible, certainly, to appreciate webcomics - or any type of story - by oneself.

However... webcomics are a story that unfolds over the course of time. New developments every week. Constant changes, speculation, excitement - all elements that breed discussion. Even strips that aren't anything more than a punchline a day still bring out the need to chat about them. To share the joke, have others recognize the humor.

I read quite a lot of comics. It seems inevitable that I should do my best to try and foist many of them upon my friends.

That latest in this vein has been xkcd. Hardly the most typical of comics, it describes itself as a webcomic of romance, sarcasm, math, and language.

A simple description? Not so much. But it may be as accurate as one can get. The comic waxes from philosophy to parody to gaming references. It deals with Science. With Math. With Velociraptors.

This is not an easy comic to categorize. This is not even a comic for everyone - it will consistently have jokes that I just don't get. (And I consider myself a rather bright individual. Humble, too!)

But I still read it. For every comic I don't get, there is another brilliant one that I do.

When I first read the archives, I didn't like it. I started at the beginning, which was the real problem. The early strips are relatively weak and unfocused, and somewhat... tainted my reading of it all. But I kept my eye on it. There had been a few gems, and his parodies of other webcomics were picture perfect.

Sometime later... I returned. This time I started at the latest strip, and went backwards one step at a time.

The grin never left my face.

There are comics where even if you don't get the references, the context, you can still generally find humor in them. A good example of that would be Penny Arcade (which xkcd seems to have an extremely creepy love/hate relationship with). For myself, contrary to the strip's opinion, I've found that I can certainly appreciate PA strips about games I've never heard of. I may not get the full meaning, but there is more often than not some extra punchline to keep the smile on my face.

xkcd, on the other hand? I'll probably scratch my head, shrug, and wait for the next one. Someone, somewhere, is rolling on the floor laughing at it.

It just isn't me.

(This, by the way, is one of the reasons I most desire infecting my friends with love for this comic. Our knowledge base - like that of many geeks - covers many and sundry topics. It is almost a certainty that no matter what we are discussing, one of us gets to just sit back, smile, and pretend they know what the hell is going on.)

(Anyway. Back to the show.)

I like the unpredictability of xkcd. I like how easily it oscillates from horrifying to humorous, from uplifting to surreal. But no matter what it does, it does it well.

So I'm doing my best to share it with my friends. If they do start reading? Well, there will be days when I laugh at a strip that leaves them shrugging, and days when they nod sagely at wisdom I just don't see.

But just maybe, every so often... we'll both get it. And even if there isn't much to discuss, even if there isn't anything we can do on our part aside from acknowledging it - it will be nice, just having someone else there to say: "Yeah. It's not just you. That strip really was simply awesome."

Change and Stasis

2006-09-22T17:41:00.000-04:00

Not much to report today:

-Abstract Gender has a new artist. It's fourth one, in fact. While normally that heavy turnover is a sign that a strip may be giving up the ghost, in this case it seems to bode nothing but success - dozens of artists tried out for the new position, and the strip seems to have a pretty heavy readership for something that has been around for under a year and a half.

-Mac Hall is setting aside what it has been up until now, and will be returning in a new form in October. This seems to be a change that has been coming for quite a while, and I am certainly interested to see what new shape they have in mind.

-Sam and Fuzzy is brilliantly evil, and likes cliffhangers. I hates him so.

-Scary Go Round is brilliantly evil, and likes cliffhangers. I HATES HIM SO!

Two Short Years.

2006-09-21T20:19:00.000-04:00

I recently read a comic miniseries called "I Can't Believe It's Not the Justice League!"

It is a lighthearded and entertaining look into a team of generally B-list superheroes, whose dysfunctional group is referred to as the Super Buddies, and who spend as much time dealing with troubles of their own devising as taking care of actual supervillains.

It's a good read - a fantastic read, even - but it has unfortunately slipped a bit behind the times. I'm sure most comic fans are already aware of the current state of affairs in the DC universe - in general the result of Dan Didio, the Executive Editor, wanting to take things in a more serious direction.

Let's take a look at the result this has had on the Super Buddies, shall we?

I was going to type up my own list of the impact on each one, but I see someone on Wikipedia has already done so - so I'll just copy that:

Blue Beetle Ted Kord is dead, killed by Maxwell Lord.
Maxwell Lord himself was killed by Wonder Woman and retconned into always having been a villain.
Fire has returned to being an assassin, working for the Checkmate organization.
Booster Gold was killed defending Metropolis.
Mary Marvel is currently depowered and in a coma.
Sue Dibny has been killed.
Without his wife, Ralph Dibny is a shell of his former self, and appears to have snapped following a botched Kryptonian resurrection ceremony.

Now, some of you may recognize these names, and already know them and their fates. Others might have no idea who these people are. But it should be clear even so - pretty much every member of this entertaining, and for the most part happy, crew have had their lives torn apart and dragged down.

This is just one example. As I said - throughout the DC universe, the goal is, you know - Drama.

Now, a lot of people have complained about this. Some have called out for a return to the ages of yore, when comics were light and entertaining.

Myself? I don't agree with that either. Sure, comics for kids are fine - and I approve of their existence. I just, well, wouldn't buy them. I like story, and character development, and something more than "Biff! Bang! Pow!"

That's the thing. I don't think comics are going in the wrong direction in principle. What got me started on comics in the first place? It was the Death of Superman and Bane's breaking of Batman. Big events, dark events, that drew in a large audience. Their trick works.

And, clearly, the same holds true with recent stuff. Sure, fans complain. People hate Didio. He is destroying the characters they love!

...but they are buying the books. They bought Identity Crisis. They bought Infinite Crisis. They are buying 52, and the new titles taking off in the aftermath of it all.

I like having stories with depth. I like superheroes having an element of real people that I can connect to. I like stories drawing forth emotions beyond simple humor.

But that doesn't mean that drama can only come from darkness, that characters can only develop from having trauma after trauma placed upon them! That doesn't mean that there is no need for genuinely happy superheroes. For innocents. For goofballs. That doesn't mean the only way to draw forth emotion is through pain and suffering.

It isn't the goal that I take issue with, it's the execution. We don't need children's tales. Go for the serious stories. Just, please - spend some time thinking them up. Actually design a story - don't just think that a sudden act of drama will be enough. You'll get us for a moment, sure - but once you've cut the strings, you've got nothing left to work with.

And you might keep people buying with every new disaster and every darker turn, but when you reach rock bottom, there won't be anything left.

We're not saying you need to kiddify the books. (Well, ok - I'm not.) And we're not saying that darkness shouldn't exist - occasionally that moment of shock, of intensity, can bring the entire picture into perspective.

But when it happens to every single character? When you can't swing a dead cat without hitting seven dead or dying heroes?

Trust me. I felt the first one. At the second I started to get outraged. And by the point we are at now? I'm dangerously close to not feeling anything for the comics any more - and once it reaches that point?

Well, I'm gone, and that's game over.

That Singular Burden

2006-09-20T13:06:00.000-04:00

Some time ago, Tailsteak put forth this comic, wherein a lizard of a distinctly aggressive demeanor accused him of no longer being an online cartoonist, due to slow updates on his site.

Now, it is admittedly true that it is all too easy for works of accomplishment on the web to be quickly forgotten. So while I will disagree with the cross little lizard's sentiment at heart, I do concede that there is some grounding in truth to it.

For example, though once I checked Tailsteak's site on a daily basis, it was over a week before I noticed the magnificence of his latest offering.

With this work, one of his finest to date, I believe he has left his mark, come what may.

Retroactive Repetition

2006-09-19T16:21:00.000-04:00

It strikes me as a lapse that, in my thoughts yesterday, I didn't think about all the times I go back through and re-read a comic on my own.

Occasionally it happens because some comics and books are just that good. Especially short works where, a few years after first reading it, you can go back through and experience it all over again.

More often than not, however, it is due to a story growing complex and difficult to follow, and there being a need to refresh oneself on what has come before. I keep getting sucked back into the Wheel of Time, and with several years between books in the past, I have felt the need to immerse myself in the thousands of pages, just so I have some faint recollection of what's going on.

(This, by the way, is the real kicker. The stories that are complex enough to lose you are also the ones with the heaviest content to slog through.)

Now, I obviously wouldn't do it if I didn't enjoy the re-reading anyway. Sluggy is a great example - if I really feel the need to get back to speed (and if I should actually have the time to take on such a task), it's an enjoyable experience. It's also right there - the easy access of webcomics helps.

As well as the ability, if I don't want to hunt down everything, to go looking through this or that random storyline to find whatever it is I'm looking for. And even with the clunkiest of archives, its a lot easier to root out specific storylines than to find one specific passage in a book. Or, even more so, it is easy to go back and read one specific plot arc, and enjoy it, then it is to go and enjoy one single chapter in a novel.

I'd say, in the end, that there are a handful of strips I like enough for them to be worth reading over and over. But given the size of archives that most comics begin to develop - and even more importantly, given how many other comics there are on the web - it isn't something I am as likely to do as pick up my well-worn copy of the Hobbit and dive back in.

Second Verse, Same as the First

2006-09-18T17:06:00.000-04:00

Even when other members of the Modern Tales collective were running low on strips, Graphic Smash still had the quality and quantity to keep me reading nonstop.

Despite this, they've gone ahead and, like their brethren, added a nice little collection of new comics.

Which means they now officially have a metric fuckton of strips updating every day.

I mean, I'm counting ten strips updating today, along with an announcement of another five strips joining the roster. Almost all of which looking damn awesome. So that's impressive - but not actually what I wanted to talk about.

One of the strips is Johnny Saturn, which was previously part of Graphic Smash. Which, previously, left and joined Komikwerks, and began rereleasing the strips thus far there. And, of course, the next arc in its epic saga has it rejoining the fold with Graphic Smash - and re-rereleasing its strips again, from the start.

Quite a few strips have done this, of late, as they've been joining these conglomerates. Usually they release their stored strips at an exceedingly souped-up pace, thus both impressing new readers with a substantial stock of story, while also giving themselves time to build up a larger buffer. Occasionally the strips have been touched up with spiffier colors and cleaner lines.

Now, I am not going to say that this is a bad practice. It can, in some ways, be wearing on your current audience, who is eager - even desperate - for new advancement. (Does a hiatus by any other name smell as sweet?) But it provides a sense of continuation even with the temporary break, and certainly works well to bring in new readership.

I know that while it may be jarring to have strips I am currently reading take this tactic, I've been delighted to find it in new strips. In the case of Girl Genius I willingly deprive myself of the newer material, gleefully proceeding at a calm, leisurely pace through the older works. I'm not sure why I haven't bought the rest of the trades to catch myself up, or borrowed them from friends that I know for a fact have them - but in this case, I enjoy the anticipation of more to come, and the ability to engage in mass consumption of the works on the day the backlog catches up to the more recent comics.

I've wandered a bit off-topic. My apologies. I additionally appear to have avoided arriving at a point at all, aside from to say that rereleasing content could be good or bad, I guess, depending on the state of the reader at the time of the transition. You know, maybe.

In the end, I'm a fan of almost anything other than sheer hiatus. I like the artist going that extra length to say "Hey, I didn't forget about you." If whatever filler is provided is not to my liking, then I shrug and treat it like a normal hiatus, and come back when it starts back up. (Yes, even with shirt guy Dom. In time, I can forgive even that.)

And if the filler is to my liking - if the rereleased content has, indeed, been remastered artfully - then I guess I win. What do I win? Well, some additional hours of entertainment from a resource that has already provided amusement.

I know that replay value is a valuable thing in many games, and I suppose it shouldn't surprise me that the same holds true elsewhere.

A Few Observations

2006-09-15T13:56:00.000-04:00

I've noticed that Penny Arcade has returned to early morning updates. It isn't anything I feel entitled to demand from a free strip, of course, but it feels good nonetheless. Bonus: Wii drama ensues!

I failed to notice that the new PvP site had gone live, due to my bookmark not redirecting me (forgivable, given he's come down ill). In any case, to my shame, I didn't even notice a day or two had passed without updates, until some other site mentioned the new look. Bonus: Kurtz outlaws handshakes!

Now that I've told you a bunch of things everyone already knows about webcomics everyone already reads, let's switch gears to point out information people need to know. (Cue ominous echo sounds here.)

Within the last few weeks, both Kittens! The Comic (which is about kittens) (or, at least, about a kitten) and Puppies!! (which is not about kittens) (or, for that matter, about puppies) have both begun. I sense a conspiracy. (I also sense that I have used far too many parenthesis in the last few sentences.)

(That is all.)

The Inevitable Changes

2006-09-14T17:47:00.000-04:00

I started reading Yirmumah again.

I had stopped reading it, some ages past, after D.J. did something arbitrary and assholish, and I figured it wasn't worth my time to read something put together by someone with so little class.

But... well, he doesn't seem quite so bad these days. Few in the community do - flame wars still flare up, but generally die down in apologies and little more.

So I decided to give another go at his strip - and discovered it has changed quite a bit. Still filled with a dark humor, but going for a much more serious, story-driven tone.

In fact, quite a few strips this season seem to be going through that sort of transition. It is always a risky move, and more often than not, turns me off. It is hard - damn hard - to take characters that exist in one context, and shift them to another, without completely losing the audience.

Which is why I found it surprising that Yirmumah's attempt - a comic that I only sorta tolerated liking, at the best of times - worked well for me.

I think it helps, tremendously, that we are dealing with an entirely new cast of characters. They are connected to the previous stars of the strip - but only loosely. Enough to see the similarities, but for the different style not to feel jarring and over-the-top.

Others have learned that lesson - Poe tried to turn Exploitation Now into a serious strip, but eventually decided it was best to switch gears entirely. And it worked. If you want a serious, story-driven comic... well, you need to build the story up properly. You can't just suddenly insert drama and expect story to follow.

Well, not usually. I don't like to speak in absolutes, and I'm sure some geniuses have managed just that - but nine times out of ten, it isn't going to cut it.

So far, the new Yirmumah... well, it stands on its own. It's a good start. I'm not entirely sure where he is going with it, and how it will end up tying back in to the classis strips. But he's taken the risk of moving into a new direction, and he's actually done a pretty damn good job of it - and that deserves more than a bit of respect.

Expose-ition

2006-09-13T17:36:00.000-04:00

Ok. Ok. Man.

So I just discovered this comic called Antiseptic Poetry. It's about this superhero (named Sunflower {...yeah, seriously}) who we never actually see in action. Instead, she spends most of her time chatting with her roommate - usually while not wearing any pants.

Seriously. 90% of the comic is spent depicting this girl lounging around scantily clad, often striking pretty absurd poses for casual conversation.

It's everything that is rant-worthy about the state of comics, and that is before the character gives a speech on her apparent modesty (which would ring a bit more resoundingly if the artist of the strip didn't undermine that point, say, every other panel. Seriously. Every. Other. Panel.)

But the worst part about it? The absolute worst thing?

I really really like the damn comic.

The dialogue is clever and fun. I like the entire idea of a comic where the main character is a superhero, but we never actually see them in action. It's tangential and irrelevent, and only serves to make for the occasional story. The casual, ordinary troubles they deal with are genuinely engaging. The characters in the strip are each individual and likable.

Man. I'm confounded.

Total Immersion

2006-09-12T17:20:00.000-04:00

The Makeshift Miracle appeared on the web 5 years ago today.

I haven't thought about the strip in years. It, along with Narbonic, was the reason I joined Modern Tales in the first place, and I find it amusing that entirely seperate from the recent debut of the new MT stars, events have conspired to remind me of some of the original ones.

This was a comic that had me checking for updates spastically. This was one of the strips that dragged me along by the toes, desperate to see through the mysteries behind it all, desperate to find out what was going to happen to the characters, desperate for the story at the heart of it.

And, ultimately... it was the strip that I found myself most disappointed by.

I want to make this clear - Makeshift Miracle is a good story. It is an incredible story. It is a powerful story.

But it was not the story that I was looking for. I had built up too many expectations of where it was going, and the fates that befell the characters weren't the ones I would have chosen. It left me sad and melancholy, which was a vast shock from the enjoyment I had previously found in the strip.

And I think it speaks incredibly well of Jim Zubkavich that he wrote a story that brought about such intense emotional response. That alone is testament to the strength of the story - especially considering it only ran for a year and a half. A remarkably short time to leave its mark - but it did so.

Those who haven't read the story before should do so. I know, I know, I just said that I found myself personally disappointed by the story. I walked away unhappy, dissatisfied.

But hey - that's me. I'm just one guy. And there are plenty who walked away entirely fulfilled by the story. But while I can't say whether you'll love it or hate it - you won't walk away bored.

I'm not going to say I like being discontented - that I like being left sad when I wanted to be left happy.

But I'll take that any day of the week over a tale that doesn't touch me at all.

'Ting'

2006-09-11T13:44:00.000-04:00

I know that I reviewed Errant Story the other week.

(My mind is not quite so far gone as to have forgotten this fact in the intervening period.)

Despite this, I felt the need to stop and take note of today's strip - not much to say about it, other than the fact that it is seriously awesome.

While I am no great expert in the field of art, and may not be able to precisely pinpoint everything about the image that makes it resonate so well with me - it does, nonetheless, and does so strongly.

And that, if nothing else, is the mark of a good artist.

Starting things back up...

2006-09-11T10:36:00.000-04:00

So yeah, I guess that thing about my return was... a blatant lie. My apologies.

Anyway! Modern Tales and Girlamatic have been rolling out a few new stars! (This is probably not news to anyone.) I've been pretty impressed with some of the additions to the rosters, and one over at Girlamatic has especially caught my eye - Shrub Monkeys.

It is a generally cute, down-to-earth comic, so makes for an easy and entertaining read. It has it's share of in-jokes and random nonsensical moments.

The real kicker, though, was some strips that at first look like more randomness, but left me profoundly disturbed for several minutes after reading.

I'm serious - giant monster aliens, skeletal horrors, and all that just isn't scary. Something like this, however - that is terrifying. You want to frighten someone, give them something based in reality, that seems almost impossible, but still has just enough of a grounding in fact to leave it stuck in their mind.

And that is what this strip does well - blends the ordinary and the whimsically surreal. It's harder than it looks, but Shrub Monkeys pulls it off without missing a beat.

The Return

2006-09-07T16:59:00.000-04:00

Just a note that I am back, and blogger appears to be enjoying devouring my posts. I'm sure you're heartbroken - in any case, by tomorrow I should be caught up with my missed comics, and ready to unleash my usual ramblings upon the internet at large.
Be ready!

And awaaay we go!

2006-08-31T11:38:00.000-04:00

I'm off to the wilds of DragonCon, which I'm sure will be its usual exhilarating/exhausting/exciting self, and I'll be back to report the fun next week! (...assuming I survive...)

For anyone going, I'll be the dude that is indistinguishable from the billion other people at the con. So wave if ya see me.

Wish me luck!

Also? Errant Story, as a name, is really, really cool. Layers of meaning, dude, that's what I'm talking 'bout!

2006-08-30T16:26:00.000-04:00

Continuing with looking at some lesser recognized webcomics, today seemed like a good day to talk about Errant Story.

But wait. Wait just one moment, you say. Errant Story is pretty well known! It's by Michael Poe, who did Exploitation Now. It's been around for almost four years now. It has two print collections out!

Well, ok. Fair enough.

But while I know of plenty of people who read the comic... it isn't something I see discussed all that often.

So here I am, discussing it. Ta-da!

Errant Story, like Girly, is a comic that I discovered due to reading a previous work of the author. And as such, as a comic that I can remember starting, I am sometimes startled by the fact that it is now several years later, and chock-full of plot, and happenings, and all manner of assorted hijinks.

Now, there are good and bad things about Errant Story. It is a well-crafted story set in a complicated fantasy world, and generally follows more than one plot arc at a time. We have elves, we have assassins, we have time monks.

It is fortunate that the strip has it's own Wiki, because otherwise I wouldn't have the slightest idea what was going on. I mean, a few things are obvious - the little girl and the cat are annoying. The dude in black is a bad-ass. The elves are mysterious. But beyond that? Well, it's a lot about mysterious conspiracies manipulating things behind the scenes, and various factions plotting and planning against each other.

Being confusing is downright mandatory.

But, you know, being lost doesn't bother me all that much. Because while the story is a good one (and don't get me wrong, it is), it is the more personal aspects that are best put together. The characters. Their interaction. Their development. (Even of the scary little devil girls.)

And, beyond that, the sense of humor in the story. I know a lot of people were put off by Poe switching from the sensationalist fanservice of Exploitation Now to the detailed drama of Errant Story - but it is not, by any means, a strip lacking in a sense of humor. I don't think Poe could write something totally serious if his life depended on it. The man has a gift, and it makes itself known more often than not.

Today's strip is a good one.

... I'll have you know I just spent quite a while writing it about it, before realizing that the character at hand in the strip wasn't who I thought it was.

So I'll save myself the embarassment of giving you my most assuredly brilliant thoughts on a plot development that isn't actually there.

Instead, I'll emphasize the point I would be getting at anyway - this strip, like much of Errant Story, is filled with layers. Yes, layers, like unto an onion.

As mentioned before, the comic is a complex one. The day to day strips aren't much different - namely due to the fact that they are usually hitting up both the story and the funny at the same time.

Take a look at today's strip. We have serious, intense moments for the first three panels, and then a character hilariously starting to plummet to his death. We also have the unexpected reunion of two of the more interesting characters in the strip - and we get to see that, for all the harshness of her entrance, Sarine might care about Jon more than she wants to let on.

That is a good deal to pack into a strip with barely more than a handful of words. Now, admittedly that is also a rarity - one of Errant Story's biggest weaknesses is the tendency to use quite a bit of text.

But I couldn't really claim the high ground to complain about that too much, now can I?

In any case, the intricacies of the story are far too complex for me to do them justice here (read: I've get myself lost in about five minutes.) But for all the uproar raised when Poe left Exploitation Now behind to start this, I think it is the superior strip by far. It suffers from the common ailments of any heavily plot-driven story: sometimes it engages in over-exposition, and sometimes the story takes a while to get off the ground.

But it is well done, with incredible art, a clean layout, and engaging characters. It has a guide to help the readers that do get lost. It has an archive page that... ok, the archive page isn't actually all that functional. Ah well, one mark against it - don't let that deter you from checking it out if you haven't already.

We aren't in the business of giving out biscuits around these here parts - but today's strip made me simultaneously laugh out loud, shout with glee, and shudder in anticipation. That sure as hell has to earn something, so as soon as I can figure out what we do give out around here, Mr. Poe has damn well earned one.

It's eletric! Boogie woogie, woogie~

2006-08-29T16:55:00.000-04:00

Kagerou is a very pretty comic.

Darkly pretty, more often than not, sure. But you can't deny the power of the art. It started out a tad more humble, but you can quickly see the evolution of the artist - and even early on, the elaborate use of color made for a pleasurable reading experience.

Don't get me wrong - art alone doesn't make a strip. But trust me - if a comic is actively painful for me to read, I'm damn well not going to read it. And when the art is strong enough to carry the reader - sometimes forcefully - through the story?

That is definitely a good thing.

So, Kagerou is an epic fantasy tale, of a hero from Earth drawn into an amazing realm of gods and demons and faeries. He becomes the bearer of an ancient blade of magic, and must help overthrow the dark overlord seeking to claim the power of the gods.

Only... wait, no. Sure, thats the story. And it is there, and important, and home to a fantastic cast of characters.

But it isn't the story I care about.

You see, our hero from Earth isn't normal by any means. He has his share of issues - enough to have him checked into a mental hospital, back when he was on Earth. He has a whole 'nother crew of characters packed within his head. He is haunted by a past that is more mysterious, more horrific, and more engaging than anything going on in the fantasy world he's been summoned into.

That right there? When the epic fantasy story becomes just a footnote in the tale itself? When the true demons are the ones within the hero himself?

Oh yeah. That's the good stuff.

By no means is the above the entirety of the story - I've simplified it, in order to avoid giving anything away. But there is a story there, and it is a good one.

Of course, nothing's perfect - and this strip, most likely due to its complexity, has proven a challenging one to keep track of as it updates. It is one of those that works best when read in sizable doses, chapters at a time. But what else can one expect from a strip that hops between the present and the past, between Earth, a fantasy world, and the own internal madness of the protaganist?

So go. Read Kagerou. It's worth it.

And now for something completely different.

2006-08-28T16:13:00.000-04:00

I feel as though I should be talking about all the Big Stuff going on with some of the heavy hitters of the webcomics world.

Sluggy has brought Oasis back, and she's no longer completely adrift from reality - though certainly not altogether there yet. There is a whole slew of words just waiting to be let loose in light of what it may mean to have Oasis as a character, and not just a prop.

The Penny Arcade Expo just wrapped up, they just ran one hell of a cameo laden storyline, and word has hit the street about their upcoming video game. It is official - they have won the internets.

And over at PvP, it looks quite possible that Brent, fueled by the spirit of competition, may be proposing to Jade. I see no possible way that could end poorly.

Oh, and Narbonic continues with things going from bad to worse, and it looks like soon we'll have all the important cast members gathered together for one last hurrah. With all our favorite gerbil-people, too!

So lets somberly take note of all those crazy shenanigans, and set them aside, and think happy thoughts about birds, flowers, and other peaceful, ordinary things.

So while the big movers and shakers are rumbling, I'm going to spend the week (or what I have left of it prior to DragonCon) focusing on lesser known strips.

When I get back next week, never fear, I'll be back to the usual pandering with the big boys - or, more specifically, will succumb to the urge to discuss these grand happenings. Mostly likely at length. With diagrams.

You've been warned.

Obligatory Snakes on a Plane Post!

2006-08-24T11:58:00.000-04:00

Actually, that's a lie, as I didn't actually see any muthafuckin' snakes on any muthafuckin' planes, and so I'll be talking about another movie entirely.

I was going to see it. Really, I was. I'd heard it was fun, and crazy, and all that it was promised to be.

But it didn't happen. My friends and I thought about going out to see it... and instead stayed at home and played video games. Personally I'd like to think that, deep down inside, just knowing that a movie named "Snakes on a Plane" exists is enough.

Anyway,what I did recently see was "V for Vendetta."

I know, I know, it came out months ago. But, given my usual lackadaisical nature, it took me this long to get around to watching it.

And, having done so, I must confess to being extremely glad I never read the comic book.

Not because I think the comic would be bad, no. Nor because I thought the movie was bad - the opposite, rather.

I liked the movie a hell of a lot. I thought it was fantastic. And I am grateful that I didn't have any preconceived notions that would have detracted from the experience.

I know that it is a different story than the graphic novel of the same name. I know that, from what I've heard, it manages to capture some elements of the original while betraying others. I think it is safe to say that both of them are exceptional works, but also fundamentally different ones.

It is a dilemma. It is hard to appreciate something derivative in its own right when one has familiarity with the original. I've had it happen to me before - even with Batman Begins, a phenomenal movie, somewhere deep inside there was a tiny fanboy nitpicking over the pettiest little details.

I can't think of any easy solution. In the case of V, I saw the derivation without seeing the original - but does that mean I should now avoid the original work itself? And if I read it, will that experience be itself affected by expectations from the movie?

I could, similarly, avoid any adaptations of books and comics and other things I am a fan of - but doesn't that defeat the entire point of their creation? That they are created for the fans? If I do watch them, how do I toggle off that switch that obsesses over changes, and if I do so, should I truly be trying to turn off my previous appreciation for the series in order to adequately enjoy the adaptation?

Well, I seem to have a lot of questions, and a significant dearth of answers. Maybe, as usual, I'm overthinking things.

Maybe I should leave such philosophical film questions to the masters of the art, and stick with watching planes, and the snakes perched quite merrily upon them.

Some quick thoughts

2006-08-23T17:35:00.000-04:00

And... I'm back, and mostly recovered.

I had the good fortune to have my Narbonic books arrive (the mail package had a gerbil drawn on it! How cool is that?), but since my last post was on Narbonic, I'll refrain from excessive exaltation of them.

I'll likely spend tomorrow catching up with all the things on my mind - for now, I noticed that Modern Tales had added a few new names to its roster. Some are new to me, but look intriguing - but the two I currently read (Anywhere but Here and Irregular Webcomic) leave me with mixed feelings.

I think it's a good move for Irregular Webcomic, mainly because he is also staying at his old site. Giving the complexity of his archives, and the need for something more robust than the less-then-accessible system MT uses, I think losing the readability it previously had would have been a mistake. But by preserving it, and potentially attracting new readership via MT, everyone comes out ahead.

I'm less sure for Anywhere but Here, but aside from the similar downsides of a weaker archiving system, I don't think it is a bad move. Now that I ponder it for a bit, it does feel like a strip that is certainly at home in the MT community. It will certainly be nice to see some familiar faces on Modern Tales, and I wonder if they have some more such strips up their sleave.

I suppose it was inevitable...

2006-08-19T11:37:00.000-04:00

...but that's still just so sad.

Continuing with the brevity...

2006-08-16T15:10:00.000-04:00

Bad News: I am sick. (Fortunately, this is only really bad news... to me.)

Good News (for everyone!): You can now cleanse your immortal soul, you dirty heathen, with Cigarro & Cerveja!

So go - immerse yourself in the bizarre little world (which happens to be a lot like ours) of these wacky characters. I'd indulge in more exuberant recountings of the strip, but... yeah, kinda sick. Which was surprising, as while I've had some ups and downs, I haven't had a standard old cold in several years now, and now was not the best time for it.

Bah. As long as it is gone by DragonCon, I won't be angry. If it should not, however... well, I'll probably rail in impotent anger against forces beyond my control. Oh well.

Anyway! Cigarro & Cerveja! Go! Read! Buy! Exclamation Points!

A Short Announcement

2006-08-15T16:58:00.000-04:00

So Scott Kurtz is currently running a beta site of his new PvP webpage.

Now, see, that's pro.

A quick rundown on my first impressions of it:

It feels a bit more busy than the previous page, but nothing feels outright unnecessary - and the clutter is below the strip, so doesn't get in the way of plain and simple comic viewing.

The navigation of the archives looks like it will take a bit of getting used to - but seems insanely more powerful. No easy link to the first strip, sadly, though any half-motivated user can find their way to it without much trouble.

The tag feature? Awesome. Prone to abuse, but hopefully fans will be able to keep themselves in check.

Big ol' cast page, and a little guide for new users. That's a nice touch.

A few downsides, but overall it seems very impressive. Props to his team for a kick-ass new site!

Phoenix Rising Prologue: Slice of Evil

2006-08-14T15:24:00.000-04:00

"Also, yes, this is the start of the next Oasis story."

Don't have much time to chat today, but thought this was worth pointing out. I am 96% confident that this upcoming storyline will rock my socks off, if only because an Oasis story likely means a Torg story, and that's what the readership has been waiting for since That Which Redeems.

Abrams is a clever man. The announcement is enough to make me forgive him - this time - for subjugating us to two weeks of stick-figure torment.

Five things that merit mention on a friday.

2006-08-11T16:57:00.000-04:00

1) After my lament yesterday that AMD hadn't yet returned, we now discover it will be starting back up on Monday. Awesome. Also, Squidi plans to make his place on the internet on a clean slate, with the past left behind - that's a motive I can definitely get on board with!

2) Gaming Guardians has dropped a big old plot twist on us, and is now going on hiatus for a month! Agony!

The plot twist itself really turned me off at first. We have what appears to be Radical, our heroine, turning into Tartarus, a crazy, and extremely powerful, villain.

Some hunting in the forums revealed that it is likely that Tartarus is merely possessing Radical. This is good. That other plot twist? That Radical, having been driven insane by her inability to save the life of her friends from the villains, has now become that very force which drove her to the brink?

That is a plenty fantastic plot twist, and was quite awesome when it was used last time.

So, I've got my fingers crossed on there being some other explanation at work here. Only time will tell - lots of time, in fact, given the hiatus coming up.

3) Penny Arcade again features the dread spectre of continuity - and this time, the normal cast and crew seem likely to be bit players in the scene. That's kinda nifty.

4) Saturday Morning Breakfast Cereal has been cranking out two comics a day. Damn. The man's a machine.

5) Finally, Gisèle Lagacé over at P&A steered us towards No Rest for the Wicked. Given that I'm still on the fairy tale kick from the last few months, I devoured it pretty rapidly, and recommend others do the same.