Webcomics

Sean here, recovering from a turbulent April Fool's Day. I got Rick-Rolled more times than I could count. Woo! There's a trend that I hope never goes away. Seriously, I actually enjoy the whole Rick Astley internet meme. That stupid O RLY owl got old..

Anyways, today I discuss webcomics.
I'll be honest, there's a whole lot of crap out there in terms of serialized, web-distributed, image-based humor. Most of the stuff resembles the crap that filled the comics page at your Undergraduate University (if you were so lucky as to have attended a University with a nice enough paper to feature a funnies page). You know the stuff I'm talking about, three-to-four panels, recurring characters that are merely drawn representations of the author and his or her friends. They discuss topical issues the author only knows about because it was on the Daily Show the night before, the characters talk about drinking, and how they're lazy, and how hard exams are.. Well, the post-college, web versions are much the same, except drinking is replaced with more drinking and exams are replaced by a job in the computer technology field. But I could spend a whole post ranting about bad webcomics, let me just recommend a few gems I've found.

Achewood
Woo, this one is the best of the best. It's about some cats that live in a magical world and there's a supporting cast, too. Originally, it wasn't about the cats, but the cats are hilarious. The magical world is really just like our world, so don't worry about it being over your head. The humor is dry, satirical, and awesome. If you're looking to getting in to it fresh, I recommend heading over and reading the story arc about the Great Outdoor Fight. It's going to be made into a book soon. That's how good it is.

Xkcd
This is the comic that weird dude from math class was drawing while you were busy smoking doobs and drag-racing on the main strip. The humor is about things like math, computer algorithms, formulas, nerd culture, and relationships. It's drawn very well for being mostly stick-figures. The stuff isn't too plot heavy, like Achewood, so you can browse randomly and find something you like. Updates MWF. Extra jokes in the alt-text. I dig.

Toothpaste for dinner / Married to the sea Okay, so these are done by this couple. TPFD is his effort. MTTS is their joint effort. And she has a thing of her own. They're all one panel and they're great. Toothpaste.. is terribly drawn, but it's hilarious. The commentary about web culture and hipsters is excellent. Plus there's a lot of stuff making fun of life's general things.
Married.. on the other hand, uses clip-art and old drawings from books to make jokes. There's usually an accompanying caption that seals the joke. Sometimes, though, the images are so dated and silly, they're funny already. The ladie's effort, Natalie Dee, is drawn better but is really hit or miss. Sometimes, there's just a cute drawing of a dog or something and no joke at all. Other times the humor is super bland.. this is my take:
I still read it though. Mostly out of habit.

Well, those are my favorites. I tend to check them daily. I like We The Robots though sometimes the jokes are too obvious or just seem like those Calvin and Hobbes where Bill W is trying to get across some message.. Lame.
I hope you check these out. If you don't like webcomics, that's too bad. If you prefer the crap in the Sunday paper, I am upset. Doonesbury is alright, but Grand Avenue? Family Circus? Zits?!? How long does it take a teen to learn how to drive?!?!?!?

Alright, that's all for me. Leave some recommendations in the comics section if you like.

p.s. The online New Yorker comics are acceptable. Financial jokes and commentary about Wall St are always funny.

This entry was posted by Sean, on Wednesday, April 02, 2008. You can leave your response.