Whisper on the Wind
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
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
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
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
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
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.
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
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…
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
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.
Damn Good Comics 