Where does that cord lead to?
Thursday, September 30, 2010
I hope this makes sense
Where does that cord lead to?
Evil Enterprises
To all who know me already, you know that I do a webcomic, or at least try to. It's been quite some time, but I've started a new offshoot from Evil Enterprises called don't Be Sensible! It's a wonderful little ditty of a comic, and right now it's story is really jumping around. I know a while back I promised that it would be Dungeons and Dragons-based, but on the other hand, I also once promised it would be about a cop who lived in the woods! So... really what I'm saying here is that I can' t be trusted. That's an awful thing to be telling you... I suppose what I want to get across is that the comic will change here and there, maybe have a storyline one day, random silliness the next. Recently I've moved towards the idea of a photo comic, much like A Softer World, Surviving the World, and Skidmore Bluffs. The final point here is that the website has returned to the credit of Tony Phelps, my web designer! So read if you haven't before, check out the new one if you have (it'll take like, a minute)! Either way, step into my world, and have gander!!!
-don't Be Sensible!
-don't Be Sensible!
Sunday, September 26, 2010
Crack Kills, but Cigarettes are Smelly
Smoking at UIC is awful. It's everywhere.
I'm a bit of a loner at school. What's that gotta do with this? Not much. It just means that I stay inside a lot. I love my building. I can get from my dorm room to the cafeteria without going outside. It allows me to avoid being stabbed at 9 pm on a wednesday because I didn't have time for a proper dinner.
I play this game sometimes. I call it "I-need-fresh-air-and-vitamin-D-but-is-it-worth-the-melanoma-and-lung-cancer?" There aren't very many trees around campus (I'm kinda pale, surprise!). Where there are trees there are benches. Where there are benches, there are smokers. I just finished class the other day when I decided some fresh air would do me good. I sat on a bench and tried to relax. Deeeeep inhale..! *Hack* *Cough* Mm... That's the wonderful smell of second hand smoke. I think the smokers should form a club. One month one half would buy cigarettes, and the next month, the other half. The second half can just wander around campus taking deep breaths behind the first half. That's probably not really socially acceptable though. So that pretty much cuts out going outside as often as I'd like. At least the crunchy-won't-someone-please-step-on-me? season is coming.
The two main classroom buildings are Grant Hall and Lincoln Hall. They're working on Douglas Hall right now, so there's a bit of a dead end between the two working buildings. Between or after classes smokers like to stand around in this area to smoke. They also enjoy taking up the benches either in the shade or out. I like to stop at Grant Hall because there's a water fountain in the lobby, and I'm pretty sure there's not one in Lincoln Hall. If there is, I don't know where it is because I can't find the men's bathroom anyway. This means that I have to go through the middle to the left, and then back out across the dead end to the other hall. I can tell you that the cigarette industry isn't suffering in this economy.
I wanted to walk up to this one girl who looked like she had been smoking since early high school. Telling these people that second hand smoke is awful and can kill you won't do anything. You have to take action. I felt like going up to this girl and saying, "Let me explain what you're doing to me." At this point I would slit my throat, just get blood all over her. You can't hand them a pamphlet about lung cancer and how second hand smoke is bad for your children and people you care about. What do they care? You don't like it, stand somewhere else. Sometimes you need to take action. I think she was wearing a white shirt under her jacket. That would be unfortunate. Maybe she'd stop smoking to afford a new fancy shirt. I could have been a hero. At least to myself. It would be a small moral victory: I saved a smoker because I messed up her shirt enough to require a replacement. Probably not though. Then I'd have wasted perfectly good blood on someone who will probably just harvest my lungs later for a transplant. Obviously I didn't slit my throat on her. But if it's the thought that counts, perhaps she, and everyone like her feels bad for killing me slowly. It's unlikely, because I only glanced at her for a second, so she probably didn't even see me.
I'm a bit of a loner at school. What's that gotta do with this? Not much. It just means that I stay inside a lot. I love my building. I can get from my dorm room to the cafeteria without going outside. It allows me to avoid being stabbed at 9 pm on a wednesday because I didn't have time for a proper dinner.
I play this game sometimes. I call it "I-need-fresh-air-and-vitamin-D-but-is-it-worth-the-melanoma-and-lung-cancer?" There aren't very many trees around campus (I'm kinda pale, surprise!). Where there are trees there are benches. Where there are benches, there are smokers. I just finished class the other day when I decided some fresh air would do me good. I sat on a bench and tried to relax. Deeeeep inhale..! *Hack* *Cough* Mm... That's the wonderful smell of second hand smoke. I think the smokers should form a club. One month one half would buy cigarettes, and the next month, the other half. The second half can just wander around campus taking deep breaths behind the first half. That's probably not really socially acceptable though. So that pretty much cuts out going outside as often as I'd like. At least the crunchy-won't-someone-please-step-on-me? season is coming.
The two main classroom buildings are Grant Hall and Lincoln Hall. They're working on Douglas Hall right now, so there's a bit of a dead end between the two working buildings. Between or after classes smokers like to stand around in this area to smoke. They also enjoy taking up the benches either in the shade or out. I like to stop at Grant Hall because there's a water fountain in the lobby, and I'm pretty sure there's not one in Lincoln Hall. If there is, I don't know where it is because I can't find the men's bathroom anyway. This means that I have to go through the middle to the left, and then back out across the dead end to the other hall. I can tell you that the cigarette industry isn't suffering in this economy.
I wanted to walk up to this one girl who looked like she had been smoking since early high school. Telling these people that second hand smoke is awful and can kill you won't do anything. You have to take action. I felt like going up to this girl and saying, "Let me explain what you're doing to me." At this point I would slit my throat, just get blood all over her. You can't hand them a pamphlet about lung cancer and how second hand smoke is bad for your children and people you care about. What do they care? You don't like it, stand somewhere else. Sometimes you need to take action. I think she was wearing a white shirt under her jacket. That would be unfortunate. Maybe she'd stop smoking to afford a new fancy shirt. I could have been a hero. At least to myself. It would be a small moral victory: I saved a smoker because I messed up her shirt enough to require a replacement. Probably not though. Then I'd have wasted perfectly good blood on someone who will probably just harvest my lungs later for a transplant. Obviously I didn't slit my throat on her. But if it's the thought that counts, perhaps she, and everyone like her feels bad for killing me slowly. It's unlikely, because I only glanced at her for a second, so she probably didn't even see me.
Thursday, September 23, 2010
Comics Galore
The comics listed below are comics I read now, used to read and stopped liking them, or caught up to and the comic ended.
Throughout this list I might say not to let me turn you off from a comic. I mean this wholeheartedly. If I honestly did not enjoy a comic on this list, I would probably remove it, but as they remain, I consider them good enough (not to sound pompous...) to spend time writing about. Usually it's because it's hit The Lull and I don't want to try and find where I left off and catch up, either because of new comics or just time-constraints with other projects and school.
*** denotes Alt Text, which means that you hold your mouse over the actual picture for extra text.
Drow Tales- http://www.drowtales.com/mainarchive.php?order=chapters&id=1124&overview=1&chibi=1&cover=1&extra=1&page=1&check=1
This is a comic about drow (dark elves). It starts off showing the history of drow and then jumps into it's own lore and storyline. it's really well done from the start. The art and storyline are great, though it jumps around between characters a lot. Generally speaking it stays focused by chapters, but it leaves a lot of cliff hangers for months at a time because it's written by a team and then sent out to other people in Canada, France, and anywhere else that they can find someone to ink for them. Updates: Daily
DOMINIC DEEGAN- http://dominic-deegan.com/
This is a story from the perspective of an oracle. The author, Mookie, describes it as, "What if the fortune teller wasn't always spewing doom and destruction and was the main character?" It follows a group of friends who fight necromancers, devils and demons, political villains, and more devils. It's definitely one of my favorites. Updates: Monday-Friday
CTRL+ALT+DEL- http://www.cad-comic.com/archives.php?b=c
This one is pretty well known, but to those of you who don't read that many webcomics (which is probably why you're here!): It switches between parodying video games and a regular story line about a crazy guy named Ethan who works at a gaming store, his best friend Lucas, his girlfriend (now wife) Lilah, and an Xbox robot named Zeke. It's pretty humorous, even if you don't know the games they are referencing. Updates: Monday, Wednesday, Friday
ANTIHERO FOR HIRE- http://antiheroforhire.com/
This is a great comic. It's poorly done in either photoshop or MS paint, but still wonderful. The main character is a flat out "ima shoot you and do cool jumps" kinda guy. The bad guys are always ridiculous and lovable. I don't read this one any more because the storyline lost a lot of interest. It was just going really slowly, developing plot twice a week with only about two or three frames. It's gotten a bit more action-y, but I didn't think it was really that worth it to catch back up because the thick plottened a lot over the past few months. Not to discourage anyone from picking this one up, it was one of my favorites for a while, I just don't want to go back to reading it. Updates: Monday, Friday
SATURDAY MORNING BREAKFAST CEREAL- http://www.smbc-comics.com/
As the bar manager in tenacious D said, If you don't want your ass blown out, please leave now. This used to be a really offensive comic, but as Zach Weiner, creator, has gotten older and more into math and science, he's not as vulgar as he used to be. Don't get me wrong, he still does plenty of dick jokes! The comic has not gotten worse as a result of it, he's still absolutely amazing, especially in the fact that he has to crank one out daily. He's also been making hilarious videos called SMBC-Theater (which can be found in the top right corner). This comic has a giant red button on later comics (thank you Brian Cannon) with a sort of alt text kinda thing, definitely check it out. Updates: Daily
***XKCD- http://xkcd.com/
This one is geared towards math, science, video games, and philosophy. He does a lot of math and science (and sometimes computer science, which is an awful combination for us laymen). The author worked for NASA and now he draws comics. I consider that glorious. A lot of his stuff flies over my head because he talks about logarithms and computer programming, but the rest of the time it's a pretty great comic. Definitely don't let the fact that it's stick figures throw you off from this one, because first off all, his stick figures are probably better than most of us could ever do, and second of all, it all blends really well together with the way he writes. Updates: Monday, Wednesday, Friday
LOOKING FOR GROUP- http://www.lfgcomic.com/
This one is based off of Warcraft 3 and World of Warcraft, but you don't need to know the games to get the comic. Between Richard the Warlock and singing dwarves, you can hardly get better than that. There are a few characters and the cast grows and diminishes (like all stories) enough that to cover them all would be kind of difficult. This comic is also done by the people of Least I Could Do (Ryan Sohmer and Lar DeSouza), so you can kind of get a gist of the style if you read that. If you don't like Least I Could Do, don't let it turn you away from this comic, because the story is not full of people just being ridiculous and sleeping around, just that the art style is the same. Updates: Monday, Thursday
VG CATS- http://www.vgcats.com/comics/
This one parodies video games, which is great because he really describes the game well. I don't read this one any more because he stopped updating for a few months and then I didn't find him all that funny any more when I started again, but that could just be me. It's really a hit or miss with this comic sometimes. His older stuff is great though, so again, definitely catch up at least. Updates: Mondays
TWO LUMPS- http://twolumps.net/
This is pretty straight forward. it's about two cats and the silly things they do based off the artist couple's real two cats. I don't read this one anymore because it hit The Lull, but it's been a few months. Don't let me turn you off of it, because at least up until July of 2010 it was fantastic. Again, at least catch up. The Lull doesn't last forever, so be sure to find the rise (it's not my technical term for now, so it won't be capitalized). I did recently check it and I didn't find it as funny as it used to be, but it's started a bit of a rise from The Lull, so that's good. Updates: Monday, Wednesday, Friday
LEAST I COULD DO- http://leasticoulddo.com/
This one is about Rayne Summers who is offensive and ridiculous, but hilarious. All the characters stay pretty consistent, which is cool because then you really get to feel like the characters are part of your life. The reason few comics on this list hit that mark is because while some of the things Rayne & Co. do are a bit out of the ordinary, anyone who has read anything by Tucker Max knows that things aren't impossible. Of course it's a comic so it can take liberties, but it stays "realistic" enough, if that's what you're into. One of the best things was when I realized that the angry homeless artist was supposed to be Lar, the artist of the comic. You might not notice, since I didn't at first, but maybe I'm just slower than you are. Whoever "you" actually are. I digress! As mentioned in a future article (someone actually edits this crap?) I mentioned that this comic hit The Lull. I can say with full confidence that this comic has returned and definitely, definitely worth your time. Updates: Daily
STRIPTEASE- http://stripteasecomic.com/
This comic is kinda out there, but pretty humorous. It's about a group of people who write webcomics, but the comic doesn't really go into depth about it, it's just their job. It's very well drawn and all that good stuff. I stopped reading it when the storyline got funky. It's wasn't so much The Lull, as it was just a lull. It didn't become poorly written or anything, I just stopped enjoying it as much as the others. C'est la vie, comics come and go (not a direct translation). Updates: Monday, Wednesday, Friday-sketches and bonus material updates
GOBLINS- http://www.goblinscomic.com/
This is definitely an absolute favorite, if not the favorite. It's about these goblins who become DnD adventurers. you don't really need to know anything about DnD to get this comic. if you liked Looking For Group or Dominic Deegan, you'd like this one, if not more. It only updates twice a week, but it's fantastic. It's funny at times, dark at other, but is amazingly written and incredibly well drawn. Updates: Tuesday, Friday
Dungeons and Denizens- http://dungeond.com/
This is another DnD based comic, from the point of the monsters. It's pretty funny. It's not as good as Goblins in story or art, but it's still pretty good because it's really straight up DnD. I've had discussions with friends and based on the adventure classes, we're pretty sure it's 2.0 DnD, but it appears to climb in versions. It at least mentioned 4.0 a while ago. Again, you don't need to know the game at all to enjoy this. It did hit The Lull, unfortunately; the current story-arc got a bit tedious for my tastes. The comic itself is great because it's a parody, which is one of the best comic genres out there, as long as it's not over done, and comic does not. Updates: Tuesday, Thursday
Comedity- http://www.comedity.com/
This is an amazing comic. it was originally based off his real life, but then got a little weird. Sadly, you can see the exact comic where it took a dive. It didn't get terrible, but it wasn't based off his real life any more and he said that was the point of the comic. Sadly, he ended it because of this when he and his friends went separate ways after college. He did proceed to create Finder's Keepers, which is just below. Updates: Null
Finder's Keepers- http://www.finderskeepers.gcgstudios.com/?p=comic&chap=1&new=true
This comic is sort of new. it's about this weird guy named Cardinal and this woman he is magically bonded to because she has his compass. No, I don't know much else either. the author is very mysterious. It's been about 4 months now, and they're still being mysterious. Keep reading though!!! The art is very enjoyable as well, which puts this one high on the list of favorites, I just wish it updated enough to pick up speed. Updates: This comic is supposed to update Tuesdays and Fridays, but it's not quite that consistent.
***A SOFTER WORLD- http://www.asofterworld.com/
I love this comic. it's depressing, horrifying, but makes you think, and I can't say enough good things about it. i find the depressing things about it hilarious. It's just an amazing comic and one of my favorites. The early comics' alt texts are just the title of the comic, but as it gets later, maybe 15 or 20, it becomes like XKCD with jokes and other stuff. Voice of the future: This is my favorite comic ever. Like, ever. Like past me said, I can't say enough good things about. It inspires me to want to do my own photo comic (Updated 1/19/12-Agreed). Updates: Monday, Friday (Sort of, they're not always consistent)
Side note (1/19/12): Joey Comeau, author of the comic, is one of my favorite authors now. His books can be found under Our Projects.
***Dr. McNinja- http://drmcninja.com/
The title really speaks for itself. it's hilarious, it's badass, and he's a doctor. what more do you want from a comic? I stopped reading it when it hit The Lull, but it's been about a year. I hope it's gotten better since then... Updates: Monday, Wednesday, Friday
MS paint adventures- http://mspaintadventures.com/
This one makes very little sense. It's trippy, random, and poorly drawn. Every once in a while something subtle is animated, so give the page a second glance. It was alright for a while, but once I stopped reading to come back to it, I didn't find it interesting. you might. To quote: "your key is out of ammo." It's become quite interactive, though only acting as a sort of "Next" button. Give it a chance, even though this is probably the poorest-reviewed comic here. Updates: Hard to peg. Somewhere between Monday through Friday every couple of days.
Order of the Stick- http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0001.html
This comic is DnD, but more text than drawing. Of course it's a comic, or it wouldn't be here, but just be aware that there's a lot of text to read. it's very funny, but just be advised that you will need your eyes to read this comic! bewwaaaaare... Updates: VERY sporadic, maybe about once a month, every couple of weeks.
Sinfest- http://www.sinfest.net/archive_page.php?comicID=1
This comic is awesome. It makes fun of religion, news, media, all that stuff. the main character is older but looks like Calvin from Calvin and Hobbes, but you get used to it. I mention this because they talk about sexual stuff sometimes and it was weird to see a pseudo-Calvin talk about sexing babes rather than just trying to figure them out. It also features God with hand puppets making fun of the devil. There are some cute zealots wandering around too. It's just a bunch of fun, honest. Updates: Daily
Chopping Block- http://choppingblock.org/d/20000725.html
This comic is scary. It's a mix between A Softer World and SMBC. This comic is also amazing. It's disgusting, but it's like when the preppy girl gets killed by the zombie; do you really feel bad about it? It has never really hit The Lull, which was cool. It stopped updating for about year, but that write-up can be read here. Updates: Monday through Friday
Note (1/19/12): This comic unfortunately has not updated since 2/28/11, but check back every couple of months, that's what I do.
Perry Bible Fellowship- http://pbfcomics.com/?cid=PBF038-Pyro_Billy.gif
this comic is a wonderful little ditty. It was running in papers for a while, but then he stopped. He put everything online for your viewing pleasure. It updates occasionally, I saw the first new comic a few weeks ago, but this comic has been online for years, so definitely don't expect anything. It's can be dirty, in an old man kind of way. Updates: Practically Null
Captain Stupendous- http://www.captainexcelsior.com/
This comic is done in part by the guy from SMBC, which explains a lot once you start reading it, but it's about a superhero family and all these things it deals with. It's the Incredibles mixed with SMBC but everyone's older than the kids from the I's, so it's okay! Those of you who have had the privilege of reading this before the edit will notice that the title is different than the website, or the previous title I had there. They ran into some legal trouble with the name and changed it, but nothing else is different. This comic was a set storyline that ran its course, so it's complete, but that's almost a perk because that means that it's like reading a comic book! Updates: Null
Seraph Inn- http://inverloch.seraph-inn.com/viewcomic.php
This comic is set in a fantasy medieval times. It's a lot like Dominic Deegan in that it's magicky and interesting without referencing video games or DnD. The Wikipedia page said that it was geared more towards girls, but I liked it nonetheless. it wasn't necessarily...cute... but it did have a bit of romance to it. I honestly dug the storyline. The supposedly "girly" storyline wasn't really that girly. if you liked Dominic Deegan, you'll like this one. The comic finished up a while ago, but it's longer than Captain Stupendous, so it's less comic booky and more actual book-like. Updates: Null
Geek Tragedy- http://www.geektragedy.com/strips/2005/20050301.htm
This little ditty is a comic about a guy who dies and has to help his friends be less geeky in order to get into the afterlife (Oh no, I spoiled the first two pages!). It's really funny, not depressing as it sounds, and doesn't really deal with the death part so much as the fact that everyone is an utterly complete and total NERD! it's wonderful! the author wasn't getting laid and couldn't keep up between his job and comic, so he chose his job instead, so it's ended for now without much hope for return. It's definitely worth the catching up though. Updates: Null
***Johnny Wander-http://johnnywander.com/comic/28
So I finally clicked the link on the side of Dominic Deegan's message box, and all I have to say is that I'm very glad I did! It's about day to day life, but the people are amazing. It's wonderful and because it's based off of their life, and I enjoy being able to connect to it far more than say, a fantasy comic. Most of the comic is about themselves and their experiences with friends and family, or them writing the comic/visiting comic conventions. Updates: Tuesday, Thursday
***Evil Enterprises- http://www.evilenterprises.co.cc/
It's about a shotgun-toting elf that works for a neutral "hero" business. I guess you could call them antiheroes, but some of the people don't stop crime or even care, they just want a paycheck. It takes place in a world of not-so-perfect elves, especially the main character, Nathan Melody. Armed with nothing but his shotgun and random fighting techniques, he stops criminals from killing and superheroes from being douchebags. Update: Now it's about random things, like DnD and other hilarity. Eventually it will also be a new comic called don't Be Sensible. It *might* turn into a photo comic, but that's a potential, not something right now. Currently don't Be Sensible/Evil Enterprises' focus is on the Comicstory. Updates: Null-But a new, awesome, project is being developed!
Accursed Dragon- http://accurseddragon.com/
This comic is about a cursed knight who saved a town and is now sucked into this random storyline of an adventure. It's a pretty great comic in general now that I've been reading it longer and the plot's developed a bunch. It's a bit difficult to explain in detail without ruining the plot, so dive in and see for yourself! Updates: Monday through Thursday
Darken- http://www.darkencomic.com/d/20031216.html
This comic is probably one of the best. The art is all done in pencil and shaded and stuff, so it's kind of messy. After about 30 comics it becomes colored. Because it's so well detailed, not all comics are colored, so it goes back and forth, but doesn't take away from the comic. This guy is killed, and now works for one of the Lords of one of the Hells. He's teamed up with a drow, a duchess, a thief and a half-dragon priestess. Ridiculous, no? This comic has finished!!! You can buy the book if you like! It was an okay ending, but that could just be because I'm sad it's over. Definitely read through this comic. Updates: Null
Weregeek- http://www.weregeek.com/2006/11/27/
This comic is about this guy who realizes his inner geek and starts to play all sorts of table top games, such as dungeons and dragons, d20 starwars, stuff like that. it switches between them playing these games and their real lives, but i'd definitely say that you should be more dungeons and dragons (and table top game) oriented if you want to really enjoy this comic. It hit The Lull a while back, probably around just after the 2010 new year, but it's been almost a year, so give it a chance, it's probably worth it! Updates: Tuesday, Thursday
Hark! A Vagrant- http://www.harkavagrant.com/
This is an amazing, AMAZING, history comic. the author went to college to major in history. She's done a bit of stuff recently for the New Yorker and Marvel Comics, even though her art style is a bit sloppy, it makes it a lot more fun to read. My favorite parts have to be about Napoleon. If that sounds intriguing, check it out! Updates: Thursdays? Mondays? I have it under Tuesday, Thursday, but it's a bit sporadic. It updates at least once a week though!
Awkward Zombie- http://www.awkwardzombie.com/comic1-092006.php
So this author hasn't explained her comic title in a comic, at least not yet, but otherwise, it's a great gaming comic. She makes fun of World of Warcraft, Pokemon, Zelda games, Brawl, Melee, and countless other games (though you could probably count if you have the time. But then you're not reading the best of these comics!). Much like VG-Cats and Ctrl-Alt-Del, you don't need to know the games, but it definitely helps with really understanding the joke. Updates: Monday
Perils of the Bold- http://www.actionfigurecomics.com/potb/potb001.shtml
Anyone know what a Stikfas is? well if you don't, you'll find out soon, because this comic uses them! it's a very funny comic based on D&D, i want to say 3.0 or 3.5. it's very well done, all photography, and a bit of editing once the pictures are taken. This comic stopped updating a few years ago suspiciously, which is a real shame, because it was a great comic, but... whatever. Perhaps there's a monster that eats webcomic artists. Oh well! Check this one out if you're okay with a permanent cliffhanger storyline! Updates: Null
AppleGeeks- www.applegeeks.com
This one's written by the guy from Johnny Wanderer and one of the characters from Comedity! So to sum it all up, it's Comedity from a different perspective, namely the characters you didn't get to know in that comic. It's hilarious, and very Mac oriented, in case that's a problem. Even if it is, it's still worth checking out! It does stray into fantasy by having a robot friend, but the idea is pretty nonchalant for everyone. Updates: the comic itself has stopped, but AppleGeeks Lite is updated Monday, Wednesday, Friday
Bug Comic- http://www.bugcomic.com/
This comic is hilarious and absolutely fantastic. I know I said that about other comics, but this one really deserves it. It's humor using cartoon bugs, but isn't gross at all. I like this one a lot because it builds to a ridiculous crescendo of a punchline. It usually starts out with a simple joke (it's about three or four frames long) and then builds up to this, "Oh wow." moment, so it's always enjoyable. Updates: Monday through Friday
Surviving the World- http://survivingtheworld.net/
This comic was linked to me in the middle of 2009, and I just caught up to it a little over a year later. I'm very glad I did. It's another photo comic, like A Softer World, done on a chalk board, and I love it. It covers love, science, sports, politics, and everything in between. Every Friday he has what he calls a Recitation, which are questions sent in by the readers, so that's pretty cool (1/19/12-Recitations are over, but now he has funny Homework assignments). Updates: Daily
***Guilded Age- http://guildedage.net/
This comic is pretty good. It's fantasy so it's got magic and warriors and wizards and whatnot, but it's really original in my opinion, not based off DnD at all. This one definitely deserves your attention. Updates: Monday, Wednesday, Friday
***Doghouse Diaries- http://www.thedoghousediaries.com/
This comic is wonderful. It's like a layman's version of XKCD. It's written by three guys, but the art is always the same. I say that it's a layman's version of XKCD because they're pretty much stick figures with witty text, but it has nothing to do with ridiculous things like logarithms and mathematical formulae. It's just silliness. Updates: Monday, Wednesday, Friday
The Fancy Adventures of Jack Cannon- http://fancyadventures.com/
This comic is pretty good. The art is a little odd, but it's good so... that's good. Yeah. This guy is resistant to hacking, and these guys can hack real life, which I personally love, so craziness ensues. The storyline is developing a lot more than it did in the beginning, and while picking up is usually a given, some comics don't, so I give it credit for that. Updates: Monday, Friday
***Amazing Super Powers- http://www.amazingsuperpowers.com/
This comic is utterly fantastic. It's usually in really poor taste, like a longer SMBC, but less math/sciency. I love it. Also, if you go to the top right corner of the comic itself, just outside the border, there's an invisible question mark. The first few comics have nothing in the link, just a caveman smelling funny, but after that there's a second comic under it. Definitely check this one out. Updates: Monday, Wednesday, Friday
The Abominable Charles Christopher- http://www.abominable.cc/
This one is sad, and not in an A Softer World way. It's about a Sasquatch I suppose, and his life through the forest. It also goes along with a circus bear, which is also really depressing. I'm not sure when it takes place since it's got a king who lives in a castle, but it's also got rifles, so maybe around the turning point in Europe? Who knows. All I know is that the artist/writer apparently did some Superman comics, which is pretty neat to see his personal stuff. It's a great comic. Updates: Wednesday
***Darwin Carmichael is Going to Hell- http://dcisgoingtohell.com/
This is a really funny comic. So far it hasn't had a dip, which is great. It's about this guy who accidentally makes the baby Dali Lama mentally retarded, and now he has awful awful awful karma, but his ex-girlfriend-now-friend has untouchable karma for some reason, which results in odd things like she can't get dirty from lying in the mud. Darwin lives with his pet manticore, Skittles, who is adorable. Updates: Tuesday, Thursday
***Mint Condition- http://www.mintconditioncomic.com/
This comic is a bit helter-skelter as well, but I still enjoy it. It's on hiatus for a while. I'm unsure why, but the author's wife was sick for a while, but hopefully nothing too serious. Otherwise it's a really funny comic. It's almost like Johnny Wander with a touch of Geek Tragedy and a dash of Comedity. If you read any of the reviews of those comics above, you know this comic is good! Updates: Hiatus
They All Bleed the Same- http://tabts-comic.com/
While setting up for a really depressing comic, it's nothing like that. It's actually really really cheery and funny, mostly tapping into sci-fi and a touch of gaming, but you don't need to know anything about games to read it, because there's maybe one comic with a pokeball in it. Otherwise it has nothing to do with games. The main character's roommate is into really dark sci-fi and owns a Meebo, if that means anything to any of you, because it didn't to me. The cat is pretty sweet too. Updates: Hiatus
Gone with the Blastwave- http://www.blastwave-comic.com/
GAAAAH THIS COMIC NEVER UPDATES I'M SAD. Now that that's out of the way... This is a pretty funny comic. I'm sure it refers to a real video game, but I don't know what game that is and I enjoy it all the same. You don't even need to be a gamer to enjoy this comic. It's completely from the perspective of being in the game, without ever breaking the 4th wall or acknowledging that it's a game, so pretend I said nothing about being a gaming comic. It's just a war comic with some silliness referring to gaming aspects like ammo and health packs. Updates: every couple of months
Gunshow- http://gunshowcomic.com/
Gods, as this comic says, Not for Children. Gunshow enjoys violating everything. That being said, it's always hilarious and isn't always violating things. I probably set it up poorly again. It's a wonderful comic, just not for children. It's become one of my favorite comics out there. Updates: Monday, Wednesday, Friday
Buttersafe- http://buttersafe.com/
This comic is ridiculous and wonderful. It's not the most extravagant art, but most of these comics aren't, and I love them just the same. It's a lot like Bug Comic where it seems innocent enough and then you laugh at how odd the ending is. Updates: Tuesday, Thursday
***Oglaf- http://oglaf.com/
God this comic is wonderful and dirty. Especially dirty. For once in my life, I'd say that this comic is DEFINITELY NSFW (not safe for work for those of you not from the internet... but what are you doing here?). It's got a lot of nudity, male and female, as well as semen. If you don't want to get past the ridiculousness of how NSFW this comic is, it's not for you. For the rest of you, definitely read on. It's really really really funny, and probably one of my favorites. Unfortunately it only updates once a week, but it leaves me wanting more of it, and the art is great. Which... sounds bad when you remember the nudity, but still, it's great. My favorites are the well/fountain comics. What am I talking about? Read and find out!!! Updates: Monday, sometimes late Sunday
Blank It- http://blankitcomics.com/
*The title is in the alt-text but nothing more than that*
This comic is new to me, but it's been around for at least a bit of a while, and it's fantastic. It's really existential, but not in an annoying way. The art is really good, and it's really funny. It's ridiculous and really free form in what happens, but that's the point of the comic itself, and at least the story is consistent. I wouldn't say that you need to be really thinky to read this. It's existential, but in a really sarcastic and funny way. Don't think too hard, you'll shoot your eye out. Updates: Tuesday, Thursday
***Skidmore Bluffs- http://www.skidmorebluffs.net/
This is another photo comic, and is very very very much like a softer world, even though in an email with him he said he doesn't like A Softer World, as well as in one of his updates. It's pretty depressing in the same way as A Softer World, sometimes more, sometimes less. Because it's so simply done, i.e. on a blogspot page, it's almost inspiring me to start my own, which is actually why I got this blogspot in the first place, so this comic can't be that bad! Updates: On and off, but usually Monday
***Scenes From A Multiverse- http://amultiverse.com/
This one is incredibly quirky. It goes to different places in the universe to see how things are doing, and it's just awesomely fantastic. The names of the places are really clever and I enjoy that the artist can continue to get new names. The art is really good, so that's a plus. Definitely worth checking out, because it's a lot like a regular comic, except that it uses aliens, though sometimes it visits earth. It's a fairly new comic, but it updates every weekday, so definitely impressive, again. For Friday, the audience gets to vote where the comic visits from that week's comics. Bunnies ran for about three weeks. Updates: Monday through Friday
Penny Arcade- http://www.penny-arcade.com/comic/
Penny Arcade was recommended to me a while back, but I wasn't really all that into it. Recently I decided to catch up to it, and it's definitely reaching the top of my list. It's not so much a flip-flop as it is just a growing interest. They talk about games almost every comic, so I would say it definitely helps to know the game they're talking about. This is definitely I would say is better for gamer-oriented people, but if you're like me and only live on the outskirts of the gamer community, you can still enjoy this one. Between the Back and Forward button is News. I would suggest reading that because it explains the context of that day's comic. They make fun of games or a gaming situation, so if you want to get a more in depth view of the comic beyond the few panels they show, it's a good read, albeit a bit long (But you're reading eight pages of comic reviews, so what are you to judge?). Updates: Monday, Wednesday, Friday, has not missed a single update, ever. Period.
The Gutters- http://www.the-gutters.com/
This one's intriguing, because it's produced by the guys from Looking For Group and Least I Could DO, AKA Blind Ferret (a dream job...) but the art is very rarely drawn by them. Honestly, they have the best About page ever, so I'll let that do the writing. I'm not being lazy, they just do it better! "In brief, Gutters is a series of standalone pages that parody the comic book industry and the heroes and characters that dwell within. Think of it as an editorial cartoon targeting comic books, and you'll understand where we're going with it. Gutters is written by Ryan Sohmer, with Lar deSouza as Art Director and Ed Ryzowski serving as colorist. As for who will be doing the actual art, well, that's where things get interesting (and slightly different). Rather than have one artist pencil each page, we elected to have a rotating roster of professional artists, among them some giants in the comic book industry alongside new and emerging talent." So there you go! Definitely check this one out. It's fairly new, but also rapidly ascending to the top. Updates: Monday, Wednesday, Friday
Tiny Ghosts- http://www.tinyghosts.com/
Tiny Ghosts was recommended by a reader of this very post, and I quickly caught up to it, so I figured it deserved a write-up. This is much like A Softer World, even more-so than Skidmore Bluffs. It's very sad, and that's where the humor is at. While A Softer World is supposed to be so horrible that you laugh, Tiny Ghosts is almost written in a way that you want to laugh to keep from crying. Most of the time anyway, sometimes it's sweet and sometimes it is happy, but either way it's a very good comic. It's a photo comic, but it uses toys instead of people like the other two comics mentioned, but real scenery, so not quite like Action Figure Comics. Updates: Monday
***Magpie Luck- http://magpieluck.com/
I don't quite know how I came across this one, but isn't that case with a lot of these? It's just sad because I only started this one about a week ago from 11/13/10 (current edition of this), and I've already forgotten. Anyway, the storyline is what's important! It's about a girl named Tristan who can time-travel, and as far as she knows, she's the only one. She's got a bottled gaseous friend named Kem that helps her focus on her destination, and a couple of fun hats, so that's nice. She's taking a month long break starting from 2/1/11, but definitely check back in March! Updates: Tuesday, Thursday
The Bean- http://www.beanleafpress.com/
This is also a new one (11/13/10) and I cannot remember where it came from, but I'm not too interested in that fact, though I do like to cite my sources...
Regardless of that, this comic is definitely a solid comic. It's about a boy who doesn't have any parents and works in a restaurant at a crossroad in the middle of nowhere. It's very fantasy, as the other main characters are ogres, though the bartender and female lead are both human, as is Bean, the boy. It's got a magic sword and a creature who only talks in rhyme, which is always a plus! I love having a personal view of a comic and then reading to find out it's part of a bigger scheme, like LICD and Blind Ferret. The Bean started out (a couple of times actually) as a novel that didn't go over so well, but he's started over as a comic book rather a novel. He's releasing them in a series of books, currently book 3, in what I assume are bookstores and also posting them online, perhaps to gain a fan-base. Regardless of reasoning, that is quite impressive, as is the comic, so get reading! Updates: Tuesday, Thursday
Our Valued Customers- http://ourvaluedcustomers.blogspot.com/
This one seems simple, but definitely does not disappoint. The author works in a comic book store (I was linked from Mookie's blog because the store is located around the corner from him where he buys his comic books. No, he does not appear in it) and these are honest-to-gods real customers. I really like the art because he does a great caricature of these people and you really get the feel for what they are like. The things they say seem really outrageous, but I'm not surprised that these are real people, because after all, truth is stranger than fiction, right? It's very funny, but it would be hard to say it wasn't because it's real. It's sad that people say things like this, but it's just part of the charm of working in a comic book store I guess! Updates: Daily
***Girls with Slingshots- http://www.girlswithslingshots.com/
Girls with Slingshots is a bit of a "slice-of-life" comic, but like Johnny Wander. JW is based off of the two creators' lives, while GWS is fiction. It's just realistic fiction. It's sexual, it's cute, it's funny, and it's wonderful. It follows Hazel through her relationships, her jobs, and her life overall. I don't have too much to say about this comic other than that it's reached what I'd say is a top 10 list of comics. Updates: Monday Through Friday
*** Nedroid Picture Diaries- http://nedroid.com/
This comic is so goofy. It follows Beartato, who is a bear in the shape of a bear, and Reginald, who is a bird. If that doesn't sounds like the recipe for a sickass comic, then get out of my emporium. Updates: Monday, Wednesday, Friday
Pictures for Sad Children- http://picturesforsadchildren.com/
Pictures of Sad Children is probably my favorite comic after A Softer World, though because it's stopped updating it's gotten bumped down a couple notches. It's started to update a bit again though, which is nice. It's a depressed comic with a morbid sense of humor that allows it to laugh at itself. It's very depressing, but much like A Softer World it's funny if you like dark humor. Interestingly enough it's a drawn comic, which is simple but elegant. For a bit it had a storyline, but then the creator started doing one-offs. They are longer comics though, maybe a whole page or so, which means more bang for your buck. Which is free. So really you are getting more for nothing and that is almost always a good thing! Updates: Monday, Wednesday
So that's about it. I don't necessarily love all these comics, but i didn't want to leave anything out because I honestly do enjoy them all in one way or another. If you don't like one, move on. No two comics are the same regardless of how I compared them. they have their downsides, they have their upsides, much like a book. In regards to liking one, I'd say that if you can remember awesome quotes or find yourself bookmarking certain pages, you enjoy the comic greatly. if the comic gets boring, book mark the last page you read, move on, and come back to it. Sometimes you just get tired of a storyline. I get rid of comics sometimes, but maybe I'll come back to them. You never know.
Another major note I'd like to point out is that these comics, whether drawn or photographed, are these creators' full time jobs. While I'm not soliciting their shirts and mugs and books, though I encourage you to check them out(!), if you feel so inclined please turn off any adblockers you have for their pages. At this point I've gone through and turned it off for all my comics because they do get paid by view and they can't get ad views if you are blocking said ads. That being said, if you don't want to deal with ads on the margins of the pages then that's fine, but I just ask that you consider supporting these fantastic creators who work so very hard to entertain you at no real cost to you.
Throughout this list I might say not to let me turn you off from a comic. I mean this wholeheartedly. If I honestly did not enjoy a comic on this list, I would probably remove it, but as they remain, I consider them good enough (not to sound pompous...) to spend time writing about. Usually it's because it's hit The Lull and I don't want to try and find where I left off and catch up, either because of new comics or just time-constraints with other projects and school.
*** denotes Alt Text, which means that you hold your mouse over the actual picture for extra text.
Drow Tales- http://www.drowtales.com/mainarchive.php?order=chapters&id=1124&overview=1&chibi=1&cover=1&extra=1&page=1&check=1
This is a comic about drow (dark elves). It starts off showing the history of drow and then jumps into it's own lore and storyline. it's really well done from the start. The art and storyline are great, though it jumps around between characters a lot. Generally speaking it stays focused by chapters, but it leaves a lot of cliff hangers for months at a time because it's written by a team and then sent out to other people in Canada, France, and anywhere else that they can find someone to ink for them. Updates: Daily
DOMINIC DEEGAN- http://dominic-deegan.com/
This is a story from the perspective of an oracle. The author, Mookie, describes it as, "What if the fortune teller wasn't always spewing doom and destruction and was the main character?" It follows a group of friends who fight necromancers, devils and demons, political villains, and more devils. It's definitely one of my favorites. Updates: Monday-Friday
CTRL+ALT+DEL- http://www.cad-comic.com/archives.php?b=c
This one is pretty well known, but to those of you who don't read that many webcomics (which is probably why you're here!): It switches between parodying video games and a regular story line about a crazy guy named Ethan who works at a gaming store, his best friend Lucas, his girlfriend (now wife) Lilah, and an Xbox robot named Zeke. It's pretty humorous, even if you don't know the games they are referencing. Updates: Monday, Wednesday, Friday
ANTIHERO FOR HIRE- http://antiheroforhire.com/
This is a great comic. It's poorly done in either photoshop or MS paint, but still wonderful. The main character is a flat out "ima shoot you and do cool jumps" kinda guy. The bad guys are always ridiculous and lovable. I don't read this one any more because the storyline lost a lot of interest. It was just going really slowly, developing plot twice a week with only about two or three frames. It's gotten a bit more action-y, but I didn't think it was really that worth it to catch back up because the thick plottened a lot over the past few months. Not to discourage anyone from picking this one up, it was one of my favorites for a while, I just don't want to go back to reading it. Updates: Monday, Friday
SATURDAY MORNING BREAKFAST CEREAL- http://www.smbc-comics.com/
As the bar manager in tenacious D said, If you don't want your ass blown out, please leave now. This used to be a really offensive comic, but as Zach Weiner, creator, has gotten older and more into math and science, he's not as vulgar as he used to be. Don't get me wrong, he still does plenty of dick jokes! The comic has not gotten worse as a result of it, he's still absolutely amazing, especially in the fact that he has to crank one out daily. He's also been making hilarious videos called SMBC-Theater (which can be found in the top right corner). This comic has a giant red button on later comics (thank you Brian Cannon) with a sort of alt text kinda thing, definitely check it out. Updates: Daily
***XKCD- http://xkcd.com/
This one is geared towards math, science, video games, and philosophy. He does a lot of math and science (and sometimes computer science, which is an awful combination for us laymen). The author worked for NASA and now he draws comics. I consider that glorious. A lot of his stuff flies over my head because he talks about logarithms and computer programming, but the rest of the time it's a pretty great comic. Definitely don't let the fact that it's stick figures throw you off from this one, because first off all, his stick figures are probably better than most of us could ever do, and second of all, it all blends really well together with the way he writes. Updates: Monday, Wednesday, Friday
LOOKING FOR GROUP- http://www.lfgcomic.com/
This one is based off of Warcraft 3 and World of Warcraft, but you don't need to know the games to get the comic. Between Richard the Warlock and singing dwarves, you can hardly get better than that. There are a few characters and the cast grows and diminishes (like all stories) enough that to cover them all would be kind of difficult. This comic is also done by the people of Least I Could Do (Ryan Sohmer and Lar DeSouza), so you can kind of get a gist of the style if you read that. If you don't like Least I Could Do, don't let it turn you away from this comic, because the story is not full of people just being ridiculous and sleeping around, just that the art style is the same. Updates: Monday, Thursday
VG CATS- http://www.vgcats.com/comics/
This one parodies video games, which is great because he really describes the game well. I don't read this one any more because he stopped updating for a few months and then I didn't find him all that funny any more when I started again, but that could just be me. It's really a hit or miss with this comic sometimes. His older stuff is great though, so again, definitely catch up at least. Updates: Mondays
TWO LUMPS- http://twolumps.net/
This is pretty straight forward. it's about two cats and the silly things they do based off the artist couple's real two cats. I don't read this one anymore because it hit The Lull, but it's been a few months. Don't let me turn you off of it, because at least up until July of 2010 it was fantastic. Again, at least catch up. The Lull doesn't last forever, so be sure to find the rise (it's not my technical term for now, so it won't be capitalized). I did recently check it and I didn't find it as funny as it used to be, but it's started a bit of a rise from The Lull, so that's good. Updates: Monday, Wednesday, Friday
LEAST I COULD DO- http://leasticoulddo.com/
This one is about Rayne Summers who is offensive and ridiculous, but hilarious. All the characters stay pretty consistent, which is cool because then you really get to feel like the characters are part of your life. The reason few comics on this list hit that mark is because while some of the things Rayne & Co. do are a bit out of the ordinary, anyone who has read anything by Tucker Max knows that things aren't impossible. Of course it's a comic so it can take liberties, but it stays "realistic" enough, if that's what you're into. One of the best things was when I realized that the angry homeless artist was supposed to be Lar, the artist of the comic. You might not notice, since I didn't at first, but maybe I'm just slower than you are. Whoever "you" actually are. I digress! As mentioned in a future article (someone actually edits this crap?) I mentioned that this comic hit The Lull. I can say with full confidence that this comic has returned and definitely, definitely worth your time. Updates: Daily
STRIPTEASE- http://stripteasecomic.com/
This comic is kinda out there, but pretty humorous. It's about a group of people who write webcomics, but the comic doesn't really go into depth about it, it's just their job. It's very well drawn and all that good stuff. I stopped reading it when the storyline got funky. It's wasn't so much The Lull, as it was just a lull. It didn't become poorly written or anything, I just stopped enjoying it as much as the others. C'est la vie, comics come and go (not a direct translation). Updates: Monday, Wednesday, Friday-sketches and bonus material updates
GOBLINS- http://www.goblinscomic.com/
This is definitely an absolute favorite, if not the favorite. It's about these goblins who become DnD adventurers. you don't really need to know anything about DnD to get this comic. if you liked Looking For Group or Dominic Deegan, you'd like this one, if not more. It only updates twice a week, but it's fantastic. It's funny at times, dark at other, but is amazingly written and incredibly well drawn. Updates: Tuesday, Friday
Dungeons and Denizens- http://dungeond.com/
This is another DnD based comic, from the point of the monsters. It's pretty funny. It's not as good as Goblins in story or art, but it's still pretty good because it's really straight up DnD. I've had discussions with friends and based on the adventure classes, we're pretty sure it's 2.0 DnD, but it appears to climb in versions. It at least mentioned 4.0 a while ago. Again, you don't need to know the game at all to enjoy this. It did hit The Lull, unfortunately; the current story-arc got a bit tedious for my tastes. The comic itself is great because it's a parody, which is one of the best comic genres out there, as long as it's not over done, and comic does not. Updates: Tuesday, Thursday
Comedity- http://www.comedity.com/
This is an amazing comic. it was originally based off his real life, but then got a little weird. Sadly, you can see the exact comic where it took a dive. It didn't get terrible, but it wasn't based off his real life any more and he said that was the point of the comic. Sadly, he ended it because of this when he and his friends went separate ways after college. He did proceed to create Finder's Keepers, which is just below. Updates: Null
Finder's Keepers- http://www.finderskeepers.gcgstudios.com/?p=comic&chap=1&new=true
This comic is sort of new. it's about this weird guy named Cardinal and this woman he is magically bonded to because she has his compass. No, I don't know much else either. the author is very mysterious. It's been about 4 months now, and they're still being mysterious. Keep reading though!!! The art is very enjoyable as well, which puts this one high on the list of favorites, I just wish it updated enough to pick up speed. Updates: This comic is supposed to update Tuesdays and Fridays, but it's not quite that consistent.
***A SOFTER WORLD- http://www.asofterworld.com/
I love this comic. it's depressing, horrifying, but makes you think, and I can't say enough good things about it. i find the depressing things about it hilarious. It's just an amazing comic and one of my favorites. The early comics' alt texts are just the title of the comic, but as it gets later, maybe 15 or 20, it becomes like XKCD with jokes and other stuff. Voice of the future: This is my favorite comic ever. Like, ever. Like past me said, I can't say enough good things about. It inspires me to want to do my own photo comic (Updated 1/19/12-Agreed). Updates: Monday, Friday (Sort of, they're not always consistent)
Side note (1/19/12): Joey Comeau, author of the comic, is one of my favorite authors now. His books can be found under Our Projects.
***Dr. McNinja- http://drmcninja.com/
The title really speaks for itself. it's hilarious, it's badass, and he's a doctor. what more do you want from a comic? I stopped reading it when it hit The Lull, but it's been about a year. I hope it's gotten better since then... Updates: Monday, Wednesday, Friday
MS paint adventures- http://mspaintadventures.com/
This one makes very little sense. It's trippy, random, and poorly drawn. Every once in a while something subtle is animated, so give the page a second glance. It was alright for a while, but once I stopped reading to come back to it, I didn't find it interesting. you might. To quote: "your key is out of ammo." It's become quite interactive, though only acting as a sort of "Next" button. Give it a chance, even though this is probably the poorest-reviewed comic here. Updates: Hard to peg. Somewhere between Monday through Friday every couple of days.
Order of the Stick- http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0001.html
This comic is DnD, but more text than drawing. Of course it's a comic, or it wouldn't be here, but just be aware that there's a lot of text to read. it's very funny, but just be advised that you will need your eyes to read this comic! bewwaaaaare... Updates: VERY sporadic, maybe about once a month, every couple of weeks.
Sinfest- http://www.sinfest.net/archive_page.php?comicID=1
This comic is awesome. It makes fun of religion, news, media, all that stuff. the main character is older but looks like Calvin from Calvin and Hobbes, but you get used to it. I mention this because they talk about sexual stuff sometimes and it was weird to see a pseudo-Calvin talk about sexing babes rather than just trying to figure them out. It also features God with hand puppets making fun of the devil. There are some cute zealots wandering around too. It's just a bunch of fun, honest. Updates: Daily
Chopping Block- http://choppingblock.org/d/20000725.html
This comic is scary. It's a mix between A Softer World and SMBC. This comic is also amazing. It's disgusting, but it's like when the preppy girl gets killed by the zombie; do you really feel bad about it? It has never really hit The Lull, which was cool. It stopped updating for about year, but that write-up can be read here. Updates: Monday through Friday
Note (1/19/12): This comic unfortunately has not updated since 2/28/11, but check back every couple of months, that's what I do.
Perry Bible Fellowship- http://pbfcomics.com/?cid=PBF038-Pyro_Billy.gif
this comic is a wonderful little ditty. It was running in papers for a while, but then he stopped. He put everything online for your viewing pleasure. It updates occasionally, I saw the first new comic a few weeks ago, but this comic has been online for years, so definitely don't expect anything. It's can be dirty, in an old man kind of way. Updates: Practically Null
Captain Stupendous- http://www.captainexcelsior.com/
This comic is done in part by the guy from SMBC, which explains a lot once you start reading it, but it's about a superhero family and all these things it deals with. It's the Incredibles mixed with SMBC but everyone's older than the kids from the I's, so it's okay! Those of you who have had the privilege of reading this before the edit will notice that the title is different than the website, or the previous title I had there. They ran into some legal trouble with the name and changed it, but nothing else is different. This comic was a set storyline that ran its course, so it's complete, but that's almost a perk because that means that it's like reading a comic book! Updates: Null
Seraph Inn- http://inverloch.seraph-inn.com/viewcomic.php
This comic is set in a fantasy medieval times. It's a lot like Dominic Deegan in that it's magicky and interesting without referencing video games or DnD. The Wikipedia page said that it was geared more towards girls, but I liked it nonetheless. it wasn't necessarily...cute... but it did have a bit of romance to it. I honestly dug the storyline. The supposedly "girly" storyline wasn't really that girly. if you liked Dominic Deegan, you'll like this one. The comic finished up a while ago, but it's longer than Captain Stupendous, so it's less comic booky and more actual book-like. Updates: Null
Geek Tragedy- http://www.geektragedy.com/strips/2005/20050301.htm
This little ditty is a comic about a guy who dies and has to help his friends be less geeky in order to get into the afterlife (Oh no, I spoiled the first two pages!). It's really funny, not depressing as it sounds, and doesn't really deal with the death part so much as the fact that everyone is an utterly complete and total NERD! it's wonderful! the author wasn't getting laid and couldn't keep up between his job and comic, so he chose his job instead, so it's ended for now without much hope for return. It's definitely worth the catching up though. Updates: Null
***Johnny Wander-http://johnnywander.com/comic/28
So I finally clicked the link on the side of Dominic Deegan's message box, and all I have to say is that I'm very glad I did! It's about day to day life, but the people are amazing. It's wonderful and because it's based off of their life, and I enjoy being able to connect to it far more than say, a fantasy comic. Most of the comic is about themselves and their experiences with friends and family, or them writing the comic/visiting comic conventions. Updates: Tuesday, Thursday
***Evil Enterprises- http://www.evilenterprises.co.cc/
It's about a shotgun-toting elf that works for a neutral "hero" business. I guess you could call them antiheroes, but some of the people don't stop crime or even care, they just want a paycheck. It takes place in a world of not-so-perfect elves, especially the main character, Nathan Melody. Armed with nothing but his shotgun and random fighting techniques, he stops criminals from killing and superheroes from being douchebags. Update: Now it's about random things, like DnD and other hilarity. Eventually it will also be a new comic called don't Be Sensible. It *might* turn into a photo comic, but that's a potential, not something right now. Currently don't Be Sensible/Evil Enterprises' focus is on the Comicstory. Updates: Null-But a new, awesome, project is being developed!
Accursed Dragon- http://accurseddragon.com/
This comic is about a cursed knight who saved a town and is now sucked into this random storyline of an adventure. It's a pretty great comic in general now that I've been reading it longer and the plot's developed a bunch. It's a bit difficult to explain in detail without ruining the plot, so dive in and see for yourself! Updates: Monday through Thursday
Darken- http://www.darkencomic.com/d/20031216.html
This comic is probably one of the best. The art is all done in pencil and shaded and stuff, so it's kind of messy. After about 30 comics it becomes colored. Because it's so well detailed, not all comics are colored, so it goes back and forth, but doesn't take away from the comic. This guy is killed, and now works for one of the Lords of one of the Hells. He's teamed up with a drow, a duchess, a thief and a half-dragon priestess. Ridiculous, no? This comic has finished!!! You can buy the book if you like! It was an okay ending, but that could just be because I'm sad it's over. Definitely read through this comic. Updates: Null
Weregeek- http://www.weregeek.com/2006/11/27/
This comic is about this guy who realizes his inner geek and starts to play all sorts of table top games, such as dungeons and dragons, d20 starwars, stuff like that. it switches between them playing these games and their real lives, but i'd definitely say that you should be more dungeons and dragons (and table top game) oriented if you want to really enjoy this comic. It hit The Lull a while back, probably around just after the 2010 new year, but it's been almost a year, so give it a chance, it's probably worth it! Updates: Tuesday, Thursday
Hark! A Vagrant- http://www.harkavagrant.com/
This is an amazing, AMAZING, history comic. the author went to college to major in history. She's done a bit of stuff recently for the New Yorker and Marvel Comics, even though her art style is a bit sloppy, it makes it a lot more fun to read. My favorite parts have to be about Napoleon. If that sounds intriguing, check it out! Updates: Thursdays? Mondays? I have it under Tuesday, Thursday, but it's a bit sporadic. It updates at least once a week though!
Awkward Zombie- http://www.awkwardzombie.com/comic1-092006.php
So this author hasn't explained her comic title in a comic, at least not yet, but otherwise, it's a great gaming comic. She makes fun of World of Warcraft, Pokemon, Zelda games, Brawl, Melee, and countless other games (though you could probably count if you have the time. But then you're not reading the best of these comics!). Much like VG-Cats and Ctrl-Alt-Del, you don't need to know the games, but it definitely helps with really understanding the joke. Updates: Monday
Perils of the Bold- http://www.actionfigurecomics.com/potb/potb001.shtml
Anyone know what a Stikfas is? well if you don't, you'll find out soon, because this comic uses them! it's a very funny comic based on D&D, i want to say 3.0 or 3.5. it's very well done, all photography, and a bit of editing once the pictures are taken. This comic stopped updating a few years ago suspiciously, which is a real shame, because it was a great comic, but... whatever. Perhaps there's a monster that eats webcomic artists. Oh well! Check this one out if you're okay with a permanent cliffhanger storyline! Updates: Null
AppleGeeks- www.applegeeks.com
This one's written by the guy from Johnny Wanderer and one of the characters from Comedity! So to sum it all up, it's Comedity from a different perspective, namely the characters you didn't get to know in that comic. It's hilarious, and very Mac oriented, in case that's a problem. Even if it is, it's still worth checking out! It does stray into fantasy by having a robot friend, but the idea is pretty nonchalant for everyone. Updates: the comic itself has stopped, but AppleGeeks Lite is updated Monday, Wednesday, Friday
Bug Comic- http://www.bugcomic.com/
This comic is hilarious and absolutely fantastic. I know I said that about other comics, but this one really deserves it. It's humor using cartoon bugs, but isn't gross at all. I like this one a lot because it builds to a ridiculous crescendo of a punchline. It usually starts out with a simple joke (it's about three or four frames long) and then builds up to this, "Oh wow." moment, so it's always enjoyable. Updates: Monday through Friday
Surviving the World- http://survivingtheworld.net/
This comic was linked to me in the middle of 2009, and I just caught up to it a little over a year later. I'm very glad I did. It's another photo comic, like A Softer World, done on a chalk board, and I love it. It covers love, science, sports, politics, and everything in between. Every Friday he has what he calls a Recitation, which are questions sent in by the readers, so that's pretty cool (1/19/12-Recitations are over, but now he has funny Homework assignments). Updates: Daily
***Guilded Age- http://guildedage.net/
This comic is pretty good. It's fantasy so it's got magic and warriors and wizards and whatnot, but it's really original in my opinion, not based off DnD at all. This one definitely deserves your attention. Updates: Monday, Wednesday, Friday
***Doghouse Diaries- http://www.thedoghousediaries.com/
This comic is wonderful. It's like a layman's version of XKCD. It's written by three guys, but the art is always the same. I say that it's a layman's version of XKCD because they're pretty much stick figures with witty text, but it has nothing to do with ridiculous things like logarithms and mathematical formulae. It's just silliness. Updates: Monday, Wednesday, Friday
The Fancy Adventures of Jack Cannon- http://fancyadventures.com/
This comic is pretty good. The art is a little odd, but it's good so... that's good. Yeah. This guy is resistant to hacking, and these guys can hack real life, which I personally love, so craziness ensues. The storyline is developing a lot more than it did in the beginning, and while picking up is usually a given, some comics don't, so I give it credit for that. Updates: Monday, Friday
***Amazing Super Powers- http://www.amazingsuperpowers.com/
This comic is utterly fantastic. It's usually in really poor taste, like a longer SMBC, but less math/sciency. I love it. Also, if you go to the top right corner of the comic itself, just outside the border, there's an invisible question mark. The first few comics have nothing in the link, just a caveman smelling funny, but after that there's a second comic under it. Definitely check this one out. Updates: Monday, Wednesday, Friday
The Abominable Charles Christopher- http://www.abominable.cc/
This one is sad, and not in an A Softer World way. It's about a Sasquatch I suppose, and his life through the forest. It also goes along with a circus bear, which is also really depressing. I'm not sure when it takes place since it's got a king who lives in a castle, but it's also got rifles, so maybe around the turning point in Europe? Who knows. All I know is that the artist/writer apparently did some Superman comics, which is pretty neat to see his personal stuff. It's a great comic. Updates: Wednesday
***Darwin Carmichael is Going to Hell- http://dcisgoingtohell.com/
This is a really funny comic. So far it hasn't had a dip, which is great. It's about this guy who accidentally makes the baby Dali Lama mentally retarded, and now he has awful awful awful karma, but his ex-girlfriend-now-friend has untouchable karma for some reason, which results in odd things like she can't get dirty from lying in the mud. Darwin lives with his pet manticore, Skittles, who is adorable. Updates: Tuesday, Thursday
***Mint Condition- http://www.mintconditioncomic.com/
This comic is a bit helter-skelter as well, but I still enjoy it. It's on hiatus for a while. I'm unsure why, but the author's wife was sick for a while, but hopefully nothing too serious. Otherwise it's a really funny comic. It's almost like Johnny Wander with a touch of Geek Tragedy and a dash of Comedity. If you read any of the reviews of those comics above, you know this comic is good! Updates: Hiatus
They All Bleed the Same- http://tabts-comic.com/
While setting up for a really depressing comic, it's nothing like that. It's actually really really cheery and funny, mostly tapping into sci-fi and a touch of gaming, but you don't need to know anything about games to read it, because there's maybe one comic with a pokeball in it. Otherwise it has nothing to do with games. The main character's roommate is into really dark sci-fi and owns a Meebo, if that means anything to any of you, because it didn't to me. The cat is pretty sweet too. Updates: Hiatus
Gone with the Blastwave- http://www.blastwave-comic.com/
GAAAAH THIS COMIC NEVER UPDATES I'M SAD. Now that that's out of the way... This is a pretty funny comic. I'm sure it refers to a real video game, but I don't know what game that is and I enjoy it all the same. You don't even need to be a gamer to enjoy this comic. It's completely from the perspective of being in the game, without ever breaking the 4th wall or acknowledging that it's a game, so pretend I said nothing about being a gaming comic. It's just a war comic with some silliness referring to gaming aspects like ammo and health packs. Updates: every couple of months
Gunshow- http://gunshowcomic.com/
Gods, as this comic says, Not for Children. Gunshow enjoys violating everything. That being said, it's always hilarious and isn't always violating things. I probably set it up poorly again. It's a wonderful comic, just not for children. It's become one of my favorite comics out there. Updates: Monday, Wednesday, Friday
Buttersafe- http://buttersafe.com/
This comic is ridiculous and wonderful. It's not the most extravagant art, but most of these comics aren't, and I love them just the same. It's a lot like Bug Comic where it seems innocent enough and then you laugh at how odd the ending is. Updates: Tuesday, Thursday
***Oglaf- http://oglaf.com/
God this comic is wonderful and dirty. Especially dirty. For once in my life, I'd say that this comic is DEFINITELY NSFW (not safe for work for those of you not from the internet... but what are you doing here?). It's got a lot of nudity, male and female, as well as semen. If you don't want to get past the ridiculousness of how NSFW this comic is, it's not for you. For the rest of you, definitely read on. It's really really really funny, and probably one of my favorites. Unfortunately it only updates once a week, but it leaves me wanting more of it, and the art is great. Which... sounds bad when you remember the nudity, but still, it's great. My favorites are the well/fountain comics. What am I talking about? Read and find out!!! Updates: Monday, sometimes late Sunday
Blank It- http://blankitcomics.com/
*The title is in the alt-text but nothing more than that*
This comic is new to me, but it's been around for at least a bit of a while, and it's fantastic. It's really existential, but not in an annoying way. The art is really good, and it's really funny. It's ridiculous and really free form in what happens, but that's the point of the comic itself, and at least the story is consistent. I wouldn't say that you need to be really thinky to read this. It's existential, but in a really sarcastic and funny way. Don't think too hard, you'll shoot your eye out. Updates: Tuesday, Thursday
***Skidmore Bluffs- http://www.skidmorebluffs.net/
This is another photo comic, and is very very very much like a softer world, even though in an email with him he said he doesn't like A Softer World, as well as in one of his updates. It's pretty depressing in the same way as A Softer World, sometimes more, sometimes less. Because it's so simply done, i.e. on a blogspot page, it's almost inspiring me to start my own, which is actually why I got this blogspot in the first place, so this comic can't be that bad! Updates: On and off, but usually Monday
***Scenes From A Multiverse- http://amultiverse.com/
This one is incredibly quirky. It goes to different places in the universe to see how things are doing, and it's just awesomely fantastic. The names of the places are really clever and I enjoy that the artist can continue to get new names. The art is really good, so that's a plus. Definitely worth checking out, because it's a lot like a regular comic, except that it uses aliens, though sometimes it visits earth. It's a fairly new comic, but it updates every weekday, so definitely impressive, again. For Friday, the audience gets to vote where the comic visits from that week's comics. Bunnies ran for about three weeks. Updates: Monday through Friday
Penny Arcade- http://www.penny-arcade.com/comic/
Penny Arcade was recommended to me a while back, but I wasn't really all that into it. Recently I decided to catch up to it, and it's definitely reaching the top of my list. It's not so much a flip-flop as it is just a growing interest. They talk about games almost every comic, so I would say it definitely helps to know the game they're talking about. This is definitely I would say is better for gamer-oriented people, but if you're like me and only live on the outskirts of the gamer community, you can still enjoy this one. Between the Back and Forward button is News. I would suggest reading that because it explains the context of that day's comic. They make fun of games or a gaming situation, so if you want to get a more in depth view of the comic beyond the few panels they show, it's a good read, albeit a bit long (But you're reading eight pages of comic reviews, so what are you to judge?). Updates: Monday, Wednesday, Friday, has not missed a single update, ever. Period.
The Gutters- http://www.the-gutters.com/
This one's intriguing, because it's produced by the guys from Looking For Group and Least I Could DO, AKA Blind Ferret (a dream job...) but the art is very rarely drawn by them. Honestly, they have the best About page ever, so I'll let that do the writing. I'm not being lazy, they just do it better! "In brief, Gutters is a series of standalone pages that parody the comic book industry and the heroes and characters that dwell within. Think of it as an editorial cartoon targeting comic books, and you'll understand where we're going with it. Gutters is written by Ryan Sohmer, with Lar deSouza as Art Director and Ed Ryzowski serving as colorist. As for who will be doing the actual art, well, that's where things get interesting (and slightly different). Rather than have one artist pencil each page, we elected to have a rotating roster of professional artists, among them some giants in the comic book industry alongside new and emerging talent." So there you go! Definitely check this one out. It's fairly new, but also rapidly ascending to the top. Updates: Monday, Wednesday, Friday
Tiny Ghosts- http://www.tinyghosts.com/
Tiny Ghosts was recommended by a reader of this very post, and I quickly caught up to it, so I figured it deserved a write-up. This is much like A Softer World, even more-so than Skidmore Bluffs. It's very sad, and that's where the humor is at. While A Softer World is supposed to be so horrible that you laugh, Tiny Ghosts is almost written in a way that you want to laugh to keep from crying. Most of the time anyway, sometimes it's sweet and sometimes it is happy, but either way it's a very good comic. It's a photo comic, but it uses toys instead of people like the other two comics mentioned, but real scenery, so not quite like Action Figure Comics. Updates: Monday
***Magpie Luck- http://magpieluck.com/
I don't quite know how I came across this one, but isn't that case with a lot of these? It's just sad because I only started this one about a week ago from 11/13/10 (current edition of this), and I've already forgotten. Anyway, the storyline is what's important! It's about a girl named Tristan who can time-travel, and as far as she knows, she's the only one. She's got a bottled gaseous friend named Kem that helps her focus on her destination, and a couple of fun hats, so that's nice. She's taking a month long break starting from 2/1/11, but definitely check back in March! Updates: Tuesday, Thursday
The Bean- http://www.beanleafpress.com/
This is also a new one (11/13/10) and I cannot remember where it came from, but I'm not too interested in that fact, though I do like to cite my sources...
Regardless of that, this comic is definitely a solid comic. It's about a boy who doesn't have any parents and works in a restaurant at a crossroad in the middle of nowhere. It's very fantasy, as the other main characters are ogres, though the bartender and female lead are both human, as is Bean, the boy. It's got a magic sword and a creature who only talks in rhyme, which is always a plus! I love having a personal view of a comic and then reading to find out it's part of a bigger scheme, like LICD and Blind Ferret. The Bean started out (a couple of times actually) as a novel that didn't go over so well, but he's started over as a comic book rather a novel. He's releasing them in a series of books, currently book 3, in what I assume are bookstores and also posting them online, perhaps to gain a fan-base. Regardless of reasoning, that is quite impressive, as is the comic, so get reading! Updates: Tuesday, Thursday
Our Valued Customers- http://ourvaluedcustomers.blogspot.com/
This one seems simple, but definitely does not disappoint. The author works in a comic book store (I was linked from Mookie's blog because the store is located around the corner from him where he buys his comic books. No, he does not appear in it) and these are honest-to-gods real customers. I really like the art because he does a great caricature of these people and you really get the feel for what they are like. The things they say seem really outrageous, but I'm not surprised that these are real people, because after all, truth is stranger than fiction, right? It's very funny, but it would be hard to say it wasn't because it's real. It's sad that people say things like this, but it's just part of the charm of working in a comic book store I guess! Updates: Daily
***Girls with Slingshots- http://www.girlswithslingshots.com/
Girls with Slingshots is a bit of a "slice-of-life" comic, but like Johnny Wander. JW is based off of the two creators' lives, while GWS is fiction. It's just realistic fiction. It's sexual, it's cute, it's funny, and it's wonderful. It follows Hazel through her relationships, her jobs, and her life overall. I don't have too much to say about this comic other than that it's reached what I'd say is a top 10 list of comics. Updates: Monday Through Friday
*** Nedroid Picture Diaries- http://nedroid.com/
This comic is so goofy. It follows Beartato, who is a bear in the shape of a bear, and Reginald, who is a bird. If that doesn't sounds like the recipe for a sickass comic, then get out of my emporium. Updates: Monday, Wednesday, Friday
Pictures for Sad Children- http://picturesforsadchildren.com/
Pictures of Sad Children is probably my favorite comic after A Softer World, though because it's stopped updating it's gotten bumped down a couple notches. It's started to update a bit again though, which is nice. It's a depressed comic with a morbid sense of humor that allows it to laugh at itself. It's very depressing, but much like A Softer World it's funny if you like dark humor. Interestingly enough it's a drawn comic, which is simple but elegant. For a bit it had a storyline, but then the creator started doing one-offs. They are longer comics though, maybe a whole page or so, which means more bang for your buck. Which is free. So really you are getting more for nothing and that is almost always a good thing! Updates: Monday, Wednesday
So that's about it. I don't necessarily love all these comics, but i didn't want to leave anything out because I honestly do enjoy them all in one way or another. If you don't like one, move on. No two comics are the same regardless of how I compared them. they have their downsides, they have their upsides, much like a book. In regards to liking one, I'd say that if you can remember awesome quotes or find yourself bookmarking certain pages, you enjoy the comic greatly. if the comic gets boring, book mark the last page you read, move on, and come back to it. Sometimes you just get tired of a storyline. I get rid of comics sometimes, but maybe I'll come back to them. You never know.
Another major note I'd like to point out is that these comics, whether drawn or photographed, are these creators' full time jobs. While I'm not soliciting their shirts and mugs and books, though I encourage you to check them out(!), if you feel so inclined please turn off any adblockers you have for their pages. At this point I've gone through and turned it off for all my comics because they do get paid by view and they can't get ad views if you are blocking said ads. That being said, if you don't want to deal with ads on the margins of the pages then that's fine, but I just ask that you consider supporting these fantastic creators who work so very hard to entertain you at no real cost to you.
Enjoy!!!
Classy at Best or What Does "Brand Spanking New" Even Mean?
Welcome to my blog! Or as XKCD calls them, blags. I might stick with that, since it sounds friendly. That's right, I read XKCD, as well as a thousand other webcomics. I'll probably do some sort of blag on them at some point.
You might find most of this blag nonsense or a bit of rambling, but that's...not really selling the idea of reading this...is it? Interestingly(!) enough, I was wondering why "blag" wasn't be corrected by Firefox, and curiously enough:
blague |bläg|
noun
a joke or piece of nonsense.
Knowing my luck, this has nothing to do with why "blag" isn't corrected, but it works for what I'm talking about, so all is well I suppose...
So I spent a good half hour, 45 minutes choosing a name for my blag's (you can't possessivify blog either) link. It's amazing to realize how many people out there have the same prospects as you do (especially when you want a job...) when you go to register a name on the internet. Mind you, some of that time was spent thinking, "Okay, that didn't work, what else relates to you but something you don't overuse..." and then proceeding to other tabs of comics I've discovered over the past few hours.
Anyway, every time a title failed, I went and found the actual Blogspot page. It's amazing how many times people have started something like this and failed miserably like a baby bird trying to fly on a windy day (Beware readers, that might just be the classy part!). I really wanted Be Sensible, since that's the name of a comic I keep trying to do, but both besensible and be-sensible were taken. I checked out be-sensible first. There was nothing there. Everything was designed and set up, though not very elaborately, and abandoned. It didn't even get the, "Whoo, first new post, I'm going to be the greatest fucking thing out there since sliced bread and blog about [insert dream here]!" It got the, "Eeeh....This looks hard... I'll be back later" (of course not typed. Though admit, that would be a great first post). You know when it was made? 2005. They've taken the potential from me to write for something called Be Sensible like this. I'm not angry... More amazed. By not using Be Sensible, I was forced to choose something else. Does that mean that it has set off a huge chain of events? Some day someone else with big hopes will log onto Blogspot, take a huge deep breath as they pour their soul into the internet and... "dontbesensible is unavailable. Please try something else." Then from there, someone else will want whatever that person took and so on and so on... My assumption? Probably not. No one really cares. Who knows if all this bother is not worth the hassle and I'll never post here again this will become, as my english class referred to it, space junk. Well, let's hope not! Anyway, I was a bit saddened that besensible was taken. It's not like the old days though, is it? Nothing like the days when iff'n you wanted someone else's land, you dragged them out into the street and beat them to a bloody corpse. I don't really know when that actually was, but I doubt I would utilize it anyway... (See, now I've gone and made myself seem violent...Sorry.) Anyway, so that was out. Disappointed, but still shiny with hope, I checked out besensible. Again, no dice. I meandered over to the owner's page, and saw a few interesting posts. They're long, political, and a bit boring, but at least there are postings. Hope at last! Maybe someone didn't just give up and decided to put their mind online! Alas, the most recent posts were five in one day in 2006. Pooh. I did not realize until I just double checked the site that it was last used on 2006. Foolishly, and attempting to be nice, I posted on the most recent post saying something along the lines of how I wanted the name, but the blog seemed interesting enough, so I tipped my proverbial internet hat, and went about my day. Now I wonder if the author will open up his or her email tomorrow morning before work or school and see that some nut 4 years later has attempted to be polite on the internet. Will it even get read? Probably. I'll peak their curiosity. "Who the hell is commenting on this old thing...?" Hell, maybe they'll rediscover it and start over! I could be a hero... Probably not though.
So the reason I went from Be Sensible to the exact opposite of Don't Be Sensible is that at the top of my comics with the title, Be Sensible, just above the "Be" quite tiny it says "Don't". The reason for this title is because I once took an internet quiz using only Jimmy Eat World songs and it said, "If your life was a tv show, what would it be called?" I put down, Be Sensible. Well, if you actually listen to the song (please do, it's quite good), the line goes, "Don't get comfortable, Don't be Sensible". So there you go, but since I want it to seem like you should have a really good idea and then throw that out the window (as violently as possible, please), I stuck the Don't in there real tiny-like.
So there you have it! Welcome to Mimir's Well, Blogspot for knowledge you do or do not seek! Since my website seems to have trouble getting updated because the web designer is also in school, I might start using this for my comics. Who knows? (Eugh, Blogspot wants to capitalize the word "internet".)
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