The danger of a bad archive

I think a very important way for a webcomic to attract new readership is to make sure their archive is up to scratch. The fact is that almost all webcomics improve over time. Generally they are started by amateurs, who might not even be the greatest artists in the world, but soon get better as time goes on. And while art is not so important, writing is- there are an insane amount of comics that start in the whole real life comics style (a comic of which I have failed to get into for this very reason), where they say, "hey let's make a webcomic". It's annoying, and usually not very funny. I really do think many webcomics lose readers becuase of this- they've certainly lost me.

So what can they do? Well I think it's worth telling readers a good place to start- Schlock Mercenary is the only webcomic I know of that does this, encouraging readers to start waaay into the story, skipping the wormgate wars entirely. As a result it hooked me, and I read it still today. Once I had got into the story I came back and re-read the old strips, but far more forgivingly than I might have other wise. Who knows, I might have got into the story if I had started at the very beginning but this way I was far more likely to enjoy it.

Even the big comics suffer from this- sluggy freelance springs to mind, it's start was distinctly unengaging for me, and I would have given up on it if a friend hadn't heartily recommended it. This is a simple thing an author can do, and it can hardly hurt. What do you guys reckon?

Casey and Andy

I'm a little tired for a full review of Casey and Andy, a webcomic about two inventors who live together, but I'd like to point out that today's strip is very funny.

A post about Something Positive

I'm not sure how many of these snarky type posts I'll do, where I write about a specific strip- I will quite happily link to particular strips that I think are hilarious, if only because I appreciate it when other blogs do that for me. Sometimes though, I'll want to talk a little more about a strip.

This is one of these times- in these cases generally you will have wanted to read the strip before, but by now you should have read Something Positive.

Anyway, today's strip is interesting. Most of it is what we've seen so far- Davan is moving in with his dad if he gets any worse, Davan hates texas but loves his dad more... and then theres that little snippet "I'm sure he and I will adjust to texas so far."

A while back a blog called Sudden Nothing, which, as far as I know, does not update anymore, interviewed the author of SP, R.K. Milholland. During the course of the interview she inquired as to whether he was setting up PeeJee and Davan up to get together. He replied with a no comment. Now honestly that is something that had never occured to me before- they were friends, very good friends, but that's where it ends. It's made clear by both of them that's all they want earlier in the strip. But friendships do change, and relationships can come from the unlikeliest places.

And so comes today, where Peejee is willing to move to texas with Davan. What does this indicate? That they're dating already (in which case Milholland is a swine of the highest proportions for not mentioning yet), or that Peejee wants to, or just that they are very good friends. I don't know, but I'm interested in finding out. To be honest the prospect of them getting together is a tiny bit weird- a sort of Friends style thing where all the characters get together with each other in a very inbred fashion. Still, it certainly would be the biggest curve ball he has thrown so far.

Whatever happens, I'm fascinated to find out.

Order of the Stick

I really like The Order of the Stick. It is the first comic I have mentioned I think set in a very different world to ours, being a fantasy webcomic.

This is a very specific kind though- Order of the Stick is set in a world created by roleplayers, to the point that the characters will occasionally even reference this fact, breaking the fourth wall, perhaps, but in an entertaining enough way to get away with it. As a result, it's very funny, although probably not if you have never roleplayed in your life (and by roleplaying I mean the kind with dice, and not the sexual kind. I imagine there are webcomics based on such things as well, however).

The art is very pretty, even though all the characters are, in fact, stick figures with bodies. There is a real feeling of action when fighting occurs, probably aided by a healthy dose of colour.

Ultimately I would definitely recommend this if you have ever done any roleplaying, and give it a shot if you have not.

Eight to One

Eight to One is an indie little comic, with a relatively small fan base as far as I know. There are reasons for this. It's not always funny, although, this isn't always the point, and it's update schedule is very slow, with the author taking frequent breaks between new comics.

And yet I still read it. I guess I like the characters. A guy and a girl, friends of few words, who have difficulty connecting with the main stream, soaking in the rebellious under culture that all indie people like to imagine exists (although, when two indie people meet, they must contest to the death in a battle for superior musical knowledge of obscure bands, so that probably limits the population somewhat). It's no Questionable Content- the characters are not snappy, verbose and witty- they are far too real for that, far too withdrawn.

So yeah, I enjoy this comic- I dig the characters, and I care about them a little bit, which is enough for me to keep reading, and was ultimately what made me stop reading Scary Go Round.

Concerned

I want to talk about Concerned, the Half Life and death of Gordon Frohman, because no-one else seems to have mentioned it. Which is a shame, because I think it is a really good comic. You will, however, need to have played through Half Life 2 to get a majority of the jokes, but honestly anyone who has a pc which can run Half Life 2 has a duty to play the damn game.

Concerned is one of a particular type of comic made inside a game, with photos taken in game. Typically they vary heavily in quality. I have to admit to not being a huge fan of one of the longest running comics, Jeff, or indeed many of the comics there (although Apostasy is great, styled more like a graphic novel than a webcomic). Concerned is great though. I discovered it through Lore, the creator of Lore comics, and the Brunching Shuttlecocks, the latter being an institution on the net, although sadly non existent these days.

Anyway, Concerned roughly follows the story of a bumbling idiot, Frohman, just ahead of the main character Freeman. It is a story comic, although it's not exactly that much trouble if you don't start from the very beginning- there is not too much plot development of a serious kind, nor character development. It's probably not the most original concept in the world, but it works, and it is worth a look.

Today's dinasour comics

This is something that genuinely interests me. I can't remember how I make friends. Most of my friends at university are either my original flatmates, or people who I met through them. Which is weird.

the adventures of Dr McNinja

I'd just like to point out that, even though it updates very slowly, the adventures of DrMcNinja are some of the best on the net.

Queen of Wands

I want to talk about Queen of Wands now, because it is unique amoungst the webcomics that I have seen, in that it ended. I don't mean stopped, like elf only inn, or rpg world (which I shamefully failed to mention before. It's excellent), I mean it had a real conclusion, that the author, Aerie, planned this.

[Although, having claimed that it is unique in this, both Wendy and the Repository of Dangerous Things came to a reasonably planned end.]

So anyway, Queen of Wands. Like a lot of other webcomics, this one is an autobiographical webcomic, although towards the end it becomes less like the authors life. As with Something Positive, it is concerned with relationships, not noble quests to defeat evil. It actually has quite a lot of similarities to something positive, to the point that they had frequent crossovers. It is very dialogue heavy, and the characters are verbose. It's characters are certainly kinder than those of Something Positive, but to be honest thats not too hard to achieve.

An interesting thing about Queen of Wands is that, once it was finished, Aerie decided (after fan pressure), to rerun it, showing exactly the same strips but with a bit of commentary about it. This is a neat idea, and I don't think one that is done very frequently- some webcomics will write somethng about the day's strip, but nothing that insightful. Also, on a random note, Queen of Wands uses a version of infinte canvas, a sometimes derided technique which I think works well in this case.

You'll notice

That I've added a few links on the right there, so now I suspect I have a link to every webcomic blog that I know of anyhow. On a random note, I was checking through the list of webcomics I check daily. They number at 43.... Oh well, there are worse things to check every day, and I probably spend more time reading the countless number of blogs I also read.

Sluggy Freelance

Sluggy Freelance almost made the top 5. It's one of the oldest webcomics online, the archives go back 8 years or so, which means that it will take you sometime to read through them. However, it is very, very worth it. Sluggy Freelance is a story based comic which did something known as the "cerebus syndrome", where it started off as just a collection of gags, but eventually added character depth to the extent that it was able to get away with strips with no jokes at all (well, almost).

Basically about two friends and they're ridiculous adventures, fighting aliens, vampires, bunnies and kittens, sluggy freelance has inventive and exciting adventures, which are often very amusing.

Unfortunately, recently it has slowed down a little. The most recent plot line, oceans unmoving, has drawn some critisism for the introduction of a whole raft of characters who we couldn't care less about, with a confusing plot line thats difficult to keep hold of. However, after an age, the plotline is finally ending (after finally managing to elicit some interest in the characters) and hopefully it will get back into the swing of things.

Sluggy Freelance needs patience, especially at the start, but it has an army of fans that suggest theres something to it. I'm one of them.

Rob and Elliot

Rob and Elliot is brilliant. It is simply brilliant. Well drawn, it uses a gag a day format for some of the funniest strips I have ever read. It's difficult to go into detail about Rob and Elliot, because it's hard to find anything that much to talk about. It's simplicity is it's main allure- just two people in absolutely ridiculous situations. I am also pleased when both characters manage to display considerable amounts of stupidity, so there is not the standard set up of straight man and funny guy.

It updates quite slowly- about once a week, but with practically every strip being a joy it is worth it. I do say practically every, as some do miss their mark, but ultimately this is a great strip, and well worth reading.

Dominic Deegan

Dominic Deegan is a wonderful webcomic. It is certainly not unique in the world of webcomics, but is in comparison to the others mentioned here, seeing as it is the only one set in a fantasy based world.

It is a webcomic that initially starts as a grumpy seer that uses a lot of puns then develops into an engrossing story, with the love story between Dominic and Luna being touching, if, like me, you're a bit of a softy. It is not always played for jokes- there are points in the story where it becomes unncessary, and unlike the other ones mentioned here, there are not even attempts at gags at some points.

More than any other webcomic it is necessary to read this one from the start to enjoy it, but it definitely is worth it. It's certainly not that groundbreaking. While it stands out in the webcomic world, it's fantasy trappings give few surprises, although the world crafted is interesting, with some nice twists along the way, as you learn more about how magic works in Dominic's world. If you are not into fantasy stories, however, you certainly will not enjoy this comic.

Again, however, if this does not bother you, then you should find this comic to be perfectly enjoyable.

Questonable Content

Questionable Content is a nifty little comic, that fits into a very particular niche. It's a story based comic (the link will take you to the beginning of the archives), about some twentysomethings. More importantly, some twentysomethings who like music. This isn't, however, a webcomic about music- more like one that revolves around music. So if you don't have at least a minor interest in indie music, or indeed music of any kind, then you might not enjoy this comic so much (although having said that a random hop through the archive mostly puts the lie to my words).

However, there is much more to this comic. It is very funny. The humour does not solidify in a punchline like many strips, with Jacques prefering to make each panel amusing. There might be a punchline of some sort, but it might come mid-comic, or if it comes at the end, it will not be all it was building up to.

Also, there is the story. It is similar to something positive, in that it is set in a mostly real world, so the story is about the evolution of relationships rather than a quest to stop evil from overrunning the world. Which I prefer. It is mostly light hearted, although recently there has been a revelation, of Faye, the heroine's past, which until now has remained a mystery. Not only was this a mystery, it was also discussed all over the blogsphere. Which to be honest is something that happens a lot with webcomics these days.

Anyway, as I say, this is probably not for everyone, but it is very enjoyable if you like it's style.

on dead webcomics

The saddest thing in webcomic land is a promising webcomic that no longer updates. Some, like professor ashfield, a smart comic with exactly the same image and a different caption each day, have since come back with little or no warning. Some just disappear from the internet, like the enjoyable "Life's so Rad", are removed without a trace. There might be an explanation for that... but it has never been given.

Still, some are worth celebrating, and wishing for a come back. Specifically Elf Only Inn was always enjoyable. All about the going ons in an online fantasy roleplaying chatroom, it could be immensely funny, with a reasonable amount of plot development thrown in. It was one of my favourtie comics, until one day it stopped updating. It then came back... but stopped again, and has not updated for over a year. Will it come back? Who knows?

On that note, we should celebrate the comics that have come back. Cup of Suffering was very funny, and is finally back, although updating very slowly. I think it's worth waiting for.

Dinosaur comics

Dinosaur comics is something of a sensation amoungst the webcomics world. What I think is unique about the internet is even those with absolutely no talent have the potential to reach a huge audience, which can mean both good and bad things. Specifically, it means that a lot of webcomics are not particularly well drawn. The art is only so so. Some webcomics go so far as to not use any of their art at all- pixel comics, cut and paste pixels from games, and clip art comics take pre-drawn images and add captions. Dinosaur comics takes this to a new level, and has the same art every day.

In that case, what makes it worth reading? Well it has to be the writing. Ryan North coats his comics with a rather curious mix of intelligence and silliness. Brilliantly, each character has been given a personality, with t-rex being the star, his curiosity on each new issue, as he explores philosophy, or delightfully sexy double entendres...

All in all this makes for an excellent mix in humour. Ultimately there is little story progression- but dinosaur comics is not about that. New characters are introduced, such as God and the Devil. The comics are wordy, and the jokes often rely on absurdity- usually the humour comes from t-rex's often inane ending statements. This, arguably, is not for everyone, but it's pretty easy to tell whether it is for you- if you liked the comics I linked, then you'll probably like the rest. An advantage to little story progression is that there is no need to read through the archives, although if you are going to do read dinasour comics, I would recommend it, as there are some real gems there.

a penny arcade link

Some things just make me laugh so hard. Penny Arcade has it's off days and it's on days, but this is pure genius

fourth wall

Fourth wall breaking is considered anathema to webcomics, mainly because it has been done so much- practically every single webcomic will, at some point, break the fourth wall. Some do this well- by deliberately taking the characters out of context, (eg something positive) we do not lose a sense of reality in the comic, because this diversion is clearly silly. And sometimes they don't even do that, and it's still funny, as today's irregular webcomic attests to. I just like Nazi science jokes...

garfield without words

On Ryan North's forum, a new excitement has been found- posting garfield comics without garfield speaking. See the improvement!

joe loves crappy movies

Along the way while I actually write about webcomics, I'm gonna point out some very funny ones. I'm currently reading through the archive of this, and this made me laugh- a lot of it does.

something positive

Let's start as I mean to go on. Why do I like something positive?

That link you see will take you to the very start of the archive, where the art is significantly worse than it is today (it gets much better, I promise). I do that because Something Positive is one of many story comics I read- it tells us about Davan and his friend's lives. There is not necesssarily any point- as far as I know there is no specific point the artist, Randy Millohand is aiming for. The comic may end after 10 years- that's what I heard anyway.

So why do I like it? Well first of all, it is funny- not always laugh at loud funny, but sometimes genius, although very, very harsh humour. If you are easily offended, you probably shouldn't read it, but I think if you have a sense of humour and an open mind you will enjoy it (and if you don't, I have just implied you are a close minded simpelton).

But ultimately, I don't read something positive because it's funny. Honestly, it didn't really grip me when I started reading through the archive. The jokes were a little hit and miss, and while it's particular brand of sarcasm is one I enjoy, it was not gripping me enough. And then it hit me. I cared about the characters.

They are all very real, and they all hurt, and ultimately, for all their snarkiness, they care about each other. You see them genuinely evolve as time goes on, and mostly the change feels very natural. There are storylines that will genuinely affect you, until many claimed to have actually cried after the conclusion of a very recent cartoon. You'll notice I have tried to avoid spoilers in this, and this is a policy I will try to maintain with any webcomic that I think lives and falls on it's story. Admittedly it is still a very enjoyable ride reading something positive, but it's even better if you do not have it spoilt for you.

It will take a lot for me to stop loving something positive, and if you give it a chance, then I think it will affect you the same way too.

mission statement

Everyone has one of these, so why can't I? Hello all browsers. In this blog I intend to talk about webcomics. If thats really not your thing, then you can see what else I have to talk about at my other blog .I love them, I really do, and spend a lot of time every day reading them- I hope I can show you why. I think at their best they are easily better than most of what is produced in the mainstream. I hope to cater in this blog to both people who have been reading webcomics for a long time, by trying to find interesting webcomics people have not seen before, and also to those who are relatively new to the field by pointing out the best of the crop.

Generally I will not bother pointing out bad webcomics- I'm sure you can find those all on your own. I might talk about how I dislike comics that most people seem to enjoy, and places where ones I do engage me. I hope to start off by going through the webcomics I currently read and review them, interspersed with posts about particular things that have interested me that day if I see one. Don't worry, I don't intend to do this in a boring format- all opinions are, of course, subjective, so I will try to explain why I enjoy them, and see if I can find reasons why you might not. I will always shamelessly promote Something Positive, as it is easily my favourite webcomic.

In all this I owe a lot to much better writers than me, websnark of course, the ultimate for webcomic's commentary, and I am also going to steal comic rock's layout by having my five favourite webcomics as direct links and the other webcomics links archived.

So yeah, that's it. I hope you enjoy reading what I put up. I make no promises as to the update schedule of this blog, but it should be several times a week at least.