comics dump
It's time for another "Hey fraterrisus, what comics are you reading these days?" post. Today I'm going all Academy Awards on you and doing categories, where I'll (mostly) list the top three.
THE "NOT SURE IF I LIKE IT OR NOT YET" LIST
Battlepug (weeklyish): If I didn't have to skip over the Friday photo dump of readers' pugs, I'd bump the letter grade up. The art is really good and the swords-and-sorcery story has enough hooks to be interesting, although I'm not totally sold yet. B+
Power Nap (irregular): Maritza Campos' (of College Roomies From Hell! fame) latest writing project. I like the art (not hers), but the story has failed to really grab me. The pacing is kind of slow and I haven't figured out The Point yet. But I still keep reading it. Sometimes comics like this end up on my "Why am I still reading this?" list. Sometimes they become my favorites. B-
Reptilis Rex (M-R): It came to me highly recommended by someone who's opinion I largely trust, but this is the very definition of "Not Sure": in a month and a half of updates, it has not yet made me laugh out loud once. So, YMMV. C+
Honorable mention: Little Guardians
THE "I'VE BEEN READING THIS FOR A LONG TIME BUT CAN'T DECIDE IF I ACTUALLY LIKE IT [ANYMORE]" LIST
Octopus Pie, Skin Horse, Two Lumps
THE "OBSCURE" LIST
Faraday the Blob (irregular): Take one part Nobody Scores! and one part Bob the Angry Flower, place in a bowl and blend until smooth. Surreal and often irrational, but more entertaining than I can do justice in words. B+
Scandinavia and the World (irregular): Anthropomorphic countries have funny conversations about other countries. Plays up every stereotype ever, but does it in a charming and friendly fashion. Worth reading! A-
Guilded Age (M,W,F): At first, it was just another swords and sorcery epic. But then the plot took a really interesting modern-day twist, and now we're back in the epic. T Campbell has proven me wrong again; I once said that I didn't like anything he's done except Fans!, and this one is at least sticking around in my reader. B+
Honorable mention: Yellow Peril
THE "COULD BE SYNDICATED IF YOU SQUINT A BIT" LIST
Bug (M-F): If you like syndicated gag-a-day comics like you see in the newspaper, but want something that isn't quite so restrained in terms of language or subject matter, Bug might be a good comic for you. It never blows me away but it's worth a good laugh every now and then. B
Sheldon (M-F): Cross Bill Gates with Calvin (of and Hobbes fame) and you get the precocious title character. Some people will probably find this bland; I really like Dave Kellett's writing and I often find this strip charming if not laugh-out-loud funny. A-
Atomic Laundromat (M,W,F): Cross a superhero comic with Seinfeld. Everybody comes and hangs out at the laundromat, where the proprieter tries to figure out how to prevent his robotic washing machine from ruining the stained capes and leotards of his customer. B+
Honorable mention: Out There
THE "YOU'VE PROBABLY ALREADY HEARD OF THIS ONE" LIST
Scenes From A Multiverse (M-F, sorta): Jon Rosenberg, of Goats fame, at his best. Occasionally the satire is a little too on-point even for me, but the riffs are too good. A
The Oatmeal (irregular): social commentary, thinly-veiled satire, random crap, and entertaining rants. You've probably been forwarded at least one of his comics. Makes a great addition to an RSS reader because it's so occasional. A
Order Of The Stick (irregular): Imagine if your buddy who's a DM for a D&D campaign drew a stick-figure comic of his players. It's been running since 2003, but if you're not a gamer you may not have heard of it. Come to think of it, if you're not a gamer, you probably won't find it funny. But I do. Also has the distinction of having just finished a $1M+ Kickstarter project. A+
Lifetime Achievement Award: Welcome back, Brunching Shuttlecocks.
THE "I'VE PROBABLY ALREADY RECOMMENDED THIS ONE TO YOU" LIST
A Girl And Her Fed (M,R): Shit got real a couple of chapters ago, and now we've been flung into a future where the Feds seem to have the upper hand. Still worth following, although at this point you should probably go back to the beginning instead of just jumping in. At least you get to see Otter's better artwork on the early strips she's redrawn. B+
Max Overacts (M,W,F): Precocious child with a flare for the dramatic wends his way through elementary school with sympathetic parents, a teenage goth sister, his best friend, and a (puppy)love interest. Go find the murder mystery birthday present story from a few months ago; it's worth reading and a good introduction to most of the main characters (and a few obscure ones). A
Spacetrawler (M,W): Christopher Baldwin's (Bruno, Little Dee) sprawling sci-fi epic, told from the perspective of the only(?) survivor. Funny, heartwarming, human, and entertaining. If you like any of his other stuff, you'll like this. If you've never read his other stuff, the links are below. A-
Honorable mention: Garfield minus Garfield, Fans!, Drive, Dresden Codak
THE "SO POPULAR I'M NOT EVEN GOING TO WRITE A REVIEW" LIST
Diesel Sweeties (M-F), A Softer World (irregular), Girls With Slingshots (M-Fish), Sinfest (daily), Least I Could Do (M-F), Questionable Content (M-F), Piled Higher and Deeper (M,W,F ish), xkcd (M,W,F), Adventures of Dr. McNinja (M,W,F), Something Positive (irregular),
THE "OTHER STUFF I LIKE BUT AM TOO LAZY TO REVIEW" LIST
Girls With Slingshots (M-Fish), Yet Another Fantasy Gamer Comic (daily), Spinnerette (M,W,F), Surviving the World (M-F), Devil's Panties (daily), Wondermark (dailyish), Dork Tower (irregular), Little Dee (reruns, M-F), Bruno (reruns, M-F)
THE "NOT SURE IF I LIKE IT OR NOT YET" LIST
Battlepug (weeklyish): If I didn't have to skip over the Friday photo dump of readers' pugs, I'd bump the letter grade up. The art is really good and the swords-and-sorcery story has enough hooks to be interesting, although I'm not totally sold yet. B+
Power Nap (irregular): Maritza Campos' (of College Roomies From Hell! fame) latest writing project. I like the art (not hers), but the story has failed to really grab me. The pacing is kind of slow and I haven't figured out The Point yet. But I still keep reading it. Sometimes comics like this end up on my "Why am I still reading this?" list. Sometimes they become my favorites. B-
Reptilis Rex (M-R): It came to me highly recommended by someone who's opinion I largely trust, but this is the very definition of "Not Sure": in a month and a half of updates, it has not yet made me laugh out loud once. So, YMMV. C+
Honorable mention: Little Guardians
THE "I'VE BEEN READING THIS FOR A LONG TIME BUT CAN'T DECIDE IF I ACTUALLY LIKE IT [ANYMORE]" LIST
Octopus Pie, Skin Horse, Two Lumps
THE "OBSCURE" LIST
Faraday the Blob (irregular): Take one part Nobody Scores! and one part Bob the Angry Flower, place in a bowl and blend until smooth. Surreal and often irrational, but more entertaining than I can do justice in words. B+
Scandinavia and the World (irregular): Anthropomorphic countries have funny conversations about other countries. Plays up every stereotype ever, but does it in a charming and friendly fashion. Worth reading! A-
Guilded Age (M,W,F): At first, it was just another swords and sorcery epic. But then the plot took a really interesting modern-day twist, and now we're back in the epic. T Campbell has proven me wrong again; I once said that I didn't like anything he's done except Fans!, and this one is at least sticking around in my reader. B+
Honorable mention: Yellow Peril
THE "COULD BE SYNDICATED IF YOU SQUINT A BIT" LIST
Bug (M-F): If you like syndicated gag-a-day comics like you see in the newspaper, but want something that isn't quite so restrained in terms of language or subject matter, Bug might be a good comic for you. It never blows me away but it's worth a good laugh every now and then. B
Sheldon (M-F): Cross Bill Gates with Calvin (of and Hobbes fame) and you get the precocious title character. Some people will probably find this bland; I really like Dave Kellett's writing and I often find this strip charming if not laugh-out-loud funny. A-
Atomic Laundromat (M,W,F): Cross a superhero comic with Seinfeld. Everybody comes and hangs out at the laundromat, where the proprieter tries to figure out how to prevent his robotic washing machine from ruining the stained capes and leotards of his customer. B+
Honorable mention: Out There
THE "YOU'VE PROBABLY ALREADY HEARD OF THIS ONE" LIST
Scenes From A Multiverse (M-F, sorta): Jon Rosenberg, of Goats fame, at his best. Occasionally the satire is a little too on-point even for me, but the riffs are too good. A
The Oatmeal (irregular): social commentary, thinly-veiled satire, random crap, and entertaining rants. You've probably been forwarded at least one of his comics. Makes a great addition to an RSS reader because it's so occasional. A
Order Of The Stick (irregular): Imagine if your buddy who's a DM for a D&D campaign drew a stick-figure comic of his players. It's been running since 2003, but if you're not a gamer you may not have heard of it. Come to think of it, if you're not a gamer, you probably won't find it funny. But I do. Also has the distinction of having just finished a $1M+ Kickstarter project. A+
Lifetime Achievement Award: Welcome back, Brunching Shuttlecocks.
THE "I'VE PROBABLY ALREADY RECOMMENDED THIS ONE TO YOU" LIST
A Girl And Her Fed (M,R): Shit got real a couple of chapters ago, and now we've been flung into a future where the Feds seem to have the upper hand. Still worth following, although at this point you should probably go back to the beginning instead of just jumping in. At least you get to see Otter's better artwork on the early strips she's redrawn. B+
Max Overacts (M,W,F): Precocious child with a flare for the dramatic wends his way through elementary school with sympathetic parents, a teenage goth sister, his best friend, and a (puppy)love interest. Go find the murder mystery birthday present story from a few months ago; it's worth reading and a good introduction to most of the main characters (and a few obscure ones). A
Spacetrawler (M,W): Christopher Baldwin's (Bruno, Little Dee) sprawling sci-fi epic, told from the perspective of the only(?) survivor. Funny, heartwarming, human, and entertaining. If you like any of his other stuff, you'll like this. If you've never read his other stuff, the links are below. A-
Honorable mention: Garfield minus Garfield, Fans!, Drive, Dresden Codak
THE "SO POPULAR I'M NOT EVEN GOING TO WRITE A REVIEW" LIST
Diesel Sweeties (M-F), A Softer World (irregular), Girls With Slingshots (M-Fish), Sinfest (daily), Least I Could Do (M-F), Questionable Content (M-F), Piled Higher and Deeper (M,W,F ish), xkcd (M,W,F), Adventures of Dr. McNinja (M,W,F), Something Positive (irregular),
THE "OTHER STUFF I LIKE BUT AM TOO LAZY TO REVIEW" LIST
Girls With Slingshots (M-Fish), Yet Another Fantasy Gamer Comic (daily), Spinnerette (M,W,F), Surviving the World (M-F), Devil's Panties (daily), Wondermark (dailyish), Dork Tower (irregular), Little Dee (reruns, M-F), Bruno (reruns, M-F)