Webcomics 2010... IN REVIEW!
Every year I add new webcomics to my repertoire to read and enjoy. Sometimes I stumble upon them through adds, blog posts, friends, etc. but I always manage to find new ones. There's no guarantee that once I go through the archives of a particular comic I'll stick with it, but sometimes I just fall utterly in love.. So since I'm gearing up to resume music reviews, I figured I'd start with something simple, by reviewing the top 10 webcomics I have found this year. I'm not saying they started this year, I just happened to find them in 2009. So without further pontificating here they are.
10. Imy
Imy is a comic that should naturally have a good deal of appeal to me, dealing a great deal with rock n roll. While I can't say the art style is wowing, it is a very nice cartoon style. As for the writing, the dialogue can be funny with ease and makes good use of art to enhance the points of humor. I am of two minds about the extended story lines, as I really enjoyed the longer Coffee Pot and New Baby storylines, but thought the Song for Summer drug on a little too long and was a bit too heavy with the romance. I have no problem with comic romance (unlike Final Fantasy character wannabe Jess) but it has to be handled well. I know the characters are together and this is just them getting together, but... Okay, maybe I'm sounding more critical than I mean to. It's a good comic which has a good sense about music (Kid Rock excluded). Worth a read certainly.
9. Cat and Girl
I am way behind on this one, which has been around for 10 years, but cut me some slack. I stumble upon comics at my leisure and after having seen this on the door of another office on my floor, I decided to enjoy its musings. Now I would hardly consider myself counter-culture, as I tend to just let distinctions of mainstream move past me, so some of the humor is lost on me. But at other times, Cat and Girl manages to be downright funny or thoughtful. I especially like the character design which is so simple but just right for the comic. Any time a stress line appears beneath a character's eye, I giggle with delight. Its hard to catch up on, like I said, because of the huge archive. But its a pleasant diversion.
8. Hiimdaisy
I guess that's what its called. While not really a comic in the normal sense, it is one of the funnier video game parodies I have seen in quite a while. Jess is utterly enchanted by it (since I am no longer allowed to have private things I find funny) but this is with good reason. We often find ourselves doing impressions of Gene or the King. And the art is just perfect for this type of comic (I again point to Gene, whose facial expressions are great). I hope it updates more often, but since its a journal I can't really demand much.
7. Dead Winter
A comic about zombies? How novel. I found this one through Slackerz, which had posted a link the year before that I missed but better late than never I suppose. I can't say that the storyline is the most original, but zombie stories have locked up about all you can do. That being said, its still a good work through of the zombie apocalypse with a very sharp visual style. The gray/white/black/red look quite good and convey quite a bit of mood. The characters also interesting though, some of their arcs seem only to be beginning. I look forward to its progress and hopefully it won't fall prey to its update schedule like Zombie Hunters has/did.
6. Erfworld
At first I was really turned off by the art style (though this has changed) but what really got me to like this is the funny and expansive nature of the world. I got very interested in all the caster classes and whatnot and just what Stanley the Plaid cum Tool would do (apparently dress like a member of KISS). While I don't find Parson to be the best character around (especially in his easy acceptance of his new world), he drives the series with good thought out logic and as of the second book, very realistic reactions to the situation around him. I may not be the biggest strategy gamer, but this puts forth an interesting premise with just enough silliness to get you through.
5. Great!
Way back when, Ribald Youth was one of my favorite comics. Now two comics later, the artist seems to still be on his game. Great is a very simple premise but its treated in such an over the top manner at times, that I must laugh. The way the superiority of gangs work (by street number apparently) was so very funny. "But they didn't count on how good you guys were at dodging bullets" Or the fact that the main character can kill anyone with a bar stool. The more extreme the actions taken, the funnier it gets here. The art, like Ribald, is pretty simple but its still expressive and conveys both physical humor and reaction with ease.
4. Dawn of Time
Dawn of Time is a simply wonderful ongoing comic, playing around with history as it will.. Not only is the art interesting (Dawn's usual blank expression is quite funny) but a lot of the gags work with minimal effort. The whole top hat thing can easily put me in stitches. The story lines have varied far and wide without getting boring and I must say that if I don't own a "I'm Stegosaurus" shirt, I will have failed my life's mission.
3. Goblins
I had seen this comic quite a while ago, but didn't want to read it because I was turned off by the way the goblins were drawn. Boy, do I feel stupid. This is simply one of the best dramatic comics I have ever read. The story line is clever and with lots of turns and complex events. Every character is multi-layered, capable of humor and serious action. The action scenes are wonderful and as far as fantasy literature goes, extreme. As I said, at first I didn't like the way the Goblins were drawn, but its grown on me a bit and I look forward to more.
2. Oglaf
Oglaf is simply hilarious. Sex jokes run rampant in a fantasy setting that lets anything be possible. While Sexy Losers bordered on fantasy and Ghastly's toyed with it (sure they were fantastic characters, but they were in pretty mundane situations most of the time), Oglaf uses its stretch outside the real to portray any sexual proclivity they should so choose. Combined with a clean art style and a wonderful sense of human (you'll be oiling the hot bitches). its certainly worth a read. Also, make sure you check out the fake ads that are on some of the pages for extra humor that you oh-so need.
and last but not least...
1. Allan
I can't express how much this comic has infiltrated my life. Soon after reading it I was a member of the forums, participating in the Allan run RPG, and doing all sorts of nifty things. As I sit here in the shirt I bought from the site, I'm amazed how such a simple concept and art style would fire me up. The story lines (if you can call them that) range in to all sorts of things without getting boring. How odd to get fired up for someone else's life. Give it a read. It's simply delightful.
Well... not too stressful. Guess music reviews will resume soon. I read plenty of new comics this year, but these were my ten favorite. Hope they're yours too.
-Matt
10. Imy
Imy is a comic that should naturally have a good deal of appeal to me, dealing a great deal with rock n roll. While I can't say the art style is wowing, it is a very nice cartoon style. As for the writing, the dialogue can be funny with ease and makes good use of art to enhance the points of humor. I am of two minds about the extended story lines, as I really enjoyed the longer Coffee Pot and New Baby storylines, but thought the Song for Summer drug on a little too long and was a bit too heavy with the romance. I have no problem with comic romance (unlike Final Fantasy character wannabe Jess) but it has to be handled well. I know the characters are together and this is just them getting together, but... Okay, maybe I'm sounding more critical than I mean to. It's a good comic which has a good sense about music (Kid Rock excluded). Worth a read certainly.
9. Cat and Girl
I am way behind on this one, which has been around for 10 years, but cut me some slack. I stumble upon comics at my leisure and after having seen this on the door of another office on my floor, I decided to enjoy its musings. Now I would hardly consider myself counter-culture, as I tend to just let distinctions of mainstream move past me, so some of the humor is lost on me. But at other times, Cat and Girl manages to be downright funny or thoughtful. I especially like the character design which is so simple but just right for the comic. Any time a stress line appears beneath a character's eye, I giggle with delight. Its hard to catch up on, like I said, because of the huge archive. But its a pleasant diversion.
8. Hiimdaisy
I guess that's what its called. While not really a comic in the normal sense, it is one of the funnier video game parodies I have seen in quite a while. Jess is utterly enchanted by it (since I am no longer allowed to have private things I find funny) but this is with good reason. We often find ourselves doing impressions of Gene or the King. And the art is just perfect for this type of comic (I again point to Gene, whose facial expressions are great). I hope it updates more often, but since its a journal I can't really demand much.
7. Dead Winter
A comic about zombies? How novel. I found this one through Slackerz, which had posted a link the year before that I missed but better late than never I suppose. I can't say that the storyline is the most original, but zombie stories have locked up about all you can do. That being said, its still a good work through of the zombie apocalypse with a very sharp visual style. The gray/white/black/red look quite good and convey quite a bit of mood. The characters also interesting though, some of their arcs seem only to be beginning. I look forward to its progress and hopefully it won't fall prey to its update schedule like Zombie Hunters has/did.
6. Erfworld
At first I was really turned off by the art style (though this has changed) but what really got me to like this is the funny and expansive nature of the world. I got very interested in all the caster classes and whatnot and just what Stanley the Plaid cum Tool would do (apparently dress like a member of KISS). While I don't find Parson to be the best character around (especially in his easy acceptance of his new world), he drives the series with good thought out logic and as of the second book, very realistic reactions to the situation around him. I may not be the biggest strategy gamer, but this puts forth an interesting premise with just enough silliness to get you through.
5. Great!
Way back when, Ribald Youth was one of my favorite comics. Now two comics later, the artist seems to still be on his game. Great is a very simple premise but its treated in such an over the top manner at times, that I must laugh. The way the superiority of gangs work (by street number apparently) was so very funny. "But they didn't count on how good you guys were at dodging bullets" Or the fact that the main character can kill anyone with a bar stool. The more extreme the actions taken, the funnier it gets here. The art, like Ribald, is pretty simple but its still expressive and conveys both physical humor and reaction with ease.
4. Dawn of Time
Dawn of Time is a simply wonderful ongoing comic, playing around with history as it will.. Not only is the art interesting (Dawn's usual blank expression is quite funny) but a lot of the gags work with minimal effort. The whole top hat thing can easily put me in stitches. The story lines have varied far and wide without getting boring and I must say that if I don't own a "I'm Stegosaurus" shirt, I will have failed my life's mission.
3. Goblins
I had seen this comic quite a while ago, but didn't want to read it because I was turned off by the way the goblins were drawn. Boy, do I feel stupid. This is simply one of the best dramatic comics I have ever read. The story line is clever and with lots of turns and complex events. Every character is multi-layered, capable of humor and serious action. The action scenes are wonderful and as far as fantasy literature goes, extreme. As I said, at first I didn't like the way the Goblins were drawn, but its grown on me a bit and I look forward to more.
2. Oglaf
Oglaf is simply hilarious. Sex jokes run rampant in a fantasy setting that lets anything be possible. While Sexy Losers bordered on fantasy and Ghastly's toyed with it (sure they were fantastic characters, but they were in pretty mundane situations most of the time), Oglaf uses its stretch outside the real to portray any sexual proclivity they should so choose. Combined with a clean art style and a wonderful sense of human (you'll be oiling the hot bitches). its certainly worth a read. Also, make sure you check out the fake ads that are on some of the pages for extra humor that you oh-so need.
and last but not least...
1. Allan
I can't express how much this comic has infiltrated my life. Soon after reading it I was a member of the forums, participating in the Allan run RPG, and doing all sorts of nifty things. As I sit here in the shirt I bought from the site, I'm amazed how such a simple concept and art style would fire me up. The story lines (if you can call them that) range in to all sorts of things without getting boring. How odd to get fired up for someone else's life. Give it a read. It's simply delightful.
Well... not too stressful. Guess music reviews will resume soon. I read plenty of new comics this year, but these were my ten favorite. Hope they're yours too.
-Matt