Thursday, February 26, 2009
Books Internet Strip Show
Posted by Paul Constant on Thu, Feb 26, 2009 at 11:46 AM
Yesterday, I wrote about how the Oregonian is going to have to axe ten comic strips as a cost-cutting measure.
There's a great little discussion going on in the comments thread to that post—I am now seriously considering whether Luann is a worse comic strip than Cathy, which is a brand-new way of looking at the world for me. But there are two comments that got me to thinking:
Any 3 random Web comics on an RSS feed, even if they're not chosen by me to my taste, will be better than anything the Oregonian puts together.
Posted by Cascadian on February 25, 2009 at 7:02 PM
and
I have a list of 10 or 15 webcomics that I compulsively check every morning, yet I can't think of one funny or worthwhile print strip. Webcomics, by and large, are so much more creative, challenging and intelligent than whatever lowest common denominator strip is deemed "appropriate" for a wide audience. Give me the artistic audacity of Dresden Codak, the dry smarts of XKCD, the crude laughs of Penny Arcade and the mindblowing storytelling of Rice Boy over anything on that list any morning.
Posted by ink on February 25, 2009 at 8:42 PM
I'm not crazy about Penny Arcade—nerd humor makes me itchy—but this makes me wonder about webcomics. I know Achewood, of course, and I follow Will Draw Anything and My Cardboard Life, but I'd love to put more webcomics on my RSS feed. The problem is that many webcomics are totally a word-of-mouth thing, and it's impossible to just stumble across them. I've never seen a site that aggregates webcomics; it seems like the kind of thing that could easily be a low-level moneymaking site with a few ads. The internet could use its own funny pages. I mean one that doesn't suck.
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1
Comics are another thing that you can freely read on the internet, but I have to feel for some of the old folks in the home who don't know how to operate a computer, let alone have access to one, who look forward to receiving their morning papers.
4
Natalie Dee (http://nataliedee.com/) and The Non-Adventures of Wonderella (http://nonadventures.com) are probably my favorites right now. But a good aggregator is a good idea, there are certainly ones I'm missing.
9
You find webcomics through other webcomics. Most all webcomics will have links to others, just look. The thing is, there's way too many webcomics for there to be a viable web comic aggregator. There's also comic search engines like Oh No Robot.
My favorite webcomics:
Pictures for Sad Children
We the Robots
Daisy Owl
Nedroid
And of course ones like PBF, PA, Achewood, Dinosaur Comics, etc..
Also, Copper
My favorite webcomics:
Pictures for Sad Children
We the Robots
Daisy Owl
Nedroid
And of course ones like PBF, PA, Achewood, Dinosaur Comics, etc..
Also, Copper
10
I'm awful fond of Cat and Girl: http://catandgirl.com/?p=1858
It makes me feel smrt. And it occasionally features Bad Decision Dinosaur, my favorite comics character since they heyday of Uncle Duke.
It makes me feel smrt. And it occasionally features Bad Decision Dinosaur, my favorite comics character since they heyday of Uncle Duke.
16
Schlock Mercenary - www.schlockmercenary.com
Questionable Content - http://questionablecontent.net/
8-bit Theatre - http://www.nuklearpower.com/latest.php
Overcompensating - http://www.overcompensating.com/
Menage a Trois - http://www.menagea3.net/
Goats - http://www.goats.com/
Some of my favorite webcomics I check everyday (although I check another dozen or so as well, these are some top performers ... at least top performers that haven't been mentioned yet ...)
Questionable Content - http://questionablecontent.net/
8-bit Theatre - http://www.nuklearpower.com/latest.php
Overcompensating - http://www.overcompensating.com/
Menage a Trois - http://www.menagea3.net/
Goats - http://www.goats.com/
Some of my favorite webcomics I check everyday (although I check another dozen or so as well, these are some top performers ... at least top performers that haven't been mentioned yet ...)
18
another vote for
Questionable Content - http://questionablecontent.net/
also has library worker content for you library nerds!
Questionable Content - http://questionablecontent.net/
also has library worker content for you library nerds!
19
A lot of webcomic creators are loathe to lose control of their comics by putting them on aggregators, even to the point of ignorance. Natalie Dee, for example, won't put her comics in an RSS feed because she thinks they'll be stolen. If there were a site that paid webcomic creators to republish their content and perhaps add exclusive content as well, that may work. But webcomic creators are a skittish bunch and would have to be convinced of its value.
I pretty much only read Achewood and Penny Arcade. XKCD is too ultra-geeky linux humor for my tastes.
I pretty much only read Achewood and Penny Arcade. XKCD is too ultra-geeky linux humor for my tastes.
20
The second comment on the post is mine, and I'm thrilled to see it up there!
As 9 correctly said, a lot of good webcomics will have a little link list somewhere on their page, either recommending other comics that are similarly themed or of similar quality. I generally trust those recommendations over a large aggregator site.
The few comic indexing sites out there tend to be an anonymous list of links with very little information added--just titles or icons of the comic, but no synopses. Plus, since webcomics cover a bewildering array of genres and themes, wishing for a webcomic index is like wishing for a list of all the books in the library: a hell of a lot of titles, but not particularly useful.
I started doing quick reviews of my favorite comics on my blog, though I have many more to get through. I skip most of the really obvious ones, like Penny Arcade or Dinosaur Comics, but if you're interested here is a link to some: http://www.cloudherder.net/search/webcom…
As 9 correctly said, a lot of good webcomics will have a little link list somewhere on their page, either recommending other comics that are similarly themed or of similar quality. I generally trust those recommendations over a large aggregator site.
The few comic indexing sites out there tend to be an anonymous list of links with very little information added--just titles or icons of the comic, but no synopses. Plus, since webcomics cover a bewildering array of genres and themes, wishing for a webcomic index is like wishing for a list of all the books in the library: a hell of a lot of titles, but not particularly useful.
I started doing quick reviews of my favorite comics on my blog, though I have many more to get through. I skip most of the really obvious ones, like Penny Arcade or Dinosaur Comics, but if you're interested here is a link to some: http://www.cloudherder.net/search/webcom…
21
Two of my favorites:
Anders Loves Maria: http://anderslovesmaria.reneengstrom.com…
You'll defintiely need to start at the beginning of this one. It's soap opera-y, adorable, dirty, and drawn in a wide variety of styles.
Pictures for Sad Children: http://www.picturesforsadchildren.com/
A simple, flat deadpan style that's depressingly funny.
Anders Loves Maria: http://anderslovesmaria.reneengstrom.com…
You'll defintiely need to start at the beginning of this one. It's soap opera-y, adorable, dirty, and drawn in a wide variety of styles.
Pictures for Sad Children: http://www.picturesforsadchildren.com/
A simple, flat deadpan style that's depressingly funny.
22
I've never liked Questionable Content, I feel like it falls under the serious webcomic jerkoff category.
I am really, really into Pictures for Sad Children, as 21 mentioned, though - also Natalie Dee, Married to the Sea, etc.
I am really, really into Pictures for Sad Children, as 21 mentioned, though - also Natalie Dee, Married to the Sea, etc.
23
i am only going to contribute to this thread for one reason:
John Allison.
http://www.scarygoround.com/
John Allison.
http://www.scarygoround.com/
24
Kate Beaton does some nice one-offs (www.katebeaton.com). Her website is in a bit of a sad state at the moment though.
25
My list:
http://scarygoround.com
http://questionablecontent.net
http://dieselsweeties.com
http://achewood.com
http://overcompensating.com
http://wigu.com
Sadly, Chris Onstad (Achewood) is no longer updating 5x week -- we're now lucky to get twice a week.
Even more sadly, the brilliant John Allison of Scary Go Round (my favorite web comic right now), after years and years of daily strips, is suffering some burnout and has (hopefully temporarily) dropped down to 3 times a week.
But it's hard to complain about something that I get for free. If you like a strip, support the author by buying some merch!
http://scarygoround.com
http://questionablecontent.net
http://dieselsweeties.com
http://achewood.com
http://overcompensating.com
http://wigu.com
Sadly, Chris Onstad (Achewood) is no longer updating 5x week -- we're now lucky to get twice a week.
Even more sadly, the brilliant John Allison of Scary Go Round (my favorite web comic right now), after years and years of daily strips, is suffering some burnout and has (hopefully temporarily) dropped down to 3 times a week.
But it's hard to complain about something that I get for free. If you like a strip, support the author by buying some merch!
26
It's not my usual thing, but I keep coming back to FreakAngels. For more random wankery, you want Buttersafe.
27
A squee for Kate Beaton. Her site is broken so you need to read her Livejournal, but her comics are fucking hilarious.
I'd ignore the last year of QC, during which it went seriously downhill. It's tricky. Much of it is entertaining but some of it is insufferable, due to the author, mostly, and his inability to write anyone except white music nerds, usually women, and not ridiculously well.
Overcompensating is *fantastic.*
I'd ignore the last year of QC, during which it went seriously downhill. It's tricky. Much of it is entertaining but some of it is insufferable, due to the author, mostly, and his inability to write anyone except white music nerds, usually women, and not ridiculously well.
Overcompensating is *fantastic.*
30
I'd second Overcompensating, Nedroid, and Kate Beaton, and co-sign on the avoiding Questionable Content. Shit is masturbatory, y'all.
Another one I'd recommend - not for its writing, but for its AMAZING art - is The Abominable Charles Christopher.
Another one I'd recommend - not for its writing, but for its AMAZING art - is The Abominable Charles Christopher.
32
Here are some of my favorite comics.
http://www.asofterworld.com/
http://thisisindexed.com/
http://thingpart.livejournal.com/40092.h…
http://www.thepillcomic.com/
http://www.asofterworld.com/
http://thisisindexed.com/
http://thingpart.livejournal.com/40092.h…
http://www.thepillcomic.com/
33
I second sinfest, PFSC and Freakangels, although I should also admit that Girl Genius is a guilty pleasure.
And do animated comics count? 'Cause I do also loves me some Happy Tree Friends, Neurotically Yours. Weebl And Bob (actually anything by Picking), and even good-old reliable HomeStar Runner on occasion.
And do animated comics count? 'Cause I do also loves me some Happy Tree Friends, Neurotically Yours. Weebl And Bob (actually anything by Picking), and even good-old reliable HomeStar Runner on occasion.
34
xkcd.com is outstanding. I don't get the coding jokes, but everything else is outstanding.
Library comics don't get any better than Unshelved. That said, you probably have to work in a library to think it's funny. (He's deliberately misleading an elderly patron, hahahahah!)
And that's the glory of web comics, all this niche stuff which would never run in a daily paper can find it's audience.
Library comics don't get any better than Unshelved. That said, you probably have to work in a library to think it's funny. (He's deliberately misleading an elderly patron, hahahahah!)
And that's the glory of web comics, all this niche stuff which would never run in a daily paper can find it's audience.
35
I don't get the coding jokes in xkcd either, but the observational humor is fantastic.
Penny Arcade is very hit and miss.
I catch Dinosaur Comics sometimes, when I remember it exists.
Questionable Content. Rarely.
Cat and Girl. Oh, Bad Decision Dinosaur. Why must you do things like advise Napoleon to invade Russia?
Saturday Morning Breakfast Cereal.
Dr. McNinja.
Webcomics > Print Comics.
Penny Arcade is very hit and miss.
I catch Dinosaur Comics sometimes, when I remember it exists.
Questionable Content. Rarely.
Cat and Girl. Oh, Bad Decision Dinosaur. Why must you do things like advise Napoleon to invade Russia?
Saturday Morning Breakfast Cereal.
Dr. McNinja.
Webcomics > Print Comics.
36
http://www.jesusandmo.net/2008/12/11/por…
is an excellent introduction to jesusandmo.net
ok, so only if you're into religion humor, but it's hilarious. enjoy :-)
is an excellent introduction to jesusandmo.net
ok, so only if you're into religion humor, but it's hilarious. enjoy :-)
37
@everyone for the very cool link win.
xbcd is way funnier if you code, but it's pretty consistently funnier even if you don't.
xbcd is way funnier if you code, but it's pretty consistently funnier even if you don't.
39
Well, as usual I'm late to the thread, this time to one that I helped spark.
All of my favorite web comics have already been mentioned, so I don't have much to add. But I think it's telling that so many good examples were listed here compared to the very low number of good newspaper comics.
I find the best way to hear about new comics is on blogs or social networking sites where people with apparent good taste mention the comics that they read. This Slog post is pretty typical of the form.
All of my favorite web comics have already been mentioned, so I don't have much to add. But I think it's telling that so many good examples were listed here compared to the very low number of good newspaper comics.
I find the best way to hear about new comics is on blogs or social networking sites where people with apparent good taste mention the comics that they read. This Slog post is pretty typical of the form.
40
the only one i really like that i haven't seen on here already is edible dirt- http://eddirt.frozenreality.co.uk/
frequently NSFW.
frequently NSFW.
42
Paul, are you planning to do anything official with all this info, or just spend the next three weeks delving through addictive archives? I would love to see some sort of Stranger/Slog article or reader-rated index that was made up of the truly excellent comics listed above!
The cool thing about all these quality recommendations is that they run the gamut in terms of art, style, topic and story telling method. Some, like XKCD or Kate Beaton's work, are stand-alone strips, making them easy to dive into at any time. Some are epic, sprawling stories, such as FreakAngels, Scary Go Round or Rice Boy. And some are little masterpieces of their own, like The Lesson Is Learned but the Damage is Irreversible or Dresden Codak.
Enjoy your discoveries!
The cool thing about all these quality recommendations is that they run the gamut in terms of art, style, topic and story telling method. Some, like XKCD or Kate Beaton's work, are stand-alone strips, making them easy to dive into at any time. Some are epic, sprawling stories, such as FreakAngels, Scary Go Round or Rice Boy. And some are little masterpieces of their own, like The Lesson Is Learned but the Damage is Irreversible or Dresden Codak.
Enjoy your discoveries!
43
I currently have 37 webcomics in my feed reader. Some good ones that weren't already mentioned are: Nedroid Picture Diary, MS Paint Adventures, and Unwinder's Tall Comics.
And, if I can be forgiven for plugging myself, I think Thinkin' Lincoln is pretty good.
And, if I can be forgiven for plugging myself, I think Thinkin' Lincoln is pretty good.
44
Okay, every comic I read regularly has been mentioned. I'm gonna 2nd _A Lesson is Learned, but the Damage is Irreversable_, though. It's 'on hiatus', but worth a quick read through (There are only about 40 of them). http://www.alessonislearned.com/index.ph… is one of my faves. Art is by Devaid Hellman, who also did the artwork for Braid (ask Sam M.)
Also want to Nth kate beaton, cat & girl, and pictures for sad children.
Last Post!
Also want to Nth kate beaton, cat & girl, and pictures for sad children.
Last Post!
45
webcomicsnation.com (?) is kind of an aggregator, because it pools a bunch of stuff together.
I'm a fan of Dylan Meconis' Bite Me! (finished) and Family Man (still ongoing). Both are aaamazing!
I'm a fan of Dylan Meconis' Bite Me! (finished) and Family Man (still ongoing). Both are aaamazing!
46
But, see, word-of-mouth is the GREAT thing about webcomics. Ask your friends, siblings, co-workers, random internet people, and you'll discover great new things. You get exposed to content based on the likes/dislikes of people in your life, not some newspaper or aggregator.
I second many of the recommendations above... Wondermark, Penny Arcade, XKCD, A Softer World. I also like Bunny: http://www.bunny-comic.com/
I will read anything Sandra Fuhr writes (currently, http://friendlyhostility.com , which is not bad if you like gay-ish soap-opera-ish comics), but I can't honestly say why.
And in the realm of "Is is a webcomic or not? Who cares, it's awesome!" I recommend http://www.explodingdog.com/ and http://thisisindexed.com/
Then there's this unofficial Calvin and Hobbes feed, which makes an awesome addition to my RSS comics section:
http://wdr1.com/blog/calvin_and_hobbes.r…
I second many of the recommendations above... Wondermark, Penny Arcade, XKCD, A Softer World. I also like Bunny: http://www.bunny-comic.com/
I will read anything Sandra Fuhr writes (currently, http://friendlyhostility.com , which is not bad if you like gay-ish soap-opera-ish comics), but I can't honestly say why.
And in the realm of "Is is a webcomic or not? Who cares, it's awesome!" I recommend http://www.explodingdog.com/ and http://thisisindexed.com/
Then there's this unofficial Calvin and Hobbes feed, which makes an awesome addition to my RSS comics section:
http://wdr1.com/blog/calvin_and_hobbes.r…
48
I'm a bit late to the party but,
http://www.girlgeniusonline.com/comic.ph…
Girl Genius's tagline is: Adventure, Romance, Mad Science. It's an ongoing story set in an industrial revolution era world, with a bunch of mad scientists running around vying with each other to take over the place. Highly, highly recommended.
http://www.girlgeniusonline.com/comic.ph…
Girl Genius's tagline is: Adventure, Romance, Mad Science. It's an ongoing story set in an industrial revolution era world, with a bunch of mad scientists running around vying with each other to take over the place. Highly, highly recommended.
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