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Webcomics Dissected
ReverendLoki writes "The Webcomics Examiner has a story in their latest issue on The Artistic History of Webcomics, in which they examine and dissect how many of your favorite webcomics have evolved over the years and attempts to discern where they exist in the grand scheme of the webcomics universe. Expect to find some pretty insightful commentary on the likes of Sluggy Freelance, PvP, MegaTokyo, and the ever-present Penny Arcade, as well as others. An excellent analysis on how these comics work." From the piece: "The nerd's enthusiasm and experiences as an 'early adopter' of technological trends is easily translated into a revenue source for new cultural trends like the webcomic. This shows most clearly in the way that the super stars of the webcomic world have fairly consistently been the geekiest of the geekiest -- Penny Arcade, PVP, User Friendly, 8-bit Theatre, and yes, Dilbert."
Pokey the Penguin has been grievously omitted.
these webcomics are so dated, there are so many new ones to consider:
- toothpaste for dinner
- natalie dee
- white ninja comics
- questionable content
- diesel sweeties
-- lol pwned
One of the oldest web comics, yet not on the list. http://www.ibiblio.org/Dave/
Sad.
Oh yeah, well...cockthirsty.
... come in 8-bit format!.. :-P
Webcomics and no mention of one of the greatest??
http://www.leasticoulddo.com/
I really recommend the noob by Gianna Masetti.
http://www.thenoobcomic.com/ (Coral)
Your typical noob in your typical MMORPG.
The part about the fabled orb of power was hilarious (be sure to read the scenes after).
Don't forget about Sexy Losers (DNSFW) and Perry Bible Fellowship (PNSFW). (I am not affiliated with either.)
I will never understand the critic mentality. And by that I mean the kind of person that takes a comic strip and totally dissects it so far down to detail that the author is even like "whoa!"
It's a comic. It's funny. Ha ha. It's not a "War & Peace" or "Dante's Inferno". There's only so much thought that goes into these things.
Kurtz from PVP is kind of making that point with his strip today.
Just enjoy the funny drawings, people. You don't have to invent hidden meanings and motives behind them.
-geekd
http://www.ctrlaltdel-online.com/
IWARS.
People, in general, disappoint me. Politicians even more so.
It's the same everytime... and yet it's not.
http://www.qwantz.com/
IWARS.
People, in general, disappoint me. Politicians even more so.
http://www.schlockmercenary.com/
t
Seriously, you owe it to yourself to read this. Updates every day, complex plot that still has lots of gags, characters you can really appreciate...there's nothing better in the genre.
Also, for all your D&D-based humor needs: http://www.giantitp.com/cgi-bin/GiantITP/ootscrip
Something Positive is done by R K Milholland, who made a offhand comment in response to some complaints about late updates to the effect of 'if you lot donate equal to my salary i'll quit and work on Something Positive solidly for a year'... and was shortly surprised to see that it happened.
Queen of Wands was done by Aeire, and is currently going through annotated reruns before she starts a new project.
I totally fucking agree. Pokey, despite its sporadic-at-best update schedule, is one of the extremely few comics actually worth reading, especially after seven years of publication. But more importantly, it's pretty much the only webcomic with a fundamentally creative concept behind it. There are tons of dumb webcomics out there with believable characters, consistent and coherent storylines, good graphics, and actual punchlines. But it gets old after a while. (The uninitiated may think I'm being sarcastic, but I swear I'm not. I get jokes, I can see the point, I just don't usually laugh at them. Yet there's something inexplicably hilarious about Pokey, which some people immediately recognize, but which totally eludes most people.) Like the Dada movement, which rebelled against everything art meant to people, Pokey creates its own art form by rebelling against everything mainstream comics stand for. Examples, as above: believable characters, coherent storylines, good graphics, and typical jokes with punclines (or at least attempts at jokes). By swearing off all this, Pokey concocts a truly original style of humour. It irreverently omits everything associated with typical humour, yet it makes its thousands of fans laugh hysterically, episode after episode. Pokey is the anti-comic. Pokey is the Lucifer rebelling against the God of mainstream comics, and offering comic enlightenment to man. No, I take that back, Pokey is God, and The Authors are His prophet, and all those other comics are false idols.
Of course, by now, Pokey's influence is so widespread that people don't appreciate its achievements. It's true. Sure there are a few things that are obviously Pokey parodies or bootlegs, most of them mediocre at best such as the ever-lame Prodley the Puffin, but it truly has affected the collective consciousness of the comic universe. Whenever you see a comic which intentionally lacks a typical punchline yet seems oddly amusing, or which features a recurring but nonsensical pattern, or is simply surreal and beyond explanation, remember that Pokey brought you that. However indirectly, over his seven years in the spotlight, this little pixellated penguin and his poorly-drawn pals in the Arctic Circle have had a profound impact on the world of webcomics. And nobody should forget that. I for one would like to offer Pokey and his pals a grand HOORAY!
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... if you had said it three years ago, and if the story had something to do with webcomics somehow gaining inordinate power. Better luck next time!
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I wouldn't go so far as to say Fred needs to be hit by a truck, but I would agree that Megatokyo has serious shortfalls, and I'm not talking about the comic moving too slowly, or not being funny enough anymore, which are artistic issues to which the response is "stop reading" (and I have).
The thing that makes me angry is that MT is Fred Gallagher's full-time job, but he still can't manage better than 10% filler.
qntm.org
It's so stupid it's hilarious:
My new filing technique is unstoppable
Your hybrid is not saving the environment. Its purpose is to make you feel good about buying something.
Spamusement: If you don't read it, then you're a worthless excuse for a human being!
Dude. This guy collects spam with amusing subject lines, and he illustrates them in completely unexpected ways. Is that fucking awesome or what?
Furthermore, it's by Steven Frank of Panic, Inc. They make excellent OS X applications. Support him by partaking in his software and/or his funny.
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I'm a longtime fan of Achewood. It characters are vivid and interesting (like Ray, the millionare playboy cat, and Todd, the drug dealer squirrel), and it also makes really interesting use of the comic medium (for example, Roast Beef, the shy programmer cat, speaks in a smaller font than everyone else). You should definitely check it out. Some choice strips are "Liquor Cabinet Taste Test" and "Keep on Rockin', Roast Beef"
Plug: if you like Achewood, you might also like my webcomic, The Mooches.
The best webcomic I've seen in years is Alien Loves Predator ( Guest stars Jesus too ).
Wonderful stuff.
henry -- the human evolution news relay
Ooh, [Listening to 11.975Mhz] = I like it! Thanks muchly for the linkage.
It is inducing gigglement, and the cute girls make it worthwhile. :D But it does not immediately strike me as brilliant in the same way as Pokey does. 11.975Mhz seems to be more silliness/randomness based. I can appreciate silliness and randomness, but I see some major distinction between that and Pokey's style. Words fail me, however, in actually explaining this distinction. What do you think?
I also recommend Farchie Archie, Spamusement, and Animutation. (The latter is a Flash genre rather than a comic strip, but it's a similar sort of humour.)
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