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Ask Slashdot: What Was Your Favorite Web Comic of 2012?

Posted by Soulskill on from the obligatory-xkcd dept.

skade88 writes "It's time to do another year-end best-of roundup! Today's topic is web comics. What was your favorite web comic of 2012? Feel free to use the following categories, or make up your own. 1) Best overall web comic series of 2012. (Any web comic that produced content in 2012). 2) Funniest web comic of 2012. (This one represents the single funniest comic of any web comic series. Provide links!) 3) Best art in a web comic of 2012. (Web comic from 2012 with the most amazing art ever). 4) Web comic that was most relevant to you in 2012. (This one is even more subjective than the others)."

25 of 321 comments (clear)

  1. Favorite Comic by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Funny

    Definitely XKCD!

  2. Too east by cheater512 · · Score: 5, Insightful

    Best art in a web comic has to be http://xkcd.com/1110/

    1. Re:Too east by slimjim8094 · · Score: 5, Insightful

      I think you're confusing best technique with best art. The art wasn't the beauty of the actual strokes, it was the beauty of the idea and execution.

      --
      I have developed a truly marvelous proof of this comment, which this signature is too narrow to contain.
  3. Schlock Mercenary by Sowelu · · Score: 5, Interesting

    For reliable quality I'd go with Schlock Mercenary. It's not-too-soft sci-fi, consistent and pretty good art, a daily update schedule, very good pacing, and nothing about it annoys me.

    1. Re:Schlock Mercenary by Y.A.A.P. · · Score: 5, Informative

      I think Schlock cannot be mentioned enough.

      The art is better quality than most web comics (or newspaper/dead tree comics), even if the style isn't going for as-real-as-possible. No storyline is ever dropped in the middle (there are cutaways to things happening on the other side of the galaxy, but these are things happening at the same time and the series will then jump right back to the main action).

      Not every day has a LOL moment at the end (or during the strip), but that's because something's happening in the strip which is a very much OMG sort-of thing.

      And, oh yeah, something else the parent post mentions which I've never seen any other web comic manage: a new comic every single day of the year (and it's never some kind of filler), and has done this since the comic started (which means a huge reading archive). Which means not a single day need go by without the reader getting some form of entertainment on that day.

  4. Saturday Morning Breakfast Cereal by noesckey · · Score: 5, Interesting

    Saturday Morning Breakfast Cereal

  5. oatmeal by Icculus · · Score: 4, Insightful

    xkcd is great but I gotta throw in for The Oatmeal.

  6. Oglaf.com by queazocotal · · Score: 5, Interesting

    Not worksafe.

    1. Re:Oglaf.com by fahrbot-bot · · Score: 3, Funny

      More specifically, my two favorite panels, in order:

      Snow Queen (NSFW)
      Bad Falcon

      --
      It must have been something you assimilated. . . .
  7. Favorite Web Comic by celticgeek · · Score: 3, Insightful

    Best overall webcomic series of 2012: Questionable Content http://www.questionablecontent.net/

  8. Beyond xkcd by tj2 · · Score: 5, Interesting

    In no particular order:

    The Oatmeal http://theoatmeal.com/comics
    Schlock Mercenary http://www.schlockmercenary.com/
    Saturday Morning Breakfast Cereal http://www.smbc-comics.com/
    Girl Genius http://www.girlgeniusonline.com/comic.php

  9. Hark a Ninja! by ohnocitizen · · Score: 3, Informative

    I can't decide between the often historical wackiness of Hark a Vagrant and the rocket fueled radical fun at Dr McNinja.

  10. XKCD April Fools 2012 by Maow · · Score: 4, Interesting

    XKCD's Umwelt comic for April Fools 2012, the best comic ever.

    Dozens of different comics presented depending on your IP, your browser, your geolocation, and many other factors too numerous to enumerate.

    A mind boggling concept, a tremendous amount of work, incredible creativity.

    Shout out to Saturday Morning Breakfast Cereal and Tom the Dancing Bug, too. Tom Tomorrow also hits it out of the park on occasion.

  11. The Perry Bible Fellowship by anethema · · Score: 3, Informative

    It has to be my favorite. It is too bad it doesn't get updated much anymore.

    http://pbfcomics.com/

    --


    It's easier to fight for one's principles than to live up to them.
    1. Re:The Perry Bible Fellowship by magic+maverick+ · · Score: 3, Interesting

      If it's still your favorite web comic of 2012, even though it has probably been updated once this year, then you need to read more web comics.

      A short list (in no particular order) to get you started:
      Menage a 3 - three times a week wacky hijinks
      Misfile - I don't like the premise (an angelic fuck up), but the exploration of ideas with regards trans* folk is quite good
      YAFGC - daily dose of DnD style humor. The art is rough, but that adds to the charm
      Schlock Mercenary - others have discussed it
      Sinfest - Daily, classic, long running.
      Girls With Slingshots - Weekdays,
      Oglaf - NSFW funny stuff, Sundays only.
      Subnormality - Updated haphazardly, quite interesting and often strange comics. "Too many words."
      ------

      Honorable Mentions (no particular order) go to:
      Something Positive - Not updated as much as I like, and the story lines are a bit less funny then they have been.
      Order of the Stick - If it updated regularly (at least twice a month) it would go up to the best list. But still.
      Flaky Pastry - Fridays, quite good, but the stories move slowly because only one day a week. If it were updated more often it would get bumped up.
      Questionable Content - not as good as in previous years, though the art's improved amazingly since the start
      -----

      Go for it.

      --
      HELP MY ACCOUNT HAS BEEN HACKED BY AN ILLIBERAL ART STUDENT SET TO DESTROY THE INTERWEBZ!
  12. Sinfest by Rhywden · · Score: 4, Informative

    http://www.sinfest.net/

  13. There is one which really stands out by toxygen01 · · Score: 3, Informative

    http://www.questionablecontent.net/

    the most impressive 1) character development 2) character psychic over time.
    and over 2 thousands strips...

  14. Is it okay if by LiroXIV · · Score: 4, Insightful

    I just answer everything with Homestuck?

  15. still Megatokyo by TheSHAD0W · · Score: 3, Interesting

    Definitely the best art.

  16. Cyanide&Happiness by hedley · · Score: 3, Insightful

    Consistently funny, esp Depressing Comic Week

    H.

  17. Romantically Apocalyptic by S77IM · · Score: 4, Informative

    Best Art: Romantically Apocalyptic -- http://romanticallyapocalyptic.com

    --
    Student: Is it true that the foundation of the universe is paradox?
    Master: Well, yes and no.
  18. My Nominations and Choices by SmarterThanMe · · Score: 5, Informative

    1) Best overall web comic series of 2012. (Any web comic that produced content in 2012): Gunnerkrigg Court is a brilliant webcomic that has a compelling plot, interesting characters and art that has developed superbly since the comic's beginnings.

    2) Funniest web comic of 2012. (This one represents the single funniest comic of any web comic series.): Evil Inc. got the most laughs out of me this year, even if a lot of the humour was a bit Dad-joke-ish. Runners up would include: Penny Arcade , XKCD , Scandinavia and the World and Overcompensating .

    3) Best art in a web comic of 2012. (Web comic from 2012 with the most amazing art ever): Dresden Codak is, without any doubt, the repository of some of the most geekiest and beautiful artwork the web has ever seen. Runners up would include: Namesake , Lackadaisy Cats , Sore Thumbs and Avengelyne

    4) Web comic that was most relevant to you in 2012: Real Life , because his adventures with Harper are roughly mirroring my adventures with my daughter Hailey.

    Honorable Mentions (because they'd likely win categories if there were a couple more here): Bad Machinery (Best Story), Eerie Cuties (Best Black & White), Three Panel Soul (Best Drama) and Wapsi Square (Best Main Character), and Sinfest (Lifetime Achievement) among others.

  19. Schlock at the top by RR · · Score: 3, Informative
    1. Best overall: Schlock Mercenary
    2. Funniest: Girl Genius
    3. Best art: Gunnerkrigg Court
    4. Most revelant: xkcd

    Schlock has become a lot more kid-friendly since Tayler quit his job at Novell and now works surrounded by his children, but it's still entertaining. And he has kept its schedule for a pretty long time. Several other webcomics of that age gradually turned to weekday only, to Monday-Wednesday-Friday, to once weekly, but Schlock Mercenary keeps on updating every day.

    Girl Genius has pretty good art, but what I like best is its large ensemble of delightfully inhuman characters. Every time I find a new favorite character, the Foglios introduce another crazy awesome character.

    Gunnerkrigg Court doesn't have the very best art, but it's gradually getting better, and the story is intriguing.

    xkcd is a comic by a nerd about nerds being nerdy.

    --
    Have a nice time.
  20. Girl Genius by Nefarious+Wheel · · Score: 3, Insightful

    Unquestionably Girl Genius for me.
    Besides, the Castle just went "clack"...

    --
    Do not mock my vision of impractical footwear
  21. Re:For gaming? Nerfnow.com by znanue · · Score: 3, Informative

    Nerf Now was my pleasant discovery in 2012 :) Yes, some humor can be a bit weird for non-gamers, but you can't just limit yourself to XKCD (okay, maybe you can, but more regular content is better)

    Xkcd has come out every Monday, Wednesday and Friday for years. How is that not regular?

    I think he meant more [regular content] not [more regular] content.

    Z