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The new media subsection: Web comics

The new media subsection: Web comics published on 2 Comments on The new media subsection: Web comics

As the author of an online serial story, I like to read as many Web comics as possible for ideas on story, pacing, posing, angles, composition, etc. I frequently discover new ones, so I will mention them here, along with a capsule review. Forthwith, some of my favorites:

Alien Loves Predator. Preston [the Predator] and Abe [the Alien] are two bachelors living in New York, as played by a Predator action fig and an Alien action fig respectively. I like this comic because it uses figs and also because the early strips contain hilarious jabs at city life [especially about riding the subway]. The strips have drifted away from NYC absurdity and toward slapstick stupidity, but it’s still one I read religiously.

The Order of the Stick.  My second favorite Web comic consists of a bunch of D&D characters having Epic Quests with plenty of humor and fourth-wall comments. I admire the control of the complex storylines, as well as the consistently upbeat and refreshing humor. This comic demonstrates that humor doesn’t need to be at someone else’s expense.

Action Figure Diary. 1:6 action figs talk to their human owners. It’s a cramped, four-panel format, but the writing is consistently good. Again, it’s more humor at no one’s expense.

Toyville.  Toys that know they’re toys fight evil toys and make wisecracks. Worth it for the constant self-deprecation and admittedly outrageous plots, this sporadically produced series also contains the largest collection of figs you’re likely to see in your life.

9th Elsewhere. I follow this one for the story, in which the depressed, introverted heroine gets stuck in her subconscious. With the help of her flighty muse, she must learn about her own strength so she can wake up and live a good life.  A firm grounding in psychology and a graceful following of small plot points make this one a gem.

And…finally…two new ones that I found recently:

Imaginary Friends. Widowed toy salesman struggles with older son who doesn’t speak and wants to draw monsters and loud younger son with many imaginary friends.  Written economically with great characterization, this comic is drawn with a very cinematic feel. Besides the subject matter, I also appreciate the author’s handling of the “camera.”

Dreamland Chronicles. In this bubble-gum-bright adventure, a college boy goes back to his dream world after 6 years to discover that his dream friends have grown up.  The gentle humor is perfect for all ages, and the CGI-generated characters look like cute 3-D models. You have to see the art in order to admire its rich, deep backgrounds and cartoony expressiveness.

2 Comments

Thank you for the link to Dreamland Chronicles. I just read the entire archive. Here are a few I think you might like, if you haven’t discovered them already:

Girl Genius, http://www.girlgeniusonline.com Steampunk. Two different tracks to follow, GG 101 and “Advanced Classes.”

Queen of Wands, http://www.queenofwands.net Finished, but currently running “Rapid-Fire Reruns” with commentary.

Two Lumps, http://www.twolumps.net Always makes me laugh

As If! http://www.mimisgrotto.com/asif/ Also finished with its run, but the artist, Amy Mebberson (aka ), is currently working on a TokyoPop project with T Campbell.
Also, her sometime co-writer, Nikki Purvis (aka
) writes “The Chosen,” http://www.btvschosen.com/index.php , a continuation of BTVS. She has one season finished, and is back in the game writing the next. In fact, a new episode was just posted. I think you’d like it; the writing is clean and snappy, and although I didn’t know much about Buffy beyond season two or three, The Chosen pulled me in.

*busily copying down sites for future reference*

Sigh. I wish I could just sit here and read comics all day. Especially 9th Elsewhere. *is privately rather jealous that some people get to go off and have adventures in their subconscious while she is stuck at a desk all day Answering The Telephone In A Cheery Voice* I wish I had a muse.

I don’t know that I read any that you would enjoy particularly. I like Megatokyo (www.megatokyo.com), though it upgrades quite sporadically at times. It began its life as more of a gaming comic but has evolved into more of a shoujo manga which might have supernatural elements…or it might not…we don’t really know at present. I thought Reman Mythology (http://remanmyth.felaxx.com/)was shaping up interestingly, but the author’s decided to go for publication, so no more updates for a while. Alas.

Also, it’s more Calvin & Hobbesian in feel than story based, but you might take a look at Count Your Sheep (www.countyoursheep.com).

There are probably other ones that I really SHOULD be pointing out but naturally I don’t remember them at the moment. 😉

Rampant Bicycle
http://www.rampantbicycle.com/blog

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