Webcomics

[Atreyu]

Anyone read them?

Here's a list of the ones I've followed over the years:

<style type="text/css"> <!-- @page { margin: 2cm } P { margin-bottom: 0.21cm } --> </style> Comics I read:
The Order of the Stick (http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0001.html) - currently my favourite webcomic. Initally it started off as a gag-a-day strip following a group of adventurers (taking place in an unnamed D&D setting) but has long since expanded into a fully encompassing story with various arcs and characters. Used to be updated 2-3 times a wekk, however for the last 6 months the schedule has lagged considerably. :(
xkcd (http://www.xkcd.com/) - "a webcomic of romance, sarcasm, math, and language". No plot or storyline, just a random comic every couple of days using stick figures. Pretty cool stuff.
Darths and Droids (http://www.darthsanddroids.net/) - I've linked this one in SW Amalgam last year (http://www.sw-fans.net/forum/showthread.php?t=18674). Pretty much it's the Prequels in comic form (the author uses screencaps to make up the comic) but with the idea it's actually a D&D/RP type setting being played by players. It actually makes quite a lot of sense of some of the bizarre character actions and plot points that existed in the films. Currently nearing the ending of Episode 2.
Star Wars: The Old Republic: The Threat of Peace (http://www.swtor.com/media/webcomic) - webcomic tie-in for the lead up to The Old Republic MMO due to be released in 2011.

Comics I used to read but have stopped/hardly read anymore:
Real Life (http://www.reallifecomics.com/) - first webcomic I started reading waaaaaay back in 2001. Follows the life (loosely) of author Greg Dean, with the odd random event thrown in (mecha, time travel, world domination - you know, the usual stuff). I fell away from it a few years ago for some reason but I do check up on it every few months just to see how Greg is going (as I said, it is loosely based upon his real life).
8-Bit Theater (http://www.nuklearpower.com/8-bit-theater/) - a sprite-based comic drawn from the original Final Fantasy, of which it's plot is loosely based upon. I stopped reading when the update schedule got incredibly erratic for a while a few years ago and got interested in other webcomics.
VG Cats (http://www.vgcats.com/comics/) - gag-a-day comic revolving around video games, movies, books etc. The main cast are 2 anthropomorphic cats named Aeris and Leo, plus some other regulars thrown in. Once again the bad update schedule has killed my interest in following it regularly (I think it updated only 5-6 times last year, and hasn't been updated since Xmas).
Penny Arcade (http://www.penny-arcade.com/comic/) - do I really need to introduce this one? The most successful online comic in existence. I only put it here down here because I've never actually followed it regularly, instead preferring to log in every couple of months and read the odd comic.

Comics I've read that are now finished/abandoned by the author:
DM of the Rings (http://www.shamusyoung.com/twentysidedtale/?cat=14) (finished) - the comic that inspired 'Darths and Droids' (see above). Like the earlier comic it follows the plot of LOTR from the perspective of a group of roleplayers. Really really funny.
Bob and George (http://www.bobandgeorge.com/) (finished) - sprite-based comic from Mega-Man; it does integrate elements of those games but on the whole is more of a author-created story arc. Was originally supposed to be drawn by the author himself - delays in that caused the author to use the sprites as a temporary fill-in but they proved so popular he kept them.
The Forge (http://www.theforgecomic.com/) (abandoned – I think) - another comic from 'Real Life' author Greg Dean. I read this back when I was reading his other comic. Uncertain of whether it was only meant to be a short comic or if he just abandoned it.
Van Von Hunter (http://www.vanvonhunter.com/)(abandoned) - yet another fantasy comic, this one done in an anime/manga style. Follows the adventures of main character Van Von Hunter ("hunter of evil ... stuff") plus his sidekick (no name given - "What I don't have a name???"). Pretty funny, unfortunately the comic suddenly stopped being updated in Feb 2007 for no apparent reason. :cry
RPG World (http://www.rpgworldcomic.com/) (abandoned) - yet another fantasy comic. This one was the first I ever read back around 2002. What makes this one particularly sad is that the author got the storyline right up to the final boss before he abandoned it. :\

[Captain Untouchable]

I have (well, had *mourns laptop*) a tool bar with a bunch of webcomic links that I just clicked my way through, so I kept up with updates on 8-Bit Theater, VG Cats, Penny Arcade, and so forth.

Ones I would add to the mix:

Looking For Group (http://www.lfgcomic.com/) - If this Monday/Thursday webcomic needs to win you over, hop on youtube and watch their "Slaughter Your World" parody of a Little Mermaid song. Richard is somewhat fantastic. It started off a little tongue in cheek, but it's sorta expanded into a pretty serious mythos now. I'm not quite as hyped about it as I used to be - it's one of those things where letting a few pages accumulate as a backlog, and then reading several in one go, is a good plan.

Least I Could Do (http://leasticoulddo.com/) - This is the daily feature from the LFG team. Sometimes I don't laugh at the political satire they do - guess I'm the wrong side of the pond / couldn't care less about politics - but there's a ton of cult references that are fantastically amusing. There's a chunk where Rayne was rendered unconscious, and hallucinated he was Batman, for example. Or that he's a ninja that wears a bra on his head. Oh, and his car is an autobot. Fun times.

CTRL+ALT+DEL (http://www.cad-comic.com/cad/) - Kinda like Penny Arcade; it's a few guys, and they talk about computer games a lot. Oh, and the main character rebuilt his xbox into a sentient robot. It's become more arc-based than Penny Arcade though: I was in one of my "Aww, romance!" phases when I first started reading, and so spent ages rooting for certain characters to wind up with certain characters, etc.

Head Trip (http://headtripcomics.comicgenesis.com/) - A little patchy in terms of updates because the person responsible actually has a life... but there are some pop culture and computer game jokes and jabs littered through there which made me laugh a fair bit.

Menage á 3 (http://www.menagea3.net/) - Slightly NSFW, because it has boobs in it. It's amusing at times... but <s>I read it maily because it has boobs in it</s> I'm not sure why I read it. :uhoh

[Loklorien s'Ilancy]

About the only ones I read are Gunnerkrigg Court (http://www.gunnerkrigg.com/index2.php) and Lackadaisy (http://www.lackadaisycats.com/) v:)v

[Pierce Tondry]

Brian's Comic Links

Schlock Mercenary (http://www.schlockmercenary.com/)
Genre: Science fiction with a heavy dose of comedy.
Author: Howard Tayler
Comments: The single most fantastic webcomic I have found to date. The early artwork is shaky, but Tayler has really improved over time. I personally really like the stories about his group of mercenaries too. What's more, he maintains a daily update schedule with "Sunday" editions. He also runs a buffer of comics so updates are almost never late unless there are problems with the site, and usually Tayler finds some way to post his comic regardless. A class act among webcomics.

Questionable Content (http://www.questionablecontent.net/)
Genre: Modern Day realistic fiction, focuses on the lives of a 20-something group of friends.
Author: Jeph Jacques
Comments: Maintains a Mon-Fri update schedule. Jacques occasionally puts up filler for sick days, convention attendance, etc. There's a lot of references to sex but nothing actually NSFW.

Dr McNinja (http://drmcninja.com/)
Genre: Martial Arts comedy
Author: Chris Hastings (with art assistance)
Comments: Mon -Wed -Fri updates. Semi-serious story arcs about a doctor who comes from a family of ninjas. One of the best scenes included a zombie Ben Franklin doing the Thriller dance with zombie ninjas as backup dancers. Funny comic overall, rarely misses an update.

Sluggy Freelance (http://www.sluggy.com/)
Genre: Pseudo-science fiction/fantasy comedy
Author: Pete Abrams
Comments: The artwork has improved since the early days but still falls short occasionally. Abrams used to run a full-week schedule with color Sundays, but he dropped the Saturday and Sunday updates. These days, he's had guest artists or filler over the weekends. The plot follows a core group of friends as they have some far-out adventures. It wavers between funny and unfunny as well as tragic, happy, and just plain out there. When he concocts a full-fledged story arc, though, Abrams does a really good job and that's why I keep coming back.
Side note: I actually met Abrams at DragonCon and got to ask him a couple questions at a panel. He seems a nifty guy.

Saturday Morning Breakfast Cereal (http://www.smbc-comics.com/)
Genre: Random philosophical, scientific, or math-based comedy strips
Author: Zachary Weiner
Comments: A solid strip with some definite gems in it. Updates every day. The artwork's nothing to write home about, but the author also runs SMBC Theater, which are basically video-skits with himself, his girlfriend, friends and actors. They can be pretty funny additions to the day.

Comments on comics others have mentioned that I also read:

a) Looking For Group: Solid artwork. I could stand for another update a week, but the writers already do multiple comics so I can't fault them for not doing so really. Generally good story arcs and reliable updates.

b) 8-bit Theater: A pretty funny comic overall, although the author tends to repeat his jokes. Update schedule was pretty solid over the past year up through February, although with the other projects he's working on (including one for Marvel) I can't fault his recent dropoff on his lowest priority project. Does have some other strips to check out at his site but I haven't found an interest in them yet.

c) Penny Arcade: Decent artwork, generally funny comics, and I enjoy the gaming commentary. Only thing I don't like are how they will semi-frequently reuse a joke.

d) Real Life: This comic is pretty bad these days IMO. Dean's pseudo-life just isn't very funny. I'd like it if he would update less and work on his humor.

e) VG Cats: Had a couple of funny spots but is generally terrible overall. Not worth my time these days.

d) Ctrl+Alt+Del: Was one of the "wacky modern-day adventures" kind of comics for awhile, but then the author decided to interject serious into the comic. Guy has generally bad comic pacing, has left some characters at loose ends for years, and doesn't offer anything refreshing in the way of video game commentary. I'd call it a ripoff of Penny Arcade, but I don't think it's that good. At least the artwork is okay.


As a final note: I do read PvP Online (http://www.pvponline.com/) though I'm not sure why. Scott Kurtz is another fellow whose artwork got better as he lost the ability to tell a story or have a funny random strip.

[Ilias Nytrau]

Okay, here's some of what I read. Just a few, because I read a lot of webcomics (Oh, heck. If you really want to know, ask me. I'll give.) I'll probably not mention comics that have already been mentioned that I also read, unless there's a connection to another comic. Oh, and I suck at describing other people's stuff, so if you want to know, you click the links at your own peril. Unless I find a nifty little blurb on the site, of course.

The Phoenix Requiem (http://requiem.seraph-inn.com/) - A Victorian-inspired supernatural fantasy story about faith, love, death, and the things we believe in. (taken from the site). - This comic is by Sarah Ellerton, who previously completed Inverloch (http://inverloch.seraph-inn.com/) in 2007. She also does the art for....

... Dreamless (http://dreamless.keenspot.com/) - Illustrated by Sarah Ellerton, written by Bobby Crosby (who previously wrote the concluded Marry Me (http://marryme.keenspot.com/)). I find this one interesting and Ellerton's art is always worth it, in my opinion.

Penny and Aggie (http://www.pennyandaggie.com/) - written by Giz, who also writes Menage a 3, and previously, the concluded Cool Cat Studio (http://www.coolcatstudio.com/).

Dead Heaven (http://www.deadheaven.net/) - Written and Illustrated by Chris Steininger, the art on this comic is just... well, I really, really, really like it. It has quite a darkness to it that I can appreciate.

Hard Graft (http://hard-graft.net/) - From the site: Hard Graft is an Anglo-Argentine comic about the adventures of uncompromising tough guy Alan Corbett and his friends as they bump into each other at random places on earth. It is written by Peter Vine and is illustrated by Germán Erramouspe.

[Timothy Nash]

Most of the comics I read have been listed, the best one being LICD.

Anyway, yeah, here's a list of other comics I read, or have read.

The Perry Bible Fellowship (http://www.pbfcomics.com/): Itala posted a lot of these strips here.
Minus (http://www.kiwisbybeat.com/minus.html)
Slackerz (http://theslackerz.com/)
Book of Biff (http://www.thebookofbiff.com/)
Dinosaur Comics (http://www.qwantz.com/index.php): Classic.
Gone With The Blastwave (http://www.blastwave-comic.com/index.php?p=comic&nro=45): Yearly updates, read for a good laugh.
Post-Nuke (http://www.postnukecomic.com/): Evolution of a graphic novel.
Pinky TA (http://www.pinkyta.com/)
Her! [Girl vs Pig] (http://girlvspig.com/)
Diesel Sweeties (http://www.dieselsweeties.com/)
Three Panel Soul (http://www.threepanelsoul.com/): By the guys who did Mac Hall. This comic is my second favourite on the web behind Least I Could Do.



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[Droo]

I don't really like webcomics much, I don't think my sense of humour is attuned to them at all, and only a few make me laugh from time to time.

This dinosaur one is usually the exception:

http://www.qwantz.com/index.php

I love the way the same images are used over and over again and the dialogue just tickles me.

[Darth Turbogeek]

Oh Webcomics, the reason why not everyone with a tablet should be allowed to post their shitty drawing and lame "humour" online, liek Ctrl+Alt+Del, what a assraper of my intelligence. That being said, there are a small handful who's existance proves webcomics do deserve to exist.

XKCD - VERY hit and miss but when it hits, it's startlingly brilliant. I tend to catch up over a few weeks so as to hit the gold at least once.

Errant Story - More of a graphic novel. Lots of artwork and plot. Tends to be better reading a months worth.

Shortpacked - I have no idea why I read that shit. But I do. Compulsively. It's crappy artwork and seriously nerdy Transformer and Batman jokes. It's in general crap and for some reason I love it.

SLUGGY FREELANCE - has it's ups and downs but is still extremely nifty. So nifty I have a "TIME TO DIE NERDBOY" and time my day around it's update schedule. Abrams is genuinely funny, much good these days art wise and has a lot of plotty goodness. However the archives are staggering in size (he has never failed to have at least a filler or a joke every day for 13 years. Think about it) and it's bloody hard for a n00b to get into. Best example of Cerebus Syndrome pulled off well. It's bordering on graphic novel these days but is the best webcomic.

Worst webcomic ever - Collar6. DONT LOOK THIS CRAP UP. Seriously, it WILL hurt your head in it's awefulness. It s a webcomic apparently about some multibillionaire dominatrix whose got a bunch of slaves called collars. Yes lots of spanking, big boobs in latex so the premise might be hot. But it's not. It's got EMOTIONAL DRAMA!!!! that is horribly done. This comic is without any redeeming feature

[Mandy with an I]

http://axecop.com/ - written by a 5 year old. :)

http://www.picturesforsadchildren.com/ <--this is the one web comic I read that I vaguely identify with, which I guess is sad cos it's sometimes depressing.

http://nedroid.com/ <-- he colors Dr McNinja :) Beartato 4evah!

http://boxerhockey.fireball20xl.com/index.html

http://www.abominable.cc/ <--start at the beginning, this one has incredible art and characters

http://www.zudacomics.com/bayou

[Lilaena De'Ville]

OMG I just checked out Axe Cop and it is SO AMAZING I love it to death. :eee

[Mandy with an I]

http://axecop.com/index.php/acask/read/ask_axe_cop_12/

^That is the best Axe Cop comic. Apparently, the Ask Axe Cop answers are exactly what the 5 year old says, which only makes them awesomer :)

[Crusader]

"CtrlAltDel" and "Darths and Droids"

[Captain Untouchable]

OMG. Axe Cop! :love

That's an even more awesome sibling combination than the Winchesters hunting demons. :3

[Mitch]

www.drmcninja.com Dr. McNinja is one of the best I've ever seen, and continues to surpass my wildest expectations.

[Atreyu]

Some very impressive webcomics listed so far. Of course this means even more comics to read everyday. ^_^;


http://axecop.com/ - written by a 5 year old. :)
Wow, this comic is just sheer brilliance. And awesome. It's brillsome (or should that be awesance?). It reminds me of a few years ago when my sister found my old writing book from primary school where I had (at age 8) penned an Indiana Jones story which featured time travel and other really weird stuff*** - the sheer off-the-wall ideas kids can come up with that still somehow retains some sort of internal logic and flow.

I've done a bit of quick reading, turns out Axe Cop was listed as #241 in 365 Reasons to Love Comics (http://goodcomics.comicbookresources.com/2010/03/10/365-reasons-to-love-comics-241/). It's also sparked an interesting debate as to whether drawing what a 5 (now 6) yr old comes up with is genius or stupid.



***sample: "Indiana Jones and Professor Jones took their time machine back to the dinosaurs but ran out of fuel. Then a T-Rex came along so Indiana Jones and Professor Jones ran 50 miles to get away but the T-Rex was still chasing them. Then a volcano erupted and lava came out which blocked Indiana Jones and Professor Jones from running. So they built a raft out of wood and floated it on the lava for 100 miles. The T-Rex tried to chase but fell into the lava and melted."

[Morgan Evanar]

Some of the ones I read have been covered, but here are a few that have not been.

http://harkavagrant.com/ - makin' fun of history and literature. It is the best.
http://www.threepanelsoul.com/ - from the guys who did Mac Hall, it's about life and it's obstacles of three 20-something people but it's really ridiculous. It also has SWAT rabbits raiding vegetable gardens and bacon ice cream.

[Mandy with an I]

Anything by Kate Beacon is awesome :3

[Morgan Evanar]

Beaton, yes.

[Callista]

omg...I had forgotten about some of these! and Axe Cop is freaking HILARIOUS...I especially like that Ask one xD

[Pierce Tondry]

The problem with Axe Cop is that there's not that much substance to it. At all. Like, it's cotton candy in webcomic form. That's fine sometimes, but I can only take so much before I get sick of the sugar. That's one of the reasons I like Dr McNinja, it's a bit like a grown-up (or at least teenage) version of Axe Cop.

[Mandy with an I]

Beaton, yes.

hahaha, I suck. XD

[Kale]

Most of my favorites have been mentioned already: 8-bit Theatre, Three-Panel Soul, xkcd, Dinosaur Comics, Dr. McNinja, Darths and Droids, Order of the Stick...

One glaring omission is MS Paint Adventures (http://mspaintadventures.com).

Each story is presented as an adventure game wherein the readers submit commands for the characters to follow. The author uses an art style that allows him to update frequently, often multiple updates per day. Even so, his work is getting more and more elaborate, and his latest storyline, Homestuck, is incorporating Flash-based movies, fan-made music, and video game segments.

Don't bother with Jailbreak or Bard's Quest. Read Problem Sleuth, which is completed, or Homestuck, which is in progress. Both are massively epic, and epically hilarious.

[Rama Sha]

I read Penny Arcade and Short Packed from time to time.

But I also write a webcomic called Simon Says

http://www.facebook.com/#!/group.php?gid=206897706628&ref=ts

I'll be honest I don't know the status of this thing. I started it with my friend Dwayne Bruce. I write it, he draws it. But his computer got a virus and he lost it. I don't know when or if this is coming back. I do know I've written almost a 150 comics and only 5 of them have been drawn. I was looking into moving it off Facebook and too and actual site before all this happened.

[Lilaena De'Ville]

That's awesome, Rama!

I love the nerf gun one. Reminds me of my husband. :p

[Morgan Evanar]

Oh yeah:
Freakangels (http://freakangels.com). It's Warren Ellis so you know totally NSFW

[Emelie Shadowstar]

Oh yeah:
Freakangels (http://freakangels.com). It's Warren Ellis so you know totally NSFW
It's also glorious beyond words... (this comment is pre-coffee so... yeah)

Also... Rama! :) Very cool! Shame that it's only got 5 finished... I'd like to have seen more. I liked the style of artwork your friend was using.

[Rama Sha]

That's awesome, Rama!

I love the nerf gun one. Reminds me of my husband. :p


Also... Rama! :) Very cool! Shame that it's only got 5 finished... I'd like to have seen more. I liked the style of artwork your friend was using.

Thanks for the kind words. Sadly these aren't even close to the best ones. I'm hoping to get the unreleased ones out one way or another. Either getting Dwayne back into this or finding another artist (which I really don't want to do, but sometimes you do what you have to do)

[Morgan Evanar]

I had a chance to take a glance and it's too bad that you weren't able to have more made. The writing is good and your friend's style is notable.

[Rama Sha]

Thanks.

I really think it had a lot of potential and I haven't given up on it just yet. I can say the hold up is not on my end, nor the lack of want to keep doing it.

[Darth Turbogeek]

I read Penny Arcade and Short Packed from time to time.

But I also write a webcomic called Simon Says

http://www.facebook.com/#!/group.php?gid=206897706628&ref=ts (http://www.facebook.com/#%21/group.php?gid=206897706628&ref=ts)

I'll be honest I don't know the status of this thing. I started it with my friend Dwayne Bruce. I write it, he draws it. But his computer got a virus and he lost it. I don't know when or if this is coming back. I do know I've written almost a 150 comics and only 5 of them have been drawn. I was looking into moving it off Facebook and too and actual site before all this happened.

I'll be honest and say that it's a pity there's not more. It does show some very good potential.

[Rama Sha]

Well there might end up being more. Talking to Dwayne today and he has new computer and is just looking to get Photoshop back on it. So there might be more of these soon. Just have to wait and see. I'll post here if/when a new one goes up.