Man, that last post was fairly heavy. While I like doing that sort of thing from time to time, it’s nice sometimes to just talk about nerd stuff. So, here, let me share with you some webcomics I’m reading lately.
Supernormal Step by Michael Lee Lunsford follows the story of Fiona, a sort of John Carter-type character thrust into a parallel dimension where magic took evolution over technology. It’s a fun strip with a number of really strong things going for it including really vivid characterization, very cool aesthetic and a pretty interesting take on urban high fantasy. Now, while Michael’s always been a friend to this site, as a glimpse through The Lost Pages will show, I wanted to put him up here because he’s continually improving as an artist and writer. You can spot some kinks here and there in the archives and see him address them throughout the evolution of the series. Comparing his start to his latest is pretty phenomenal.
I know a number of readers have inquired after his art since the beginning of the Lost Pages and I feel I should mention that Michael is actually doing a run of print books for his comic. So, if you flip through his stuff and find that you like it, you might consider supporting a fellow starving artist and picking up a copy from him.
Unsounded by Ashley Cope is another favorite of mine. I contained a lot of my praise to my interview of her some time ago, but just for emphasis: this comic is insanely good. With characters and an imagination as rich as she has, praising the pacing seems almost pointless, but she’s one of those writers that really knows how to handle a scene. While I absolutely adore her comic, she’s also been one of the contributors to this site’s art and we thank her frequently for it.
Rounding out the category of “artists I know personally,” The Meek by Der-Shing Helmer is one of those rare comics when a giant spirit of vengeance as personified by an evil tiger ghost is not necessarily the most interesting thing going on. The Meek is a comic that really exercises a thorough knowledge of character. The chapters are focused, tight and in-depth and firmly locked into the characters they represent. People hoping for an in-depth knowledge of how to make characters appeal to readers should read this comic.
Delilah Dirk and the Turkish Lieutenant by Tony Cliff is one of my more recently-discovered webcomics that I’ve really come to enjoy. It has all the things I love in a book with tense action, strong characters and a lot of real fun. But what I really want to praise it for are the things I shouldn’t. It has a very powerful female lead and a very genuine character from a Muslim society. The reason I shouldn’t be praising it is because it’s obvious Mr. Cliff didn’t go out of his way to make them a strong female lead and a genuine Muslim: he just wrote excellent, interesting characters who happened to be those things. It’s one of the few comics I actually got enraged at for ending.
I’ve mentioned Derelict by Ben Fleuter before, but I feel it’s worth mentioning again. Because frankly, I don’t like a lot of post-apocalypse stories (because, frankly, not a lot of interesting stuff is done with post-apocalypse stories) but Derelict really hits the mark for me. I’m not sure why. Maybe it’s the fact that Mr. Fleuter can be so expressive with only a few words said. Maybe it’s the fact that he really knows how to draw out the mystery of the apocalypse. Maybe it’s because his hero is unique and his setting is very creepy. Maybe you should just read it and tell me for yourself.
WARNING: THE NEXT LINK IS QUITE FREQUENTLY NOT SAFE FOR WORK AND NOT APPROPRIATE FOR PEOPLE UNDER 18.
Oglaf by Trudy Cooper and Danny Murphy is…man, you kind of just have to read it yourself (NSFW!). It’s a fantasy comic with a lot of modern tastes (NSFW!). It’s a gag comic that actually manages to be funny (NSFW!). It’s hysterical, witty and will make you far more attached to characters who get their tongues attached to snow queens, are forcibly married to bundles of sticks and frequently excrete ink from tender places (NSFW!).
Oh, also, there’s a lot of nudity and sex in it. Bam.
Cheap Thrills by Skurvy is a comic that I didn’t expect to enjoy at all. I don’t usually spring for anthropomorphic animals or drama that takes place primarily in high school and Cheap Thrills has both of those. And yet, somehow, it manages to captivate. It deals with a lot of issues and manages to be serious about them while also pushing forward character development. It really captures the spirit of living a life where everything is a crisis, the world is spinning the wrong way, no one understands you and manages to make it very entrancing.
Friends With Boys by Faith Erin Hicks has, technically, ended. It was, and still is, a great coming of age story with a supernatural twist and a very charming story. I admit, I mostly put this one in on the off-chance that the artist would see it and tell me that she’s going to work on more stuff in the future and perhaps drop a line to let me know! Still, you should really be reading this to see the story of family tension and growing up through the eyes of a young, socially awkward girl.
And those are the ones I really wanted to show you.
You might be wondering where the heavy hitters like Penny Arcade and Hark! A Vagrant! and Order of the Stick are. The truth is, I love those as much as you. They’re excellent comics, too, but they’re so well-known I don’t really feel like I can introduce them to anyone. I kind of wanted to show off some lesser known comics for artists who maybe haven’t been as successful.
Remember that a lot of these guys don’t make a lot of money off of their art. And while they don’t really occupy the same space as we authors do (they sit over at the cool kids’ table where everyone talks about cigarettes and smoking drugs), I like to hope there’s a lot of camaraderie between us and I like to hope that, by showing them off here, I get a few more people to read their stuff.
Got a webcomic you’d like me to know about and show off? Please, don’t hesitate to let me know! Hell, tell me even if you don’t want me to show it off. I need more stuff to read, guys. I need it!
Webcomics I read:
Cyanide & Happiness – Sometimes it falls flat for me, but generally I find it to be an insanely clever and often surreal comic that pushes the boundaries a little. It can (rarely) border too close to offensive, but generally I get a good giggle a few times a week.
White Ninja – Incredibly surreal. Sometimes the jokes are obvious, sometimes they’re not. The author has never really been particularly consistent with updating it, but there’s generally at least one new comic a week. Also quite like how it plays fast and loose with White Ninja’s sexuality and gender (one comic he might be a pregnant woman, next he’s a gay male, next he’s married to a woman). Definitely a comic that keeps you on your toes.
The Princess – Probably not of interest to most as it’s aimed mostly at the trans community (though LGB and straight/cis-gendered people are in it). It’s about a young girl called Princess Sarah, and how she, her family and her friends deal with her being trans, but also just her being a girl in general. There’s some very touching moments in it, some funny moments too, but generally it’s just a feel-good comic that explores variation in people.
Ooh, a Turkish Lieutenant! I’ll have to look out for that one.
I’ll second the recommendations for Unsounded and the Meek. I need to check out most of the others mentioned. There is another chapter of Delilah Dirk in the works. So don’t be too mad.
Bad Machinery – kids solve bizarre crimes. Sort of a scooby doo type mood. The kids are younger and the world they inhabit is a bit strage. Odd monsters creep around the edges of society and are involved with most of the happenings, but act mostly like all the other characters.
Gunnerkrigg Court – science and fantasy meet in a harry potter like setting. The main character goes to a boarding school after her mother dies. The school has ghosts and robots and other assorted fantasy creatures. My favorite character is coyote, who is inspired by the trikster from native american mythology. The art at the start can be a bit off putting, but the story is greatly entertaining and the art gets much better.
Power Nap – Not sure where this is going, but it’s been entertaining so far. In this world a drug has been invented so people don’t need to sleep anymore, but it doesn’t work on the main character, who seems to be a typical office worker.
Lovelave and Babbage – Ada Lovelace and Charles Babbage team up to stop crime.
Ellie on Planet X – in the format of a daily strip. Has a bit of the feel of Calvin and Hobbes more fantastic adventures. Ellie is a robot who has been sent to explore Planet X
Abominable Charles Christopher – about an abominable snowman and the animals in the forest he inhabits. This is probably the strip that has caused me to shed the most honest manly tears.
A list of the comics that I’ve enjoyed, but haven’t been going long enough for me to recommend without reservation: Cleopatra in Space, Cucumber Quest, Hunter Black, Hobo Lobo of Hamelin, Al’Rashad, Lady Sabre & The Pirates of the Ineffable Aether