Tuesday, March 8, 2011

Webcomic Help!

Okay, so, we've talked about webcomics in the past, but for the most part, we have woefully neglected this wonderful section of the comics landscape.

Webcomics are a great way to get one's stuff out there and in front of an audience, and you get to avoid pesky things like (exorbitant) printing costs and pitching your ideas to huge companies.

There are so many great webcomics out there currently being written and drawn by some insanely talented folks. And, who knows? That webcomic writer/artist you read every day? He or she may very well be the Next Big Thing in comics in a couple of years.

Webcomics are very clearly a vital part of the comics industry, and sadly, we here at Exfanding (me, mostly) have failed to cover them.

And that needs to be rectified.

Hopefully, today is Step One in a newfound effort to find and to promote the best comics that the Internet has to offer. And to do that, we'll need your help. But I'll get to that in a minute, okay?

Okay.

Personally, my current favorite webcomic is one that I've mentioned on the blog before--the hilarious and mean-spirited Our Valued Customers, which provides an...uh...unfiltered look at comic book fans.

Written and drawn by an artist who works at a comics shop, this series takes actual pieces of conversation between customers and turns them into very funny one-strip comics. He posts everyday, and one of the first things I do when I flip my computer on in the morning is to check out the site.

I'm also getting into the new weekly series, Battlepug, by DC Comics artist Mike Norton.
Obviously, Norton's art here is great, but he's also showcasing some serious writing chops. Since the series is just getting started--I think there are three strips posted to date--and Norton updates the site once a week, you have a great opportunity to get in on the ground floor of a new, cool sword and sorcery (and talking animal) series.

Even though it's early in the series, I have a feeling that I'll be a longtime fan of the Pug.

The other series I'm reading online is the ever-present and ever funny and charming Dork Tower, by John Kovalic. I've followed this series--both online and in trade paperback form--for the better part of the past six years, and reading it always proves to be a bright spot in my day.

If you're a gamer, or a comics fan, or a genre nut, you should really check the site out, if you haven't already. I promise you'll love it.

And that's what I'm reading online.

Like I said, that's simply not good enough, and here's where you guys come in. What comic(s)are you reading, every day, online? I want to know. I need to know, because I should be reading more webcomics.

So, please.

Please, please, please, send along your recommendations for your favorite webcomics by leaving a comment, below. You send 'em, we'll read 'em, and we'll do whatever we can to promote them.

And, of course, if you have a webcomic of your own--let us know!

(Please!)

Okay. I'm done. Back tomorrow with another Waiting for Wednesday.

13 comments:

Anonymous said...

Well, I do Multiplex, which is a sort of slice-of-life humor comic strip about the staff of a movie theater.

Unknown said...

My comic's Last Res0rt, a cyberpunk series about a vampire who's signed up for a deadly reality show...

Dan Taylor said...

May I recommend HERO HAPPY HOUR at http://herohappyhour.com? Cheers!

dechanique said...

I tend to read online graphic novels as opposed to gag-strips, but I thought I would show you my favorites:

Love Me Nice By Amanda Lefrenais. Brings me back to Who Framed Roger Rabbit- a more adult/mature take on the real world interacting with Toons. Super super interesting, great characters, etc.

Knights-Errant by Jenn Doyle - war comic! :D Beautiful art and great story/characterization

Sfeer Theory by Chira and Muun oh wow where to begin with this - everything is wonderful. Great story, great art, the movement and colors are fantastic- just.. eye and mind candy all around.

Winters in Lavelle by Kasey Van Hise - a young adult graphic novel! Siblings transported to a new world via a mysterious orb in their father's possession. Kasey's built a fabulous universe, and it's definitely worth a read!

AND If you don't mind a little shameless self promotion, I write/draw La Macchina Bellica - a neo-Victorian wartime romance/drama online graphic novel (currently 7 chapters long).

Tony said...

A few brilliant comics:

Bad Machinery
Octopus Pie
Space Trawler

And my own, which I am unqualified to tell you if it's brilliant:
Finn & Charlie are Hitched
A slice-of-life comic bout a gay couple and their friends.

AJG said...

Thanks, everyone! Please keep them coming!

JoeReviewer said...

http://syacartoonist.com/manga

This is a comic about a cartoonist. I started it where the series began to get really good, but it starts earlier.

I also have a series called Randy and Andy, but it hasn't been updated in forever cause I've been working on a book for it.

GarHoch said...

Axe Cop! Just released a TPB collection a few weeks ago and a new comic book one-shot last week.

http://axecop.com/

Scott said...

xkcd, Saturday Morning Breakfast Cereal, and Perry Bible Fellowship.

zharth said...

Aside from xkcd, which Scott mentioned above, the only webcomics I read with any regularity (and thereby deserve my recommendation) are Garfield Minus Garfield, and Cyanide & Happiness.

For a while I've wanted to start my own webcomic, but what's stopping me is the fact that I don't have any [illustrative] artistic talent, and my humor/social commentary is bound to be insanely offensive to a large segment of the population.

JoeReviewer said...

Brawl in the Family is another good webcomic about video game characters.

http://www.brawlinthefamily.com/

Anonymous said...

I whole-heartedly recommend MS Paint Adventures, specifically Homestuck.

AJG said...

Thanks, everyone--I'm loving this stuff! Keep 'em coming!