Wednesday, June 29, 2005

Comics I'm reading

Here's a list of comics which I read with some regularity. I'll try to keep this updated so it reflects what I'm actually reading.

8 to 1: by BDuffy. A comic that's brutally honest with its characters and situations. 8 to 1 is just starting, so I'm unsure where it's going to go, but it's written well enough that I'm willing to follow it where it wants to take me.

9th Elsewhere: by Caroline Curtis and Courtney Caryl. Carmen is stuck in her dreams and is being led by a muse named Eiji. Great art and story with a little bit of humor added in. At times it gets downright surreal, but it's easy to follow and fun to read.

Alien Dice: by Tiffany Ross. This is the first comic I started to read by Shivae. I sadly haven't read any of the rest of her stuff, but I plan to in the near future. It gets a little bit melodramatic at times, but it's a fun read. Every comic is told in prose underneathe the comic, so anything that's ambiguous or can't be drawn will be explained down ther. You don't need the writing to understand the comic, though.

Angels 2200: by Nathaiel Savio and Peter Haynes. An all-woman space station in space. Features some lesbian undertones and mature ideas so if you are turned off by that, you might not want to read. I was drawn in by the story and still read because the twists continue to amuse.

Antihero for Hire: by Mark Shallow. A different look at super heroes. This comic follows Nighthawk as he battles evil for money. I prefer this to Mark Shallows other comic, Adventurers because this one focuses a little more on the story than the humor, not that his humor isn't good. It just needs to be balanced out.

Anywhere But Here: by Jason Siebels. I love this comic. I don't think I can say enough good things about it. Just watching the relationship between these two main characters is amazing. These are two people with a very different idea of what love is trying to learn how to trust each other. Both have made horrible mistakes, but they're still together and becoming stable (as of this writing, of course). Anywhere But Here is also very good at using humor without getting distracted. The humor fits into the world. The world doesn't change to fit the humor.

Better Days: by Jay Naylor. This comic features very very mature situations. If you are easily offended, do not, under any circumstances read this comic. I don't have as many problems with furry comics as other people seem to. It's a style choice, nothing more, just like some people decide to draw in manga style, or use sprites and photographs. Better Days has very good characterization and interesting stories. It's worth reading, if you can take the maturity issue.

Bizarre Uprising: Vampires. What more do you need? I've been on and off with this comic for a while. Every time I think of quitting it, though, it does something to keep me drawn in. It has a sporadic update schedule, usually once a week, but I'm not sure if you can count on it even for that.

Bob and George: by David Anez. The original sprite comic, and still one of the best. David Anez uses his sprites to do something really unique, and I think he puts plot holes in on purpose just so he can explain them away later.

Bob the Angry Flower: by Stephen Notley. Bob the Angry Flower has a kind of sublime humor. Many times you will laugh, but you won't know what you're laughing at. The world of the comic is surreal, and it makes for some very interesting situations.

Checkerboard Nightmare: by Kristopher Straub. The webcomic satire site. Kris Straub uses this comic to make fun of current events. Some of the comics need an understanding of webcomic culture, but most of them can be appreciated even if you don't know the background.

Chopping Block: by Lee Adam Herold. Some really dark humor in this comic. Chopping Block is a gag-a-day comic about a serial killer named Butch. It's one of the few comics I like enough to keep reading even when the writer goes on long hiatuses.

College Roomies From Hell: by Maritza Campos. Okay, this is why you don't judge a comic by its beginnings because if I had to judge the this comic by the first month or year, even, I would have dropped it. College Roomies From Hell started out okay, and it has steadily improved from there. Now I don't know how I didn't notice the comic earlier. So there you go. Don't make snap judgements. Thanks for teaching me that, Maritza

Copper: by Kazu Kibuishi. I started reading this comiec because so many other people love it. I can see why. The art is amazing and it does a good job of telling it's story in a limited space. The only thing I don't care for is that it has jut one update a month. So if you're jonesing for comic updates, this is not the comic for you.

Count Your Sheep: By Adrian Ramos. Count Your Sheep has a wonderful innocence about it that retains its intelligence. A simple concept pulled off very well.

Daily Dinosaur Comics: by Ryan North. Ryan North has a really great sense of humor. Dialy Dinosaur comics uses the same pictures over and over again. Each comic looks like all theothers, but where the comic really shines is its writing. Ryan definitely knows how to work around his set limitations. Don't be turned off by the art. Give the comic a chance. You'll appreciate it, I'm sure.

Darken: by Kate Ashwin. The main characters of this comic are villians in the employ of Mephistopheles trying to take over the world, and you still sympathize with them. Despite the fact that they are villians the comic is just so cute you have to like them.

Dominic Deegan: by Michael Terracciano. If you like bad puns, like me, then this is the comic for you. What this comic excels at more than any others is the sure level of punnery going on in the pages. However, these puns are backed up by a very good story and characters, and are usually pertinent to the situation rather than added in.

Dungeon Crawl: by Nathan Sheaffer. Another comic I stopped reading for a while only to pick in up again a little later. Dungeon Crawl is just fun. It doesn't take a lot of thinking to enjoy the comic. It's not necessarily smart writing, but it gets the job done.

El Goonish Shive: by Dan Shive. This comic has improved a lot from the time it started, and you can tell how Dan Shive tied all the story elements together once he decided to start taking the comic seriously. His characters are getting more and more layered as he continues to write.

Empty Words: by Benjamin Rivers. Kind of depressing, but still good. A comic that's grounded in reality. Has a sporadic update schedule, but still worth reading in your free time.

Errant Story: by Micheal Poe, author of Exploitation Now, so you there are mature themes, sexuality and nudity. Be warned. However, unlike Exploitation Now, Errant Story has gone straight into telling a tale, rather than just doing gag-a-days. I like it. Poe shows an intelligence with his writing. I tried reading Exploitation Now, and I've never gotten past the first few strips, so I can't really compare them that well.

Fallen Angels Used Books: by John Fortman. The art of storytelling is a noble profession that seems to be becoming less and less useful. It's sad really. Fallen Angels Used Books tries to bring back this art. The stroy is told by the characters ad picked up by different characters as it goes on, giveing a different perspective and view.

Faux Pas: by Robert and Margaret (since that is all I can find of their names). I like Disney movies a lot, though I have no idea why I'm telling you this. Faux Pas takes place in a studio for animal actors. The a vixen named Cindy comes in from the wild and takes a shine to the actor fox named Randy. The comic then chronicals their relationship and their difficulties communicating with each other. This comic has a very good sense of humor.

Flatwood: by Zachary Parker. a very interesting comic. It hasn't been updating much recently, but I'll continue reading it. I want to see where it goes.

Flipside: by Brion Foulke. The story of a multiple personality who's just trying to make it in the world. This comic had me hooked almost from the start. I like the "clothes make the woman" theme behind the main character, and it held my interest very well. Worth reading.

Freefall: By Mark Stanley. A nice fun comic. It's also hard science fiction despite being kind of silly, which makes it that much more amazing.

Girl Genius 101: by Professors Phil & Kaja Foglio. This comic is recommended by many people online. I decided to read the old comics as they come. It's new to me, but I can see why so many people like it. It's well written and has an interesting idea behind it.

Gossamer Commons: By Eric Burns and Greg Holkan. You know, for someone who talks about bringing the funny all the time, he sure hasn't brought much. I don't care as much about humor as most people do. Gossamer Commons has everything I do care about, solid writing and an interesting storyline. Being a good critic doe not always translate into being a good writer, but Eric Burns seems to be doing an excellent job so far.

Inverloch: by Sarah Ellerton. Okay, first things first. My favorite genre of book was fantasy when I was young. I loved those stories set in other worlds. Occultatio at The Living Comic has panned Inverloch for being just a run of the mill fantasy. I, however, think it's a great story, maybe a little cutesy, but it feels right. It has good pacing and decent writing, and a nice set-up as well.

Irregular Webcomic: by David Morgan-Mar. This is sort of a breakthrough. This is the first comic I read steadily that uses photography as it's picture medium, and stands a god chance of being the only one ever. I noticed Irregular Webcomic a lot earlier, but dropped it for being substandard. Boy was I wrong. More bad snap judgements from me.

Jack: by David Hopkins. This is another comic that might offend your sensibilties, since it features furries in disturbing situations. The comic is set and hell, and is therfore very dark. Not for the weak of heart. It does have very good storytelling, though, and although it's based on Christian mythology and I'm an aethist, I can still enjoy it for having a message.

Kevin and Kell: by Bill Holbrook. A comic about a marriage between a rabbit and a wlf, and all the problems it causes. Kevin and Kell is good because it knows how to milk a storyline forever, but still keep you interested. I think the first storyline of the comic lasted two years (the birds). He still writes pretty well, though he may be losing his touch now.

The Last Days of FOXHOUND: by Chris Doucette. I started reading this, and I said "whatever." After a while it started getting a lot funnier. It skirts the edge of ridiculousness without losing its sense of purpose.

LinT: by Colby Purcell. Lint is one of those interesting comics. I like it so far, but I'm not sure why I'm still reading it. Still it's not bad enough to drop.

Lozers: by Erik Shoenek. It's funny cause it's true, except it's very exaggerated. I remember going through many things in this comic during high school. It hurts, but the comic makes up for it with the funny.

Marilith: by Sean Lindsay. I love the dynamics between the two main characters. Marilith is a continuation of an older comic, so you might want to read that first. you should be able to find the link on the main site. I was excited that the new comic showed up.

Misfile: by Chris Hazleton. So gender-switch comics are nothing new. Misfile stands out a bit in my mind because the characters are treated like real people. Ash really has to deal with being female, but not wanting to be. It's interesting to how how his life before the switch was changed because he was female.

The Noob: by Gianna Masetti. I have little to no knowledge of how online RPGs work. I've thought of joining a few, but never went through with actually doing so. However, I still find The Noob very funny. It's not hard to tell how the world is run. Everyone's caught up in their own ideals, and the most aware person is the one who knows nothing.

No Rest for the Wicked: by Andrea Peterson. I love comics that take familiar characters and put a twist on their story. No Rest for the Wicked is set in the world of fairy tales. It uses characters that you know to tell its own story.

Nukees: by Darren Bluel. This comic took a while to win me over, but once it did I've been hooked ever since. It has some very good writing, but it takes a while to start appreciating its genius.

Order of the Stick: by Rich Burlew. Another comic which doesn't make a good first impression, but is definitely good after you get over that first hump. I don't play Dungeons and Dragons, but I still find it hilarious.

Ozy and Millie: by David Simpson. I like cute. In small doses. Ozy and Millie is definitely cute. However, it's also very smart. I don't think David Simpson's slipping, as some do. i think he's still as funny as ever.

Partially Clips: by Robert Balder. I'm one of those people who doesn't pay attention to the artwork as much. Sometimes it's needed to tell the story, other times it's not. Partially clips uses clip art and puts jokes to it. It's very smart, and sometimes the joke misses, but when it hits, it's very good.

Penny and Aggie: by T Campbell and Gisele Lagace. Two girls who are enemies try to hold a civil battle of wits over control of the high school. Their competitiveness usually ends up hurting both of them. Penny is a stereotypical popular girl, except she has a brain, and actually uses it from time to time. Aggie is a rebel and an activist. Despite these surface differences the two girls actually have a lot more in common than they think.

Perry Bible Fellowship: by Nicholas Gurewitch. This comic is so great it takes you a while to know how great it truly is. Read it for a while, then you will start to get into a zone where everything the author puts out is hilarious.

Pixel: by Chris Dlugosz. The great thing about comics that limit themselves artistically is that the writing tends to be that much better. I tend to see comics as works of writing that are much more immediate (you'll notice in my reviews I'll tend to stray away from discussing the art (at least once I get a few reviews up)) so if the writing and story aren't there, the comic isn't worth it in my mind. Pixel is very intelligent and well written. Give it a shot.

Pokemon X: by Recon Dye. another sprite comic. This comic is also very fun, and smart. Maybe like Family Guy. It seems stupid until you actually think about what's being said.

PvP: by Scott Kurtz. A comic about geeks. This is a gag-a-day comic with some story as well. It's dedicated more to the joke that the story, but Kurtz's humor is good enough that he can pull it off.

Queen of Wands: by Aeire. The story is finished, but Aeire is now rerunning the entire series with commentary. I'm going to be doing a "now that it's finished review" for this comic soon.

Questionable Content: by Jeph Jacques. Good writing and fun situations. Questionable Content is based on the emo scene, but you don't have to get emo to understand the comic. It's worth reading. Definitely.

Reasoned Cognition: by Ryan Kolter. I like science. This comic, run by the Amorphous Ball of Light, answer questions from the readers, kind of like Straight Dope except with visuals to help you out.

Scary-Go-Round: by John Allison. This is a sort of on-again off-again comic for me. For now it's on. A very interesting way of writing, the way it can be funny without even really having a joke, and I like dark humor, so this is right up my alley (I will burn in Hell for that cliche).

Secret of Mana Theater: by Sprite Monkey. Don't know if this counts as a comic, but it updates every so often and I watch when it updates. Very good humor and a fine story as well.

Sinfest: by Tatsuo Ishida. A fellow Japanese writing a webcomic. That's not the reason I read it though. I'm only half Japanese. Sinfest bring a interesting perspective on the world, and on the headache that is interacting with the opposite sex. It's hard to make a bunch of flat representations of general ideas intersting, but this comic has no problem doing so.

Sluggy Freelance: by Pete Abrams. Keeper of the Nifty. Sluggy Freelance is a very funny comic. It also atarted as gag-a-day and then added more story as it went along. Had a lot of ups and downs, but still remains good.

Something Positive: by RKMilholland. May offend your sensibilities, but it makes up for that with very good writing. This is a comic with a mean streak that doesn't seem to be afraid of anything. It's very popular for a reason.

Striptease: by Chris Daily. Of all the comics on the list so far, this is the one I can least justify being on there. Let's just say that there's something about it that I like. I don't know what, but there's something.

Suicide for Hire: by Rafael Medina. A comic about a couple of anthropomorphized animals who kill people for money. The catch being the people they kill want to die anyway. It's dark and a little bit stupid, but fun.

Tailsteak.com: by Mason Williams. He is the same person who created 1/0 which is the first comic I reviewed for this site. It seems that Tailsteak has taken everything he learned from 1/0 and made it better. He is just a very insightful writer.

The Wotch: by Anne Onymous and Robin Ericson (pseudonyms, of course). A fun comic about a witch who's just learning how to use her powers. Most of the trouble whe gets in is her own fault. There's also a pretty good story throughout the comic, and the writers aren't afraid to experiment a little bit with their storytelling.

Zap: by Chris L. and Pascalle C. So I'm reading the archives and I realize that I am consistently amused by every strip in the first few months. After a while the story started and I had fun reading it. Definitely worth a look.

So there you have it. Next up, reviews. It will take a while to get the reviews up, so don't expect me to post every day. You'll see why when I post my first review.

Monday, June 27, 2005

Why I think I make a good reviewer

There are many people that do, I know. However, I believe I have afew good reasons why I am a good reviewer by most peoples standards.

I think about what I write. What you see on the site will be well thought out and backed up by source information as much as possible. If you are using the site to decide what to read, then you need to know that I will give an honest opinion that you can trust.

I like multiple styles. I'm not stuck with one style. The comics I read (which I'll be sharing in my next post) come from many different styles and philosophies. There are comics that have bad art, comics that have the same art repeated, comics in a gag a day style, story comics, humorous, serious, manga, you name it. So I will be less likely to pan a comic just because it's not my style.

I write well. This is probably the most important. Most of the time, the syntax or spelling and punctuation errors will be slight, so you can read without being distracted by them.

I am able to put myself into a certain mindset easily, especially if that mindset is an emotional one. I can usually read comic as it was intended to be read rather than having one reading style I will adapt to the style I think best fits the comic.

I don't speculate. I assume nothing. The way I watch movies or read comics is to finish watching or reading and then think about what I've seen. If something hasn't happened yet, I try not to assume it will. I will be less affected by my preconceptions.

I can see the good as well as the bad. I don't think if something is good then everything about it is good. I don't think that if something is bad, then everything about it is bad. I can usually see both sides, and place myself on that spectrum where I see fit.

That is why I think I will be a good reviewer. It might be a little rough at first while I try to find my style, but once I settle into it, it should be fine.

Sunday, June 26, 2005

Just to get started

I've found that I really like writing reviews for anything and everything. I think it's the critical side of me. I know there are other sites out there that already do this, and probably do what I'm doing a lot better than I ever could, but what the hey. I don't think anyone will even find this site, so why do I have to worry. Since I read a lot of them, I decided to review webcomics. Hopefully we can get an alphabetical index on them. I'll start with comics that have already been finished and work my way to the one that are still going. I promise to read the entire archives before writing a review, and I will be as honest as possible