The Webcomic Thread

[Dikiyoba]

It has recently come to my attention that I am not reading enough webcomics anymore. In fact, I'm down to five: Order of the Stick, Irregular Webcomic, Darths & Droids, Girl Genius, and Garfield minus Garfield.

 

So go! Now is your chance to list the webcomics you read and perhaps point out a few favorites that you think Dikiyoba is missing out on.

[Dantius]

By far the three best webcomics I have ever read have, unfortunately, been discontinued or finished. THey fall into three categories:

 

Gaming: 8-Bit Theater, the granddaddy of all gaming webcomics (2001! That's, like, when I was using AOL!), and still the best.

 

Story: Rice Boy, which has this fantastic surrealist artwork and a really good story to boot. I like to think of it as the webcomic that Dr. Seuss would have had.

 

General: Of course, the precursor to XKCD (and still funnier), Men In Hats. It's more black humor, though, so your mileage may vary.

 

I of course read a smattering of others, Vattu, Darths and Droids, OOTS, XKCD, Stolen Pixels, and (gasp!) the actual newspaper comics (remember those?). Dilbert is my favorite that's currently running, but my all time favorite newspaper comic had to be Lio (with an accent on the o). Yeah, I really do like dark humor.

[Øther]

I also read 8-bit theater. Along with that, I read Looking for Group, Cntrl Alt Del, How I killed your Master, and The least I could do.

 

A note on the epilogue for 8-bit theater: It didn't really satisfy me. Even though I really like how it was done, it really didn't rap up the story for me.

[Triumph]

I've recently been introduced to Piled Higher and Deeper (PHD) and found it very applicable to my life at this point.

 

Other than that, the only webcomic I regularly read is Darths and Droids (thanks to Diki). I occasionally look at XKCD, though usually only when I see a friend post a link on Facebook.

[Dikiyoba]

Originally Posted By: Dantius

By far the three best webcomics I have ever read have, unfortunately, been discontinued or finished.

See, Dikiyoba likes it when webcomics actually finish instead of jumping the shark once the author is out of ideas or dying due to lack of updates. Dikiyoba's favorites of those are Breakfast of the Gods and Concerned.

[Randomizer]

Kenzer and Co. keep saying that they will add more webstrips here , but it's been months since they've even added old material.

[Xaiya]

http://questionablecontent.net/archive.php

 

http://www.zapcomic.com/archives/

[Goldengirl]

Amazing Super Powers is a good comic that comes out with a new comic fairly often.

 

Chain Bear starts very good, in a cynical way. They've dried up now, but still have the occasional good comic.

 

Rock Paper Cynic is good as well, if not particularly graphically entertaining at all times.

 

A vote of endorsement goes to Questionable Content as well.

[Fearstung]

I often try to spread the word of these:

 

Dresden Codak is invariably witty and has fantastic artwork. Downsides are obscure jokes and sometimes obtuse storytelling, and the fact that it hardly ever updates. But few comics are able to do things like this.

 

Speaking of completed comics: the improvised no-fourth-wall 1/0 was amazing once it got going and has a satisfying ending.

 

I usually recommend Goats with the caveat that there's a ridiculous amount of archive you have to slog through to know what's going on. But fortunately, Rosenberg just started the spinoff Scenes from a Multiverse, which is quite accessible and has a cool concept.

 

And Wondermark and Dinosaur Comics are probably my favorites. Note that the author of Dinosaur Comics is having a guest week right now; click what the T-Rex is saying underneath the webpage header to get random archive comics.

 

I'll second Questionable Content and Rice Boy (and OotS!)

[Callie]

The only web-comic I currently read is XKCD. Maybe I'll end up reading some more after clicking on the links provided in the thread.

 

*starts clicking links*

[Lilith]

[Student of Trinity]

I'm following Girl Genius, Looking for Group, Order of the Stick, XKCD, and Erfworld. Oh, and Dilbert, if that counts. I guess that's enough. Maybe I'll check out Darths and Droids, now.

[Enraged Slith]

It's usually around the time that webcomics become a soapbox for the author that you know they've jumped the shark. One of the main problems with this kind of comic I think, aside from not being funny, is that it's really more of a commentary than an argument - the opposition always stands around like an idiot while the author berates him for panels. For the comic to work, the author assumes that the audience either agrees with him, or that it hasn't thought about his point before. It's basically a bastard type of observational humor that alienates a portion of its audience and strokes the ego of the rest.

 

I don't like comics that much, but I do read Penny Arcade. It's been around forever, and yet it's just as good as it has ever been.

[Lilith]

Originally Posted By: Enraged Slith

It's usually around the time that webcomics become a soapbox for the author that you know they've jumped the shark. One of the main problems with this kind of comic I think, aside from not being funny, is that it's really more of a commentary than an argument - the opposition always stands around like an idiot while the author berates him for panels. For the comic to work, the author assumes that the audience either agrees with him, or that it hasn't thought about his point before. It's basically a bastard type of observational humor that alienates a portion of its audience and strokes the ego of the rest.

I don't like comics that much, but I do read Penny Arcade. It's been around forever, and yet it's just as good as it has ever been.

lol

[Student of Trinity]

To expand Lilith's compact notation: Penny Arcade has always been pretty much exactly what Enraged Slith complained about in the first paragraph ...

[Dantius]

Originally Posted By: Enraged Slith

It's usually around the time that webcomics become a soapbox for the author that you know they've jumped the shark. One of the main problems with this kind of comic I think, aside from not being funny, is that it's really more of a commentary than an argument - the opposition always stands around like an idiot while the author berates him for panels. For the comic to work, the author assumes that the audience either agrees with him, or that it hasn't thought about his point before. It's basically a bastard type of observational humor that alienates a portion of its audience and strokes the ego of the rest.

Very applicable.

Oh, and a general warning about how Cracked uses strong language. I don't think there's any in that article, though.

[The Mystic]

The only web comic I read is Girl Genius. It's the only one that's held my attention for any amount of time.

[Oge]

Oglaf.

[Rowen]

Hark, a vagrant! is the only one that I would like to add to the list that is family approved.

[In Half Now]

Ah, I know many of these, but then I read about 30~40 comics more or less frequently. And by that I of course mean the amount of updating some of them do (or more like don't do.. enough).

 

Hark, a vagrant ^ is damned good, and I would've added it also. As it is here's some links to comics I consider above the ordinary, in no particular order.

 

Girl with slingshots Not just for the stylish drawing style, but also for its fun-ness. Also, everyone's favourite pink puddycat from something positive makes appearances.

 

Bad Machinery What followeds after Scary Go Round.

 

Gunnerkrigg Court I don't know where it's going, but it's making an excellent job of keeping everyone waiting anxiously.

 

The Meek I've followed the artist of this on devArt for a long while and this comic has been in the making for even longer. It's going to be epic (and already has been). And luckily it is in the third chapter already.

 

Sailor Twain or the Mermaid in the Hudson It's namesake. Very well done.

 

Lackadaisy Saving the best for last. Followed this artist for the longest, always been amazed at her talent. Detailed and beautiful style. And a heck of a story to boot, too!

 

 

(also, hey everyone )

[Sudanna]

Goblins is a great comic about goblins in a typical RPG. Yes, things go terribly.

 

Goodbye Chains is a fastidiously researched comic set in the Old West. Primary characters are Banquo White, a bank robber, and Colin Lord, a communist.

 

A Softer World is a comic made from captioned photographs. How delightfully wacky, right? Only it's all gallows humor.

 

Guilded Age is a comic about an adventuring group. Only it's different, somehow, from the other thousand comics with that premise. Anyways, it deals mainly with mainly disconnected stories that are mainly confusing with mainly no backstory, but the individual comics do well.

 

The Seraph Inn Has three comics, all of which are quite nice. Dreamless is about a Japanese boy and American girl that can see what the other is doing when asleep. THEN, WW2. Inverloch, now finished, was read a long time ago and I can't remember much other than I liked it. The Phoenix Requiem is set in pseudo-Victorian times, when a strange man shows up in a small town. He brings assorted strangeness with him, like plague.

 

Those are the best of the many I'm reading right now (excepting those that have already been mentioned or are explicitly LGBT-oriented). I'll spare you (but mostly myself) from the long, long list of finished comics and ones that I stopped reading for whatever reason.

 

Also, Thuryl, that comic's excellent.

[Alorael at Large]

I'll throw in Schlock Mercenary, which actually really updates every single day without exception and manages to be rather good as well.

 

Want more space opera? Try Crimson Dark. Just don't expect frequent updates.

 

Also, Simulated Comic Product, which despite ending has had a rash of recent new comics.

 

—Alorael, who will not bother to bring up Saturday Morning Breakfast Cereal or Cyanide and Happiness, neither of which is appropriate to link to, except to say that daily comics can get away with being funny only occasionally much better than, say, once a week comics.

[The Ratt]

Originally Posted By: Fearstung

Dresden Codak is invariably witty and has fantastic artwork. Downsides are obscure jokes and sometimes obtuse storytelling, and the fact that it hardly ever updates. But few comics are able to do things like this.

I know this is a little late, but I read the last line of that comic as "My wife died of dysentery." I'm not sure if it improved or degraded the comic.

The only web comic I read is XKCD, but you don't need to worry about that.

[Xelgion]

I check on XKCD every now and then. Mostly read Questionable Content, Darth and Droids, Oglaf, and its fun to read through the archives of Ctrl+alt+del and DM of the Rings

[Goldengirl]

Originally Posted By: Spiderweb Exceptionalism

—Alorael, who will not bother to bring up Saturday Morning Breakfast Cereal or Cyanide and Happiness, neither of which is appropriate to link to, except to say that daily comics can get away with being funny only occasionally much better than, say, once a week comics.

That brings up a very good question. Is it better to have quality, or quantity, when it comes to webcomics?

[Sudanna]

Both.

[Aran]

Most of my webcomic bookmark list has already been mentioned: XKCD, Girl Genius, Schlock Mercenary, Order of the Stick, Questionable Content, Dresden Codak, Looking for Group, Scary Go Round / Bad Machinery and Penny Arcade.

 

I do have some that are not yet posted, though:

 

Sinfest, General Protection Fault, WTF Comics and The Noob.

 

I also still read Dominic Deegan and UserFriendly, but some days I wish I didn't.

[Celtic Minstrel]

Am I the only one here who reads around 50 regularly updating comics?

[Randomizer]

If they don't come in a newspaper, then I usually don't bother to read them.

[Niemand]

Originally Posted By: Celtic Minstrel

Am I the only one here who reads around 50 regularly updating comics?

No, I also read quite an number of them. I have a primary list of about 15 whose addresses I usually type manually and then a secondary list, which I find has now grown to over a hundred items, of others which I check on the days on which they are supposed to update, or on which I estimate they may update. The long list needs a bit of pruning; there are several in it which have died or finished in the last couple of months, and several I've lost interest in reading.

A shortened list of my favorites (most of which have already been mentioned here) would be something like: Girl Genius, Gunnerkrigg Court, Schlock Mercenary, The Mansion of E, Lackadaisy, and Freefall. I'm quite fond of Dresden Codak, but it barely functions like a comic at all.

I feel a need to give special mention to MS Paint Adventures. While the first story (Jail Break) and the abortive second (Bard Quest) were terrible, Problem Sleuth was stupendous, and Homestuck has far exceeded my expectations. I find fascinating the way that Homestuck in particular has embraced its medium, making use of actual URL shortener links, which point back to resource held on the site. Sadly, I think, some of the in jokes arising from the interplay between the comic, its subsidiary comic (supposedly the work of one of the characters), and the fan created wiki for the subsidiary comic will become less clear and harder to trace out after the fact.

[Celtic Minstrel]

My full list is about 120, but some of those are dead or nearly dead, so the number I actually read is probably closer to 60 or 70.

 

 

Some of my favourites include Girl Genius, xkcd, and CRFH. Also Hero in Training and Mindmistress. There are many more, of course.

 

 

...too lazy to give links...

[Sudanna]

I used to have even more than you guys, but I lost the lists in a series of hardware failures. I only read about 19 regularly now, though there's about twice that in my dead list.

[keira]

Meh. I used to read a lot but ever since I've been on the pod I only regularly read the ones that post on Twitter when they've updated.

[Tirien]

The only webcomics I'm reading are already listed on this thread.

They are Order of the stick, Girl Genius, Gunnerkrigg Court, The Meek, Goblins, Schlock Mercenary, and The Seraph Inn.

I finally understand what that "I prepared explosive runes this morning" comment from Brigandage was about. Yay for explosions and making fun of Dungeons and Dragons!!

 

 

[Erebus the Black]

I read OOTS, girl genius, 8-bit-theater (done), goblins, LFG, zap-godot(done), myth adventures(which is actually a book I already read and it peaked my interest to see the illustrated version), XKCD, PHD, AMD(a modest destiny)(now discontinued and for some reason is being converted to an IPod version by its author instead of continuing the writing, though I do recommend you check the 300 mechanics section (which is still being updated)), erfworld.

Also don't know if it counts but I try to follow bleach and one-piece mangas through the web.

[Ezrah, Kitty of Wonder.]

I've read DMFA, Digger, Concession, and Goyedogs, I used to read VG cats before it stopped, and I I've read 8-bit Theater... I looked up darths and Droids... funny x3

[Alorael at Large]

VGCats didn't stop. It just got updates on a non-schedule.

 

—Alorael, who should throw on two non-webcomics. 365 Tomorrows is a sci-fi flash fiction site with one story per day. It's like a comic, but it's text!

[Aran]

Originally Posted By: Upright and Thrifty

VGCats didn't stop. It just got updates on a non-schedule.

—Alorael, who should throw on two non-webcomics. 365 Tomorrows is a sci-fi flash fiction site with one story per day. It's like a comic, but it's text!

I read that too; it's awesome.

What's the second non-webcomic?

Also, for everyone who likes OOTS, here is another nice one that looks just like it.

[Tirien]

If you dont like OOTS, its becuase youve been lobotomized.

Or have never played any games with DnD rules, like Neverwinter Nights.

Just got to the point in anti-HEROES where they make fun of the random naked barbarian in the wilderness thing from Morrowind. I always did wonder why there were so many of them in that game....

[Alorael at Large]

Redacted.

 

—Alorael, who has seen Aran's grimy name in the comment threads there, too.

[Dintiradan]

I'll list the regularly updating ones that I still like (there are a few that I don't care for at all, but still read because I've invested so much time into reading the archives that I simply must know how they end).

 

• Girl Genius / Buck Godot: What happens when you have a (gasp) separate colourists? Art that is much better than average. Seriously, it makes a difference. Girl Genius is a great story-driven comic, though it has convoluted story arcs at some points. Buck Godot (which is completed, and was recently coloured) has the same type of humour as Girl Genius, but kept with less tangled arcs (though it's been a while since I read it, so maybe it was bad too). And yet it has this big Scooby Doo recap at the end of the Gallimaufry arc. Why?
• Penny Arcade: Again, better art and writing happen when you have a team making the comic. I'm not a big gamer, so a lot of the comics I don't get, but I still get enough of them (and the blog posts) for it to be worth a read. It was also neat to see D&D through the eyes of the two -- one used to the game, and one new to it.
• Order of the Stick: D&D comic a lot of people are already familiar with it. Props to Rich for being able to make each comic funny while still progressing the story.
• Goblins: Speaking of which, the author of Goblins said that mixing humour and story was a big difficulty for him. Goblins does swing wildly from one to the other, but it's still worth a read. Ignore the early art; it gets better.
• Darth and Droids: This one's inspired by DM of the Rings (now completed). I can't quite put my finger on it, but I preferred DMotR. It just feels cleaner somehow. It was also more gag-driven; maybe that's all that works in the format. Anyway, like DMotR, D&D is worth reading for the author commentary alone.
• Dinosaur Comics: This one's just plain good.
• Hark! A Vagrant!: This one is, also, just plain good.
• Dresden Codak: I always end up mentally comparing this one to xkcd. Both have the same 'observational humour through a scientist's eyes' vibe, though Dresden Codak does a bit more than that. Art is the big difference between the two, but more significant is the update schedule. By not updating thrice a week, Dresden Codak is able to have more elaborate and consistently good stories. Of course, the price to pay is (much) fewer comics.
• xkcd: See above. It's decent, but would be better as a blog.
• Guilded Age: This is a newer one, but it's pretty good. Again, separate artist and writer. Every character in the ensemble has his or her different brand of humour, which is neat. Fun fact: I was toying with the idea of making Wybren a slightly less arrogant version of Payet Best.
• Looking For Group: Kinda lukewarm to this one, but still good for a laugh now and then.
• Questionable Content: A comic about 'relationships' (holy crap, it's not about indie rock bands anymore, QC has totally jumped the shark). The 'relationships' slant more towards humour potential than realism, which is fine, because it's a comic. It's harder to use that reasoning when the comic gives the impression of "Let's cure depression with romance", though. Still, the strip's a great example of an author improving his art by leaps and bounds.
• The Gods of Arr-Kelaan: This one's one a hiatus right now. It's also been a while since there's been a long story arc -- it's most 'short stories' now. 'Going Home' and 'Consequences' are the best arcs, though. This is one of the few examples of a comic based on the author's table top setting being actually decent. It was also one of the inspirations for Legends of Divinity, so there you go.
• Dead Winter: Just did an archive trawl of this recently. The funny seems to come in spurts, but it's there.
• The Zombie Hunters: Another zombie comic I just trawled. The artist posted a FAQ for getting started with a webcomic (can't find the link). Aside from the usual stuff, she also put some graphic design and web presence tips in, so the advice can be used for more than just webcomics.
• Sam and Fuzzy: Yet another recent addition. This one does the 'Straight Man with Crazy Sidekick' dynamic quite well, and it's also one of those comics that can mix story and humour fluidly. I also dig the art style. My only complaint is the way new characters get introduced some times; on a couple of occasions, a character's introduction is followed by a flashback of a dozen-ish strips. Still, quite good.
• Sluggy Freelance: Has this one been mentioned yet? It's old; like, older-than-Penny-Arcade-old (tomorrow, it will be thirteen years old). And it's a daily. The quality of the strip varies wildly depending on the last time the author took a hiatus. Seriously, Pete Abrams should just pull a Bill Watterson and have an extended break from the strip. Can't say it's my favourite, but it's a fixture, and after reading thirteen years worth of strips there's no way I'm deleting that bookmark until the thing is over.

[Aran]

I don't think xkcd would be better as a blog. The observational humor strips (like the current one about driving directions) talk about trivial things or pet peeves - spending more than a single paragraph about a topic like that would turn a blog entry into just another rant on the internet.

 

Edit: Also, the top half of my webcomic list is very nearly a subset of yours (the others being more obscure or less regular), but I notice there's no Schlock Mercenary. That's a really awesome one.

[Dintiradan]

There's no way I'm going to start reading Schlock Mercenary; it's nearly as long as Sluggy Freelance.

[Niemand]

Quote:

There's no way I'm going to start reading Schlock Mercenary; it's nearly as long as Sluggy Freelance.

I find this reaction crazy. It would be one thing to say 'I'm busy right now, and I don't have the time to sit down and read a good story', but (at least the way I interpret statements like yours) 'I hear that story is good, but no way am I going to read something that I might spend a long time enjoying' is quite another. If a story is good, why would you possibly want there to only be a little of it? Large comic archives are great, because you can read them as fast as you want, without having to wait for updates. Furthermore, if you had some sort of 'willpower' type of capability, you could actually take a break from reading them.

[Aran]

Heh... I remember I found the comic in December 2007, and read the entire archive in pretty much one week over the break.

[Dantius]

Originally Posted By: Arancaytrus

Heh... I remember I found the comic in December 2007, and read the entire archive in pretty much one week over the break.

Seriously. I caught up the entirety of OOTS in two days when I was sick in bed, and I managed to go through the 8-Bit archives in a five-day vacation, despite there being well over twelve hundred densely worded comics there. Reading through archives is not a demanding task, at all.

[Tirien]

I only started reading OOTS and Schlock Mercenary only 4 days ago. Already caught up on OOTS, and up to may 2007 on Schlock Mercenary.

 

Also, I love how Freefall makes fun of Calvin and Hobbes.

[Alorael at Large]

There are a little over ten years of Schlock Mercenary, which translates to three thousand comics and change. But you can surely read, say, two comics in a day? At that rate you'd catch up to the current comic eventually. Mind you, it'll take over a decade, but you could do it.

 

—Alorael, who likes the fact that Schlock Mercenary is consciously broken up into books, each one of which is fairly self-contained. Yes, there's an overarching story, and yes, there are references to past characters and events that won't mean as much if you haven't read those books, but you can largely pick a book and start reading.

[Dintiradan]

Originally Posted By: Niemand

Quote:

There's no way I'm going to start reading Schlock Mercenary; it's nearly as long as Sluggy Freelance.

I find this reaction crazy. It would be one thing to say 'I'm busy right now, and I don't have the time to sit down and read a good story', but (at least the way I interpret statements like yours) 'I hear that story is good, but no way am I going to read something that I might spend a long time enjoying' is quite another. If a story is good, why would you possibly want there to only be a little of it? Large comic archives are great, because you can read them as fast as you want, without having to wait for updates. Furthermore, if you had some sort of 'willpower' type of capability, you could actually take a break from reading them.

Yeah, I could have been more clear. The primary meaning was "I don't have time to do an archive trawl now". Also, I don't have this 'willpower' thing you speak of.

But, also, reading a webcomic isn't like reading a self-contained story. A book is edited as a cohesive whole, but a webcomic is more like a long-running serial (a serial where each episode is a scene along). Quality changes over the lifetime of a comic, and you're often required to read all the backstory to appreciate the new stuff. Imagine if before seeing that new J.J. Abrams flick you had to watch

(the fact that Schlock's episodes are self-contained is news to me).

But yeah, the biggest reason by far is time.

[Lilith]

Originally Posted By: Dintiradan

Imagine if before seeing that new J.J. Abrams flick you had to watch

but that scene owns