Webcomic Review

[Trelau]

Wow, thanks for the answer because i would never have found that one out

[daglob]

So...hand puppet?

Yeah, and quite a famous puppet for it's time.. this is way before the Muppets showed up..

That's supposed to be Ollie.. A one-toothed dragon who was far more timid then savage.. He was part of The Kukla, Fran, and Ollie Show which aired in the U.S. from the '40s to the '50s (see Wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kukla,_Fran_and_Ollie ).




Course even for an old fart like me, who is almost 40 mind you, almost missed the reference if not for being quite a fan of puppets myself.

- CQ

...and reruns in the '60s.

[BlueBard]

I thought this issue of Gutters http://www.the-gutters.com/comic/38-chris-jones was bloody brilliant.  No offense meant to fans of Invincible, but Kirkman's definitely got one of the biggest egos in the comics industry as this comic demonstrates.

Meh.  Too insider for me to really appreciate 'in-jokes' from those in the comics industry.  I barely even know who he is.  It would have worked just as well with any of the other well-known egos out there... there are plenty to choose from.

Today's installment was a bit more direct, but twisted.  I can see where some would think it's funny, but I just thought it was gratuitously gratuitous and on the far side of the PG-13 scale.  Hence, no linky.

[Silver Shocker]

I thought this issue of Gutters http://www.the-gutters.com/comic/38-chris-jones was bloody brilliant.  No offense meant to fans of Invincible, but Kirkman's definitely got one of the biggest egos in the comics industry as this comic demonstrates.

Meh.  Too insider for me to really appreciate 'in-jokes' from those in the comics industry.  I barely even know who he is.  It would have worked just as well with any of the other well-known egos out there... there are plenty to choose from.

The guy who made the webcomic strip wrote that the joke's that one day, the entirety of Image will be molded in his image (not really sure what that would entail myself, as a large number of Image properties are creator owned and a good many don't take place in a "shared universe", but I digress).  But I personally took it as a bit of gentle ribbing towards his outspoken views on the industry. Probably chief among them, that all struggling writers/artists should be making creator-owned properties in lieu of more established, proven properties (I don't want to derail the thread, http://freedomreborn.net/archive/index.php?topic=48118.0 so here's a much older one from FR archives with the details)

Making jokes at the easy targets such as Bendis, Joe Q and Didio is sure to ensue the highest number of people will lol/get the joke, but that also runs the risk of clever jokes about such figures drying up (also, webcomics have a high tendency to be imbued with their creator's personal views *cough* VGCats)

Anyway, as for the Frankencastle strip, meh. I didn't find it funny. But I also find the Frankencastle concept incredibly dumb, particularly since it's practically a proven rule that the more supernatural/"superhero" elements there are in a Punisher comic, the more it sucks. Maybe that was part of the joke? I dunno.

[BlueBard]

Re: FrankenCastle Cereal

Spoiler

The cartoon characters are supposed to make kids want to eat the cereal... FrankenCastle wouldn't bother with whether they wanted to eat it or not, he'd just make 'em... Punisher-style.

[Trelau]

Shortpacked! does a little transition-book full of batman joke! Today's my favorite so far
http://www.shortpacked.com/2010/comic/book-12/02-batman-jokes/parkrow/

[Silver Shocker]

Oh yeah, I love Shortpacked whenever it does a parody of any geek-esque property, and Batman's one of the best ones. I'm very much enjoying "Batman joke week".

[Podmark]

Shortpacked! does a little transition-book full of batman joke! Today's my favorite so far
http://www.shortpacked.com/2010/comic/book-12/02-batman-jokes/parkrow/

lmao that was awesome.

[Glitch Girl]

"When you've got a problem so rad, conventional science can't help, you need the specialists of...
Awesome Hospital

I discovered this one recently and I'm enjoying it so far - a medical soap opera drama with a genius space baby, a surgeon dating a robot who rides a dirtbike everywhere, a bulldog on a skateboard, and chief of staff, Santa Claus .  Check up on some of your Superman history for some of the more current installments but you should be able to follow along even if you don't know who Weisinger is (I didn't).

[BlueBard]

Webcomic Moral of the Day:

"Never bring a gun to a clank fight."

http://www.girlgeniusonline.com/comic.php?date=20101011

Classic.

[BlueBard]

Don't you hate it when your magic sword fizzles?

http://www.lfgcomic.com/page/402

[BlueBard]

Ugh, the latest strip for Weregeek was SO predictable...

http://www.weregeek.com/2010/10/27/

It's only been telegraphed for about the last two weeks of strips and it's right before Halloween.

I sure hope it turns out to be a joke; otherwise, it's just one more episode of detached reality that takes away from the more clever elements of the whole webcomic.

[The Enigma]

Ugh, the latest strip for Weregeek was SO predictable...

http://www.weregeek.com/2010/10/27/

It's only been telegraphed for about the last two weeks of strips and it's right before Halloween.

I sure hope it turns out to be a joke; otherwise, it's just one more episode of detached reality that takes away from the more clever elements of the whole webcomic.

Utterly seconded. If she doesn't turn out to have been wearing fake fangs to freak Dustin out, the whole date arc is such a waste...

[BlueBard]

The only way that could possibly be redeemed into a decent storyline is if Ravenna reveals to Dustin that it was just a joke... and then leaves enough mystery to make the reader wonder if she really is a vampire without ever going there.

[BlueBard]

Okay, I have to admit, this is funny.

It would have been even funnier if they'd put mouse ears on the 2012 version.

Monday's installment of Gutters was also pretty funny, if not necessarily in good taste...

Spoiler

Professor X accused of being a pedophile, framed by Mags

[Podmark]

The Spider-Man one didn't do much for me, but the Xavier one is great

[BlueBard]

The Spider-Man one didn't do much for me, but the Xavier one is great

I liked the Spider-Man one only because of the progression that has him turning into something that looks like Mickey Mouse.  Y'know, the Disney thing.  Or as it is otherwise known as, Super Hero Squad.

[BlueBard]

Falling... With Style.  Sort of.

http://starslip.com/2010/11/05/accuracy/

[BentonGrey]

What are the great pick up lines of sci-fi authors?  Sheldon knows:

http://www.sheldoncomics.com/archive/101110.html

Alan Moore's left me rolling on my office floor.  

[BlueBard]

Weregeek is finally getting back to the Vampire LARP story line.

What wicked plan does Priscilla/Sarah have for Prince Allen/Mark?

Will Sarah go too far in role-playing her attraction for Mark?

Will Ravenna and Dustin continue to hit it off?

[Glitch Girl]

xkcd is having a guest week, and while Monday's gag was still my favorite so far, I was surprised (in a good way) that today's guest was Bill Amend from FoxTrot. 

[BWPS]

xkcd is having a guest week, and while Monday's gag was still my favorite so far, I was surprised (in a good way) that today's guest was Bill Amend from FoxTrot. 

That was awesome, though I'm not surprised that he's a fan.
I loved Zach Weiner's after I realized I was supposed to be clicking on stuff. I don't understand how most webcomics have motivation to go years without making a single funny strip while Saturday Morning Breakfast Cereal is like 2000ish for 2000ish. In fact, I think XKCD and SMBC are the only two consistently good webcomics.
It was a good guest week. Why ANYONE likes Questionable Content is something I'll never understand but even his wasn't terrible.

[Glitch Girl]

Awesome Hospital - in which Kris channels a little Spock for a sorrowful goodbye during this very special Christmas arc. 

[BlueBard]

Awesome Hospital - in which Kris channels a little Spock for a sorrowful goodbye during this very special Christmas arc. 

Clever.

[BlueBard]

Okay, THIS is exactly where I figured Weregeek was going... it's great character tension, and it's about time.

Now here's where I think it may go next:

Spoiler

Mark, being typically clueless, begins writing "love letters" from Prince Allen to Priscilla, Sarah's character.  He doesn't stop to think about what might happen as a result.

Sarah, of course, begins to get carried away with her fantasies.  Mark is still clueless.

Sooner or later, there will be an awkward scene between Mark and Sarah as they're acting out Allen and Priscilla.  Mark is still clueless.

At some point, there will be some danger that Mark's girlfriend discovers the letters or something else.  Mark may wind up in a position where he has to choose between letting his girlfriend think something is going on behind her back, or confess to being a geek and taking part in the Vampire LARP.  She's not going to be terribly understanding either way.

So, to avoid getting his girlfriend angry, Mark lies to his girlfriend about what's happening and starts to distance himself from Sarah.  Sarah's feelings get hurt and she probably winds up taking it out on him as Priscilla in the LARP.

Eventually, Mark begins to realize that he has feelings for Sarah.  But he misinterprets Sarah's hostility and decides to keep it to himself.  More character tension ensues...

[BlueBard]

More web-comicky goodness...

Over in PvP, Dark Kringus defeats Lolbat.  Who will save Christmas?

Oh, and I finally realized...

Spoiler

In the previous strip, the magic words Dark Kringus pronounces are "Dasher Dancer Donner Blitzen" spelled backwards.

In Schlock Mercenary, the effects of the false memories implanted in the crew and the revelation that the Reverend and Dr. Bunniculus never actually married continue to ripple.  A new wedding is being planned, but what else will go wrong?

And, as usual, I can't really explain what's going on in the Adventures of Dr. McNinja unless you're already following it so I'm not going to bother.  It's pretty darned ironic, though.

[Alaric]

And, as usual, I can't really explain what's going on in the Adventures of Dr. McNinja unless you're already following it so I'm not going to bother.  It's pretty darned ironic, though.

The current McNinja storyline is my favorite so far- so many great moments. I think my favorite was the mother/son phone conversation.

[GhostMachine]

Okay, THIS is exactly where I figured Weregeek was going... it's great character tension, and it's about time.

Now here's where I think it may go next:

Spoiler

Mark, being typically clueless, begins writing "love letters" from Prince Allen to Priscilla, Sarah's character.  He doesn't stop to think about what might happen as a result.

Sarah, of course, begins to get carried away with her fantasies.  Mark is still clueless.

Sooner or later, there will be an awkward scene between Mark and Sarah as they're acting out Allen and Priscilla.  Mark is still clueless.

At some point, there will be some danger that Mark's girlfriend discovers the letters or something else.  Mark may wind up in a position where he has to choose between letting his girlfriend think something is going on behind her back, or confess to being a geek and taking part in the Vampire LARP.  She's not going to be terribly understanding either way.

So, to avoid getting his girlfriend angry, Mark lies to his girlfriend about what's happening and starts to distance himself from Sarah.  Sarah's feelings get hurt and she probably winds up taking it out on him as Priscilla in the LARP.

Eventually, Mark begins to realize that he has feelings for Sarah.  But he misinterprets Sarah's hostility and decides to keep it to himself.  More character tension ensues...

I hope you're right.

And I've been meaning to ask for a while: is it weird that my favorite character (other than Mark) is Abbie?

[BlueBard]

And I've been meaning to ask for a while: is it weird that my favorite character (other than Mark) is Abbie?

I have a sneaking suspicion that Abbie is the author's favorite, too.

Who doesn't like a hyperactive, crazy geek girl?  Plus, I think Abbie is one of the more emotionally secure characters.  (Notice I did not use the word 'stable')

[BlueBard]

The Gutters on the New Venom:

I suppose THIS makes as much sense for how the new Venom was 'cooked up' as anything.

Looking For Group:

Never mess with a baby dragon.

Schlock Mercenary:

Best foot-in-mouth-head-in-rear-end moment I've seen in awhile.