2/27: Week in Review

In my opinion, a number of webcomics this week have really been at the top of their game. I've got some other stuff to do tonight that snuck up on me, so let's get right down to it.

• Cat and Girl:


• Tuesday: Girl once again struggles with the role of pleasure in human life


• Thursday, Friday: Boy attempts a serious discussion of cryptozoology, which Cat promptly derails. The Yeti is elusive!


• Sheldon: a week-long series of comics providing a guide to having houseguests and being a good houseguest. Covers housecleaning under time constraints, tiny decorative soaps, being hospitable without overdoing it, and socially awkward bedding options. Informative and hilarious!


• UPDATE, 2/28: Saturday's installment trumps them all, with the wisdom of Benjamin Franklin applied literally. Awesome.


• Calamities of Nature:


• Wednesday: Aaron and Ferd are skeptical of Harold's new friend Raymond, though perhaps not in the way you would expect


• Friday: when Harold suggests that Raymond move in with the others, Ferd is still skeptical, until he discovers that a new roommate could provide certain benefits


• Nobody Scores:


• with Philosophical Quandaries


• with Absinthe


• with Jane's unfiltered thought processes

And with that quick review, it is time to call it a wrap for this week. Just to remind you, we've got the Street Fighter IV comic poll going on until Monday, and you can catch my Pick of the Day every weekday by following my Twitter. I've got things to do now, not the least of which is dinner, so I'll see you next week!

Microfeature Thingy: Street Fighter IV

Last week marked the release of the first new-numbered Street Fighter game in almost ten years: Street Fighter IV. Obviously, big news like this provides ample humor fuel for video game webcomics. Weighing in on the topic of the new Street Fighter are the following:

Penny Arcade
Ctrl-Alt-Del
Another Videogame Webcomic
2P Start

Which of the above do you think delivered the best, most hilarious Street Fighter IV coverage? I've rigged up a little poll thing at the top of the main column (EDIT: relocated to the sidebar) where you can cast your vote. And if you've come across a better SFIV strip than any of these, don't hesitate to share it with us in the comments section!

(Your usual Friday recap will go up later tonight.)

A Useful Use for Twitter

Some of you may have noticed, in the bottom corner of the right-hand sidebar, my Twitter feed. Well, last night I finally thought of a use for it besides telling you I'm at work or playing racquetball, or how much I hate doing taxes. Every day, at the end of the day, I will post a link to what I consider the best webcomic update for that day! I read a lot of webcomics, but there are even more webcomics that I don't read, so I may from time to time miss the funniest thing on the internet. If you are following me on Twitter, you can gently step in and inform me that no, Starslip Crisis was not in fact as good as Gunnerkrigg Court on Wednesday the 16th.

Twitter strikes me as optimal for this sort of dialogue. So, here we are: let's get to tweeting.

twitter.com/jacksonferrell

Moylan Responds to Willis' Criticism

UPDATE:

So, today on Lil Formers, Matt Moylan snipes back in response to David Willis' satire in last Thursday's Shortpacked. Here at TWIW, we will continue to provide up-to-date coverage of further developments in cartoonists making fun of each other, because sensationalism sells papers. Oh wait we're a blog.

2/20: Week in Review

In the words of ELO's Jeff Lynne: "Here is the news."

The first item of news is that a new webcomic-news webcomic has begun broadcasting this week: Webcomic TV. Presented in the format of a televised newscast, Webcomic TV reports on noteworthy findings and plot developments throughout the webcomic world--much like this blog, but with pictures and speech bubbles. Is it gimmicky? Absolutely. But it's also off to a very entertaining start, along with a few installments of humorous metacommentary. Why aren't there more sports webcomics out there? I mean, apart from Boxer Hockey, which (despite being awesome) is not technically an actual sport.

Anyway, Webcomic TV is a pretty cool idea. However, I'm sort of disappointed...I had the idea of doing one of my Friday newsposts in the form of a comic strip, and now if I do so, it'll not only be gimmicky, it will look like I'm totally Jacking WCTV's style.

Here's a news story for you: this week, Calamities of Nature has revealed a new character, Raymond the Raccoon, who has been listening in on Harold's solitary musings for some time now. Raymond's first act as Calamities' newest cast member is to try to instill some confidence into Harold, but Harold is resistant. We'll see what Raymond has in store for this and future storylines.

Our resident Girls With Slingshots correspondent, Jen Mau, reported last week on GWS' date-with-Jamie Valentine's Day contest. Well, the results are in, and GWS reader David has won the right to treat Jamie to his ideal date. What does that entail? Bike riding in the park and baking pretzels, for starters. Unfortunately, even the best-planned date can have unexpected disruptions. Check out Jamie's entire date-with-David starting here.

After recovering his computer from a brutal software failure, Eli Parker brings us a new installment of Unwinder's Tall Comics. This installment satirizes the all-too-easy-to-satirize world of Japanese animation, as Unwinder decides that it is not intellectual suicide to like anime and begins looking for a series to get into. The anime-parodying jokes are somewhat predictable, but there's a good measure of subtle and clever humor stemming from Unwinder's characterization. Unwinder is weird, and his anime tastes are similarly guaranteed to be unusual.

Finally, Thursday's Shortpacked satirizes Matt Moylan's Lil Formers, a comic that I occasionally visit for a few good laughs. Moylan has a way of making "insider" Transformers-enthusiast jokes accessible to the casual reader, and his facial expressions and dialogue quickly convey the Transformers' iconic (i.e. simple) personalities to those who aren't familiar with them. Frankly, I found Willis' satire to be a little mean-spirited. Although Lil Formers tends toward "mildly amusing" rather than "gut-bustingly hilarious" on average, it's not all one-note "children's toys were better when I was a child" ranting, despite Willis' parody. Also, Moylan semi-recently opened up his comic to poking fun at all 80s children's-entertainment properties, which I think has done a lot for his material. Thursday's Shortpacked: merited criticism, or unduly caustic snarking? Read the comic and decide for yourself.

Here is the news: the very latest. Here is the news, here is the news, here is the news.

I Can't Think Of A Clever Title

Okay so Jackson's all busy being awesome and stuff, so I thought I would give a quick low-down on some of my favorite webcomic moments of this week!

• Starslip continues its reboot with the introduction of the new ship's doctor, appropriately named Dahk. Thankfully his doctoring skills are much better than his shape-shifting. (That last panel cracks me up every time.)


• Girls With Slingshots offered readers the opportunity to snag a date with Jamie, who's a total sweetheart and babe, for Valentine's Day. I cannot wait to see who Danielle chooses as the winner, and what they end up doing.


• This week in Bobwhite Ivy had to deal with Marlene and Lewis's dalliances (okay, it was more than that, but I like that word). I am so chanting "I'M TOTALLY OKAY WITH THAT" this entire weekend. ^_^


• And finally, the moment that a lot of Multiplex fans were waiting for: Gretchen's downfall. I personally like her as a character because she adds drama and makes things interesting, so part of me will be sad to see her go.

And now a bit of news: for those of you in the New England area, you do not want to miss the New England Webcomics Weekend. It's from March 20-22, in Easthampton, MA, which is home to Topatoco, Dumbrella, and Octopus Pie. There's going to be a bajillion webcartoonists in attendance, and best of all it's free. If you ever wanted to hang out with a bajillion webcartoonists, here's your chance. More details are on the website.

I guess since I'm posting this past midnight, happy Valentine's Day! If you're single like me, enjoy the opportunity to eat lot of desserts without worrying about post-Valentine's Day gut. Bye!

~Jen

Have Lemonade, Will Travel: Pt. 2

I'll have to make this short because I've got to pack for my flight in the morning, but I do have a moment to share a couple of recent comics I liked. Shortpacked has been funny this week, gearing up for Valentine's Day with an amusing exchange between Leslie and Amber, and then continuing the unrequited-love theme with today's comic. The curveball punchline at the end made me laugh out loud.

Also, today's Starslip is cute. Happy Valentine's Day in advance, you guys. I'll see you next week.

psst... hi! Peter Metzger here. Unless Facebook is a big, fat, liar, today is Jackson's birthday! Leave him some comment love!

Have Lemonade, Will Travel

Hey, everyone. On Thursday, I'm leaving for the Navigators' annual President's Conference in Colorado, so I will be gone all weekend, with little to no internet access. I tried to write something up for today, but I've been battling a stomach virus of some sort since Monday and haven't managed to get anything together. Still, this doesn't necessarily mean that there'll be no updates this week. There may be a guest post or two coming up on Friday--nothing's certain, but there just might. Have a good rest of the week, have a good weekend, and I'll see you guys next Friday.

2/6: Week in Review

All right--it's finally time to get down to the news. In the words of Vanilla Ice: straight to the point, to the point no fakin', cookin' MCs like a pound of bacon.

First of all, Blank It continues to be awesome, with Aric making an ill-fated attempt to walk on water, after which Lemmo has to fish him out. One commenter remarked that Blank It is probably best read in large bursts at a time, and I think there may be something to what he says; since my initial blitz through the archives, it has seemed to move much slower as I check it once or twice a week. Also in Blank It news, the comic's creators (also named Lemmo and Aric) were interviewed this week by Peter Trinh of Webcomicsnation. The interview is of interest to Blank It fans, of course, but the comic's two creators also shared some insights into the general state of webcomics and the dynamic between creativity and stagnancy in the webcomic community.

On a related note, Applied Living has begun updating again. I first came across Applied Living sometime early last year, and it has several similarities to Blank It: a freewheeling and spontaneous approach to its subject, an eagerness to play games with the fourth wall, and characters who serve as avatars for the comic's two co-creators, among others. However, AL's Shaun Meyers and Dave Olson put their comic on temporary hiatus several months ago, and have only recently returned to it. It's a fun comic with good art, so I'm hoping that their second shot at regular updates is a fruitful one. We'll see how things go for them.

Over at Calamities of Nature, Ferd the groundhog has been running a campaign to make Groundhog Day a national holiday, and on Monday, readers saw exactly what came of his efforts. Additionally, Calamities recently unveiled the blogs of its four main characters, and the Groundhog's-Day-related entries on Ferd's blog had me in absolute hysterics. I particularly recommend the entry "Famous Groundhogs in History."

And now for a few quick shots of cartooning excellence before I depart:

• Technically last week's news, but as a guy who struggles with perfectionism, this Cat and Girl comic touched a chord in my heart with Grrl's sentiments about the value of honest, competent imperfection. There's something to be said for a good faith effort, sans artificial polish and sheen.


• Monday's Book of Biff was clever, but it's the accompanying cartoonist's notes that really drive the joke home. Plus, the fact that Biff's "discount book" is a rocket design manual is a nice touch for regular Biff readers.


• Nobody Scores usually features three or four good jokes scattered throughout its infinite-canvas tales of extended calamity, but I'm pretty sure Monday's installment ("Nobody Scores with Kryptonite") was the first NS ever to not make me laugh until the final panel--and then to just about knock me out laughing with the visual punchline. Honestly, if you only read one link from this post, read this comic.

And as always, if there's a comic you particularly enjoyed this week, we'd love for you to drop a comment and share it with us. Plus, don't forget to check out Peter Metzger's new weekly column here on TWIW. Have a good weekend, everyone!

Funny Of The Week!

Hi Everybody!

Peter Metzger here with a new feature of TWIW, tentatively called "Peter's Pick(s) of the Past... Week." Any suggestions for improvements on the name will be read with enthusiasm. I'll be posting these on a fairly regular basis, usually on Friday night sometime but probably occasionally on Saturday. The focus will be on my favorite funny strip (or storyline) of the week, but in cases where I just can't help myself, I'll likely post a few.

So, enough with the introduction, let's get started! I found this week's Real Life Comics storyline to be highly entertaining, and I especially liked Greg's photo evidence of his wife's 'Real Life' bento skills (see the blog post that goes with Thursday's comic).

I was going to stop with that, but as you can see, I didn't. Friday's Penny Arcade strip took me by surprise and made me ell-oh-ell! (yeah, ok, sorry for that.)

In closing, I've also enjoyed all of this month's Toothpaste For Dinner comics... not bad for a comic that's usually hit-and-miss for me!

Don't forget to post your comments about a) a better name for this feature, b) thoughts on the comics I've posted, and 3) comics YOU found funny!

See you next week! (figuratively, of course)
-Peter

P.S. Don't forget about this week's actual TWIW review-style post!

Review Belayed

No review today--sorry. Got a lot on my mind and some other things to do. Priorities and all that, y'know.

But I suppose I can leave you with something to read. On his Twitter, Tony Piro (Calamities of Nature) posted a link to an LJ post by Jeph Jacques on the webcomics business model, with some good thoughts and insights about artistic integrity, the relationship between print and web, and other related topics. Why not give it a look?

Homestar Runner Releases New "HREmails"

Well, as noted previously, there will be a comic review up here sometime in the next two days. Meanwhile, if you're looking to get your fix of new funny, the animated webcartoon Homestar Runner has released two new "Homestar Runner Emails" over the past week. That's right--after a long email silence since Strong Bad Email 200, H*R has bounced back with emails answered by its titular armless protagonist. You can check out HRemail 62 (?!) and HREmail 2000 (!?!) over at homestarrunner.com. Are they funny? Perhaps not as funny as SBEmails, in my humble opinion, but they have their moments. Check them out, drop a comment, and let us all know what you think.

Related Post: The TWIW Top Ten Strong Bad Emails