An Introduction to Eben07 (Now with More Musings!)

It's been about a month and a half since I started my full-time job, and lately I've felt unsatisfied about the quality of the posts here at This Week in Webcomics. It's Sunday afternoon, here I am sitting down to write a post, and I can't remember the last weekend where I wasn't putting together something at the last minute. I suppose it's to be expected--I have less time to work on the blog now, especially if I have a busy weekend, and I guess that's as it should be. But none of that means I have to feel completely at ease about it.

I just wanted to get that off my chest, and it also sets the tone for the upcoming post, which will discuss the comic Eben07, specifically the chapter "Operation Mongoose."

As the Guy Who Does This Blog, sometimes I get press releases from various cartoonists. There's a side of me that feels kind of weird when I do, because--tying into the quality thing I discussed before--I'm not doing serious journalism here or anything. I'm just a guy who can't shut up about webcomics. Still, it's cool to catch word of new developments...so it's not as if I don't appreciate the press releases.

As you know if you've noticed the You-Choose-the-Reviews polls lately, I've been batting around Eben07: Operation Mongoose as a possible subject for review, and on Friday I received a press release announcing that the print edition of Operation Mongoose was up for preorder. I figured it was as good a time as any to finish reading through the chapter and give my assessment.

First, though, a word of introduction for the comic Eben07.

Eben07 is, in essence, a comic about a secret agent janitor. Its titular main character works for the Intelligence Cleaner Agency, whose task is to ensure that the classified operations of America's intelligence operatives stay classified. The Eben07 website presents itself as an official publication of the ICA, disclosing to the American people the information that it is required to disclose by an obscure clause of the Patriot Act. In the form of a webcomic.

A bizarre hook if ever there was one, but it certainly is inventive.

I've seen Eben07 a number of times across the internet, first finding it through the now-defunct comic site WhoShotMyRobot.com. At the time, the website was a confusing mess of HTML, and the "Official Declassifications of the ICA" presentation did little to alleviate my confusion. The site insists on presenting the ICA as a real entity, and framing the comic in a reader-friendly way without breaking character has always been a challenge for it. I've seen the website go through several versions, each one an improvement over the last, and the archives are now accessible and navigable. Presentation-wise, the current version seems to know what it's doing.

Which, in turn, makes it eminently possible for me to review


Full review to follow Monday evening; it's been a busy weekend. Be sure to check back then.

Congratulations to Doug Wilson and K-9Lives

A week or two ago, I mentioned Doug Wilson's webcomic and short film, K-9Lives, about a conjoined cat/dog duo. A quick update: "K-9Lives" was nominated for best animation at Marbella International Film Festival alongside "Leonardo" by Pixar artist Jim Capobianco, and "Body" by Zhivko Dimitrov. I decided to see for myself what all the fuss is about, and the animated short is decidedly strange. If you like surreal animation, give it a look.

Congrats, Doug! Prestigious accolades are yours in abundance! I like big words.

I also like comics, so be sure to tune in on Monday when I talk about a comic. It will provide ample opportunity for me to use big words.

This Week in Webcomics: in Comic Form?

Cameo appearances by:
Grrl, Bad Decision Dinosaur: Cat and Girl
Joe Dunn: Digital Pimp Comics
Aaron: Calamities of Nature

Zombies Are the New Ninjas

So, this weekend the horror-comedy Zombieland tore up at the box office, and I couldn't help but notice that numerous webcomics are getting in on the zombie craze. To commemorate the zombie-comic epidemic, for the rest of the week the TWIW Pick of the Day will feature only zombie comics! This even includes Saturday.

For those not familiar with Pick of the Day, you can find my daily webcomic pick by checking out my Twitter account. Just search for the hashtag "#pickoftheday" and you'll have each of my Picks of the Day in one handy feed. You'll also have other people's Picks of the Day, plus some unrelated crud about Betty Crocker and whatnot. I can't help it if other people want to use the #pickoftheday hashtag for stuff that's not related to webcomics.

But I digress. Stop by Twitter and come check out the zombie action. We're kicking things off with Wednesday's cliffhanging installment of Multiplex, and there's more zombie action to follow from comics all across the 'net. If you spot any zombie comics yourself, I encourage you to join in and tweet 'em up!

It's Bullet Points Monday

Greetings, everyone! This weekend I have been traveling, visiting my parents and a certain friend who lives in Chicago, and with all this travel and people-visiting, I haven't had time to archive-binge a comic from my review list. Thus, it is now time for everyone's favorite blog feature where I deliver a bunch of random links that are somehow related to webcomics:

• After listening to Andrew McDonald's interview with Gisele Lagace (mentioned in this recent TWIW post), I decided to check out one of Gisele's newest projects, Eerie Cuties. Much like Miles Grover's Creep House, it takes horror/fantasy archetypes and places them in a mundane setting for comic effect, but Eerie Cuties puts a high-school spin on the whole thing. It's entertaining and it has Gisele's excellent signature artwork, but it also has a bit of her signature salacious humor, so read at your discretion.
• As usual, I can't write a genuinely short bullet point to save my life.


• Speaking of Andrew McDonald, he's got another interview up just this morning. This time, the spotlight's on Brad Guigar from Evil, Inc.. I haven't had a chance to listen yet, but the first two were good, so I'm definitely gonna check it out.


• Webcomic Planet is now accepting nominations for the 2009 Webcomic Readers Choice Awards. Scope it out, make some nominations.
• This isn't news of any sort, but with my new job as a purchasing agent, I have to track shipment ETAs and account for manufacturing lead times when I place orders. It occurred to me the other day: arranging for shipping dates often feels like this Penny Arcade comic.
• This past weekend, Doug Wilson's wordless comic about a conjoined cat and dog, K9-Lives, competed in the Marbella International Film Festival. The comic features not only 100 traditional strips, but also an animated short. I haven't had time to check it out fully, but it looks interesting, so give it a look yourself. I may have a bit more to say about it in the future, too.

And that wraps things up for this installment of Bullet Points. I'll see you guys next week! Or later this week. I do that sometimes.

10/4: It's Time For

• Wednesday's Penny Arcade features another appearance of everyone's favorite savior of mankind. It always surprises me that Penny Arcade's depiction of Jesus, if not entirely accurate theologically, is actually fairly reverent.
• Some people believe that there's no reconciling science and religion. In considering the theological ramifications of the many-worlds hypothesis, however, Rayne from Least I Could Do sees no conflict at all. In fact, when science and religion collide, it's pretty awesome.

Tune in tomorrow for your regularly-scheduled TWIW post.