Max vs. Max, a new strip from Wes Molebash

Merry Christmas, everyone. For Christmas, I wish to give you a gift: the gift of information.

Specifically, I wish to inform you of Wes Molebash's latest comic offering, Max vs. Max, a strip about being your own worst enemy. The main character Max grapples with faith, insecurity, and guilt feelings in the wake of his recent divorce, and with help from friends and family, he tries to make sense of his life.

So far, the strip's off to a strong start; it's open, honest, and human, and it plunges right in with Max and his friend Reese discussing getting back in the dating game. That segues naturally into a story arc in which Max dreams about God showing up in his bed. Currently, the strip has begun a third story arc about visiting family for Christmas, and apparently Max's mom makes a mean meatloaf.

I'm glad to see Wes Molebash making comics again. He's refreshingly personal in his cartooning, and his characters are real people with real flaws. You can't help but root for them, though, because you can see something of yourself in them. Wes also brings a refreshing approach to faith in his comics that I find sadly lacking in the webcomics scene at large.

I certainly missed Wes' comics after he ended You'll Have That, and I missed them again after he put Myron and Charlie on hold to take a break from cartooning. It's good to see him back in the saddle. And you've got to love a comic whose underlying theology allows for a God who goes for coffee at 1 in the morning.

I may be giving you a Christmas present right now, but Wes Molebash gives you a present every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday, and it's pretty awesome. Give his new comic a look--I bet you'll enjoy it.

Can't Catch a Break

Continued from the previous installment
And of course everybody knows who Brent Sienna is

The Webcomic List Awards

Hi, everyone. Once again I break my hiatus to drop a tiny item of news for you.

As you may or may not know, The Webcomic List (www.thewebcomiclist.com) is having its first annual Webcomic List Awards. The awards are an opportunity to recognize good comics that have excelled in a wide spectrum of different areas, and for that reason alone I'm pretty jazzed to be a part of them. This coming Sunday, the 13th, is the final date they're accepting nominations, so if you know of some good comics that you'd like to see recognized for their excellence, stop by and drop some nominations.

Superfogeys: Revelations are in Store

2010 looks to be an ambitious year for The Superfogeys. SF creator Brock Heasley writes, "In many ways, I've been waiting since 2006 to tell the stories I'm gonna tell in 2010. Longtime readers, your patience will be rewarded." As I've noted before, Superfogeys is a quality comic that hits all across the comedy-drama spectrum, and it executes its retired-superheroes premise with creativity and style. If you're not already up-to-speed on Superfogeys, now's a good time to get on board.

And if you're already a regular Superfogeys reader, you've got a lot to look forward to.

Thanksgiving

Hi, everyone. I just wanted to take a moment to wish you a happy Thanksgiving and to do a Thanksgiving blog post.

First, I am thankful for Jesus Christ. I'm thankful for the forgiveness and grace that God has shown me.

I'm thankful also for my family. I'm thankful that my parents were able to come visit me and my brother for Thanksgiving, and I'm thankful for my brother. I'm thankful that we all have time off to celebrate the holiday and spend it with each other.

I'm thankful for my friends. I'm thankful for the friends I've made online and offline. I'm thankful for people who care about me that I can count on, and I'm thankful that I have people to care for too.

And I'm thankful for Blank It.

Have a good Thanksgiving, everyone.

Press Release: Haunted Goes to Print

As I take my hiatus for the holiday season, looking over the webcomics-related emails in my inbox, I begin to realize: receiving a press release is like receiving a blogpost already halfway written for you.

Here is a press release concerning Joshua Smeaton's comic Haunted.

Haunted, the Xeric-winning web comic by Joshua Smeaton, makes its graphic novel debut. It is currently available for preorder from Orion Books.

What did you do for Halloween when you were 12? Trick-or-treat, bob for apples or run from a psychotic ghost bent on ripping out your soul?

It was supposed to be a night of carefree fun for a group of junior-high friends. All they had wanted was to sneak into the high school Halloween party thrown at an abandoned mansion. Unfortunately they aren’t the only uninvited guests.

Haunted is an adventure story about a group of kids that get trapped in a mansion with a murderous ghost. The story is a fantastical thrill ride with moments of calm made all the more enjoyable with its colorful vibrant art.

Haunted is a 104-page full color graphic novel priced at 12.95, ISBN 978-0-615-31563-8. Scheduled to be released January 2010. It is available in the November Previews catalog. Order Code: NOV090896. www.hauntedcomic.com

I took a look at Haunted for myself, and if it sounds like something you've seen before, that's because it is. The familiar teens-in-a-haunted-house trope is played entirely straight, with no major twists or turns on the basic concept. That said, it takes a done-to-death idea and does it reasonably well: the art is good, the dialogue is authentic, and the characters are an interesting, individuated bunch of quasi-delinquent teens. For all the familiarity of its premise, it doesn't really do anything wrong.

Might not be worth a buy for you, but it might well be worth a look. Ladies and gents, judge for yourselves.