Poll: Review Requestions, Anyone?

Hello, all. I hope you had a good 4th of July weekend. I hope you also enjoyed this past week's comic-form update. It is democracy that makes this country truly great, and let it never be said that I don't listen to the voice of the masses. As part of my ongoing quest to give the peoples what they want, I would like to know what comic you want me to review next, so please take a moment to vote in the poll above. I'm still working on the free waffles, but in the meantime, you can let me know what reviews you're interested in.

If you enjoyed the comic-form update, please share it with a friend who likes comics. Thanks, guys--I'll see you again on Friday.

7/4: Week-in-Review, Once Again in Comic Form

ZING!

A Softer World: Tuesday, 6/30/09


Slow Wave: Sat., 6/20/09


PVP: 6/22 - 6/30
(See also: Geeks Next Door @ Dungeon Mastering)


The Non-Adventures of Wonderella: Sat., 7/04/09


Thinkin' Lincoln: Friday, 7/3/09
Thinkin' Lincoln: Tuesday, 6/30/09


Chainsawsuit: Monday, 6/29/09

Shredded Moose! Oh, the horror! Even NSFW horror sometimes!

And that's a wrap for this week's show. Tune in next week for more words about comics! But without the pictures this time, my hand is cramping.


Co-written by Jackson Ferrell and Eli Parker; illustrated by Jackson Ferrell
Unwinder belongs to Unwinder's Tall Comics
Sara Peterson belongs to Nobody Scores
Memnon Vanderbeam belongs to Starslip
Mike Warner wants you to die in a fire

Welcome Back, Me

Hi, all. As you already know if you've been scoping out my Twitter Feed over there in the sidebar, I have returned from my vacation at the Outer Banks, which was excellent. I don't think a single day went by that I didn't see at least one helicopter. But now I'm back to my usual Pick of the Day and babbling about webcomics.

Tune in on Friday for the customary week-in-review. Plus, I'd like to share an interesting resource with you: if you haven't seen it already, The Webcomic Crossover & Cameo Archive is a handy repository of comic characters' appearances outside their comics of origin. It's fun to see what other comics your favorite characters have made guest appearances in. If that sounds interesting to you, go ahead and give it a look.

Hi! Jen Mau here guest blogging while Jackson's on vacation. As a female, something that I greatly appreciate is an emerging awareness of talented female webcartoonists, and I decided that my update would highlight some of my favorites :)

Girls With Slingshots - Danielle knows how to keep it classy with a storyline (started last week) about Hazel's gassy kitty. My favorite from this week combines a fart joke with a pun.

Octopus Pie (kinda) - With Meredith moving from Easthampton, MA to Portland OR, she has enlisted some very talented webcartoonists to provide some guest strips. My favorite is the one done by Erika Moen, with Eve's line in the last panel super-awesome. And speaking of Erika...

DAR - I really appreciate that Erika Moen is open and willing to share her personal experiences regarding her sexuality (although this particular strip is ok, a lot of her strips are NSFW), but from the stories she's told it really sucks that, as a lesbian who's married to a guy, she gets a lot of flack from a lot of people. However, based on her ustreams, tweets, and other interactions with webcartoonists that are chronicled on the internet (I'm hoping she'll be at SPX becuase I would love to meet her), she seems like a really sweet person.

Bobwhite - My dear Magnolia never ceases to amuse with her hilarious webcomic. The last panel of this strip, with "UNFOLLOW" in giant orange block letters, is the best. I also love her "Rejected Bobwhite Storylines" strip from today - it's so cheeky I love it!

Of course, this is just a tiny drop in the bucket - there are a bajillion more where these came from :) I hope you enjoy these and that you have a wonderful weekend!

~Jen

Good Journal Comics, Anyone?

Hi, everyone. Right now I'm at the Outer Banks in North Carolina, enjoying the beach with my family, as you read these words that I typed last week. Automation is a truly magical thing.

Anyway...once I come back, I've been thinking about doing a feature on journal comics, and I'm interested to hear from you on the subject. Do you read any journal comics? Is one of your favorite comics a journal comic? What do you think about the idea in general--creating a comic that is expressly about oneself and one's life? Drop a comment and share your thoughts on journal comics.

Be sure to tune in this Friday for a guest entry from Jen. I hope that you're enjoying your summer, whether on vacation or not...I'll see you next week!

6/19: Religion Watch

Hey, everyone. This coming week, I'll be on vacation, but you won't be without new webcomic-related content. Through the power of automated updating, I'll be delivering a small reader-interaction post scheduled for Tuesday, and returning TWIW guest blogger Jen Mau will bring you Friday's regular post. But that's next week in webcomics. This week, I it's time for...


1: Shortpacked!, Monday, 6/15

I'll just come right out with it--I wasn't impressed with this comic. It has all the wit and insight of the familiar joke, "You know what happened to make God mellow out between the Old Testament and the New Testament? He got laid." It's not even clear why Robin is sitting around reading the Bible; it strikes me as David Willis using her character as a vehicle here for his opinions.

And the thing is, Willis can do better. He has done better. Just look at his comics featuring the theological-fiction Bus Stop: here, he makes a substantial, valid criticism of Christian hypocrisy regarding standards for children's fantasy novels.
Plus, I think Aslan's longsuffering, dignified demeanor and wit help temper the criticism, elevating the comics above mere "Christians-are-such-nutjobs" gags.

It's quite a contrast to this past Monday's strip, with its frat-boyish caricature of God--and a similarly frat-boyish level of depth.

2: Joe Loves Crappy Movies, Sunday, 6/14

Here, Joe Dunn takes his review of Moon in an unexpected direction with his own caricature of God. Taking the idea of a personal deity to its logical comedic conclusion, he depicts God with the same insecurities and self-esteem problems as any other person--an odd juxtaposition for the all-powerful Creator of the universe. I'm not sure why I prefer it to Willis' caricature, but I do. It could be that it's trying to make a joke rather than a point. Maybe it's that his caricature of God is more sympathetic.

If you'll allow me a tangent...even though He hasn't made an appearance in this week's comics, I really like Dinosaur Comics' God. He's a silly God--somewhat self-important, with his boldfaced capital letters and authoritative pronouncements contrasting with colloquialisms like "dude"--but you get the sense that Ryan North is more interested in exploring religious ideas through Him than making a statement, even if he (North) does happen across some truths about religion and belief along the way. North gives religion a fair shake, and even when he's criticizing it, you get the impression that he's taken the time to understand the other side. Am I just picking on Shortpacked here? What do you think about depictions of God in these various webcomics? Drop a comment, let me know your opinion.

So much, then, for heavier considerations. Let's wrap things up with a few religion-related bullet points.

• Recent Penny and Aggie comics have focused on level-headed Christian Katy-Ann and her relationship with Jack. When Jack runs into Cyndi in all her willful obnoxiousness, he recalls some advice of Katy-Ann's that readers may be surprised to learn is actually biblical. Living well truly is the best revenge.


• Road Crew is nearing the end of its Golden Kick Drum Mic storyline, as Jim Soundman seeks out John the Bassist. No deeper points here, just ridiculous religion-flavored humor. The most recent comic put a humorous twist on self-empowerment spirituality.

And that wraps up the Religion Watch. Tune in on Tuesday for automated updates from beyond the grave while I'm on vacation, stop by Friday for Jen Mau's guest entry, and I'll see you all again in a little over a week!