Webcomics

I've been reading webcomics a long time now, even if there was a period where I never seemed to understand the amount of effort it takes, what it was called, or that they probably existed beyond fandoms and fan comics.

Now that I have worked a long time on my own comics (though none are webcomics) I can finally understand the amount of work it takes to get a comic up and running online, let alone have it be successful..or well written.

The problem with the internet, of course, is what's best about the internet. Anyone can post whatever they want. And so, there's quite a pile to dig through! But after a few years, I have a small collection of webcomics that I will still check, even if no religiously.

Lackadaisy Cats.

lackadaisy.foxprints.com

Anthro cats in the 1920's bootlegging booze! Sounds awful, right. Wrong. And better yet, the thing with Tracy JB is that the job isn't just done well, it's done perfectly. The amount of life these characters have floors me every time I read it. They're charming, and they're extremely expressive. I love the designs, and I love the humorous, though dangerous storyline.

The comic itself has truly matured style wise, as most webcomics do. Interestingly, it seems to be pencil with a sepia tone, and edited with a digital program. And there's no ignoring the beautifully rendered backgrounds. They truly set the tone for the comic, and keep it rooted in the correct time period, instead of letting it seem to drift into modern day like I've seen other historical webcomics do.

There's not much I can say about this comic except that I've loved it a long time, and if things keep up the way they have been, I ill for a while yet. There have been no unnecessary lulls or plot twists yet, some thing I applaud.

Boxer Hockey

boxerhockey.fireball20xl.com


This guy is the king of amazing facial expressions.
Boxer Hockey is an example of precisely how important character design and expression is. While the writing has always been fantastic, never tiring humor, these characters didn't start to truly shine until about a year and a half ago, when they took on more polished, final designs, each with different plays on proportion and newly bright colors.

This comic is also another example of how absurd writing can be, as long as characters accept it! Boxer hockey is a professional sport that the main characters play in their boxers, beating bullfrogs with seemingly whatever they dag onto the field. No one so much as thinks twice about this sport, and that's half the charm of the set up.

The comic often makes abrupt turns into long segways that are seemingly unrelated, but that's never bothered me, and that's something that's hard to do. It never gets old, and serves to remind us that while there's a linear plot line in there somewhere, the nature of the characters is ultimately to be ridiculous and entertaining.

Hanna is Not a Boys Name!

hanna.aftertorque.com

This comic is incredibly new, and yet has an enormous, rabid fan following! It's really no secret why, either. (and I'm not referring to the mostly male cast that seems to dress to the nines all day every day with no explanation.) The art is gorgeous, and just, well, fun. The graphic design is fantastic. I never have trouble reading this, it's paced well, and it's just awesome to look at!

I particularly enjoy the writing. It's limited omniscient, following a character that literally knows nothing. A common technique, but not one I run across in webcomics all the time. our unnamed zombie is incredibly eloquent, but never over narrates anything. The worst of narration is unnecessary, cluttered TL;DR. Instead, the narration is used to compress time most often, which keeps things from dragging.

Better yet, the style seems to have streamlined itself relatively fast- so looking back to catch up on the plot doesn't take you on a time warp like some webcomics have a tendency to do. I adore this comic, and can't wait to keep reading and find out where it goes!