Title: Adventurers!
Genre: Adventure/Humor
Author: Mark “Webrunner” Shallow
Artwork: 4/10
Humor: 9/10
Story: 7/10
Quotable: If it actually WAS a game, I’d buy it.
Adventurers is once of the few comics I read back in 2000 that I still read today. Over 1200 strips to date have left me roaring with laughter time and time again. Adventurers is for RPG fans, and classic RPG fans at that. If you’re not, nearly every joke will fly right over your head. Detailing the adventures of RPG hero Karn, who periodically breaks the fourth wall and acknowledges he’s in a video game, many comics make fun of one RPG or another (mainly from the FF series). This doesn’t stop Mark from developing a very decent plot among all the gag strips, with a very nice cast. The one drawback is the art isn’t that great, but something easily overlooked with the brilliant writing.
Title: Candi
Genre: Humor
Author: Starline X. Hodge
Artwork: 6/10
Humor: 4/10
Story: 4/10
Quotable: Cute, but didn’t really leave an impression.
Candi is a webcomic I think would do very well in the newpaper. Its quirky, inoffensive, and its humor can be inderstood by pretty much anybody. The problem here being that it fails to be weird, angsty, funny enough for me. This comic has things I like, but far too little of them. Like the newspaper comics, I can understand that the punchline is funny. But its seldom enough to make me smile, let alone chuckle or laugh. The artwork is nice and the characters are interesting, but ultimately it seems to be lacking. I should note, however, that to those who thrive on those student-style drama storylines might really love this one.
Title: Dominic Deegan: Oracle For Hire
Genre: Adventure/Humor
Author: Michael “Mookie” Terracciano
Artwork: 7/10
Humor: 9/10
Story: 9/10
Quotable: If puns could kill, I’d be dead already.
Dominic Deegan is a comic I make sure never to miss. It is the story of a seer and his adventures in a fantasy style setting. One thing that sets him apart is that even in the fantasy setting, there tends to be many modern elements that produce a special quality that is all Mookie (e.g. A heavy metal concert). Sometimes disturbing, sometimes heartwarming, always interesting. The artist focuses on character development and language-based humor (puns, alliteration, etc), and I find it to be truly original and exciting.
DD is about the life of Dominic, who happens to be a seer. It is the story of his humorous struggles with ignorant people and evil cults. The casts slowly expands as the story goes on, growing from just Dominic and his pet, to over a dozen regular characters, each individual and unique.
Title: El Goonish Shive
Genre: Humor
Author: Daniel Shive
Artwork: 8/10
Humor: 7/10
Story: 7/10
Quotable: If weirdness scares you, start running.
One of the more bizarre comics I’ve read, EGS is also one of the most unique. Dan’s strength is clearly in character and humor, with many strips that have me laughing out loud for several minutes. With a mix of action, character development, and humor, Dan weaves a brilliant and often lighthearted story. Most notable in his comics are two things. One, he loves transformation, every character has shapeshifted a multitude of times. Two, he draws characters that are cute, not sexual, and that is something I can truly respect. This will either be a comic you will love or you will hate, and you will know which very quickly.