Since I don't want Steel bitching about going 4 days jesus oh noez without an article I decided to post this two days earlier (was going for a wednesday post but oh well).

First, before I divert myself into a hate rage I want to toss a little notifier out there for any of you aspiring comic artists (lol).  Platinum Studios has begun their 2008 Comic Book Challenge.  What's the challenge?  Come up with a pitch, draw three finished sequentials, and submit it to a panel of judges.  These guys get literally hundreds of submissions a year.  Considering how stupidly easy it is to enter and the free publicity if you get in the top 50, there should be no excuse NOT TO ENTER if you are an aspiring artist.  Yours truly is entering this year and I'll start posting my material in the art forum soon.

Now, onto the main article:

I HATE WEBCOMICS URGH!

They are seriously like the RPG Maker of the comic book world.  It's easy for any amateur to pick up a tablet find a website and produce garbage.  What's worse is that this garbage usually attracts a massive fanbase because it caters to a really stupid fetish like furry or yuri (700,000 hits jesus christ) or moeblob or whatever the fuck people wank off to and spend money on. 

But not all webcomics are bad.  In the massive pile of crap there are shining beacons of light that manage to attract a decent following but are still pretty muffled among everything else.  This progressive series of topics is basically a rip off of freeware fridays.  Here, I highlight the good shit so you don't have to wade through the bad.

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OCTOPUS PIE
Meredith Gran
Updates Monday, Wednesday, Friday

It's not often that a story grounded in "reality" comes up that doesn't involve generic Mary Sue self inserts of the creator or devolves into shitty wish fulfillment.  The plot centers around two female Manhattan residents and is kind of like a gender reverse Odd Couple that deals with minor issues like drug use and female rights (to go topless; I have nothing against this). 

Despite the fact that it looks like a Scott Pilgrim fan comic, the writing and pacing lends well to both drama and light humor.  It's not zany side splitting comedy but the characters are prone to being witty and ironic yet it never feels forced.  This is the kind of situational comedy that you and your friends awkwardly notice and joke about afterwards. 

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MAAKIES
Tony Millionaire
Updates every week

I love Tony Millionaire.  He and Peter Bagge pretty much influenced an entire generation of west coast artists.  Maakies is about two jerks; Uncle Gabby (an Irish alchoholic monkey) and Drinky Crow (calling him alchoholic would be an understatement).  The comic has no storyline and instead of focuses on their surreal and absurd adventures in whatever world they happen to exist in.

Maakies is a throwback to old newspaper comics (right down to the mini-comic, a trademark of George Herriman). The humor varies.  Sometimes it's satirical in nature, violent, situational, postmodern, dark; the list goes on.  Millionaire's style ranges from being loose and sketchy to precise and detailed.  There are also numerous injokes and guest strips.  While it's not the most profound and intelligent comic on the net, it certainly is a fun read and there's hundreds of pages for the newcomer to skim through.

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THE RAINBOW ORCHID
Garen Ewing
No more updates (currently)

It's a real shame that Ewing took down some 200+ of his strips (it's getting published) but I have to post this just to draw attention to it.  The Rainbow Orchid is the adventures of a young explorer and entrepeneur who embarks on a quest to find a fabled flower.  Being an adventure story inspired by Tintin (and drawn in the same style), there are obvious elements of drama, action, and some slapstick comedy.

Ewing's illustrations are profound and breathtaking and while some of the panels can have a bit too much text for their own good, the characters are genuinely engaging and the plot is well researched with bits of fiction dropped interspersed between historic fact.  The comic has enjoyed some critical success among the small crowd in the UK and I wouldn't be surprised if the new Indiana Jones film renews interest in the comic.

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Well, that's all for this week.  I'm still writing up my "Dave Sim is a doucebag" article but I'm dissapointed so far.  It's not funny enough :(