Qwantz asks another important question: Is there life in space? If so, why not in the form of puppies?
A somewhat disturbing nature comic at En Vaan Osaa! On the one hand, it's about an animal's eye randomly falling off. On the other hand, it's the circle of life: one animal's lost eye is another's dinner. So all is well, I guess?
Question Duck is lured into a trap with a particularly sparkly donut. But he still asks a question! (What does a purple donut taste like?)
Ughhh giant bugs! Yet they kinda look cute, like everything in Kinoko Fry. Also, I really want the floating bear and bee to visit me for stress release purposes.
Elevators are awkward. I'm not sure I get it, but I still kinda love it. Buttersafe rules.
This American Elf was really dull. It's like - you keep your beer out to keep it cold. So? I know many people who do this in Finland in the winter. Maybe it's just unusual in the US, or maybe he really had nothing to write about. It reminds me of that strip where he drew how his crap looked in the toilet bowl.
So I may not love every strip, but the idea of Kochalka quitting Elf upset me. My boyfriend also seemed upset. Is he serious? Would he really quit such a long-standing comic? Aren't we going to see his kids grow up? I know he can't go on with the strip forever, but it's so addictive, I can't imagine my everyday life without it.
Monday, January 17, 2011
Thursday, January 13, 2011
Grumpy Comics Reader Strikes Again.
QC may be my "comic I love to hate", but Mike's Convenience is quickly gaining more foothold in my heart as "the comic I love to hate the second most". Today's offering has a kid saying "What's up bra". Mike says nothing. End of comic. That's not a joke, it's not even a... I don't even know! I could get really hooked on a comic like this. It takes all of two seconds to look at each strip and decide it's a dud.
As a chocolate-loving fat woman, I find this strip offensive. I'm not sure what it's trying to be, but it's just an annoying depiction of a chocolate-eating fat woman. Ugh. And I'm not sure what to say about the poem. It could be awesome and surreal, but I can't get into the world of this strip. It bugs me when this happens. Some surreal stuff is great and dreamlike, some just seems to be from another planet I don't live on. Although this isn't strictly surreal, it's more like a comic universe I don't know parodying Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. And I know there was fat hate in that one but it doesn't have to be repeated.
It seems near-impossible to get into comics by reading the Webcomics List, because so many of them are plot-heavy, rely on knowledge of the story and have small details you need to look at many times. I seem to prefer one-off strips and rarely get into long stories. Does that mean I'm dumb?
However, I love Brainless Tales and the candle who enjoys making candles. On that positive note, it's good night from me.
LOL WUT - The Origin. And Other Awesome Stuff.
So everyone has seen the LOL WUT pear, but I had never come across the original image, which is both cuter and more awesome than the LOL WUT thing. It's The Biting Pear of Salamanca. Which is apparently posing for a chipmunk's photo. So awesome.
This artist has many beautiful surreal drawings, sometimes with hilarious stories underneath. It's very random and strikes me as kinda similar to my comic attempts. (Except with 100 x better art.)
The Radish Wore Goggles.
Steampunk Rooster.
The Hare in the Road. (bears a resemblance to Kinoko Fry's stuff, perhaps?)
The Hedgehog's Balloon.
Battle Hamster Raid.
The Pearaphim.
I have no words. These are just too good.
This artist has many beautiful surreal drawings, sometimes with hilarious stories underneath. It's very random and strikes me as kinda similar to my comic attempts. (Except with 100 x better art.)
The Radish Wore Goggles.
Steampunk Rooster.
The Hare in the Road. (bears a resemblance to Kinoko Fry's stuff, perhaps?)
The Hedgehog's Balloon.
Battle Hamster Raid.
The Pearaphim.
I have no words. These are just too good.
Weekly QC Rant
I don't buy Marten's Mom. I just don't. I don't have the best experience of pornstars-as-mothers, but really? "I habitually sleep with men who could be my sons"? And you tell this to your son WHY? And and... I dunno. This whole "Marten's Mom is a porn star" thing feels so fake. Marten was supposed to be the character based on Jeph himself, right? (Or was he?) The one who hates his job and loves indie music and bla bla. It just doesn't seem very likely that he
a) has a mother who's a porn star
b) is not ashamed of her mother the porn star
c) acts this way about women and sex and life in general if his mother is a porn star.
It's a weird retcon like Faye's father's suicide. It just doesn't work. You can draw it and you can tell the story but it's not believable. It might be if QC were more of a surreal/ silly humor comic. It might if weird stuff kept happening and it didn't try to be both rad and all about sex AND a relationship comic with realistic dialogue.
Also, relationship/sex puns are unfunny and the comic frequently stands at a still where nothing at all happens and no one says anything interesting. Yet I continue to read it every day. WHY?!
a) has a mother who's a porn star
b) is not ashamed of her mother the porn star
c) acts this way about women and sex and life in general if his mother is a porn star.
It's a weird retcon like Faye's father's suicide. It just doesn't work. You can draw it and you can tell the story but it's not believable. It might be if QC were more of a surreal/ silly humor comic. It might if weird stuff kept happening and it didn't try to be both rad and all about sex AND a relationship comic with realistic dialogue.
Also, relationship/sex puns are unfunny and the comic frequently stands at a still where nothing at all happens and no one says anything interesting. Yet I continue to read it every day. WHY?!
Sunday, January 9, 2011
Drive-By Notes, Part 2
Flu strikes again: the son of the flu. But no fear, because Webcomics List is here, and I'm way overdue for another post about random comics.
(Not Quite) Daily Comic. "I'm so goth, I was born black!" Um, isn't that offensive? Or is it? Actually I'm too white to say. The drawing style of that one reminds me of a picture my grandmother had on her wall. It was made in black lace and portrayed a gentleman in a top hat and a lady with a parasol. Maybe that impression is intentional: traditional imagery, unconventional message. The previous one is also interesting: a girl dressed in a traditional dress hunting a ghost at the graveyard. Very dark and strange. Are we meant to identify with the girl's evil expression? Is she on the good or bad side? This one, on the other hand, is just disturbing for various reasons. Oh, it's only milk. But still. This is... strange. A weird and interesting comic.
Mike's Convenience. I read several strips, and I'm not sure what to say about this one. I recognize the wish to write about your own job and share the dullness with the world. I get the dull look of the comic and the Paint-esque font and everything. But if you make your main character a zombie who stands in one position with one look on his face in all strips, you're not making me like him. The customers may be idiots, but the clerk should be above their level.
Not sure what I think of Out At Home - it's a character-based comic, which may mean it's really funny or kind of dull. I haven't read enough strips to know, but this one with the various Christmas cards made me laugh. A nice way to show the characters' personalities, plus mock Christmas card traditions. Also, the rhyming card comes dangerously close to what I write on mine...
Peticanoe is another very interesting-looking strip. Careless erasership costs lives! I love that visual idea, and the idea of a stick figure drawing another stick figure. Also, Facebook: it's... just like this, really.
Panthera also piqued my interest. This Captain Planet reference is awesome. "We made warm, bubbly mud." The drawing style is reminiscent of old school cartoons, so it's fitting. Then there are one-picture strips that look more like anime. All in all, not sure what to make of it. I'm not a huge fan of anime, mainly because it's all over the place, but I do love a comic reference back to my childhood. I'll probably check this comic again.
Hungry Roots: I haven't been reading, but I enjoyed this "thank you for reading" pic. Great mood, lots of attention to detail. It made me check some of the other strips. But I didn't get what universe it was on, or what the story was. It seems well drawn and minimalistic, but I'm not in the mood for plot-comics today. I may not really be into fantasy strips anyway, because I seem to pass on them all. Maybe it's a taste thing, or maybe I should give them a shot? Feel free to convince me I need to read fantasy strips.
(Not Quite) Daily Comic. "I'm so goth, I was born black!" Um, isn't that offensive? Or is it? Actually I'm too white to say. The drawing style of that one reminds me of a picture my grandmother had on her wall. It was made in black lace and portrayed a gentleman in a top hat and a lady with a parasol. Maybe that impression is intentional: traditional imagery, unconventional message. The previous one is also interesting: a girl dressed in a traditional dress hunting a ghost at the graveyard. Very dark and strange. Are we meant to identify with the girl's evil expression? Is she on the good or bad side? This one, on the other hand, is just disturbing for various reasons. Oh, it's only milk. But still. This is... strange. A weird and interesting comic.
Mike's Convenience. I read several strips, and I'm not sure what to say about this one. I recognize the wish to write about your own job and share the dullness with the world. I get the dull look of the comic and the Paint-esque font and everything. But if you make your main character a zombie who stands in one position with one look on his face in all strips, you're not making me like him. The customers may be idiots, but the clerk should be above their level.
Not sure what I think of Out At Home - it's a character-based comic, which may mean it's really funny or kind of dull. I haven't read enough strips to know, but this one with the various Christmas cards made me laugh. A nice way to show the characters' personalities, plus mock Christmas card traditions. Also, the rhyming card comes dangerously close to what I write on mine...
Peticanoe is another very interesting-looking strip. Careless erasership costs lives! I love that visual idea, and the idea of a stick figure drawing another stick figure. Also, Facebook: it's... just like this, really.
Panthera also piqued my interest. This Captain Planet reference is awesome. "We made warm, bubbly mud." The drawing style is reminiscent of old school cartoons, so it's fitting. Then there are one-picture strips that look more like anime. All in all, not sure what to make of it. I'm not a huge fan of anime, mainly because it's all over the place, but I do love a comic reference back to my childhood. I'll probably check this comic again.
Hungry Roots: I haven't been reading, but I enjoyed this "thank you for reading" pic. Great mood, lots of attention to detail. It made me check some of the other strips. But I didn't get what universe it was on, or what the story was. It seems well drawn and minimalistic, but I'm not in the mood for plot-comics today. I may not really be into fantasy strips anyway, because I seem to pass on them all. Maybe it's a taste thing, or maybe I should give them a shot? Feel free to convince me I need to read fantasy strips.
Saturday, January 8, 2011
Cute Overload.
Question Duck, why must you be so cute?
Popping a CD in the microwave brings much excitement.
Bath time with a gleeful dog/ship toy. And squinting at "brushie brushie". Stop, I'll melt!!
And as if that weren't cute enough, Kinoko Fry wishes us happy new year by doing the tiger dance. But remember: don't try things at home! Especially the sex bit. Rabbits - cute but lame? Not sure if I agree. Tigers are more fierce, I must admit. This strip reminds me of Calvin and Hobbes. I recall Hobbes had the praise song for tigers - maybe several versions? - and a general belief that tigers are more fierce and handsome than any other creature on Earth, especially compared to humans.
Other cuties of the week:
I love how James Kochalka draws the ladies at Eli's school as colorful groupie creatures. They're all staring at him like they have a huge crush on him!
Dog comforts owner over at Sinfest. Note that the cat, who caused his misery, couldn't care less. The dog is even willing to give up his bally. For a little while.
...And then I looked at Buttersafe. The perfect antidote to overly cutesy feelings. I must say, the new year's comic there is even more depressing than usual. Yet somehow brilliant. I haven't seen this idea before. That's why I love Buttersafe.
Popping a CD in the microwave brings much excitement.
Bath time with a gleeful dog/ship toy. And squinting at "brushie brushie". Stop, I'll melt!!
And as if that weren't cute enough, Kinoko Fry wishes us happy new year by doing the tiger dance. But remember: don't try things at home! Especially the sex bit. Rabbits - cute but lame? Not sure if I agree. Tigers are more fierce, I must admit. This strip reminds me of Calvin and Hobbes. I recall Hobbes had the praise song for tigers - maybe several versions? - and a general belief that tigers are more fierce and handsome than any other creature on Earth, especially compared to humans.
Other cuties of the week:
I love how James Kochalka draws the ladies at Eli's school as colorful groupie creatures. They're all staring at him like they have a huge crush on him!
Dog comforts owner over at Sinfest. Note that the cat, who caused his misery, couldn't care less. The dog is even willing to give up his bally. For a little while.
...And then I looked at Buttersafe. The perfect antidote to overly cutesy feelings. I must say, the new year's comic there is even more depressing than usual. Yet somehow brilliant. I haven't seen this idea before. That's why I love Buttersafe.
Wednesday, January 5, 2011
Utterly Random Notes.
QC this week: OK, Marten's mother's reaction to Dora is surprising. But since I always find something to criticize - Dora's physique is very odd. Firstly, her breasts seem to vary in size; they look much bigger than they should in panel 3. She's almost two-dimensional in panel 2, so there's no way her breasts would be that large. Also, if the shirt is long on her, as it is in the other panels, it should not rise that high in panel 1.
Question Duck, on the other hand, continues to be adorable. Goldfish crackers! And - what is polyester made of? I love the duck's smile in panel 2, like he doesn't care if his master is dozing off at the computer. He's there, ergo, a question might be asked! It's the attitude of every pet. "Oh, you're here? Good. FEED ME." Only Question Duck feeds on questions.
Pets may also cyber-embarrass you, like on yesterday's and today's Sinfest.
I feel like I should think of more to criticize and not just bash QC all the time. Frankly, I do think Sinfest's four-panel style is a bit small and cramped for a webcomic. Webcomics can break form, because they don't have to be confined by the newspaper strip space. But the stories have been consistently good again lately, after a short slump, so I don't really want to complain.
The girl in this comic is just like my boyfriend. He will have no under 192 kbps. No wonder he often identifies with xkcd. I'm becoming nerdier because of him, though; as soon as he showed me this strip, I knew what they were talking about. I like the signs saying "Sale!!!" "Sale!" and "Sale?" I feel like there might be a hidden mathematical joke there - something about them being decreasing or.. hmm? Maybe I'm overthinking this. (like a true nerd might!)
We are the red umbrella. This Marc Johns reminds me slightly of Russian children's books my mother would read to me (no, she's not Russian, she just knows Russians). If you haven't seen any, think of "Worker and Parasite" on the Simpsons. Just about that jolly and cheerful illustrations. So - negative connotations, but the red umbrella is really pretty awesome in its randomness. Except that now I'm relating it to the Soviet Union, and Worker and Parasite, and it seems to really make sense why it's a red umbrella, and why there's the we spirit. Oh dear! I don't mean to ruin the comic for everyone.
In a similar vein, Kinoko Fry continues to amaze and confuse me. There's Submameen and... an octopus with Rubik's Cubes and an eyepatch with an eye... You can click on "random" below, but every strip seems equally random and genius. This is like something out of my dreams. (Not that my dreams are genius.) (Well, why be modest? They are. Holy mental fireworks, Batman.)
Question Duck, on the other hand, continues to be adorable. Goldfish crackers! And - what is polyester made of? I love the duck's smile in panel 2, like he doesn't care if his master is dozing off at the computer. He's there, ergo, a question might be asked! It's the attitude of every pet. "Oh, you're here? Good. FEED ME." Only Question Duck feeds on questions.
Pets may also cyber-embarrass you, like on yesterday's and today's Sinfest.
I feel like I should think of more to criticize and not just bash QC all the time. Frankly, I do think Sinfest's four-panel style is a bit small and cramped for a webcomic. Webcomics can break form, because they don't have to be confined by the newspaper strip space. But the stories have been consistently good again lately, after a short slump, so I don't really want to complain.
The girl in this comic is just like my boyfriend. He will have no under 192 kbps. No wonder he often identifies with xkcd. I'm becoming nerdier because of him, though; as soon as he showed me this strip, I knew what they were talking about. I like the signs saying "Sale!!!" "Sale!" and "Sale?" I feel like there might be a hidden mathematical joke there - something about them being decreasing or.. hmm? Maybe I'm overthinking this. (like a true nerd might!)
We are the red umbrella. This Marc Johns reminds me slightly of Russian children's books my mother would read to me (no, she's not Russian, she just knows Russians). If you haven't seen any, think of "Worker and Parasite" on the Simpsons. Just about that jolly and cheerful illustrations. So - negative connotations, but the red umbrella is really pretty awesome in its randomness. Except that now I'm relating it to the Soviet Union, and Worker and Parasite, and it seems to really make sense why it's a red umbrella, and why there's the we spirit. Oh dear! I don't mean to ruin the comic for everyone.
In a similar vein, Kinoko Fry continues to amaze and confuse me. There's Submameen and... an octopus with Rubik's Cubes and an eyepatch with an eye... You can click on "random" below, but every strip seems equally random and genius. This is like something out of my dreams. (Not that my dreams are genius.) (Well, why be modest? They are. Holy mental fireworks, Batman.)
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)