Webcomics: An Introduction
One of the most controversial aspects of the internet is the impossibility of censoring content. Make and visit as many G-rated websites as you like, put as many filters on your connection as you please, close your eyes whenever someone drops an F-bomb and frantically shut the browser should you get caught in an accidental pornado, but the adult content doesn’t actually cease to exist. There are many instances in which this is arguably a bad thing, or at least not to everyone’s taste, but debates over freedom of speech notwithstanding, there is undeniably a case to be made that lifting the restrictions imposed on certain traditional media has produced an impressive flourishing of creative talent.
For me, this is nowhere more apparent than in the proliferation of webcomics. As a child, I was always a devout fan of the Sunday funnies, and boasted a staggering collection of Garfield, Peanuts and Footrot Flats comic books. But well before the current decline in print media had syndicated cartoonists worried about their future, webcomic artists were taking everything that was effectively off-limits to their newspaper-dwelling brethren – that is, swearing, sex and violence – and making a living off it.
For most geeks, the obvious example is Penny Arcade, which in many respects epitomises the success of webcomics. Ten years after it began as one of many strips about video games, creators Jerry ‘Tycho’ Holkins and Michael ‘Gabe’ Krahulik have one of the most successful comics online, with 70 million page views per month. Among other things, they have founded a children’s charity, started their own annual gaming convention and topped a list of influential gamers, to say nothing of the fact that they still produce three new comics a week and earn enough money from their efforts to support two families. Contrast their swearing, crude sexual references and violence with the PG13 content of any syndicated strip you’d care to name, and it quickly becomes apparent that only on the internet could Krahulik and Holkins have made a name for themselves without being required to drastically tone down their output.
It’s impossible to deny the fact that many webcomics cater predominately to a game-enthusiast audience, and can therefore be frequently uninteresting, not to say impenetrable, to the layman. But though I remain a fan of many unapologetically geeky strips, I’d be doing the medium a grave disservice to label them as the be-all, end-all. When bisected using the appropriate tools, online cartooning has a diverse and fascinating cross-section, and you don’t need to be a geek to appreciate intelligent humour.
So, without further ado, I present an Introduction to Webcomics: five great strips you shouldn’t be missing out on.
1. Girls With Slingshots, by Danielle Corsetto
Meet Hazel, a struggling columnist, and Jamie, her best friend, as they navigate the perilous world of drinking, dating and paying the rent. With a great cast of characters, fantastic humour, lashings of sexual freedom and a talking cactus, how can you go wrong? Not easily.
2. Sinfest, by Tatsuya Ishida
Take the recurring character format of daily strips the world over, throw in some sex, a dash of political incorrectness, smatterings of social commentary and a massive dollop of philosophy, and this is what you get. Slick, Monique and Squigley are looking for happiness in all the wrong places: God and the Devil compete for their attentions, Buddha and the Eastern Dragon put in an appearance, but there’s no heavy-handedness here, just tongue-in-cheek humour, awesome line-art and, perhaps, a little bit of truth.
3. Hark! A Vagrant, by Kate Beaton
Whether or not you’re a fan of poetry, it’s hard not to get a rise out of Lord Byron chatting up Mary Shelley. Intelligent, funny comics about some of history’s weirder moments abound, with targeted figures including Captain Cook, Herodotus and Ghengis Khan. Also, there are sometimes Mystery-Solving Teens.
4. PhD Comics, by Jorge Cham
If you’ve ever attempted a post-graduate degree or had any sort of prolonged contact with academia, this is the comic for you. Our Nameless Hero battles with laziness and ambition; Cecilia toils away at her engineering thesis while trying to maintain a normal social life; Tajel fights the good fight in social sciences; and Mike Slackenerny becomes a legend in his own lifetime for outstanding abilities in the field of procrastination and free food thievery. For readers uncertain of whether to enter academia, some helpful advice is provided.
5. Dresden Codak, by Aaron Diaz
With its beautiful art, wide-ranging intellectualism and detailed premises, Dresden Codak is one of the most stunning comics on offer. Following (mostly) the adventures of Kimiko Ross and her possibly nuclear-powered friends, Dimitri and Alina Tokamak, each comic is brilliantly executed, regardless of whether it’s a standalone strip or part of the continuous story arc. Tiny Carl Jung (that is to say, Carl Jung, but tiny) makes frequent appearances, and while there’s a high geek quotient at times, it’s definitely worth the effort. Ponzi scheme musical, anyone?
Enjoy!
I must say that my favourites are The Perry Bible Fellowship (though now discontinued) and XKCD of course… Never seen Girls with Slingshots before but the latest one is tops
will have to start working my way through their archives.
on another note, a friend of mine just began his own webcomic. Kind of underplayed humour. Att Last
As a recent entrant into the world of webcomics, I think the thing to realise is that the “Sunday funnies” comics and Garfield, Peanuts and Footrot Flats were all a very small part of the history of graphic novels.
Printed comics were always crude, as well as taking many risks not possible on mediums such as TV or Radio (or for that matter, the newspaper). Although not as main-stream popular in their graphic novel forms the works of Daniel Clowes (Ghost World) Frank Millar (Sin City, 300) Alan Moore (Watchmen, V for Vendetta) and Jhonen Vasquez (Invader Zim, JTHM) all pushed many boundaries and didn’t require the internet to do so.
I decided I wanted to write a weekly webcomic because I liked the format of a 9-panel comic- not because I wanted to write a swearing Garfield.
That being said, I’m glad you mentioned Dresdan Codak, as its one of my favourites. I would also like to plug Pictures for Sad Children by John Campbell as the driest humour on the internet, and of course my own comic Att Last.
Hi Evan,
Your point about the relationship between comics and graphic novels is well made. I’m familiar with all the works you’ve mentioned, and am particularly fond of Sandman by Neil Gaiman and the Fables series. As a kid, I loved my Sunday funnies, and as such, I’ll always have time for them, but you’re right: they really are a very narrow scope, and the genre is much bigger than that. Not all webcomics are about swearing or subversion, but I love the extent to which someone like Tatsuya Ishida can take the traditional funnies format, even expertly mimic the lineart of Cathy Gueswite, Charles Schultz and Bill Waterson while still delineating his own style, and create a much more adult, R-rated version that nonetheless manages to be meaningful. It’s sad that for many people, comic strips begin and end with what appears in syndicated outlets, and if someone isn’t inclined to read through graphic novels or wants a leg-up to doing so, reading webcomics like Dresden Codak or Gunnerkrig Court are a great alternative.
Will definitely check out Att Last!
and don’t forget http://www.xkcd.com!!
I *love* xkcd