With the invention of the internet, technology and information exchange were completely transformed. However, these are not the only things that were affected. When people think of comics they immediately think of Superman and $1 booklets. But the internet revolution has allowed underappreciated or unknown cartoonists to get their shot at fame, or at least a small cult following.
Web comics, as they are called, are generally short and updated weekly. The art work is at times questionable but occasionally you can see some really artistic talent shining through some of the smallest web comics. They are growing in popularity and some are becoming particularly famous, especially with teenagers and techies. There are also internet versions of already famous comic strips like Dilbert and Zits. Most of the comics you love and enjoy from your local newspaper have their own online archive that is easy to access and maneuver through.
They are grouped under several categories. There are Fantasy (dealing with the supernatural or mythical creatures), Furry (for children), Gaming (video-game related humor), Geeky (pertaining to unpopular tastes), Manga (Anime and Japanese-like artwork), Mature (for adult only), Quirky (clever humor without classification), Sci-Fi (science related), Weird (unusual topics), Workplace (having to do with work or employees), and Genre-less Comics. You do not need to be fluent in 133+ or be an adolescent to enjoy the humor of some of the better web comics.
Mega Tokyo, http://www.megatokyo.com/, is one of the most admired web comics and was so popular it was published on mainstream press. It is another gamer comic, with a hint of Magna, about video game lovers and their misadventures. At times the humor does venture outside of common knowledge and into the realm of pure “nerd-dom” but it is still a very good comic. Fred Gallager, the writer and artist of Mega Tokyo, has a great sense of humor and is a talented artist.
Ctrl+Alt+Del, http://www.ctrlaltdel-online.com/, is the second most popular gamer web comic. It written by Tim Buckley, as known as Absath. The name refers to computing's most common three-finger salute. Ctrl+Alt+Del’s slogan is "Tragically l337," a nod to the ‘tragically hip’. The strip features a pair of gamers, Ethan and Lucas, as the main characters, as well some of their friends. Most of the humor in the comic concerns video games. There is very little continuity between strips, with Ethan being killed in numerous violent encounters and returning unscathed in the next comic.
Some of the web comic originals, such as Counter Culture, could easily make it in mainstream publishing. However, the cartoonists of Counter Culture, Jawa Boy and Omi, consider comics their hobby rather than their real job. Their artwork is anime oriented but also very original. They enjoy posting their comics and they prefer to keep Counter Culture on the web. Counter Culture is a spoof of Wal-mart and K-mart employee that has a quirky sense of humor that is truly unique. It can be found at http://counterculture.infinite-comics.com/.
The internet is also the home of Nightmare World (www.nightmareworld.com). As described on his website, Nightmare World is “[Aaron] Weisbrod’s wild idea for a online serial anthology that could showcase both his own love of ‘EC Comics meets The Twilight Zone’-style horror as well as the artistic talents of the various up-and-coming Golden Goat Studios artists looking to showcase their work online.” All the comics are written by Weisbrod and drawn by Golden Goat Studios artists. Although books are sold with the complete anthology of Nightmare World, it remains mostly as a web comic, though it is of a higher caliber than most other web comics. In my opinion, it has by far the best graphics and artist work online today. It is a serious horror web comic that it truly scary and very original.
Although a lot of web comics cater to the taste of their small following of web surfers or to the writer’s personal taste, there are several web comics that stand out that appeal to all audiences, like those listed above. For more information about web comics or some web pages, like http://www.thewebcomiclist.com/, list hundreds of web comics for your reading pleasure. Enjoy!
Web comics, as they are called, are generally short and updated weekly. The art work is at times questionable but occasionally you can see some really artistic talent shining through some of the smallest web comics. They are growing in popularity and some are becoming particularly famous, especially with teenagers and techies. There are also internet versions of already famous comic strips like Dilbert and Zits. Most of the comics you love and enjoy from your local newspaper have their own online archive that is easy to access and maneuver through.
They are grouped under several categories. There are Fantasy (dealing with the supernatural or mythical creatures), Furry (for children), Gaming (video-game related humor), Geeky (pertaining to unpopular tastes), Manga (Anime and Japanese-like artwork), Mature (for adult only), Quirky (clever humor without classification), Sci-Fi (science related), Weird (unusual topics), Workplace (having to do with work or employees), and Genre-less Comics. You do not need to be fluent in 133+ or be an adolescent to enjoy the humor of some of the better web comics.
Mega Tokyo, http://www.megatokyo.com/, is one of the most admired web comics and was so popular it was published on mainstream press. It is another gamer comic, with a hint of Magna, about video game lovers and their misadventures. At times the humor does venture outside of common knowledge and into the realm of pure “nerd-dom” but it is still a very good comic. Fred Gallager, the writer and artist of Mega Tokyo, has a great sense of humor and is a talented artist.
Ctrl+Alt+Del, http://www.ctrlaltdel-online.com/, is the second most popular gamer web comic. It written by Tim Buckley, as known as Absath. The name refers to computing's most common three-finger salute. Ctrl+Alt+Del’s slogan is "Tragically l337," a nod to the ‘tragically hip’. The strip features a pair of gamers, Ethan and Lucas, as the main characters, as well some of their friends. Most of the humor in the comic concerns video games. There is very little continuity between strips, with Ethan being killed in numerous violent encounters and returning unscathed in the next comic.
Some of the web comic originals, such as Counter Culture, could easily make it in mainstream publishing. However, the cartoonists of Counter Culture, Jawa Boy and Omi, consider comics their hobby rather than their real job. Their artwork is anime oriented but also very original. They enjoy posting their comics and they prefer to keep Counter Culture on the web. Counter Culture is a spoof of Wal-mart and K-mart employee that has a quirky sense of humor that is truly unique. It can be found at http://counterculture.infinite-comics.com/.
The internet is also the home of Nightmare World (www.nightmareworld.com). As described on his website, Nightmare World is “[Aaron] Weisbrod’s wild idea for a online serial anthology that could showcase both his own love of ‘EC Comics meets The Twilight Zone’-style horror as well as the artistic talents of the various up-and-coming Golden Goat Studios artists looking to showcase their work online.” All the comics are written by Weisbrod and drawn by Golden Goat Studios artists. Although books are sold with the complete anthology of Nightmare World, it remains mostly as a web comic, though it is of a higher caliber than most other web comics. In my opinion, it has by far the best graphics and artist work online today. It is a serious horror web comic that it truly scary and very original.
Although a lot of web comics cater to the taste of their small following of web surfers or to the writer’s personal taste, there are several web comics that stand out that appeal to all audiences, like those listed above. For more information about web comics or some web pages, like http://www.thewebcomiclist.com/, list hundreds of web comics for your reading pleasure. Enjoy!