One of the great things about the internet is the ability for talented artists and writers to freelance and produce some really great material online. These ideas might have never seen the light of day in the past but thanks to the internet are able to slowly build up an audience and develop in popularity.
I've been following many web comics for a number of years and these are my personal favorites. I highly recommend checking these out.
This pixelated web wonder has been updated every weekday since back in 2000. Richard Stevens is a master of tapping into the nostalgic niche of classic pixel artwork which has since exploded all over the web. However what sets this apart from the others is his ability to continually surprise us with masterfully worded puns and some really cool characters. Despite the very geeky content and drawing style, he's also very much in tune with female readers which can be difficult to achieve. This makes this comic enjoyable to almost anybody. The strip was actually syndicated in newspapers for a period of time, but rstevens has since gone back to the web only model of which he seems mostly comfortable. His talent for memorable one liners and catch phrases has also weaved into the online store with some wonderful merchandise available for sale. His shirts have featured on "The Big Bang Theory" and "The IT Crowd." But perhaps it's rstevens laid back, casual and friendly manner towards his fans which keeps me coming back for more.
This gem has truly awful style of artwork and often incomprehensible plots and dialogue. And yet I consider these comics to be some of the best I've seen online. These are understandably very difficult to get into and you need a really offbeat sense of humour. Often the downright absurdity of the dialogue or situations is the basis of the humour. I love the way that the characters seem to revere Pokey in many of the issues. They often do and believe what he says even if it makes little sense or is frankly dangerous. This isn't one to read too much into. Just enjoy the flow of dialogue and abrupt endings. Thanks to these comics, when asked a question I often respond with the cumbersome reply "The answer is no."
The artwork on this series really stands out to me. The comic looks cute and colourful, however the humour is very dark and frequently twisted. Each of the strips involves Boy on a Stick discussing a topic with his pessimistic and selfish friend Slither. Often the settings are bizarre and interesting. The use of colour alone makes this artwork a joy to look at and the writing is snappy and memorable.
Ornery Boy is an angry goth who finds himself in all kinds of bizarre predicaments. Again, the content here is quite dark and the humour often involves horror. But the drawings themselves are extremely adorable. I find myself wishing that this was picked up as an animated series. Sadly the strip updates quite infrequently however the quality of the work is well worth the wait.
This is a movie themed comic which should appeal mostly to movie buffs and nerds. It's a great comic with some excellent interaction between the main characters. I also really love some of the expressions on the characters faces. They're just so well done. If you're into movies and just a little bit pedantic I think you'll enjoy reading these.
Great comics; I like #s 3 and 5.
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