Internet Sensations – A review of the finest comics on the web.
I found myself faced with yet another quandary when researching and writing this month’s column, dear reader. The theme of this month is Internet Sensation, and so I was saddled with the unenviable task of reviewing the vast and daunting world of Web based comics. At first my biggest problem seemed to be steeped in my capitalistic principles. How could I, the leading purveyor of comic related entertainment in the Greater Santa Cruz Metropolitan Area reconcile reviewing, nay even recommending, fine comical stories that one could find and enjoy for (shudder) free on the interwebs with my base, nearly genetic, need to sell comics to the hopefully unsuspecting public? How indeed?! But this conflict of morals was short lived and quickly resolved. Sure, you can enjoy…or at least read, thousands of comic-themed tales on the World Wide Web, and not a single dollar will trickle into my hard-working and well-deserving hands. But the more you do read the more you will become transfixed. You will come to crave comicy-goodness in all its forms, free and otherwise. And then, in a fevered trance, sweat pouring from your aching cerebellum, you will enter my shop, unaware of how you even came to be there, and shout, “Give me more comics! Gimme, Gimme, Gimme!’. And then dear reader, you shall be mine.

So here you are. A taste of the finest, and foulest, the internet has to offer. Go ahead. Yes, it is free. The first one is always free…Bwah Ha….Bwah Ha Ha Ha…Bwah Ha Ha Ha Ha Ha Ha….ahem…

FreakAngels – By Warren Ellis and Paul Duffield

It should come as no surprise, to anyone who knows me, that I would, above all the others, recommend Warren Ellis’ FreakAngels. Yeah, I’m a fan of Warren. Yeah, I would love to be his Bitch. Yeah, he is my God. Aw crap, was that out loud? Sorry. Ok, the man is not perfect. He has written some work that I would only give an 8 on the 10 scale. But all in all, and especially lately, his work has been exceptional. I know you Whedon-heads out there may take offence, perhaps the Kirkman-heads as well, but this man IS the master of witty and believable dialogue. And interesting and believable characters, too. The official tagline of FreakAngels states; “23 years ago, twelve strange children were born in England at exactly the same moment. 6 years ago, the world ended. This is the story of what happened next.”FreakAngels, in its 20th, six-page episode at the writing of this column, follows these twelve young men and women and the world they find themselves in. London, England, and presumably the entire planet, clings to a tenuous existence in a world of risen oceans, and the twelve are somehow the cause of it. Possessing telepathic abilities, and perhaps more, eleven of the FreakAngels still reside in London and most, supposedly due to the guilt of bringing about the apocalypse, have taken on the roll of her protectors. One, the yet unseen Mark, has left London and seems bent upon finishing the destruction they once started, if not at the least the destruction of the remaining Angels.Though this conflict is central the direction of the narrative, just as compelling are the characters themselves, the Angels and the denizens who inhabit the post-apocalyptic, semi-submerged London, and the pace at which Ellis introduces and explores them. Through 20 episodes (120 pages), we have met only 10 of the 12 Angels. Each character is explored and developed thoroughly, and great care is taken to bring the reader slowly and fully into a lush, believable world. Yes, it is a world reeling from an extinction level disaster, but it is also a world of surviving humans, building a life beyond the technological distractions of our disaffected modern age. It is a world where everything has been stripped from them, and a world where they must finally start living.

Oh, and if I forgot to mention, Paul Duffield’s art is nothing short of brilliant.

You can find this electronically generated gem at http://www.freakangels.com/ Please to enjoy.

Breaking News! During the writing of this review, Ellis, Duffield, and Avatar Press (the good people bringing FreakAngels to the world) have announced a trade paperback collecting the first 144 page story arc. Come see me at Comicopolis, 829 Front St., Santa Cruz, Ca., or email me at webmaster@comicopolisonline.com, for more info.

Ok, so that’s the best that I could find. And honestly, it was tough to find quality comics online. But I did find a few more happy surprises, and one that seems appropriate to report on given the overall tenor of the site I am reporting for.

Menage a 3 – By Giz (?) and Dave Zero 1 (??)

Ok, I’ll admit it. I’m a perv. I saw the title and I thought “Cool! Some porn to distract me from writing this damn column!” But you know, this is actually a fun, witty, and well-drawn strip. Employing an art style reminiscent of Colleen Coover’s Small Favors and written in a familiar 3-5 panel, newspaper strip format, Menage a 3 tells the tale of Gary, a Montreal based comic book geek, his two soon-to-be-former gay roommates Matt & Dillon, and his soon-to-be-current roommates Zii and Didi. Didi is a buxom young French Canadian blonde who may not be all that she(?) seems. Zii is (possibly) a musician in a punk band. Oh, and then there is Lita, Zii’s cat who, of course, hates everyone.

The strip is a bit racy, with at least two sex scenes between Matt & Dillon to date, and plenty of sexual tension and innuendo abound as Zii and Didi enter Gary’s life. I’ll definitely be following this one and I recommend you do the same. Find them on the web at http://www.menagea3.net/

And here are a few more worthy of honorable mention:

Dresden Codak – By Aaron Diaz
found at http://www.dresdencodak.com

Diaz states that Dresden Codak is ‘an illustrated celebration of science, death and human folly.’

It is also about the future, time travelers, and space robots. Oh, and cute little shop girls. What more do you need? I think you’ll like it.

Starslip Crisis (Formerly Starshift Crisis) – By Kristopher Straub
found at http://www.starslip.com/

Set in 3440’s Memnon Vanderbeam pilots the starship IDS Fuseli, a warship converted to a flying, interstellar museum. Displaying many artistic treasures of the 20th and 21st centuries, the strip chronicles the adventures of the ship and its crew as they travel from system to system. In 2007 cartoonist initiated the Alterverse War, a multi web comic crossover that pitted the Fuseli against starships from other web comics. In all, twenty-nine web comics were involved in this event.

Rice Boy – By Evan Dohm

A surrealistic Fantasy romp, Rice Boy follows the adventures of the limbless and passive title character and his friend T.O.E. (The One Electronic) as they journey through a psychedelic landscape in search of an ancient prophecy that Rice Boy may, or may not, fulfill. Exploring the grand themes of Religion, Philosophy, and Destiny, Rice Boy is a smart and fun tale. Go find it now at http://riceboy.jho-tan.com/see/index.html

…and sooooomany more. Good God! The net is filled with web comics good, bad, and horrible. Warning! There are more bad than good, and you will (believe me!) have to search through piles of electronic crap before finding the treasures. I had considered exposing some of the worst, but that would be too difficult a task. There are tons! And you will find them, have no doubt. But hopefully these few recommendations have started you on your way to recognizing the best. I would also recommend trying the following sites, each a portal to online comics, and each nicely organized to help you refine your search.

http://www.thewebcomiclist.com/
http://topwebcomics.com/Default.aspx

This has been a journey of discovery for me. Being a traditionalist, and preferring to hold my comic (or book) in my hands, I was skeptical of the whole web comic phenomenon. And though I still do not believe that web comics will ever fully supplant the printed comic, I have come to recognize and appreciate the work being done in the medium. And, to my capitalistic delight, I have found that many of these tales are being printed on real paper and sold through your fine local comic shops. Come in and see me. We’ll talk.

Read On!