Title: Three Panel Soul
Author: Ian McConville (artist), Matthew Boyd (writer)
Start Date: 2006
Genre: Slice of life, dark comedy
Update Schedule: Weekly
Website: http://threepanelsoul.com

Synopsis:

Three Panel Soul is the sequel to Ian and Matt’s previous webcomic, Mac Hall (which I’d recommend checking out if you’ve never read it). For those of you who haven’t read Mac Hall, it chronicled a group of slackers–authors included–who resided in MacDonald Hall, a dormitory in Bowling Green State University (a real life college in Ohio). The comic ended in 2006 after Ian and Matt graduated. Three Panel Soul takes place after they’ve left college and are now out on their own in the world. The comic is titled after its format: every strip is no more or less than three panels.

Recommended Age Group: 12 and up. Objectionable content in this comic is minimal, but the subject matter may still be a bit too dark for younger, undeveloped minds.

Strengths:

Ian’s amazing Photoshop skills carry on from Mac Hall to this comic. The art varies greatly, depending on whether the artist wants to be more cartoony or realistic.

Weaknesses:

The lack of color seems a bit jarring. In Mac Hall, the color made the backgrounds look gorgeous and really pop out like eye candy. Now that his comics are black and white (save for his video game-themed strips), the backgrounds feel rather lacking; the blurriness seems to pop out more than the abstraction (see the below image for a comparison).

Verdict:

I give this comic a wholehearted recommendation. It’s not a requirement to read Mac Hall first, although I highly recommend that as well; the art is especially breathtaking in his old comic. Ian is an artist who’s definitely worthy of your attention.