It’s been forever. I know it’s been forever. I’ve been wanting to write a review for nearly a year now, but the year has been largely frustrating. The job I was working for didn’t pan out, my sister’s boyfriend cheated on her (thankfully, she found someone new), a few comics that I’ve been wanting to review ended prematurely, and I’ve spent many months just working like crazy. I haven’t felt so happy to just scratch this writing itch that I’ve holed up for so long. Let’s just get to the review.

Title: Life and Death
Author: Jonathan Oliver
Start Date: 2000
Genre: Bangsian fantasy, dark comedy
Update Schedule: Mondays, Wednesdays, Fridays
Website: http://lifeanddeath.smackjeeves.com/comics

Synopsis:

After the Grim Reaper commits suicide (yes, really), Heaven holds a series of tryouts for a new Grim Reaper. The newcomer, Steve, gets the job, only to find that his best friend Bobby is his counterpart, the personification of Life. Steve settles in to his new job and lifestyle, killing mortals across the world whose time has passed, battling demons, and getting acquainted with his family and the other personifications in the universe.

Recommended Age Group: 12 and up, mainly due to occasional drug use. (Nothing beyond alcohol.)

Strengths:

The comic stays consistently funny, and even sometimes endearing. Once the story arcs begin to kick in, we get to see considerable character development and story growth for Steve as we continue to see more of his family and his past. This is one of the few comics that can introduce stronger and more serious villains without bringing down its tone. It seems to be a feat that’s difficult to pull off for most stories that start bright and comical, then undergo a complete tonal shift after some time has passed. Life and Death manages to avert that trope.

Weaknesses:

The comic’s art, even after 15 years, still isn’t very good. Since the comic started, it has only slightly improved with the addition of color and not much else. The outlines still look very sketchy and jagged and backgrounds are often barren. From a storytelling standpoint, the comic seems to have transformed into something from what it originally started. The Life part of Life and Death seems to have faded in the background. Death has pretty much taken over as the main character as he goes on journeys with his family…an adventure which has lasted over 700 pages and counting. Most of the other characters in Heaven are so rarely seen anymore that it’s easy to forget they exist.

Verdict:

I give this comic a halfhearted recommendation, much as it pains me to say it. It’s a fun comic with occasional dark humor, but the story arc has lasted for so long that I wish Oliver would end it eventually and bring the comic back to its roots. There are so many characters who were introduced years ago and I’d love to see them further explored, but they’re not being given enough screen time that I wonder why he created them in the first place. I really want to enjoy this comic, but I’m losing interest.

Augh! It’s been half a year?! My apologies.

I’ve been dealing with a super-busy schedule these past several months. I’ve had a massive checklist to get out of the way (which I can’t go into specifics), but I thankfully have most of it done. I’m feeling a lot better now and I feel I’m ready for another review, and this webcomic is a big one.

Title: Gunnerkrigg Court
Author: Tom Siddell
Start Date: 2005
Genre: Dark fantasy, sci-fi
Update Schedule: Mondays, Wednesdays, Fridays
Website: http://www.gunnerkrigg.com

Synopsis:

Antimony Carver is a student at the titular boarding school, Gunnerkrigg Court. The place is…unique, to say the least. The Court is located at the edge of Gillitie Wood, a forest where mystical creatures reside and are segregated from (although they can often bleed into and influence) the technological, man-made forces of the Court. Gunnerkrigg is also more than just a school–it’s also a massive industrial complex that functions as a world all its own. Essentially, the Court is the exact opposite of Hogwarts, where it places an emphasis on science and rejects magic (which they refer to as yet another branch of science), even though many of the Court’s students have magical abilities, Antimony included.

Shortly after her mother passed away, Antimony was transferred to the boarding school where she has to train to be the Medium, a negotiator between the residents of the Court and Gillitie–the title previously held by her mother. She also narrates the bizarre experiences that she and her friends and classmates experience during their tenure at the Court.

Recommended Age Group: All ages.

Strengths:

The art is absolutely breathtaking. Even during the early chapters where Siddell’s art starts off as rough and a bit awkward, it still maintains a very Expressionistic look to its aesthetics that fits the tone and story of the comic beautifully. Another strength is how Siddell utilizes his knowledge of mythology and symbolism for the characters, setting, and world building. The character designs are highly imaginative and characters are well developed.

Weaknesses:

The plot appears to be notably absent. The way Siddell frames his story seems to hint at a giant goal–like there’s a main villain to defeat, a conflict to resolve, a giant conspiracy to uncover–and the comic never actually goes in that direction. Every chapter is treated as a standalone story arc rather than a piece of a significant, overarching plot. Massive hints and character revelations are dropped like bombshells (or sometimes even explored, yet still kept ambiguous), then the big reveal is never brought up again. Then the next chapter will focus on something else. It feels like there’s no payoff after so much buildup, and that’s the most frustrating feature of reading the comic.

Verdict:

I give this comic a wholehearted recommendation. Gunnerkrigg Court is one of my personal favorite webcomics, and I think children would love it as well. The comic’s sophisticated storytelling, lovely art, imaginative world, and likable characters would keep anyone hooked and hard to let go.

Valentine’s Day (a.k.a. Cash 4 Hallmark Fund) is a week away, and to celebrate the holiday of love, let’s talk about a romantic comedy…with aliens!

Title: Trying Human
Author: Emy Bitner
Start Date: 2008
Genre: Romantic comedy, sci-fi
Update Schedule: Whenever
Website: http://www.tryinghuman.com

Synopsis:

Trying Human involves the exploits of Area 51 over two generations which run parallel with each other. Starting in the 1940s, an alien spacecraft lands in Nevada, prompting an investigation and discovery of alien life and technology. One of the employees at the base, a military translator named Phillis, develops a relationship with EBE1–the surviving alien from the crash–much to the ire of her coworkers, who harbor a crush on her. Tensions heat up and Phillis winds up fatally shot, but she is kept alive using alien technology.

Fast-forward to the present day. A young receptionist named Rose sees a psychiatrist after suffering blackouts and nosebleeds. The psychiatrist uses hypnosis to recover one of her lost memories and she discovers that she is abducted by aliens on a regular basis. One of the aliens named Hue–a clone of EBE1 who is declared “defective” because he, unlike the others, can feel emotions–falls in love with Rose and tries to get her back following a failed abduction.

The relationships between all of these characters intertwine with an underground government conspiracy surrounding a group called the Majestic 12, whose job it is to monitor and cover-up alien activity on Earth which Rose’s boyfriend Roger has recently joined.

Recommended Age Group: 16 and up. It gets NSFW in some parts and there is occasional language and gore.

Strengths:

The writing is this comic’s greatest strength. The comic actually spans multiple subplots and characters (even more than my synopsis provides) and balances them all in a timely manner.

The artwork is also very strong. The flashbacks to the 1940s are deliberately sepia tone with occasional color motifs of red, while the present contains lots of shades of blue while also symbolically linking to the past with red.

The artist is also going back to the earliest chapters of her comic and redrawing them, making them more consistent with the current style that her art has evolved toward. Looking at both styles (you can compare them starting at Chapter 5 at the moment), even her older, rougher artwork looks very good.

Weaknesses:

The biggest problem with this comic is the pacing. Due to the comic’s sluggish update schedule and constant switching between the timelines, it becomes easy to forget what happened. Fun fact: When I was writing up this review, I had to reread the entire strip’s run over the span of a few hours and I saw some important details that I’d either missed or completely forgotten about since I first started reading the strip a couple of years ago. This strip is the easiest to follow when you’re marathoning it, but the slow updates may hinder your memory once you’ve caught up.

Verdict:

I give this comic a wholehearted recommendation. It’s one of the most fascinating stories about aliens I’ve read in a long time. I’d recommend just reading through the whole archive once, then rewind to the beginning and read each storyline in chronological order. I personally found it easier to follow after I tried it that way, but results may vary.

Title: Crunchy Bunches
Author: W. Scott Warren
Start Date: 2011
Genre: Parody
Update Schedule: Saturdays
Website: http://www.crunchybunches.com

Synopsis:

Have you ever wondered what life would be like in a cereal commercial? You would meet with hyperactive animated mascots who would build treehouses, thwart incompetent villains, and encourage you to become a sports champ by eating their sugary cereal, all part of a balanced breakfast.

Crunchy Bunches takes place in this world, and Munchy is the mascot of the world-beloved cereal which shares the title’s namesake. He’s been in the business for 60 years, and he interacts with other mascots and gets involved in storylines which promote the latest flavors of his cereal.

Recommended Age Group: All ages.

Strengths:

This is one of the most clever concepts for a webcomic I’ve seen in years. The author understands his material well. This comic pays homage to, parodies, and deconstructs cereal advertising all at the same time. The references are numerous and cleverly integrated into the content, providing the look and feel of actual commercials.

I also give props to the art. The expressions are wonderfully cartoony and exaggerated, and the designs properly match what I would expect of cereal mascots as I was growing up in the 90s.

Weaknesses:

As I stated in the synopsis, cereal commercials have weak antagonists by nature, and this comic is no different, so there’s practically no sense of threat in the storylines. I understand why the author did this to play up that particular trope to mimic the style of the commercials, but if you prefer to have grand epics in your storylines, you may feel a bit underwhelmed in this department.

Verdict:

I give this comic a wholehearted recommendation. This comic makes me feel like a kid again and I find the experience thoroughly enjoyable. If you’ve watched cereal commercials as a kid or tried to follow along the silly storylines that General Mills or Post attached to their boxes in order to trick the kids into buying more of their products, then I feel you would appreciate this comic as much as I am now.

Title: Two Guys and Guy
Author: Rickard Jonasson
Start Date: 2011
Genre: Science fiction, comedy
Update Schedule: Mondays, Wednesdays, Fridays
Website: http://www.twogag.com

Synopsis:

Wayne, Frank, and Guy are a comedy trio who live under the same roof and go on adventures. Wayne is a jerkish hippie slacker who lives off other people’s misery (and he’s the most developed character). Frank is a mad scientist with no regards for morality or consequences. Guy is the chick…who is a bully and a sociopath. They each hate the world and each other, but they’re roommates, so they have to tolerate each other, anyway.

Recommended Age Group: 17 and up. NOT FOR KIDS!

Strengths:

Jonasson’s writing style is a riot. The main trio bounce off each other really well, and a unique trait of the comic is that each strip takes place in In Medias Res. For a three-panel, gag-a-day strip format, that’s an impressive feat to pull off.

Weaknesses:

The comic suffers from copy-paste syndrome, and its usage is obvious and rather distracting. The artwork for the comic doesn’t look bad at all, and the author clearly has a good grasp of drawing, so the quality of the product does feel rather cheapened. Also, Wayne and Guy feel like they’re the same character sometimes. Frank stands out from the trio due to his interests and traits (physical and personality-wise), but Wayne and Guy seem to just meld together; they’re both equally snarky to other people and each other. You can swap out Guy for Wayne and vice-versa and still feel like the strip hasn’t changed.

Verdict:

I give this comic a wholehearted recommendation. This comic is among my favorite comedy webcomics (I’d probably even place it in my top 5). If you’re in the mood for some good laughs–I honestly can’t think of a single strip in the archive that was a dud or left me confused like I’d missed the joke–then I give this my seal of approval.

Well, guys, I’m finally done with my internship! (Well, actually, I completed it a few weeks ago, and I just needed some rest.) After a bit of relaxation afterward, I feel like it’s finally time to start updating this blog again.

Title: Everblue
Author: Michael Sexton
Start Date: 2010
Genre: Fantasy, adventure
Update Schedule: Biweekly
Website: http://www.everblue-comic.com

Synopsis:

Everblue takes place in a world that consists of an endless ocean sparsely populated by a few cities. One of the citizens of Rose City, Luna, is an adventurous (yet timid) shipwright who dreams to see the world and find her place in life. Unfortunately, Rose City is a military-run state, so they don’t allow contact with the outside world. When an energetic drifter named Ten crashes onto the city’s docks, Luna seizes the opportunity to escape with him by placing a powerful wind turbine on his ship. They’re now both wanted and on the run while exploring the world ahead of them. However, before they both left, it turns out that Luna carries a secret with her that she’s unaware of, and now her own adopted brother and uncle are after her.

Recommended Age Group: 13 and up (according to the website).

Strengths:

This is one of the most beautiful webcomics I’ve ever seen. The artist has a good grasp of coloring and shading motifs, especially according to the timing of each chapter. For example, the beginning of the chapters are typically warm and vibrant, but as the chapters approach their end, they become darker and more shadowy, perfectly fitting the tone of each portion of the story.

Weaknesses:

The characters, while well-developed, do feel like a rather cliched dynamic. You have your adventurous main character who aspires to grander opportunities beyond their dull life. You have the spunky, energetic sidekick who’s a bit on the ditzy side. Finally, you have your family members who antagonize the heroes (usually the elderly figures want to kill them while the son is trapped in a morally grey area between both sides). Finally, there’s the “greater evil” who is worse than the main villain and has a tendency to throw a wrench into the plot. We’ve seen it before. However, this is only a minor complaint; even though it’s already been done, the characters are entertaining enough on their own merits, so they don’t ruin the comic at all.

Verdict:

I give this comic a wholehearted recommendation. Despite the “13+” rating the website suggests, I think this is actually a fairly suitable read for kids. The only objectionable material I could find was minimal blood. It’s a fun adventure story with great characters and stunningly gorgeous artwork that you definitely shouldn’t miss.

Before I begin, I owe you all an apology. Yes, I know I’ve been gone since November, and I have a perfectly good reason for that.

I’ve been dealing with a lot of real-life problems over the past few months. I’ve been under a lot of stress. I’ve been working on an internship (and I still am). My sister got engaged and has moved out, so we have to save money over the next year while we make wedding preparations. My family has also had to deal with health problems that I’d rather not get into. It’s been a stressful few months, and thankfully, the worst of it is out of our way, and I feel confident enough to be updating this blog again.

Anyway, there has been a recent trend in Hollywood movies to adapt popular fairy tales for the big screen. So why not review a webcomic that does that as well?

Title: Erstwhile
Author: Gina Biggs, Louisa Roy, Elle Skinner (artists), Brothers Grimm (writers)
Start Date: 2011
Genre: Fantasy
Update Schedule: Mondays, Wednesdays, Fridays
Website: http://www.erstwhiletales.com

Synopsis:

Erstwhile isn’t bound to just one story, but several. This webcomic adapts the lesser-known tales from the classic German folk lore writers, the Brothers Grimm. Each of the three artists takes their turn adapting and interpreting one story at a time. (Note: Although Gina Biggs is credited with “adapting the story” on nearly all of them, the illustrators are left to their own devices.)

Recommended Age Group: All ages.

Strengths:

Each comic is stunningly gorgeous to look at. Even though this comic is drawn and colored by three different people, their art styles complement each other nicely. It’s also fun to watch how each interpretation plays out, depending on their ranges of narration and visual flair. It also helps that they’re specifically adapting the more obscure titles from the Grimms and none of the popular ones. You won’t see anything that was already covered by Disney in this series.

Weaknesses:

Unlike adaptations which like to modernize a classic fairy tale or play it for parody, the artists adapt the Grimms’ tales completely straight, as they were originally written. If you’ve read these stories before, you will be spoiled on how the tales end.

Verdict:

I give this comic a wholehearted recommendation. Children and adults alike would love this. They would be great in school courses for exposure and critique. This comic is a fantastic gateway to explore the often overlooked tales by these classic authors.

I’ve really been terrified to do this particular comic for the longest time due to its reputation, but now that it’s over, I feel I should give it a eulogy.

Title: Ctrl+Alt+Del
Author: Tim Buckley
Start Date: 2002
Genre: Gaming
Update Schedule: Complete (a reboot is underway)
Website: http://www.cad-comic.com

Synopsis:

Ctrl+Alt+Del can be defined as two different types of comic. The first is a standard gag-a-day strip where a bunch of roommates play video games. The other involves these same characters–best friends Ethan and Lucas, Ethan’s girlfriend Lilah, and their robot Zeke–who deal with everyday situations in their lives, including relationships, jobs, and the occasional adventure.

Recommended Age Group: 15 and up, due to cursing and violence.

Strengths:

What makes CAD stand out among most gaming webcomics is that it has one characteristic that others lack: a story. Gaming webcomics are generally not designed to have storylines due to their overly comical nature; they usually make referential humor and little else. As much as the comic has been overly divisive (see the Weaknesses, because we’ve got a LOT to cover!), I can at least give Buckley credit for adding variety to a rather stale genre.

Unfortunately, just having one unique trait doesn’t make up for its many, MANY shortcomings…

Weaknesses:

Tim Buckley loves to copy and paste.

Every single character has the same face. He uses Google Images for backgrounds and adds a Gaussian blur. Lighting and shading are inconsistent. Simply put, Buckley’s talents as an artist are notably limited.

The characters aren’t well-defined, either. Ethan has been criticized for being a Mary Sue. He’s a constant jerk and he gets away with every stupid thing he does. Even worse, he winds up with all the rewards in the comic. He becomes married to the girl of his dreams, despite not showing his affections for her. He manages to construct two sentient robots that perfectly mimic life. He creates his own holiday and a church for it. He easily outwits all his opponents and winds up owning a gaming shop despite having no business experience. Finally, the characters have to apologize to HIM for all the wrongdoing that HE caused.

Remember how I mentioned that CAD is divided into two comics in the synopsis? They tend to clash constantly, interrupting the storylines with abrupt comedy and killing the tension once the drama reaches its peak.

The humorous comics aren’t structured well, either. A common complaint of the comic is that the punchline is revealed too early, leaving the rest of the panels as meandering filler. This tongue-in-cheek parody of the comic exemplifies this particular issue with the strips.

The comic also breaks the show-don’t-tell rule constantly, relying on long dialogue balloons and walls of text to get the point across (comically or dramatically) rather than allowing the characters to express their emotions.

Verdict:

I give this comic a halfhearted recommendation, if only a rather faint one. Despite all my criticisms, I don’t think it’s as nail-bitingly awful as other webcomics on the Internet. The comic still has a large fanbase, and if you’ve never read it, you could probably give it a quick read and determine for yourself whether or not you would like it. It’s over, so it definitely wouldn’t hurt.

Personally, I used to read this comic many years ago when I was developing my reading habits for webcomics. I enjoyed it during its early days, but then I grew out of it when the flaws started to become more apparent. And they just continued to worsen. I stopped reading around the time the animated series came out (yes, there was an animated series, and it’s best left forgotten).

I wish Buckley best of luck on the reboot. I don’t think I’ll be tuning in, though.

Title: Romantically Apocalyptic
Author: Vitaly S. Alexius
Start Date: 2009
Genre: Sci-fi, dark comedy
Update Schedule: Saturdays
Website: http://romanticallyapocalyptic.com

Synopsis:

Sometime in the future, excessive radioactive pollution has transformed the Earth’s biosphere, causing plant and animal mutations and transforming it into a decaying wasteland known as the Dead Zone. 99% of humanity has escaped from the literal Hell outdoors by moving into large domes and remaining connected to the Internet 24/7 to a large machine, ANNET (“Annie”), which had become sentient over time and, due to an accident and sabotage with the servers, caused it to go berserk and nearly wipe out or zombify humanity. To make matters worse, the remaining 1% who can’t use ANNET have difficulty sleeping due to dreams becoming copyrighted (yes, seriously) by the world’s largest corporation, leading to headaches and occasional nightmares.

The story centers around a military squad joined with the 1%–Captain, Charles “Sniper” Snippy, Pilot, and Alexander “Engie/Engineer” Gromov–who launch a nuclear strike on ANNET and have to deal with nightmares, time travel, and the horrors of the Dead Zone.

Recommended Age Group: 12 and up, mainly due to language.

Strengths:

The artwork is absolutely outstanding! Alexius is a professional photographer who takes pictures of models and actors and morphs them into beautiful compositions with PhotoShop. This is one of the best uses of the software I’ve ever seen.

Weaknesses:

It may be hard to follow along with the story for some readers. The comic has a tendency to blur the line between dreams and reality, so the writing is very mind-screwy and not exactly a clear-cut adventure. I had trouble following the story myself, and I actually had to consult a Wiki just to make heads or tails of everything. After reading through it, the details still aren’t exactly clear.

Verdict:

I give this comic a wholehearted recommendation. If you’re a fan of stories with apocalyptic settings, the psychology of dreams, or just want to look at stunningly gorgeous art, this comic is definitely up your alley! Just be prepared to pay attention, or you may get lost and have to reread through the archives or the Wiki I provided above.

Title: Evil, Inc.
Author: Brad J. Guigar (writer/artist), Ed Ryzowski (colorist)
Start Date: 2005
Genre: Superhero, parody, comedy, satire
Update Schedule: Daily
Website: http://www.evil-comic.com

Synopsis:

Evil, Inc. is a corporation run by supervillains, whose goal is to provide evil-doers everywhere with the tools and services they need to thwart superheroes and enact their plans of crime and world domination. Rather than focusing on a protagonist (this comic contains a large cast of central characters, which include staff members as well as the superheroes they face), the comic instead chooses to focus on the politics in and surrounding the corporation, providing an analogue and satire on real-world business practices.

Recommended Age Group: 12 and group. Most of the comic’s content is safe, although there is some sexual humor.

Strengths:

The comic’s art style and format are very reminiscent of newspaper comic strips. The characters are sympathetic and likable and it contains well-written nods to the tropes of DC and Marvel heroes and villains.

Weaknesses:

This comic contains a lot of filler, usually one strip per week. To their credit, many of these are gut-bustingly hilarious, but the author prefers to keep many of these strips in the exact same format. He basically copies and pastes them and just changes the dialogue. They tend to break the flow of the storylines, and they begin to feel redundant after a while.

Also, the author has a habit of including a bio page for EVERY SINGLE CHARACTER in the comic. It’s fine if you want to introduce main, major, or even secondary characters into the story, but here’s the problem: Guigar also gives bios to background characters who don’t even deserve them. Thankfully, Guigar rarely does this anymore, but it can make for a very annoying read when catching up through the archives.

Verdict:

I give this comic a wholehearted recommendation. In the same vein as Atomic Laundromat, Evil, Inc. provides a unique take on the superhero genre that isn’t necessarily about good guys fighting bad guys. Instead, it’s a cleverly crafted social commentary that’s definitely worth a look.