Title: The Abominable Charles Christopher
Author: Karl Kerschl
Start Date: 2007
Genre: Dark fantasy, comedy
Update Schedule: Wednesdays
Website: http://www.abominable.cc

Synopsis:

Charles Christopher is a mindless, speechless yeti who resides in Cedar Forest, which is under threat of human occupation by a powerful king. From a hilltop above the forest, Charles is sent on a mission by a wind spirit to retrieve the king from the human city. We also see side-stories from the many animals of the forest that Charles encounters on his journey.

Recommended Age Group: All ages.

Strengths:

The art is breathtaking. Kerschl’s artwork captures the beauty of the forest and the gorgeous scenery.

It’s also a well-executed take on the environmentalist man vs. nature story without driving its message into you repeatedly.

Weaknesses:

This comic has filler. Lots and lots of filler. In fact, it suffers from one of the worst cases of Filleritis I’ve ever seen. Remember when I mentioned in the synopsis that we see side-stories from the animals of the forest? Well, it happens TOO often in this comic. The story shifts away from Charles’ journey much too constantly, usually just to tell a joke. Sometimes the filler lasts for two or three weeks at a time. It’s irritating and it slows down the pacing. It especially doesn’t help when the comic only updates once a week, making it feel like a chore just waiting for the story to continue.

Aside from nearly bringing the comic to a screeching halt, the fillers also have a drastic tonal shift: They’re more comical while the main story is rather dark. It makes for a very jarring experience.

Verdict:

I give this comic a halfhearted recommendation. Reading the main story is a delight, but if you decide to give it a chance, be wary of the fillers ahead of time. You may be skipping roughly half the archive (no joke). This comic has been running for four years, and it’s running at a snail’s pace. The author has just FINALLY gotten into the good stuff as of the most recent update. He recently ended a chapter in which Charles has finally gotten what he needs; now he has to return to the mountain. What peril will await him there? Stay tuned…

Title: Fusion
Author: Essay Bee
Start Date: 2009
Genre: Superhero, action, parody
Update Schedule: Tuesdays
Website: http://www.drunkduck.com/Essay_Bee_Comics_Presents_Fusion

Synopsis:

Savunn Adams is a nerdy high school student with an obsession with comic books, anime, and Star Wars. One night, while observing a meteor shower with her astronomy club, a freak explosion occurs before the shower, and she gains supernatural powers from an interdimensional entity, becoming the titular hero Fusion.

The alien who fused with her, whose name is hard to pronounce–she calls him Bob–has imbued her with flight and powerful light beams, and he can speak to her telepathically. She’s also aware that she’s a comic book hero; Bob informs Savunn that she’s a popular franchise in alternate universes (but not in her own universe), so she and Bob are able to address the reader through narration.

Over the course of the comic, Fusion has to deal with joining the Stupendous Alliance of Superheroes and her trust with the group (due to reasons I won’t spoil, her relation with the SAS is rocky) and having to deal with villains and other alien beings of Bob’s kind that have inhabited other hosts.

Recommended Age Group: All ages. This comic’s content is clean of language and violence.

Strengths:

The art style is great! It’s very reminiscent of Bruce Timm’s DC Animated Universe series.

The characters are engaging and diverse, especially the main character, who is instantly likable and energetic.

Fans of comic books and comic-related media will notice tons of references to their favorite series and creators (some are obvious, others not so much). See if you can spot them!

Weaknesses:

What we see of Savunn’s civilian life is actually quite minimal compared to other superheroes. We never see her adoptive parents (they’re shown in a family picture in her origin story, but beyond that, they’re never seen again), and every time she’s with her friends, the scene feels like a generic buildup that could really be replaced with any scene. All it really serves is for her to hide from view and power up. It just seems like Savunn has no need to concern balancing her civilian life, which is typically a problem for other heroes.

Verdict:

I give this comic a wholehearted recommendation. It’s a great read if you’re a fan of Bruce Timm or comic heroes in general. It’s also age-appropriate if you want to get your kids into comics or if they want a new one to whet their appetites.

Title: Happle Tea
Author: Scott Maynard
Start Date: 2005 (went online in 2009)
Genre: Fantasy, comedy
Update Schedule: Tuesdays, Fridays
Website: http://www.happletea.com

Synopsis:

Happle Tea is a gag-a-day webcomic that makes fun of all forms of mythology, from the early days of Greek literature to the Middle Ages of Shakespearean plays to modern day lore such as Bigfoot.

The main character is K, an avatar of the author who causes mischief with these iconic characters. He has a sasquatch for a roommate and regularly interacts with God (who has many forms, but mostly prefers being a cat).

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

Strengths:

The art style is simplistic, yet very effective. It’s a very pretty comic to look at, and it improves drastically after just two years.

It also deserves credit for its original idea. While a majority of webcomics might focus on popular topics like, for example, video games (which is very overused and I’ll probably get into sometime in the future), it’s nice to see authors take roads that are less traveled.

Weaknesses:

As I stated in my intro, I’ll try to point out any possible weaknesses in the comics I like, but for my first review, it’s hard to find any problems with this one without sounding like a nitpick.

I guess one problem I can find is Allev. He’s supposedly K’s best friend and is advertised on the page’s "About" button and the FAQ page, but he rarely shows up in the comic, and when he does appear, he’s pretty bland. He’s mainly just there to help build up the punchline that K would eventually finish. Maynard could use any other character and I don’t think it would make a difference.

Again, this is only a minor gripe that has little effect on the comic whatsoever, so it doesn’t really hurt the overall quality.

Verdict:

I give this comic a wholehearted recommendation. If you want to show this to your kids, they might need at least an understanding of mythology and classic literature before diving in, and even if you or they missed some of the jokes, the author provides helpful commentary to better help you understand what he’s parodying in each strip.