Hey there, everybody. It's me, Adam, with another review. It's been a slow month for the media, in my opinion. So, as promised, my reviews for this month are on the glorious subject of Web comics.
For those who don't know what a Web comic is, it's simply a comic that is published on the Internet.
Now, for those who are looking for family-oriented comics, you'll want to stick with the more-popular newspaper comics.
The artists who draw Web comics are granted much more freedom, due to the fact that their material is owned, published and set up by them.
Newspaper comics have to follow certain guidelines to be published, and as such are generally more family-oriented. So, with the warnings to the families presented, let's continue.
First up on the block is Ctrl-Alt-Del, a comic published by Tim Buckley.
This story focuses around a few gamers and their robot. Like most comics, each one has its own unique humor to it, while still pertaining to a certain aspect of the story.
I find Buckley captures human form fairly well, and if the comic is read from the beginning, one can see the artist's gradual improvement.
The story has no main point to it, but is rather a collective, like life. It has several arcs of story separated by a few jokes on current games, movies or general world events that the artist finds amusing.
This is by far one of my favorite comics for the sheer fact that, despite its occasional vulgarity, the artist attempts to keep the story slightly clean, while humorous, and always entertaining for almost everybody.
It updates four days a
week, and can be found at
http://ctrlaltdel-online.com.
I give Ctrl-Alt-Del a 9 out of 10 for its humor, clean artistry and a personal feel to the comic.
Next up for review would be Looking for Group, a comic based off the popular game "World of Warcraft."
What's amusing about the setup of this comic would be the fact that it's a joint effort between four people: a writer, an artist, a computer programmer and a businessman.
It's this that makes for the comic's decent success, as well as its sister comic, Least I Could Do (which is not up for review this time, unfortunately). The best part about this comic is the fact that you don't need to play WoW to understand the comic.
It's humorous no matter what. It follows a style of writing that's almost a cross between modern-day comic books of superheroes, and strips, like Garfield. It follows a central plot, making it possible for the reader to enjoy it from the beginning, like a book. This also lets the readers want more. It is very businesslike, and it makes for an enjoyable read.
The plot follows a bunch of adventurers attempting to appease an opposing power, righting wrongs along the way, and traveling through time. It gets confusing, but it's a well-thought-out plot, so far. It updates two days a week, and can be found at http://lfgcomic.com. For detailed artistry, humorous writing, and a very original concept, I give Looking for Group a 71/2 out of 10
Finally, we come to the last comic, Cyanide and Happiness.
If you're going to read this comic, I'd suggest gouging your eyes out first. I'm just kidding.
Again, this comic is run by a great number of artists, and is updated daily. One can ask how it keeps going with ideas. The answer is simple "¦ there is no plot. There are no main characters. This is a comic that has no boundaries, no limitations and no morals. The drawings are simple stick figures, and they are in strip format.
Not much to go by, but there seems to be something that draws you to it. The humor can be raunchy, but at the same time, philosophical. A lot of comics break the fourth wall, speaking directly to, or about the artist. Some strips even break the walls of the strip, using the next panel as a tool to influence the humor of the first.
The comic is wrong on many levels, but at the same time, ingenious. I just cannot find the right words to say about this comic.
In fact, I fear writing about this for the sheer fact that I don't want people to have to view the insanity.
One thing's for certain "¦ prepare to laugh at things that you aren't sure you should be laughing at.
As I previously stated, they hold no boundaries. Nothing is sacred, and everything is mocked.
I give Cyanide and Happiness a 9 out of 10 for its creativity, humor and courage. It can be found at http://explosm.net.
And so, I will have to call it quits this month. Maybe in a few months, I'll take you guys even further into the Internet, and show you many more Web comics that you can enjoy. Until next time, long days and pleasant nights to all.
Adam Munio is a junior at Unadilla Valley Central School.
