Favourite comics and stuff

Kids in the bath right now and Tavish is calling me rather plaintively.

"Dad?  Daaaa-deee?  DAD!!"

Declan admonishes him: "Tavish, you have to call him 'Obi Wan Kenobi' because right now he wants to be Obi Wan Kenobi.  Here, I'll show you.  OBI WAN!!"

I answer obediently from the living room.  "Yes, my young padawans?"  (We finished watching one of the Clone Wars DVDs between dinner and bath time.  I train them young, you see.)

Dex sits in the bathtub in what I can only assume (from experience) is a very smug position.  "You see, Tav?  You try it."  Apparently, they're training me as well.  Only fair I guess.

*****

But what I really came here to talk to you about was comics.  Specifically, webcomics.  I gave up the funny papers years ago because, frankly, they suck.  (Whither The Far Side, Calvin and Hobbes?)  Dilbert is pretty much the only decent syndication left, and I read that online now too.  So, following are the webcomics to which I subscribe and why.  Maybe you'll like them too.  I don't know.  Maybe they'll provide some further insight into the fabulous and unique persona that is me.

Basic Instructions

A four-panel comic that purports to offer instructions on how to handle typical every-day events.  But with a rather outlandish element of flair.  The outlandishness, all too often, is grounded in the author's real life experience.  Like the time he was watching Iron Chef, and the day's secret ingredient was... piglets.  You can't make that stuff up.  The strip stars himself, his wife and various other real life and fictitious characters.  It's currently one of my favourites.  Anything that can slip in "ROFG" (rolling on floor grieving) and have me in stitches is gonna go far.

Giant in the Playground

This website started offering the comic called Order of the Stick.  A stereotypical Dungeons & Dragons adventure drawn as stick figures.  It plays really well on making jokes about the gaming genre as well as poking fun at topical subjects less frequently.  The writing is really top notch (especially if you're into gaming) and the continuous story arc helps keep me coming back.

The site also, more recently, added Erfworld, the Battle for Gobwin Knob. See, there's this fat tween gaming master who starts up a D&D session with his chums, and he suddenly gets sucked into the world he's created. He finds himself set up as a warlord for the ostensible bad guys in a world populated by gobwins, spidews, dwagons, Charlie's Archons, giant teddy bears that push siege engines, and various (even weirder) beings. Somehow, Elvis is going to play into it, but we haven't gotten there yet.  Intriguing; not quite as good as Order of the Stick, but engaging.

Irregular Webcomic

The only thing regular about this is its posting frequency.  Every single weekday, at the exact same time every day.  It's composed of photo frames of mostly Lego sets with dialogue bubbles 'shopped in.  Definitely one of the geekiest comics I read (he says after posting two consecutive D&D comics), but it's not always that funny.  The author often writes great (and lengthy) annotations explaining some of the content of the comic (often very science-y).  Those, and the random polls he posts, keep my interest.

Darths and Droids

By the same author as Irregular Webcomic, this is an ongoing project taking film frames from the Star Wars prequel movies and COMPLETELY re-writing the dialogue as if it were a gaming session being played by D&D geeks.  (You see a theme here, don't you?)  It's nearing the end of Phantom Menace right now, and the plan is to do the other two films as well. 

Cyanide and Happyness

Definitely the most tasteless comic I subscribe to. Resulting in (sometimes) the greatest hilarity.  Occasionally it just makes me think how somebody could have come up with that crap.  Not for the prudish.

Saturday Morning Breakfast Cereal

My most recent find, so I haven't fully formed an opinion on it, but it seems pretty darned good so far.  If the linked content is anything typical, it's going to be a keeper for sure.

XKCD

This, my friends, is the sine qua non of webcomics.  Self described as "A webcomic of Romance, Sarcasm, Math, and Language."  It's the best out there, and the author, although a physics grad from MIT, actually makes his living selling stuff from the associated online store.  Give it a shot.

*****

I was also hoping to link the now defunct Perry Bible Fellowship, even though the author has stopped writing the comic, because the archive was chock full of comicky goodness.  But alas, the page doesn't load for me.

If you have your own suggestions for any comics not mentioned that might be up my alley, I'd be happy to head over and take a look.

Comments

[Mark]

I read Basic Instructions occasionally, and of course XKCD. I must say XKCD is the best I have found, too. It doesn't take a great illustrator to make a great comic strip.

[wil]

I agree with several of your choices. I also commend to your consideration The Devil's Panties. One of my favorite faves alongside xkcd.com.

[Alec Lynch]

Ug...I spend way too much time as it is keeping up with my webcomics, and now I think I'll have to add one or two from your list that I don't already follow.

Order of the Stick is definitely my fav webcomic out there, but I can't say Erfworld has won me over. Darth and Droids if clever, though I don't think it's lived up to it's inspiration, DM of the Rings (now finished but a must read).

Irregular Webcomic and XKCD are both solid choices (I know you're looking for my personal approval, right?)

As for recommendations, Commissioned Comic is brilliantly funny, as are the "rants" that follow many postings. The creator rotates between several story lines. He also this year created a giant Lego-man costume for Halloween--just in case you doubt his geeky-awesomeness.

[Émilie B.]

I recently thought "hey, I should add a comic or two to my RSS feed". The universe is listening.

Or you can read thoughts. Huh.

Thanks for the Basic Instructions link.

[Simian Farmer]

Mark,

I agree that XKCD is the best one out there. It does only really appeal to a bit of a niche market. But thankfully that market makes up a huge chunk of the online community.

Wil,

I checked out a couple weeks' worth of the Devil's Panties, and I think it has something going for it. Thanks for the reference.

Alec,

I know what you mean about Erfworld. If it posted more regularly or had more of a contained story within each strip, I'd like it more. It lacks continuity. I do still like its potential, though. What I dislike about Irregular Webcomic is often more than made up for by the annotations. Definitely be checking out Commissioned Comic.

Émy,

The universe works in mysterious ways. Basic Instructions is definitely one of the best to check out. You should like that.

[BOB]

Can not believe I did not know about Basic Instructions.

And we are on the same wavelength on so many of the others it is scary.