It's been said that I have a problem with webcomics. No, that wasn't quite it... what was it again? Oh yes. I have a webcomics problem. I haven't subscribed to a daily newspaper with a comics page in years, and just when I thought my comics-reading habit had atrophied into nothingness I suddenly discovered that the internet is full of clever, visually appealing, free comics and they all have links on each others' pages. It's death to my ability to do anything else. Even if I only bookmark one comic I can still read six others just by clicking links, and I find new ones by precisely that method every time I have work to avoid doing. I sit down to write a paper and before I know it I'm reading the last three years of strips I'd never heard of before today. Jacob gets this look in his eye every time he sees me click a link with the word "archive".
But how could I ever help myself? Look at the hilarity! The amazing art! The competitive shrimp! You're going to have to click that last one at least. C'mon. Just do it.
I'll be updating my links bar to contain more surreal comic goodness soon. In the meantime, if you're in the market, may I recommend diversity or the low morals of the filthy ape?
Posted by dianna at April 18, 2006 07:54 PMGar, more webcomics to read. This is just what I need, what with finals encroachin'. If any of those links should lead me to waste a day of precious studying time reading webcomic archives I'll be coming to you to demand my life back!
Oh, who am I kidding? I'd have just wasted it anyway.
Posted by: Zach S. at April 18, 2006 08:40 PMHa! You must feel my pain! If I can't get any work done, you can't get any work done. In fact, I think I'll just go ahead and update my links now. By the time you wake up tomorrow there will be thirteen different webcomics for you to read just one click away from my page, and that's not counting the ones that I'm still debating because I think I might be too embarrassed to link to them.
Posted by: Dianna at April 18, 2006 10:29 PMHow about...
a webcomic that's dead but still has an archive?
I think I've pushed every other one of my pet favorites onto you already, so I'll be good-ish and not do it again.
Posted by: poot at April 19, 2006 07:20 AMOh, have you looked at Cat and Girl? I'm a fan, though its updates are sporadic enough that I tend to not read it for weeks at a time, then catch up in a big push.
Posted by: Zach S. at April 19, 2006 08:23 AMIt's not that I don't think they're funny. Obviously, they're so unfunny that they're freaking hilarious. What I can't even begin to figure out is why.
Is there a term that describes a semi-hardboiled treatment of something too silly for words? Like that Nerf one you showed me, with the panel of the guy Nerfing the other guy execution style? I like those. More?
Posted by: katie at April 19, 2006 04:03 PMActually, Katie, yes. The term is "Penny Arcade".
I think I've seen Parking Lot Is Full before, poot, although I've never read much of it. I'll check it out. Likewise with Cat and Girl. So I should say that my webcomic links are updated for now.
Posted by: Dianna at April 19, 2006 04:19 PMDiesel Sweeties is pretty tastastic too. Strips with a high quotability quotient are fantastic, hence my intense adoration of PA, Scary Go Round, and Diesel Sweeties. I also heartily second Cat and Girl - totally awesome strip.
PLIF is hit or miss, much like The Far Side (mostly single-panel work too,) and took a few years to warm up. Thankfully though, the archive is relatively brief and the winners are just super.
Posted by: poot at April 19, 2006 07:46 PMUh, poot, Diesel Sweeties is already one of my links. Right there between BtAF and the love of crappy movies by a person of somewhat uncertain identity.
Posted by: Dianna at April 19, 2006 10:03 PMI've just decided that I'm in love with Ornery Boy. And his cute little non-ornery vegetarian goth girlfriend. Heehee.
Posted by: katie at April 20, 2006 12:23 PMSpeaking of Questionable Content, it having been added to your links, I wish Martin could finally get some sex. It's been at least 2 years, 9 months since his last intimate encounter, and that's assuming he got action immediately before walking in the door to complain to Pintsize about how much his job sucks.
Posted by: Zach S. at April 20, 2006 07:30 PMYeah, it's pretty dastardly to deliberately make a sexy comic and then not let any of the characters have any sex.
Posted by: Dianna at April 20, 2006 07:59 PMYou know, Holden Caulfield's headstone being in a webcomic (Ornery Boy, that is) is like Darth Vader's headstone being in a Star Trek: Next Generation episode. Like calls to like: dorkiness to dorkiness, and surreal immaturity to surreal immaturity?
Posted by: Dianna at April 20, 2006 08:07 PMDamn it, now I'm reading the entire freakin' Ornery Boy archive and it's hysterical. I'm supposed to be doing an archaeology project! Why am I doing this instead?!
Oh, right, because I'm supposed to be doing an archaeology project. Anyway, comics with zombies in them are almost like Mesolithic cemeteries, right?
Posted by: Dianna at April 22, 2006 01:54 PM