NOTE: While none of the comics discussed here go much beyond PG-13 in art, they do sometimes have offensive language in them. (12/15/11)
Regular readers here know that I’m a huge fan of web comics.
In your textbook, there’s a discussion of Jeph Jacques’ Questionable Content. Here are links to his Tmbler blog and his Twitter feeds:
- Jeph Jacques Tumblr Blog
- Jeph’s Twitter feed
- QC character Twitter feeds
Note: Don’t follow Pintsize or YellingBird unless you want to very NSFW images and talk.
I’m also a longtime fan of The Devil’s Panties (It’s not Satanic Porn!), Girls With Slingshots, Sheldon, Player vs Player, and Dumbing of Age. But today I’d like to highlight several comics I’ve been following more recently that defy easy classification:
- Darwin Carmichael Is Going To Hell
The central plot of this strip (written and drawn by Sophie Goldstein and Jenn Jordan) is almost impossible to describe with a straight face. As a teenager, Darwin Carmichael made a mistake so bad that he now has the worst karma in the entire world and is destined to go to Hell. (Never mind the theological mash up going on here.) This incredibly charming strip tells the tale of Darwin, his immortal pet manticore Skittles, his minotaur landlord Pat, and a host of friends. - Hark! A Vagrant
Speaking of indescribable web comics, Kate Beaton’s Hark! A Vagrant has to be one of the most consistently brilliant ones on the web. The comic is a mix of history and pop culture stories. Where else will you see comics about the French revolution, Nancy Drew, Lois Lane and Andrew Jackson? Beaton’s published anthology of comics was recognized by Time magazine as one of the 10 best fiction books of 2011.
- The Abominable Charles Christopher
Karl Kerschl’s story of the sasquatch with a binky and a heart of gold is the most beautiful web comic anywhere. Which is not surprising given that Kerschl’s day job is drawing comic book art for folks like DC and Marvel. In addition to often being very funny, it can also be absolutely heartbreaking.