One of my favorite comic strips on the web is Penny Arcade by Gabe and Tycho (aka Mike Krahulik and Jerry Holkins). This strip focuses on video games and the video game industry for it’s humor. However, the jokes are often very obscure and usually require that you know about the game being referenced and read the posts that go along with each update in order to understand the joke completely. But, when you do get it the strips are usually laugh out load funny. The artwork is particularly stylized and very refined. Very high quality stuff in this strip despite the often offensive depictions (which I think really gives the strip it’s charm).
Just recently Gabe and Tycho were involved with Child’s Play, a children’s charity in which they ask for donations of games and toys. According to their recent press release they raised over $310,000.00 in donated games, toys, and cash. This is a phenomenal achievement for a web based comic strip. Just a glimpse at what this medium’s full potential can bring. Good job guys!
PA is one of the first strips that sucked me into Web Comics. With its first strip dating back to 1998-11-18 it is one of the veterans and is the perfect example of what other comics should strive for. As Zampzon mentioned the artwork is quite good and the evolution from its beginnings show just how far Gabe\’s skill has come along.
Over the years PA has become somewhat of a powerhouse when it comes to video games. Their reputations have earned them spots in many of the gaming industries top conventions, such as E3, along sneak peaks of unreleased games. This begs the question if PA is truly a strip anymore or merely another way of getting advertisement to those who play video games. Personally I could care less since I have never played WoW and yet after reading several commentaries from PA I am fully convinced it is the PC game to get.
Every Mon, Wed, and Fri I am overjoyed to jump to the site and find out what new way Tycho has tried to rearrange my thought patterns. His commentaries on the home page often times can be so funny as to force me out of my chair screaming with maniacal laughter, causing most of my fellow cube mates to find some kind of meeting they are late for.