If you attended the Baltimore Comic-Con this past weekend, you got to enjoy a pretty decent show, or so I’ve heard. And I’m sure you stopped by the webcomics panel, right? Hosted by Scott Kurtz? Consisting of the Halfpixel fellas and Danielle Corsetto (BREAKING NEWS: Corsetto joins Halfpixel, breaks up sausage fest!)?
Well, if you missed it, you have the opportunity to catch up, because CBR has a nicely portioned write-up of the event. Check it here!
For the third year running, Bomb Shelter Comics presents Webcomic Idol, sponsored by Pepsi-Cola and Nike, is go for an October 1st entry date! Starting this Wednesday, you too can enter your comic in the hopes of being the 
next Webcomic Idol!
And the panel of judges is another stellar one, so make sure yours is up to snuff, because they have the most scrutinizing of eyes. This years crop includes:
Wow! Almost wish I could enter again! Get your submission in quickly (deadline is the 15th of October) and stay tuned for more on this exciting contest!
One a very special Zuda watch, we learn a whole lot about Midnight. It turns out he’s a sensitive man who loves his grandmother and vampires. He’s a powerful defender of decency and is not afraid to admit when he is very very wrong. Tune in and we all grow closer together and tear down both emotional walls, and the egos of various Zuda creators.
We also see that Steve doesn’t get dirty names very often. Like at all. Even the obvious ones.
Strips mentions in this show (let me know if I missed any)
Rex Libris (not a web comic but still awesome)
Nothing more to post than this, a painting by Mike “Gabe” Krahulik. It features… well, if you look at it and can’t figure out immediately what the subject matter is, then why are you checking out this site? Honestly.
Stare with me and try not to drool on your keyboard. I dare you.
Anyone else remember the circa-1990’s Nickelodeon show, Weinerville? Whenever I hear or write Zach Weiner’s name, it reminds of that zany cast of puppets with their real life host/friend, Marc Weiner.
Zach had nothing to do with that show (that I know of), but he does keep the zaniness coming with his recently DS-reviewed strip, Captain Excelsior. This weekly look into the lives of a family of superheroes (and one not so super son, I’m looking at you, Not-Ward) is one of the best comics out there today, and certainly the best at lampooning the superhero genre.
Due to the immensity of my enjoyment with the Captain, I shot Zach a few questions about the strip to try and dig a bit deeper into the mind of this comic genius.
Digital Strips: What comic/webcomic did you first read that got you into them?
Zach Weiner: Probably Penny Arcade or Goats. There wasn’t a lot out there back in the late 90s, but those were both comics that were already pretty good by then.
Sad Robots. Sad Dinosaurs. Sad Stick Figures. We haven’t review this much sad black and white stuff since Pictures for Sad Children. This show takes on The Robot is Sad by Tam Nguyen of The Daily Cougar. Beyond the nature of this strip we get into a bit about what works on the Web, what works better in a newspaper and where this particular strip falls. Good times are had all around.
DS 143 Review: The Robot is Sad
I was hoping to have a new show editing for you wonderful people, but I sneezed and when my eyes that had closed involuntarily had opened again the day was mostly gone. Here instead are two more reasons to love Web comics.
Bear Nuts: I found this comic the other day using the aptly named Project Wonderful. The strip is still in it’s infancy so it’ll be a while before it’s got enough of an archive that we can talk about it for 20 minutes, but so far it is a true joy to read. The amazingly full colored strip follows the misadventures of nine Care Bears gone wrong. They’re crude, they’re rude and they’ll spit in your food. It’s very Happy Tree Friends in it’s cute gone wrong angle but I think there’s a lot more potential here for some strong character development. I’ve enjoyed the 13 strips so far and can’t wait for more. The only bad thing I have to say is “get a better frickin url.” Seriously it took me forever to realize there were three “o”s in it.
Order of the Stick: I cannot express how much you need to be reading this strip. I know it’s got a huge archive. I know some of the jokes aren’t funny if you’ve (like me) never rolled a dice with more than six sides. But seriously, it’s worth it. The current strip reminded me just how much of a master Rich Burlew is at what he does. Seriously. Any man who can make you care this much for a minor character, a very minor character, deserves all the praise in the world. Well done Mr. Burlew, well done.
Below, the comprehensive list of all Ryan Estrada Day comics that I’ve found thus far. Enjoy!
Update: Alright, Estrada, you’ve had your fun. Too much fun, in fact. There’s no way anyone can find all of these in one day! No one with a life, that is.
What’s this? This just in: Gary Tyrrell has done it over at Fleen! Go on, run over there to check them all out, I’ll turn so I don’t see you leave.
Update 2: To cap off the event, as he did last year, Estrada himself is hosting all of the strips on his own site, so now you don’t even have to put forth any effort to check them all out. Â Lucky you.
Ryan Estrada. It seems just when the Internet might be ready to forget about the adored, web-cartooning 
god, he comes back with another one-two punch to knock these Webs out cold.
Enter Estrada-created critic and all-round curmudgeon, Welton Colbert, who has a few things to say about guest strips. My favorite line in the whole rant against the lazy practice of handing over your creation to someone else while you’re on vacation is this:
But geez, if you’re all that hard up for a day off, why not just let one artist draw everyone’s comics, and then everybody can play hooky.
Hey Welton! Might want to peer back up at the man holding the digital pen before you toss out any more nuggets of wisdom.
Read the full strip at ComixTalk and keep a vigilant eye out: word has it this is yet another of Estrada’s Guest Comic Marathons and your favorite strip could be next!
Wondermark is not hand-drawn, this you know. It is cobbled together, and quite masterfully, I must note, through various pieces of clip art from the olden days of yore. Because of this, the writing is typically the main focus, leaving one to wonder whether or not creator David Malki! could cut it when put up against the best artists in webcomics.
After today’s update, I believe we can all agree that yes, he could. Scope the sketches below and click to see the whole thing on Malki!’s site. Not only is the linework admirable, it’s downright amazing, and makes me clamor for a Malki! drawn strip in the very near future. Make it so, sir!
