The ol’ daily feeds are getting too big again, so it’s time to clean things up with another Webcomic Colonic. Listen in for some fantastic webcomics that Jason and Steve won’t be keeping up with anymore, including: Banquet, Tove, Never Satisfied, Sinfest, Parallax, and Life, Love, and Video Games.
Podcast: Play in new window | Download
It’s been nearly a month now since Spiderman: Homecoming first hit cinemas in the US so, unless you’re a blogger who spends all of their free time reading webcomics on the internet (*cough*), chances are you’ve seen it by now. If you are anything like me, though, how are you supposed to get your spider-fix when the whole world is talking about Spiderman, the Vulture, and the strange sexual tension between Tony Stark and the canonically octogenarian aunt May? Webcomics, of course! Here’s a few of my own favourite Friendly Neighbourhood Spider-themed Webcomics from the past few weeks, months and years to get you in the mood for some Homecoming, or to relive the joy if you’ve already seen it!
Do you have any favourite Spiderman webcomics we haven’t got on our list? Make sure to leave a link in the comments or let us know on Twitter, and until next time, remember: don’t eat the clickbait!
Kurt Angle’s big angle has come and gone, so what’s left? Will he get big breaks thanks to his big daddy? Will Gable take on a new partner? Time will tell, but time will also bring us the Battleground PPV event, where these questions will be answered: Will Natalya fart a hole in her tights? Will the Punjabi Prison at least be memorable? And will the Wyatt Boys take on Breezango? Listen in and tune in on Sunday!
Podcast: Play in new window | Download
Steve spent some time at Shanghai Disneyland recently and it only served to remind him that youthful infatuation is the same around the world, Chinese T-shirts can be horrifically offensive, and tube tops are always a bad idea on roller coasters. Meanwhile, Jason has a T-shirt that sends mixed signals to Russians and Americans alike.
Podcast: Play in new window | Download
Longtime fans of Jeph Jacques’ webcomic Questionable Content may have noticed the comic has taken a bit of a turn in recent years. What once used to be a story about a group of predominantly 20-somethings, their relationships and the indie music scene of middle America has become, in Jeph’s own words, “a comic about robots that want to kiss.”
So it’s no surprise that when Jeph started his new webcomic Alice Grove back in 2014, it quickly became a story focused around sci-fi themes as well. So far those themes have included everything from your everyday, run-of-the-mill AI uprisings and man-made nanotech, to spaceships, aliens (both pretend and real), and giant floating space trees. But since the comic’s earliest pages, the reader has been left with the question of how the titular town witch, Alice – and in particular, her abilities – fit into these overall themes. Until now. But although the descriptor of ‘demon’ might seem to fit the town witch we have got to know over the past few years, what exactly is a “Maxwell’s Demon” and how does it play into the overall theme of the comic? Continue reading
The first-ever Great Balls of Fire PPV event is in the books, and man was it a scorcher! The intensity was high and it gave us some great matches. Other thoughts this week: quoting songs doesn’t require a bibliography, Steve thinks Slater is set for a push, Joe better get his due, who does Kurt Angle LOOOOOOOVE, and SEXY FASHION RANGERS.
Podcast: Play in new window | Download
We always knew webcomics were rad and deserve attention, but a spot in the Library of Congress? What wonderful news! We’ve also got some wonderful webcomics like Fantasma, Off White, and Genji Cat.
Podcast: Play in new window | Download
So, I’ve been catching up on Dave Kellet’s excellent sci-fi webcomic, Drive. Trawling back through the archive not only reminded me how much I love the universe Kellett has invented, but also how unparalleled webcomics are at ‘driving’ innovations in storytelling and genre. In this case, bringing ever new and unique takes to the ubiquitous faster-than-light travel of Space Opera.
If you’re unfamiliar with Drive (pretty mild spoilers ahead, but be warned nonetheless!), Kellett’s FTL technology follows some pretty familiar concepts – on the surface. Each of the starships that use the drive technology are fitted with a ‘drive ring’, the unseen technology inside which is used to manipulate gravity fields. By doing so, the rings create singularities through which “pinches” space, therefore allowing FTL speeds. Where it gets interesting, though, is that Kellett implies the technology in humanity’s drive rings may be sentient. And that little development becomes the driving force behind the conflict in his plot – because the alien race that invented the technology which humans copied view it’s budding sentience as an abomination, and take exception to our using it to forge our empire.
It speaks to the value of webcomics – and sequential art in general – that Kellett is able to develop and explore the implications behind this technology, and spin an entire galaxy-spanning plot around it. And he’s not alone. Longtime webcomic fans will recognise the parallels found in Kris Straub’s Starslip and Howard Tayler’s (recently mentioned) Schlock Mercenary. These classic webcomic space operas also spend a great deal of time and plot centrality focusing on FTL technologies – much more than you get in other forms of storytelling (such as film or television). For example, the hyperdrive of Star Wars is certainly used as a plot device, but the way in which it actually operates is barely mentioned. Neither is the warp drive of Star Trek central to the development of plots in the movies or the TV series’ – it’s just a device to get you to the place where the story happens, or break along the way so the characters have something to do.
By contrast, the crisis that resulted from using Starslip engines to jump between parallel universes was the whole focus of the original series’ plot – and marked the separation between original narrative arc and the new focus of time travel in the soft reboot. In a similar way, the invention, spread and subsequent ubiquity of the the teraport drove the plot of Schlock Mercenary’s first two books, the ripples of which still play out in the background of the series.
It’s an approach you can only get from webcomics – taking the time allowed by months and years of updates to develop the narrative around these technologies and make them more than simple window dressing in the background. Even better, by having the time to play around with new things, webcomics get to invent the sort of complex and weird technologies that you couldn’t get through to the audience of a movie. Or which end up getting TV series cancelled. Kellett, in Drive, is taking full advantage of the format and the creative freedom it allows. And even if it’s a little frustrating to wait soooo long for the answers we’re slowly getting, it’s still thrilling to watch him spend the time to really develop and explore his technology and from that fabric, weave his grand narrative.
What do you think? Do you know any other space-sailing webcomics with a unique take on FTL travel? Or is our interest in this getting lost in space? Let us know in the comments!
And until next time, remember – don’t eat the clickbait!
Vacation’s over and it’s time to talk about a LOT of wrestling! Money in the Bank came and went, Carmella stole the briefcase (twice), and that lovable bearded maniac made his return. Things are going pretty well, so let’s talk about our hopes and fears for the first-ever Great Balls of Fire PPV event!
Podcast: Play in new window | Download
If someone doesn’t know what popping and locking is, how do you show them? Steve wants to know. If you play video games around your kids, how do you hide your competitive ugliness? Jason wants to know. And everyone wants to know the best creative curses to utilize when the children are around.
Podcast: Play in new window | Download
