It’s time for a review. This time on the chopping block is Hereville, the adventures of a plucky young girls and her quest to become a fair dinkum dragon slayer. Along the way she’ll meet witches, battle trolls and teach us all a little bit about bravery and a lot about Jewish culture. Find out what we thing of the whole thing on this episode of Digital Strips.
As always we welcome your comments and suggestions as to how we can help bring the best 10% of Web comics to the world.
It’s a month full of fantasy paintings, crappy word balloons, and surprisingly, not a zombie in site. It’s Zuda Watch for October 2008. We learn a lot about our selves, what kind of comics we like, what kind we don’t like and how important the basics really are when it comes to making a really great comic. Come and learn with us won’t you.
We’re mixing things up again. Digital Strips 145
Here at Digital Strips, our goal has always been to bring to you the 10 percent of Web comics that are good. The problem has been that most strips that have been long enough to build enough of an archive to be reviewable already have a good deal of buzz around them. With this in mind, once a month or so, we’re going to forgo the in depth review and instead give a couple recommendations of strips that have caught our eyes (and therefore are worthy of your eyes as well) but are still too young in Web years to really really be reviewable.
This month we run the gamut in strips from the dark and druggy to the light and birdy. The strips are:
Sparko by Karl Stephan
Head in the Clouds by Niel Pearson and Tim Smith
Skadi By Katie Rice and Luke Cormican
With three strips this different there should be something you like. If not, let us know, we’ll do better next time. Also if anyone has any ideas for future episodes or even a name for this feature, drop us a comment as well. We like comments.
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)
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.
I believe that this episode will go down in history as the show with the most uses of the words “pedophile,” “douchebag” and “wiener” and the phrase “ass slapping in church” in the history of Digital Strips. What comic could possible inspire sure bawdy langauge from such upstanding group of citizens as ourselves? Why none other than Captain Excelsior. This strip is yet another look into the personal lives of superheroes. Does this one have the gumption to rise above the crowd and truly excel? Tune in to find out.
Digital Strips 142 – Review: Captain Excelsior
It’s that time of the month again, and it a totally awesome way. This month’s Zuda crop struck us as stronger overall than months past and there was good stuff. But that doesn’t mean we didn’t find things to be mean about.
One of the big themes in this week’s show were summaries. Jason and I didn’t even realize there were summaries for the Zuda competitors (we both fear large blocks or text) but Brigid found herself referring to them often. We talk briefly about how summaries can be used properly and not so properly.
Once again, if the player is still being fussy (read: frustratingly stupid) Digital Strips 141can be found via clicking the blue words. We’ve got top men on it. Top men.
Further proof that the world is coming to the end, Jason and Steve do a whole review of a comic featuring topless women without having the whole show be about boobs. Maybe Brigid really is bringing some class this place.
During this years WCCA‘s there were two strips that cleaned housed: Lackadaisy which we reviewed a while back and all loved, and Octopus Pie which we’re reviewing now. Will it also recieve total affection? Tune in now, (or later, when you have time, that’s kind of the beauty of podcasting) to find out.
Podcast editor’s note, sorry this took so long to post, between my internet going down and various services being picky, this is much later than anticipated. And if the above player still isn’t working, try this link http://cdn2.libsyn.com/digitalstrips/DS_140_-_Review_Octapus_Pie.mp3
Ah… another week, another Web comic held up to unrequested scrutiny. This week we take on Planet Saturday, a strip that at first we thought was a kid’s strip but turned out to be great for adults. Brigid and Jason thought Monty Kane’s creation was the best thing since sliced bread while I thought it was good, but should not be compared to bread of any kind. But then again I really like bread.
After that we make fun of Jason for having feelings. Stupid, stupid feelings
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