Subtitle: The Strewth about StarCraft II.

So it is show time again, and that means we’re looking at comics with a fine toothed comb. Or something like that. I’m not really sure what show time means exactly. I just know that it means I get to read a comic and my wife can’t yell at me.

This time around the Internet block, we take a look at Strewth! a comic by Josh Way, the creator of Chronicle, a comic we reviewed a couple years back. It’s always awesome to see when people take on new projects, especially in this case where the two works could almost not be more different. From the story based world of small town newspaper to the random, spastic world of doing whatever comes to mind. That’s the kind of transition we’re talking about here.

Through out the show we talk a lot about the nature of these more random, no central characters/story line gag-a-day strips. How they are different than the standard fare and the challenges that creators face. In the actual show I end up saying that the lack of theme didn’t effect my enjoyment of the comic, but as I listened again, thought about it more and read more of other comics, it started to more of an issue in my mind. I’m only recanting that line though, everything else I said I still mean/meant.

Direct Download

Anyway, enough yammering, let’s make with the:

Show Notes
I suck at Starcraft II
Chronicle
chronicle review
Imagine This
Bug
Count your sheep
Snowflakes
Chainsaw Suit
XKCD

Episode 208 Direct Download

When we first started doing Horizons Watches all those many years ago, I hoped for a future where listeners would take sides. I wanted to see factions arise, take up arms against each other and battle to the death in the comments section. I wanted those honest and hardworking people who liked my picks and always thought I was right to put up a violent and glorious struggle against the unwashed masses of savages who sided with Mr. Sigler.

So far, this has not happened.

If there were ever an episode to inspire such a revolt, this would be the one however. We have both picked comics that speak to us on very personal levels. If you want to know what I, Steve “The Geek” Shinney stand for, look no further than my pick “How I Killed You Master” and if you want to know what vile eldritch machinery powers Jason “The Midnight Cartooner” Sigler, you’ll fine no better example than “Nathan Sorry.”

And so I send out the call to arms. It’s time to choose a side. Are you with Team Steve, or Team Jason. The time is now!

Also the show notes are now!
Epicsplosion
Good Ship Chronicles
Nerf Now
Awkward Zombie
PVP
Harvey awards
Hark a Vagrant
High Moon
Power Out
Sin Titulo
Abominable Charles Christopher
Order of Tales
Vattu
8-Bit theater
Atomic Robot
Chronicle
Strewth

Download Episode 207

People always ask why we never (or at least rarely) review the big name strips. I normally mumble something about wanted to give exposure to the little guy and then say I have to use the bathroom where I just sit on the toilet wait for who ever it is to go away.

Now though, I won’t have to do that anymore. I can just point to this episode and tell people that the answers they seek are held within. This week we take on the monolith under which history and hysteria meet on a daily basis that is Kate Beaton’s Hark! a Vagrant. If you’ve never read this strip your in for a treat and if you have you’re probably wondering why we’re so late to the party.

The truth is we’re never late for a party, a party doesn’t start until we arrive. And so you see, Hark a Vagrant wasn’t awesome, until right now.

We do talk a bit about what makes it the success it is and cast some blame upon it for a lot of the drivel it makes us read.

But that’s not all folks. We also take on all comers who dare to suggest that our beloved medium has bitten the dust and learn a whole lot about the exotic ecosystem that is the Idaho High School System. It’s good time, one of my favorite recent shows to be honest.

Here are the show notes for it:
High Moon
Modern Tales
PVP
Penny Arcade
Milk Toof
Ctrl Alt Del
Half Pixel
Evil Inc
Webcomics.com
Wonderella
Dresden Codak
Axe Cop
Doctor McNinja

And the first round of Digital Strips Book Club has come to an epic end, just like Book One of Realm of Atland. We discuss what happened to our dear friends in the strip and why we cared so much about them. Listen in, if you care about us.

Like I said, this is our last episode about Realm of Atland. We’ve already got a pick for the next Book Club series but we’d love some feed back. Do you like this kind of show? Would you like more? Less? Hit us with your best shot in the comments. Don’t worry, we can take it.

Not much in the way of a description, sorry about that. I didn’t get much sleep last night on account of my son constantly kicking me in the balls. I’ll make up for it with a healthy list of show notes. Enjoy.

Show Notes
Alien Swarm
Good Ship Chronicles
Epicplosion
Bug
Cleopatra in Space
Pokeweed
Amity Blamity
Space Time Condominium
Smash
Indistinguishable from Magic
Pictures For Sad Children
Johnny Wander
Family Man

Download Digital Strips 206

I love the History Channel. Well, I love it when it’s actually showing history and not fat guys driving in bad weather. I used to want to be a historian until I realized how important money is to daily life because I love the sense of looking about how things used to be and comparing them to the here and now.

Well this podcast is nothing if not a chance for me to live out my childhood dreams, so we’re taking another look back at Web comics of podcasts past. We’re looking at the strips that we featured for Horizons Watch in summer of 2009.

The comics (and our year old opinion of them) are:

I Love Tapes – An indie rocker tale with an amazing art style.

The Meek – An animated movie that you get to read one gorgeous panel at a time.

Cucuc – The most European thing you’ll read this week (even if you’re European)

and Tails – A story about cats.

Do we still feel the same way? Have these comics grown and improved? Are they even still alive? Tune in to the show to find out.

I’ll have proper show notes when I update the RSS feed at lunch. For now I need to go to work.

Edit-Apparently when I say lunch, I mean after work since I had to make an airport run instead, sorry about that.

Episode 164
Episode 166
I love tapes
The Meek
Lackadaisy
Hanna is Not a Boy’s Name
Chronillogical
Tiny Kitten Teeth
Combustible Orange
Facebook link
Realm of Atland

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We always talk about how much we love it when a strip has a URL that matches the title perfectly. While this week’s comic Robot Beach (found at www.robotbeach.com/) certainly has that going for it, the title (and there for the URL) also sum up the topic of the comic as well, eliminating multiple birds with the single stone that is a well chosen URL.

This is an interesting show. It’s one of those times where something is bother one of us and that one of us doesn’t really know what it is until the other one of us makes us define the actual problem. Translation: We fight and fight and fight and fight and fight, but in the end we get down to the actual nagging issue which opens up the nature of comics for both of us and our understanding increases.

That’s just fancy talk saying that you really should check this one out. Not only in Robot Beach and fun comic worthy of your attention, but Jason and I both grow as people, (more me as I’m more of a person) which is a rare enough event to warrant a half hour and change of your time.

Oh and we have show notes:
Zombie Hunter
Order of Tales
PVP
Imagine This
Todd and Penguin
Bear and Tiger
Snowflakes
Goats
Marooned

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Betcha you thought we had pod-faded huh? No such luck for the enemies of awesome, Digital Strips is still around and kickin’ strong. Just kickin’ a little bit later in the day this week. This show was one of the toughest ever for us to get done, so I’m just glad it’s over with, please judge us kindly.

We start out the show talking about sports of all things. A rare and elusive topic on the plains of Digital Strips to be sure. Then we move into some new comics that are appearing around the Web. Then Jason explains all the new content that has been appearing on the site.

Finally we get down to brass tacks, and the tacks of brass for this week is The Bean by Travis Hanson. This is finally living proof that we do read our email and sometimes respond to it as it was a comic sent to us by the creator. It met my standards and we ran with it. Who knows, it may happen again so please, keep sending us suggestions.

The Bean is a black and white fantasy tale full of adventure, history and weird little critters in the back ground. We take a look and see just how well all these things come together and how good a comic they really make. We all know what fantasy comics are a dime a dozen these days, so we talk a lot about was is necessary to stand out.

Please join us, both in listening to the show but in the conversation about the strip. There is a comments section just below me, please use it.

Show Notes:
Scenes from the Multiverse
Goats
Ugly Hill
Not Invented Here
Issac Splode
Least I could Do
Looking for Group
Gutters
Merideth Gran
Evil Inc
One Swoop Fell
Order of Tales

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Another week another show, another Monday morning with me starting at the WordPress text area thinking “Man I really got to get to work.”

I’ll try to replace this with a real post complete with show notes but for now let it just suffice for me to say, in the history of Horizons Watch we have never had two more different comics. Omake Theater and My Sister the Freak are both good but there is only one I would ever tell anyone who knows my mother about.

Anyway, hope to be back in a few hours with more, in the mean time you early birds can enjoy the show.

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We couldn’t resist the siren’s call of hot women and cold steel any longer, it’s time again to jump into the Realm of Atland with both feet.

Go and read strips 50 to 150 and join us as we discuss how the characters have grown, what we like and would like to see more of.

Sorry this into is so short, three straight nights of fevered dreams have left my brain in no state to be clever, so here are some show notes instead.

Show Notes:
Wonderella
Penny Arcade
Pvp
New D&D Podcast
Kris Straub
PATV
Film Sack
Extra Life
Comics Coast to Coast Podcast
The Instance
Coverville

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