Now That RatFist Is Over, Go Tell People About RatFist

RatFist coming to bookstores in DecemberAnd that is creator Doug TenNapel’s desire, not my own (though it is certainly a sound one). In the upcoming Episode 253, Steve and I put Ratfist up against Battlepug to see who wins the Internetiest Webcomic Title Of All Time and came away with a realization that we loved both comics equally, though for very different reasons. I also got to tell Steve in that discussion that Ratfist was ending this week, which he conceded to be a good thing as so many comics seem to wear out their welcome.

With 150 updates in the bag, Ratfist has called it quits, but not only can the comic be found in its entirety at the handy dandy, easy-to-remember URL, but a collection featuring bonus content and landing at 176 pages drops later this year from Image Comics (front cover, pictured left). Doug encourages people to tell everyone they know about the comic and for existing readers to pick up the book to show the big publishers that putting out books based on webcomics is a great idea. Can’t really say I disagree with any of these sentiments.

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Digital Strips Episode 232 – Review – RatFist w/ Guest Co-Host Lucas Turnbloom

The good thing about doing only largely positive critiques is that our address book is full to bursting with names of enormously talented creators who are extremely eager to chat about the world of comics on the Internet. This week, I dialed up Lucas Turnbloom, the man who has crafted memorable, whimsical characters for Imagine This and 4G. And, according to our chat, it sounds like he has at least approximately 32, 458 more ideas bouncing around in his head.

… nope, make that 32, 459.

But before we explore these ideas, there are some news items, some Herdy Gerdy, if you will (and you will, at least until Steve gets back and tells me we can’t). Among the news items I’m cleaning up:

Once the business side is tended to, I take a few moments to ask Lucas about his beginnings in the biz, as well as his take on the convention-going side of being a responsible, responsive comics creator. We also delve into the divide between the new guard and the old, the differences that separate traditional creators from those who more readily embrace change and go with the Interflow. Sadly, we stop just short of solving the whole crisis. Ah well, maybe next time.

During our chat, we mention the following comics:

Leading us between segments is none other than Lucas’ own brother, whose band, Mrs. Magician, has a new 7″ dropping on March 1. This song, “The Spells” (31:28), is one of two songs on that record, so enjoy it more than once and stop by the band’s site to pre-order your copy to have forever and ever.

On the other side, Lucas and I peek into the shallow but rich waters of a comic that has blown up across the Web these last few weeks:

Also mentioned:

Like Molly and the Bear before it, this comic comes to us from one of the aforementioned old guard, or at least, older guard, a man whose portfolio more than speaks for itself. With credentials this solid, it’s hard to really critique the work before us, but with coloring this horrid and a story this agonizingly trite, you have to say something.

No, not really. This is a great start to yet another exciting comic, and it’s on the web, so it’s free! You can’t ask for more than that, but we’re also throwing in some conversation about that very comic, also, for free. All because we love our Digital Strippers.

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