DS 567: Ponch With The Pooch

Is it a journal comic? Is it a memoir comic? It doesn’t matter, because Ryan Made Mistakes is yet another good, good Ryan Estrada comic. Delve into Ryan’s sordid past with tales about school shower apprehension and melting clothes, it’s all there, laid bare, for you and I to consume and judge. BONUS: Given the subject matter of the comic, we included a small taste of our other show, Today I Learned Nothing, as Jason recounts his own problems with showing off his bits at school.

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Talking *to* webcomics – Part 2

In our celebration around the show’s 500th episode, we looked back at some of the Digital Strips interview Alumni – people who, since their appearance on the show, had gone on to either great webcomics success, or [INDEFINITE HIATUS].

Today, we’re going to have another look back on some of the names and personalities that have graced the Digital Strips airwaves in times past, and examining what these creators are up to today. Continue reading

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Digital Strips Episode 500: Then, Now, Forever

Five hundred episodes is a long time to do anything. Daily, weekly, monthly, annually, it gives you perspective on the subject you’re taking a good, hard look at and makes you appreciate the creativity at work. To celebrate the milestone, The Midnight Cartooner and The Geek welcome back co-founder Daku the Rogue to see where it all started, and where they think it might all lead. Along with nostalgic messages from Becky Dreistadt, Frank Gibson, Ryan Estrada, Gary Tyrrell, Meredith Gran, Chris Grine, and Terence “The Average Joe” MacManus, the guys talk about everything from anime beefs to the challenge having kids presents to your beloved hobbies. It’s been a wild ride, and thank you, loyal Strippers, for being with us for it. Here’s to an indeterminate number more!

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Episode 442: Today, In Civil War News …

John Cena appears on Live With Kelly And MichaelWhen you love both sides equally, how can you possibly be expected to choose? Ripa and Strahan or Iron Man and Captain America, whatever the rivalry, the quandry remains the same. It’s not difficult at all to get excited about the webcomics in this episode, though! We talk about the Eisner nominees, Overwatch getting its comics due, and yet another Ryan Estrada project to get pumped about. Stay tuned after the outro to hear Jason whine about yard work, even though he is an adult.

TEAM RIPA TIL I DIE

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Episode 411: Spaghetti or Walker?

Boromir knows how to cook spaghettiWe start with one of the most prominent mobile game releases in recent memory and end up discussing the consistency of various types of pasta. Don’t worry, while talking about comics in the second segment, we coin the term “Skeletor’s balls” thanks to Wicked Crispy. It’s also time to take a look at ANOTHER KC Green joint, and Ryan Estrada just can’t stop doing things, either, so we have a look at his latest project. All that, plus, our memories of the late “Rowdy” Roddy Piper. Stay tuned after the outro to feel the pain of being a nerdy know-it-all at the public library.

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Episode 399a: The One About Broken Telephone (Feat. Guest Co-Host Ryan Estrada)

The cast of characters of Ryan Estrada's Broken TelephoneThere’s no time for the silly games as Jason dives right into an in-depth interview with webcomics superstar, Ryan Estrada! He has thoughts about Broken Telephone (his recently wrapped anthology), as well as his opinion of the webcomics scene and exclusive dish on his upcoming projects.

The midshow music (minus our usual rambling) is provided by Chet Porter.

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Digital Strips Podcast 310 – Book Club – Gunnerkrigg Court, First Edition

Kareem Abdul-Jabbar: First Edition

It’s January and Winter has finally come to Virginia! Sure, it was barely enough to cover the cars and bring down a tree into a power line here and there, but it came just the same. The first month of a new year also means it’s time to start another Book Club! Or something. Really, it all boils down to me (that’s Jason, so there’s no confusion) picking a comic that, while of a good quality (namely The Rack), did not lend itself well to the task of reading a couple hundred pages at a time in an effort to go through the back issues. So Steve is up this time with a pick he says will do the name Book Club proud. We’ll see.

First up, however, we must tell you what we’ve been reading! And my picks are those sent to us by the infinitely talented, always available Ryan Estrada, straight from his latest pay-what-you-want graphic novel collection, The Whole Story (6:14). If you haven’t already contributed to this wildly successful Kickstarter, then I can tell you that two of the stories chosen for the collection proper, The Dog’s Sins by KC Green, and Plagued by Ryan Estrada, are worth the price of admission alone (but you still get at least two other books on top these already high-quality stories!). Both are on the shorter side but offer wildly different and highly entertaining experiences for your eyes and mind to enjoy.

Steve, on the other hand, has been engulfed in the frivolity and whimsy that makes up Bearmageddon (9:02). It’s from one of the minds that brought us the soon-to-be-a-TV-series Axe Cop (9:45) and the title should be a dead giveaway as to the mindless fun you’re going to have with this one. Seriously, bears. It’s in the title.

In our first segment chatter, we also mention another of KC Green’s projects, the currently-running Gun Show (7:45). It’s thought-provoking, random, and at times randomly thought-provoking. Rarely not hilarious, too. Check it.

Ok, so normally I mention where you can find our midshow music so you can check it out for yourself. But this week, I urge, nay, demand, that you clicky the link and download all of “Dirty Coins” by bLiNd (Jordan Aguirre) from Overclocked Remix (11:07). I’m rocking to it right now as I write this post because I CAN’T GET IT OUT OF MY SYSTEM. AND I LOVE IT FOR THAT. Oh, and we talk about the Glee/Jonathan Coulton situation during the break as well. Women’s lib gets a nod as well, I think. Just listen.

We are going to get through this comic, come Hell or high water, but we encourage you, the listener, to participate with us and read along. We’ll be sending out Tweets and Facebook posts when we’re gearing up for the next edition, so keep an eye out and join us in this first (only?) Book Club of 2013. For our first edition with Harry Potter and the Illuminated Bridge … er, Gunnerkrigg Court, we dissect each chapter, page by page, and come to a consensus that, while incredibly derivative in a number of ways, this is a comic worth reading in its entirety. We read the first 200 pages (11 chapters, if you want to count that way) this time around, so catch up and let us know what you think! With Book Club, your thoughts are just as important as ours. Probably more so, since we’re tired of hearing ourselves speak/think.

For those into tangents, our Rambletron chokes on the following: Why are snow plows such dicks to people who live on side streets, the useless superpower that is pre-cognitive professional wrestling color commentary, Steve reminding us of his cockamamie Axe Cop conspiracy theory, science brooms, basil vs. basil, whether or not “artificial habitat” can be considered dirty, and the threat of death in Candy Land. Join us?

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Digital Strips Podcast 289 – Review – Super Brophy Bros.

The KindThis week, we’re holding nothing back. The kid gloves are off, all our cards are on the table, and we’re telling the whole story. And I mean The Whole Story (5:40).

So just what is The Whole Story? If you’re a gamer of any shape, size, or color, you know that there are various indie game bundles available now (examples of which you can find here and here), bundles that ask you to pay a price you determine. In return, you get access to DRM-free games. Simple as that, you pay more, you might get more, but mostly you’re just helping out a great cause (supporting the developers as well as giving to a number of gaming-centered charities).

All-star comicker and just all-around-awesome-dude Ryan Estrada has gotten together arguably the most illustrious group of comics people and put together seven books, all of which can be yours for various amounts of your generous giving. The names include (but are not limited to…)

We’ve got previews of all of the books on offer in our possession and will be bringing you our thoughts in the shows to come. In the meantime, stop by the site and get them for yourself. This would be a great thing to see continue for the good work that these creators have done.

Other comics mentioned in our first segment (because Steve didn’t already hate me enough…)

Our break ramblings consist of a sophisticated, detailed breakdown of the importance of giant, swinging robot testicles in Michael Bay’s filmography. I can think of nothing more fitting than a remix from the NES-born, classic Contra series to guide us through. This offering is Feeding Frenzy by goat (14:46).

Reviewing gag-a-day comics tends to be a task which hinges on one question: are the jokes funny? Without daily guffaws, tee-hees, and LOLs, a comic that relies on a punchline for entertainment will land flat and limp, no question. So what is the verdict for THIS buddy gag-a-day comic?

Our discussion yields a mixed bag, as well as a discussion of non sequiturs and why they sometimes just don’t work out. Also in our discussion, a comic is mentioned!

As always, we want to know what you thought about this comic. Did the jokes hit every time for you? Were you left wanting more? Leave a comment and find us on Facebook, Twitter, Google+, Soundcloud, and Audioboo. The conversation about webcomics never stops!

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Webcomics ~ARE~ Taking Over… Webcomics? (Zuda, That Is)

The new contestants for Zuda went up this morning, and Webcomics are representin’ in this battle of the webcomic heavyweights!

Both Brock Heasley (The Superfogeys) and Ryan Estrada (every other webcomic on the ‘Net, including a previous Zuda entry) are competitors in this month’s Zuda contest, so I’ll be keeping an extra critical eye on the way things play out. Best of luck to both these talented fellows and stay tuned for our ZudaWatch podcast on these and all the contestants in the 02.10 competition, coming soon!

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