Well, I’m scrapping my plan to do a “top ten lesser-known webcomics” list. Now, wipe that frown off your face, kemosabe–I’m replacing it with something even better. I’m going to be posting at least a few installments of what I hastily, lazily named the “Twitter Webcomic Roundup.” These are each going to be links and mini-reviews of six great webcomics that, without Twitter, I might not be reading right now. It seems like for every person who embraces Twitter, there’s another person who rejects it as more pointless online busywork which distracts us from life’s real issues, like economic woes and shrimp-flavored chips from Japan. While I definitely can understand that sentiment, I personally feel that Twitter is a remarkable way for webcomic artists to market themselves and keep in touch with each other while also generating reader interest. In the past few weeks, I’ve discovered or re-discovered no less than twenty great comics that I’d like to begin sharing with you. Right….NOW.
Bullfinch: I discovered this comic through Brock Heasley’s Superfogeys (which I’ll cover later), as the artist for Superfogeys: Origins, T.L. Collins, authors Bullfinch. Confused yet? You should have taken the red pill. He’s a fantastic artist, and the comic has a fantastic premise: A human is accidentally hired by a company that is populated with magical and mythological creatures. They’ve got it all covered. You’ve got your unicorns, your centaurs, your talking animals, even little magical imps called Brownies who apparently taste delicious when ground into a fine powder. Mmmm. Them’s good eatin’!
Addanac City: Addanac City updates daily, which, regardless of content, is a feat in and of itself. That it’s consistently funny makes it a near-Herculean feat (in a dimension where Hercules was a cartoonist known for meeting even the shortest of deadlines). It’s about a troublesome little snot named Hank Addanac and the people he makes miserable. But, another person’s misery is always funny, right? One word: Schadenfreude. There’s a little bit of quasi-adult humor here from time to time, so you can either take that as a warning or a recommendation.
Console Hopping: Sometimes a comic’s artwork leaps out at me in such a manner that I simply must reach for its RSS feed. That’s not to say that the writing of Console Hopping isn’t also good, but the artwork is so slick and professional that it’s what really stands out, here. This is definitely one you oughtta keep your eye on.
Myron and Charlie: From extremely talented cartoonist Wes Molebash comes the new strip, Myron and Charlie, which is family-friendly while not being at all boring or sappy. Clean, professional line work and top-notch writing make me look forward to every update. It’s about a boy named Myron who accidentally creates a very nice, not-at-all-frightening monster named Charlie, who apparently everyone can see–so it’s a nice deviation from a typical “imaginary friend” comic. I recommend starting at the first strip and working your way forward.
Savage Chickens: Crazy talking chickens drawn on sticky notes. Do I really need to say more?
The Superfogeys: In fairness, I was reading Superfogeys before I started riding the Twitter wave, but at some point along the way, I started forgetting to check it for updates. I think I lost the RSS feed and, as that’s pretty much the only way I read comics these days, Superfogeys fell off my radar for a while until I came across Brock Heasley on Twitter; I was suddenly, joltingly reminded that I was not getting my normal dosage of Superfogeys anymore. It was restored to its rightful place in my Google Reader and I caught up on everything I had missed, and was astonished at how much it had grown while I was away. Brock’s always been a great cartoonist, but more recently it’s just gotten blindingly good. There’s also the afore-mentioned Superfogeys: Origins on the site, which portrays the beloved washed-up old superheroes as young studs (and…studettes?) again, in a comic book format. I, for one, can’t wait to get my hands on an actual comic book of it, whenever that may be produced.
Well, that’s the end of the first Twitter Webcomic Roundup. I hope, like my dad in a cuckoo clock store, that you saw something you liked. I’ll be back with the next installment on Friday.
