Tom the Culture Titan: Comic Tuesdays

Hey everyone. Being new to comics makes it hard to post on comics. I do not have a big collection of old issues to make fun of. Even much of the issues I do buy I have a hard time mocking or being critical of because not only am I still learning who everyone is, I am also learning what I like and what I don't like in the comics medium. I will say that I am in the middle of Bone: One Volume Edition, which so far is great, but I am only about a quarter through (cut me some slack, the thing is 1,300 pages long!). Now, I picked this up due to some recommendations from other comics bloggers. If anyone has any ideas of some books I should be picking up, leave me a comment.

Today I am going to talk to you about a couple of web comics that I have enjoyed and one other comic related site that is quite fun. I don't find reading web comics as satisfying as physical paper comics (the same goes with books and magazines, but I thoroughly enjoy the multimedia allowed by blogs), but some think that this is that way the industry is moving, so it may be worth checking out.

Bayou
One of the very first web comics that I have read is part of the Zuda project. This is a project/contest run by DC to find and promote a web comic distribution system. Bayou is the story of a young girl, Lee, and her sharecropping father who live in what seems to be a fantasy world in the Mississippi Delta. This story has heart and the characters seem real almost instantly, which is rare for web comics. The beautiful illustrations and writing by Jeremy Love make this world and Lee really come alive. This is a great looking comic and I look forward to seeing where it goes.

The Order of the Stick
The Order of the Stick is a web comic about a D and D adventure party. Now, I have never played a game of D and D. My only knowledge of the game comes from computer games like Neverwinter Nights and popular culture (they played a game of it in Freaks and Geeks, of course). However, knowledge of the game isn't necessary to enjoy this comic.

The entire comic is done with stick figure, but Rich Burlew, the creator, writer, and aritist, is amazing at making these simple characters more lifelike and believable than many other people in the comics industry. His characters come alive, so much so that you really begin to care about a bunch of sticks with a circle for a head. The different story lines and plots have been ongoing and interweaving. So, you have to start at the beginning, no jumping in in the middle, or you will miss way too much of a great story. Go to the link at the header of this section to get to his first page of OoTS. You won't regret it!

Garfield Minus Garfield
Now, first I have to admit that when I was in elementary and middle school I loved Garfield. I mean I loved him! I had the first 22 collections of the comic strip, a stuffed Garfield, bookmarks, bed sheets, all of it. I was obsessed. I have no idea why. Have you read Garfield. Yeah? That's right, not very funny. I'm not quite sure why I liked it so much, but I did, and I have to live with that.

Now, someone went and took Garfield the cat out of the Garfield strips (hence the name, duh). Anyway, this lets us get an insight in the disturbing mind of Jon Arbuckle. Check these out. In a way they make me sad because I get nostalgic. But in another way, they are hilarious because it seems like it could be a real comic about a very very sad man.

I know, this is not truly a web comic, but it is awsome and fun. Here is a great example, but go to the website and check out the rest.