Shalen's Review of Webcomics II

I generally find that most of my favorite webcomics are updated slowly, such as www.goblinscomic.com, so I tend to read several at once and am always looking for new ones. First, here is a good source site:

http://www.belfry.com/comics/

A lot of my favorites are on here, and while it might seem like a furry area at first, it also has such staples as Ctrl+Alt+Delete and Sluggy Freelance. Speaking of which:

1. http://www.cad-comic.com/ Ctrl+Alt+Delete

The wacky video-game-mocking adventures of two guys, one tall quiet one and one skinny insane one. Sound familiar? It probably is. Eventually developed an actual plot and characterization, somewhat to the detriment of what originally attracted me to the strip, but video game parodies continue to occur at intervals and are uniformly hilarious.

2. http://www.carpediemcomic.com/ Carpe Diem

Very good art, decent writing, interesting characters, no yiffy grossness (so far). The only thing is that it's about gay furry bodybuilders, so it's sort of a niche market audiencewise. I don't think I'll continue with it, but if you've always wanted to see a shy, overweight cheetah guy hook up with a muscular rhinoceros construction worker, this one is probably for you.

3. http://www.vgcats.com/ VG Cats

Another game-oriented one, but this one doesn't really have a plot/storyline to the characters the way #1 up there does. The only thing that distinguishes it from others of the two-guys-play-videogames type is that the characters are anime-style cat boys. Also, every single joke seems to be about pretty much the same thing. If you think constantly about sex while playing combat games, you might enjoy this.

4. http://yafgc.shipsinker.com/ Yet Another Fantasy Gamer Comic

No, that's really the title. This D&D monster-oriented strip is often hilarious and frequently darn cute as well. Drawing improves as time goes on. Only shortcoming is that the author is b00b-obsessed, so it's not exactly worksafe. Has some mature content that is non-graphic (other than occasional nudity) and mostly played for laughs. Major plot points include the lesbian man-hating Drow, Arachne, and Mrs. Bloodhand's illegitimate half-orc son.

5. http://www.elgoonishshive.com/ El Goonish Shive

Just ignore the title. The author's name is Dan Shive and he couldn't think of a name. ;) This is sort of an anime/quasi-furry sort of comic, featuring sci fi plots, genetic engineering, anime martial arts and a squirrel girl. I haven't read it in a while because I don't share the author's transformation fetish. Characters keep turning into each other or different forms of themselves. Comics are a very visual medium, and character appearance has a lot to do with character personality. Having character appearance, gender, and sexual orientation constantly in flux interferes with readers' ability to really engage with them. It does mine, at least. Nice drawing, and the writing is more grammatical than some others I've seen.

6. http://www.lfgcomic.com/ Looking For Group

This is a WoW/D&D sort of fantasy comic based, yet again, from the point of view of evil characters - an important difference being that in this one they actually ACT evil. Excellent art, but as usual with the well-drawn and colored comics, updates can be intermittent. Frequently hilarious, especially the warlock/Undead character of Richard. (Yes, Richard.) Not much of an archive yet, but I'm hoping this one continues.

A COUPLE OF BRIEF NOTES ON TRENDS:

This only affects the one I've actually been reading, but I've noticed a couple of things:

1. Fantasy webcomics that are humorous are generally from villain/creature points of view. This was funny and original the first couple of them I read. Gradually I begin to wonder why every single paladin everywhere is actually evil, stupid, or both. I think it might have something to do with the fact that the few non-evil-oriented comics I've glanced at tend to take themselves far too seriously.

2. I've seen quite a few furry comics that appear to be set in essentially the real world. The only difference is that all the characters are animals. Some even omit any real characteristics of said animals other than their appearances (though the degree of HOW animal-like characters are varies widely). Plots then become essentially about relationships, and it feels as if I'm reading a soap opera wherein all the characters have been mysteriously transmuted into foxes and cats. You'd think it would be impossible to make a strip about cat and fox-people dull, but you'd be wrong.