The Digital Strips Podcast: Recent Episodes
Jason Sigler and Steve Shinney
Bring the 5% of webcomics worth reading to the rest of the world. The Digital Strips blog provides coverage of the webcomic community with news and commentary from our crack team of reporters. It consists of reviews of webcomics, with the occasional interview, round-table discussions, and general advice on how to create and run a webcomic.
We make hilarious fire-based puns, tell the difference between a phantom and a monster, swap identities too many times to keep track, and start a new movement for NotAllParisians with our review of Beka Duke's Fantomestein in this monstrously-emotional episode of Digital Strips!
We're also announcing an indefinite hiatus, but stay subscribed to the podcast for any updates when and if they come!
We ignore the ever-present MacGuffin, question if anyone still watches their cartoons on Saturday mornings, navigate the expansive white space, shapeshift into some mutha-frickin' dragons, wyverns, drakes, and raptors with our review of Selena Ahmed's Talon Hunters in this fiery episode of Digital Strips!
We discuss the designation of bases, decide which is more inept, humans or demons, wonder how awesome it would be under the thumb of a hot, murderous demon witch, reminisce of Buffy episodes long past, and run down our personal preferences of line work with our review of Harry Bogosian's Demon's Mirror in this mirror-bombing episode of Digital Strips!
We celebrate the latest from a venerated comics creator, determine the characteristics of cleaning fluids, glean what we can from a foreign land, question the phallus as a trope, and check our rifles one more time with our tank-searching review of Evan Dahm's The 3rd Voice in this regent-defying episode of Digital Strips!
We take our time preparing the meal, inquire about the effects of fantasy fibromyalgia, ask if our teddy bears will make a sufficient sacrifice, agree that this story needs more genie of the lamp energy, and question if stealing a cake can really help that much with our realm-traversing review of Indui and Isa's The Messenger in this dragon-riding episode of Digital Strips!
We take a badly-motivated road trip, execute a revenge-fueled prison break, ride-or-die without seat belts, share our full names, and get by solely on VIBES with our psychically-linked review of HostileCrocodile's Tropicana Realms in this synthwave-charged episode of Digital Strips!
We view some prairie-dogging rubies, discuss what it means to be super-orphaned, go out in search of the truly hilarious jokes, fight inanimate objects while inebriated, and get to the anal jokes from a unique perspective with our eternally consternated review of Ghosthause's Greetings from Grisley in this horrifically hilarious episode of Digital Strips!
We crosstalk, clone ourselves like it's going out of style, think we've got this all figured out on our own, protect the increasingly lethargic dog, and turn arms into hams with our surprisingly-delicious review of Nonesuch in this dangerously-religious episode of Digital Strips!
We get cozy, remember our dad, get rid of the family steed, and work in some cathartic archery with our satisfyingly-melancholy review of Ann Maulina's Raruurien in this magically-abandoned episode of Digital Strips!
We share news about KC Green's next moves in the webcomics space, update our thoughts on Godslave with a new segment, and then we enjoy subjugating a people, pull our punches, ask how the bad guys could possibly be more evil in our politically-maneuvered review of Carolina Alvarez's Forgotten Sons in this sibling-rivaled episode of Digital Strips!
We deal with ego-driven agents, seek out the ba, ask why NOT a crocodile for a mayor, hang out with a cute but annoying fox, and justify punching children in our hieroglyphically-challenged review of Meaghan Carter's Godslave in this foxy episode of Digital Strips!
We give the timecops a hard time, question time, space, and time and space, wait on our next fateful hole to arrive, ponder if AI is coming up with this genre stuff, and ask what's waiting for us at the top of that pine tree in our destiny-challenged review of Time and Time Again by Deo I. in this time-travailing episode of Digital Strips!
We mispronounce all the French things, lean way into cottagecore, get curious about moth farts, and represent our thoughts and emotions creatively and with illustration with our reclusively-ponderous review of Clover's Pia and the Little Tiny Things in this uplifting episode of Digital Strips!
We spy on our students, strike a sexy pose, feud with a rabbit for teaching rights, get hungry for a savory Murito, and struggle to get over ourselves with our bush-hidin' review of Cat Teacher by Paulina Palacios in this woefully-uneducated episode of Digital Strips!
We debate the inspiration for a dystopian cyber future, thank the creator that we've never been folded in on ourselves, wait for the hero to arrive, and seek justice for Link with our gig economy-fueled review of Kamikaze by Carrie and Alan Tupper in this accidentally-explosive episode of Digital Strips!
We slack on our grades, ride our friends (but not like that), prove that humans are just as capable of magic as anyone else, and engage in an epic throwdown for the ages with our strategically-paced review of William Roth's Witch Heart in this verbosely-expositioned episode of Digital Strips!
We grow less gruff, declare that we're proud to be Dumm, strike some serious poses, attend a party we didn't want to go to anyways, and give an obscure nod to Idaho with our sweetly bitter review of Brianne Drouhard's Harpy Gee in this cat vomit-covered episode of Digital Strips!
We recall retail horror stories, update our earliest artwork, wait for the story to start, and worry that we've time traveled with our in-stock review of Emma Thatcher's Honestly Not a Robot in this price-checked episode of Digital Strips!
We relish simple titles, run from swords, get welcomed to the fungal jungle, and strap in for high-octane action with our left behind review of Patricia Pamula, Dane Rahlmeyer, and Noah Whyler's Runa in this beastly episode of Digital Strips!
We coin a new YAAF genre, accidentally mix code with our magic, pitch a Felix and Lizard buddy comedy, and develop chosen one Stockholm Syndrome with our technologically-magical review of Varethane's Wychwood in this wychy episode of Digital Strips!
We make Scooby-Doo a chosen one, get legit terrified by some frightening sights, question all of the forced road trips, and dissect the digestive system of a demon with our review of InksOwl Comics' Evelyne and the Occult in this perpetually-cursed episode of Digital Strips, babe!
We reject the family name, accept the family money, avoid talking about the card game, and live solely to bone a bot with our review of Hazel and Bell's Electric Bones in this increasingly horny episode of Digital Strips!
We welcome a robot into the family, get things wrong about the future, revel in our obsolescence, and question our humanity through Dominic Cellini's Emmy the Robot in this week's regularly-malfunctioning episode of Digital Strips!
We check out news from Kendra Phillips and Nathan Stevenson before fearing the holes we might really be into, Marie Kondoing the heck out of our lives, showing stoicism in the face of abject weirdness, and drawing the most beautiful junk you've ever seen with Immaterial by Sarah Ellerton in this week's ferret-led episode of Digital Strips!
We run down news from Alex Norris, Jack McGee, and Evan Dahm before hopping in our station wagon and chasing both storms and our biggest fears away in the promising horizons of Shot and Chaser, in this week's calm-before-the-storm episode of Digital Strips!
We smugly eat all of our enemies, take time to do our own research, focus on the history and stick to the basics on the artwork, and wonder when the coffee table book version will hit with our gruesomely informative review of Pudge's Lessons in Mythology in this week's episode of Digital Strips!
We don't ask to eat your bones, assume all the jokes are dirty ones, start reruns without telling anyone, and decide if Mambo No. 5 ever really deserved a follow-up with our appropriately rude review of Toothy's Toothy BJ in this week's episode of the first, and best, webcomics podcast on the planet, Digital Strips!
We hit cryptids with our car, ask Ron Funches to voice a character or two, wish our friendship was like Agents Hawk and Owl, and groan at some of the more sitcom-y jokes with our uncomfortably tasty review of LizardxLizard's Finding Fiends in this week's episode of Digital Strips!
We hang out with a certain type of ghost, berate our new trainee into nearly quitting, and admit it's really just all about Jon in our brooding, law-breaking review of Maaria Laurinen's Phantomland in this episode of Digital Strips!
We get our Souls groove on, wonder where all the adults went, dismiss other people's art because ours is more important in our gigantically-prophetic review of Diego Zuniga's Arcagen in this episode of Digital Strips!
We get our Souls groove on, wonder where all the adults went, dismiss other people's art because ours is more important in our gigantically-prophetic review of Diego Zuniga's Arcagen in this episode of Digital Strips!
We outsmart a genie, remake the world, live our lives like a video game, and sleep on a bed made of pillows with our fancifully-crafted review of Harry Bogosian's A Better Place in this episode of Digital Strips!
We outsmart a genie, remake the world, live our lives like a video game, and sleep on a bed made of pillows with our fancifully-crafted review of Harry Bogosian's A Better Place in this episode of Digital Strips!
We tell our story with our emotions, leave our eyes in the movie theater, and ignore proper character names in our zombified wacky review of EmiMG's ZomCom in this episode of Digital Strips!
We tell our story with our emotions, leave our eyes in the movie theater, and ignore proper character names in our zombified wacky review of EmiMG's ZomCom in this episode of Digital Strips!
We play emotional Battleship, hope for a ticket to JinnLand, and remove the color to ensure you we're just getting you up to speed with our swashbuckling review of Boredman's BlackSmith in this episode of Digital Strips!
We play emotional Battleship, hope for a ticket to JinnLand, and remove the color to ensure you we're just getting you up to speed with our swashbuckling review of Boredman's BlackSmith in this episode of Digital Strips!
We find ourselves through self-loathing and aggravations, grow complacent towards our own creations, find paperwork to actually be quite the saucy little thing, and endure the slow, ever-increasing mental pain of a menacing cat statue with our insider's review of Lars Helgemo's Keep Busy in this episode of Digital Strips!
We find ourselves through self-loathing and aggravations, grow complacent towards our own creations, find paperwork to actually be quite the saucy little thing, and endure the slow, ever-increasing mental pain of a menacing cat statue with our insider's review of Lars Helgemo's Keep Busy in this episode of Digital Strips!
We crave yeti-on-ancestor violence, enjoy some mascot homages, watch our heroes get cathartic and eat our cereal every morning to get just slightly better at sports with our never-soggy-in-milk review of Scott Warren's Crunchy Bunches in this episode of Digital Strips!
We crave yeti-on-ancestor violence, enjoy some mascot homages, watch our heroes get cathartic and eat our cereal every morning to get just slightly better at sports with our never-soggy-in-milk review of Scott Warren's Crunchy Bunches in this episode of Digital Strips!
We take in the most important meal of the day, endure a criminally-massive amount of puns, and try to stop a war with our balanced, rejuvenating review of Paula Peroff's The Breakfast Guild in this episode of Digital Strips!
We take in the most important meal of the day, endure a criminally-massive amount of puns, and try to stop a war with our balanced, rejuvenating review of Paula Peroff's The Breakfast Guild in this episode of Digital Strips!
We give up our combative ways and join a commune where the squash is succulent, anyone can be a wizard if they try hard enough, and bat men are full of wonder and mystery with our review of the peacefully distanced Fairmeadow by Kendra P in this episode of Digital Strips!
We give up our combative ways and join a commune where the squash is succulent, anyone can be a wizard if they try hard enough, and bat men are full of wonder and mystery with our review of the peacefully distanced Fairmeadow by Kendra P in this episode of Digital Strips!
We contend with a massive cast of adorable and horrific characters while somehow understanding and loving them all like our own creations as we journey once again to AC MacDonald's Twistwood Tales in this spellbinding episode of Digital Strips!
We continue tripping (the good way) through epic, embarrassing mishaps, watch the artwork evolve and progress, and ask why no one really seems to have a good plan in our second look at Oi! Tale of Bardic Fury by Daniel de Sosa in this surely doomed episode of Digital Strips!
We get to know the dogs really well, learn why bindles don't work with swords, and recall why being a young man around constant cleavage can be tough with our second look at Sirk's BaDoom in this wacky wasteland episode of Digital Strips!
We impersonate one another, infiltrate a cult, try to get out of our responsibilities, and learn that pigs can explode as we look back at Jordan Holt's razor-sharp comic about a dull boy, Theseus, in this delightfully god-like episode of Digital Strips!
We chill out a bit and beat the summer heat with a breezy look back at one of our favorite comics from the recent past, Bicycle Boy by Jackarais. See why alliances are still always changing, a new bicycle boy seems to have taken the titular role, and why we think this comic is about partying and flipping off the encroaching darkness (sound familiar?) episode of Digital Strips!
We take a break from reviewing webcomics to instead take a turn on viewing webcomics as a whole, including differences between the inception to now, losing the adventure of exploring the World Wide Web, and why services like Webtoons and Tapas miss out on key components of the magic of webcomics on this week's 700th episode of Digital Strips!
We join a house of various fantasy girls and find ourselves directionless and entertained with our review of Jin Zhan's Lily and Marigold on this week's episode of Digital Strips!
We go all-in on a true crime played out in real time, acknowledge the copious amount of content warnings, and ask if this is really the hellish life that teens these days live with our review of Max Graves' What Happens Next on this week's episode of Digital Strips!
We give our Instagram feeds a much needed cleanse and decide which of us would be a skunk and which would be a gazelle in the animalistically cute journal-ish comic, ChickenPupPie by a creator of the same name on this week's episode of Digital Strips!
We give up on school and work odd jobs before deciding to take on the bully dragon to save our town and avoid the wizard and his weird closet with our review of the wordplay-loving Isle of Elsi by Alex Longstreth on this week's episode of Digital Strips!
We head to demon school and build a sweet manga lady for a class project while getting into all sorts of well-intentioned trouble with our review of Rem and Bikkuri's Devil's Candy on this week's episode of Digital Strips!
We briefly take the Eisner's to task for their webcomic nominees in the 2022 awards before smacking our heads and going on a beautifully terrifying trip with Suzanne Geary's Brainchild on this week's episode of Digital Strips!
We join a 1920's odd couple on their adventures in the occult, museum ownership, and light body horror with our review of Rowan MacColl's Kingfisher: Foxhunt on this week's episode of Digital Strips!
We choose kindness, support, and love in the face of life events, messups, and circumstances with our review of Guy Kopsombut's sweet and charming 4AM Shower on this week's episode of Digital Strips!
We run with the fishes, fight Tumblr, experience some grisly deaths, and NEVER EVER GO TO THE PARK in our review of Jonas Goonface's dark, small town horror tale, Follow the Leader on this week's episode of Digital Strips!
We form our own party, polish up our puns, and try to distinguish our elves from one another in the trope-y fantasy romp, FUN!tasy by Irene Kober and Luca Debus on this week's episode of Digital Strips!
We get high, collect some floppy disks, and bake one hell of a cake to save our jobs in the cybernetic near-past dystopia of Mary Safro and Io Black's Drugs & Wires on this week's episode of Digital Strips!
We ask if ghosts can snuggle and demand that you return to your family after your father is crushed to death rather than take up a blood vendetta in our review of Matt Schorr's Moby Dick: Back From The Deep on this week's episode of Digital Strips!
Be aware, the comic reviewed in this week's episode is NSFW.
We check out the electrifying erotica (e-rock-ica?) of Brad and Leslie Brown's The Rock Cocks and our main question is... where is the story? It's a whole new, sexy world where we question everything we know on this week's episode of Digital Strips!
Welcome Tidy and her world of garbage-filled seas (hey, it's based on true events!) that will make you feel ashamed and entertained at the same time with our review of s0s2's The Little Trashmaid on this week's episode of Digital Strips!
Everything is nice and friendly until it wants to capture and kill you, at which point it is still pretty nice about the whole thing, in Jake Lawrence's A Nice Long Walk on this week's episode of Digital Strips!
We hop on our awesome hog, ride to a cemetery to meet some strangers, ask questions about twins-in-the-same-body with regards to nudity, and search for the elusive Harry Potter baby in our review of Llyrel's The Emergency Coven, on this week's episode of Digital Strips!
We hunker down, enjoy some brewskis with some buds and prepare to get evicted in our review of the cartoonishly realistic UTOWN by CAB on this week's episode of Digital Strips!
We take a look at an earnestly horny and essentially harmless comic in Carlos G.'s My Pet Succubus. Our review finds crudeness and talent in equal measure, spinning into a discussion about crafting things for others versus doing it for yourself.
Traverse the demon realm as an unfinished story-come-to-life and befriend the heir to a hellish throne in Clover's Headless Bliss on this week's episode of Digital Strips!
We wake up in the middle of a wasteland desert in an amnesia haze, inhabiting a cyborg body, and start meeting people's fists with our face to try and figure it all out in Jackarais' fun and harrowing Bicycle Boy on this week's episode of Digital Strips!
We poo-poo the lack of imagination in most shapeshifters and contemplate the ins and outs of sex snakes with our review of Colin Moore's River City in this week's episode of Digital Strips!
We bite down on a gumball-sized explosive device and wait for things to blow over in the anthropomorphic-filled adventure romp, Shadow Pirates. This well-produced weekday afternoon cartoon-like is sure to entertain you, so listen to us discuss kid's shows in a slightly alarming manner and then enjoy!
We hop in the webcomics time machine to check out A Girl and Her Fed by K.B. Spangler and Alexandra Presser. This long-running, metaphysical conspiracy romp stays the course on a bonkers story that must be read to be believed.
Featuring our review of The Green Knight (no, it has nothing to do with the movie), a story by a largely unknown author (Mathi Praz? 'Zat u?) about a nobleman cursed to roam the land as a frog.
After talking about Bree Paulsen's hiatus from Patrik the Vampire, the guys take some time to get lost and then find themselves in the endearingly fantastical tale of Demon Street by Aliza Layne. Though the hosts disagree on the appeal of the main characters, they both agree that this mix of horrifying creatures and well-crafted wonder is worth leaving your parents behind for.
Look not to the sea, fair listener, for it promises nothing but death and decay. Well, maybe love too, if you're lucky. But with a story called Ice Massacre, do you really expect to find a relationship you want to root for? Creators Tiana Warner and April Pierce bring two parts violent death and one part love story to this dank tale, featuring Dances with Wolves tones and too few nipples. Set sail, adventurer!
In our first review of 2022, we look at DPS Only!, a comic by Velinxi, which caught our eye thanks to the esports gaming setting and kept us hooked with drama and relationships that we truly cared about. This story also inspired talk about the role of sexism in gaming, a subject we admit to being ill-equipped to say much about. Also, is creepy older male captain creepy? Steve files his report. All that, plus new focuses for reviews in the new year!
It's the holidays, so we returned to a comic we know we love and that feels like home. Max Overacts by Caanan Grall is full of fun, mischief, wild children, but most of all, heart. We looked at strips 400 thru 500 of the comic, taking us up to the most current posted story. Grab some nog, throw a log on the fire, listen to our review, and curl up with this great comic.
Gul the orc boy is annoying, loud, and constantly getting in the way. Gul the comic by Atenmaru and NicolieDC is loud, in your face, and epic in all the ways a story like Dragonball is and similarly blows you away with its constant need to up the ante and top the last huge moment. It's got orcs, it's got goblins, it's got parodies of "Uptown Funk". It's a Christmas miracle!
Derri is a nice person is a universe of evil, skullduggery, and general no-good-ness. Derri thinks she found someone to help her in her mission, but what Derri doesn't know is that Sue isn't what she seems. This setup for the darkly comedic, Mega Man X-infused sci-fi comic, Dr. Dazzle's Angel Dust, is about all we have to go on, as this is a Horizons Watch-esque short episode about the promise this young but impressive story holds.
Did you know that Scott Kurtz has even more PvP-related news to share, this time involving the return of the pre-time jump gang we all know and love (which includes Skull the Troll, not Troll the Troll, as Jason realized after the fact)? After we run that down, it's time to click, laugh, and share in equal measure with the comic strip joy that is Berkeley Mews. Share your favorite strip with us!
Jason is a huge fan of mockumentaries in the style of Christopher Guest and Taika Waititi, with the latter using a supernatural bend to add a little something extra to the ordinary. Aminder Dhaliwal's Cyclopedia Exotica continues this tradition in masterful, hilarious fashion, creating a whole connected cast of characters, most of whom are cyclops, that you'll be rooting for by the time the all-too-soon end of the story arrives.
The subject of Brittany Keyes' mostly-journal comic, Offkey Comics, is her dog. He's a cute, good boy, as many dogs are, but it's when Brittany shines a light on the rest of her life, as well as her skills outside of a digital drawing tablet, that this offering truly excels. Regardless of your tastes, that brings something for everyone to love in this cute, loosely-drawn slice of life comic. We also have news via the fine folks at Fleen about the upcoming Clementine spin-off from The Walking Dead, being created/adapted solely by On a Sunbeam's Tillie Walden.
Is Papercut by Sony-Shock a sweet, fun comic about a precocious workaholic robot? Or is it a darker take on the dangers of communism and a cautionary tale for the proletariat? Who says it can't be both? Hear our thoughts on the cutest narc you've ever met, including the fanfic where Paper and Michael Scott meet that Jason is hard at work on. Then, take a break (short, we're still at work) and read it for yourself!
Not Even Bones by Rebecca Schaeffer, Glamist, and Alai Cinereo is a comic about trust, mistrust, betrayal, and child trafficking, all told through a YA fantasy lens. It's got monsters (unnaturals, so no one's feelings are hurt), love, and enough parent/child relationship issues to fill an afternoon special. Our mileage, as with all things YA, varied, but you should definitely give it a look.
If you want parenting advice, life hacks, and how-tos ... you've come to the wrong place. If you want hilarious extrapolations of millennial cats raising little ones the best way they know how, however, Litterbox Comics by Chesca and J. Hause will have you enthralled with lots of laughs and parental horror in equal measure. Take your pick how you read it (Webtoons, Tapas, home site), but catch up and then add this regular dose of joy to your routine.
What would you do if you were stranded on a deserted island? What if you were hot? What if a large lizard were also there? Doug Compton attempts to answer these questions, all with a cheeky, horny sense of humor in Keinani and Mo'O. Though we could do without some of the guest stars (it started in 2017, so He Who Shall Be Shamed makes several appearances), the comic is almost always a party and one you'll want to be invited to.
If you think about it, an apocalypse would probably breed a lot of emo angst into younger people. That's what Katherine Lang's Soul to Call posits, and Avril and Eli represent different facets of one emo soul. It's not until an older authority figure comes in that the guys feel they can connect with a character. So it goes in a story intended for YA audiences, but one you should definitely see and read for yourself.
It's the pirate life for me, yes 'tis! Sailin' with my buddies across the blue sky, enjoyin' some ale, and singin' some tunes, that's the pirate life for Alynne and Gruff, with not a care in the world about the other, more sordid details that the life of a true scoundrel contains. The Pirate Checklist is Ashley Reed's optimistically cute take on a lifestyle that seems to be all fun and games and this comic is often just that. Set sail and for god's sake, don't kill anyone!
Yoshi did a bad thing and his self-imposed exile from the birthright of his kingdom will lead to horrible consequences for pretty much everyone he knows in Brothers Bond. But when you're rich and famous, you can run away whenever you want and everything will end up ok, right? Right? Hear our divided thoughts on the tropes at play in this fun tale (as well as a bonus story from Jason about the time he ran away from home) and then read it for yourself!
This episode is full of non-standard and more modern ways of reading comics. We check in on Evan Dahm's first foray into Webtoons with his reposting of Vattu, DC Comics' first Webtoon in Batman: Wayne Family Adventures, and Scott Kurtz gets a double exposure as we look at his short collaboration on Superman with Karl Kerschl as well as the comic that has temporarily taken the place of PvP, the cathartic Mort. Even after all of that, we still have time to get weird and geeky with Frankie Fearless, available only on Tinyview!
Jason took a quick look at Marvel's stab at a Webtoons-formatted comic with a couple of their Infinity Comics, where he found mixed success with the layout but plenty of entertainment value. The guys also review Awful Hospital, a fan's choice-based comic that is truly awful in the best ways possible. Jonathan Wojcik has weaved an Alice in Wonderland-like tale through a slimy, grimy looking glass that never ceases to amaze and terrify in equal measure.
We've all been there: school is going okay, but it could be better. Your friends have your back and everything is looking up, even though your mentor is haunted by thugs who want him dead. Then, he's murdered and the whole town, school included, is razed to the ground. So you befriend a simple bugbear and set out to find the truth. Right? Creator Kanekuo takes that premise and crafts a unique, detailed world in By The Book. Catch up with it while it's relatively young and listen to our scorching take.
Though zombie fiction continues to be an over-saturated portion of the entertainment industry, Hooves of Death by Sam Bragg is the first one we can think of that introduces unicorns and other fantastical being into the mix. There are relationships, there are betrayals, and there are horsemen of the apocalypse who apparently got lost on the way home. Hear our thoughts on this fun, harrowing tale and then be sure to check it out on Webtoons for yourself!
At the end of the day, and near the end of the world, all of life comes down to nerds and jocks. Creator Marko Raassina knew this and based his comic, Nerd and Jock, on the yin and yang of the universal balance between the two iconic archetypes. In this story, however, the two live in harmony and exist only to resolve and complete one another. It's cute, it's funny, and it's the friendship we should all strive for.
Ozzie's not like other vampires: she only drains demons because she's kinda fond of humans (certain ones, at least) and she really just wants to hang with her friends rather than fight the horde of otherworldly invaders constantly plaguing New Jersey. Eric Lide takes the millennial malaise and cranks it up for some hilarious characters and mind-blowing fights in Ozzie the Vampire, a raucous, fun comic you can really sink your teeth into!
Bryan is a traveling bard who is bad at his job. Servius is a slave who is better at that job. Rhiannon is a selkie girl looking for love and approval from her townsfolk. Aideen, her sister, loves a good fight and excels at hurling. Their dad, King Star Seal, is often high and gets lost at sea on the reg. If that cast of misfits and screw-ups don't make you want to read Oi! Tales of Bardic Fury by Daniel de Sosa, what would?
Murrz by Murrz is a journal comic like many others, full of joyful yearnings after pointless pursuits and enough Internet speak to interupt your cat's poo-powered mind control. Hidden in the many updates of this kind, however, are more personal stories about the creator's family that will bring you that much closer to understanding and empathizing with another person's life in a way that other mediums just can't touch.
Can Miss Melee truly have it all: a loving family, the career of her dreams, and a superhero life that would make Bruce Wayne jealous? In this comic by Rob Johnson and Ariel Guadalupe, the titular character is lucky enough to have a husband that adores her and a daughter that wants to be her, but unlucky that her boss is secretly the big bad. Does that work out in the end? Listen to our review and then read it for yourself, true believer!
Everything about this week's comic, BaDoom by Sirk!, just screams life and excitement. Even the name is exciting! Journey the wasteland with our intrepid screw-ups, enjoy a Michael Jackson pun or two, and try to figure out just what the heck those worms are infected with. This story is fun, it's action-packed, and it's not safe to breathe in, so get that mask back on and join us!
It might be a return to the gloriously existential gag-a-day world of War and Peas, but Steve certainly never forgot about the robot hoping to be loved (how could he forget someone so similar to himself?). You'll find a lot to like the jokes creators Jonathan Kunz and Elizabeth Pich have in store for you here. Maybe just spread them out to avoid crushing, suffocating ennui? That way the antics of a slutty witch will always seem fresh and funny in your mind (but really, why wouldn't they?).
Journey to new galaxies with two buddies just trying to make rent with Tom 'N' Artie, a throwback comic to webcomics of old. Like Steve says, a massive lore dump isn't always necessary to have a good time with a story, and the titular duo proves it with a zany adventure full of even weirder creatures and plenty of explosions. Strap in and let’s go!
Everything is Fine? More like Everything is NOT Fine, amirite? Enter this twisted, sanitized world, created by Mike Birchall, where nothing is as it seems but everyone wants you to believe it is. Decide whether you want to keep asking about the dogs and what's in the basement or take on your job at the box incinerator and wear your suburban best to the next dinner party. Whatever your choice, make sure to listen to our review (and theories!) before reading this tense thriller for yourself!
For the wingless fairy godmother wannabe screw-up in all of us, there is Mari Costa's Peritale. Periwinkle does the best she can with what she has, but when her best really isn't that great, uncomfortable situations and awkward conversations ensue. Also, this comic confirms for us once and for all that cantankerous talking cats are scientifically hilarious. We've got all that and news about Cosmoknights Season 2. Climb a tower and take a gander at it all!
He's a plague doctor with a heart and he's a murderous robot sent from the future to save us from a deadly pandemic. Together, they are Doc and the Deathbot, and Steve Ogden is here to give this buddy adventure a sense of humor just a bit too edgy for the Sunday morning funnies (is that still a thing?). Hear our review in addition to news about Kill Six Billion Demons' Tom Parkinson-Morgan's RPG fun and the fourth season of Urban Animal kicking off. Now grab a friend and go have some hijinks!
If you love stories about Greek gods but want them taken just a bit less seriously, Jordan Holt's Theseus is the perfect way to spend an afternoon. Jason likens it to the Greek pantheon through the filter of Napoleon Dynamite and Steve concurs. Don't miss the blog posts either, which are full of their own wit and wisdom, and aren't required reading to enjoy the story itself. Great work all around, Jordan, now work on those mountains.
Journey back with us to a simpler, more horizontally-scrolling, hornier time as we review the 2020 remake of Demian.5's 2001 classic, When I Am King. What do the flowers mean? Is that a camel or a dragon? Why is everyone having sex with everything? We had a great time trying to answer those questions and more in this episode!
Welcome to Bill Walko's The Hero Business, where you're sure to hear numerous references to comic book ages of yore, misogynistic calls and phrases, and more attempts at gags than character development per four panel page. Together, the guys try to decide if the early 2000-teens was much longer ago than it feels like. Get to know this large cast of diverse, crass characters along with us in our review of this throwback gem!
We've got a bit of news about KC Green that should continue his plans for Internet comic supremacy accordingly, this time claiming the Comics Kingdom as his own with a new home for Funny Online Animals! Once we've paid our proper respects, it's time to hide our superpowers, lest they get us killed, in Velinxi's harsh reality fantasy story, Countdown to Countdown. Which flower would you be, and why is that almost certainly a terrible decision, no matter which one you choose? Listen to our review and then read the comic to find out for yourself!
Journey with us into the mountains along with an underprepared leader, her helpful, kind daughter, and some wily, innocent young girls. Melanie Gillman's As The Crow Flies examines nature as a means of discovery and exploration, using the setting as a character in this coming-of-age story that's both sweet and tense. Hear our thoughts on this tale that's representative of experiences wildly different than our own and why we found even more value in its lessons as a result.
Fairy and folk tales get an upgrade in Twistwood Tales, a comic consisting of mostly hilarious but always charming gag-a-day strips that add worldbuilding and occasionally give way to longer stories that weave all the adorable and memorable characters in and out of the titular region they call home.
Travel back in time with us in the name of love! Also, be reincarnated with us, also in the name of love. In Honey and Venom by Kurzz, a goddess and her priestess can never be separated, not by time or space, especially when true love is possibly on the line. This bubbly, fun story is sure to capture your heart and wow your fashion sense, leaving you rooting for destined love even more than a shocked Midnight Cartooner is now!
It's not the Pound Puppies gritty reboot that Jason was hoping for, but Pound by Tony Karnowski Orlando Caicedo is all about fighting, metahumans, and MORE FIGHTING. In a world where fights could be around every corner, Leo Guerrero must be ready to go all day every day while trying to help his brother survive another day from his deteriorating disease. Ring the bell and step between the ropes to go a few rounds with this fun, rough romp!
The world of Richard Macrae's Silverback is full of superheroes and supervillains, and is lacking in evidence as to which is which. It's a throwback to the Silver Age while also being full of tropes, cliches, and loads of fun. While we wish the site it lives on were more modern, you shouldn't miss this wild, evil ride!
Alex Norris' Webcomic Name will have you saying oh no over and over, but in a good way! It's a comic that dwells on the negative and depressing elements of life, but with such joy and whimsy that you won't get lost in just how meaningless life really is. It also abstracts forms to both fascinating and terrifying effect and must be read to be believed!
It can be hard to stick to the point and really cut to the heart of a matter, but Matthew Wills does just that with SWORDS, his love letter to all things sharp and pointy. While Jason gets a bit less of a kick out of the running gag than Steve does, both guys appreciate the dedication to the gag and the ability to get so much humor out of such a narrow subject. Unsheathe your best weapon and prepare to take on the gauntlet of sword-based puns and jokes with us!
Brin and Sven are lazy bounty hunters who need to pay rent, so they go looking for trouble and find more than they bargained for! Along the way, the leads of Eric Lide's Station Square meet Nem, Grinder, Edwin, Davan, Shade, Gazzo, Mad AND Vlad the Swine, Sunhild, Ardent, and other characters that sound like Muppets. It's a shonen comic that gets better with age and features a fight longer than many marriages last these days. Get off the couch and don't miss it!
In Vainglorious, Hammer (yes, his name is Hammer) wants to run away from his problems and responsibilities, but then Rei, a former dragon cursed with a human form, falls into his lap (almost literally) and the two become instant friends. Well no, not really, and that's where the greatness of this comic comes from. Creator Kelly Bull (Sketches) takes us on a journey that is both fantastic and fun, with plenty of hilarious facial expressions and bombastic fantasy along the way.
It's time for a new quest, and Basri and Hector, the titular Elf & Warrior from the comic by AC Stuart and Victor Rosas II, are looking for new members to join them in search of adventure and fame. Are you a mimic with an insatiable need to be full? How about a sentient tree stump with a dark side? Anyone call for a pug/goblin race with relationship issues? Sign up here today, because based on the hijinks in this comic, everyone will be considered and most will make the cut!
In the world of Jason Clarke's Black & Blue, nobody is having a good time, and yet somehow, in a Tarantino-esque fashion, he is able to create a comic that is very enjoyable to read. After a bit of news about one of Chris Grine's properties being set for a big-screen turn, we delve into the seedy underworld that surrounds both humans and robots alike, and try to figure out just why this girl's disembodied head is so darned special.
From Peanuts to Calvin and Hobbes and with a dash of Foxtrot thrown in, kids in comics have a great new entry in the entertaining space with Tauhid Bondia's Crabgrass. Kevin and Miles have a strong blood brother's bond that can't be broken, which is helpful since teachers, parents, bullies, and siblings are all trying to tear them down. It's all ages fun that joins some amazing comics about friendship and the stupid things kids do from time to time and is noteworthy all on its own.
Float out and float on, bro, become one with the ocean, but keep your body above water, lest you be bitten by a seaghost and find yourself forever alone and damned. See, chill? Claire K. Niebergall's Phantomarine is equal parts sweet and fun mixed with dread and impending doom. It's a combination that works surprisingly well, buoyed by a great cast that includes a wise and brave undead princess, a precocious seabitten boy, and the cutest ghost dog you've ever seen. Surfs up, now GET OUT OF THE WATER!
Grab your leathers, give them an outrageously fun and devastating name, and meet us in the ring to go a round or two with Jack McGee's Star Impact. We love this diverse, colorful cast of characters, whose inspiration springs from boxing tales like Punch-Out! and will dazzle you with fast and frantic artwork that makes you feel like you're right in the fight (of which there are a LOT).
Relive the painful, fun days of high school with the sweet and humorous 2 Slices by RJ Morel. Daisuke and Mamoru make for a delightful pair who are learning about themselves and each other while they work to help Dai get the girl he pines after. The journey this goal takes them both, as well as a cadre of friends and acquaintances, on is one you'll want to join.
Countless takes on the RPG genre have shown us that infusing a custom-made adventure with humor is almost always a hit. The world of Malcolm "ME_T" Thulin's The Weekly Roll is full of gut-busting moments inspired by a cast of characters you will simultaneously want to grab a beer with and stay as far from as humanly possible.
We've pulled you off the streets and introduced you to The Society for Arcane Scientists and Mr. Hyde and I hope your stay is full of adventure and ingenuity! Sabrina Cotungo's The Glass Scientists has captured our many successes and fiery failures and I think you'll agree that it's extremely dangerous for you to remain here. Can we retreat into Hyde's mind prison for safety? Oh, and stay out of Dr. Frankenstein's quarters, she's a bit of a pill, that one.
The world of Gato Iberico's Fireweed Moors appears to be full of mystery. We can't wait to get the answer to questions like why do you have a cat head and are those magical birds forming that portal to who knows where? While you wait for those answers, and more, listen to our review to understand why we're excited to read more!
Before greeting 2021 with (mostly) open arms, we look back to an amazing year in webcomics. We remember great works like Realm of Owls, Under the Lion, Extra Fabulous Comics, Ten Earth Shattering Blows, Plum, Live With Yourself, Scurry, Knucklejelly, Urban Animal, Patrik the Vampire, Alice and the Nightmare, Lunar Baboon, and many others. Celebrate with us before we permanently put that garbage fire of a year in the rear view.
On literally the last day of this god-awful year, we bring you a bounty of very, very good things with our final GOOD PULL of 2020. Listen to us gush about Marc Lapierre's Second Extinction companion comic, the ethereal Frenchness of Yatuu, Danielle Corsetto's sweet ode to her hometown, Elephant Town, the best-in-class Johnny Wander story, Barbarous, and gut-busting weirdness on the 'Gram courtesy of KC Green and his Funny Online Animals. Read something good and send 2020 off in style!
After a tangent towards fighting games that Jason sincerely regrets, the guys get down to the seriously cute business of Leigh Davis' Jailbird! The titular bird, along with many other friends they meet along the way, travels to the Temple of Daisies for reasons that still aren't quite clear to any of the many characters we've thus far met. What is obvious, however, is the joy you'll have reading about this eclectic, fun group and their individual quests to find what was once lost.
Noir or not, the world of M. Lee Lunsford's Speak of the Devil can be a dangerous one for wisps and balisks alike (and yes, that entire sentence confuses the heck out of Jason). But you'll want to take a dive in after you hear our review about the complex character relationships and stunning artwork.
What do you get for the person who has everything? Great webcomics! Jason discovered the precocious adorableness of Sedna and brings news of new Gastrophobia comics, while Steve finds out that his co-host still doesn't quite get Order of the Stick and falls in love with his first magical girls story, Sleepless Domain, all over again. It's the most wonderful podcast of the year!
Purpah's Suitor Armor is a medieval fantasy tale that's got it all: magic, battles, and fairies falling in love with enchanted, soulless suits of armor. Outside of Steve's dislike of lazy secret identities, this is one fun, sweet, adventurous story we can recommend with all our hearts. Which we have, because we're not just magically animated suits of armor.
Chris Grine is the creator behind the quirky adventures Chickenhare and Time Shifters. His latest work, a graphic novel of the young adult adventure series, Animorphs, has brought him a new perspective on working with a known property, dealing with the fandom of that universe, and coming to grips with possibly working on too many things at once. Chris talked with Jason about all of this and more, including his melancholy time at summer camp and why the story of Time Shifters is an incredibly personal one for him.
Welcome to Wonderland, where humans like us aren't welcome and might even turn into evil creatures ... er, more so than here on Earth. Michelle Krivanek has taken many elements of Alice's classic tale and added more modern elements, with just a hint of a certain boy wizard thrown in. The result is a lore-heavy story called Alice and the Nightmare that has heart (and spade and club and diamond).
If there's one thing you think of when you hear a podcast by two cis white men, it's magical girls. But dang it, those are some captivating, fun stories to read and Mildred Louis' Agents of the Realm is a great take on the genre, featuring minority characters and fashion that brings a tear to Jason's eye. You'll fall in love with these girls and root them on while reminiscing about your college days at the same time.
They have a massively successful webcomic on the Webtoons platform, two amazing careers in comics already, and a new Kickstarter to bring their Webtoon, Urban Animal, to life in print. Jason talked with both of the creators behind Urban Animal, Justin Jordan and John Amor, about everything from working with the Webtoons platform to their forays into the Zuda Comics contests of over a decade ago.
It's not easy to walk the tightrope between awesome mech action and dramatic familial interactions, but Mike Stamm's The Automan's Daughter does just that. It's equal parts technically-depicted marvels and heartwarming, gut-wrenching actions that threaten to tear a loving family apart. Hear our thoughts on this special comic and learn why the mom is the one you should revere (and fear) the most.
It's time for another sampling of webcomics goodness with our GOOD PULL for October! We're revisiting dystopia with Ten Earth Shattering Blows, getting a taste of pumpkin spice from bridgedflickered, looking forward to more of Katie Cook's licensed goodies, taking a quick look at Scape, and enjoy a bounty of Abby Howard's good works, including a return of The Last Halloween, just in time for the haunted holiday.
Some ghosts wake up and wonder where they are. Some ghosts wake up and wonder why they suddenly have extra body parts. It's a weird world in Eliana Falcon's Cosmic Fish, but it's also very beautiful and full of compelling mysteries. The answers are not quickly revealed, but we think you'll find this comic worth spending some time with.
When it comes to interviewing creative teams, you get lucky if you get the chance to talk with more than one of the esteemed team members. Somehow, Jason was able to convince both Julian Dominguez and Esther Pimentel of Littlelight Asylum to chat with him about the origins of the kid-friendly comic, including the inspiration for some character names that took even Esther by surprise!
Take one part Muppet Babies, one part Beetlejuice, a little mayhem, and shake it all up. The resulting explosion is the madcap fun of Littlelight Asylum. Join the growing cast of youngsters, Headmistress Light, and more in this mostly-kid-friendly tale about some special kids with magical tendencies and the adventures they spring on everyone around them.
This is our first episode of GOOD PULL, where we take time to find some quick hits of things that might have missed your attention otherwise. Steve recalls Kochab, hypes up Dwarf Fortress comic, Losing is Fun, and introduces everyone to Ramshackle. Jason recommends Hannah Templer's GLOW work, updates us on the latest Patrik the Vampire pages, takes a trip to Lake Gary, and posits a theory about Penny Arcade's artwork. Catch it all!
It's no secret that the life of a princess isn't always a great one, but in the world of Hannah Templer's Cosmoknights, things are so bad that two adventurers have taken to freeing them of their captivity through an elaborate, loosely-regulated sport. It's a great basis for a fun story and the characters you meet will ensure you want to keep reading until you're begging for another chapter.
Patrik the Vampire is a case of what you see is what you get, and what you see is an undead guy who's willing to cut loose and murder a person or two just as much as he'd like to sit at home on the couch and learn to sew from his elderly gal pal. Bree Paulsen brings us this man-of-the-ages in a unique and touching story that we absolutely loved in the previous episode. Here, Jason sits down with Bree to discover the origins of the titular vamp and get her take on the vampire/monster genre and why funny can sometimes be the better way to go.
Finally, an episode you can really sink your teeth into! After Steve and Jason hash out the details on Fangr, their new dating app for vampires, they invite you in to listen to their review of Bree Paulsen's Patrik the Vampire. At times both full of slapstick and heart, Patrik is a story that can do it all, and while jumping from timeline to timeline, no less. Listen to the review and then read the whole, engrossing story thus far.
J. Alice Bown's Damsels Don't Wear Glasses is a compelling read, with visuals that compliment and amplify a fun, kinetic story. Jason called across the pond to have a chat with Alice, learning about her process and experiences creating a webcomics for over a decade and how it's shaped her abilities from writing to encompassing everything needed to tell a good and convincing comic story.
It's time to save the world from ... something, and we've got our psychic blades ready to ... do something, I guess? We don't feel incredibly motivated to fight evil after reading J. Alice Bown's Damsels Don't Wear Glasses, but we certainly dig the vibe that Lave and company are putting out into the world. The comic has a visual style all its own that shows a clear delineation between the "real" world and the magical one. Get off the couch and don't sleep through this one!
The first episode on the other side of our first 600 takes a look at Urban Animal, a comic on Webtoons from a talented team who took inspiration from everything from Filipino folklore to Buffy the Vampire Slayer and created a great tale of teenagers transforming into animals. Jason prefers John Hughes-type lame parents to the cool mom and dad in this comic, but Steve is just concerned the libido of a wolf might be more than a young man/chimera can handle.
It's time for another milestone! Steve and Jason are celebrating the 600th episode of the first, and best, webcomics podcast on the planet and you're invited to the party! After Jason talks about a handy summary of the story on Tiger, Tiger to catch you up before the next chapter begins and a syndication deal for Brian Anderson's Dog Eat Doug, the guys take a walk down memory lane, recalling everything from the first comic they ever read for the site to what the future holds for the show.
When magic is present in any given webcomic world, you can bet that Steve will be grinning from ear to ear, partly because he loves it, and partly because he understands it better than Jason. This is true of the simple but fantastic Tistow by Elli Puukangas and Mark Thomas. Come for the possibly murderous wisp rats, stay for many, many people with loose morals.
Did you know that Gary Larson got a digital tablet and decided to pass this pandemic by with a return to The Far Side, the wildly popular comic strip that many of proudly wore on T-shirts in the 90's? Then go read the new strips, we'll wait. Now that you're back, you can listen to our confused but effusive thoughts on Broken, a comic by Kristina Caruso that inspired a great discussion about the art of comics and webcomics standards some of us might take for granted. The comic itself is exceptional, and worth a read, after you listen to our review.
As kids, we sometimes feared the dark (in Jason's case, childhood continues). Manek D'Silva's Bonabyl tells us that maybe we were right to fear it all along, and maybe even still. Follow along with us as we explore the world with Miro and Vick, discovering once and for all what those bumps in the night are all about.
The stars of Tracy MacLauchlan and Yesenia Carrero's Gemini Journey are like an odd couple, but not THAT Odd Couple. One is vivacious, the other dour, and that difference makes for some fun and dangerous situations! Also, one of them drives Jason INSANE. Listen in to see which one it is along with why the guys describe the comic as Tiny Kitten Teeth by way of H.P. Lovecraft and how the structure of comics on Webtoons is going to drive both guys crazy before too long.
Year in Hereafter by Mikael Hankonen introduces us to a sweet, practical family before confirming that, yes, there are forces of evil in the world that you absolutely want to avoid. Running afoul of these entities takes our boys, Veeti and Mikael (no relation) on a journey you absolutely must take with them into worlds unknown. But please, leave your smartphone behind. Trust us.
You'd think a fellow who trains mythic and fantastic creatures would have a higher status than a white collar schmoe with friends named Garth and Kevin, but that's exactly where Ulrick, the titular character of Mythic Creature Trainer by Rene Pfitzner, lives. But will he be any help when the invading orcs arrive? Read the comic and listen to our review to find out (not really, we don't know yet, but read and listen anyways).
After Jason lays out his reboot of Old Yeller (the twist is that the dog shoots his owner), it's time to travel to the fun, fanciful, and frightening world of Knucklejelly! Creator Benjamin Hall has weaved together a story of both heartache and adventure, full of monsters and ... well, more monsters. Though it's a comic that would probably be better served outside the restrictive confines of the Webtoons platform, it's got a charm and joy all to itself that comes through no matter where you read it. Make sure that you do!
Eldrick is the wussy chosen one of Crookshaw Creative's Helm. After the guys talk about comics news, including Star Power coming to a somewhat abrupt end and a new life for PvP, they delve into the excellently-produced but thus-far soulless fantasy comic that's all about following someone else's dreams.
Return with us to the world of mice, cats, fantastic, epic battles, and missing humans. In Mac Smith's Scurry, danger awaits around every corner and just when you think you're safe, your fellow rodents are waiting to take your place. It's wild, it's dangerous, and it's a thrill you have to read for yourself. Hear our take on this adventurously tiny tale and then go check it out!
When several characters take center stage in a comic, how do you know which one is the focus? Look to the fanart, says Jason, webcomics supergenius. That advice might help when reading Star Prichard's Castoff, a tale about journeys, mysteries, and the mysterious journey that our three intrepid adventurers undertake. It's one that's worth taking, so listen to our review and get prepared for what's ahead.
He's Toivo, he's very insecure about his position in life, and he's also a wildly powerful wizard. What could go wrong? The answer is a lot, just so much wrongness, and those stories are contained in Kay Rossbach's Ingress Adventuring Company. Hear our gushing good words about this outstanding comic and then go read the whole thing for yourself!
It's not every day that a cute alien girl crash lands in your backyard and changes your life, possibly for good, but Kade certainly treats it that way in Pookie Senpai's Down to Earth. Steve is convinced this comic is plotted like a sitcom, explaining why he's not a huge fan and Jason doesn't buy that he never set foot in a Hot Topic. Stay up late, go to the store, and listen to our review!
Sure, we looked at this comic back in episode 562, but maybe that was actually another version of us and this is brand new? We're back with Shen's (and Megan McKay's and Dave Mercier's) Live With Yourself! and it's just as fun and insane as we (or our other selves) remembered. Jason really enjoyed getting to know all the characters that Steve had already made friends with months ago. Join them and make these loveable weirdos your friends, too!
We're diving back into the fanciful and fun world of fruit stacking competitions with Sam Kim's Plum! When last we reviewed this delightfully unique comic, the fun was plentiful and the fruit was flying. Hear our joy as we read on and meet even more colorful teams and learn their creative techniques in this bizarrely cute take on ... sports? Gonna go with sports.
There's no feeling like flying down a steep hill at high speeds on your sweet bike. It's even better when you literally can't lose a race or look anything other than a super rad dude. That's the story of Wind Breaker, which follows a mysterious guy with a beat-up bike and the students and other figures that surround him. Hear our voyeuristic views on this exciting world and then catch the virus of competition and read it for yourself.
Ever think you could get a bunch of friends together and bounce around the galaxy, having adventures and maybe saving a life or two? Temerity by Jemma Young and Chad Hardin is a Guardians of the Galaxy-like romp that turns zeroes into heroes, with a fantasy bend to the sci-fi that lends to a flavor all its own. See what we thought about this fast-paced adventure and then get on the train early with us!
Welcome to the wasteland! It's terrible! Seriously, don't go. If you're not terribly lucky or disfigured in some way, you're doomed. But Nuclearpasta's Ten Earth Shattering Blows makes it seem like so much darn fun, you'll want to join the party and ride a lizard to almost-certain doom. Hear us gush about the ridiculous ride this comic takes you on and then join in yourself!
Brave the Spiderforest with us once again to discover a tropey tale of daring do and daring don'ts. James Nelson's Monster Lands follows a set of heroes, most of whom are just barely scraping by in that category. But when the rest of the world sucks so much, how else is a good-hearted person/elf/dwarf/whatever supposed to make a living?
It's largely NSFW, it's Perry Bible Fellowship-esque, and it's not apologizing for any of it's jokes. It has no qualms with killing both the boy and the grandmother, questioning Jesus' water-based powers, and slapping a d___ on a unicorn. It's Zach Stafford's Extra Fabulous Comics and you must now read it.
Once we get around the idea of childhood Steve really wanting a cool old man friend, it's time to talk about characters. Specifically, a comic with many, many characters to keep track of. O Sarilho also has plenty of lore and mystery to keep things going as well, including just what is in the satellite that came crashing back to Earth and how many of the multitude of soliders we just met will it claim? Listen to our thoughts on it and then give it a read for yourself!
The combination of Witches Get Stitches and 666 Bistro from demon-centric creator Laura Graves is one that at once creeps you out and draws you in. Though we agree the color palette could stand to add a few colors and shades, the detail is amazing and the action in particular is bound to get you out of your seat in preparation for a massive kaiju battle to break out. ... wait what
While looking at a portfolio site for a comic review is outside our normal process, sometimes a creator is just so good, we can't turn it down. Lee Gatlin is one such creator. Who knew that combining poop/fart jokes with beloved fantasy/sci-fi characters would be right up our alley? But that's also selling this timeless, mostly all-ages comic work way too short. Do yourself a favor and spend a few unfortunately short moments pouring over the offerings on Lee's site and hope along with us that more is coming some day.
Fantastical worlds with fearsome dragons, kings and queens of valor, and knights showing off their cunning and bravery are plentiful but welcome escapes from our everyday lives. The Stoop Gallants is ... like that. Kind of. But the characters of yore are more akin to burnout dudes who accidentally become necromancers and nosy bards who just can't stay out of everyone's business. Your mileage may vary with the mundane fantasy in this comic, but mindless zombie companions are always funny and we can all at least agree on that.
Raise your hand if you're fatigued by superhero stuff. Ok, put your hands down, because WE DON'T CARE! Folklore has a unique twist on a worn and well-traveled genre that's well worth checking out. After hearing about their greatest fears (mummies vs. the darkness, FIGHT) and a quick news update about a series option for Gunnerkrigg Court, the guys offer their opinions on this highly-kinetic story.
The world of Zoul is a complex and messy one, full of vast technological advances and grounding references to many places we ourselves know and love. Creator Maria Valentina presents this lush, detailed world in both English and Spanish, sometimes with mixed results. Hear our full thoughts in this episode and then check it out in one of the many ways she has made possible!
We're returning to an old format for a good old fashioned Horizons Watch! These comics are young and hungry for your time and attention. Check out our thoughts on the delightfully dour Jack Of All Grades and the molecularly specific Under the Lion.
If you like deep dives on a society of owls that explores the silly nuances of their government, currency, entertainment, and more, then plant yourself in front of a computing device and absorb the dry, Monty Python-esque wit of Realm of Owls. It even features a URL that can be read as a near-expletive!
The promise of the afterlife is just too enticing, so we're dying and coming back to life with Don Juan Mancha III's Purgatory. But just what is going on in this life after life? Is it worth living in again? And why do we still have to go to work?
For this brave new decade, we're looking at a comic we all wish was real life: living that role-playing life as our real life. Three brave(?) souls do just that in Myisha Haynes' The Substitutes. Jason found it to be a little confusing but Steve is confident he's just a moron. Have a listen to their thoughts and then give it a look to judge for yourself!
After we give credit where it’s due for Everblue (check out the review in Episode 568), it’s time to jump in the Wayback Machine and travel back to 2011, when Magnolia Pearl was just starting out on a little creature comic called Monster Pulse. We’re back, eight years later, to check in on Bina, Ayo, and the whole gang to see who’s still around and what monsters they have to check out. Join us!
Families are the worst, right? And we're not even talking about the holidays, but what about when your brother or lazy teenage son lets a sexy bird lady escape from your family's private garden with the golden apple that holds an antidote which would end your family's long reigning fortune? Yeah, that just SUCKS. If you've never experienced that yourself, enjoy our thoughts on The Red King, a comic so full of family drama and angst the bird women leap off the page and fly into your heart.
We don't do news items that often any more, but John Allison updates are worthy of our attention! After we get excited about Wicked Things, his upcoming expansion of the Scarymachinerydaysiverse, we take to the skies and give love a chance with the hopeful comic, Michael Sexton's Everblue. Once you see the progress this story and artwork have made in the last decade, you'll agree that it's a must-read comic.
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.
Welcome to Zero Game, where you can earn a second chance at living the life you lost or wasted, but must sit through unbelieveable video game conceits and unnecessary exposition to earn it. Also, in the course of detailing the story of this comic, Steve reminds Jason of the lore behind the vehicular combat game franchise, Twisted Metal, and he is not happy about it.
Are you ready to laugh? Like, seriously LAUGH? Then click through to Neil Kohney's The Other End and let the guffaws begin! His comic, which mostly uses children to give hilarious commentary on everything in our modern society, has biting wit and dark comedy that should have you laughing with each click. If not, you're a robot, and we request that you answer this CAPTCHA to proceed.
We're calling back to days of yore with a Horizons Watch-esque episode! Hear our thoughts on the short but excellent comics Threader by Liz Kramer and The Wrath and the Dawn by Renee Ahdieh and Silvester Vitale. Check them both out!
Motion comics can be stiff reading experiences, but what happens when they pay homage to a cartoon era that was likewise simple and stilted? Cyko KO! takes a swing at that question with a Webtoons, online-only comic that has plenty of fun hijinx but might be lacking in heart and depth. Listen to our thoughts, turn down your volume, and give the comic a look for yourself.
This week features a comic with time travel that's so fun, your nose will bleed! Or your older self might die! But don't worry, he'll come back. Shen, with help from Megan McKay and Dave Mercier, brings us Live With Yourself, a Multiplicity-like with heart and zany, doppelganger-infused hijinx that tells the story of Todd and his three friends, himself, himself, and himself. You don't need more than one of yourself to enjoy this comic, though!
Plum: it's like Pokemon, except instead of monsters living in balls, it's fruit, and instead of making them fight each other, you stack them. Like, really high. That's the idea behind our comic review this week, Plum! Come for the silly conceit for a story, stay for us brainstorming modern disagreements that could be solved with fruit stacking matches.
The world of Ty Dunitz and Jenn Lee's Rising Sand is desolate, hopeless, and treacherous, fully-realized and under-explored. Follow along with a small but lively group of the survivors of this dangerous land and hear why the art style reminds us of a Don Bluth cartoon and how you might need to give this slow-paced but engaging comic some breathing room in between views.
Monsters live among us and, as usual, kids are the only ones with enough chill to keep them happy and alive. Drew Weing's The Creepy Case Files of Margo Maloo will entertain and delight you, even as Steve and Jason use it's immense quality to discuss the days when webcomics weren't necessarily so good. Enjoy both, please!
The guys take advantage of a comic still finding its footing in iZiAHZAY's Comic Strips to look back on the early days of webcomics and to explore the origins of a Digital Strips legend.
Lee Keegan has taken the wide open, detailed world of Dwarf Fortress and added his own story and characters to it with Bridgedflickered. Jason doesn't pretend to know a thing about it, so Steve leads the way on why all dwarves are so expendable and who comes up with this goofy names. It's a fun ride!
Learning can be fun, and Aztec Empire is here to show just that. This expertly crafted comic about history informs just as much as it entertains, with plenty of behind the scenes trappings for those of you who always want a little something extra in their entertainment.
Jason loves romantic comedies and tolerates dumb science. Steve loathes both things. This makes their tandem review of LUFF by Arechan a contentious one, indeed! Listen as they come to a consensus of disbelief and enjoyment for this questionably-nominated comic.
The internet is a historical oddity, full of old browsers and search engines that rise to fame in a day and burn out just as quickly. But, did you ever want to see what it looks like if they were all represented by magical anime girls? Then boy howdy, do we have the comic for you! Check out our review of the inscrutable Internet Explorer by Merriweather and Princess Hinghoi and pick your favorite anthropomorphized web browser!
This podcast has been around for almost 15 years, so Steve and Jason take a quick look back at some of the episode formats that worked and many others that didn't. After that brief introspection, it's time to get lost on a strange planet with a band of intrepid adventurers in Room of Swords!
When the whole world is full of nuclear fallout-induced freaks, are normal people the true weirdos? Grace Mulcahy attempts to answer that question as well as many others we don't quite understand with Larkspur. Join a gang and get in the fight!
Do you like questionable takes on classic cartoon characters? How about horror comics? Anime? If you said yes to all of those things (and more, who the heck are we kidding), then you will love our review of Misterie Krew's Scoob and Shag!
After Steve was getting fed up with a certain journal comic (Eisner-winning, even!), Jason decided to find something he would enjoy a bit more. Enter My Giant Nerd Boyfriend. Follow along with Fishball and Boyfriend as they navigate life together, one of them being small, and one of them being ridiculously large. Now available on YouTube as well!
After the guys reminisce about podcast days gone by with the John Oliver-laden episodes of The Bugle (the most special of which can be found here), they take a look at the precocious treat that is Phoebe and Her Unicorn by Dana Simpson. It's vibes are all-ages and Calvin and Hobbes-inspired, with enough of an identity to tell a story unique to Phoebe and her unicorn, Marigold Heavenly Nostrils.
Beacons of hope have it so tough; always getting chased by one tribe or race, being harassed for their blood and/or life to break this curse and that curse. Doesn't a beacon deserve happiness, happiness with a handsome shark prince with sexy teeth? Find out in our review of Wendy Lian Martin's Castle Swimmer.
Ever want to learn more about nature and the animals it contains, but were afraid it wouldn't be funny enough? Bird and Moon by Rosemary Mosco has you covered, with enough animal facts to fill an Illustrated Wildlife Treasury and dry humor that would make even the stiffest Brit chuckle.
While Steve is out, Jason takes the opportunity to catch up with friend of the show and amazing creator of all things ... well, all things, David Gallaher. Hear David talk about his work on The Only Living Boy, the follow-up, The Only Living Girl, his contribution to the upcoming Tom Clancy's Ghost Recon: Breakpoint, and why many people are wrong about who the best Green Lantern of all time is.
Steve and his family are enjoying Noelle Stevenson's She-Ra and the Princesses of Power and they think you should, too! Meanwhile, Jason brings a comic unlike most others you've read before, where love is just around the corner and even the fearsome Duke of Hell is getting into the act. Listen to the guys review Love Advice from the Great Duke of Hell and then go read that wonderful, weird comic for yourself.
In the mood to solve a mystery? Feeling hated even though you are the very best at what you do? Does your privileged, boring life leave you wanting to don a mask and take down your fellow elites, Robin Hood meets Batman-style? Then Dan Schkade's Eisner-nominated Lavender Jack should satisfy whatever comic appetite you have!
The gods are angry! Also, horny, hungry, lustful, bored, and horny again. We're trying to keep track of the entire pantheon and shipping so many couples you should call us Amazon in our review of Rachel Smythe's Lore Olympus.
After some silly chatter about flip flops, the guys take a peek into the demon-shilling, economy-busting world of botanical curiosities with C.B. McPherson's Bybloemen. Check your feet and stop to smell these flowers!
Welcome to the world of Shattered Starlight, where magical girls might just save your life when they're not busy brewing a mean cup of coffee or enjoying some all-night poutine with their cute, cantankerous rabbit friend. It's a story by Nicole Chartrand where anything can happen, but usually doesn't. Listen to our review to see why that's not a bad thing.
David Gallaher is adding a new achievement to his list with his work on Tom Clancy's Ghost Recon: Breakpoint, Steve is hyped about the Midnight Radio Kickstarter supporting a new hardcover collection of comics, and Jason catches us up on his criticism of Pepper and Carrot, which has taken a turn NO one saw coming!
It's Eisner time and Webtoon is claiming more than half the spots for their growing platform! We have quick thoughts on all the nominees, including The Contradictions, Lavender Jack, Let's Play, Lore Olympus, and DS fave, Tiger, Tiger. After that quick update, it's time to travel to the wonderful world of witches with Pepper and Carrot by David Revoy, where we learn to love our family despite our desire to just have some danged fun with some danged magic.
Sometimes, the boy just can't bring himself to tell the girl how he feels. And then, before he can tell her, she decides to replace her human body with a synthetic one and move back to Earth. It's a tale as old as time when we review Heartwired by Rod and Leanne Hannah.
Not content to call it quits at the midpoint last week, the guys decided to review the rest of Seed (or what was there at the time of recording, big doins in the newest update already!). Make Turry happy and listen to our thoughts so we all get out of this relatively unscathed. Please?
Jason wasn't fair to Dave Mercier and hop.dude, so he offers his apology along with a promise to read more and give his thoughts. He also noted to The Last Halloween creator Abby Howard how uncomfortable a recent update made him (which she appreciated). Finally, the guys take a look at Said Polat's Seed, a comic about the problems that come with superintelligent AI that escape their confines and harass good, decent folk like you and me.
Sometimes, you just wanna curl up with a good story about a boy who is also a chosen one. And that's what (we think) we have here, with a look at the first two-ish chapters of Brian Shearer's William the Last. Read up, we'll probably return to this one sooner than later.
Webcomics live so long as we, the fans (and erstwhile creators) share them with others and grow the community. To that end, Jason showed someone Hop Dude and they ... appreciated it? And now he has a new one to share with The Square Comics, home of the sick burn and ... well, not much else. But it does that one thing really, really, scorchingly well.
In celebration of Mar10 (Mario Day!), we took a look at the Mario-like hop.dude by Dave Mercier. It's ... weird, and subversive, with characters you know and love from the world of Nintendo, but who you've never actually truly met. There's no real way to describe this comic, so go view it on Instagram and judge for yourself.
We're always on the lookout for our next favorite webcomic, so we took a look at a couple new ones in service to that end. Read along with us on the early pages of The Firelight Isle and Kamikaze, and see if they become your new favorites.
Aristocracy! Pirates! Anime eyes! Crossdressing! If you want all of those things and more in your webcomics, you can't miss Tiger, Tiger, a Gilbert and Sullivan-like romp in the confines of your browser, written and drawn by Petra Nordlund.
After Steve teases Jason with The Automan's Daughter, a great webcomic that is also on hiatus, it's time to venture back into Oddity Woods, to discover what other fun and sinister creatures await us in this cheerfully tragic story. Don't miss this one!
This week, we begin our look at Oddity Woods, a cute, creepy comic that harkens back to the best parts of comics like Broodhollow and The Last Halloween in giving us quirky, fun characters and pants-wettingly scary creatures with a story that you're sure to root for. The second part of our review will post next week. Enjoy!
It's possible that The Abominable Charles Christopher, an outstanding, quiet look at the animal world by Karl Kerschl, is back and that's all Steve needs to believe in good things again. The guys also delve into the magical world of Cut Time, where we follow the adventures of Rel, Sol, and Nal. It's much more exciting than it sounds, trust us.
There were so many great comics in 2018 that we couldn't keep up with them all! So we're using the early days and months of 2019 to get caught up, this time checking out the second season of Nothing Special by Katie Cook. What fun and danger have Callie, Declan, and the rest of the gang gotten into since last time? We're telling you explicitly that in this episode, but you really should check it out for yourself, too.
We're getting rolling in the new year with a longer look at a comic we first discovered last year, The 3 Pilgrims by Trevor Downs. It's very reserved and sparse in its presentation, but the mystery and adventure it presents are well worth joining the three pilgrims on their journey.
Another year of Digital Strips is in the books, but before we move on, we're taking time to remember our favorite comics from the episodes we recorded in 2018. What comics are we keeping up with? What are some stories we'd like to catch up on? We've got loads of comics to talk about, so dig in and see what you might have missed this past year.
Robin Kaplan's Ushala at World's End is a comic worth looking at ... again. The work has expanded since last we saw this exceptional comic, in some ways that we never would have foreseen. Follow the sherp and don't miss out on this story!
Our long look at Mad Rupert's Sakana was so delightful, Jason decided we should also look at her choose your own adventure experiment, Pol-Apo. It's got a biting wit in the writing and a fun soul that is extinguished much too soon with a hiatus that might be permanent. Steve continues the enjoyment train by introducing Oddity Woods, a kid detective tale as charming as it is engrossing.
Jason has news about the successful end of the Superfogeys Kickstarter as well as Tauhid Bondia's A Problem Like Jamal getting serious about systemic racism and gun violence. After the news, the guys dive back into Mad Rupert's Sakana for the second part of their review of this great comic. You might feel like nothing has happened for pages (chapters?) at a time, but in the end, it's a journey well worth going on. Make some new friends and enjoy this comic today!
After giving their thoughts on the PvP collection currently on Kickstarter, the guys take another look at Madeline Rupert Jaspering's Sakana, a comic DS first took a look at back in 2012. What's changed? What's the same? Is it still as fun and character-rich as it was back then? Listen in to this first part of that return to Sakana to find out!
Jason talks with Superfogeys creator Brock Heasley about his first novel, Paper Bag Mask, the real-world inspirations for that story, the Kickstarter currently wrapping up for the first volume of Superfogeys, and the long, winding road to where that comic is now.
Zom Com brings us moment-to-moment undead gags that are sure to leave you in stitches! Also, Jason took a look back at A Long Halloween and got so engrossed in the first chapter that he couldn't even more on to the second (soon, though!). Finally, Steve introduces us to the lovely world of Yehuda Devir and his wife with One Of Those Days.
Kate Beaton has provided years of quality, silly jokes with Hark! A Vagrant, and now that she's ending the comic and declaring the site to be an archive, you should go enjoy all that wonderful silliness. Also, a new webcomic is launching soon, and the guys are interested in the process involved with starting a new online comic these days. All that, plus our review of Goodbye to Halos, a wonderful fantasy comic that features representation for LGBTQ people and a fun, exciting fish-out-of-water story to boot.
Hey, it's time to celebrate another webcomic milestone, this time involving John Allison and his massive, impressive body of work. Another thing we celebrate in this episode is Brigid Alverson, a former DS co-host and contributor who has opinions on a recent article from The Comics Journal about Amazon/Comixology and the Small Press Expo. Finally, we do what we do best: review the comic, Kochab, by Sarah Webb.
Are you a troll, or are you a goblin? While you consider that question, join us in giving a fond farewell to the most professional of felines, Business Cat, whose final comic has now posted. However, there's much to celebrate as we take a look at the murky depths of Deeply Dave and the fantastical chicanery of Sneaky Goblins.
Webtoon continues to grow and now it's getting some heavy hitting names like Stan Lee and Warren Ellis on the service. Also, we look at a comic that is charming, fun, and adventurous in 7" Kara.
Just three episodes after talking about A Problem Like Jamal, we're happy to report further on exciting developments for the comic! Also, Steve brings us False Knees, a comic mainly about birds doing and saying funny things, but also other stuff.
Jason Brubaker (reMIND, Sithrah) has some thoughts on the current state of webcomics, including what it takes to succeed in an ever-increasingly bloated ecosystem, and the guys provide their thoughts on those thoughts. Also, Steve wants to check in with Order of the Stick, which is still big on words. Not to be outdone, Jason brings it back to Gunnerkrigg Court, which has finally taken a turn towards the exciting again.
Not content to just talk about comics on the web, this episode features some digital books about comics on the web. So meta! Or something. Enjoy talk about Launch Party (formerly on Kickstarter) and Hit Reblog (now on Comixology) and then hear about a new comic coming from the Brothers Weiner as well as a look at Mary Cagle's Sleepless Domain, a comic that takes some interesting twists and risks that you won't be expecting (unless you're spoiled by this episode, so be warned!).
This week's comics take the conversation to some interesting places! Proper condom usage in Boo! It's Sex! Dark humor, including Garfield-murdering punchlines, in Little Life Lines! And Black Lives Matter in A Problem Like Jamal! Nothing is out of bounds in this episode!
Not only do we have two excellent comics for you this week, but two comics that understand the web very well and utilize it in interesting ways to make their comics reach and impact that much greater. First up is Deathbulge, a biting gag-a-day that skewers all aspects of life with a razor sharp wit. Secondly, The 3 Pilgrims will take you on a journey you'll just be itching to be a part of.
We celebrate diversity at Digital Strips, and you can't get much more diverse than the divide between the two comics in this week's episode. Dark Simpsons shows us what our favorite animated characters would be like in the hands of the a devious, macabre devil while Fruity Cutie Rescue is sweet as can be and just a wonderful good time from the talented creator of Precious Rascals.
This episode is all about CAW4HW, or A Comic a Week For a Hundred Weeks, or Caw For Haw. No matter what you call it, you're bound to laugh at a few of the jokes creator Jawkly has here. Steve and Jason discuss their favorite gags, as well as a possible future for the comic and hope for continued comics from Jawkly.
If you haven't sat and debated the nature of classic Looney Tunes characters, then do we have a fascinating illustrated conversation to share with you! Also, we're looking at the 2018 Eisner nominees for Best Webcomic. There is some outstanding work represented, but the people who choose these comics would do well to provide some new categories so the various subjects can breathe a bit more. Still, a lot of good stuff to check out, so we can't complain too much!
John Keogh is back on it and back on Twitter, with a whole slew of new comics for you and I to read (endure?). Also, the guys review Space Boy, a story full of sci-fi elements, the promise of the future yet to come, but most importantly, heart and soul. Don't miss this one!
RAW thought it would be a great idea to have a two-hour long Gauntlet Match and BOY were they right. As a result, Rollins elevated himself in an otherwise unremarkable lead-up to the Chamber match. Other notables: We feel your Titus exhaustion, Nia; turns out Crews can lose (his surname); get hyped for a new Dusty Rhodes Classic; Gargano says goodbye to the NXT universe (thanks for nothing, Ciampa); neither of us care about Rousey; we're hoping to see something exciting from the stories going into both Chambers; just DO SOMETHING MATT AND/OR BRAY; and how long will Cena stare at his hands after he's eliminated before they kick him out of the demonic structure?
Ever consider cloning yourself? Steve's son wants more of his dad, but his reasons aren't exactly loving and tender. Meanwhile, Jason's pulling all his knowledge on the subject from Multiplicity and The Prestige, so the conversation takes a turn for the zany and macabre. Finally, Steve's wife has been watching the Island and has some ideas of her own.
Before they look to the horizon and gaze into the future of what Digital Strips might be, the guys pause to look back, at the year that was (in comics, don't worry, we're not looking at ANYTHING else) and recall their favorite finds from 2017.
On the Road to Wrestlemania, it's always best to add more men to everything! Also this week: SmackDown Live continues to be the third-best WWE show on Tuesday nights, the Revival remembers just how much they hate legs, Bayley and Sasha tear it up but get shut down by Nia, Elias is over with the universe but under Braun's double bass, LANA IS THE BEST LANA NUMBER ONE, Kairi Sane is finally getting mad (and even), and a plea to just keep the shows as they are, please.
While Steve talks about digestive issues at Disney Land, Jason uses his pain to develop his screenplay for a Hangover x Disney movie. It's one of the best story ideas ever conceived, so don't steal it.
Man, bodies get old and give up on us, and that sucks. Know what will never give up on us, though? Those sweet, wonderful webcomics! Like Lookism, a shrewd look at the life of a bullied student and what it's like to get a measure of beautiful revenge, and Space Boy, a timeless escapism into the unknown, in more ways than one. Also, a talented 11-year-old has taken their hand at Trump comics and the promise they show has to be seen to be believed. The resistance is NOT futile!
Mixed Match Challenge had an off week, but that's ok because we also have ANNOUNCER BEEF! Also, the CWC is back with HHH running 205 Live now, and that's a-ok with us. All that, plus: Jason Jordan is now officially out, Alexa fears and fights for her title, Bayley has a good match (YES!), Elias proves he's main event material, Shane denies Rusev Day, the SmackDown Live Top 10 list is finally here and it's lame, Zayn vs. Owens is still a delight even when surrounded with BS booking, you need to check out Heavy Machinery like NOW, and we're replacing Steve with an Alexa-enabled device.
Jason is here with his take on three food adventures he and his stomach recently went on. Hear the banal terror that is Super Mario Cereal! Bask in the Mexican-spiced goodness that is Taco Bell's Nacho Fries! And fear the undercooked breaded nightmare of Lidl's Chicken Wings! Also, Steve is here to make fun of him the whole time.
Last week saw a TON of great wrestling coming out of WWE, and we talk about it all on this episode! Topics include: who had the match of the night at TakeOver; can Steve tell any tag team partners apart; a plea to get someone different booking SmackDown Live; why both Rumbles were very good this year; more Lesnar and Strowman mad at each other, please; more very, very good character work in the Mixed Match Challenge, please; Strowman dominates RAW and THE BOSS IS BACK; John Cena's no good, very bad, horrible Rumble weekend; and why Tyler Bate is our MVP of the Week.
Steve's daughter has discerning, but still lax, bathroom standards. Also, he flew with some booze-fueled football fans and it's not an experience he wants to repeat anytime soon. Meanwhile, Jason thinks he flew with a celebrity, but it's possible it was all in the guy's mind. Finally, in-flight movie recommendations! (The less nudity, the better.)
Steve found the four horsemen of the apocalypse and they're up to nothing but Horseplay, but his brief journey with Rachel Briner's Patches leaves him nostalgic for motherly love. Jason, meanwhile, contemplates Mike Norton's own words and asks, "Is there any writing necessary to make Lil' Donnie any more absurd than the real life man himself?"
RAW turned 25, but we really don't feel any different. Enzo Amore is no more-ay and 205 Live will get its first GM next week. And Vince reminded us he's still far out of touch with an announcement about the XFL. It's been a crazy week, and that's even mentioning: Stone Cold still delighting, lots of smiling and waving at RAW 25, what worked and what didn't at that show, screwy alignments in the SDL title picture still have us confused, the first-ever pin from a Blue Thunder Bomb (congrats, Sami!), the Mixed Match Challenge is still a delight, we were reintroduced to TM 61, plus our hopes and dreams (and fears) for TakeOver and the Rumble. Whew! With all that going on, we had to double the length! Hope you enjoy the wrastlin this weekend!
Steve takes a chance and risks losing it all for his son’s homeless man-fueled ping pong dreams, Jason remains hung-up on fast food, and both guys need to get the heck out of here before the soap operas start.
WWE has learned that Strowman is money, so he dominated the first hour of Raw; indie security fodder, Hawkins-chucking, and chocolate cake loving ensue and it's wonderful. Also wonderful this week: Asuka/Jax impresses, Jason Jordan is still the smartest man, The Revival is here to WRESTLE (don't check YouTube), Elias finds a new gig, Seth welcomed back an old friend, the U.S. Title was decided, Fashion Files still delights (even if it's harder to find), shut off your brain and enjoy the Mixed Match Challenge, check out all the new signings, Hardy promises the Broken-verse is coming, and please, WATCH NXT.
Steve teaches us that, when you're stuck in a fence, your tears become stronger than you realize. Jason just wants to nap, but it's the daytime and that will break his brain. And together, the guys debate the cleanliness of your bath water (hint: it depends on where it's been).
Look around backstage, you never know who, or what, you might find! Strowman's brute strength is again our highlight this week, but there are other items worth nothing, like: Rusev deserves all of the ... accolades, Jordan is still the smarmiest, slimiest heel on Raw, Paige hears some bad news, Matt and Bray inch closer to a new thing, TJP throws a fit after a CWC rematch, Titus and Apollo make it a win, exasperated Joe is the best Joe, Dakota Kai is a really good sport, and Shane is still the worst. Finally, just how DOES one watch a Facebook Watch?
Memory is tied to our senses in ways the guys don’t understand. Jason jumps between the soundtracks for Beverly Hills Cop and The Bodyguard when it comes to dictating his childhood. Steve finds Washington state to be EXTREMELY dank, but his need for Chinese food when Enrique Iglesias is belting out tunes means maybe we can’t trust him.
Skeletor's Balls, it's been a long time since I've posted the podcast. So to reward you fine folks I'm giving you one of the most fun episodes in recent memory. We talk about crazy animal horders, people who have our names as well as bad places to find ticks and worse things you can find in the sand. We get some comics in to. We get submerged by Aqaupunk,enchanted by Pepper and Carrot, entralled by Books of Adam and totally derailed by Campfire Stories. We end up with the most serious discussion that we've ever had about linguistics and butts. Join us please.
Are the fences still on? ARE THE FENCES STILL ON?!? Good. Now we can relax, have some ice cream, and enjoy some comics talk. The guys talk about the awesomeness of Der-shing Helmer, the gaming webcomic you're NOT reading, the awesomeness of Wonderella, and how many drugs Jess Fink must have taken to sustain the same sex scene for more than a year. Buckle up, this is going to be a long one!
No matter which color you see, you can trust that we talk about wrestling, Steven Universe, and why bad things happen to good shows. That, plus looks at comics like Manly Guys Doing Manly Things, Parallax, and The Last Halloween. Stick around after the brief outro music for a discussion of the upcoming Mortal Kombat game.
What you been reading:
Jason: Nothing
Steve:Undearth http://unearth.monsterama.com/
Mentions:
Derilict
Web Comics Overlook
Panel
Lovecraft is missing
Lady Sabre and the Pirates of some place
Also:
Our contact information
Don't play god
Moster Raman
Madlibs
Fieflys must die
Our over new show "Who do you think you are"
Jason learns about porn RSSes
Steve teaches Jason words
Jason's coworker does his job
In honor of Steve's religous holiday, two fighting game songs for you guys
http://ocremix.org/remix/OCR02279/
http://ocremix.org/remix/OCR02701/
Before we get too far into setting up the show, I'm going to warn you that Jason came in uber quite on the recording. It should be fine post edit, but if not, I did what I could and cranked that D-bag as high as he would go.
We go form zero to nerdy in record time as we delve into our limited knowlege of Shazam, one of those iconic DC chacacters that everyone knows, but no one knows anything about. Then Jason shows off how willing to play videos games his wife is and then lies about being brief wrapps it up by hitting us with the wierdest sexism ever.
Jason presents his comic, Our Adventure Continues, a comic about - and I quote - "Whatever the hell they want it to be about." Techically, that's what all comics are about, but try explaining that to Siglar.
Steve then gets Internet metaphysical with his pick Trekker. It's sci-fi. It's pulp. It's noire. I wouldn't get too hung up on the details. We do however and that leads us to again talk about what are webcomics, without deciding anything.
We touch on the latest Penny Arcade Scandel but not much, becuase it's stupid. We don't touch stupid things. We don't want to get the stupid on us.
This week's Rambletron is a bit a throw back. We talk abou the man you haven't thought about for years, Mr. Baseball himself, Tom Selleck. Look him up kiddos. Just soak in the Selleck.
We get into Battle pug, one Steve has been following since almost day one. We talk about the unspoken rules of being a barbarian. How to do a narrator side story properly. What fantasy tropes are beyond cliche at this point and what more do you need from a comic called Battle Pug than a pug who battles?
We kick things off be talking about what I'm sure is one everyone's mind: Pineapple. Our insightful take on this most important issue for our day that could have changed the lives of millions was quickly derailed by a decent into what Steve, Jason and Steve's son think of people who make different live choices. Steve moarns the lose of a potential good transtion.
We get in to Jason's pick which comes with no information beyond the name Zach Gorman. As usual, Steve's pick is completely diffrent, has more information, but you have to put up with his nonsense, which usually isn't worth it.
We ramble about curseing at work and how Steve's company combats it as well as how long it's been since Steve watched a commerical.
After that we jump junk deep into Part 4 of GunnerKrig Court. We talk about how many story theards we're going through and what it takes to keep up with them.
It's a good time. Enjoy.
Today I think I ate my yearly allotment of jelly beans so I really need to lay down, so I'll keep the write up short and my apologies for it even shorter.
This week it's round three of Digital Strips Book Club vs Gunnerkrigg Court. So far I think we're winning.
We come up with a new way to fantasize about Jason, talk about Scott Kurtz doing Scott Kurtzy things, Jason finds his new calling in life and new a rival in Wolf Blitzer. After a brief chat on how expensive microphones are, we talk about what Jason hasn't been reading and what Steve has been, even though it sounds like Jason will soon be reading it too. We talk about the death of Google Reader and what it means to Web comics (spoiler alert, bupkiss). All this and Jason's best worst attempt at creating an alternate universe.
After slash during that, we talk about the last 200 pages of Gunnerkrigg Court, if you're not reading along with us, now is a great time to join in, because I think thinks are really warming up and starting to point at something happening.
But hey, what do I know?
It's our first Horizons Watch of 2013 and we've brought two great, young comics, Dustin Parker's Civilian and James Stowe's Sidekick Quests, before you, the judges. Also, news about the future of Ryan Estrada's The Whole Story comic collection and a sweet minimalistic take on the Pac-Man theme by OCRemix artist Israfel in the midshow break.
We fight and fight and fight and fight and fight. Fight fight fight. Fight fight fight. The Petridish show.
Unsolved mysteries are solved, but then reopened and never looked at again. Visit the website for all the news stories that disappeared into the ether and enjoy the review of The Trouble and Dangerous! Also, a KILLER Robert Stack impersonation.
We're taking our hand at a Horizons Watch-ish show, leaner and meaner featuring a comic by tried-and-true creators and a slew of news, both good and bad.
Review and chatting about video games and webcomics and how they make sweet, sweet love together
A new kind of show for you guys the first of many awesome book club episodes to come I'm sure
No strip for an offical review this time, we just talk about the world of the web comics.
I like pajamas, I like forests. This comic seemed to be the natural progress from that.
You know a comic must be good if we recommend it even though it has more male nudity than female.
Two more super cool comics for you. Along with some super cool music and your super cool hosts. It's cool.
Finally we're back with another Zuda Watch to be enjoyed by you, our bestest of friends. Don't take any of that horrible stuff I said about you get you down. I didn't mean it.
Another great show featuring another great comic. Chronillogical, the best grad-student comic featuring time travel on the internet.
No Brigid this time so we get to say anything we want. Apparently we really wanted to say "boobies".
Hey we're back into the swing of interview folks and we picked a winner to start off with. David Gallaher, creator of the first real Zuda winner High Moon, is in the studio of Skype to tell us all about his Zuda success and more importantly how hopefully creators out there can do the same.
So we're barely scrapping by this month but it's still February so this still counts. Enjoy.
I had a pet pig when I was growing up and my wife looks hot in pigtails, maybe that's why I like this strip so much. Then again, it may just be that good. Check it out for yourself to find out.
We're without Brigid this time but what could have easily devolved into a pit of naming calling a fart noises turned out instead to be a total love fest. Not towards each other mind you, that would be gross. Rather instead we focus out affection on Evan Dahm's amazing web comic Order of Tales.
Another moon has come and gone and with it, it's time for us to lay the Zuda Watch upside your head. Enjoy.
Well the Internet is another year older and here we still are.
This episode is a look back on last year and the best web comics and web comics related news. Sit back, you might learn something.
Happy Holidays one and all. For our last show of the year, we're hitting you up with three of the best new strips we could fine. It's all good this time around.
It's time for some Holiday fun times, also for Steve to offend several different major groups of people. It's all comicy fun.
I know I'm squeaking this one in right before the deadline, but I wanted to let you guys snag it before the holiday (for those of you who have a holiday). Kick back and enjoy another round of Zuda Watchy Goodness.
We'll if you're an American, you've probably had your fill of voting by now, but if not there's plenty more you can do at the Web Comic's Idol contest. Listen to us weigh in on the competitors.
Three more new strips for everyone this week. This time around, everyone of them just shines in the art department, but in its own special way. As for over all qaulity, the opinions vary. Tune in to hear what we think about One Swoop Fell, Ellie Connelly and Bear Nuts.
It's time for a review. This time on the chopping block is Hereville, the adventures of a plucky young girls and her quest to become a fair dinkum dragon slayer. Along the way she'll meet witches, battle trolls and teach us all a little bit about bravery and Jewish culture. Find out what we thing of the whole thing on this episode of Digital Strips.
10 comics on one side, three critics on the other. What more could you possibly want? It's the October 2008 edition of Digital Strips Zuda Watch.
Rather than take one creator and crush their soul we figured, hey why not crush three souls. This is a new monthly feature where we'll recommend some strips that we like but are still too young to get a full review. Because some times a strip just is what it is.
One a very special Zuda watch, we learn a whole lot about Midnight. It turns out he's a sensitive man who loves his grandmother and vampires. He's a powerful defender of decency and is not afraid to admit when he is very very wrong. Tune in and we all grow closer together and tear down both emotional walls, and the egos of various Zuda creators.
We also see that Steve doesn't get dirty names very often. Like at all. Even the obvious ones.
Sad Robots. Sad Dinosaurs. Sad Stick Figures. We haven't review this much sad black and white stuff since Pictures for Sad Children. This show takes on The Robot is Sad by Tam Nguyen of The Daily Cougar.
Wow what a show. I don't think I've ever heard the words "pedophile" and "wiener" used so much in a half hour podcast before. And yet here it is. The strip that inspired such bawdy language was Captain Excelsior, a strip that combines the efforts of two experienced creators. Does this super hero have the power to entertain? Or to move you? Tune in to find out.
We think this was the strongest month yet for Zuda, but that doesn't mean there weren't some stinkers. Tune to find out which strips are Digital Strips approved.
Further proof that the world is coming to the end, Jason and Steve do a whole review of a comic featuring topless women without having the whole show be about boobs. Maybe Brigid really is bringing some class this place.
During this years WCCA's there were two strips that cleaned housed: Lackadaisy which we reviewed a while back and all loved, and Octopus Pie which we're reviewing now. Will it also recieve total affection? Tune in now, (or later, when you have time, that's kind of the beauty of podcasting) to find out.
We get back to what we do best, reading one strip and going in deep. This time we take on Planet Saturday, by one of Pacman's old buddies, Monty S. Kane.
This month the Zuda competitors are all returnees from previous rounds. The doubly long comics allowed for us to really see what these creators had, or didn't have. When it's good it's very good. When it bad it very bad. Not much apathy from this crop.
It's the Harvey Awards this time around. We look at Dairy of a Wimpy Kid, E-Z Street, Penny Arcade, Perry Bible Fellowship and The Surreal Adventures of Edgar Allen Poo.
This week we take a look at and give our opinions on the Eisner Award nominees for the Best Digital Comic category. We take on The Abominable Charles Christopher, Immortal, The Process, Panda Xpress! and Sugarshock.
Then we get in to what criteria comics should be judged by and give the strips we think should have been nominated, but weren't.
This week we go after what Jason calls the best strip he's ever reviewed. Good ship Chronicles
Another Month another 10 Zuda Combatants. Who impressed us and who fails to do so, all inside this episode of Digital Strips.
Another month, another Zuda competition and of course, another Zuda Watch. This month's crop is strong for the most part, but that doesn't mean we won't put them all in their place.
One of the most wide spread shows we've had since the Golden age of Daku and Zampson, the three of us tear into Chronicle with our wide and varied opinions. It's good times.
There is an abundance of strips out there but it seems the people who got together and created Koallawallop know some hidden secret. This is the third strip we’ve reviewed from the group and so far it’s simplicity only goes to make this a fantastic story. Here’s what Steve and Jason have to say about it.
What’s come out of the San Diego Comic-Con? Who won the Eisner? Get your post Comic-Con wrap up here.
This will be the first in a series of podcasts to take advantage of summer vacation. Here we have one of my favorite drawn strips in a long time. Join us as we explore this vampire version of Romeo and Juliet. Actually everyone is already dead so we can’t be romantic, we’ll just have to settle for vengence. In this episode we talk about:
- Red Dahlia by John Daiker and Amber “glych? Greenlee
| Digital Strips Show 31 [16.3 mb] | This week on Digital Strips we talk with Ryan Estrada. Ryan describes himself as Artist, Animator, Adventurer and he has a resume to back that up. His work has taken him across the globe and the top notch cartooning he does makes his work well worth a read. Daku interviews Ryan from Thailand.Also during the show we discuss the start of the Great Web Comics Scavenger Hunt. The topic for the month of August is Pirates. So, gather your list of comics about Pirates and send them in to us as your contest submission.This week we talk about :
- ryanestrada.com by Ryan Estrada
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This week's Entry from the We Love Web Comics Contest:
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[ Click the image to see it full size ] | Entry sent in by : Andrew JoanisContestant Web Site : Big Cheese Press |