Two more comics you should be reading online right now.

Steve Lafler is one of the most criminally under-appreciated cartoonists of the past 20 or so years.  His older stuff can be hard to find but thanks to C02 you can now read his Dog Boy comics online.  I strongly suggest you check them out.  They also have some his newer work like El Vocho ready for you to read.  Every once in a while teh intronets get things right.  This is one of those times.  I also recommend you go to his page and pick up a copy of Tranny.  It is very good. 

Patrick Dean is one of my favorite cartoonists and drawers.  Patrick's comics and art come from a very strange and funny place.  I've talked about his minicomics before here on fuo and even had him on my "best of" list but he has not had a lot of stuff on the web.  Until now!  Over the past few months, Patrick has been updating his comics blog almost daily.  Sometimes with old comics, sometimes with new comics and sometimes with amazing color art.  I've said it on twitter many times that everyone needs to subscribe to his blog and now I'm saying it here.  There, I said it. 

Patrick will be on Indie Island at HeroesCon next week so swing by and buy up all his comics.  (I'll be there too.) 

Your best pal ever,

Shannon Smith

Two comics you should read online right now.

I wanted to share links to a couple of comics you can read online for free right now.  

The great Ben Towle is serializing his new "graphic novel in progress" The Oyster War online.  It is clever, fun, exciting and beautifully drawn.  There is some master class level drawing going on here and the colors are perfect.  Everything about it is inspiring to me.  The drawing, lettering, colors, story telling and especially the character designs.  It's just packed with great stuff to look at.  And boats!  I love boats.  Every single panel so far has been great.  The comic starts here.  Do yourself a favor and check it out.

Ben will be at HeroesCon next weekend.  You should check out his stuff in person.  I'm sure that he will also be moderating a panel or three because his head is full of brains.

My pal Brad McGinty has re-modeled his website and has made his complete graphic novel Wysteria available online.  I talked in depth about the Wysteria minicomics a while back in a fuo review.  They are some of my favorite minicomics of all time.  The online version includes the conclusion to the book which I have not yet read.  I'm trying to hold out to read it on paper first but only because I'm weird.  I will probably fail to hold out though because it looks really fantastic and I'm anxious to read the whole thing in one chunk.  Wysteria is a fascinating adventure and features some rich and wonderful art that I can get lost in of for hours.  You should check it out.  (Brad is also taking pre-orders for a hardback version.)

Brad will be at HeroesCon next week.  You should buy up all his comics and hit him up for a sketch.  Brad is one of the great guys to watch draw. He is super fast and amazing with a brush.  Make sure to check him out on Indie Island.  

Your best pal ever,

Shannon Smith

You should go read Rich Tommaso's Web of Comics.

I sort of know Rich Tommaso but not really. It's been a few years since I've seen him and I doubt he would remember me. I sat beside him at the very first convention where I set up as an artist with a minicomic. He also lived/worked across the street from a bookstore I worked at in Atlanta around the time his book The Horror of Collier County came out. He and Jon Lewis were in the store enough for me to recognize them as 'those dudes that made comics'. (Lewis was doing Robin at the time.) At the time I was just wrapping my brain around the idea of drawing comics for real and giving up on the idea that other people might volunteer to draw them for me. So, here was Tommaso, a guy from my town making comics, so I tracked down a lot of his stuff. Rollercoaster, Clover Honey, Let's Hit the Road and even Cannibal Porn. I really liked all that stuff and became a fan. I think Tommaso's stuff is very underrated. My theory on that is that indie comics have really been in love with the full length graphic novel at least since Blankets broke big. Tommaso's works have been more along the lines of short stories and it seems to be a lot harder to turn those into hits in the indie world. I mean, how many examples can you think of? Eightball? Individual stories in Love and Rockets? And... umm... well, I think that's it. Personally, I love the shorter stories and Tommaso is great at them. His stuff reads like really great episodes of the Twilight Zone and that's about as nice a thing as I can say about an entertainment product. But who cares about my opinion when you've got teh intonets? Unlike me, you don't have to track down Tommaso's books though special order clerks. You can check it out for free right here on teh intronets. Tommaso has launched/re-launched a website/bloggie-thing. It looks really great. I love the way everything is formatted. It's pretty ambitious. You should check it out for yourself. Right now.

Your best pal ever,
Shannon Smith

Go read Redskin Rashy on teh intronets for free.

Josh Latta's Redskin Rashy is one of my favorite books of 2009. You should go buy it. Oh, wait! It's sold out! Oh well. Josh is such a swell fellow that he will let you read it for free here and now.

Your best pal ever,
Shannon Smith

Here Comes Madness

There is probably a correct term for the kind of comics Michael Kupperman makes but I just call them "crazy ass comics". It's one of my favorite genres and Kupperman is one of the best.  (Go ahead and ask me who my other favorites are.  I'd love to tell you all about them.) Here Comes Madness is his new blog where he is posting a lot of great comics and other funny stuff. As I've said before, I like blogs for webcomics because all I have to do is move my scrolly thing and I don't have to use any hand eye co-ordination to click an arrow. The comics are shoot-coffee-out-your-nose funny so go bookmark it now and thank God you can still get this kind of stuff for free. (Well, ya know, minus the cost of computer, introwebnet access, electricity etc.)

Your best pal ever,
Shannon Smith

President Awesome

President Awesome is a new blog style webcomic by Dean Trippe and Evan Bryce.  There are only a few strips up so there is not a lot for me to "review" but I'm posting the link anyway for several reasons.   1) I like Dean Trippe.  2)  That's an awesome title.  3) I like blog format web comics because I don't have to click any buttons.  I can just use my scrolly thing. 4) So far it appears to be satirizing peoples' reactions to or perceptions of "President Awesome" more than the just the person in question.  I think that is pretty clever and will be more self-sustaining than the other option.  5) It looks really nice so far.  I like everything about the way Bryce draws.  But, as I usually say with webcomics, you don't have to take my word for it.  Just click away.

Your best pal ever,

Shannon Smith

Planet Karen could use your help.

Those of you that still have jobs and income might consider helping out Karen Ellis as she tries to get her life in order after losing just about everything in a house fire.  Click here for more information.

Your best pal ever,

Shannon Smith

Webcomics: Road Crew by Tommie Kelly

Road Crew by Tommie Kelly

http://www.roadcrewcomic.com/

This webcomic starts off as a bare bones rock dude equivalent of what Penny Arcade is to gamers.  If that were all it did that would be fine by me.  I once was a rock dude and can relate to the situations.  I found a lot of laughs in this strip and was pretty eager to go from page to page looking for more.  If you start the strip from the beginning (which I recommend) you will see that it grows beyond just the obvious jokes and fan pandering and that the characters actually turn into, well, characters.  The art gets progressively better as well but I don't' really care about that all that much.  Sure I like nice looking comics but a better mastery of photoshop does not make the strips any funnier.   It does have a few spots were it becomes more soap opera than comedy but those are pretty strong strips too.  I think I prefer the simpler comedy strips but each entry is good enough for me to hit the "next" arrow.

Your best pal ever,

Shannon Smith

Webcomics: You + Me: dream by Megan Rose Gedris

You + Me: dream by Megan Rose Gedris.

I still have mixed feelings about trying to put together any kind of review for webcomics but I think this one is worth pointing out.  It's just fantastic looking.  Just look at the pic above.  Gedris's drawing is great and despite her youth captures a lot of what I liked about how Marvel artists drew the ladies (especially their hands and hair) in the 70's.  Guys like Romita and Colan.  But her character designs are a lot more adventurous than old super hero books.  Each character has their personality expressed through how they are drawn.  The biggest thing that makes this strip stand out for me is the coloring.  I just think it's fantastic.  I also love the lettering.  Of course, all you have to do to make me love the lettering in your web comic is not use lame computer fonts.  It's pretty simple but at least 95% of webcomics lose me on this one.  

As far as the what the strip is about?  I'll let you click the info link for yourself.  I can't honestly say the thing makes a ton of sense to me.  I'm probably not the target audience but the characters are interesting and the thing looks great so it has earned a spot in my google reader.

Your best pal ever,

Shannon Smith

Webcomics: THE DHARBLOG

Comics retailer, convention organizer, karaoke superstar and cartoonist Dustin Harbin has relaunched THE DHARBLOG and plans to add a new comic each week.  His hope is to have a new strip up each Monday morning.  Normally, I would wait until a web comic has several months of strips before I mention it here but if you click on the strip tab on the right side of the blog you will find a nice collection of comics he has created in the past year or so. 

To my knowledge, Dustin has only been making comics for a year or so (or at least he has only been showing them to people for that time).  The comics are so good I want to punch him in the stomach.  It is bad enough that his drawing displays much more talent and skill than I have but the comics are also smart and funny.  This angers me a great deal and makes me feel bad about myself.  I can't think of many cartoonists making stuff that looks this great right out of the gate.  In a short (but respectable) body of work, Dustin has already displayed a wide range of styles and a very full trick bag.  I really look forward to what the ongoing web strip will deliver.  

Dustin is also a very clever and funny blogger with a lot of insight on the comics biz from his years behind the retail counter.  I suggest you bookmark his blog right away.

Your best pal ever,

Shannon Smith

Ngaitana by Lupi

Ngaitana by Lupi.

Available as a web comic here.

This is one of the better results from this year's 24 Hour Comics Day that I have seen.  The drawing is strong but simple.  The storytelling is smart and tight.  The dialog has a lightness and spontenaity that does not match the subject matter but I actually see this as a strength.  The subject matter is borderline disturbing so the humor makes it a bit easier to take.  It is my understanding that the comic is not yet complete but the pages that are there are worth a look and worth bookmarking to come back and see the ending.  Warning to my squimish friends.  If you are like me and have to turn your head when medical shows are on TV then you might read this one with one eye closed.  ("Ngaitana" means "I will circumcise myself" so that should give you and idea on what to expect.)

Your best pal ever,

Shannon Smith  

Webcomics: Brad McGinty's Paper Pusher

Brad McGinty has been posting a new run of webcomics over at his Paper Pusher blog.  I never put a lot of effort into reviewing webcomics because you dear reader can click on the links and judge fore yourself.  I'm obvioulsy already a big fan of Brad's but I'm excited to see these strips because they show Brad working in an unrestrained off the top of his head style.  I think Brad is one of the absolute best and funniest at this kind of comic.  Right up there with my pal Patrick Dean and the esteemed Ruben Bolling.  I hope Brad can keep knocking these things out.  So far, he seems to be posting about one each week.  Check it out.

Your best pal ever,

Shannon Smith

Webcomics: Brad N' Josh by Brad McGinty and Josh Latta

Josh Latta has posted (what I beleive) is the complete run of one of my favorite tragically canceled comic strips on his blog. These jam strips are hilarious early comics by Josh and his Cute Girl Demographics partner Brad McGinty. This strip was once the only reason I picked up the InSite paper. I think the paper went under soon after they dropped the strip so take that papers that don't run Shannon Smith's favorite comics! I'm lucky enough to own these strips as collected in some of Brad and Josh's early minicomics but if you don't then you should go read these fine webcomics now. (They're comics. They're on the web. They're webcomics.) Speaking of webcomics... hey webcomics creators: Look at the fantastic hand lettering in these Brad N' Josh strips. If your computer generated webcomic lettering does not look as good as those Brad N' Josh strips then maybe it's time to re-evaluate your dependence on computer lettering. I'm just sayin'.

Your best pal ever,
Shannon Smith

Webcomics: PEE WEE SCHOONER by Jamie Cosley

Pee Wee Schooner by Jamie Cosley

Free webcomic.

I posted a review of Cosley's comic Nobody Likes Tony Pony back in January. I liked the book a lot and I've been seeing his stuff develop and grow both on his blog and on The Comics Journal Message Board's art sharing thread. Jamie's stuff has always made me laugh but I think he is quickly bringing it all together. Stronger backgrounds, more confident and relaxed drawing, more ambitious storytelling. He is starting a new webcomic he will serialize on his blog. I'm excited to follow it and see how it develops. I love space adventure/comedy stuff and this looks like it should be fun.

Your best pal ever,

Shannon Smith