Achewood

November 12, 2002 3:06 PM

Yes, it's another Internet-only comic strip But this one would never make it past the security guard at your local newspaper. It happens to be really, really funny, especially if you appreciate humor on the warped side. What are the other worthwhile comics that may be flying under the radar due to their "not quite ready for mainstream" content?
posted by jeremias (106 comments total)

indeed! the greatest comic of all time can be read only on the internet.
posted by mcsweetie at 3:20 PM on November 12, 2002

Diesel Sweeties!
posted by Fstop at 3:20 PM on November 12, 2002

I'd be more inclined to think this one's "flying under the radar" because it's badly drawn and not funny, but whatever floats your boat.
posted by mr_crash_davis at 3:21 PM on November 12, 2002

Um..I missed the bit where its funny...
posted by Orange Goblin at 3:22 PM on November 12, 2002

Sinfest!
posted by agaffin at 3:22 PM on November 12, 2002

You know, the only credit I give my own cartooning ability is that I can openly acknowledge that I'm not good enough to ask people for money. What's this guy's excuse?

No offense, jeremias, but this guy sucks. Web toons like Penny Arcade aren't popular just because they're online and have dirty content, they're popular because they're funny. There's no special paradigm of quality that applies to them: just like print cartoons, there's one good one for every few dozen that slip by... this looks to me like one of the dozen.

I respect obscurity and dark humor, it makes stuff like Red Meat and Dark Hotel worth reading. But this guy isn't "getting past the janitor" because he's some misunderstood obscure humorist. He's just not good.

I draw comics for my school paper, too. They're not very good either. I need to improve and get better before I start suggesting that people give me money. Why do so many other cartoonists seem to misunderstand this concept?
posted by XQUZYPHYR at 3:23 PM on November 12, 2002

Is it not Nifty?

Sluggy Freelance has to be the best online comic ... hands down!
posted by Dillenger69 at 3:23 PM on November 12, 2002

Mad props to bruno! I often have to remind myself that she isn't real.
posted by gdav at 3:25 PM on November 12, 2002

XQUZYPHYR: Your sense of humility is appreciated.
posted by monkeyman at 3:28 PM on November 12, 2002

I don't know about you, but I thought this one was a riot!
posted by hama7 at 3:28 PM on November 12, 2002

wrong wrong wrong.

achewood rules.

if you can't find the humor in it, may i suggest the family circus, grandpa.

honestly, this is something i feel strongly about. i've got no problem with elitism in comic strips.

Marmaduke? B.C.? Prince Valiant? Spiderman? Cathy? Dennis The Menace? Beetle Bailey? Garfield?

these comics are just BAD, people.
posted by fishfucker at 3:36 PM on November 12, 2002

also, i'm shocked no-one's linked POKEY THE PENGUIN yet.

These comics are pushing the medium in such a way that occaisionally, they're hard to recognize as the convential strips with which we're familar, which makes it easy, perhaps, to say they're terrible -- but i think -- or at least hope -- that they'll push syndicated comic strips beyond the bland formulaic hallmark cards that they are at present.
posted by fishfucker at 3:40 PM on November 12, 2002

no-one's = no-one has -- i'm pushing the english language here, folks, in such a manner that it's easy to say, occasionally, that i don't speak english at all, but rather a never before heard moonman gibberish.
posted by fishfucker at 3:41 PM on November 12, 2002

"I hate you Milkman Dan!"
posted by CoolHandPuke at 3:47 PM on November 12, 2002 [1 favorite]

WulffMorgenthaler, as seen near the bottom of k10k's home page.
posted by kickingtheground at 3:50 PM on November 12, 2002

I kept looking for something funy in that strip, and I never found any. I wouldn't even say the humor is very 'edgy' at all, Certanly less edgy then the boondocks which does apear in the paper.

Oh, and there's always get your war on the old standby of edgy humor :P
posted by delmoi at 3:50 PM on November 12, 2002

This one might get a thumbs down from some of our more reactionary members, but Mr. Wiggles cracks me the fuck up. It joins Diesel Sweeties, Achewood, and The Joy of Tech on my daily read list.
posted by maniactown at 3:53 PM on November 12, 2002

I just discovered Achewood two weeks ago (via blogfucker), and already it's my favorite internet strip, replacing the often brilliant but lately uneven Bob the Angry Flower.

I'm glad someone had the guts to make a post about internet comics. I've wanted to do it myself so that I could find some more good ones, but I thought others might consider it bad form. It's hard to tell just how well-known a given comic is.
posted by Hildago at 3:56 PM on November 12, 2002

Hotendotey - NOT for under 18 + the easily offended, sensitive, PC types- really, I mean it...it's a sick, sick site- but funny as hell- especially some of the other parts of the site and the 'reader' pics...


don't say you weren't warned...


posted by ayukna at 3:59 PM on November 12, 2002

Dammit! Maniactown beat me to it. Mr. Wiggles rocks, in a rather disturbing way. Also worth a look: those drinky drink kids.
posted by johnny vagabond at 4:04 PM on November 12, 2002

Ruski and Bunny, good regardless, all the more funny for those that actually know these two characters.

(Rated (R), not suitable for viewing by minors, elderly, politically correct, religiously fanatical, or boring types)
posted by randomblondeboy at 4:04 PM on November 12, 2002

I know webmutant would never self-link, so I'll point you to his damn funny Goth Comic.
posted by Lokheed at 4:09 PM on November 12, 2002

um... no.

This comic has bad art and horrible story.

Megatokyo is just about the only online comic (manga) I find suitable for reading.
posted by azazello at 4:15 PM on November 12, 2002

Space Moose is the king of offensive, poorly drawn, college paper comics.
posted by D.C. at 4:19 PM on November 12, 2002

XQUZ, you have your moments!
posted by amberglow at 4:20 PM on November 12, 2002

I can't believe that no one has mentioned Something Positive yet. It's the most consistently funny out of all the webcomics I've read.
posted by Pharkas at 4:20 PM on November 12, 2002

"um... no. This comic has bad art and horrible story. Megatokyo is just about the only online comic (manga) I find suitable for reading."

::shrugs:: i guess it all depends on what you're into. some people would describe megatokyo as just being "a stroke-mag for pedophiles."

it's not for everybody... but if you see some of the things that a lot of us regulars see, or find a lot of the same things funny, then the comic is frickin' genius. the story arc where phillipe had to marry the flower was pure hilarity.

it's near perfect in my eyes... i like just about every aspect of it, save onstad being an asshole in the forums.
posted by lotsofno at 4:21 PM on November 12, 2002 [1 favorite]

Girl vs. Pig
posted by chris24 at 4:22 PM on November 12, 2002

JERKCITY (THE SHELLING CONTINUES)
posted by jcruelty at 4:38 PM on November 12, 2002

Sexy Losers - necrophilia, self-gratification, horny moms, sex, and sex. Not for the easily offended or the underage.
But interesting, in its own special way.
posted by jheiz at 4:40 PM on November 12, 2002

Many of the people who didn't like Achewood commented just minutes after the post was made. This indicates that they probably only read one or two comics. Clearly, it's unfair to make claims about an entire strip if you haven't read very much of it. I have a feeling that there would be a couple of retractions if people read the entire archive (not that long), but then again, different strokes for different folks.

It's the absurd sweeping generalizations I mind.
posted by Hildago at 4:41 PM on November 12, 2002

Well, it seems a little silly to sit here and debate whether Achewood is funny or not. I'll just say it cracks me up, at least.
posted by Kafkaesque at 4:42 PM on November 12, 2002

some people would describe megatokyo as just being "a stroke-mag for pedophiles."
Some people would say the same thing about metafilter.
posted by delmoi at 4:43 PM on November 12, 2002

Thankfully, there are dozens of really wonderful webcomix out there. Makes up for the fact that all but a handful of published strips suck. A recent one (to me) that I stumbled across recently (perhaps even here, hey!) is CatandGirl. Great comic, but VERY esoteric. Appreciation of irony and existentialism a must.
posted by elendil71 at 4:45 PM on November 12, 2002

Jake the Rake.
posted by alms at 4:47 PM on November 12, 2002

Many of the people who didn't like Achewood commented just minutes after the post was made. This indicates that they probably only read one or two comics. Clearly, it's unfair to make claims about an entire strip if you haven't read very much of it.


But why would I read the entire archive before I made up my mind? If a strip isn't funny in one strip it's not funny enough.


I see the humor in the strip, its just that it sucks. Basically a juxtaposition of 'folksy' animals with a small amount of hedonism (the guy in the thong, the drugs) and then some absurdity thrown in for good measure. It's so Avant Guard! Wait, no it's not it's trite and lame and poorly executed. The strip is drawn with incredibly bad artistic skill. To the point that the images are acutely ugly in a lot of the cases.


THERE IS NO EDGE, to this strip at all. Nothing shocking at all. Since its intended humor is based on shock-value (not moral shock value but 'surreal' shock-value), this is a pretty big problem.



It's like that wegu thing but without the funnyness.
posted by delmoi at 4:49 PM on November 12, 2002

my band rocks more than your band.
posted by fishfucker at 4:54 PM on November 12, 2002

crap humor != warped humor
posted by Riptor at 4:55 PM on November 12, 2002

There are a whole bunch of online only comics at a subscription site called Serializer.net, including a color version of Achewood. (which I discovered recently and find hilarious, especially this one) This guy also does some interesting stuff there too.
posted by Pukadon at 4:55 PM on November 12, 2002

You obviously haven't read the strip, delmoi.
First, if you only read today's episode, you're missing the current story line which starts here. Further, you must not be familiar with the genre itself. Like any daily, some are much funnier than others. Everybody has their moments, ya know?
posted by maniactown at 5:01 PM on November 12, 2002

did i mention i love leisuretown too?

ah, i'm such the unsophistifcate.

i'm also a big tom green fan, so maybe that explains things. i mean, there's pretty much a TOM GREEN INDEX -- people with identical index numbers, should, if my arithmetic is accurate (i rocked the minute math tests in 1st grade folks, so you can be pretty sure), enjoy the same type of humor.

Thus -- we can deduce (or is it induce? i wasn't so rockin' at the "tautology ten minute debacle") that those of you who do not like tom green will not like achewood, and you can save yourself from clicking right this moment, and send those nickels straight to me!
posted by fishfucker at 5:05 PM on November 12, 2002

wow. i swear i have no idea how i managed to mistype unsophisticate -- a made-up word already -- like that. i suspect it was all the mirth.
posted by fishfucker at 5:06 PM on November 12, 2002

maniactown:

Your wrong. I did read that strip, and every one after it. I still think the comic sucks.
posted by delmoi at 5:08 PM on November 12, 2002

Tom Green is shocking. achewood is NOT SHOCKING. There is nothing shocking about it!

Its just a collection of lame, unfunny jokes. It dosn't poke fun at anything or anyone the way tom green does... I don't even see how you can compare the two.
posted by delmoi at 5:11 PM on November 12, 2002

I hate to associate it with a sad attempt at humour like this, but I typed in www.goats.com completely arbitrarily three years ago and I haven't looked back since.
posted by DrJohnEvans at 5:12 PM on November 12, 2002

fishfucker: Did you just do a google search for 'tom green index' and return the top two results without even looking at them?
posted by delmoi at 5:12 PM on November 12, 2002

"Did you just do a google search for 'tom green index' and return the top two results without even looking at them?"

Now that's funny.
posted by mr_crash_davis at 5:14 PM on November 12, 2002

I don't get it. Does delmoi like Achewood or not?
posted by Kafkaesque at 5:15 PM on November 12, 2002

Start at the beginning and give Achewood five minutes of your frenetically busy time. It only takes about five minutes to make it just about the funniest thing you have ever seen, but it takes a special kind of person: a person who is not afraid to find joy in what everyone else has told them that it is OK to find joy in.

I read Achewood before I read Wigu, and that is saying a LOT.
posted by wigu at 5:38 PM on November 12, 2002

The linked comic was just entirely unfunny. Not in a deep "it's not supposed to be funny" kind of way either. Just some lame-ass computer jokes combined with stereotypical bullshit about blacks and drug use. Classic computer dork humor. I really wonder what the deal is with computer dorks being so fascinated with blacks and drugs when they don't know anything about either one. Damn, I hope this guy's not a black drug user and I'm totally stereotyping him, but I've seen it in way too much "online humor."

This stuff (online humor in general) has just never appealed to me. I think it's a cultural thing that I'll never understand. I'm just not a dork, no matter how much time I spend on the Internet.

The captions for that "captionistas" thread contained a lot of horrible computer dork humor (reference to a website in a cartoon about an angel in a jail cell???) also, plus some bizarre "high brow" humor that I just could not understand, and it was not because I hadn't read whatever classic was quoted.

I hate to say it, and it really makes me feel bad, but this was horrible, too. Why, God, why would someone put a Hitchiker's Guide to the Galaxy reference in a comic strip about the drug trade?

Red Meat, Cat and Girl, and Get Your War On (all linked above) are all genuinely enjoyable comics, though. So I'm not gonna "throw out the baby with the bath water." HA HA HHAHAHA!
posted by son_of_minya at 5:46 PM on November 12, 2002

But why would I read the entire archive before I made up my mind? If a strip isn't funny in one strip it's not funny enough.

What? I'm not trying to convince you of anything Delmoi--you either like the strip or you don't--but how can you back up the above statement? Viewing small parts of things allows you to make declarations about the whole?

If I found a bad strip from Calvin and Hobbes, this means the whole thing is bad? Huh? Name me a comic strip that is uniformly funny to every person every day, and I will begin to lobby for the Nobel Prize to go to its author.
posted by Hildago at 5:54 PM on November 12, 2002

perfect: The International League of Pedants--from goats hysterical!
posted by amberglow at 5:54 PM on November 12, 2002

But why would I read the entire archive before I made up my mind? If a strip isn't funny in one strip it's not funny enough.

Because you enjoy pain? Same reason script readers stop if the first ten pages (or less) are horrible. True, there are some people who will think something's good, no matter what it is. Some people have bad taste.

If I found a bad strip from Calvin and Hobbes, this means the whole thing is bad? Huh?

There is no strip from Calvin and Hobbes that's bad!

Maybe there are some people who don't like Calvin and Hobbes. Like...Osama bin Laden???

Seriously, it's not a question of "this is funny to me" or not. Personal taste does figure into it, obviously, but there are some things that just aren't good. Hard Rock Zombies is a bad movie, for example. Some rare freak may love it, but if you were being paid money to tell someone what's good and what's bad...and you said it's good...you would be fired.
posted by son_of_minya at 6:04 PM on November 12, 2002

Jeremias:
I looked through a half dozen and couldn't find one I found funny. Can you point us to a specific one or two upon which we can judge this strip?
posted by stevefromsparks at 6:05 PM on November 12, 2002

PVPOnline rocks me like a hurricane and Angst Technology makes me feel funny in my special place. You know... my spleen.
posted by crankydoodle at 6:06 PM on November 12, 2002

oh yeah! not to toot my horn or anything but, BEEP BEEP! my megaman comics were the SHITE!

and another thing, diesel sweeties sucks.
posted by mcsweetie at 6:08 PM on November 12, 2002

But Ray... Cowboys!
posted by Andrea at 6:24 PM on November 12, 2002

I think the first dozen or episodes of this are gold. Actually (self-link), I like all of Flak's comics.
posted by blueshammer at 6:50 PM on November 12, 2002

Dieselsweeties does not suck! It's not belly-laugh funny either ... but at least it isn't User Friendly. It's a daily visit, at least.
posted by bonaldi at 6:54 PM on November 12, 2002

Calvin and Hobbes?

You mean the Calvin and Hobbes that I...





...Boned?
posted by lotsofno at 7:06 PM on November 12, 2002 [1 favorite]

I would like everyone to observe that all mainstream (newspaper) comics today fucking suck ass.

I used to love getting the paper and flipping straight to the comics page to indulge in the latest C&H and Far Side and Bloom County. Now what do I have to look forward to? More Garfield? Boondocks? Foxtrot? Okay, maybe Foxtrot.

But damn, it's like every newspaper editor somehow got bad marketing info that people really dig Mary Worth and Funky Winkerbean.

Are internet comics any better? For 95% of them, no. Sinfest recycles jokes worse than Garfield's Lasagna skit. Even my favorite Ozy & Millie has gotten weak lately, and I could have sworn it was the second coming of Calvin and Hobbes. Well, maybe not second coming, but a reasonable Cover Band, like when Lynyrd Skynrd replaced all the dead guys.

Penny Arcade probably wouldn't be as strong without the accompanying blog of Tycho and Gabe's, but that's the whole schtick of it, so I can't complain about that. PvP has it's hits and misses. Sluggy, while really good, is like a Dragonball Z episode where people take 3 months to throw a punch.

(continues rambling on about the good old days of comics while the kids roll their eyes)
posted by Stan Chin at 7:06 PM on November 12, 2002

Dude, goats.com
is the hottest thing out there. Just like Dr. Evans, I typed in Goats.com randomly looking for a domain to buy, and i'm a complete regular. ANd the best part is for those of you who crave a more intelligent approach i suggest you start reading Patent Pending, written and drawn by the same guy. It's very smart and smart alec-y. Most of th ethe other stuff at Moderntales.com is pretty decent too, altho i refuse to pay for webcomics, tho i will donate from time to time.

the sad thing aobut webcomics, is that they are the new slap'em up websites. Remember when the web was new? And everyone and their brother was makign their own website, with the cheesy animated flames and scrolling text and the DREADED Blink tag? oh man, well now, everyone thinks they can do a webcomic, hell i thought i could do one....thank god i got over that fast.

GO WEBCOMICS!
posted by Like the Reef at 7:19 PM on November 12, 2002

If I found a bad strip from Calvin and Hobbes, this means the whole thing is bad? Huh?


I'm not saying that ALL the strips have to make me laugh out loud, or at least be enjoyable on their own, but a good portion of them should.

In other words, you should be able to find a strip in the series, or a sequence of strips that's funny easily. The fact that there may be one or two bad ones in the mix doesn't make it terrible. There are lots of Diesel Sweeties that don't make me laugh (I'd say 40% maybe) but it's still a good comic because there are ones, a lot of ones, that do.

There are also comics that are more sequential and have a lot more continuity, but this certainly doesn't seem to be one of 'em.

I probably looked at about 20 or 30 trying to figure out what you guys thought was so funny, and the only conclusion I can draw is that you lack taste. Sorry. I really just don't understand how you can find this funny. I mean, could you at least try to explain it?
posted by delmoi at 7:39 PM on November 12, 2002

Jeremias:
I looked through a half dozen and couldn't find one I found funny. Can you point us to a specific one or two upon which we can judge this strip?

Um, okay. These two made me laugh.

http://www.achewood.com/11082001.html
http://www.achewood.com/10292002.html
posted by jeremias at 7:46 PM on November 12, 2002 [1 favorite]

i always liked the flower story.

man, that fourth panel on the third one is gold...
posted by lotsofno at 7:51 PM on November 12, 2002

Some more good ones: 1,2,3
posted by Hildago at 7:53 PM on November 12, 2002

oh lord, this one is awesome. "course I been drinkin'! drinkin' is awesome!"
posted by mcsweetie at 7:57 PM on November 12, 2002

I'm going to agree with delmoi, according to the examples given, I declare that comic unfunny by my standards.
posted by Stan Chin at 7:57 PM on November 12, 2002

You want unfunny? You think *that* strip is UNFUNNY?!?

I have two words for you:
David Gonterman.
posted by adamgreenfield at 8:06 PM on November 12, 2002

I think the funny part is that people are getting annoyed at each other because they have different taste in comics.

I would like everyone to observe that all mainstream (newspaper) comics today fucking suck ass.

Come come, Stan Chin--there's still Non Sequitur.
posted by hippugeek at 8:06 PM on November 12, 2002

out of all those recent achewood examples, i thought only the poker one was funny...(but that "united we stand" of yours, mcsweetie, is killer)...diff strokes i guess...
posted by amberglow at 8:07 PM on November 12, 2002

If you play a lot of video games, some comics are funny.
If you are into dressing up like a rabbit and hunching, some comics are funny.
If you are into robbing old ladies, some comics are funny.
If you are into watching ladies go #2 onto guns, some comics are funny.

Sometimes people are just not into what the comics are about.

And sometimes people are just too dumb to understand.

This is why dumb people have so many babies, it is because they are too dumb to masturbate.
posted by wigu at 8:28 PM on November 12, 2002

damn, wigu, pass the acorn whiskey.
posted by _sirmissalot_ at 8:46 PM on November 12, 2002

My favorite sick strip was a single panel called Choppingblock over at keenspace.

I could never find out what happened to the artist. Whether he just quit or what.

It was from the perspective of a serial killer. Really sick and funny. Way beyond any of the above.

I saved four of them. Hope you find them disturbing.


My other favorite?
The parking lot is full

Enjoy
posted by filmgeek at 9:12 PM on November 12, 2002

filmgeek, choppingblock has its own domain, and there's a brief mention of its "temporary hiatus" on the main page.

However, if you're really jonesing for a new strip, you can build your own at Strip Creator, which has a decent assortment of choppingblock stock from which to choose.
posted by mr_crash_davis at 9:25 PM on November 12, 2002

I spent most of today catching up on the FLEM! archives. Then, I ran a script and saved all 495 of them to my machine, and burned them to CD-ROM.
posted by mrbill at 9:32 PM on November 12, 2002

Just wanna put some words in for Men In Hats and Boy on a Stick and Slither, neither of which rock me like a hurricane but they're both fairly amusing. Also this previously discussed comic is a hoot and a half.

I swear to God I found like ten amazing online comics a month ago but damn if I didn't lose the bookmarks. Sorry I am useless today.
posted by furiousthought at 10:18 PM on November 12, 2002

re the lackluster appeal of mainstream newspaper comics: I wrote about this back in May (self-link) in regards to this; I only mention it because as I said before, I'm someone who's trying to somehow find a professional angle at drawing cartoons along with the mutual cirtiquing of all the other ones out there.
posted by XQUZYPHYR at 10:26 PM on November 12, 2002

"When you're ready to have a REAL conversation about Green Lantern, you have my number."
posted by geekhorde at 10:26 PM on November 12, 2002

Right, this is the thread I was looking for re my link #3.

I would like everyone to observe that all mainstream (newspaper) comics today fucking suck ass.

Yeah, it's not like it was in the '80's, with the big three an' all, but I've learned to look at cartoons as a great big continuum: in the '80's, animated cartoons sucked beyond the telling of it as those with lucid memories shall recall.
posted by furiousthought at 10:27 PM on November 12, 2002

My favourite web comic was Bobbins but unfortunately it is not being made anymore. Still, look in the archives. It is gold... My favourite strip featured Radiohead moonlighting as a wedding band.
posted by synecdoche at 10:47 PM on November 12, 2002

My all-time favorite net comic is Stoopid Pigeon by Chicago playwrights Brett Neveu and Rich Sparks. Frequently absurd and offensive (for what else gives a net comic 'street credibility'?), it stands apart with its refreshing anti-punchline narrative style, and the imaginative interplay of its unusual cast of characters. It's almost like Lewis Carroll does Seinfeld. Characters include, the protagonist Stoopid, a quixotic pigeon; Aubrey, a gay, sensitive robot; Strappy Squirrel, the unrelenting jerk; Susan, a conflicted, skull-headed stripper; Josh, an insecure head-on-a-stool; and Pumpkin, a libidinous jack-o'-lantern. The more experimental strips are my favorite
posted by dgaicun at 11:54 PM on November 12, 2002

No one has yet mentioned The Pinkey Suthers Show, probably because you don't know about it.

In college, I worked with the guy who draws it. It was also in one of the daily college papers at UW-Madison for a few years. I like it a lot.
posted by gohlkus at 1:49 AM on November 13, 2002

This is pretty much for polish native-speakers, as no one else will get 1/10th of the humor: pvek and its tributes site pvektributes.
posted by jedrek at 4:04 AM on November 13, 2002

Anyone know whatever happened to the Thin H Line?
posted by Degaz at 5:40 AM on November 13, 2002

The thin H line became Sexy Losers

Bobbins became the far more artistically-engaging Scary Go Round.

Achewood is a personal favorite of mine, right up there with Wigu, BOASAS and Superosity. (And I am more than 40% delmoi funny)

It's amazing to me how many non-Keenspot comics get mentioned in this list ... they are the supposed JUGGA-NAUTS of web comics, but it seems to do them a fat lot of good.
posted by clango at 6:08 AM on November 13, 2002

Broccoli tastes good.

No, it doesn't.

Yes, it does.

No, it doesn't!

Yes, it does!

You either find it funny or you don't. It's not a math equation; there is no "right" answer. Funny is not objective (Exhibit A). I happen to find it funny, you may not. Thank God we're not all the same.
posted by pardonyou? at 6:17 AM on November 13, 2002

Degaz: Stopped following Thin H Line about the same time as it became too filthy to read at work!

Bigtime Consulting used to be very, very funny but jumped the shark shortly after becoming renaming itself Indenture and now appears to have morphed back into its former incarnation

Worth a read for those of you with a dot.com or consulting line on your CV.
posted by dmt at 6:24 AM on November 13, 2002

um... no.

This comic has bad art and horrible story.

Megatokyo is just about the only online comic (manga) I find suitable for reading.
posted by azazello at 4:15 PM PST on November 12

Do you think it is rad to trash Achewoood?

And the brilliance of Megatokyo is always overshadowed by Fred Gallagher's ridiculous rants. Mark my words people: we will see a suicide note there someday.
posted by PinkStainlessTail at 6:29 AM on November 13, 2002

Oh, and Death to the Extremist.
posted by PinkStainlessTail at 6:30 AM on November 13, 2002

I didn't like Achewood too much either. All the heated arguements above seem pretty arbitrary, to me. Arguing about sense of humour is like arguing about favorite colours: you either dig it or you don't.

In addition to GYWO, I also like Filing Technique by David Rees . . . but that's just me.
posted by drew_alley at 7:19 AM on November 13, 2002

Stop me if you've heard this one before, but Slow Wave is a nice concept, generally well-executed. (Meaning: unlike 98% of these comics, this guy knows how to draw.) (Not that an inability to hold a pencil is necessarily a barrier to entry to the comics world -- witness Dilbert -- but it makes for a nice change.)

Speaking of guys who know how to draw -- I'd like to thank gdav for reminding me that Bruno exists. Wonderful stuff; I lost a couple hours sleep last night catching up on the last few months of her life.
posted by ook at 7:21 AM on November 13, 2002

(Oh, dang, I just realized slow wave is syndicated, so doesn't count as a web comic. Now I am a loser.)

"I dreamed I was tied to a pony and pelted with pancakes in my maidenform bra..."
posted by ook at 7:27 AM on November 13, 2002

I can't believe so many people are trashing my favorite web comic. I love Achewood. It is extremely awesome. Of course, I understand that humor is an intensely personal thing. But it might be interesting for some of you to see what Achewood fans have to say in response to this thread.

One interesting point made in the discussion: many of the authors of comics linked in this discussion are fans (and even active forum posters) of Achewood.
posted by Acetylene at 8:50 AM on November 13, 2002

Achewood?
It's okay. Whatever. It wasn't a live baby starfish to toss in the microwave, but it didn't make me angry or anything.
posted by dong_resin at 10:11 AM on November 13, 2002

fishfucker: Did you just do a google search for 'tom green index' and return the top two results without even looking at them?


you got it. well, actually, you didn't get it, but uh, you got it, yeah.

oh, you can be sure i looked at them.

i think achewood is hard for some people to appreciate because it doesn't follow the typical rules established by comic strips, which dictate that the last panel always, always contains what we like to call "THE FUNY".

In achewood, "THE FUNY" can come in the middle of the strip, or right before the end, or even sometimes not at all. It's these last ones that are probably most humorous.

it's fair to say "I don't find these funny" -- many people don't; many people cannot enjoy some of the good things in life: waffles, guns n roses, and 1963 mercury comets. This bewilders me, naturally, Why? these aren't *good things* to them. Is it fair to say "These aren't funny"? Well, it may be fair -- but you are wrong. wrong wrong wrong. wronger than a world without jello pudding pops.

anyhow, no biggee.
posted by fishfucker at 10:18 AM on November 13, 2002

Put me down for someone who thinks it's funny--and I never think anything on the Internet is funny. Also, put me down for someone who had to read about forty strips before he figured out how funny it actually is.
posted by Prospero at 10:36 AM on November 13, 2002

Wrong. If you like Achewood you have no taste, QED.
posted by Hildago at 10:42 AM on November 13, 2002

I think I really like achewood, but mostly it's just because delmoi hates it so much...
posted by Shane at 11:56 AM on November 13, 2002

Achewood is GOOD. And by good I mean totally sweet. I just found out about it from this post and I wouldn't have read every single comic on the page if everyone here wasn't bitching their heads off about it. For those that don't like it, here's a comic more suited for your tastes.
posted by Degaz at 12:03 PM on November 13, 2002

Ok, yeah, this thread is getting bookmarked.
posted by Ufez Jones at 12:19 PM on November 13, 2002

ha! ARRGH! my attempts at starting a new thread FOILED. sorry

For perverted, check out when i am king by demian5.
For jaw dropping and unforgettable, check out TEDDY by Ethan Persoff.
For day of life, check out the journal comic by Drew Weing.

All of these cartoonists have stuff going on at serializer.net. Peep Persoff's thoroughly creepy A DOG AND HIS ELEPHANT or achewood's buttfuckingly funny COLOR ACHEWOODS (you'll get the b'fing joke when the link is clicked) the list of contributors for serializer.net is impressive. who knows, it might be the closest thing to being the online equivalent of ZAP, RAW or BLAB ya know?

i feel so terrible for posting this elsewhere. ya gotta forgive me!! (sob) ...all this stuff is really good, tho.
posted by Peter H at 12:33 PM on November 13, 2002

i actually like rose is rose a great deal too. figure that one out.

also, did anyone mention the wondrous un-connected antics of Jimmy Corrigan?

i would buy all of chris ware's stuff now, before it's, uh, sought-after hipster memorabilia.
posted by fishfucker at 12:34 PM on November 13, 2002

many of the authors of comics linked in this discussion are fans (and even active forum posters) of Achewood.

Memetic in-breeding. Explains a lot.
posted by inpHilltr8r at 12:50 PM on November 13, 2002

Just two points: Achewood made me laugh, whether it's funny or not. (It also made me click compulsively to get the whole archive.)

And: Anyone who thinks of Non-Sequitur as the cutting edge of newspaper comics needs to read Baltimore City Paper's Funny Paper column more often. Or, say, at all. No one does a better job of illuminating what an execrable gag writer Wiley is. Just 'cause someone can draw doesn't make their shit funny.
posted by soyjoy at 1:10 PM on November 13, 2002

Cigarro & Cerveja is good, although it hasn't been updated in months... so I guess I should say, Cigarro & Cerveja was good.
posted by mkn at 4:03 PM on November 13, 2002