So the webcomics institution Scary Go Round has ended. No need to cry, because John Allison is now bringing us the new sexiness that is Bad Machinery. It's the story of two schoolgirl sleuths and three schoolboy investigators, attending Griswalds Grammar School in Keane End, Tackleford. Start here. [more inside]
posted by The Devil Tesla on Oct 28, 2009 - 30 comments

The Pekar Project started a couple of months ago from Smith Magazine; it posts new webcomics every other week by Harvey Pekar and one of four artists, like "Pekar and Crumb: Talkin' 'bout Art, plus occasional extras. They just posted a tribute to Harvey's 70th birthday. [Smith Mag's webcomics previously, including Pekar's The Next-Door Neighbor I Don't Know] [via] [more inside]
posted by mediareport on Oct 12, 2009 - 9 comments

"Magellan" by Stephen Crowley may be my favorite superhero comic on the web. The art seems to owe more to Tintin than Marvel or DC. The dialogue and plots are fun. The cast is huge, but the characters are distinctive, and generally charming. If you like Paul Grist's Jack Staff, give this a try. To start at the beginning: here.
posted by shetterly on Oct 8, 2009 - 11 comments

The Electro-Plasmic Hydrocephalic Genre-Fiction Generator is the latest inspired creation of Wondermark's David Malki! (exclamation mark his), a slight departure from his usual victorian clip-art comedy (previously) to a wordier bit of satire/inspiration/wackiness/wit/archetyping/talking fish.

Speaking of webcomics and formulas, the "young woman inexplicably transported to a totally weird alternate universe" scenario is being used differently - but successfully masterfully - by THREE different artists: Ramon Perez's Kukuburi, Eldon Cowgur's Astray3 and Michael Lee Lunsford's Supernormal Step (links to the beginnings of the stories... because you gotta). I'm rather surprised the Pirannhamoose has not yet appeared in any of these, especially since Astray3 has featured every other creature you can imagine (or have nightmares about) in its first year. [more inside]
posted by wendell on Sep 22, 2009 - 8 comments

Today marks the end of John Allison's webcomic Scary Go Round. [more inside]
posted by explosion on Sep 11, 2009 - 42 comments

"Have you ever found an interesting looking webcomic, looked at the archive, and thought: I can't start reading this! There are hundreds of strips to catch up on! Rather than spend a whole day or more bingeing on a comic archive, set up an Archive Binge feed. You can start from the beginning, or wherever you're up to. You can set your custom feed to deliver a strip every day, 4 strips every weekday, or whatever you want, up to 10 strips a day."
posted by jbickers on Sep 7, 2009 - 24 comments

The now-defunct Bang Barstal tells the story of a man and his baseball bat after everything went wrong at once.
posted by Pope Guilty on Aug 28, 2009 - 7 comments

Just Another Post-Apocalypse Story is a short, sweet, profound webcomic by Edward Grug III, of "Love Puppets" fame, from the always-excellent Top Shelf 2.0 repository.
posted by jbickers on Aug 7, 2009 - 38 comments

Man Not Superman based on a story by Jonathan Goldstein about a mortal man dealing with the pressures of dating Lois Lane. Found on Post-it Note Stories: Stories illustrated on little yellow Post-It Notes in beautiful black Sharpie. (via).
posted by ND¢ on Jul 22, 2009 - 61 comments

Tracy White is a webcomics pioneer, having produced TRACED ("lived, written and drawn by me. guaranteed 95% true.") since 1996. There's also the docu-comic Babble Fish, about God revealing himself in the form of a fish to an upstate NY Hasidic community, and her contribution to For Real, a comic documenting the lives of immigrant teens in NYC. You can also follow her work on YouTube and Flickr, where she posts selections from her upcoming book.
posted by not_on_display on May 1, 2009 - 2 comments

Three relatively new webcomics in the PBF and/or Cyanide+Happiness mode: Buttersafe, Dirtfarm, and Quiet Glen Mind Police [more inside]
posted by Potomac Avenue on Mar 26, 2009 - 18 comments

A curated collection of web comics over at Greylock Arts, with creator interviews and lots of links to strips like Underwire, Persimmon Cup, Truth Serum, Wondermark, The Process, Amazing Facts...and Beyond!, Phil McAndrew and more, including a few previously featured on the blue. [via Bookslut]
posted by mediareport on Jan 26, 2009 - 4 comments

Next-Door Neighbor, from SMITH Magazine, takes a bunch of renowned artists and writers from the world of Indie Comics and asks them to tell stories about, well, memorable Next-Door Neighbor experiences. "The Next-Door Neighbor I Don't Know," by Harvey Pekar and Rick Veitch is worth a look, of course, but personal favorites for me include "Halloweens Ago," and "Hank & Barbara." And after reading, "Dream Train," be sure to check out the video link of the subject playing an old cowboy song.
posted by Navelgazer on Jul 16, 2008 - 5 comments

Free comics! BOOM! Studios' new web comics site, launching today, will be posting a page a day from six different titles including its Ninja, Zombie and Cthulhu Tales anthologies...
posted by Artw on Jul 14, 2008 - 13 comments

The Hole in the Wall [via mefi projects] is our own interrobang's surrealistic cat story now being serialized at Top Shelf Comics as part of their new Webcomics section, and it's definitely something special - pen & ink & watercolor adventures of two cats exploring a mysterious and dangerous underground landscape. More comics like this will be posted there depending on the popularity of this one, so if you love art, great comics, or cats, you will want to check it out. This was a part of interrobang's Year in Comics project, so if you fall in love with the Hole in the Wall kittehs (you will!), go have look at his other stuff, as well.
posted by taz on May 23, 2008 - 30 comments

The first video game based on the internet's most prominent gaming comic, Penny Arcade is released today. [more inside]
posted by Caduceus on May 21, 2008 - 43 comments

Webcomics Weekly #29 features a 2 hour (at times raucous) round table between Scott Kurtz, Ted Rall, Brad Guigar, Matt Bors and others on how to make money from webcomics.
posted by PenDevil on Mar 31, 2008 - 2 comments

Ever want to watch a comics page get drawn at ridiculous speed? I've been reading Mer's comics since day one, but seeing an entire strip drawn and inked as a movie is almost better than watching an animated cartoon. [more inside]
posted by clango on Mar 13, 2008 - 45 comments

"We need to make a comic so I can eat lunch." You're in your office sitting at your desk. There's a hot mic in the room. It's 45 minutes 'till lunch, your tummy's grumbling and you still have to write a comic. Fortunately your best friend -- who is also the co-founder of your decade-old business empire -- is sitting at his desk a few feet away. You are "Gabe" or "Tycho" of Penny Arcade, and the next 45 minutes will be captured on tape and published for all the world to hear as a podcast. But only if it's good. "Downloadable Content, The Penny Arcade Podcast" is practically a documentary on collaboratively authoring webcomics. The most recent episode is a particularly good example of that. [more inside]
posted by sdodd on Mar 11, 2008 - 23 comments

I knew that sooner or later, the backlash to xkcd would begin, but I never expected it would start over.... fruit... R. Stevens, that old Diesel Sweetie, is the first to respond.... Now, a very well-interfaced polling device is put online for your fruit opinions...Vote for the fruit of your choice... but vote! [more inside]
posted by wendell on Feb 25, 2008 - 152 comments

"Zuda takes the Web publishing aspect out of the creators' hands, freeing them up to focus on writing and drawing the story. But to get Zuda to publish your comic, you first have to win a competition..." A major player enters into the fray of web comics publishing, previously populated mostly by independents. Is this a good thing or a bad thing? [more inside]
posted by ZachsMind on Dec 28, 2007 - 47 comments

Jessica Hagy, author of indexed (previously) covers the 2008 Presidential Election for McClatchy's "alt.campaign" site.
posted by whir on Dec 7, 2007 - 7 comments

Online nerds have known for years that webcomics are often much more daring and interesting than newspaper tripe like Beetle Bailey and Hagar the Horrible. An unknown kid from Fresno by the name S. Sakurai has brightened many of our days with his frequently brilliant work. His ongoing strip Muertitos is a Beetlejuice-esque afterlife gem, and Gorgeous Princess Creamy-Beamy is mostly about skewering anime cliches, aliens, lesbians, and junk food. I was hooked as soon as one of his alien characters described our land vehicles as being "powered by exploding dinosaurs." Highly recommended for any Bloom County/Calvin and Hobbes fans, particularly those who grew up playing 8-bit Nintendo and watching Sailor Moon.
posted by ELF Radio on Nov 1, 2007 - 53 comments

Little Batman. Like Batman, but little. He fights crime. He likes bats. Sometimes he misses mom and dad.
posted by piratebowling on Oct 31, 2007 - 40 comments

Gunnerkrigg Court is a lovely and strange webcomic by Tom Siddell. While its scenario bears a passing resemblance to Harry Potter (magic school, main character with a strange destiny, etc.), there's something quite different going on here. Chapter One, for instance, deals with how to get an anthropomorphic shadow back to its forest home, using only a box of discarded robot parts and a young girl's initiative. And that's just the beginning. Need a more trustworthy endorsement than mine? Neil Gaiman likes it.
posted by Lentrohamsanin on Oct 12, 2007 - 19 comments

A.D. (After The Deluge) is a serialized webcomic about what it was like in the days leading up to, during & immediately after the Hurricane Katrina disaster in New Orleans. The story is true, all dialogue taken from direct quotes. An ongoing project with updates monthly (scheduled to run from Dec 06 - Dec 07), the most recent chapter takes place right at the end of the storm, prior to the collapse of the levees, but to get the full effect, read from the very beginning. For those who want to know more about the project, there's an FAQ.
posted by jonson on Sep 5, 2007 - 20 comments

For each occupation, an illustration. For some months, Dorothy of Cat and Girl has been riffing on the Schedule C Principal Business or Professional Activity Codes Table. The list is full of odd associations. Why, for instance is "Offices of Podiatrists" illustrated with a Starfleet officer? There's gotta be a story there.
posted by ourobouros on Aug 3, 2007 - 13 comments

The Belfry WebComics Index is a site that lists just about every webcomic in existence, and a few that no longer are. You can add any that it's missing. Even better, if you tell it which ones you like, it'll compare that to other users' picks and make suggestions. The top ten are Better Days, Sabrina Online, Faux Pas, Jack (NSFW), Freefall, VG Cats, Kevin & Kell, Peter is the Wolf (NSFW), Ozy & Millie, and Dan & Mab's Furry Adventures. If you dislike talking animals, you can set the furry-bit to off, to highlight such webcomics as Penny Arcade, Girl Genius, Dominic Deegan: Oracle for Hire, Sluggy Freelance, PvP, MegaTokyo, Misfile, Schlock Mercenary, Something Positive, The Wotch and many more.
posted by DataPacRat on Feb 6, 2007 - 46 comments

Read Goats. Now in Color! (1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9) See also: Republicans for Voldemort.
posted by anotherpanacea on Dec 13, 2006 - 12 comments

“Snow-bo:” The heartwarming story of a young child and his wintry friend. One of its creators, Vera Brosgol, also authored a brilliant--but, sadly, incomplete--webcomic called Return To Sender.
posted by Iridic on Aug 28, 2006 - 4 comments

I'm Just Drinking is Paul Kahn's attempt at making a bartending guide to webcomics. Here you'll learn how to make any one of several Penny Arcade themes drinks, a Diesel Sweetie, a VG_Cats and my personal favorite, a Something Positive (whose latest comic is how I came across this project).
posted by Effigy2000 on Jul 19, 2006 - 11 comments

Modern Tales, the subscription-only webcomics site, today makes most of its content available for free. Joey Manley explains why. Any recommendations?
posted by barjo on Jul 17, 2006 - 9 comments

The aptly titled Comic Strip. Get your drunken cowboys, evil Macs, dating tips and pope right here. (warning: risque banner ad)
posted by Serial Killer Slumber Party on Jun 21, 2006 - 19 comments

I guess there is a lesson here for us all. From Ryan North of Dinosaur Comics, OhNoRobot, and RSSPECT fame comes a new project, based on one of his comics: the amazing Regret Index.
posted by revfitz on Jun 2, 2006 - 9 comments

Kill Bill + Harry Potter = Kill Harry, featuring cameo appearances by Bender the robot, Bruce Campbell, and Zombie Rick James, bitch.
posted by Gator on Feb 20, 2006 - 16 comments

OhNoRobot.com - personalized comic search and transcription. Remember that time T-Rex said that really funny thing about sandwiches? Created by qwantz.com's Ryan North and writer T. Campbell, OhNoRobot currently has a database of 28,517 comics in 336 series. Find your favorites and help transcribe. (dinosaur comics previously on mefi)
posted by krix on Jan 31, 2006 - 11 comments

Mike Russell's CulturePulp is a rare example of journalism through comics. Driven by a love of obsessive, slightly geeky subcultures, the Portland-based reporter/cartoonist offers probing answers to such vital questions as Are pirates the new ninjas? What would Tom Jones do? How do you feed a penguin? And which donut shop is best-suited for a voodoo-themed wedding
posted by yankeefog on Jan 23, 2006 - 11 comments

White Ninja Comics are not for the weak of mind. They are a brilliant satirical commentary on controversial worldly issues.
straight to the archive
posted by Edible Energy on Jul 30, 2005 - 28 comments

Comic Alert is a free, elegantly designed service that provides RSS feeds for just about every comic with a web presence, allowing you to track updates from the newsreader of your choice. And since it links directly to artists' webpages without copying their images, it neatly sidesteps any pesky copyright issues. Those who prefer a dedicated comic viewing application might want to check out Comictastic or iComic, although some comic creators would prefer you didn't. (Via)
posted by yankeefog on Jun 14, 2005 - 7 comments

The Dark Side Is The Best Sauce I'm not sure if the cartoonist has their own personal LiveJournal, but the one for the comic is rather adorable and funny. It's just a handful of strips thus far, and they're terribly spoilery for Star Wars: Episode III. But still worth a quick look.
posted by FunkyHelix on Jun 13, 2005 - 22 comments

The rights to Pokey the Penguin(archive)-the entire body of work, characters, likenesses, etc.- are for sale on eBay. Is this the end of an infrequently updated and incoherent era that spanned nearly seven years?
posted by PinkStainlessTail on Apr 1, 2005 - 21 comments

The Daily Grind Iron Man Challenge. How hard could it be to post a comic every day, 5 days a week. How long could you keep it up. How about for a $1000 prize? Some big names are playing. (because they axed)
posted by Capn on Mar 1, 2005 - 15 comments

Return of Bee. After several years Jason Little has started posting weekly Bee Comix again. If you missed the original, make sure to check out the first 13 episodes. There is something very Tintin-ish about the animation that I find attractive.
posted by edgeways on Feb 22, 2005 - 17 comments

Josh Fruhlinger: he reads the comics so you don't have to. Makes Mary Worth fun again!
posted by PinkStainlessTail on Jan 17, 2005 - 23 comments

Non-Sequitur takes another jab at webcomics. With Garfield now dropped from the LA Times, once again Wiley Miller has renewed his ongoing battle against Scott Kurtz of Player Vs. Player and his challenge to syndicated strips; offering his own for free.

As usual, the best comments are from the boys @ Penny-Arcade.
posted by mystyk on Jan 7, 2005 - 74 comments

"11. Wilco — A Ghost is Born: Wilco is a band for people who think they are intellectuals about music, the Wilco man is always unhappy so his songs start very quietly in order that people don't wake up with a start. It is all for nothing because halfway through someone will play a guitar solo with a chairleg." Shelley Winters, of Scary-Go-Round, reviews the Top 20 albums of the year as picked by John Allison (the creator of Scary-Go-Round). (Oh, and the rest of the archive is worth a gander too, as is John Allison's previous strip Bobbins.)
posted by Johnny Assay on Dec 31, 2004 - 25 comments

While Keenspot picks and chooses the webcomics it hosts like a newspaper comics syndicate would, their Keenspace service is the Geocities of the webcomics world, providing hosting for whoever comes along. Or so I thought. You must experience for yourself these samples of webcomics that haven't quite got Keenspace approval yet.
posted by mendel on Dec 19, 2004 - 34 comments

The University of You Suck! While the newer comics are lacking a certain something, oldschool Cat and Girl should still be ranked among the Best of the Web. Please keep in mind, Cat and Girl are Not For Babies.
posted by grapefruitmoon on Dec 16, 2004 - 20 comments

The Best Webcomics of 2004 as presented by the Webcomics Examiner Advisory Board [mentioned here previously]
posted by tpl1212 on Dec 16, 2004 - 24 comments

The History of Online Comics, by T Campbell. A painstakingly annotated eight-part series [1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8] ranging from the first webcomics through the inception of the collectives and on to the present day. A good read, even if he does seem to think that Boulder is in the Midwest. [via Websnark]
posted by Johnny Assay on Dec 8, 2004 - 13 comments