Gold Humour: Texts From Superheroes

Thanks to a friend letting me know about the site Texts From Superheroes, I can pass it on to you to enjoy as well. Here’s one example:

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Now go check out the full site for yourself.

 

Webcomic Wednesday – Moth City Part 4

You can never have too much of a good thing. That’s why this week, for Webcomic Wednesday, I return through the digital space to look at Tim Gibson’s Moth City, as it releases the second half of season two on Comixology. And like an old friend, it feels good.

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Moth City is still great. A unique mix of zombie horror, period drama, and film noir, it continues to impress on a level that rises above most webcomic fare. In fact I am glad that this series has found its way onto Comixology because it deserves to be up there with some of the bigger digital efforts. Coming from its fourth issue (or its second half of season two) on the market place, while finding itself on its third season on its own site, it still maintains its quality while bringing in something new.

This something new is really just a confirmation of the genre ties – the film-noir elements come to  a head as character motivations become less and less clear, and the story  takes a decidedly more zombie approach, with a fairly impressively drawn and animated scene involving a man with half his face off. Coupled with a cliffhanger I honestly wasn’t expecting, this series is good stuff.

If you want a great mish-mash of genre and a strong case for the digital comic, check it out here. Or pick it up on Comixology on the cheap (it looks really nice on the iPad).

Got a digital based comic you want me to take a look at? Hit me up on twitter @Prudent_Pipes, or drop us a line on our via our contact form.

Webcomic Wednesday – The Bunker

Hello and welcome to Webcomic Wednesday! Each week I take a look at a comic that inhabits the digital space, and let you know whether it is worth reading. This week I’m checking out a big one, its The Bunker, a new series courtesy of Joshua Hale Fialkov and Joe Infurnari. And it’s great.

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One issue in and I am sold. That doesn’t happen much – usually I wait until a few issues have dropped, and then I determine whether I will continue to pick it up regularly. But I don’t need to with The Bunker, a unique blend of post apocalyptic fiction, with a healthy amount of time travel thrown in, has got me sold at the premise. But it is what ends up inside that is truly great.

The story follows a small group of teenagers as they stumble onto a bunker with their names written on the outside – when they head inside they find documents, each with their names on them, and written by one of them. Without spoiling any more, there are a few twists in the first issue that will have even the most astute readers (read: Lost fans) surprised.

That Lost reference is no mistake – this issue is soaked in mystery and intrigue, with a healthy dose of sci-fi. This series will be a talking point for fans as it moves along. It also helps with it’s incredible cliffhanger that made me more surprised than I thought I would be.

Infurnari’s art is also great, a decent monochrome palate across a hand drawn landscape. It looks superb and despite the style, never feels too much or cluttered. It suits the story well, and that’s what matters the most.

One issue. That’s all that it took for me to be hooked, and I’m sure you will be too. You can find the first issue here on their website, or over on Comixology. Don’t miss this, it’s going to be great.

Got a digital based comic you want me to take a look at? Hit me up on twitter @Prudent_Pipes, or drop us a line on our via our contact form.

Webcomic Wednesday – Quickfire Comics

Hey everybody! Welcome to Webcomic Wednesday where I take a look at the digital comic space and tell you what you should check out. This week I’m doing something a bit different – I’m going to rattle off three separate comics that I’m sure you are all aware of, and let you know why I like them. None of these would really flesh out a full piece, and they are incredibly popular, so a full spotlight isn’t needed. So without further ado – Quickfire round!

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Penny Arcade

I’m sure everyone on the Internet and their mothers know who Penny Arcade are. They have their own expo, their own site dedicated to gaming, and their own series of games – These guys have made it. But I would be remiss if I didn’t mention it at least once while writing this column. Their unique brand of humour, which at times tends to make incredibly valid points, is fun to read. Check it out here, and while you’re at it, check out the rest of the site too. Interesting stuff all round.

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Legends of the Dark Knight

More Batman comics (in his most known form – Batman ’66 doesn’t count) is as needed as the water is in the ocean. But if you were keen on seeing various creators – both known and unknown – taking on everyone’s favourite hero, then look no further than this weekly series. Legends of the Dark Knight are a selection of short stories not bothered with continuity or any pre-existing stories, much like Adventures of Superman, and has been running since mid 2012. There are a plethora of great and interesting stories to check out here.

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Gunshow

Probably the least known of the bunch, KC Green’s Gunshow is weird, crazy and awesome all at once. It’s actually very hard to explain how this series works, again with a weekly series that is just the random assortment of thoughts from a pretty unique guy. While like other similar series, some jokes don’t quite stick, but when they do they are great. This is my favourite one lately here. The rest can be found here.

That’s it! If you have any series you want me to check out, I’m a big deal on twitter (with a whopping 43 followers) @Pipes815, or send me a message via our contact form.

Webcomic Wednesday – Batman ’66

Holy atomic pile Batman! It’s Webcomic Wednesday, the day I trawl through the digital space to show the readers something new and exciting. This week I’m checking out DC’s latest digital effort Batman ’66, courtesy of writer Jeff Parker, and the various artists he conjures up each issue.

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Batman ’66 is a continuation of the 1960s live action Adam West Batman television series, complete with its camp, silly attitude. It  follows the antics of Batman and his trusty sidekick Robin as they deal with the everyday threats to Gotham City. This series takes almost all of its cues from the television show, right down to the character designs. But you don’t have to be familiar with the original series to have a good time.

Parker’s stories are all suitably silly and fun. The first issue finds the Riddler crashing the Lady Gotham Awards ceremony to steal the award for himself. Why? Because he’s a bad guy. And how does Batman recognise that something is wrong? Because he notices that the plane is flying below FAA guidelines. It’s the silly dialogue, lack of any proper motivations and the POW! BIFF! BANG! that makes this series a certified hit.

It also helps that the series is taking a cue from other successful digital comics like Moth City and the Marvel Infinite titles and utilises the format to help create the motion comic. This allows the full effect of the onomatopoeic sounds to work within the confines of the comic.

If you needed any more reasons to read this series, but you don’t, each issue features covers by the great Allred team who are working away over at FF as well. Check it out here. A dollar a pop for something that is both visually impressive and a huge laugh is well worth your time and money.

Got a Webcomic you want me check out? Holy priceless collection of Etruscan snoods! Let me know over on my twitter @Pipes815, or send me a message via our contact form.

Webcomic Wednesday – The Private Eye

Hello and welcome to Webcomic Wednesday! Each week I trawl through the digital space to bring something new and exciting, and share it with you, the dear reader. This week I return with one of my favourite writers, and his pay-what-you-want digital series. I’m talking about The Private Eye, courtesy of Brian K. Vaughan and Marcos Martin.

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Seriously, those names should be all I need to say for you to pick up this series. But, just in case, The Private Eye is the story of Patrick Immelman, a private-eye living in the far future. Set after an event where every single person’s entire digital self was opened up for everyone to see for forty hours, The Private Eye is a classic film-noir story set in an interesting, weird, and at times completely plausible future. To say anymore would ruin the fun.

The writing is top-notch, which is what you’d expect from the calibre of names such as Vaughan’s, but Martin’s art is also fantastic. Both abstract and colourful, thanks to Muntsa Vicente’s varied colour palate, it really helps to set the tone of this neon-lit future where everybody is intent on hiding. Its bright-lights disguising a disgusting world and it plays out beautifully.

Really, there isn’t much more I can say without spoiling anything. If you were ever a fan of Vaughan or Martin’s other work, then this should be a no-brainer. For everyone else, this should be a no-brainer too because it’s high shelf stuff for whatever you want to pay for it. Seriously, check it out.

You can do so here. It’s three issues in and it is a treat.

Have any webcomics you want me to check out? Let me know on my twitter @Pipes815, or send me a message via our contact form.

Webcomic Wednesday – Prodigal

Hello and welcome to Webcomic Wednesday! Each week I trawl through the digital space to bring something new and exciting, and hsare it with you, dear reader. This week I’m returning to take a look at a series that has found it’s way to being free online, courtesy of Geoff Thorne and Todd Haris – Prodigal.

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Prodigal, which has existed in some form for a while now, has made its way to Thrillbent, joining the ranks of Moth City and Insufferable in being an entirely free digital comic. It’s the story of a pair of hired hands – one is an indestructible man, and the other a deadly assassin woman – who are tasked to retrieve a religious artifact from a group of thieves. It’s standard comic stuff, but from what I’ve read of the first issue, it sets up something quite fun.

The fun extends along the art, which is both suitably animated and violent, and the dialogue, which Thorne manages to make a lot of nice back and forth between the two leads, Pae Mae Jacinto and Byron Lennox. It reminds me of a good odd couple show – and based on the credits of the two creators, whose work extends to almost every other entertainment medium, expect to see some of those sensibilities to shine through.

Just one more quick aside – having seen the first few pages of their original run of Prodigal, and then seeing it translated to the digital form it is in now, I am impressed at how well it has been handled. Pages have been rearranged and details that were once hidden behind the other panels have now come forward – so fans of the previous run will still be able to get something new out of this one.

If you’re interested in checking out Prodigal, and you should because it’s fun  (and free), check it out here. It’s updated every Monday, and it is just kicking off so you can get on the ground floor.

Have any webcomics you want me to check out? Let me know on my twitter @Pipes815, or send me a message via our contact form.

Webcomic Wednesday – PhD Comics

This week our regular webcomic guru Sean is buried under a pile of non-comic books due to his studies, so it’s my pleasure to step in for the week to cover a webcomic I enjoy: PhD comics:

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A disclaimer up front: this is a webcomic devoted to a very specific audience of those working towards achieving a PhD or other research-related degree at a university.

That said, some of the humour is general enough to give anyone some enjoyment, but if you fall into the target audience you’ll enjoy the strips immensely. Created by Jorge Cham and running since October 1997, there’s the whole gamut of life issues covered, usually with humour. Like any humour-driven comic it does fall flat at times but more often than not it’s a fun read.

So whether you’re a PhD student or not, check out the strips!

Have any webcomics you want checked out? Let Sean know on Twitter @Pipes815, or send him a message via our contact form.

Webcomic Wednesday – Moth City Season 2

moth-city“What?!” I hear you say, “But Sean, today is THURSDAY. You’re a day late!” Well, sure I am. But it’s my show, so my rules and stuff. And besides, good things take time, so the extra day only makes it sweeter.

Speaking of good things, I’ve been meaning to return to Tim Gibson’s Moth City for a while. It was one of my first Webcomic Wednesdays I ever covered and I loved it then. So this week, just in time for the Comixology release, I decided to bring the spotlight back to it once again. So welcome back to Moth City.

Moth City is very much as you knew it from last time. The excellent use of digital space returns, with panels making themselves before your eyes. What’s new is that Gibson has taken to tackling a few more action scenes this time around and it looks great. The sense of movement as the panels switch between each other is great – no longer are you relegated to seeing the entire fight at once.

Speaking of action, the story has started to take on a different approach. Following the cliffhanger at the end of season one, it seems to have picked up on the small strands of horror and begun to run with them. Certain events are transpiring to ensure something bad is going to happen. We only get a sense of what is really to come, but without spoiling anything – it’s looking good, and it’s looking to go bad spectacularly.

You can check out Moth City here, on Thrillbent, and on Comixology. It’s shaping up to be something that horror fans should be keeping an eye on and it is a lot of fun.

Have any webcomics you want me to check out? Let me know on my twitter @Pipes815, or send me a message via our contact form.

Webcomic Wednesday – Cthulhu Calls

Hello and welcome to Webcomic Wednesday! Each week I take a look at a webcomic and let you know what I think about it. This week I’m having a look at a comic that takes you behind the curtain to see how the artist works in a digital space. It’s Cthulhu Callscourtesy of Mark Waid and Yves “Balak” Bigerel.

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While Mark Waid’s name may be tied to this particular comic, he isn’t the star of this show. What began as a short script for a print comic, Waid asked artist Yves “Balak” Bigerel to begin a simple storyboard for a digital comic, which he then turned into its own peek into the artist’s mind. Balak provided not only the storyboards, but also annotations below each, explaining the process each step of the way.

I’m not sure about any of you but I find this both informative and incredibly interesting. Each step is meticulously thought about in such a way to enhance the visual aspect of the storytelling – it brings up points I didn’t necessarily consciously notice, but felt them anyway. Balak’s annotations are fantastic and it’s clear how important good art is to this medium.

That’s not to say the story is any less good – the brilliant tale of Cthulhu unable to take a one night stand is funny and original, and it’s full of personality. I’d actually like to see more stories like this from Waid, as it is just so much fun.

If you wanna see what goes on behind the scenes of making a comic you can check out Cthulhu Calls here. It’s funny, original and incredibly informative.

Have any webcomics you want me to check out? Let me know on my twitter @Pipes815, or send me a message via our contact form.