Hit me with some good comics to look at.

[zippypinhead]

Web-accessible would be nice, but isn't totally necessary. The more visually rich, the better. I wants some pretty cartooning.

 

[JerryBoBerry]

Do you mean comic books. Or would more like a daily comic strip work for you, along the lines of Dilbert or something?

If the latter, then I'll suggest Freefall. It comes out on Mon, Wed, and Friday of each week. Been going for 18 years now...and holy crap I just realized I've been reading it for 18 years.

You can click on Index under the current strip to start from the beginning. It originally started in black and white, then did color after a few years.
http://freefall.purrsia.com/default.htm

But if you do want to read all of them there's a site specifically set up for binge speed reading them. It has them all on one single continuous webpage that dynamically loads as you scroll down
http://tangent128.name/depot/toys/freefall/freefall-flytable.html#1
And if you just change that 1 at the end of the link to any number it will jump to that strip. So you can get back to anywhere you left off quickly.

03/16/2016 strip

Synopsis:

Freefall is a humorous Science fiction story detailing the misadventures of the starship Savage Chicken and its crew: Sam Starfall, a lovable alien con artist; Helix, a childlike robot; and Florence Ambrose, a genetically engineered "Bowman's Wolf" (i.e. an anthropomorphic canine). Despite its essential nature as comedy, the story nonetheless frequently delves into philosophical matters such as "what is human?", "how does one best protect humanity from robots?", and the inverse obligation "how does one protect robots from exploitation?".

The plot focuses on the life of Florence, who is by nature hard-working and honest technical engineer, and the less-than-ethical space scavenger Sam Starfall, who has "borrowed" (stolen) her from her intended owner/job post. In doing so, he may inadvertently have saved the planet from disaster.

Sam is a Sqid, a tentacle-bearing semi-aquatic race which lives in a low-technology society on an unknown and unspecified world somewhere in the universe. The unusual spelling of "Sqid" is explained as "U don't wanna get near one". His people are a prey species, and Sam's flesh (when exposed) seems to be irresistable to carnivorous/omnivorous animals; he's never suffered more than minor (comic) nibbling. Sqids are typically very risk-averse, and Sam mostly follows that example. When he does take (conscious) risks, he makes sure the deck is thoroughly stacked first.

Sam stowed away on a human scout ship and found his way to Jean, a recently-terraformed world populated lightly by a mix of humans and terraforming robots and managed with a kind of frontier improvisation that requires people to mix together with other kinds more than they might otherwise do. Outfitted with a human-resembling environment suit that allows him to move around freely, Sam has been blithely ignoring the rules of Jean's civilization for years. Particularly the ones that have to do with property ownership.

Somehow he got his hands on a wreck of a spaceship, and with the help of his friend/worker, a robot named Helix, and with several rolls of duct tape and not a clue between them about how to build, repair or maintain a spaceship, they tried to get the thing spaceworthy. Realizing that the task was beyond even his advanced duct taping skills, Sam turned to bribery and arranged the bureaucratic foulup that brought Florence Ambrose, a highly competent engineer, into his employ.

Technically property and regarded as a wetware AI, Florence was in cold storage on board the Asimov, a transport starship, enroute to her intended job assignment (not the planet Jean). Officially, she's been "misfiled," but instead of making a fuss, she's decided to make the best of it. Her original owner has yet to investigate her failure to arrive, but that may be because not enough time has passed in-universe.

Together, with many misadventures, the trio set to the nearly impossible task of getting the wreck spaceworthy again. By some miracle, they managed it, and Sam rechristened the wreck theSavage Chicken. The repairs weren't perfect, but they got the ship, originally designed for interplanetary commerce, cleared as an orbital shuttle, and have flown two missions into orbit.

Florence is a large carnivore, but she's been specially trained and conditioned not to hurt humans. Sam, while not human, seems to be close enough to qualify; she seems immune to the urge to nibble on him that lesser animals exhibit. But even so, if he pushes her too hard, she gives him a Florence Grin, and Sam finds something better to do.

 

[zippypinhead]

Do you mean comic books. Or would more like a daily comic strip work for you, along the lines of Dilbert or something?

All comics. Any comics you enjoy! Comics are everywhere, and the few conversations that have popped up on this forum in the years I've been here is evidence that there are comic readers among ACF's population. Yet, there isn't really a thread to geek out about it, so I thought I'd make one.

And when I say all comics, I mean all comics. It doesn't matter to me what people are into. I'm into it, too. Long-form narratives, gag-a-day strips, comic books, webcomics, graphic novels, manga, manhwa, BDs, G-rated to X-rated, it's all good! Even the ubiquitous stuff, like Dilbert or Calvin & Hobbes or the stables of Marvel and DC, is fine -- although it would be lovely to see stuff that skews more unsung and harder to find.

I'm just hungry for comics, and I want to discover some wonderful new stuff.

 

[zippypinhead]

Here's a contribution of my own, to help kick off the thread.

Read ALL of Elfquest at the official site.

 

[JerryBoBerry]

Another.
Girl Genius. A steampunk comic. Pretty well done with great graphics and inking. Lot of content has been done. You can read them online page by page but after they do a story line they publish them in full graphic novel book format. So you can buy those if you like that too.

http://www.girlgeniusonline.com/comic.php

Above the page they have navigation. The double arrows left takes you to the beginning of the first books story line.


Or underneath you can pop up the selection to jump anywhere.



There may also be people who have collected each days picture file and put them all in comic book reader (cbr) format for easy reading. But I wouldn't know anything about where to get those, nope, not me.

 

[Applecup]

!!! Finally, a thread I can really contribute to!

Okay, so if you're into sci-fi magic with a twist of forbidden war torn love and a dash of friendly ghosts, Saga is the way to go. The characters and art are refreshing and so visually pleasing, and the story is entrancing. It's also got a planet called sextillian in it where all of your sexual desires come true for a price. Pretty sure it's only in paperback, but at only 10-15 bucks for nearly 100+ pages it's so worth it. Ps. It's by Brian K Vaughan.


As for online goodies, oglaf can range anywhere from arousing to "How the fuck did the writers even..."
http://www.oglaf.com/merrymen/

HM... This is a stretch, but If you enjoy random comics intermingled with beautiful handpainted work, moosekleenex is great too. Some of her best comics are on her deviant art account, but she updates her tumblr more often.
http://www.moosekleenex.tumblr.com

Finally, Em Caroll does everything from comics about her dreams to interactive murder mysteries.
http://www.emcaroll.com


Thanks for inspiring me to dig up all the favorite comics I nearly brushed aside.

 

[Gen]

Yes! I made a thread last year and kept meaning to revive it! Here it is if anyone's interested: https://www.ambercutie.com/forums/threads/comics-graphic-novels-manga.21305/

My current favourite book on my list is Marvel's The Vision by Tom King & Gabriel Hernandez Walta. I don't normally buy much from Marvel but this book is next level for me; initially I bought it for the interesting first cover but the story is absolutely fantastic and a really cool concept. It's a bit unsettling and creepy but not in a scary way. You don't need to know much about The Vision to enjoy it, it's very much removed from your typical Avengers storyline. Unfortunately (for Vision readers, fortunately for DC fans), Tom King signed onto DC exclusively so he's leaving after issue twelve, but it's worth reading while he's on it. It's so freakin good.

As an aside holy smokes, single issues are so expensive with the Canadian dollar now. I've had to cut back a lot and am reassessing my pull list.

 

[Applecup]

As an aside holy smokes, single issues are so expensive with the Canadian dollar now. I've had to cut back a lot and am reassessing my pull list.

They really are! v.v anywhere from 5-25$ for a single issue of any comic/GN/Manga. How can a Canadian geeks collection thrive with such prices?!

 

[Gen]

They really are! v.v anywhere from 5-25$ for a single issue of any comic/GN/Manga. How can a Canadian geeks collection thrive with such prices?!

Right?! I've found it's often cheaper to buy from American shops (even with shipping and conversion). It's also tough because a trade that's $17 on Canadian Amazon is $23.50 at my local shop, who I love and want to support but it's hard to justify paying such different prices!! I order a lot from Midtown Comics and InStockTrades but I try to buy locally when I can afford to.

 

[MrSwoob]

Adult fare but good Cummoner by Totempole.
http://www.totempole666.com/comic/first-time-for-everything-00-cover/

 

[zippypinhead]

Yes! I made a thread last year and kept meaning to revive it! Here it is if anyone's interested: https://www.ambercutie.com/forums/threads/comics-graphic-novels-manga.21305/

Ah, I wish I had remembered that thread. I would have simply resurrected it. Lots of interesting conversations, especially the talk with @KylieJacobs about self-publishing. I've been self-publishing comics since I was a teenager, and I'm working on a new project now. Small press is alive an well in comics.

 

[LittleNatalia]

Oh! I have two!

Asterios Polyp by David Mazzuchelli- Beautiful, beautiful book. If you're into limited color and dramatic storyline- this is amazing! I studied graphic design in school and this book was a beautiful blend of comic and visual interest. Maybe that statement doesn't make much sense, but really it's fucking pretty.

Also, the Locke and Key series by Joe Hill are super fascinating. Scary/Dark/Gory (I mean, what do you expect from Stephen King's son?!) and just really cool. I haven't finished the series yet, so no spoilers please!!!

 

[zippypinhead]

Allow me to share probably my favorite Tumblr blog of them all:

nudes reading mini comics

Giving the peanut-butter-and-chocolate treatment (two great tastes that taste great together) to so-called mini comics by combining quality reviews of minis with pictures of naked people reading the comics being reviewed, it's a great critical blog devoted to an incredibly deep but rarely discussed part of comics publishing -- the small press. And the gimmick of pinups plus comics never gets old.

 

[Gen]

Giving the peanut-butter-and-chocolate treatment (two great tastes that taste great together)

I love this phrase and I really like the photos on that blog, thanks for sharing!!

 

[zippypinhead]

I love this phrase and I really like the photos on that blog, thanks for sharing!!

Sadly, I cannot take credit for the phrase. That's all Reese's.



EDIT to add: I just love how that lady is just walking down the street, grooving on headphones and eating peanut butter straight from a big ol' bucket.

EDITED AGAIN to add: I just realized that groovy chick is actually Diane Franklin, from The Last American Virgin, Better Off Dead, and Bill & Ted's Excellent Adventure. I have a crush on her to this day.

 

[zippypinhead]

Also, the Locke and Key series by Joe Hill are super fascinating. Scary/Dark/Gory (I mean, what do you expect from Stephen King's son?!) and just really cool. I haven't finished the series yet, so no spoilers please!!!

I read the first chapter, and I have to say, I was kind of underwhelmed. Given the Stephen King connection and all the allusions to HP Lovecraft, I guess I was expecting real horror, but that's now what it felt like. I think the best description I've found for how Locke & Key is that it skews more along the lines of a dark fable than it does real horror. It's not bad, but it just doesn't fit what's been advertised. I have the entire series, picked up a while ago from a Humble Books Bundle, but I haven't gotten around to reading it. Maybe I should approach it as fantasy, and allow myself to be surprised if it it ever does turn into horror.

 

[LittleNatalia]

I read the first chapter, and I have to say, I was kind of underwhelmed. Given the Stephen King connection and all the allusions to HP Lovecraft, I guess I was expecting real horror, but that's now what it felt like. I think the best description I've found for how Locke & Key is that it skews more along the lines of a dark fable than it does real horror. It's not bad, but it just doesn't fit what's been advertised. I have the entire series, picked up a while ago from a Humble Books Bundle, but I haven't gotten around to reading it. Maybe I should approach it as fantasy, and allow myself to be surprised if it it ever does turn into horror.

I definitely can agree with you as far as feeling like your expectations weren't met. I hope that coming at it with a different perspective can bring some enjoyment from it. But maybe it's just not for you! And luckily, there are so many more out there!

 

[zippypinhead]

I definitely can agree with you as far as feeling like your expectations weren't met. I hope that coming at it with a different perspective can bring some enjoyment from it. But maybe it's just not for you! And luckily, there are so many more out there!

It certainly does still intrigue me. I just remember the hype some years back, and went in thinking it was something it wasn't. And what it is is not bad at all. So, I'm glad I own them, and I definitely will read them.

 

[EllieGeorge]

Let me get back to you when I raid my stash to see and get certain titles that I can't remember off the top of my head. Morning Glories is one I like. Young Avengers as well. I haven't read any in a while mainly because I've been spending more money on books lol. But I love comics. So good.

 

[BettyDemure]

Comixology has a couple I'm reading right now:
"Mz Marvel" - young lady gets superpowers, she's figuring it out (slowly) in Jersey. I think my favorite parts are where she flips out as she meets her personal super heroes and tries not to geek out.
"Lazarus" - this is a little too serious for me (I like fun and lighthearted), but the story is good and the artwork is beautiful
"Star Wars" and "Vader" are both lots of fun, I especially liked the "Vader Down" crossover
I was reading "Saga" but it fell by the wayside, may pick it up again.

 

[zippypinhead]

I just discovered the wonders of Instagram, and how every comic book artist and cartoonist ever is on there. I've been having a lot of fun looking at cool comic art for the past week.

 

[MeurglysIII]

Check out Black Science (from Image Comics) by Rick Remender and Matteo Scalera. Current, ongoing monthly book. 3-4 volumes in trade paperback, or digitally on Comixology. Certainly visually rich, may be OTT for some tastes, but I think it's incredible art. As for the story: flawed characters, intricate plotting, complex relationships, no clear line between good/evil. Oh...and a machine that transports an anarchist scientist and his team (and some family members) to other dimensions, layers of reality, and nightmarish alien worlds. Mild spoiler..they became trapped in the 'eververse' and each attempt to get back home rips apart and corrupts the fabric of...everything.

 

[JuniperGin]

I personally really enjoy Moon Knight! Marvel. So cool, and the backstory and lore is really fun and interesting!

 

[zippypinhead]

Free Comic Book Day is coming up this Saturday. One of my favorite days of the year. I missed out on it last year, and this year I'm in a brand new (and much smaller) town, so I'm excited to get out there and see what's what.

 

[Entertainer33]

Rocket Girl from Image Comics is awesome. There's a trade available.

 

[zippypinhead]

Man, FCBD was a lot of fun this year! Only two places in town were really doing anything for it -- my local comic shop, and my local Hastings (probably the coolest chain store out there.) Where I live now is really family-oriented, so the families and kids out to get their comics rivaled the geeks, and I have to say, that is a really cool thing! I brought home stacks of old comics along with my little handful of freebies.

I also found out there's a little contingent of small pressers where I live, and they're ambitious enough to be publishing books. That's awesome! I will rule them as their king.

 

[Gen]

Man, FCBD was a lot of fun this year! Only two places in town were really doing anything for it -- my local comic shop, and my local Hastings (probably the coolest chain store out there.) Where I live now is really family-oriented, so the families and kids out to get their comics rivaled the geeks, and I have to say, that is a really cool thing! I brought home stacks of old comics along with my little handful of freebies.

I also found out there's a little contingent of small pressers where I live, and they're ambitious enough to be publishing books. That's awesome! I will rule them as their king.

There were tons of kids at FCBD at my shop, too! The shop markets themselves as kid-friendly and pointedly carries lots of kid books. Last time I was there, a kid (maybe 10?) was looking at books with his mom, who was helping him pick something. She was so cute being like "ooooh, the Flash, that looks fun! Darkseid war?! How cool! What's JLA?!" and he was explaining it to her. Another time two little boys were there with their dad looking at figures, and one was like "that's Green Lantern! And he's fighting...um....come on, I know this....SINESTRO!" It's always just precious

 

[Vicki]

I got really sucked into the Harbinger series from Valiant comics! The premise isn't too original, but it's fast paced and has great writing, I could barely put it down!

 

[zippypinhead]

There were tons of kids at FCBD at my shop, too! The shop markets themselves as kid-friendly and pointedly carries lots of kid books. Last time I was there, a kid (maybe 10?) was looking at books with his mom, who was helping him pick something. She was so cute being like "ooooh, the Flash, that looks fun! Darkseid war?! How cool! What's JLA?!" and he was explaining it to her. Another time two little boys were there with their dad looking at figures, and one was like "that's Green Lantern! And he's fighting...um....come on, I know this....SINESTRO!" It's always just precious

I think this big push to make comic properties so ubiquitous in pop culture is finally coming around to make publishers remember that their next batch of nostalgia-driven fans are kids, and if they plan to make this endeavor as long-term as they say, they need to start really appealing to those kids. At least, I hope it's going that way. There's so much room for growth in comics, there has never been a better time than now for all sorts of people to get into it.

 

[zippypinhead]

I got really sucked into the Harbinger series from Valiant comics! The premise isn't too original, but it's fast paced and has great writing, I could barely put it down!

It struck me as funny that Valiant would once again be resurrected. They seem to get their day in the sun every time comics see a surge in popularity. Come to think of it, it might actually be a sign of a plateau...

At any rate, Harbinger was always a cool property, and I'm glad to know it's getting some good treatment by this new Valiant.