I'm going to eliminate all the big ones in one fell swoop. Simply put, if the comic is big enough to be selling stuff through Topatoco (http://topatoco.com/hey/) they are too big for this list.
What I'm looking for here is a list of the top five comics you never miss, that most folks probably haven't heard of. It's ok if some people have heard of it. But it should be somewhat obscure. Preferably someone who hasn't joined the site yet but that's not a hard rule either.
My five.
1) Candi (http://www.candicomics.com/) - A fun college romp. Like Felicity (the first good season or so I'm told) with a telekinetic and telepathic ferret and evil squirrels who want him dead.
2) Sarah Zero (http://sarahzero.com/index.html) - NSFW - If you have a real appreciation for art interpretation and subtext as well as some amazing visuals you will love this comic as much as I do. I think it is about as close to "art" in the most artistic form a webcomic can get. Just stunning.
3) Flipside (http://www.flipsidecomics.com/) - NSFW - Magic and swords. I've met the artist Brion Foulke twice now and he is all business about webcomics. And he is always delivering complex twists and turns with his story.
4) Punch an' Pie (http://www.punchanpie.net/) - spin off of the comic Queen of Wands (http://www.queenofwands.net/) which ended with it's main character, Kestrel moving to Boston and joining Randy Milhollands Something*Positive (http://www.somethingpositive.net/), Punch an' Pie is a funny, sarcastic romp through young adulthood. Drawn by Chris Daily of Striptease (http://www.stripteasecomic.com/) and written by Aeire it reads like a female Something*Positive.
5) FreakAngels (http://www.freakangels.com/) - Now this one might be my only break from the rules but honestly I've asked a lot of people if they have heard of FreakAngels and I rarely get a yes despite the fact that it is written by the astonishingly famous Warren Ellis, drawn by the consummate Paul Duffield and released by Avatar Press which is a fairly big deal. Releasing five full pages a week the story is engrossing and the art enchanting.
So what are your five?
I'm not sure I would say Candi, Flipside, or Freak Angels qualify as "not well known". Flipside gets around 10 thousand unique visitors a day. Freak Angels is by one of the biggest comic writers out there... Candi, maybe, but most people I think have heard of it.
That being said, here's my five. :)
But Not Really (http://www.drunkduck.com/But_Not_Really/ (http://www.drunkduck.com/But_Not_Really/)): An absurdist, comedy photocomic. Sometimes silly, sometimes laugh out loud funny, and always entertaining.
Dream*Scar (http://www.dream-scar.net/ (http://www.dream-scar.net/)): Somehow, the manga style art ends up being just a little haunting. The storyline is intriguing. There's not enough of it yet to really know what's going on, but it is going somewhere interesting.
The Apple of Discord (http://www.theappleofdiscord.com/ (http://www.theappleofdiscord.com/)): I like to describe this as the Far Side for geeks but it is far more than that. Apple of Discord offers biting commentary on the geek world mixed with pure oddness. Plus, a character who sidelines as a webcomic stereotype killing vigilante.
Life's a Witch (http://www.witchytech.com/lifesawitch/ (http://www.witchytech.com/lifesawitch/)): If any webcomic could make it in regular syndication, it is this one. That's not an insult. Life's a Witch has a low, pleasant hum of goodness to it.
Connie Van Ehlsing, Monster Hunter (http://www.webcomicsnation.com/jaehling/conny/series.php (http://www.webcomicsnation.com/jaehling/conny/series.php)): A little girl who sees the world for what it really is: full of monsters ready for slaying. It is both a wonderful twist on the Buffy formula and a great examination of how kids' imaginations run their world.
This is a great idea for a topic. I love rolling through people's Links section, it's the best way to find new daily reads!
http://spaceavalanche.com
http://2dgoggles.com
http://jonnycrossbones.com
http://www.transmission-x.com/ , specifically http://www.tacc.txcomics.com/
http://parallaxcity.com ;)
Fun idea! I have been following Candi for years. I used to follow FlipSide, but the lack of consistency with updates was ultimately too frustrating for me. And wow, thanks for the nod, J ^.^
My five must-read/largely unknown favorites:
Mysteries of the Arcana (http://www.mysteriesofthearcana.com): I'm not just returning the favor, by the way. MotA is sharply written by the charming J Gray and sharply drawn by the artist only known to me as Keith. The story has enough action, humor, drama, and fantasy to whet the appetite of readers of any background or preference. As the world is completely different from our own, reading the story is also a fun adventure into a world that was created just for the story. Probably the best-known comic on my list, actually. Updates M/Th.
Rival Angels (http://www.rivalangels.com): A comic about lady wrestlers written by the talented, hilarious, and super friendly Alan Evans. I see you rolling your eyes at the wrestling thing, and believe me, I did the same at first. The story will pull you in, though. I promise. There's drama and action and a lovely sense of humor. Updates M/W/F.
The Temple of a Thousand Tears (http://www.drunkduck.com/The_Temple_of_a_Thousand_Tears): An epic story surrounding a religious conflict by the unstoppable Trevor A. Mueller. The original story was completed, and he has since been updating with prequels to be followed up with the sequel to the original. A phenomenal and very involved story with plenty of action and intrigue. Updates Mondays.
Used Books (http://http://www.drunkduck.com/Used_Books): Lovingly created by the excellent Vickie Boutwell and standing at an intimidating 789 pages, this crime drama follows the lives of three very different ladies. The writing is superb, and the art (while rough in the beginning) is looking better every day. The storyline is detailed and well-planned, and the characters are three-dimensional and realistic. Updates T/Th.
Daqueran (http://gurukitty.com/daqueran.php): This is a beautiful watercolor fantasy comic by a team known as GuruKitty. The plot follows a mysterious and arrogant main character who has been sent on an important mission. The dialogue is full of snark and wit, and the characters are very fun and diverse. Plus there's Tik, the most adorable mini-octopus in the entire world. This is one of the most light-hearted comics I read, but there's plenty of action and drama and humor and all sorts of other things to draw you in. Updates Mondays.
Muse Academy (http://www.themuseacademy.com) - A story about a young girl with poetic aspirations who is invited to a school that is run by the Muses of ancient mythology. JJ has a very distinct style and the story has been nothing short of entertaining. And she's been a wonderful webcomic friend who I hope to meet in person one of these days.
Broken Plot Device (http://www.brokenplotdevice.com/) - Anthropomorphic animal characters, silliness, and wonderful line art mix to provide an entertaining webcomic.
Taka Comics (http://www.takacomics.com/) - You may remember our wonderful mod Trevor as being the creator of this collection of comics. I met Trevor at ConnectiCon this past year, and started reading his comics not too long after that. Each story features wonderful writing and a unique art style. As for Trevor himself, he's a really friendly guy who I'm happy to say I live close by to (when are going out for coffee next, Trevor?).
Head Trip (http://headtripcomics.comicgenesis.com/) - I recently came across this one on accident, and instantly fell in love. The author's lack of reverence for any subject makes me smile and laugh like the heathen I am. And her art style has become one of my all-time favorites. Unfortunately, as is the case at the moment, she takes frequent hiatuses.
Sequential Art (http://www.collectedcurios.com) - I was addicted to this for a while, and then it fell off of my radar for some reason and I never bookmarked it. About a year went by and I JUST recently rediscovered it, and it's still just as addicting. Jack has a wonderfully simple yet expressive style, and the writing is always amusing. I love his pinups, too.
RUNNER UP: I say this is a runner up because I don't think it's necessarily an unknown, but I don't think it's in the mainstream consciousness of webcomicdom, either (although it should be). Garanos (http://www.garanos.com) is another, like Sequential Art, that I lost track of for a while and came back to full force. Alex's art nothing short of amazing, and the story and characters she has created are equally intriguing. And she's an awesome person to boot.
I've spent my entire day reading Freak Angels. I feel like an a-hole for not knowing about this amazing comic. Good recommendation, Rob!
QuoteI'm not sure I would say Candi, Flipside, or Freak Angels qualify as "not well known". Flipside gets around 10 thousand unique visitors a day. Freak Angels is by one of the biggest comic writers out there... Candi, maybe, but most people I think have heard of it.
QuoteI've spent my entire day reading Freak Angels. I feel like an a-hole for not knowing about this amazing comic. Good recommendation, Rob!
I'm not even going to say anything. I'm just going to sit here and let the wave of smug self righteousness wash over me. 8)
Pictures of You (http://picturesofyou.smackjeeves.com/) - The memoirs of Peter Morris and the best friends he ever lost. College, sex, drugs and rock & roll. NSFW, but not because it's a porn or anything.
Our Time in Eden (http://ourtimeineden.smackjeeves.com/) - Two childhood friends reminisce about their past and a future that never will be. Written by Gibson Twist, who makes Pictues of You, drawn by Ben Steeves of Zomben. Also kind of NSFW.
Zom-Ben (http://www.zombenstrikes.com/) - A comic about a Zombie Superhero!
Soul'd (http://sould.smackjeeves.com/) - Pretty new. Not sure where it's going yet, but I'm really curious to find out!
The Zombie Hunters (http://www.thezombiehunters.com/) - Pretty self explanatory title, some very nice art. Lots of improvement from start to current.
Freak Angels reads a lot like Zombie Hunters... except the plot actually moves. I gave ZH a try for a long while, but I just got bored of no zombies.
Sorry to feed Rob's obviously out-of-control ego, but Freak Angels totally falls under the lesser-known category. We may need a more severe "completely obscure" category for another thread. Just kidding, but there are like dozens of thousands of webcomics out there, even the ones produced by famous people can be overlooked.
damn, ZomBen is really really good too. Great example of an artist/writer really refining his skill over time.
Alright guys. Looks like thread got jumping fairly quick. I'm going to link the very first entry of each of these. That'll hopefully make it a lot easier to get into the swing of things.
Here are my top five:
- Minus- http://www.kiwisbybeat.com/minus.html (//http://) -over
Minus is the best comic in the universe. It starts out weird and great and just keeps getting weirder and greater and weirder and greater. You need this in your life.
-Dawn of Time http://www.dawnoftimecomics.com/index.php?id=1 (http://www.dawnoftimecomics.com/index.php?id=1)
This comic's by one of my DeviantArt pals. He's a great guy and he knows how to make comics dance all sexy like. Plus: DINOSAURS!
-Roza http://www.rozacomic.com/?date=2007-05-01 (http://www.rozacomic.com/?date=2007-05-01)
Gorgeous to behold. This comic's full of magic and curses and god-monsters and a little something that I and Gaia the spirit of the earth like to call 'Heart'
Ok, so I lied, I don't have a top five that I never miss but you never heard of... that and minus has been over for like a year. Look, the important thing to remember here is that we're all happy and healthy and that nobody's mad at me for lying.
As long as we remember that(especially the part about me lying), the machines can never take away our humanity.
I imagine there are folks out there in webcomic land who haven't ever heard of Questionable Content, either. It doesn't make it small. :) My guess is, Freak Angels gets just as many visitors as QC, if not more. Many of them may just not be your normal webcomics crowd but rather dedicated Ellis fans.
Oh I agree that the crossover for FreakAngels is probably huge as a lot more "Comic" folks read it. But that's why it makes a kind of valid entry on my list because I generally travel in webcomics circles and a lot of the folks I have run into haven't heard of it.
wow, Roza is fantastic. It's like a storyboard for a Disney cartoon. I love this thread, keep the gems comin!
Yay, good idea! Hmm, it's probably easier to just refer to my links page (http://www.estrangelcomic.com/links/). Sorry if that's inconvenient.
Specifically the order would be:
1. The Battle of Dovecote Crest
2. Today Nothing Happened
3. Eros Inc.
4. Accursed Dragon
5. Gill - last because the author has recently decided to discontinue it, but it's still worth a look. Plus you can check out the other comics he's doing on his site.
Edit: ooh, also, honorable mention goes to Think Before You Think (http://thinkbeforeyouthink.smackjeeves.com/comics/), a fairly new comic that I recently discovered, but instantly liked. Awkward and absolutely, consistently, hilarious.
more, there must be more. I spent my entire day reading Freak Angles and Zom-Ben, but those have been the only two that have completely captivated me so far. Who has more suggestions like that?
Obscure, inde, mainstream, whatever, if it's something you have to read every day, let's hear about it.
Okaaaayyyy.
Let's see...
Union of Heroes (http://www.unionofheroes.com/comic.html) is the best photocomic I've seen. Interesting and very well formatted. Plus a fun story.
Bear Nuts (http://www.bearnutscomic.com/) by Alison Acton is really great. I've been trying to get her over here with no luck. She used to be on the Webcomics.com forum.
The last I can think of to recommend is Paradigm Shift but I'm not going to link that one as his server has been infected by some kind of Keylogger virus. The comic is really great and it was even in the background of a couple of "Heroes" TV show episodes. Also the creator Dirk I Tiede is a pretty nice guy (met him a couple years ago). Apparently until the issue is resolved he is updating to two other sites and has transferred his archive but you would have to Google Paradigm Shift and find those alternate sites yourself. If he has a virus I'm not linking anything of his from here right now.
There are of course lots of cool comics to read here as well. 80+ members and counting. ;D
I honestly have no idea how many people read Digger (http://www.diggercomic.com/), but there it is. Certainly everyone's heard of the LOL WUT pear the artist is responsible for.
I find Shark Attack (http://www.sharkattackcomics.com/) as funny as it is ridiculous.
OK, I'll add one: Batman and Sons (http://pics.livejournal.com/the_dark_cat/?sort=top), a sort-of fan comic in which Batman is a dad to three versions of Robin, drawn in the animated Batman style. No idea how popular it is. It's not really a traditional webcomic, being a livejournal comic and therefore obnoxious to navigate, but I love it so much I'm willing to forgive that. If you're a fan of the DC superheroes, you will likely love it too.
Let's see, I think I can come up with a few more...
Skin Horse (http://www.webcomicsnation.com/shaenongarrity/skinhorse/series.php), that's reasonably popular but I can't start my day without it because it's precisely my brand of weird.
The Crown Prince (http://crownprince.bubonicpress.com/jg-bp2/) is a lot of fun, possibly mainly because I'm a parent.
I'm immensely fond of Compass (http://girlamatic.com/compass/), a trans-dimensional adventure.
Oh, and Shrub Monkeys (http://girlamatic.com/shrubmonkeys/) never fails to make me smile.
There, that's five!
Quote from: Nuke on January 15, 2010, 03:09:10 PM
I honestly have no idea how many people read Digger (http://www.diggercomic.com/), but there it is. Certainly everyone's heard of the LOL WUT pear the artist is responsible for.
Digger's fairly well read and Ursula (the artist/writer of Digger) is wonderfully fun in person. She's actually got a children's book out now as well as a few other things.
I've never heard of it and want to check Digger out but I'm getting a virus warning about the site... so maybe some other time. :-\
Minus (http://www.kiwisbybeat.com/minus.html), though it's over. :(
Mr. Normal (http://mrnormal.com/), I love the tone of this comic.
I don't know how well read this one is, but: Sister Claire (http://www.sisterclaire.com/) is just great and I think it deserves more readers. Shame about the creator's health problems. I hope it gets better for her. :(
Again, don't know how popular it is, but I really love The Book of Biff (http://www.thebookofbiff.com/), which is a single page comic which brightens my day every day. If I could program, I would make a program that would automatically go to this website and take the latest Biff and put it on my laptop's background.
Last but not least, Max vs. Max (http://www.maxvsmax.com/) a new comic by the creator of You'll Have That, which I counted as the 'Mad About You' of webcomics, whatever that may mean to you.
Honorable mention: General Protection Fault (http://www.gpf-comics.com/). This is honorable mention because I stopped reading it myself about a year ago (I just didn't manage to keep up with it for a while, and then I lost where I was and haven't had the time to actually find it back again).
Sister Claire rocks. It has done well for a freshman (one year or less old) comic. Probably the best in her class, so to speak.
I read Nedroid, Bear and Tiger, Butterfly, Kinokofry, Here there be Robots that are not big guns... Though Kinokofry and Here There be Robots didn't update for a good while.
I dislike going through collections, looking for gems in the sea of crap. By the way, if I heard about it, it must not be that unknown, and good stuff becomes known eventually.
Quote from: Funderbunk on January 16, 2010, 07:06:31 AM
Minus (http://www.kiwisbybeat.com/minus.html), though it's over. :(
Minus was great. It was nice to see an actual hand-painted comic, too. Was sad when that one stopped updating.
http://www.moderntales.com/comics/knowledge.php
All Knowledge is Strange.
No idea how popular or unpopular it is since it isn't on ProjectWonderful. Worth a bizarre chuckle quite frequently.
Sorry, the rest that I read are fairly well known.
I can't believe I forgot Odd Fish (http://www.odd-fish.net/). Hilariously punny.
EDIT: Thanks for that link, dugs. All Knowledge is Strange is quite hilarious.
Quote from: Funderbunk on January 16, 2010, 07:06:31 AM
Again, don't know how popular it is, but I really love The Book of Biff (http://www.thebookofbiff.com/), which is a single page comic which brightens my day every day. If I could program, I would make a program that would automatically go to this website and take the latest Biff and put it on my laptop's background.
I'm going to guess that Biff isn't that small since they have mainstream ads on their site. However, I'd like to second this vote as a great comic.
The War of Winds (http://warofwinds.com/): Continuing in Pete's "people who live nearby me" theme, KEZ does a wonderful comic with great art and a nice take on fantasy worlds.
1977 (http://www.1977thecomic.com/): A great romp in a great year, featuring a band that just can't get off the ground, mainly because they can't get off the couch. Lots of drug humor and fanservice, but always very funny.
The Konamis (http://thekonamis.com/): Way back when webcomics.com was still a forum, I chatted with these two guys a lot. It's about a band that is called in, James Bond-style, to deal with various baddies.
Union of Heroes (http://www.unionofheroes.com/): The photo comic that sets the bar for photo comics. A man is pulled from his ordinary life to a world where his counterpart had superpowers. Now he has them.
Johnny Saturn (http://johnnysaturn.com/): A very well drawn superhero comic about the central character, Johnny Saturn, an aging superhero who won't give up on anything.
Runner-Up: The Cow (http://www.thecowcomic.com/): Only a runner-up because he is on the board now, and therefore you should be checking out his comic, anyways!
Oh I forgot about Johnny Saturn! I tried to get Scott (Story) to come by the forums and I didn't have much success which is a shame because I liked talking with him on the old Webcomics.com site.
Still I like the comic enough that I need to catch up on it. Thanks for the reminder. ;)
A couple of these have already been said, but I can't reiterate enough how awesome these comics are.
Roza (http://www.junglestudio.com/roza/) - Simply beautiful and charming.
Family Man (http://www.lutherlevy.com/) - Great art, intriguing story, can't wait to see where it's going.
Dovecote Crest (http://dovecotecrest.com/) - Probably the most precious character-driven comic I've ever come across.
... I'll add more when I stop having trouble deciding between them.
Hm, how do you quantify well known? Anyway I guess this is my list.
1. Tales from Overside (http://www.rice-boy.com) - Evan Dahm's follow up to Rice Boy
2. Moon Town (http://www.moon-town.com/comic) - Yeah it's my buddy Steve Ogden, but I still would never miss it even if I didn't know him.
3. Gill - I loved that strip too. Bummed Norm couldn't keep it going.
4. By Moon Alone (http://www.bymoonalone.com) - by HAI
5. Imy (http://www.imycomic.com)by Irma Eriksson - I'm not normally a reader of this type of strip, but something about it is charming, plus I like Irma :)
Dovecote Crest? Yes yes yes! I just found something new to add to my repertoire =D
Restricting it to rather unknown comics that are still regularly updating:
1) Edmund Finney's Quest to Find the Meaning of Life (http://eqcomics.com/) (two updates a week) On his trips around the world, Edmund makes random encounters with quirky travellers or natives. THE BEST COMIC STRIP ON THE WEB!
2) Commander Kitty (http://www.commanderkitty.com/) (one update a week) tells the humorous story of a feline space ranger and his crew on a dangerous mission. A lot of thought went into the world and character design and the comic manages to be exciting and still deliver a joke on nearly every page.
3) Life Ain't no Pony Farm (http://sarahburrini.com/en/) (two updates a week) is a journal-style comedy comic by the German artist Sarah Burrini, featuring herself and a bunch of talking animals as her roommates.
4) Luke Surl (http://www.lukesurl.com/) (three updates a week): Cartoons in the tradition of The Far Side with intelligent jokes outside the box, but the artwork needs improving...
Oh I like Commander Kitty. Great art style. I tried to get Scott to join here but I don't think he ever came by. :-\
Great comic though.
I can only link comics I read... and I really don't read that many right now =(
Panthera (http://www.pantheracomic.com/) -- This is currently my fave. It's basically an elite[ish] team of teens
who are given the ability to control elements and change into super awesome
jungle cats. The characters are surprisingly well done, and I found myself really
attached to all of them pretty quickly lol.
Dreamless (http://dreamless.keenspot.com/) -- Don't know if this is an 'unknown' or not, but it is my second fave
right now. The art is done by the girl who does The Phoenix Requiem, and the
story done by the guy who did Marry Me and Last Blood [two other great comics
but probably more well known]. I am a sucker for doomed love, so this is a great
read imo.
Toilet Genie (http://www.storyofthedoor.com) -- I just found this like a week ago, but I am already wanting to read
more. Dunno if anyone here is into manga, but there was this one called Guru Guru
Pon-chan where the puppy was turned into a human girl and fell in love with her
neighbour. Lmao. This comic reminds me of that a bit, only the girl is way better
at being human than Ponchan was... Def worth a read. The art is really fun.
Fey Winds (http://kitsune.rydia.net/index.html) -- the art is really cute in this. The storyline is mostly jokes and parodies,
but every now and then they break into a really serious section of story. It is what
sucked me in lol. Also, the main chick is an adorable fox woman with freckles.
I don't think I read any others that are underdogs... The only other two comics
I check very often are are Phoenix Requiem and The Meek...and those are mostly
for the art lol.
I'd think Dreamless was more known than Last Blood or Marry Me. I used to read Marry Me, but the update schedule took far too long for me. Did they finish it or something?
Not sure if I really want to go back to reading Bobby Crosby stuff, though. The person has kinda scared me off from the work.
Marry Me finished its original run, the story intended for the potential movie, which I liked quite a bit. However, It's been updating VERY infrequently with a bonus story, that in my opinion isn't nearly as good as the rest of it.
Yes, Bobby Crosby can be...intimidating, but don't let that keep you from reading a genuinely good webcomic like Dreamless. Just, you know, avoid the comments section if you need to.
Alright, I'll add it to my 'to-read' list and just start treating Bobby Crosby like the webcomics version of Mad Mel Gibson.
ROTFL omg, I know. The guy is a total nutcase. He really flips his
shit over the most ridiculous of things. I sort of admire that, though.
He's not afraid to speak his mind. I am like that too, but I actually
know when it's best to keep my mouth shut. He just has this 'fuck
all' attitude, like he doesn't care if you read it or not, and I find
this incredibly amusing.
I guess Dreamless prolly would be riding off the TPR waves though...
she does link it off her main page... =(
It's a good read though. And you don't really have to read the comments
anyway. That's the only place you see his implosions lol.
I've found five in my RSS feeds that I don't think anyone's mentioned yet and probably aren't too well known to count.
Between Failures (http://betweenfailures.com) updates three days a week in colour but started off in black in white. It's set in a store called Megatainment and follows the goings on of the staff there. There's an interesting bunch of characters and has some very funny lines. Not something for people that like their stories to move fast though. One day in comic time takes a lot of pages.
Milo the Cloud (http://milothecloud.com/) is a cute comic about a talking cloud, a talking balloon and a rather insane bird. It varies between simple one off joke strips and longer story arcs and updates every Monday and Tuesday.
Out at Home (http://www.out-at-home.com/) is a fantastic comic that follows the Beckett family, headed by Herman, who's a retired baseball player, extremely rich and famous are may as well be on another planet. Updates three times a week.
Zoology (http://zoologycomic.com/) is set in a zoo and is mostly about the lives of the various animals there, although the zoo keepers do get some attention too. It jumps between characters a lot and there's a lot of variance between how human their lives are, with some species wearing clothes while others don't and some characters going to school or work while others never leave their pen. One of the animal cast even has a radio show that one of the keepers has listened to on at least one occasion. It updates three times a week in black and white.
Quick Shots (http://quickshots.smackjeeves.com) is the one I've been reading the longest out of these and is one that I actually did a guest strip for quite a while back. It's a single panel gag strip that has a couple of recurring characters. All the people have rectangular heads and one eye, which I've never asked about but I probably should. It doesn't have a constant update schedule but there's an archive of over 400 of them now, so it's not as if there isn't already a lot of it to read.