Top 5 Webcomics You Never Miss But Aren't Well known

[Rob]

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 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 - 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 - 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 - 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 - spin off of the comic Queen of Wands which ended with it's main character, Kestrel moving to Boston and joining Randy Milhollands Something*Positive, Punch an' Pie is a funny, sarcastic romp through young adulthood. Drawn by Chris Daily of Striptease and written by Aeire it reads like a female Something*Positive.

5) FreakAngels - 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?

[JGray]

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/): An absurdist, comedy photocomic. Sometimes silly, sometimes laugh out loud funny, and always entertaining.

Dream*Scar (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/): 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/): 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): 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.

[NoahRodenbeek]

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 ;)

[amanda]

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: 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: 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: 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: 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: 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.

[Pete]

Muse Academy - 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 - Anthropomorphic animal characters, silliness, and wonderful line art mix to provide an entertaining webcomic.

Taka Comics - 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 - 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 - 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 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.

[NoahRodenbeek]

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!

[Rob]

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.

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!

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)

[ran]

Pictures of You - 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 - 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 - A comic about a Zombie Superhero!

Soul'd - Pretty new. Not sure where it's going yet, but I'm really curious to find out!

The Zombie Hunters - Pretty self explanatory title, some very nice art. Lots of improvement from start to current.

[NoahRodenbeek]

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.

[NoahRodenbeek]

damn, ZomBen is really really good too.  Great example of an artist/writer really refining his skill over time.

[KidGalactus]

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 -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

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

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.

[JGray]

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.

[Rob]

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.

[NoahRodenbeek]

wow, Roza is fantastic.  It's like a storyboard for a Disney cartoon.  I love this thread, keep the gems comin!

[Alectric]

Yay, good idea!  Hmm, it's probably easier to just refer to my links page.  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, a fairly new comic that I recently discovered, but instantly liked.  Awkward and absolutely, consistently, hilarious.