Where and Webcomics

     I am no longer where I was. I have arrived where I was going, and am now where I am. That's right, I have moved. It will now be easier for me to make timely updates.

     This week, I'm sharing some of my favorite webcomics. Next week, a review of Thor: the Dark World.


REAL LIFE
By Greg Dean

     Real Life is the first webcomic I read on any kind of regular basis. It is the story of a group of computer gaming friends based, at least initially, on the author's friends. Eventually, there are plots of world domination, robots, and A.I. consoles. Plenty of gaming references, as well.


SCHLOCK MERCENARY
By Howard Tayler

     Shlock Mercenary is the story of a violent amorphous blob and the mercenary group he works with. It has spaceships, time travel, intelligent elephants, and evil lawyers.

     Speaking of regular updates...this comic has been updated daily since it began. (Except, maybe, for the odd computer issue.) It's also consistently funny, often touching, and usually full of action.


XKCD
By Randall Munroe

     You may have seen this stick figure comic in memes all over the net.

     The comic that disproves the theory that, if you have to explain it, it isn't a joke. (I had to research a thing or two occasionally.) XKCD is an intelligent comic with a cast of interesting characters and no regular plot. The author uses math, science, and occasional technological jerkery for humor and cheesy romantic lines. He's a big fan of puns, and I love it.


ORDER OF THE STICK
By Rich Burlew

     A D&D game from the point of view of the characters, with talks of skill points, leveling, and player characters. Also a consistently funny comic, though the updates are highly irregular.


DARTHS AND DROIDS
By The Comic Irregulars

     Darths and Droids begins with a 'what-if'.' What if the Star Wars universe were an RPG in a world where Star Wars had never existed? The result is a webcomic built on screenshots of the movies, beginning with Episode 1. Episodes 1-3 mke more sense as a game than as movies.

     Darths and Droids references DM of the Rings often in its comments section. DM of the Rings did the same thing with The Lord of the Rings, though with a GM with a much different approach to running the game.


SOMETHING POSITIVE
By RK Milholland

     Okay, all the other comics on this page are fun for the whole family, give or take a bit of comic violence. Something Positive, however, comes with a strong warning. There is violence that goes beyond comic, adult content including comic "nudity", sometimes harsh language, and jokes about topics polite people consider off-limits. It makes something of a point of being inappropriate. There's a reason for that, and I think it's just the ridiculousness of some of our taboos and strictures. 

     And it has heart. It has true friendships, twisted maybe slightly. It has characters that really care about each other. You (or at least I) grow to really care about some of these characters, and truly despise others. Overall, it's both real and surreal.