RationalWiki talk:What is going on in webcomics?

Contributions welcome, of course. I don't know how to set up a proper WIGO page, to be honest. Wehpudicabok [話] [変] [留] 05:13, 10 February 2014 (UTC)

Technically, the use of the WIGO polling extension is not restricted to specific pages; one simply has to use <vote> tags with poll attributes that have prefixes not used elsewhere.

On the other hand, why exactly would we want a WIGO page for web-comics? Are there many web-comics that promote pseudoscience or something of the kind? ListenerX^TalkerX 05:34, 10 February 2014 (UTC)

Possibly, though I was thinking more of webcomics that criticize such bad ideas, like these. But honestly, I just thought that a funspace page to share cool webcomics would be OK. People have mentioned it periodically. Wehpudicabok [話] [変] [留] 05:41, 10 February 2014 (UTC)

There, I added a more recent example of the sort of comic I'd want us to link to. These are the kinds of things that I occasionally submitted to WIGO Blogs, but there's always talk of a separate page for them since comics aren't really strictly part of the "blogosphere." Wehpudicabok [話] [変] [留] 05:47, 10 February 2014 (UTC)

Ah. I do not see a problem with just linking to them on WIGO:Blogs (or WIGO:Clogs), and other special-purpose WIGO pages have tended to become unused and die off; but we shall see what happens. ListenerX^TalkerX 06:39, 10 February 2014 (UTC)

*groan* Fanboy wars in 3... 2... 1...--ZooGuard (talk) 12:35, 10 February 2014 (UTC)

Does this mean I can link to Sonichu?--The Madman (talk) 12:41, 10 February 2014 (UTC)The Madman

NO.--ZooGuard (talk) 14:24, 10 February 2014 (UTC)

SMBC

Am I the only one who hates it when he gets preachy? Like that "inspirational" one where he basically said the meaning of life was to get as many doctorates as possible. Ugh. Stick to the dick jokes, Wiener! Still, love that comic. Hilarious shit. And every day, to boot.--"Shut up, Brx." 17:06, 13 February 2014 (UTC)

Wizard School, Minion Comics

Anybody else sad to learn Minion Comics is going down? Apparently Kevin Kneupper has some stingy-ass fans (myself included, although I did purchase both editions of Nuggetron. Not a bad purchase, even if I prefer my content to be free). Wizard School was quite daring, almost troublingly so at times. But its consciousness was hilarious and poignant. Still, it's not over yet. He says he's going to wrap it up, and not end it abruptly. I think the problem with Minion Comics (as opposed to other webcomics) is that Kevin Kneupper is not an illustrator himself, and thus must resort to hiring people to draw for him. Which sounds ridiculously expensive (especially considering the six different series he made). He's a patent lawyer IRL, so he could afford it for a while, but it's just not very sustainable, not without publishers backing you. A shame. He's quite clever. If I were one of the artists in question (which is difficult to imagine, because I have no skills or talents to speak of), I would totally collaborate with him for free, just to make great comics. I encourage anyone with some time on their hands to have a look at the link above and read through The Lydian Option, Minion, and Wizard School. Avoid The Night the Power Went Out. It's not very good and won't leave a great impression. I'd say Wizard School is his best. Make sure you keep reading. Don't dismiss it after the first few pages- trust me--"Shut up, Brx." 18:25, 13 February 2014 (UTC)

Comics on both sides of the Atlantic

Okay, so it seems Wehpudicabok has inadvertently revealed that I have a lot of pent-up commentary on comics in general. I am from a foreign country which some of you may have heard of, France. In France, comics (there called bandes dessinees, or BD for short) are a very popular pastime (it should be noted that many comics popular in France originated in Belgium. I don't want to downplay the contributions of our potato obsessed air beer swilling neighbors to the North- really, comics are popular not simply in France, but in French-speaking Europe). I live in the US, and I have witnessed the comics here as well. In France, comics aren't stigmatized like they are in the US. Because they're better. Which isn't to say comics in the US are all bad. Just that they're inferior to the francophone variant. It's science, I'm afraid.

Why is this the case? Superheroes. At some point, superheroes grew to dominate the comics of America. In France, you'll rarely find this theme. Granted, there are heroes in French comics, but they don't have goofy names and sillier costumes. Nor are they as cheesy as the heroes in American comics (Superman, anyone?). Let's face it, a grown man dressing in spandex with his underwear outside his pants to fight crime, often with a ridiculous theme (Antman, the Green Lantern) and a contrived backstory (uh, yeah, it's the yellow sun that makes me powerful. Yellow. That's the stuff) is a dumb narrative. Maybe that's a matter of opinion. But I choose to believe it's objective fact and that anyone who feels otherwise is a victim of the culture of mediocrity perpetuated by superhero comics (so if you're insulted, I hope it's clear I'm exaggerating, and am merely discussing my personal preferences; I, brxbrx, am pleased that you have found something you enjoy in this life. Even if it's superhero comics).

Not all American comics are dominated by this narrative, thankfully. There are the "funnies." Those you find in the newspaper. Garfield, Dilbert, Foxtrot. These are better. Oh, they are limited by the three-panel format necessary to make extra room for advertisements and horoscopes, but they still get the joke across. I have laughed a great deal at Garfield in my younger days. And though Dilbert be tainted by the fact that the author is an MRA, it is still often hilarious. The Boondocks was s a more recent and novel take on the three-panel newspaper comic, and is also quite hilarious (it's been defunct for a while, unfortunately). Although it seems Aaron McGruder often phoned it in (quite literally sometimes: I read an interview where he described telling an assistant over the phone to have three panels of Huey watching TV, with a speech bubble of news coming from the TV, and Huey looking at the reader in the last panel), it was still an excellent comic and it's a shame it didn't see greater circulation. That's the sort of media this country needs. But endemic to the funnies are certain "classics" that attained said status under completely mysterious conditions. Marmaduke. Family Circus. On what planet is that shit funny? Why does it exist? I suspect people read it merely for the fact that it's considered "wholesome". Kinda like buying a coffee mug just because it has I ♥ Jesus written on it. It's the only plausible explanation. Srsly.

French comics, on the other hand, are of superior quality. For one, they are organized differently. Each page of a French comic is called a "planche," or board in English. It is a full page on average approximately 40cm by 30cm, leaving the author plenty of room to make a gag or tell a story (or part of one, if he so desires. An album of Francophone comics is composed of many of these pages). Yep, he can make long epics like La quete de l'oiseau du temps, taking about six tomes, one-off books of gags like zep has done (Les filles electriques and L'enfer des concerts), or unending series such as one of my favorites, Valerian (which actually influenced some of the iconic scenes from Star Wars). Moreover, the author does not have thematic limitations. Basically, no superheroes. They can write about a ragtag band of adventurers, a single weary traveler, an unheroic individual that never helps anyone if he can help it, or a character that acts as he pleases- killing, saving, establishing a kingdom, and all without a ridiculous outfit. Yes, compared to the comics of France and Belgium, the comics of the US are crap. This is one reason why I appreciate webcomics. They are bold and new. They don't limit themselves to prior formats and themes.

Webcomics are the comics America deserves. No Superman. No Family Circus. Just a million blossoms, each come with a promise. Many are bad (like this self-indulgent sickening nice guy fantasy, Marry Me), and some lack the resources to continue despite being promising (like Twice-Blessed, which apparently died from a combination of technical incompetence and author head injury- which is a shame because it wasn't half-bad). Some, however, are great and thriving, like ore extracted from the sulfuric acid of the heap leaching process (yes, I just looked that up because I wanted to make an analogy). SMBC is such a webcomic. Its format is unpredictable, and certainly nothing you'd see in the newspaper. It covers a multitude of topics, bringing its lovely brand of humor to them. Wizard School, until the author decided to start closing up shop, was one of them. It was bold. Very bold. It did some things funny persons wouldn't dare do. Sometimes it failed, and offended readers, but other times it succeeded and shed light on a culture trope in a most humorous fashion. Hopefully, they will continue to grow and thrive. And be largely free, at least until I find a job. Also, if anybody reading this was wondering: yes, I have a lot of spare time on my hands. I've done some volunteer work so as to not be a complete leech on society, and I plan to do some more soon (I've got some medical stuff to clear through soon, then I plan on starting up again). So that's probably why I seem to have so much to say on the matter. Because I have a lot of spare time on my hands.--"Shut up, Brx." 19:32, 13 February 2014 (UTC)

I'm not much for superheroes either. (Though I confess I love the Iron Man movies.) And yeah, I agree 100% that webcomics are great, at least partially because there's no editors to make sure the comic reaches the lowest common denominator. Wehpudicabok [話] [変] [留] 06:59, 14 February 2014 (UTC)

Parking Lot is Full

Anybody else like this? Here's my favorite of theirs. Ouch, take that society! --"Shut up, Brx." 19:36, 13 February 2014 (UTC)

Ouch, my heart... Wehpudicabok [話] [変] [留] 06:57, 14 February 2014 (UTC)

Dinosaur Comics

How about it? I'm not sure which heading it should go under, though. Nebuchadnezzar (talk) 15:50, 16 February 2014 (UTC)

That was hilarious. Thank you for sharing. Does the author draw the dinosaurs or are they paste jobs? Either way, freaking hilarious. Especially with the human-like expressions implied from the dinosaurs' poses.--"Shut up, Brx." 16:37, 16 February 2014 (UTC)

I don't remember whether he did originally, but each strip uses the same images, so he hasn't needed to actually draw them in years. But yeah, DC is brilliant. This is a particular favorite of mine. Wehpudicabok [話] [変] [留] 07:38, 17 February 2014 (UTC)

The idea is that it's identical artwork every time - David Gerard (talk) 13:12, 17 February 2014 (UTC)

Like RED MEAT. Wéáśéĺóíď^{Methinks it is a Weasel} 03:20, 6 March 2014 (UTC)

Half life = 2 months

This WIGO should go. We're over half way through March, and there's one entry. This is not sustainable, and questionable from the mission standpoint. ^talk 23:00, 19 March 2014 (UTC)

Well, it was started in funspace for a reason ... - David Gerard (talk) 23:04, 19 March 2014 (UTC)

And nothing in June. I won't miss it if it disappears. Sprocket J Cogswell (talk) 16:44, 28 July 2014 (UTC)

I don't see what deleting it will accomplish. Let it be--"Shut up, Brx." 16:54, 28 July 2014 (UTC)

Manfeels-Park

Presented without comment--"Shut up, Brx." 01:06, 23 July 2014 (UTC)

Existential Comics

A new one. Nebuchadnezzar (talk) 19:39, 28 July 2014 (UTC)

I like it--"Shut up, Brx." 00:16, 29 July 2014 (UTC)

ROTFL, D&D between Sartre, Kant, and Foucault--"Shut up, Brx." 00:20, 29 July 2014 (UTC)

Tim Kreider's "The Pain, When Will It End?"

In other words, this: http://www.thepaincomics.com/ Shame he doesn't update anymore. I always found his comics humorous!Chair tater (talk) 02:35, 29 July 2014 (UTC)

That Quetzal cartoon was kinda hard to read.--"Shut up, Brx." 14:20, 3 August 2014 (UTC)

Robot Hugs

I found this nice little webcomic yesterday, and I thought here would be a good place to share. I can bet that at least P-Foster will like it. Then I'll get two nice messages from him on my talk page. It's called Robot Hugs. It seems to mostly be about intersectional feminism and all that jazz (sorry, P-Foster, there does not appear to be actual jazz, I'm just using a figure of speech).

• Here's an amusing one, even if it's uncomplicated and a bit evident
• This one is not so much funny, but it is educational, and likely a useful resource if you ever need to explain to someone privilege

--"Shut up, Brx." 14:19, 3 August 2014 (UTC)

About "BC"

That comic is written by a serious fundie/creationist. They're almost certainly thinking that they're making a salient pro-creationist point. Ken Ham, no doubt, is their idol. ikanreed ^{You probably didn't deserve that} 14:28, 29 April 2015 (UTC)

Yup. Peace. AgingHippie (talk) 14:32, 29 April 2015 (UTC)

MSPA is dead!

It has been replaced by “Homestuck.com”, I assume because people really only visited the site for that specific webcomic. Wiseassmathematician (talk) 03:49, 18 December 2018 (UTC)