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Comics have been a love of mine since I was a kid.
Sure, I started with the girly-girl stuff: Archie, Little Dot, Richie Rich.
But one day in 1979, I picked up UNCANNY X-MEN #125 (Byrne, Claremont, Austin) and that was it for me. I was hooked. Some people watch the soaps, I read comics.
And hey, I can credit comics with increasing my vocabulary. I had to look up the word "donnybrook" in one of those early X-Men issues (a fact which to this day I do not let my mother forget).
I'm actually trying to get into the industry myself as a pro someday, but until then, there's fan fiction.
Webcomics
Well, this is a neat feature I just added because I found I could. And I do an awful lot of webcomic reading.
If you don't see something you like on my syndicate list, try my must read comics:
M-W-F
Angst Technology [geek/gamer/techie] Angst Technology is a videogame making company with tech support ninjas, a superhero, and a llama and a monkey on staff.
AppleGeeks [anime/geek/techie/college] Hawk, the artist, is an avid Mac user. Art style often confused with Mac Hall.
Ctrl+Alt+Del [geek/gamer/techie/customer service/movies] Ethan and his roommate and his girlfriend Lila's adventures involving gaming, work in customer service, and Ethan's invented holiday - Wintereenmas!
Errant Story [fantasy/magic/elves/anachronism/humor] Meiji, a little half-elf sorceress' quest. From Michael Poe, creator of Exploitation Now!
Fur Will Fly [furry/fantasy/silly] A human guy in an all furry world. Go figure.
Girls With Slingshots So new I don't know what it is yet, but Pablo from Wapsi Square thinks well of it, so it's worth it to me to give it a try.
Mac Hall [college/life/geek/anime/] Hard to describe. It's a combination of a bunch of things. It's just funny.
Megatokyo [anime/geek] Piro and Largo are two Americans trapped in Japan. It's slowly driving them both nuts.
Queen of Wands http://www.queenofwands.net
[pop culture/life/romance/geek] Kestrel is the center of this webcomic and it's all her perspective on her life, her friends, her job, and the strange things that matter to her.
RPG World http://www.rpgworldcomic.com
[gaming/anime/humor] If you like RPG type games like Final Fantasy, this webcomic is a playful spoof of them all.
Starsomething [space/sci-fi/spoof] Think of it as Star Wars, with more bumbling.
Suburban Jungle: http://www.suburbanjungle.com
[humor/furry/romance/geek] The Watering Hole, a furry bar with a no predatory activity policy is the center of this wacky cast of anthro characters.
What I Learned Today http://www.dangerousthings.net/wilt
[humor] The Little Girl tells us from "polaroids" of her life what important lesson she learned.
Zap: http://zap.keenspace.com
[sci-fi/comedy/romance] A goofball named Zap with vast psychic powers finds himself in with a bunch of resistance fighters and the mystery surrounding their previous captain's disappearance.
Twice Weekly Antihero for Hire: http://www.antiheroforhire.com
[anime/superhero] Dechs, aka Shadehawk, is a superhero for hire.
A Miracle of Science http://www.project-apollo.net/mos/index.html
[sci-fi/romance/comedy] In the future, Mars is a group consciousness, and Mad Scientist Syndrome is a form of mental illness for which there can be medication. Benjamin Prester is a cop dealing with his new Martian partner.
As If! http://www.asifcomic.com/
[pop culture/comedy] Angela and Hunter, best friends in the 80s. Pop culture and nostalgia done with an anime touch.
9th Elsewhere http://www.9thelsewhere.com
[anime/drama/comedy] A lonely girl is led through her dreams by a muse. Beautiful art. Strange story.
NeverNever http://www.mopsy.com
[urban fantasy/comedy] A little boy named Arthur finds himself involved with the war of the faerie to take the earth back from the humans. A pooka protects his home and then he finds out he's the descendant of the Pendragon.
Nerds of Prey: http://nerdsofprey.imdanet.com/
[humor/geek/fandoms/pop culture] A handful of friends in college and the nerdy things they like. And it varies from games to music to movies, comics, what-have-you.
Mon-Fri
Count Your Sheep http://www.countyoursheep.com [humor/life] This adorable, blue-hued, award-winning webcomic by Adrian Ramos is about a little girl named Katie, her mom Laurie, and Ship the Sheep, their imaginary friend. Count Your Sheep has a LiveJournal here.
Diesel Sweetieshttp://www.dieselsweeties.com
[humor/potty humor/sex/romance/life] A former porn star has gotten romantically involved with a robot called Clango Cyclotron. This of course makes life weird for both of them.
Dominic Deegan, Oracle for Hire http://www.dominic-deegan.com
[fantasy/humor/romance] Dominic Deegan is a seer for hire. Abilities to see the future, and a little magic. He has a talking cat named spark, a white mage brother named Gregory, and a cast of interesting and wacky characters who bedevil him.Fragile Gravity http://www.fragilegravity.com
[humor/conventions/geeks/life] They go to conventions, they have a stoat.PVP Online: http://www.pvponline.com/
[gaming/humor/fantasy/comedy] Game geek humor.Scary Go Round http://www.scarygoround.com
and Scare-O-Deleria Scary Go Round: Scare-o-deleria http://www.scarygoround.com/scare/
[humor/supernatural] Cute Little Shelley and her friends have a lot of weird things happening to them. Space Owls, strange little wish-granting gnomes, zombie-ism, various types of undead, religious cults...Wapsi Square http://www.wapsisquare.com
[humor/supernatural/life] Monica is a museum curator who is watched over by the Aztec god of alochol.The Wisdom of Moo http://www.girlamatic.com/series.php?name=moo&view=current
By the writer/artist of Count Your Sheep. Not sure what it's about yet.W00t Comic http://www.w00t-comic.net
[humor/tech/geek] Sarah is a smart woman in a world full of asshats.
7 Days A Week Clan of the Cats http://www.clanofthecats.com/
[witchcraft/supernatural/violence/adult situations] Chelsea is a werepanther. I haven't read this one for a while, but it's really quite good.
GPF http://www.gpf-comics.com
[tech humor/adult situations] Jason Barker, aka Fooker, is a strange sysadmin. His best pal Nick is only slightly less strange. They work for a computer software company named General Protection Fault, amusingly enough.
Helen, Sweetheart of the Internet http://www.comicspage.com/helen/index.html
Helen is the smartest woman on earth, and as if that weren't bad enough, she has Bill Gates romancing her and a magical ability to talk to cats.
Kevin and Kell http://www.kevinandkell.com
[furry/humor] Meet the Dewclaws: Kell is a wolf. Her husband Kevin is a rabbit. Their daughter Lindesfarne is a porcupine. Their son Rudy is a half-fox wolf. And their friends are all variegated lifestyles in a furry world.
Something Positive http://www.somethingpositive.net
[humor/sarcasm] Davan is the center of this cynically amusing comic strip that pulls no punches. None. Seriously, if you're sensitive or easily offended, this one is not for you.
Sinfest http://www.sinfest.net
[humor/political commentary/anime] Slick and Monique are the center of a strange cast that includes fanboys for God and Satan, God and Satan themselves, plus the Chinese dragon. Social and political commentary abide.
Sluggy Freelance http://www.sluggy.com
[humor/pop culture/political commentary/weird/geek] Torg and Riff are best friends, partners in crime, slackers. Zoe is their long-suffering roommate. Gwynn is Riff's ex girlfriend and a recovering demon-possessed witch. Bun-Bun is their evil talking bunny. Kiki is their hyper talking ferret.
Once a Week [or less]
Fidel http://khstudios.net/todaysfidel/
[humor] Fidel is a talking dog who drives his human family nuts.
Full Circle http://fullcircle.keenspace.com
[supernatural] This guy died but he met someone in the near death experience who called him brother. What next? Grand Blue Door: http://www.grandbluedoor.com/index.php
[supernatural/anime] A little girl moves in with her cousin, owner of the Grand Blue Door hotel. Supernatural things happen.
Sea of Insanity http://fractuslux.keenspace.com
[supernatural/humor/life/philosophy] Isle is a nymph who was granted an intellect and a brain by Apollo. Now she makes a living as a romance novelist. Her roommate Finn is a mostly normal guy. Her therapist Gil, is cursed by Poseidon. And then there's the muse who inspires her to write. Twilight Agency http://www.twilightagency.com
Brother and sister who travel around the world dealing with supernatural pest control -- and more serious issues. Return to Sender http://rts.lunistice.com/
Poor Often has a mail slot in the wall of his apartment. The letters that come through he must obey or he gets nosebleeds and monsters coming to visit.
Catena http://www.catenamanor.com/
[furry] Disney-esque house full of cats and their adventures.
AACMAW http://www.drunkduck.com/AACMAW
[comedy/spoof/parody/satire] Stands for Any @$$#ole can make a webcomic. I've done a guest strip for it here.
Completed or Ended
Demonology 101 http://faith.rydia.net/
Raven is half-human, half-demon and her family is embroiled in the war of good vs. evil.
Repository of Dangerous Things: http://www.dangerousthings.net
The world is full of dangerous things. This is where they are sent to keep them from falling into the wrong hands, or hurting others.
Six Foot Six Year Old http://www.onlinecomics.net/pages/incl/go.php?comicID=3724
A grown man in touch with his inner child.
Infrequent Updates
Eversummer Eve: http://www.eversummereve.com/
Brothers, lost in the land of faerie.
Gunchello http://www.gunchello.com/
Cute little wizard comic. No Room for Magic http://www.drunkduck.com/No_Room_For_Magic/
Magic is a little girl who hates living in a realm for which she's named. 24FPS http://filmbuff.keenspace.com
Movie fans and their lives.
Newspaper Strips Syndicated
Get Fuzzy http://www.comics.com/comics/getfuzzy/index.html
Rose is Rosehttp://www.roseisrose.com
Pibgorn http://www.comics.com/comics/pibgorn/index.html
9 Chickweed Lane http://www.comics.com/comics/chickweed/
Comics News and Info
Onsale: Marvel Comics on sale for the month
Comics Reviews
Much as I'd like to be able to do the reviews of comics every month -- I just don't have as much time as I'd like, and still be able to do things like -- oh, eat, sleep, have a life. So, in the spirit of doing the next best thing, here are reviews and thoughts on comics from people whose opinions I trust and respect!
Comic Conventions
Want to meet and greet other fans? Want to see the creators of your favourite titles -- both writers and artists -- in the environment where the're just plain folks, rather than toiling under the editor's thumb? Want to get your art portfolio reviwed pursuant to trying to get a job pencilling, inking, or coloring in comics? Want to buy back issues, collectibles, T-shirts, magic cards, videos, and assorted fandom related gewgaws, doodads, and gizmos at amazing low prices? Conventions are the place to be.
Indigo's Convention Survival Guide
Before my eight year hiatus, I did upwards of ten conventions a year. At the time, I lived in NY, where there are lots of little, medium-sized, and big ones all year 'round. So allow me to share my experiences with you about the convention experience.
- Pack Snacks! In your enthusiasm, it is entirely possible you'll forget to eat -- and if the convention itself offers food and beverages, they will be ridiculously overpriced. Eat a hearty breakfast before you step foot inside to give you lots of energy, and wait 'till dinner if you can, snacking on healthy food from your backpack!
Rest up beforehand! Conventioneering takes a lot of energy. You will most likely meet friends, and shop 'til you drop in the dealer's room...and it will wear you out. And dinner after the whole show ends for the day is usually a huge, crowded get-together. I have yet to end up alone for dinner after a convention.
- Crowd Coping
If you love crowds, and it's a three-day convention (Fri-Sun), you're all set, because the crowds will be thickest the first two. If it's a two-day convention, (Sat-Sun), Saturday's the big day. Sunday the crowds are much thinner since folks have to go to work the next day.
If you don't like crowds, you may want to start with a smaller convention first and work your way up. Little cons have a few hundred people -- maybe a thousand. Big cons, however, easily top the thousands, and approach tens-of-thousands over an entire weekend.
The Dealer's Room! I wasn't kidding when I said "shop 'til you drop." A convention in a good, big venue, will have an ATM machine handy if you turn out to see something you absolutely can't live without. But mark my words, budget carefully and make sure your ride home and hotel are paid for in advance or you could end up nastily surprised. I have never had it happen to me, thankfully, but one hears horror stories.
Also -- be prepared to crouch, bend, sit, kneel, and otherwise contort yourself in the Dealer Room. In addition to the crowds, you will find boxes upon boxes upon boxes of back issues. Go with a list of what you want or need, and then comparison shop! The dealers will try to undercut each other for the stuff that isn't extremely valuable. Be patient, and search through everything you can stand searching through. Keep a notepad with you to write down prices.
It gets better: Sundays, the dealers want to go home, and the less they have to pack up and put back on their truck, the better. Prices will be slashed left and right.You'll get to go home with some major bargains if you can stand the wait!
The Dealers Room is also the best place to find stuff to autograph so that you don't have to dig out your issues from your own collection. If you can afford/spare the money, just buy another issue and carry it home. Then you don't carry your stuff two directions.
- The Artists Room The creators usually have stuff of their own laid out on the table so not only can you recognize who they are and what they do...but you can also buy their work. Some/many of them do requests. Some of them bring their own paper, but it's considered wise generally to bring your own pad of paper (I'd avoid spiral and go for the pages that are glued in and slip out easily) and something to carry it in. I suggest an inexpensive portfolio case. It's flat, and anything you buy artwork or comics wise won't roll or crumple or crease.
Prices vary by the artist but be prepared to pay for what you want. The bigger the name, the bigger the price. The lesser known the character you want drawn, the more likely the artist is to ask you for reference if he's unfamiliar with it. The more characters you want in your drawing, the bigger the price will go. Pencils are least expensive. Inks are a bit more expensive. And if you can find an artist willing to do color at a convention, it will cost you a pretty penny (We're talking neighborhood of $100 here, folks.)
Keep in mind also that if the artist is a popular fan favourite, you may be on a waiting list if you don't turn up super-early and get your request in right away. If you can't wait until the end of the convention, best make sure the artist whose work you'd like to commission is going to be able to finish it in the time you have allotted yourself.
The Comic Company Booths Often, at a large convention (Like Dragon*Con, Wizard Con and San Diego), the major comics companies (Marvel, DC/Wildstorm, Image, etc) will have booths up. You'll probably find samples for free of comics you have never tried, and not-for-sale previews of upcoming issues. Also, you'll find art and/or writing editors who can review portfolios for anyone who is interested in getting into the comics industry. Artists:
Book recommendations courtesy of:
How to Draw Comics the Marvel Way is a great guide for how to set up comics pages. This is NOT a "how to draw" book, nor is it the definitive guide on how to do comics. But for starters, it doesn't hurt. I learned a great deal about perspective and angles from this one, back in the day.
Note: The 11" x 14" Bristol paper plate finish (what comics are pencilled on throughout the industry) is hard to find as-is. Likely you'll have to either already be in the industry (where they'll give you the paper you need), or you'll have to start with 14 x 17 and cut it down to size. Hit your art supply store, or head for Pearl Paint and order a straight-edge paper cutter, so you have real comic size pages to draw on. The Marvel book has instructions on how to do varying viewpoints, as well as pointers for pencillers, inkers, and colorists alike.
Present your work in a portfolio case -- not in a dogeared, doodled sketchbook with half-written homework in it. You want a job, make a professional showing.
And if you need pointers before you can work up the courage to show off your portfolio -- take art classes, especially anatomy. Yeah, it's great to be able to draw bulging muscles, but the art format picked up these days is a bit more realistic...so you need to be able to draw mundane bods, not just those bulging biceps and bombastic boobs. Other books you might consider are:
- Draw the Marvel Comics Superheroes is precisely, exactly what it sounds like.
- Dynamic Figure Drawing is not by Marvel but lets you draw the figure in motion. Enjoy!
Writers:
- All New Marvel Try-Out Book is Marvel's recommended method of trying to break into the industry, but it's a good guide for just about anyone. Scripting is laid out for you so you know what the comics industry looks for. As before, don't take it as the be-all, end-all. Don't take it as a hand-holding how-to. Just use it as a guide.This one is not even in print yet, but the old one seems to be out of print. However, this one I've looked at and rather enjoyed.
The Companies
Where do you get your comics? Where do you go to look up stuff on comics?
 Marvel Comics |
 The Marvel Zone |
 DC Comics |
 WIZARD Magazine |
 Dark Horse Comics |
 Image Comics |
 WildStorm Comics |
 Evan Dorkin's House of Fun |
The Comic Buyer's Guide: a good place to check if you want to know what's going on in the industry. Who's joining what book, who's quitting which book, what creators' birthdays are coming, if anyone in the industry has passed away. It's also available realtime at most comic shops. If they don't have it, they'd probably be willing to special order it for you!
Comics related shopping
If you live in the Northern VA, or Washington, DC area, try the former. If you don't, you can shop at the latter online! They're really good to deal with. I picked up something for a friend to give as a gift from there, and they were johnny-on-the-spot.
Comic Art
The Constellations are where I hang my own artwork. There's also a gallery devoted entirely to comic art from the people actually getting paid to do it in the industry!
If that's not enough for you, then CFAB: The Comics Fan Art Archive Hubsite may have what you like. Art by the fans, for the fans!
The Pull List
What you can find me picking up with fair regularity.
THE X-MEN: They're the ones that started my comic book habit, I've stuck with for 20 years. Back when I first started reading they came only in Uncanny. But they've since grown another title without an adjective, as well as a quarterly X-Men Unlimited title, as well as miniseries at least once a year. And I read 'em all.
Twenty five longboxes later, I'm still reading!
And now, the waiting is over! Finally, after all the waiting, the X-Men are a movie! Wanna see the trailer?
NEXUS: Mike Baron and Steve Rude create a stunning panoply based in a far flung future where people worship Elvis, and Alvin, and dismembered heads are the most powerful source of energy in the universe. As if that wasn't bad enough -- our hero, Horatio Hellpop, is forced to execute mass murderers. His supporting cast, Sundra, Juda, Jil, Mezz and the Mezz Band, Dave and Tyrone, president of Ylum, must be seen to be believed. Vootie! This one only comes out sporadically, though -- miniseries or maxiseries or one-shots.
THE TITANS: Yes! Yes! My favourite group of grown-up former sidekicks is back, and holding their own again. Devon Grayson's a great writer keeps the storyline fresh and interesting.
THE FLASH/IMPULSE: DC's got an entire continuity built around the speedsters. Barry Allen was the first, but he's gone now. His nephew Wally West, and his grandson Bart Allen carry on the family legacy, with help from Jay Garrick, Jesse Quick and Max Mercury. The elder Flash splits his time between the JLA, the TITANS, and (his own comic title), in between attempting to mentor young IMPULSE, who lives up to the name in every way possible. Imagine a kid with super speed, raised in a world that could keep up with him forced to grow up in the real world!
YOUNG JUSTICE: Third generation sidekicks unite! I like the titans, so it's no surprise that I like Young Justice. The third Robin teams up with the new Superboy, Wonder Girl, Impulse, the Secret, and Arrowette to form the youngest team of heroes in the DCU. Written by the lovely and talented Peter David!
RELATIVE HEROES: Their parents both died. In the universe they live in, that means they just had an origin and get to be superheroes. Oh, if only life were that easy. Devon Grayson writes this one too, about four kids with powers and their leader, who has none. Not to mention they're all family!
GREEN LANTERN: In brightest day, in blackest night...The black night came when Hal Jordan went nuts and slew his other 3599 fellow Green Lanterns. Now there's only one. New York city boy Kyle Rayner is the new ring-slinger, and he does what he can to live up to the name. It's not easy, though. He's got girl problems to the left and the right, a membership in the JLA, of whom Batman doesn't trust him, and Guy Gardner and John Stewart -- 2 of Earth's previous ring-slingers, to live up to.
BLACK PANTHER: Funny and irreverent, Chris Priest writes the story of T'Challa, the king of the African nation of Wakanda...and the poor beleagured, helpless, hapless White Boy who's his legal aide.
DEADPOOL: Chris Priest writes Wade Wilson, the merc with the mouth. Priest has just taken over and the hard-luck merc has discovered he's apparently the son of Loki. Weird. As if that weren't enough, the vengeful trickster god has made the scarred Deadpool HANDSOME!
AVENGERS: Kurt Busiek writes, George Perez pencils -- ooh, good stuff. And I get to see Wonder Man again.
SPIDER-MAN, SPECTACULAR SPIDER-MAN: Well, we'll see if I stick with these. My poor hard-luck hero is really getting the short end of the stick...more so than usual. Art and/or writing by John Byrne (whose work has honestly been better than this!)
SPIDER WOMAN: Mattie Franklin is an arachnophile (read: big Spider-Man fangirl) who got powers of her own. Now she's trying to make a name for herself as the new Spider Woman. She's got one of the previous Spider Women behind her, as well as the talented Madame Web. Girl power! Yay!
FANTASTIC FOUR: Other people may not like Claremont on Marvel's first family, but I do. Not a whole lot to say but give it a try. Franklin has a puppy and Sue's trying new applications of her powers (about time!)
THE AUTHORITY: Jack Hawksmoor leads Swift, The Midnighter, Apollo, the Engineer and the Doctor as the team that handles problems that threaten Earth. This is not your standard superhero fare, boys and girls. It's thoughtful stuff. It's complex stuff. And it's beautiful.
SUPERGIRL: This is not your mother's Linda Danvers. Yeah, that's her name, but that's where all similarity to the silver age Linda Danvers/Supergirl ends. This one's apparently an earth-born angel and has friends who are lesbians but have male straight alter egoes. I thought it'd be too weird to read, but it's too fascinating not to! Peter David's writing at present.
PLANETARY: Also Warren Ellis. Paranormal investigations, in the tradition of the Authority. Thoughtful stuff. And beautiful. Different sort of characters (except for the obligatory Ellis avatar), and each cover homages a classic style magazine. Very innovative.
RISING STARS: J. Michael Strazynski (Babylon 5) has come up with an odd but cool concept. A comet passed over a small town, and all the kids conceived when it did have powers. Now they're all grown up and someone's killing them. But the thing is, the more who die, the more power the survivors end up with. Who will survive, and who's the killer?
JLA: Superman, Batman, Wonder Woman, Aquaman, Green Lantern, Flash, Steel, Oracle, and Plastic Man comprise the global force of superfolk handling super stuff. It's got a bit more panache than AVENGERS and doesn't take itself QUITE so seriously...but then, how can you take seriously a team with PLASTIC MAN, right?
CAPTAIN MARVEL: Peter David again! You got to wonder if the man does anything but write and be witty. Rick Jones, professional Marvel Universe superhero sidekick, is now forced by the power bands he wears to share space with Captain Marvel. It was the only way to save his life, but geez -- the two don't get along at all, especially since Gennis keeps trying to seduce Rick's wife Marlo! All that and the Wendigo in the first five issues!
STRANGERS IN PARADISE: Written and drawn by the exceptionally talented Terry Moore -- it tells the normal-human but not remotely mundane stories of Francine and her best friend Katina Choovanski (known affectionately as "Katchoo"). No spandex. No powers. Just regular people interacting in regular people ways. It's a lot better than you think it is.
...and while I read more, that's all you're gonna get. If that's not enough to at least make you curious enough to try something new, nothing else I can do!
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