Except in the world of comics of course. Else why else would we keep buying them?

The Big Two (Four?) have taken this week to be a holiday, so I thought I would turn my attention to one of the web comics I have been following for a few months.

Strange City Heroes, A Web Comic by Kevin P. Johnson is a tongue in cheek strip that I was introduced to by a friend and the wonders of Facebook. Being the completist that I am, I went back to the very beginning and read what has now become a staple part of my weekly reading.

To quote Kevin’s’ bio:

Kevin P. Johnson is an independent webcomic creator, writer and artist born (November 24, 1971) and raised in New Orleans and the surrounding parts of southern Louisiana where he has lived his entire life. Kevin has a BA degree in visual arts from South-eastern Louisiana University in Hammond, Louisiana and has worked in the graphic design field since 1997.

Comic books have been a major part of Kevin’s life since age 13. After many failed attempts at starting a comic book Kevin started the Strange City Heroes webcomic and originally published every Monday – Friday since August 13, 2008 (with exception for the week of hurricane Gustov). Currently publishing every Monday, Wednesday and Friday with a full-page format. Strange City Heroes is also being made available in print form from IndyPlanet. Kevin uses a simple yet unique style mixed with influences from the Golden Age to the Modern Age combined with bold colours and humour to make his comics fun for all ages.

I couldn’t have put it better myself. There are wonderful moments of either comedy or satire, and a few times after reading, I had found myself chuckling. I wouldn’t recommend the strip for its art, but that is only in the same manner that I would not recommend any of the Simpsons titles from Bongo, that is not why we read them. It took a while for the characters to grow on me, and don’t expect The Dark Knight Returns, but I look forward to the day that there is enough material to fill an afternoons reading. And with a new panel or three released three times a week, that is not so very far away.

The third issue has now come out in print, released by IndyPlanet, but the best thing about the strip is its regularity, and it’s free! I can imagine in fifty years time that these characters may well have stood the test of time and blossomed into a status equal to that of Oor Wullie, or even Bart himself.

It’s up to us to make it into that cool thing. Demand merchandise, cups, surfboards, blow-up dolls, and place the Golden Cape firmly into the public psyche.

You can follow Kevin and the Strange City Heroes via the blog with the link above, or via his Facebook group here.

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Happy New Year.

Sinfest

Sinfest is one of those instant classic comics. Hard to describe, but totally funny. Actually this is one of the only webcomics which ever made me spit coffee on my screen.

Shop.

Just A Bit Off…

Just A Bit Off… by Jeff Zugale is a popular relationship comedy comic. Your online sitcom. It is a rather popular genre and always good for a laugh. Just A Bit Off is published on Mondays and Thursdays.

Store

Garfield Minus Garfield

Garfield Minus Garfield is at times even better than the regular comic. From the description:

Garfield Minus Garfield is a site dedicated to removing Garfield from the Garfield comic strips in order to reveal the existential angst of a certain young Mr. Jon Arbuckle. It is a journey deep into the mind of an isolated young everyman as he fights a losing battle against loneliness and depression in a quiet American suburb.

A Softer World

A Softer World by Emily Horne and Joey Comeau has turned 7 last weekend. The comic concept is based on picture strips or single pictures sliced up with some dose of snark.
You might also want to read Overqualified, a series of application letters written by Joey, but they come without pictures.

Store.

AppleGeeks

AppleGeeks just has it all: ‘Friends’ alike sitcom humour and story line, spiced up with robots, fun t-shirts and lots of geekery.

Store.

Kitty Hawk

Kitty Hawk is a webcomic by Vincent LaBate and Braden D. Lamb about a female pilot in 1930s Seattle. Every Friday 2 pages are published.

Traffic & Weather

The title of this webcomic by Rob Ullman hints at what you can expect, but it isn’t all complaining and moaning. Traffic & Weather is a real life based comic and published on a weekly base in Richmond Magazine.

XKCD

XKCD is a webcomic which doesn’t need any further explanation anymore. A slight tech background can help understanding most puns. ;)

XKCD Store

Perry Bible Fellowship

The Perry Bible Fellowship by Nicholas Gurewitch hasn’t been updated since 2008 anymore but still is good for an occasional laugh. If you don’t like dry and very sarcastic humor this comic, previously published in the Guardian, might not be your cup of espresso.

Indexed

Jessica Hagy’s collection of index cards analyse life is a relational sense. Or something like that. Indexed has been published on weekdays since 2006 and received much of coverage in the media. Indexed also has been released as a book.

Index at Amazon – Indexed Shirts.

The Small Picture

Not really a webcomic The Small Picture is “a battle of wits of sorts” between Nostrich and Aedison. They use pictures from The Boston’s Big Picture and add some snarky commentary, wits to the picture.

Ruben & Lullaby

Ruben & Lullaby is a “comic” of the special kind. Available for $2.99 in the App Store this is more a game than a comic, the publishers call it opertoon and by shaking your iPhone you can create emotions in the characters or even make them break up.

I have added a link to the online shop of most of these webcomics. If you like the work of the crew behind them, have a look at their shop as oftern their shop is the only base revenue for their work.
And do not forget to tell me about your favourite comics, I’m always looking for new stuff comics, even if I have another 40-50 comics to add to this list.