Well the votes are in and after a great deal of deliberation here are the winners after the jump: Read the rest of this entry »
Filed under: WebComic of the Year
February 17, 2009 • 11:24 am 7
The results at last!
January 6, 2009 • 12:39 am 0
The nominations for Webomic of the Year 2008
The nominated webcomics can be found as follows:
High Moon by David Gallaher and Steve Ellis
Bayou by Jeremy Love and Patrick Morgan
Marsh Rocket by Jules Rivera
Hob by Aaron Diaz
Rice Boy by Evan Dahm
Wonderella by Justin Pierce
Digger byUrsula Vernon
The Process by Joe Infurnari
Gunnerkrig Court by Tom Siddel
Shades byDavid A J Berner and Harsho Mohan Chattoraj
Octopus Pie by Meredith Gran
Filed under: WebComic of the Year
January 4, 2009 • 11:23 pm 0
Webcomic of the Year 2008: Going out with a bang or a wimper?
I’ll be posting a list of potential candidates and categories for the Geekies. Please feel free to suggest other comics and this year their will be a public Vote. Huzzah! This may well be the end of webcomicgeek and the Geekies so make your vote count.
Filed under: WebComic of the Year , WebComic of the Year
July 15, 2008 • 10:04 am 0
Bayou Brilliance
Bayou captures the sense of innocence and wonder of childhood, when magical worlds are just out of the corner of your eye. However this innocence cannot last and the stark horrifying reality of life in the deep south of Jim Crow laws and lynchmobs soon intrude. This story reminds me of Alice Wlakers short story The Flowers as it too captures a feeling of childhood innocence shattered by the discovery of the body of a lynched man. This comic reverse the idea, Lee the title character is searching for the body of a boy accused of ‘whistlin’ at a white woman’. That is not to say that this is simply a tale of black people as victims. Far from it, these characters have a strong sense of self and awareness of a family history of resistance to slavery and hatred. lee encapsulates this in her stubborn refusal to accept that this is the way things are and in her demand for justice. Into this horrifying example of racist hate the author interjects a vision from fairytale. The horror of this story is all the more terrible as we know that racist murders and terrorism like this happened. Juxtaposing this bleak reality with a fairytale world full of wonder and a fair amount of horror of its own is an incredibly effective technique.
Filed under: Best Art ‘08, Comic Reviews , Comic Reviews, Genre: Horror
May 17, 2008 • 10:21 am 1
My new home
I’m practically living at Zuda comics at the moment because they’ve got some excellent talent showcased over there. I’ve just finished reading High Moon by David Gallaher, Steve Ellis and Scott O Brown and damn I’m impressed. Now you might think werewolves, cowboys and vampire batmen with too many eyes wouldn’t mix with the old west. You might also think that its all been done before. In spite of this High Moon works. It has the virtues that all good comics require good writing, excellent art and memorable distinctive characters. Speaking of which the mysterious Matthew Macgreggor the ex-Pinkerton hero of the piece is great. Take Clint Eastwood’s Man with no name, mix in Wolverine with occult knowledge and you’ve got a rough idea of what he’s like. Now I say this as a shorthand to description rather than as a critique of the character. Yes he draws upon some fairly iconic archetypes but he is his own character. All of the supporting cast are excellenta and it is the quality of Gallaher’s writing that immediatley pulls you headlong into a mystery that manages to defy your expectations. Ellis’ art is deeply atmospheric in the sense of horror and in capturing the period. It is this that initially hooks the reader and once you’re eyes are glued to the page the writing keeps you turning pages. Finally Scott O Brown’s solid work on lettering helps to finish off the whole package. This is one that I’ll be voting for and I can’t wait for the next installment.
Filed under: Comic Reviews, WebComic of the Year ‘08 , Genre: Horror, Genre: Historical Fiction, Comic Reviews, Genre: Western
May 16, 2008 • 8:26 pm 0
The end of a modern classic
Evan Dahm has announced the end of Rice Boy. The story came to a logical and poignant conclusion. Although some key characters don’t make it the world of Overside will continue after Dahm takes a break. All I can say is bravo and thank you for a wonderful comic and I’m looking forward to the fresh out put.
Filed under: Comic Reviews, Most Originality and Invention ‘08
February 12, 2008 • 10:51 pm 4
The winner of Webcomic of the year ‘07 (at last)
The winner of 07’s competition is Aaron Diaz for Hob. I’ve been a huge fan of Dresden Kodak for some time. Not only is Diaz’s art top notch but is backed up by some great writing. I’m still amazed that a comic that regularly name drops the likes of Niels Bohr and their discoveries can be so funny. This is fresh, inventive stuff and its great to see a story developing. While Diaz’s previous stories seemed to have thematic links and the brilliant Kimiko they lacked coherence until know. I’m loving this story and the depth that it’s adding to familiar characters.
Best Artist goes to Joe Infurnari for The Process. His art is truly spectacular and seems to go from strength to strength as the project develops. I don’t think I can add anymore to what I’ve said previously in my rather gushing review. However, it was the spectacular image on page 14 of chapter 2 that clinched it. The idea behind this comic nearly clinched a second award and along with Rebecca Sugar’s Pug Davis, made judging the originality and invention award really difficult.
Evan Dahm wins the award for Most Originality and Invention with his comic Rice Boy. Dahm has crafted a beautiful and weirdly fascinating world for his protagonist, populated by some of the most original characters I’ve come across in some time. This beautiful and touching story was just pipped at the post for the best writing award.
Which goes To Klio and SPQR Blues once again. This is the second year in a row as Best Writer for Klio but I’m completely sucked in by the complexity and consistency of the writing. The winning quality has to be the fact that Klio captures mundane everyday Roman life and yet breathes an epic feeling into the character’s lives. Whats more Klio makes this authentic feeling seem effortless in the writing when it probably takes a huge amount of knowledge to make it work.
Best Webcomic of the Year: Hob by Aaron Diaz
Best Writing: Klio for SPQR Blues
Best Artist: Joe Infurnari for The Process
Award for Originality and Invention: Evan Dahm for Rice Boy.
Honourable mentions go to all of the nominees but especially Nicholas Gurewitch who manages make laugh every time and Jenny Romanchuk as I’m a big fan of her work.
Filed under: Best Art '07, Best Writing '07, Most Originality and Invention '07, WebComic of the Year, WebComic of the Year '07
February 4, 2008 • 10:47 am 1
Pug Davis
Rebecca Sugar’s Pug Davis is a great riff on classic American pulp Space opera. The eponymous hero is one of the most memorable and striking I’ve come across in some time. Add in to the mix The Blouse, Pug’s camp sidekick and you have one of comic’s great odd couples. The interplay between the characters is great and their developing friendship is fun to watch as it spasmodically comes to life.
The true star of the title is Sugar’s artwork. Each page has a fluid elegance and an organic quality which creates a real sense of movement. I love the strangeness of the characters both human and alien. The vengeful shape-changing villain in Issue 2 ‘Pug v’s Blouse‘ has got to be one of my favourites so far.
The art work is accompanied by some great writing and this is most prominent in the dialogue, which seems to flow effortlessly. Another stand out moment for me is in issue 1, when The Blouse overhears the customers in the diner exchanging stories about Pug’s achievements.
I love this comic and its a pleasure to read a title that has artwork to match its writing credentials. Good stuff.
Filed under: Comic Reviews, WebComic of the Year , nominees, Sci-Fi, WebComic of the Year
February 3, 2008 • 12:05 pm 0
Perry Bible Fellowship recap
Nicholas Gurewitch is clearly an insane genius. PBF is often surreal, sometimes disturbing but always funny take on anything and everything. It’s also one of the few traditional three panel comics amongst the nominees. I can’t recommend this comic highly enough. I bought the hardback collection ‘The Trial of Colonel Sweeto and other stories‘,which is worth every penny, as it helps support a great artist and a twisted comic mind. Get your copy today, if your unsure, the print format works just as well as on the web and it looks absolutley gorgeous with its sweet based lynch mob on the cover. Check it out for yourself and decide whether your Pro Skub or Anti Skub.
Filed under: Comic Reviews, WebComic of the Year
January 29, 2008 • 11:52 am 4
The Process
Joe Infurnari’s The Process made the shortlist as a result of the gorgeous artwork and the brilliant concept.
Infurnari’s artwork is truly spectacular, he not only conjures up a weird fantasy world but also visualises the creative process at work.
This comic truly is a masterpiece of layout design. Each page is a work of art and some pages take on the complexity of a modernist mandala. Sprays of colour and complex interweaving of images that I have only ever seen successfully realised in Blade of the Immortal, until now. While Hiroaki uses his technique for the occasional center piece, Infurnari treats us to visual spectaculars far more regularly.
If that wasn’t good enough Infurnari, gives a glimpse into his creative process with detailed comments and rough sketches. It is great to see the artistic process at work and dissected so thoughtfully and reflectively.
If you consider yourself a fan of comics then The Process is a title that demands your attention with a visual insistence and a degree of intellectual playfulness rare in the form.
Filed under: Comic Reviews, WebComic of the Year , nominees, WebComic of the Year
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