Tag Archives: webcomics

Digital Strips Episode 240 – Eisner Awards Nominees Specialtravaganza 2011!

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It’s that time of year again! The trees are blooming, allergies are irritating, and it’s time once again for me to take over putting this show together!

Oh, and it’s also time for the Eisners. Kind of a big deal too, I suppose.

This year’s nominees represent one of the strongest bunch since the category for Best Digital Comic was formed in 2005 (thanks, WikiPedia!). But before we break down that list, there’s another list to talk about: The Digital Strips News Minute!

Before we roll into the matter that brought us all here today, why not have a little fun with Higgins and their track, “There He Is”. As always, make sure to check out the entire track and possibly even a whole album, if you feel so inclined.

Without laying out our favorites, I’ll say now that there is very little criticism to be had in the second segment. These five comics represent some of the best talent that the world of digitally-presented comics has to offer.

In our discussion, we wouldn’t want to leave out two other comics who are nominated in other categories:

  • (29:37) Hereville (Best Publication for Teens, Hereville: How Mirka Got Her Sword)
  • (29:50) Sheldon (Best Humor Publication, Literature: Unsuccessfully Competing Against TV Since 1953)

Of course, we always mention numerous other comics in our journey to making a point, so here are those we utilized to that end.

Finally, it’s easy to forget that Digital Strips was the first webcomics podcast because we don’t tell you nearly enough. As a result, we have an extensive library of podcasts to draw from in our research (I finally stopped laughing enough that I could write that). So here are some of the shows that link with this one in one way or the other. Listen in and enjoy the rich history that webcomics have enjoyed so far!

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Digital Strips Presents “Put Up or Shut Up: The Random Digital Strips Podcast” (A Digital Strips/Audioboo Production)

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Steve and I decided that enough people have told us they love the podcast that we’re taking our interests and broadening things by introducing a new show! It’s called Put Up or Shut Up and it’s hosted exclusively on Audioboo. That service is perfect for mini-podcasts, so we’re tossing up our random thoughts, webcomics-related or otherwise, for your listening pleasure.

We’re not gumming up the works for our main podcast feed with this (or any other) new show(s), but Audioboo is so awesome that the basic feed options are already included right out of the box!

Have a listen to the first episode, “Mexican Food”, and stay tuned for more geeky goodness from this humble two-man wrecking crew!

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Digital Strips 234 – Horizons Watch: Corporate Skull and Kick Girl

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UPDATED: Midnight here, filling in for Steve, who once again darted off to points unknown with nary a word beforehand. I’ll fill in the blanks for this episode via his hastily scrawled notes. Also, I promise not to sound so off-in-a-cave-somewhere-ish next time.

It’s only right to start this Horizons Watch episode with a comic that shows tremendous promise, despite only having one page posted thus far:

Next up, a mention of the perfect “WTF But This Is Awesome” comic on the web trifecta comprised of:

What is indie? What does this term mean for the various mediums it inhabits? Listen up in the first segment for our thoughts on the matter…

Definitely not in the WTF camp but certainly worth mentioning whenever possible:

This week’s Webcomics News Minute (10:45) has some great mentions, all in a neat, compact case you can carry in your pocket!

Other comics mentioned in our wake:

The music in the Music Break comes to us from the land of goodness that is Overclocked Remix. This particular remix is titled “Mega Man 2: QuickDraw” (17:36). I miss my arm cannon already…

Our Horizons picks this week are varied and awesome, as (nearly) always.

In our discussions we also bring up:

Finally, check the outtakes for that engaging conversation about the previously mentioned Messed Up Amish Guy.

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Digital Strips Episode 232 – Review – RatFist w/ Guest Co-Host Lucas Turnbloom

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The good thing about doing only largely positive critiques is that our address book is full to bursting with names of enormously talented creators who are extremely eager to chat about the world of comics on the Internet. This week, I dialed up Lucas Turnbloom, the man who has crafted memorable, whimsical characters for Imagine This and 4G. And, according to our chat, it sounds like he has at least approximately 32, 458 more ideas bouncing around in his head.

… nope, make that 32, 459.

But before we explore these ideas, there are some news items, some Herdy Gerdy, if you will (and you will, at least until Steve gets back and tells me we can’t). Among the news items I’m cleaning up:

Once the business side is tended to, I take a few moments to ask Lucas about his beginnings in the biz, as well as his take on the convention-going side of being a responsible, responsive comics creator. We also delve into the divide between the new guard and the old, the differences that separate traditional creators from those who more readily embrace change and go with the Interflow. Sadly, we stop just short of solving the whole crisis. Ah well, maybe next time.

During our chat, we mention the following comics:

Leading us between segments is none other than Lucas’ own brother, whose band, Mrs. Magician, has a new 7″ dropping on March 1. This song, “The Spells” (31:28), is one of two songs on that record, so enjoy it more than once and stop by the band’s site to pre-order your copy to have forever and ever.

On the other side, Lucas and I peek into the shallow but rich waters of a comic that has blown up across the Web these last few weeks:

Also mentioned:

Like Molly and the Bear before it, this comic comes to us from one of the aforementioned old guard, or at least, older guard, a man whose portfolio more than speaks for itself. With credentials this solid, it’s hard to really critique the work before us, but with coloring this horrid and a story this agonizingly trite, you have to say something.

No, not really. This is a great start to yet another exciting comic, and it’s on the web, so it’s free! You can’t ask for more than that, but we’re also throwing in some conversation about that very comic, also, for free. All because we love our Digital Strippers.

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Digital Strips Episode 230 – Review – Molly and the Bear w/ Guest Co-Host Brock Heasley

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We’re kicking off Digital Strips Guest Co-Host Week with a man who needs no introduction, but gets one anyways: Brock Heasley!

Though I do a terrible job of it on the podcast, I will gladly link to all of Brock’s online work, a portfolio that is sure to grow exponentially over the next few years. Watching his depth and creativity emerge since The Superfogeys began has been a joy, one that is now quickly and easily possible through the joy of delivering comics via the Internet.

If you like introspective thoughts behind the creation of a work of art and conversations with those who craft these stories, I hope you will at least be entertained by my attempt. After Thee Oh Sees take us to the break with their guitar-riffin’ romp, “Crack In Your Eye” (23:00), it’s time to get to what Digital Strips does best: a review.

The strip, and yes, it is very much a comic strip, that Brock and I took a look at exudes a timeless feel that is as deceptively simple as it is intelligent in the way it appeals to the kid in all of us.

Comic strips rarely have the life that Molly and the Bear does, but coming from a seasoned professional who has worked on the very best that Pixar (culling from our childhood dreams since Toy Story first dropped into our laps) has to offer, we’d expect nothing less. Truly, the characters in this strip look like they’ve jumped right off of a storyboard sequence for their next animated short.

Along the way, Brock mentions another children’s comic artist that brings incredible life to everything he touches, Mike Kunkel, most specifically his childhood daydream adventure:

It’s interesting having two artists of the visual leaning working on the critique and Brock comes up with some insights which are details that I wouldn’t have given a second thought about. It’s deep, it’s fun, and it’s well worth a listen or two.

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McCloud Demands Bigger Online Presence For “His Face All Red” Creator Carroll

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In lieu of more talky-talky this week, we’ll try to bring you some news the old-school DS way, via short, succinct, savory blog posts. And what better way to kick off the week than with an amazing comic from a new face.

Scott McCloud, finder of all things amazing and new, blogs briefly about Emily Carroll, the creator behind the overnight success that is His Face All Red. Steve mentioned in our (now lost to the Interether) most recent episode that I probably recognized her name from combining poet Emily Dickinson and author Lewis Carroll, which is entirely possible. The entire comic, all ten, infinitely-canvassed pages of it, is incredibly haunting and does a great job of evoking that classic horror style in the vein of Edgar Allan Poe.

Do as the McCloud commands and demand a larger, more consolidated presence for this next up-and-coming webcomics star!

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Tweet Thread of the Day For Saturday, August 28, 2010

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No better way to bring back some TTotD than with a short but sweet entry from one Mr. Scott Kurtz. In this case, a picture is absolutely worth a thousand words:

pvponline http://yfrog.com/nbziahj 12 minutes ago via Twitter for iPhone

Can’t explain why I’m getting chills just seeing that shiny award in some deserving hands, but it’s certainly been a long, hard road for the creator of PvP and that prize could not be more deserved. Congrats to Scott on the win; with that in his hands and ringing in another year as host of the Harvey Awards ceremony, this may just be the best weekend of his life.

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NEWW 2 (New England Webcomics Weekend, Numero Dos) Is Coming!

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Having enthusiastically attended last year’s NEWW, I can wholeheartedly recommend you join everyone else in webcomics in buying your ticket to this year’s event, being held in Easthampton, MA the weekend of November 6th. Wanna know the official details? Then read on!

In order to attend NEWW 2, you will need to have a ticket. Buying tickets online will guarantee that you’re a part of this event, even if we fill to capacity. Tickets will go on sale this Thursday, August 26th, at 12:00 PM EST. You’ll be able to grab a weekend pass, an individual day pass, or a special VIP Pass which will include some exclusive goodies. See you then!

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Small Press Brings Us The Ignatz Award Nominees And They Are… Weird

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But not necessarily weird in a, “Ew! Mommy, why doesn’t that man have any ears?” but more of an indie, weird-just-to-be-different way. Just like the bizarre-sounding name would have you presupposing, the Ignatz nominees are an all over the place bunch, ranging from cute and quaint to, “Hey, the Far Side was funny, let’s see what it looks like when drawn horribly and with less humor!” (that would be Callahan Online, by the way).

All the others look to have promise in one way or another, even if most of their archives are much too shallow to offer enough material to even review, let alone reward. Still, I’ll see if I can’t convince Steve to take a closer look at them all in an upcoming podcast. The full list, with links, can be found after the break.

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Buffy’s Xander Latest Celeb To Try Hand At Webcomic Biz

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As reported by Lauren Davis over at Storming the Tower, Nicholas Brendan, more famously known to the rest of the geek world as Xander from the Buffy the Vampire Slayer TV series, is looking to launch a new webcomic, Very Bad Koalas, later this year. Davis also notes in her post that another Buffy alum, Emma Caulfield (Anya), has also gotten into the webcomics pool, which just leaves me to wonder who will be the first to soil the waters and force everyone to scramble for the shallow end (Davis refers to Caulfield’s Contropussy as “thinly amusing” while I have yet to read it).

Having lost control of that analogy, I leave you with the teaser image and placeholder website.

Xander Harris Makes a Webcomic (Storming the Tower, Lauren Davis)

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