I’ve come to a decision lately. Life is too short to spend my money on bad comics. So, my reviewing options have become more and more limited, as I refuse to buy something that there is no chance that I’ll enjoy. In an unrelated subject, I’m reading a lot more web-based comics. Since they’re free, I’m not out anything if I don’t enjoy it. Finding a good web comic is hard. I have to automatically eliminate every single one that uses the female breast as a primary theme in their advertising (just like I won’t buy comic with bimbos on the cover). Yes, I realize that sex sells. But women like sex, too, dammit, and if I have to look at big-breasted women, I want to occasionally see a toned male torso in my comics advertisement. Is that too much to ask??? Next, the web comic has to have an easy to navigate archive. I recently clicked on the banner ad of an on-line fantasy manga (because the banner had elves and no boob-shots), but found that the archives weren’t up yet. One strip isn’t enough to tell me whether or not I’ll like a comic. Also, some comics are moving over to a new server that makes you pay to access the archives! Well, I’m not going to pay for a web comic until I know if I like it! I already spend too much money on bad paper comics, but I already complained about that. Also, the comic has to update semi-regularly. I have some that update 7 days a week, several that update 3 days a week, even one that only updates twice a month. But they’re mostly on time. I dropped a comic that I was greatly enjoying because the author/artist was a total screw off on updating and finally changed the schedule to "Every Monday, Wednesday and Friday, or whenever I feel like it." I’m sorry, but if the creator doesn’t have the dedication to update on time or provide a good excuse for why they didn’t update, then I don’t have the dedication to check back and see if there’s a new comic up. Most importantly, a web comic needs to be entertaining!!! Since they’re free, I’ll forgive them fairly bad art, but the story has to be good, or barring that, it has to be a very funny gag-a-day comic. A good way to tell if a web comic is worth reading is to read about a week of the archives. If you didn’t laugh once, and you don’t care what happens to the characters, then it’s time to move along. That said, I will now give little capsule reviews of the web-based comics I read. I encourage you to check any and all of them out. All it will cost you is a bit of time, and you may find some new favorite comics! Sluggy Freelance - www.sluggy.com This was the first web comic I read, and I still love it. Updated daily, with huge color Sundays, Sluggy is a wacky comic with original stories, spoofs, and an interesting cast of characters. I recommend reading the entire archives, though it may very well take you a week. Bruno the Bandit - www.brunothebandit.com I discovered Bruno when artist/writer Ian McDonald did a guest week for Sluggy. A hilarious, anachronistic fantasy comic, Bruno rarely fails to deliver a laugh or a groan! Formerly updated 6 days a week, it is now on a Monday-Wednesday-Friday schedule. I’ve never known Ian to be late with a comic, either. GPF - www.gpf-comics.com I discovered GPF when my Dad won some GPF books in the Sluggy charity raffle. It *used* to be a funny little geek comic, but it’s currently on a year-long over-arcing storyline that has far too much drama in it for me. I’m to the point of dropping it, but the archives may be worth checking out if you like geek jokes. Updates 7 days a week, never late. EverSummer Eve - www.eversummereve.com ESE was a recommendation from a friend, and I’ve never regretted checking it out! Written in comic book form, rather than strip form, the creator posts new pages (1-3) every Monday. This is an excellent modern-day fantasy manga, with beautiful art! Also the only comic I read that is created by a woman. Rogues of Clwyd-Rahn - www.rocr.net I recently reviewed ROCR, so you may want to check the archives for a full review. ROCR is a fun fantasy comic, updated 5 days a week with the occasional weekend bonus. This is the only comic I currently read with nudity in it, so readers beware! This one isn’t for kiddies;) Angst Technology - www.angsttechnology.com Another formerly funny geek comic that I’m on the verge of dropping. Very much a gag a day strip, with occasional week-long storylines that often don’t have much of a lasting impact on the over all story. Jokes have often been pretty lame in the past few months. Updated 7 days a week. MegaTokyo - www.megatokyo.com This comic was actually a recommendation from my little brother. MegaTokyo manages to poke fun at . . . gamers, manga/anime, manga/anime fans, guys in general, life in Japan, etc etc, while still having great characters and an interesting story. I still have a hard time keeping the dozen or so female characters straight, though! Updated Monday-Wednesday-Friday, though I think it’s been late almost every time since I’ve started reading it! RPG World - www.rpgworldcomic.com This is the most recent addition to my list. Though I’ve never played a Final Fantasy game, I’ve spent waaaaaay too many hours watching my brother play them! And this comic neatly makes fun of everything I laughed at about them. The story is entertaining, the characters make me laugh, and Ian J’s art has evolved nicely. Updated Sunday-Wednesday-Friday. I hope this sets you all down a path of web comic fandom. If I have to be addicted, so do you;-). Bwuhahahaha!

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Review Copyright © 2002 By AJ Reardon E-mail AJ at: ErtheFae@aol.com Visit AJ at: http://members.aol.com/erthefae/index.htm