Archive - 2005
November 21st
From Noir to Nightmares, Will Eisner's John Law by Gary Chaloner, Reviewed by Andrew Leal
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NOTE: This is a parallel review in which we have two reviewers looking at the same comic. The other review is by Xaviar Xerexes.
During the 1940s, when pulps were at their height, the concept of the hardboiled detective (usually a private eye but occasionally a police investigator) was ingrained in the public imagination. Since that time, the atmosphere, the language, and the characters have been evoked in pastiche and parody.
Will Eisner’s John Law by Gary Chaloner (whose current strips can be found here, and whose main site, with cast info and extras, is here) is one of the few modern detective comics to focus so heavily on that mode, at least in style, using the stark grays of the best film noirs. Though scripted and drawn by Gary Chaloner, the character himself was created by the late great Will Eisner.
SKinny Panda Hits 500 Strips ; Todd and Penguin Celebrates 5th Anniversary
Submitted by David Wright on November 21, 2005 - 22:54
Two long-running webcomics hit milestones this month: Skinny Panda and Todd and Penguin.
Skinny Panda hits strip number 500 this week and Todd and Penguin celebrated five years this Nov. 12.
November 20th
Welcome to Week Three of Comixpedia's November 2005 Issue!
Submitted by kjc on November 21, 2005 - 01:44
This month, Comixpedia looked at MYSTERY WEBCOMICS!
Our final feature for November, Faith in Science: Detective Stories In A Confused World by T Campbell, is a close examination of the rules of mystery comics and a challenge to webcomics creators.
"Nemesis in Noir" is Al Schroeder's interview with Greg Holkan of [nemesis] and Gossamer Commons.
We have TWO reviews this week:
One is a REview of Femme Noir by John Lynch. (Comixpedia first reviewed Christopher Mill's webcomic Femme Noir in October 2003.)
The other is Xaviar Xerexes' review of Will Eisner's John Law by Gary Chaloner.
And last, but never least, is Ping Teo's gentle poke at The Essence of… Whodunnit.
Faith in Science: Detective Stories In A Confused World
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The game is afoot.
- — Sherlock Holmes
There's just one more question I'd like to ask you.
- — Columbo
And I would have gotten away with it, too, if it hadn't been for those nosy kids and their mangy dog!
- — innumerable Scooby-Doo villains
Forget about making a hundred, forget about the victim, forget about the suspect and focus on the only thing that can't lie: the evidence.
- — Gil Grissom, CSI
O photoprocessing machine, I command you to reveal to me that which is hidden!
- — Bee
Like most good ideas, mysteries and detective stories have many ancestors, but they didn't really get to take a place in entertainment until the Industrial Revolution. It's not hard to see why. The underlying message behind the traditional mystery—and the traditional detective story, its most famous subgenre—is always the same. That message: our world may seem confusing, but patience, pluck, and especially reason can lay its secrets bare, punish the guilty, and reveal the monsters as aged men in latex or clockwork springs.
Nemesis in Noir: An Interview with Greg Holkan
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[nemesis] is the story of a very normal police detective in a world of super-powered defenders assigned to solve the murder of their world's greatest hero. Equal parts super-hero parody and noir detective story, it is quite unique on the web. Its creator, Greg Holkan, also joined Eric Burns in the fantasy webcomic Gossamer Commons and although he's letting go of the artistic reins, he retains input into the plotting. Holkan is an interesting mystery himself to unravel, and this interview gives the clues needed.
Femme Noir by Christopher Mills, REviewed by John Lynch
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This is a REview of Femme Noir. Comixpedia first reviewed Christopher Mill's webcomic Femme Noir in October 2003.
When I read the first strip in Femme Noir's latest storyline, I half expected the characters to begin saying "jeepers" and such things. I wasn't disappointed. Fortunately though, the offenders don't last very long.
Will Eisner's John Law by Gary Chaloner, Reviewed by Xaviar Xerexes
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NOTE: This is a parallel review in which we have two reviewers looking at the same comic. The other review is by Andrew Leal.
John Law is a character, originally created by Will Eisner in the 1940s, whom he ultimately did not actually publish. Instead he repurposed the work he did for this character into stories for his more well-known comic, The Spirit. Despite some claims to the contrary, the full-fledged character of John Law only appeared in print when Eclipse Comics published a one-shot book in 1983 titled John Law, Detective #1.
November 18th
New WordPress Webcomic Theme
Submitted by Tyler Martin on November 18, 2005 - 12:28
Publish your webcomic with WordPress using the new ComicPress Theme.
Don't Forget the Map of Webcomic Creators
Submitted by Erik Melander on November 18, 2005 - 08:20
Don't forget to add youself to the Map of Webcomic Creators if you haven't already. North America is dominating, but there are some creators scattered around the rest of the world as well.
