Reviews

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.

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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. Continue Reading →

With the end of October imminent, kids in many countries are looking forward to that most scary of holidays: Halloween. Dressing up in costumes, banging on complete strangers' doors, and begging for candy… good times to be had for all. However, the end of October also brings us to a special time in the world of webcomics.

Specifically, the anniversary of webcomic The Asylumantics. Chris Cantrell has reached a major milestone with his comic… on October 31st, 2005, The Asylumantics will turn four years old. With the comic's birthday rapidly approaching, Chris has planned a book sale, custom figurines based on the cast, and a contest that promises a great prize pack. Continue Reading →

With the arrival of October, many countries around the world begin to celebrate Halloween. What better time to celebrate the ghouls, goblins, witches and demons that roam this earth better than with a good webcomic? There are many webcomics out there that address the issues of heaven and hell, demons and deities, and good vs. evil. However, few of them approach the subject quite as well as Jack does.

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It takes a special kind of person to be a teacher in today’s world. With the horrors and plain out-and-out nuisances you hear about constantly on the news (including low pay, angry parents, belligerent students, etc), one wonders what kind of person would willingly embark on this career path. Now take that brave person and have him also able to see the world from the viewpoint of the children he’s instructing; able to see things through the eyes of innocence, without the burden of maturity and worldliness tainting the rose-colored glasses they’re wearing.

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Only a fool believes that a good fantasy story can be told only using fantastically detailed artwork, and Rich Burlew’s The Order of the Stick is an excellent example of one that puts the story before the artwork. Continue Reading →

David Willis’ much beloved It’s Walky! was an epic science-fiction story mixed liberally with teen-angst drama and quirky, character-driven comedy. That story concluded last year (though the series is still showing signs of life) and for his next project Willis chose a more open format, free from the bonds of continuity and logic. The result was Shortpacked! a gag-a-day strip set loosely within the world of It’s Walky but with a whole new direction. Continue Reading →

Ever see the look on a comic fanboy's face when you show him his very first genuine shojo comic? And by comic fanboy, I don't mean a neanderthal for whom female comic characters conjure up images of a double D, bikini-clad broad striking a pose that wouldn't be out of place in Playboy. I'm talking about the well-read comic geek, who appreciates Alan Moore, Warren Ellis, Neil Gaiman, Los Hernandez Brothers, Ennis and Dillon, perhaps even some Rumiko Takahashi and Otomo Katsuhiro.

He'll start flipping the pages, looking for demons or samurai warriors or ninjas or a giant robot or some sort (any sort) of action scene. And slowly it dawns on him, he's holding in his hands the sequential art equivalent of Dawson's Creek. It's like his "Boys Only" club house has been redecorated with flowers and lace curtains in the windows. Continue Reading →

The British have a different sense of humor. There’s no easy way to explain its subtleties, but it’s the reason shows like Red Dwarf and Coupling failed miserably when "translated" for an American audience. Perhaps it’s the almost-casual mixture of normality and weirdness, or the quirkily irreverent characters, or the knowing self-parodies – or maybe just the Brits’ readiness to lampoon anything, including taboo subjects like religion, in such a way that it comes across as cutely inoffensive.
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