Jeffrey Rowland

Jeff Rowland: I Just Got Fired

Submitted by Xaviar Xerexes on September 2, 2004 - 15:05

Jeff Rowland, creator of WIGU and part of the Dumbrella-BORG explains that " I Just Got Fired" which Rowland seems genuinely enthusiastic about as an opportunity to dive into webcomics fulltime. It would be good news for webcomics generally if Rowland can join the still small crew of creators supporting themselves from their webcomic work.

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WIGU-tastic! Sheriff Pony Tattoos for Everyone!

Submitted by Xaviar Xerexes on August 24, 2004 - 17:50

jeffrey rowland went down and got himself a big ol' Sheriff Pony tattoo. Now he can never stop making WIGU webcomics! Mwhahhahahaha!!!!!

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More Weekly Geek Webcomic Interviews

Submitted by Xaviar Xerexes on August 23, 2004 - 22:54

The Weekly Geek has two new webcomic creator interviews: Jeff Rowland from Wigu and Scott Ramsoomair from VGCats.

Check them out on the Weekly Geek website (scroll down and look to the right).

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What I Was Reading in July 2001

Submitted by Xaviar Xerexes on August 6, 2004 - 01:16

Sorry to inflict this on the world but I feared this blog wasn't fulfilling the required "Self-Indulgent" Content requirement for blogs. I was Archive.org'ing my old site and pulled my daily webcomic reading list from roughly mid-year 2001. Here's the list with some comments on where some of them are today:

Absurd Notions: Creator Kevin Pease has moved the strip to http://www.absurdnotions.org/ and reduced the update schedule for this once daily strip but Absurd Notions is still one of the wittier comic strips on the web about young guys and gals of a computer/geek bent. The current story concerns a role-playing game the characters are conducting - it has been going on all year. Pease has also released a dead tree collection of AN: An Awful Lot of Absurd Notions.

Acid Reflux: This one appears to be dead (the old URL seems to have been grabbed by one of those lame squatter companies) although there is a Live Journal community about it. I never really got into this one but it was fairly popular.

Algernons Dilemma: Jim Alexander has been posting this daily strip since late 1999. I am under the impression that he has stopped making the comic but still posting this year because he had worked almost a year ahead. I couldn't find any status update on the website though so I'm not sure if that's still the case. I also think Alexander removed a large part of the archives - folks need to buy a CD-Rom from him to get those. I have read bits and pieces of AD in the past but I could never get past Alexander's unique take on the female anatomy to become a fan. A lot of old-school webtoonists are fans of his work though.

Alice!: is still one of the few GOOD PG comic strips on the web. A shame that McKay-Fleming isn't in your local newspaper.

Angst Technology: Barry was hot than stopped and now he's back again. I'm not as much into AT and the other strips on Inktank as I was pre-hiatus but it's probably more to do with the much more crowded field of webcomics than any drop in quality on Barry's part. There's just only so much time in the day!

A.P.E. Force: Nicely drawn - possibly gone from the web now. Couldn't find it this morning anyhow.

Aren't We Real: Case Yorke's webcomic before Gluemeat and I believe the archives are somewhere on gluemeat.com. Still my favorite Yorke project.

Arrogance in Simplicity: A funny comic, not always as funny as the creator thought it was but still a good read in its day. Definitely over according to the creator. Early pioneer in the "crap art but still a decent read" category.

Avalon: One of the original soap-opera-ish high school webcomics, Avalon is no more and Josh is now on to another comic.

BB of CS: Another comic that is done. Had to update the URL because the old was grabbed a URL squatter. Bad Boys of Computer Science was a pretty vulgar but sometimes painfully honest comic about college undergrad computer science students. It ran roughly from 2000-2002.

Bobbins: Bobbins is no more but Scary Go Round whirls on.

Bob N' Ed: Decent art, great parody riffs on Star Wars, Star Trek, X-Files, etc,but a horribly inconsistent update schedule probably has kept this comic from being more popular. Apparently he's actively working on it this summer.

BoxJam's Doodle: Original Blue Dude back after a brief hiatus this year.

Bruno the Bandit: Old School webtoonist still making the adventures of Bruno and filling in for Pete on Saturdays at Sluggy Freelance.

Burnt Dog Radio: Um this one would be mine. No comment....

Chopping Block: Herold updates less frequently now but still one of the rock stars of webcomicdom.

Clan of the Cats

CRFH!!!

Common Grounds: Corey Marie Kitley's last webcomic before Life's So Rad. She's still on Keenspot pluggin' away at being emo.

Cool Cat Studio: Gone but Giselle is working with T Campbell on a new comic somewhere in the Modern Tales family of sites.

Cyantia Chronicles: Syke makes a lot of comics some of them hosted on Keenspot now.

Deathworld: I've completely lost track of Rudy's comic but he is as old-school webcomic as they come. He probably also holds the record for most active participation in the Fright Night Project.

Diabolica: Burke's first comic before Grimbles. Diabolica was good but Grimbles is better. Sometimes he out-Gorey's Gorey.

Diesel Sweeties: Pixel Power Activate! Form of a robot-elephant! Form of an Ice cube!

Dr. Lobster: I hope they keep the archives for this one up - in its own way it was quite good.

Down to Earth: Keenspot, indendent, quit and now back again I belive. Still kicking.

Dregs: This one was kind of bad. Doesn't look like it's still updating. I'm not sure I actually read this now that I'm looking at the site.

Elf Life: Some day Carson will complete enough of his tale to make this a coherent epic in comic format. Until than it's sort of the Similarron (I probably spelled that wrong) of the webcomics world. I just hope it doesn't take Carson's son to edit and publish it in a final format.

Everything Jake

Exploitation Now: Done and onto Errant Story. Poe is growing as an artist.

Frankenstudent: Gone.

Fat Jesus: Horribly Inconsistent. Went from Keenspace to Keenspot because clearly Leffel is talented. Just a shame that not much work has actually been published. Owlie (his other comic) is still one of my sentimental favorites.

Freefall

Funny Farm: I lost track of this one. Hard to catch up with everything I guess. Reportedly going to "end" but Smith seems to be a bit cagey about what that means.

GPF: Still kicking although more serious now than before.

Ghostz: Read the archives. Funniest copyright violatin' comic from the old school days around.

Goats: Rosenberg can actually draw now. It's always been funny though.

Greystone Inn: Why Guigar is not syndicated more broadly is beyond me. A fine work in the comic strip tradition.

'Gunz!

Hang & Catch Fire: Terrance Marks does a gamer comic. Not sure if it exists anywhere online anymore.

Hobnob Inn: Now hosted on the Reuben (Awards for Comic Strips) website - this was a kind of wannabe Bloom County when basically everyone was a wannabe Bloom County. Haven't read it in a long time so I have no idea what it's like now.

Hotendotey: Right now the website says "PLEASE BEAR WITH US AS WE ARE PLANNING FUTURE ATROCITIES. THANKS." That sums up Hotendotey alright...

Hosers: Hosers got to do a cross-over with GPF. Less frequent updating lately although much better art than in the old school days.

Hound's Home: Brillant satire, erratic updating schedule.

Help Desk: Still making fun of Microsoft.

In2it: Scott Kurtz's buddy is no longer making webcomics I guess.

It's Walky!: Premarital Hanky Panky.

Jackie's Fridge

JoBeth!: Lost in space, alas...

Joe Average: It all went downhill after he got a girlfriend... :)

Just Another Vice: Back in a hazy cloud of dust..

Just Cheese: Just gone I guess.

Kevin& Kell: Furry goodness. (I can't believe I just said that...)

Ko Fight Club: Eclectic goodness.

Krazy Larry: It's alive I tell you. ALIVE!!!!

Lemont Brown: Used to be on Toonville. Not anymore I guess. Probably somewhere out there on the Internet but too tired to Google.

Limpidity: I don't remember this one.

Living In Greytown: Phil is Dead.

LWIBH: Still gross.

Lost & Found Investigations: Dog Detective as opposed to Basil Flint who is also a dawg detective.

Merlin's Crew: A 2001 comic that survived Keenspace's many meltdowns since. Not sure if it was any good or not.

Mr. Chuck Show: Jon Myers just quit one day in 2003 never to return. Or will he?!??!!

Nerdz: I've met Screwball McGoo sir and you're no Screwball McGoo!

Newshounds

1999!

No Outlet: I liked this one - too bad I can't find the archives anymore.

Nowhere Man: An angry comic that seems to have stopped in 2003.

Nukees

Penny Arcade

Pentasmal: Now is the time for men to wear hats! Pentasmal is now locked away behind Keenspot's premium wall.

PVP

? (Ashfield Online)

Randym Thoughts: I think this was done by Howard Shclock Tayler's brother but I can no longer find the archives.

Real Life

Renegades: Not only does the url I had no longer work I can't remember even one thing about this webcomic.

Soup: Surprisingly this comic is still plugging along.

SporkMan: Four prongs of justice!

Together We Fall: Another one that seems to have slipped off the web and I can't recall anything about it.

Tonja Steele: still updating.

Too Fat to be a RockStar: Well the domain still points at Keenspace but it appears the site may have been wiped in one of Keenspace's mighty might meltdowns.

Tsuduku...: Although Ken's comic appears to have URL-hopped a bit I found it out there. Has to be experienced to understand..

Ubigod's Hurricane: It's Ubi's world and you're just living in it.

Unlike Minerva: Unlike active.

Unnatural, but true: Gone like the schwin.

Waiting for Bob: At one point this comic was popular, well thought of and doing cross-overs with all of the future "biggies" of webcomicdom. But it's been inactive since 2002 and I guess never to return. It's too bad - some of the most well written characters...

Wandering Ones

When I Grow Up: This was Jeff "WIGU" Rowland's first webcomic. I guess he lost the domain name though - I think he has the archives on his site for WIGU, his new webcomic.

You Damn Kid

Zortic

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What I Did Last Summer, umm, at Comic-Con 2004

August 1, 2004 - 23:00 | Kelly J. Cooper

Kelly J Cooper's Most Excellent Comic-Con Adventures
Part 1: Wednesday to Friday

WCCA 2004 Finalists Posted

Submitted by Dedos on June 21, 2004 - 16:55

The finalists for the 2004 Web Cartoonists' Choice Awards have been posted. With this milestone, the polls are now open for all registered web cartoonists (registration information can be found here) to determine this year's winners. The fight for Outstanding Newcomer looks very interesting with Count Your Sheep, Questionable Content, Skirting Danger, and Sore Thumbs all vying for the title.

(Full List of Nominees Below)

Jeff Rowland Better; Dumbrella To Be At MOCCA Fest

Submitted by Xaviar Xerexes on June 13, 2004 - 14:11

It appears that Jeff Rowland is on the mend from the Brown Spider bite he received and he began updating his webcomic WIGU again this week. If you want to see photographic documentation of the progress of Jeff's amazing healing powers click here to see the Dumbrella thread on it.

In other Dumbrella news, the entire Dumbrella crew will be at the MOCCA Art Festival in New York City June 26 and 27.

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When Spiders Attack!!

Submitted by Xaviar Xerexes on June 4, 2004 - 01:42

Several threads on Jeff "WIGU" Rowland's message boards cover the recent spider bite received by Rowland. Rowland was bitten by a brown spider on the leg earlier this week, but is reportedly on the way to recovery.

Best wishes for a speedy recovery Jeff!

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Every time you think you're out...

Submitted by michaelwhitney on March 30, 2004 - 21:10

According to a note on his site, Jeff Rowland had been thinking about quitting his comic, WIGU, at the end of the previous storyline. He even went so far as to destroy the Earth, rob his extra-dimensional characters of their memories and draw a surprisingly poignant closing panel... but, in the end, he just couldn't give up the strip. Lucky for us.

I think I read too many webcomics. When he obliterated the world, I never even considered for a second that it would be, you know, permanently damaged.

You Will Be Assimilated: a brief overview of Webcomic Collectives by Bill Duncan

March 21, 2004 - 22:00 | Bill Duncan

Syndicates, groups, hubs, and collectives.

Despite the fact that few of them ever meet face to face, webcomickers seem to crave community and camaradie. To this end, some webcomickers seek out like-minded creators, and form groups. Some of these groups are meant to do little more than offer comfort and a sense of community, while others are meant to expand reader bases, and occasionally even make money.

This feature takes offers a snapshot of some of the perks and drawbacks of collectives, and then offers a list of these joined creative masses in the event that you've just been itching to be assimilated by someone... anyone.