Top 10 Cool Webcomics November - December 2011

Way over due an update to my top 10 cool webcomics. A few of my favourites have ended since I last did a top 10 so great online comics like Acrobat, The Fowl and Freakangels are now complete. You can still read them at their respective site. Anyway, here's the current rundown for November/December 2011


10. Questionable Content by J. Jacques
9. Flying Sparks by Jon Del Arroz
8. William Feist: Paranormal Investigator by Old Dying Kitty Comics
7. Jesus Christ: In the Name of the Gun by Eric Peterson and Ryan Cody
6. Gunnerkrigg Court by Tom Siddell
5. Pictures of You by Gibson Twist
4. Superfogeys by Brock Heasley & Marc Lapierre
3. Specimen B-28 by Stephen Daymond
2. Vanguard by Mr Hades(Dan Butcher)
1. Smash by Chris & Kyle Bolton

It's a real struggle trying to get this down to 10 comics as there are so many good webcomics out there now. A few that came really close and may get into the top ten at some point are Spindrift, Adler's Watch, False Positive and Deathboy.
As always if you'd like to suggest a web comic for the Cool Webcomics list please email me. I do get lots of submissions and don't have the time to respond to every one (i only get about 20 minutes free time per month to mess around online, mostly I work, or be a dad, or clean, or be a husband, or train, or sleep. so I'm sorry if i don't get back to you.) However if I see something that is awesome I will most definitely come back to you and post it on the blog. It might even make the Top 10.

Updates from the Twitter Feed

Way past due for an update to the blog so here's the most recent bunch of tweets about cool webcomics. I tend to post of my latest finds and fave on Twitter as it's much quicker for spreading the word about great new webcomics or awesome existing ones. So head over to Twitter and follow me there to be kept in the loop.
I'll still be updating the blog from time to time with the posts from twitter and I'll try and get back to writing more detailed posts but as this is just a labour of love for me it has to come behind all the paying work and family stuff. Anyway hope you enjoy the latest installment of comics and don't forget to comment.

Check this webcomic. http://www.d20something.com/d20

Are you all up to date with Tozo - the Public Servant? http://tozocomic.com/

Hand of the Morningstar is worth a look! http://handofthemorningstar.com/

Book 2 of Sacred Pie has just concluded. a great time to go read the whole epic so far: http://www.sacredpie.com/

Check out Terminals. Its really good! http://terminalscomic.com/

Check this. http://www.foreignmattercomic.com/

Check this out http://talesofarmstrong.com/

Check this http://runninwithagun.ca/

Found this. "Will Work for Blood" 50 or so episodes/pages so far. Got me gripped. so go check it. http://wwfb.smackjeeves.com/ 

Just in case you're interested. http://www.makeshiftmiracle.com

Check this out. http://www.falsepositivecomic.com awesome so far.

This looks like it could be fun. http://www.spindrift-comic.com/

Check this out http://abaddoncomic.com/

What about This? http://www.iaviv.com/stupidsnake/ can't make up my mind if it's nonsense or the best webcomic I've ever read.

This is very good. worth checking out http://www.ineffableaether.com/

Hey. Did i tell you all to check this out? http://www.agreeablecomics.com/kimimura/ if not I'm really sorry. it's awesome.

Go read this? http://www.agreeablecomics.com/fight/ it's lots of fun!!

I happened upon this http://adalee.smackjeeves.com/ Not my usual cup of tea but I found it very entertaining. You should go check it out.

Hey. Found a new Webcomic. Only a couple of pages so far but looks interesting. http://the-backwoods.com/

Found This. It's good! http://www.ipp-comics.de/en/comics/title:dorn/ 

found this. passing it in. go check it!! http://counteragents.wordpress.com/2011/11/01/counter-agents-entry-1/ 

Check this out. A nice little online comic http://www.adlerswatch.com/

Hey folks check out http://www.freemarscomic.com Another cool webcomic.

Found this http://olddyingkitty.com/William_Feist/ It's awesome. Go Read it now!

Are you checking out The Revenger? You should be it's good so far. http://revengercomic.com

More from the Twitter Feed

Time for some more of the Cool Webcomics that I've been shouting about on Twitter. . . well typing about at least. At last count I'm up to 86 followers and can't believe that 86 people are interested in what I'm saying. Once I get a couple million more I'm gonna start some kind of cult. Not sure what type yet but it'll be one of those cool ones where we don't all commit mass suicide. Maybe just a big party or something.

Anyway rambling already. . . On to the links.

Nathan Sorry by Rich Barrett http://bit.ly/uZwmk. It's a cool concept about a guy who everyone thinks has died on 9/11. well worth a read.

Go read 'Heist' by Brendan McGinley. It's really cool. Oh, and it has a really cool logo too. http://bit.ly/gX5XRm

Here's a cool webcomic worth checking. Wake the Knight: http://bit.ly/eWZkh8. Should be OK to read again since Drunk Duck is back online.

I recently got turned on to Super Fogeys: http://bit.ly/hra6. It's a whole lot of fun. Why had I not read this before???

Spinnerette is pretty cool and it's probably one of the few Manga-esque comics you'll see promoted on this blog. Go check it our for yourself. It's about a young girl who gets bitten by a radioactive spider and becomes a super hero. . . . sound familiar? http://bit.ly/9DaPoc

Fusion is about a young girl who has an alien entity sharing her body, giving her superpowers. Well that's the basics go read the rest for yourself at http://www.drunkduck.com/Essay_Bee_Comics_Presents_Fusion/

OK that's plenty for now more to come later. As normal if you are following me on twitter you may have already read some of these. I'd love to know what you think.

More Webcomic Tweetness

Some more Cool Webcomics That I've been posting about on Twitter. Hope you enjoy these and as always feel free to comment or even better follow @coolwebcomics on twitter.

So, as with the previous post below are some Cool Webcomics that I've been reading and felt the urge to tell you about, well in the very least give you a link so you can go check them out for yourself.

I'm sure that you'll find something that you like, if not in this post then most definitely somewhere on the blog.

For Lovers of Dragons and Fantasy webcomics Tears of the Dragon is awesome. Go read it here.

Teenage spies, espionage, International Danger. That'd be Spy6teen. Another cool webcomic. http://www.spy6teen.com

Check out Team Mummy online comic. It's insane. http://teammummy.blogspot.com/

Check out The Assignment from R & R Comics. Well worth your attention. http://bit.ly/yxV8G

Go have a look at Hard Graft http://hard-graft.net/ very enjoyable.

Found this awesome webcomic called The Class. Think this is gonna be a big deal. http://t.co/t5UNcug go read it now.

Found another promising webcomic. It's called Blueyonder. Don't confuse it with the broadband and TV provider Blue Yonder. Who are now Virgin. . . Just go check out http://t.co/bRbnQ4T. It is very nice.

Another nice Little Webcomic for your viewing pleasure http://www.whoisrain.com.

Malaak: Angel of Peace. About a Lebanese superhero. Well worth your time http://bit.ly/iu0gw.

The Allies lost WWII. Find out what happened after that in Heroes Inc.http://bit.ly/7VtN9p great story, great art!

Zombie Fun. Gotta love a good Zombie Webcomic! check out http://www.zombenstrikes.com

Specimen b-28 just got a brand new website. making it much easier to enjoy. http://www.specimenb28.com

Only 25 pages so far but looks really good. Go check it out. http://abaddoncomic.com/

Check out 'Light Years Away' on Floodworks. A certified Cool(by me) online comic http://bit.ly/4pfUrZ.

Everyone's probably already reading this one but check out the brilliant 'Jackie Rose' http://www.jackierosecomic.com

Still more to come soon. I've been Tweeting lots.

Webcomic Tweets on Twitter

Hey folks,
I don't get to post full comic profiles as often as I'd like but if you follow me on Twitter you'll know that I've started to Tweet about Some of the cool webcomics I found out there on that Internet thing. so with this post I thought I'd update you on what I've been tweeting about so anyone not on the old twitter bandwagon can also click through to the awesome webcomics i tweet about.

I think going forward this may be the new format for posts. So by following me on Twitter you'll get links to all these cool webcomics and more a few days quicker than they'll apear here, but if you want a bunch of comics all listed together with basic info about them, then this is the place to come

The Rioteer over on WEVolt is a good one to start on. Click here to go read that.
Synopsis
1948: America entered WWII too late to stop the 3rd Reich. Emboldened by their victory in Europe, the Germans brought the war to American soil...and won. Now the East Coast belongs to the Axis Powers, and is a testing ground for their depreaved mad scientists. Only one man stands between the huddled masses and scientific horrors: the last surviving result of America's super-soldier program. Atomic zombies, Nazi vampires, terrors from beyond the stars...nothing is too much for The Rioteer: Champion of Freedom! Comic updates on Fridays

Next up is Geist which is a little bit different to the stuff I normally post about although still very good and has lots of promise. To read Geist click here.
Synopsis
After weeks in hospital, Kate Crowley returns to school scarred, cursed and looking for revenge. But it won’t be easy: her targets are the untouchable Geistlords, influential students with the power to control the invisible monsters known as Geists. Worse, her cursed eye is making her hallucinate. And her only ally is her former best friend, who hates her almost as much as he hates the Geistlords. To get her revenge – and, maybe, win back her friend – she’ll have to use her curse to discover the truth about Geists…if it doesn’t drive her insane first.

Now this next one is an online garphic novel that has been completed and is available for you to read in full. Heartless Dark by Phillip and Adam Sevy. To read it click here.
Synopsis
Heartless Dark follows both Matthew and Ailis, two people at opposite ends of an apocalyptic prophecy, as they struggle to link global occurrences, personal events, and historical writings in a race to save the world.

OK about big mech robots and city destroying monsters. Kill all Monsters has that covered. Go here to read this high octane slugfest. Kill all Monsters is by Michael May and Jason Copland.
This webcomic is lots of fun and well worth a read (not that the others are not, i just don't have a synopsis for this one)

Some Superhero goodness now with Frostfire. I enjoyed this one hope you will too. Go here to read it.

Next is Wayward Sons: Legends. An Epic Sci-fi, fantasy, super powered, mythilogical saga with great art and a cool story. Read Wayward Sons: Legends here.
Synopsis
The Pantheans have just prevailed in a bloody civil war. Things go quickly awry while attempting to imprison the traitorous Kronos and a multitude of monstrous intergalactic criminals. Now the crew of the Ulympea, led by Captain Suras, must do whatever it takes to stem a full-scale prison break. What happens next, however, is completely unexpected! What starts as a straight forward Sci-Fi story, soon takes twists and turns into a genre-bending epic that defies explanation.

Red Moon Rising is really nice and is building to be another epic webcomic. Read it here.
Synopsis
Red Moon Rising is a full-colour steampunk fantasy webcomic set in the midst of a magic-fuelled industrial society, following one person’s small mistake and the knock-on effect it has on the people and the world around them.

Next I tweeted a link to Danielle Dark. If you like vampires then you'll like this. if you don't like Vampires then I suggest checking this out because its got so much more going on and the art is nice too. Read it here.
Synopsis
Danielle Dark is the story of a vampire not entirely accustomed to what she is. Danielle is trying to fit into mortal society, but discovers that is more difficult than she imagined.
Turned just over 150 years ago, Danielle is a relatively young vampire, but the circumstances of her change have made her a vampire with additional abilities. The fact that Danielle is different than other vampires has not escaped the attention of various entities with their own agendas. Some merely wish to observe Danielle’s activities, while others want her cooperation. There are also those who want Danielle destroyed.
Fortunately, Danielle Dark is a formidable vampire with equally formidable allies. But her biggest challenge is to accept herself for what she is. Find out more about Danielle Dark each week. Updates are every Friday.

More coming in the next post but enjoy these for now

Top 10 Cool Webcomics for March 2011

I was over on DeviantArt commenting on Mr Hades journal and had a brainwave (or brainfart). So here it is the Top 10 Cool Web Comics for March 2011 as decided by The Cool Webcomics List Blog(that's me).


10. The Private Files of the Fowl by Dan Schkade
9. AxeCop by Ethan Nicolle
8. Questionable Content by J. Jacques
7. Ichor & Blood by Stephan Krosecz
6. Gunnerkrigg Court by Tom Siddell
5. Pictures of You by Gibson Twist
4. Acrobat by JD Smith (also on DrunkDuck)
3. Vanguard by Mr Hades(Dan Butcher)
2. Jesus Christ: In the Name of the Gun by Eric Peterson and Ryan Cody
1. FreakAngels by Warren Ellis and Paul Duffield

So, there you have it. My Top 10 Cool Webcomics for March 2011. (Also provides me with a handy list of links for reading my favourite webcomics rather than having them bookmarked)

As always if you'd like to suggest a web comic for the Cool Webcomics list please email me. I do get lots of submissions and don't have the time to respond to every one (i only get about 20 minutes free time per month to mess around online, mostly I work, or be a dad, or clean, or be a husband, or train, or sleep. so I'm sorry if i don't get back to you.) However if I see something that is awesome I will most definitely come back to you and post it on the blog. It might even make the Top 10.

Vanguard - Web Comic

This Comic is one I've been watching for a while. It's a superhero webcomic, which are pretty rare things to find online, well good ones anyway.
The creator Dan Butcher(Mr Hades) is a prolific online comic creator/collaborator having worked on other webcomics such as Retake(I blogged about this one) and Heros Unite over on DrunkDuck.
Having cut his teeth on those other books Dan's new comic Vanguard shows a certain level of craft and maturity that you dont get on many webcomics.

I'm really enjoying Vanguard but when it came to writing up this blog I was at a loss when trying to describe it. On the face of it, this looks like your typical superteam story but after a few pages you start to get concepts of a much larger story going on. My initial impression was of a superhero team like the Avenger or the Justice League but this got drastically changed when the team is sent on a rescue mission which becomes more of a military covert ops team of super soldiers.
I was having trouble labelling it so I did the only smart thing I could think of. I emailed Dan Butcher and asked him to describe it.

Here's what Dan says.
"Vanguard is the story of a team of genetically enhanced meta-humans employed by the British government to protect the nation’s interests, at home and abroad. It is set in the not too distant future, where the world is becoming more politically and economically unstable. There are food riots, water and power shortages and a rising crime rate as day to day living becomes more of a struggle. The story begins with a simple rescue mission and events spiral from there."

Now that's a perfect description, I wish I could have done that. Anyway, moving on.

The Story
Really good concepts and some excellent scripting so far have made me really enjoy this comic. Good character interaction and development are keeping me interested and coming back for more.
The Art
I've written about Dan's art before when I blogged about Retake(Go see that post) so all I'm going to say on this one is that his skills continue to develop, his colour work is vibrant and intense his use of textures and cg background and props integrate well with the line work. Go see for yourself and enjoy the comic.

As always let me know what you think of it, or better still tell Dan.

Vanguard Comic
Dan Buthcher on DeviantArt

Pictures of You - Web Comic

This online graphic novel is, in my opinion, a sort of slice of life drama about Peter Morris and his friends through their college years. Sounds awesome, right? Right?
Sounds about as dull as possible.
However, this is probably one of the few webcomics that i could not stop reading. Seriously I read it solid until i got to the latest page. It's funny, serious, scary, intense, irreverent, engaging, sad and intriguing. A bit like the Wonder Years but done really well and much more relevant to actual life and no Fred Savage (Not that I have anything against Fred), but its still a plus point.
The set up is the hook, The story starts with Peter and Andy heading to a party with Peter thinking about his life, where he's at now, leading him to reminisce about the friend he had through college/Uni.
There is so much that happens to start saying more would begin to spoil things so I'll go with a few random words that may get you more interested.
How about drinking, playing chess, smoking weed, forming a band, falling in love, homophobia, cultural ineptitude, spousal abuse, more drinking, lots more smoking weed, strippers, porn movies, more weed smoking, star wars and Muligan. And that's just scraping the surface.

Oh, and it updates every other day.

Please Go check this out, I hope you enjoy it as much as I do. Remember to come back and tell me what you thought.

Pictures of you Web Comic

And we're back

Hello,. . . . . .
Hi,
Hiya,
How ya doing?
Is this Internet thing on?
Time for some updates.
Commence transmission. . . . . . . . in
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go

Golden Boy - Web Comic

I found this little gem by accident as I was trawling through webcomicsnation.com looking for some new material to post about. To be honest I don't know why I even looked at it as it's not what I'd consider my genre of interest but as i read through the first few pages I was hooked. The story went in a totally different direction than i was expecting and by the time I reached the end I was . . . . . . . . I might just leave it there and let you make up your own mind on the web comic. Here's how the creator describes it. "Golden Boy is about Cole "Golden Boy" Parker, a retired boxer who has lost his way into a lonely life. A violent encounter with a young criminal causes Cole to change his life back to when he was happy, when he was a champion."

The Writing
I didn't know too much about the creator of this webcomic "Max Riffner" but much of the story feels very real as if he's pulling it together from life experience or from events he's read or heard about somewhere. I'm in no way saying he's ripped it off though. It's a really good story that would make an excellent movie. In fact it does remind me of the Wrestler Movie from a couple of years ago in term of it feel and atmosphere. For me I feel like the story was over too soon. I feel it could have run and run. The character were interesting and the plots were deep, but i guess that's just how life goes sometimes. . . You're gonna need to read it to know what I'm talking about. I've since been a checked out Max's website and found that Golden Boy is only the tip of the iceberg of his creative talents(Links are below).

The Art
I'm not going to say too much about the art as all I seem to say about webcomics art is that the art is not so good at the start but gets better as it goes on. What I will say about it is that I do love the use of colour throughout the story. Its sometimes very subtle and sometime very full on. It worked for me. The Use of photos to establish location was also a nice touch

Updates
Completed so no more updates.

Links
Golden Boy Web Comic
Max Riffner's Website

Recommended if you like. . .
Criminal, From death til now, Gran Torino, The Wrestler

Artist Showcase - Emmanuel Francisco JR

Emmanuel Francisco Jr is a name that I think we'll be hearing lots over the next few years. He's a really talented up an coming artist I watch over at DeviantArt. His gallery over there is filling up nicely with loads of awesome pieces of art. You'll see some of my faves in this post.

His art style is influenced by many of the greats in the industry but he's developing his own unique style allowing his personality to flow into the art.

To find out a bit more about "MannixFrancisco" (His DeviantArt ID) read this quick Q & A below and don't forget to visit him on DA and let him know I sent you.

What first got you into comic books?
Early on as a little kid I was a big fan of those Saturday morning cartoons featuring the Superfriends, Spiderman, the Hulk or Captain America. But I was first exposed to the comics version when a classmate of mine in fourth grade brought Superman comics to school. I was hooked instantly. Soon after that I started going to the old comic bins in the local second hand bookstore because I couldn't afford new comics. Being eleven years old can do that to you. That's where I discovered the X-men, the Teen Titans, the Dark Knight, and of course, Wolverine. It was also around that time that I started paying attention to the writers and artists.


Who is your favourite comic book character?
I'm more of a fan of characters done by a particular artist. I love Spiderman done by Todd Mcfarlane and Humberto Ramos, Moon Knight done by Dave Finch and Stephen Platt, Wolverine done by Marc Silvestri, Death Dealer done by Frazetta, and the X-men done by Jim Lee. But, of course, there are characters that are just too cool looking regardless of who draws them, like Batman, Spawn, and Withblade.



Who are your major artistic influences?
The first artist I really idolized was George Perez, and I still do. His attention to detail influenced the way I do my art today. Then I discovered the Filipino artists during the Filipino invasion of the 70's. I was astounded by the level of quality these guys did. Totally ahead of their time. Artists like Alex Nino, Alfredo Alcala and Nestor Redondo. Also round that time I discovered and was influenced by Frank Frazetta. Then there's the Image founders, who changed the face of comics in the 90's. Soon came Stephen Platt and Joe Madureira. And I have to say Nicky Manabat. The attention to detail that I learned from George Perez was raised to another level when I first saw Nicky Manabat. Nowadays, I only have eyes for David Finch.

What comics do you currently read?
I'm currently following two books religiously--Invincible and Walking Dead. I also bought the first issue of Guarding the Globe, might continue that. I was looking forward to the new Wetworks miniseries but now that Wildstorm's closing down, it might not come out anymore.

What are you currently working on?
I'm on the early stages of a new miniseries, but I'm not yet allowed to divulge the details. All I can say is, it's gonna come out in France, it's got a high-tech, militaristic theme to it, and it's ultra-violent. I'm loving every minute of it. Nice to do something different from all the spandex-clad super-heroes I did in the past. Hopefully I can post some art soon. So stay tuned.

What is your dream project?
My dream project would be doing Cyberforce and World of Warcraft. I also want to finish Battle Chasers, the first Cybernary series, and Soul Saga. I just love sci-fi and fantasy. In the superhero genre, it would definitely be Batman.

To see more of Emmanuel's work visit his DeviantArt here.

The Replacements - Web Comic

I stumbled across this web comic just floating around on Comixpedia. and I'm so glad i did. It was a great read and a fantastic find. Now I'm sure some of you will have already read this comic as it was fist posted online way back in 2003. This might be considered a Golden Age webcomic(wow epic fail on humour there). Anyway, I thoroughly enjoyed this and read it in one sitting. I hope that you enjoy it too and if you've read it before then go back and check it out again. you wont be disappointed.

The Writing
There is a nice flow to this comic. as each of the main characters are introduced you simply accept them. The heroes are pretty typical. There's a reluctant hero, a full on wanna be hero and a robot who appears to be John Wayne. What more could you want. . . OK how about a villain hell bent on revenge for being jailed for years and years so he just want the whole world to suffer. What about cool evil henchmen with robot arms or hook chains for eyes. I can top that too. How about lots of other dimension monsters ripping up stuff and causing mayhem. This comic has all that and more.

The Art
The art has a manga-esque feel to it with a touch of cartoon goodness. Not normally my cup of tea but it does suit this story. Its black and white but don't let that put you off as many of the best webcomics are. The action scenes work well and the quiet moments are well paced. The art is by Sara Turner and Jerzy Drozd.

Updates
Completed so no more updates.

Links
The Replacements
Jerzy Drozd's Website
Sarah Turner's Website

Recommended if you like. . .
Magellan, Tin Tin, Hero By Night, The Front etc

Artist Showcase - Guile Blackpanther

Time for another artist showcase. Now this guy is an artist I've been watchin (not in a pervy way) on DeviantArt for a while. I think he is an artist who is destined for very big things and the sooner Joe Q at marvel realizes that there is not anyone who can touch his spiderman art the better. He draws Spiderman better than almost anyone I've seen with the exception of maybe McFarlane. His art style has a hint of European flavour to it, maybe becuase he's a frenchman. Much of his artwork reminds me slightly of Olivier Coipel but only in terms of stylistic similarities he is in no way a clone. Anyway I sent Guile and email and he answered the question below to give a liittle insight into his work and comic tastes.

What first got you into comic books?
I don't remember exactly, but I think I was maybe 4 when my uncle was reading me the adventures of Spidey in his french translated comicbooks! It was the first contact and love at first read!

Who is your favourite comic book character?
Spider-Man (No surprises here)

Who are your major artistic influences?
Nowadays, I would say Olivier Coipel, Leinil Yu, Jim Cheung, Stuart Immonen and Mike Mignola.

What comics do you currently read?
A lot of Marvel comics, some DCs and independant comicbooks, no mangas

What are you currently working on?
Videogames character designs, advertisements and working on my own comicbook stuff when I got spare time!

What would be your Dream Project?
Amazing Spider-Man or Thor, then my own comibook

To see more of Guile's work visit his DeviantArt here.

Jesus Christ: In the Name of the Gun - Web Comic

Ok. Now for a little web comic that may or may not get me grief from some religious types. Before I go any further please be aware that i did not draw or write this webcomic, so aim your anger over there at the heretics who have created this abomination. I do however find it thoroughly entertaining and this it should be made mandatory as part of any modern religious education curriculum(ha). Jesus kicks some serious ass in this violently hilarious webcomic. Imagine Bruce Campbell running around in a tabard with a beard and a wrist mounted time machine.

The Writing
I find the flow of this online strip just perfect. There is enough detail played out to keep you interested in the bigger picture but the main focus, so far, seems to be on the all out action and terrific one liners. Some of the gags are genius. I won't go too much into the story but here is my take on it so far. Jesus (The son of God) Christ has decided that the way history has panned out is a bit shit. so he sets about fixing things. Now to do this he's gonna need to be able to travel through time to certain points in history and right the wrongs that he sees as being done. Want to know more? Of course you do so go read it.
Eric Peterson has crafted an enjoyable and, as it continues, a very intriguing story which is fast becoming one of my favourite webcomics.

The Art
So far there is one complete volume with the second volume well underway. The art in the first story arc is by Ethan Nicolle who's art is of the cartoony variety. It does work well with the fantastical plot of the comic and where it needs to be it can be dark and powerful. I get a slight tang of Robert Crumb in this art, which is very cool. The Artist on the second volume is a guy called Ryan Cody. Now I'm familiar with Ryan's work as I follow his art on his Deviant art site, so I'm already a fan. Ryan's art is nice and simple. He has an amazing skill with blacks with his art reminiscent of Paul Grist creator of Jack Staff and Kane.

Updates
Normally twice per week

Links
Jesus Christ: In the name of the Gun
Ethan Nicolle Website
Ryan Cody Blog

Recommended if you like. . .
Battle Pope, Preacher, Jack Staff, etc

Gunnerkrigg Court - Web Comic

This is an amazing web comic that chronicles the happenings at GunnerKrigg Court.
The character development throughout this masterpiece is so good you'll be in love with all the characters within the first few chapters.
The main focus of the story centres around Antimony "Annie" Carver, a child with unique gifts that allow her to talk to dead people, who's parents both went to Gunnerkrigg years earlier.
There are obvious comparisons to the Harry Potter books with regards to the setting and basic initial premise but in my opinion the character development in this world is far superior to what JK Rowling did with the Potter books. (Hope that comment does not open me up to a barrage of abuse from Potter fans)
So many different themes run through this story, there are magical themes, scientific themes, religious themes, fantasy themes and they all seamlessly meld together to create a fantastic story which i find myself desperate to read every day.
I don't really want to say much else about it as the comic itself is the best way of finding out more.

The Art
As is the case with most webcomics the art really develops over the course of the story. Tom Siddell has really grown as an artist over the course of the comic. With over 28 chapters now online it's wonderful to watch Tom develop as he develops the story.

Updates: Monday, Wednesday and Friday

Links
Gunnerkrigg Court Web Comic

Recommended if you like: Harry Potter, Melody, Bone

Regular Updates resume??

Been off the grid for a while.

I've still been finding and reading lots of new Web Comics and over the next few weeks I'll be starting to showcase the ones that I feel are worthy of your attention.

There's quite a lot been happening in the world of Web Comics over the past year. The launch of smart phone comic reading apps have made access to mainstream comics in a digital format nice and easy.

Since i got my Iphone I've been keeping up with a few gems from Comixology and IDW. Marvel has also launch it's own Comic reading app powered by Comixology. Lots of excellent stuff to check out and it's all relatively cheap(some are free but mostly just samplers and first issues).

I've been reading lots of online comics and keeping up to date with many of the ones I've previously posted about.

Freakangels has been going strong since I first showcased it in Feb of last year. Its now on to the 5th volume and is definitely worth a read. Warren Ellis is a master storyteller and the art just gets better and better.This week's update is an excellent jumping on point. (Original Blog Post)

Questionable Content is still updating focusing on the lives of Martin, Pintsize and the gang. This is the online comic version of "Friends" but much more geeky and funnier. (Original Blog Post)

Acrobat continues to impress with fun superhero stories that have excellent character development and artwork that gets stronger and stronger. The Comic is now also available from CrankyOctopus.com which seems to be faster than Drunk Duck for image downloads and has other equally good web comics for your reading pleasure. (Original Blog Post).

Anyway more to come soon. I have some some really fantastic web comics to tell you about and I'm looking forward to turning you on to them.

As always if you are the creator of a web comic that you'd like showcased here please drop me a line. Likewise if there is something that anyone of you is reading that you feel I should be too. let me know.

Later

Nth

The Guns of Shadow Valley - Web Comic

Do you like Cowboys? I do. How about cowboys with superpowers? Yup, me too?

The Guns of Shadow Valley is an amazing online comic set in the old west(at least i think it is, it may be set on an alien world or something. Time will tell).The cast of well developed characters are instantly likable with just enough intrigue about them to keep you interested. Without giving too much away about the story, not that much can be given as we are still in build up mode, the story seems to centre around Sheriff Bill Dawson and a Super fast Gunslinger by the name of Frank "Breakneck" Kelly. The Sheriff is putting together a Posse to do something in Shadow Valley and Frank is coerced into joining. . . There much more than that happened but I'm not into spoiling a really good story.

The Writing
This is written well. The characters are quickly defined by the dialogue and action giving you an instant feel for each of the new ones introduced. As with all good stories you are presented with various questions about character motivations, back story and hidden agendas but its written is such a way that you can get a feel for each of the character within their first few lines of dialogue or their first actions. I originally came across this online comic last year and although I liked it there was not enough for me to justify a feature on here, but now. . oh boy its groovy

The Art
The art in this online comic is a wonder to behold. The colour scheme that the artist uses is perfect for setting the tone, feel and firmly establishes a rustic, wild west platform which allows the beautifully drawn characters to stand out and jump of the page. the backgrounds are both detailed when required and sparse/barren when the story calls for it. The art goes a long way to making this story work.

Updates
Tuesdays and Thursdays

Links
Guns of Shadow Valley Online Comic
David Wachter (artist/co-writer/co-creator): www.davedrawscomics.com
James Andrew Clark (co-writer/co-creator): www.jamesclark.net

Recommended if you like. . .
Sin Titulo, Preacher, High Moon, Clint Eastwood Cowboy Movies etc.

Artist Showcase - Rudy Vasquez

Next up we have a an up and coming superstar Rudy Vasquez. Rudy is another artist I found on DeviantArt. I absolutely love his hyper detailed pencils. Rudy has worked on various projects and by what i see is getting better and better every time his pencil touches paper. His style reminds me of some of my favourite artists from the 90's including Jim Lee, Dave Finch and Liam Sharp(note: these are still some of my favourite artist) although he truly has his own style which has obviously developed from a love of great comic art. I can see Rudy becoming a much bigger name in comics over the next few years.

Below, Rudy has answered some questions to give you an insight into him as an artist and fan.

What first got you into comic books?
Well, I remember being given a small novel sized color collection of Stan Lee's and Steve Ditko's run of Spider-Man but what made me really want to be a penciler was Punisher War Journal #8 by Jim Lee. I remember thinking..."This art isn't the same as everything else, it's special." So, it inspired me to want to do the same.

Who is your favourite comic book character?
That's easy. I'd have to say, Spider-Man. For the same reasons most people love him. He's so relatable. Most of us without a silver spoon inour mouths have experienced being late on rent or at least stressing over it. Having to do laundry, juggle our job and love life without compromising a dream. Only in Spidey's case, it's less a dream than what he feels is his responsibility. Well, we have to recognize that even though none of us have special powers like a super hero, we do have special abilities nonetheless. It can be, writing talents, drawing, singing or whatever it might be. With great talent comes great responsibility. We shouldn't waste what God has gifted us with, even if we have to juggle the rent too.

Who are your major artistic influences?
Well, I'd say Jim Lee but luckily when people see my art it's usually a different comparison. I'm grateful for that because even though Jim's been a huge inpsiration I don't want to be a xerox machine. We all have to find our own voice. I do incorporate a little of everyone I admire though, even if it's in a small way. I love, Leinel Yu, Steve Rude, Hiroaki Samura, John Romita. just to name a few.

What comics do you currently read?
I'm way behind but anything from Carnival Comics of course, One-eyed Jack! by Jon Castaneda, and Spider-Man books.

What are you currently working on?
I'm the head artist at Carnival Comics and I'm doing the art for Jazan Wild's Carnival of Souls and The Funhouse of Horrors. I'm also doing a creator owned book with writer Justin Carmona about a native El Paso super-hero called the Black-Bird. I'm excited about both because Jazan Wild has such precise vision with Carnival of Souls and the Black-Bird will give me the opportunity to have a commentary on something unique like a border city. Keep in mind that the Carnival of Souls is and will be available through your cell phone as an app, or on myebook.com for free. You should really take advantage of that!

To see more of Rudy's work visit his DeviantArt here or his Blog.

Artist Showcase - Carl Riley

New Feature Time!!
To Start of this new feature I could think of nothing better than talking to a fellow brit. I first came across Carl's work on his DeviantArt Page. His stuff reminded me of my favourite time in comics, the early 90's. As it turns out, read his answers below, I was spot on. Now over the last couple of years his style has developed and been refined to what you see here.

I dropped Carl an email and asked him to answer a few question so you can all know a bit more about him as well as see his artwork.

What first got you into comic books?
I first got in to comics about 10 years ago when friend of mine introduced me to Fathom and Michael Turners art. As an art student myself I was amazed at the quality of work and have been hooked ever since.

Who is your favourite comic book character?
I have a few but I'd have to go with Aphrodite ix, a super hot cyber chick created by David Finch back when i first got in to comics.

Who are your major artistic influences?
Turner and Finch have been two of my biggest influences from the outset. In more recent years I've discovered the talents of Jim Lee, Marc Silvestri, Ebas, Tyler Kirkham and various other artists with the 'Top Cow' feel to their work. Joe Mad! and Mark Brooks are two more with a different style I really look up to.

What comics do you currently read?
I started out with the books such as Witchblade, Fathom, Darkness and still read those today. I went through a stage of reading Marvel books but soon tired of endless 'superhero saves the world' stories.

What are you currently working on?
As a new dad I've not got a great deal of time on my hands for drawing right now so have had to turn down long running projects. I'm currently concentrating on commission which also help beat the credit crunch!

What is your dream project?
I'd love to work for Top Cow or Aspen as a cover artist or interiors. I guess my dream would be that Aphrodite ix would be bought back and I'd get to do the pencils....errrr.... but that is NEVER gonna happen!

To see more of Carl's work visit his DeviantArt here.

Melody - Web Comic

Straight from the Zuda Synopsis: Through chance, Mel comes into possession of the melody to “the greatest song in the world”... but not the lyrics. The tune comes straight from the Muse Of Song and it’s of supernatural power, everyone who hears it will love it! Various groups of people (politicians, the church, advertisers), they all want it for their own means. By providing their own lyrics they could shape it to be the ultimate propaganda song. Some try to buy Mel, some to charm her, some to intimidate her. And when ruthless ex-spy, Damien, goes after her she soon finds herself running for her life. She has to stay alive and do the right thing with the divine melody in her head...Now if only she could find out what the right thing is!

The Writing
I originally read the first 8 pages back when this was part of the monthly competition and was not all that impressed, not that my initial opinion mattered as it finished in 1st place winning that month's competition. I revisited this comic recently and found it had been completed. After reading through the 60 pages of well scripted, thoroughly entertaining story I take back my initial unimpressed stance. This is a really good story although i feel it might have ended too soon. We were just really getting to know the characters and their motivations.

The Art
The art is Nice, good solid structure and fantastic colours. Illias Kryriazis has been a pro since 2001 and it shows in this highly polished web comic. Not overly simple and not too detailed the art really lends itself to the Zuda framework. It does have a kind of European feel to it, although this may be because the artist is from Greece, which is a good thing. As with many of the newer Zuda Comics the artist seems to have designed his panels to fit a screen rather than a page and some of the layouts are really innovative. I'll definitely be checking out some of his other stuff.

Updates
Mondays

Links
Melody Online Comic
Illias Kyriazis Deviant Art

Recommended if you like. . .
Sin Titulo, Preacher, Last Warring Angel etc.