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Metapost: The 15 Worst Comics of the Decade

Submitted by El Santo on December 18, 2009

Apologies for not being able to do any posts lately. It’s been a ridiculously busy week.

Anyway, while you’re twiddling your thumbs out there in internet world, check out Comics Alliance’s excellent list of The 15 Worst Comics of The Decade. Good Lord, does this list bring back painful memories.

Sue Dibny raped and murdered?

Scarlet Witch and Quicksilver incest?

Gwen Stacy’s grown up daughter making the moves on Peter Parker, who she thinks is her dad?

Sexy Aunt May?

Come to think of it, the 00’s was a terrible time to be a Spider-Man fan (not counting the movies or Ultimate Spider-Man). Which was a shame since the 90’s weren’t a hot time for the webslinger either.

(h/t The Beat)

Come see the Roundtable

Submitted by El Santo on December 15, 2009

I’m a bit late on posting this (just came back last night from a long interstate roadtrip up and down some snow covered mountains), but when you get a chance, check out Comixtalk’s End of the Year Roundtable.

The chat involves luminaries like Gary Tyrrell from FLEEN, Delos Woodruff from ArtPatient, Brigid Alverson from Robot 6 and Paperless Comics, and Johanna Draper Carlson from Comics Worth Reading. Also some ridiculous joker named “El Santo” somehow got included on the roster. Come see what people who read webcomics thought of the year! And find out my prediction for the ultimate fate of Bad Machinery.

Webcomics for a good cause: Starthrower in Haiti

Submitted by El Santo on December 11, 2009

This Christmas, rather than wracking your head over whether to sink your money into a Droid smartphone or a Blu-ray player or a Burberry scarf, how about giving a small gift to someone in the world that would really change their life? That’s what Daniel Lafrance over at Starthrower in Haiti is doing.

Why Captain Nihilist reviews the “big” webcomics

Submitted by El Santo on December 10, 2009

A long, long time ago (e.g., two months ago), I promised to do a piece on “Why review webcomics at all?” I turned out to be a more massive project than I realized, and The Webcomic Overlook Central, it turns out, does not employ enough scribes, researchers, and eunuchs to tackle the question in one piece. So, as a way to make this go down easy, I’m breaking the main question into a smaller question.

Mainly this: “Captain Nihilist, shouldn’t you only review webcomics that don’t get much exposure?”

The Webcomic Overlook #101: Azure

Submitted by El Santo on December 01, 2009

As the month transitions from summer to fall and eventually winter, we’re caught up in an absolutely magical mood. All across the country, people start putting up decorations and turning on tiny lights to give beauty to the night. At the same time, we begin to wonder: wouldn’t it be cool if the world ended right now?

My pet theory is that this hunger for post-apocalyptic imagery is fueled, in part, by childhood fears that the end of the calendar year coincides with the end of the world. (Laugh all you want about childhood innocence, but is this really so different than the current 2012 mania?) Hollywood is only happy to oblige. During the Christmas season, movie theaters are filled with end of the world scenarios like I Am Legend, The Day The Earth Stood Still remake, and The Day After Tomorrow, which laughable featured a first-person view of killer cold.

This year is no different. Blockbuster movie buffs can thrill to the collapse of the world in 2012. On the other hand, those with more art-house sensibilities who look down upon people who enjoy mindless orgies of explosions can bathe in the more muted desperation of The Road. See? You CAN be a hipster AND an end times enthusiast!

So it should be no surprise that I’m kicking off December with a webcomic that foresees the end of the world as we know it. It’s an offering from Zuda Comics called Azure, a webcomic written and illustrated by Dan Govar. Azure is set in a world where the polar ice caps have melted and most of the world is under the waves of a new globe-spanning ocean.

Metapost: Interesting observation from the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade

Submitted by El Santo on November 30, 2009

Back from the break!

And apparently, when the cat’s away, the mice come out and play. Over the break, it’s been crazy on this blog. The “Top Ten Best Webcomics of the Decade” article got linked on Fark. As a result, the post count has been up 8x more than usual. So a hearty hello to all you Fark visitors. Feel free to comment on this site as much as you like! Go ahead and tell me why you think my list is dead wrong and what the real Top Ten Webcomics really are. The list was meant to spark discussion, and it looks like everyone’s getting in the spirit.

Metapost: Happy Thanksgiving, all!

Submitted by El Santo on November 24, 2009

It’s time for the Holidays again. It’s already been fantastically hectic the last two weeks: putting up the Christmas lights, transforming the house with red and green decor, going to a model train expo to buy a fantastic Lionel set for under the tree, getting a tree, etc. And we still have to put up the tree decorations before we entertain guests on Thursday. (Plus, on a less strenuous note, I’m doing a writing project with other folks online on the side. Not NaNoWriMo… but comparable.) As a result, the Webcomic Overlook will be running on a very spotty schedule from now until the end of the year.

Still, I don’t plan on being entirely dormant. I hope to get reviews out for the following webcomics, at least:

Webcomics make the AV Clubs Best Comics of the Decade List

Submitted by El Santo on November 24, 2009

AV Club has been doing Best of the Decade lists all month, many of which have been excellent and surprising. Recently, the released their Best Comics of the Decade. Two webcomics made the cut, and they’re accompanied by interesting observations about the medium:

Crabcake Confidential: The Prisoner Online Graphic Novel

Submitted by El Santo on November 18, 2009

Webcomic Overlook’s Top Ten Best Webcomics of the Decade

Submitted by El Santo on November 16, 2009

You want to know what’s really subjective? Top ten lists. No two people will ever agree on what the best ten of anything is as long as people have the ability to think for themselves. Isn’t merely the act of putting together such a list an example of arrogance? Probably.

Still, we love lists like the one I’m compiling below for one big reason: its fun to argue why something made the list, and why things were left off.

So, as we head into the Holiday Season and close out the aughts, here’s my list of what I think are the Ten Best Webcomics of the Decade (2000-2009): The Second Decade of Webcomics.