Web comic Round up

Hey guys thought I'd give you a quick low-down on some web comics Iv'e been checking out recently: 


Blow the Cartridge: ‘Blow the Cartridge’ is a weekly comic strip by former game designer turned web comic creator Cameron Davis. Humour is video game centric, with a focus on old games (and by old, I mean everything from street fighter 3 to Civilization). Instead of inside jokes about the 'game that came out a couple of days ago', Davis’ comics are relatively easy to follow with  a quirky often pun based humour to them. The comic updates weekly and in my opinion is worth checking out once to twice a month.

 Favourite strip: Samantha Fox Strip Poker

The Gutters: It always surprises me how many people who read an enjoy comics do not know about ‘The Gutters’. Written by career web comic creator Ryan Sohmer (Ryan also writes Least I could do and Looking for group) and illustrated by a rotating roster of artists, the Gutters delivers consistent and hilarious commentary on the comic book industry. Easily one of my all time favourite web comics, Updates Wednesday’s and it worth checking out  weekly.

 Favourite strip: If Batman was on 'Lost' 

Chainsawsuit: Kris Straub’s Chainsawsuit delivers his funny, off beat and often bizarre take on the world in three glorious panels. Most of the time the strip hits it’s mark humor wise, although every now and then it goes on tangents that are a bit hard to follow. Straub’s cartoon figures are cute and instantly recognisable as his creations. Comic updates three times a week but only worth checking out once a week.

 Favourite strip: The Fontalist

Indie Comic review: Billy Demon Slayer season 2

In many ways Hayden Fryer's 'Billy Demon slayer' is the embodiment of the Australian indie comics scene. It’s bold, edgy, tongue-in-cheek, unapologetically Australian and most importantly was born from a love of the comic medium. And it really does show. Billy's been alive and kicking for 10 years now, at this point I would like to point out that's longer than most marriages, and his chainsaw wielding figure is a constant at Sydney pop culture conventions. Also he has chainsaw hands.

Set in the Sydney suburb of Walksville, the Billy Demon Slayer serious chronicles the supernatural  adventures of teenage Anti-Christ William Damon who spends most of his time fighting the minions of hell. After the first 5 issue story arc, as collected in Billy Demon Slayer season 1, ended with billy killing Satan, god and even leaving heaven in flames you could be forgiven for assumming Fryer hadn't left himself anywhere to move story-wise. You would be wrong though.

Season 2 sees Billy unknowingly caught up in the grab for power taking place in hell, now known to its demonic denizens as underworld, after the timely demise of the devil in the first story arc. The book opens on the surprisingly serious 'Blades of Marduk' prelude and then this seriousness is completely shattered when issue #1 opens to a naked Billy accidently being summoned by a group of cultists while he was taking a shower.

Indeed this story is full of the haphazard humour that was so great about the first story arc. Oddly enough even with the presence of nibbles the demonic hamster, season 2  features a more serious and darker tone then than its predecessor. Everything has a surprising amount of emotional weight to it and the story is much less tongue in cheek.

It’s somewhat of a new direction for the comic, but it works well and adds a longevity to the universe and character that were previously absent. Parallel to the writing, Fryer’s art has also evolved to become darker, more serious and just more fine-tuned in general. In many ways his art is reminiscent of Manga, featuring lots of shading and use of greys. His art is bold and has a distinctive semi realistic/semi comedic style to it.

To call Billy season 2 energetic would be an understatement. It's faced paced, all action and in just 7 issues Fryer manages to deliver an epic multi-faceted storyline that Marvel would spread over 20! He really knows how to keep the reader interested.

Overall I found Billy to be funny, original and not afraid to take risks when it comes to story direction, most of which pay off.

Billy Season 2, as well as all the other comics by Hayden Fryer and the lovely folks at Siberian productions can be purchased at: http://www.billydemonslayer.com/

Why I review Indie Comics differently or Credit where credit is due

If you are a regular reader of my blog (if such a person exists) you may have noticed my reviews, and particularly comic reviews, all share a certain format. I also have a habit of being quite cynical and I am not beyond nitpicking at everything from page layout, to the choice of font.  However you will notice when I review Indie comics I take a very different, more complimentary approach.

Some people may see this as going ‘easy’ on indie comics, but it is really about focusing on a comic’s strengths without riffing on its flaws. Don’t get me wrong if I think an indie comic is horribly written I'm not going to say it’s well written, I will probably instead offer some carefully worded constructive criticism. I also won’t give indie comics a rating out of 10 as I really don’t think it’s fair to slap a number rating on what is usually someone’s labour of love.

So why go ‘easy’ on indie comics?

For starters, it is not a ‘pity’ thing. It’s ‘holy crap’ you had the skills, self discipline and drive make this comic. Awesome. who cares if it's not perfect. You got off your arse and did something creative and original for no other reason than for the love of comics and creativity. That deserves a massive Kudos. 

From a logistical perspective, a comic put out by one of the big publishers (Such as Marvel or DC) usually have a team of at least three people minimum, usually a writer, penciller and colourist, not to mention the support staff  who handle the lettering, layouts and all the publishing aspects. In contrast to this an indie comic usually consists of one to two people an artist and a writer (often their one in the same) who have to negate the mine field that is printing deals and photoshop fonts...not to mention funding the dang thing!

So it's fair to say that releasing an indie comic is no small feat, that in itself is worthy of recognition. S please keep that in mind whenever you read any of my indie comic reviews. 

   

What Iv'e been watching

Walking dead-Season 3: So glad this show is back and still as scary as ever! The season premier had all the emotion, action and character development anyone could have asked for as well as ending on one hell of a cliff hanger. On a side note I am falling in love with Glen all over again. Kirkman You’re’ a genius.
9/10

Arrow: So the CW's largely hyped Tv adaptation of DC Comic's Green Arrow has hit our screens and it was about as average as I expected. The acting was horrible, the dialogue was terrible and nothing was even explained properly. It seems their trying the same formula they used for Smallville which goes something along the lines of: DC character + Hot actor = television gold for the lowest common denominator. There is nothing clever or original about this show, but for some unexplainable reason I feel compelled to watch the next episode.
5/10

Parks and Recreation: With season 5 currently airing I thought I'd finally go about watching parks and rec and managed to get through 4 seasons in a week and a half. This is either a massive credit to the show or just a disturbing reflection on how much Tv I watch... Easily one of the smartest and surprisingly heart warming comedies on Tv. Takes about half a season to get into but it is totally worth it.
8.5/10

Digimon: Was feeling nostalgic so decided to go back and watch one of my favourite cartoons growing up, Digimon. Surprisingly it is on par with how I remembered it and have managed to churn through the first 70 episodes rather quickly. Season 3 is standing out as the best season so far.
7/10

Comic Review: Saga Volume one

There’s not much to be said about Saga, that hasn't been said already. It's funny, imaginative, captivating and oh so epic. Brain K Vaughan and Fiona Staples make a formidable team and on opening up the book the book it's easy to see why the first issue sold out before it even hit shelves.

For those not in the know, Saga is a Sci-fi/ fantasy epic often being described as ' Star wars meets Game of Thrones'. Also taking strong influence from Lord of the Rings and Flash Gordon, Saga tells the story of Alana and Marko, two star-crossed lovers from opposite sides of an intergalactic war.  The story opens with some rather strong language from Alana as she gives birth to her and Marko’s daughter on the backwater planet Cleave. The story goes on from there and the first 6 issue story arc, as collected in Saga: Volume one, follows their exodus from cleave.

The Miracle of child birth put so

beautifully...

As expected Vaughan comes into Sage in fine form. Vaughan is one of those rare writers who has a masterful grasp over both plotting and dialogue. Every conversation feels important and there really is no filler here. His story creates a world that is both insanely engaging as well as rich with its own unique lore. All the dialogue is witty, well worded and economical. Vaughan never uses one more word then he need's to.

In turn his words are brought to life by the evocative art of Fiona Staples. The real genius of Staple's art is her ability to blend the familiar and foreign into one cohesive setting. Everything she draws is vivid and full of life whether it be Alana's horrified facial expressions, the enchanted forests of alien planet’s or even two robots getting it on, as it may be in some cases.

Thanks for the parenting tips floating pink teenager

 To sum it up Saga is edgy, original and just plain brilliant. It is well thought out and executed and I see no reason as to why this won’t become part of the comic ‘must read’ cannon up there with books like Watchman and the Dark Knight Returns. My only sadness about this book is that the fact it is a ‘comic’ will keep some snobbier novel readers from touching it, which really is a pity. So to anyone who usually stays away from the funny books I urge you to pick this one up. I’m willing to stake my life on the fact you won’t regret it!

 10/10

Aziz Ansari: Burried Alive

Thought I'd finally write about something other then comics, so I ventured outside my house to see some world class stand-up. I enjoyed it so much I decided to write this article. Enjoy!

On Friday night I had the wonderful experience of seeing comedian Aziz Ansari perform at the Sydney Opera house. Aziz is probably best know for his role as Tom Haverford in NBC’S Parks and Recreation, but even if you haven’t seen the show he has a certain familiarity to him. His comedy is equal parts observation, overreaction and absurdity, with a large emphasis on the delivery. In particular his angry rants about trivial things, such as sheet thread count, are a delight to watch.
 The first thing you notice about Aziz is his natural charisma and ability to instantly engage the crowd. Perhaps it’s the weird aura of familiarity or just his charismatic personality, but he has an undeniable warmth. Only a few minutes into the show something else becomes very apparent. Aziz is not Tom Haverford and is very deliberate about distinguishing his stand up from his television work. Not once during the gig does he mention Parks and Recreation and whenever anyone yells a show reference at him he's quick to shut them down, and who can blame him? There’s nothing worse for an actor or comedian's career then being typecast (something that Jim Parsons will discover when he tries to land a major role that isn't Sheldon Cooper). It's this level of professionalism and eagerness to keep his stand up as it's own entity that I really admire in Aziz.  As for the actual content of the show, 'Buried Alive' deals with getting married and settling down, something that Aziz apparently finds terrifying. But kudos to him for beginning to take on every comedians worst enemy: growing up. Its all well and fine to talk about getting going to clubs, getting drunk and getting laid when your in your 20’s and maybe even 30’s but eventually things change. There's nothing worse then a middle aged comedian delivering jokes written for a 25 year old. No-one likes a try hard comedian. With this in mind I was both surprised and impressed to hear jokes about the daunting nature of marriage, having kids, dating and the abysmal club scene. The show felt a lot more mature then his previous material in which going clubbing with Kanye and Jay-Z feature heavily. That said the show still has that fun sense of immaturity iconic to Aziz, as proven by his 15 minute rant about men sending women pictures of their penis!I went into the show with high expectations and came out feeling genuinely impressed with Aziz's  mastery of the comedic craft. Plus he didn't have to resort to any cheap comedic tactics such as religion bashing or shock comedy to keep the crowd in stitches, which is always a plus in my book. 

You can download Aziz Ansari's comedy special Dangerously Delicious here for the low, low price of $5.