Shalmdi's WebComic Guide

Quick Hits 04/12/06

2006-04-12T15:23:00.000-05:00

You know, this is harder than I though it would be. I start off each Wednesday with a good collection of funny strips, but once I disqualify all the comics that require knowledge of the characters or the plotlines and the obscure references, I don’t have many left. I don’t really have a point; I just felt like sharing all I go through for you. And But do you ever write? Say thank you? No! I give you some of the best sentences of my life, and this is the thanks I get? I hate you! Wait… I didn’t mean that; come back, baby.

Ok, sorry about that. If you read this blog regularly, you may notice that I am one short on my Quick Hits for the week. I wanted to put one of the strips from PvP on the list, but their site is down for the moment. I will add that one tomorrow. I really don’t have anything else to say, so on to the Quick Hits!

Quick Hits

Ctrl+Alt+Del -04/08
So what would be change for a toaster?
Unshelved – 04/08
Pansy. You just need to boil it first.
Penny Arcade – 04/10
Who cares about the text. I just love Gabe’s expressions.
Goats – 04/03
You gotta’ love elderberries.
PvP – Place Holder
It will be funny. Trust me.

Quick Hits are a series of my funny comic choices for the week in no particular order. The idea is to find strips that are entertaining without you actually needing a back-story. Sometimes, you may not understand every part of the comic, but the punchline is the only thing you have to get. Got a couple of comics you thought were funny this week? Send me your choices.

It's Late

2006-04-10T23:04:00.000-05:00

Due to some changes recently, I am finding it more difficult to post during the day, but I suppose a nightly post wouldn't kill me. If I fall asleep at the keyboard, just poke me until I stir. I promise very little smiting to whoever does that. Thanks.

I thought there were some really funny Webcomics over the weekend, but I want to save most of them for Wednesday's Quick Hits. I would like to report that Dayfree Press is back up and running. I know; I never actually reported that it was down. Well, it was. On other news, Sinfest and Melonpool are still on hiatus. They aren't the only ones, but they are two of the most annoying.

Alright, so that is out of the way. It is time to talk about the point I really wanted to make. I hated my Friday review! It was unrevised and just uninspired. I stand by the comments I made, but the actual content just didn't even adhere to my low standards for my own work. I haven't decided yet whether to revise it or just add a note. I am thinking of leaving it as a monument to what happens when I rush myself. My only fear there is what if someone says it didn't seem any worse than my normal material. That would not be pleasant.

Schlock Mercenary: The Definition of Random

2006-04-07T16:17:00.000-05:00

Hello, mortal readers. I come to you again with another Webcomic review for your enjoyment. I decide to go back to the Blank Label collection for a comic I had initially skipped. The comic to read this week is Schlock Mercenary by Howard Taylor. The tagline should be “To boldly go where no Webcomics has gone before,” but that would indicate this was even the slightest bit like Star Trek. Hmm, well they both do take place in space; after that, nothing.

Once upon a time in space, there was an amorphous blob named Schlock that wanted to be a mercenary. From that humble beginning, the comic Schlock Mercenary began. Our happy blob Schlock and the group he works for does business under the name of Taggon's Toughs under the command of the fearless Captain Tagon. I know the name leaves something to be desired, but so far, these guys have been almost directly responsible for multiple wars and have saved the galaxy at least once. This is space adventures like you have never seen before. Besides Captain Tagon and Schlock (I won't give his rank away), the crew of their ship consists of dozens of characters. I won't even begin to list all the actors in this show, but I can promise you it is way in to the double digits. Of course when you main character resembles a big pile of poo, comedy will follow you around like a fly follows... well a big pile of poo. I would like to say more about this comics, but Schlock Mercenary has almost 2000 comics in their archive and will change everything at the drop of a hat. I won't even try to summarize all that.

Schlock has come a long ways artistically from its sketchy beginnings. The artwork is still far from being the best, but with seven color updates per week, this comic should definitely be cut some slack. Despite all the action, Taylor's strip is a comedy first, and it is often amusing in that aspect. One of the biggest selling points of this comic is the originality and the fluidity of its plot line. Nothing remains constant in this comic, anyone could die in tomorrow's strip. I can't begin to tell you all the amazing plot twists I have seen over the course of this run.

The biggest problem with this comic is the humor. Schlock Mercenary seems like a comedy, but more often than not, the action and plot advancement leave little room for jokes. The storyline itself is creative; the jokes are often uninspired. I wouldn't say that Schlock is never humorous, but I would warn comedy fans to look elsewhere for a laugh.

There are few other comic that compare to Schlock Mercenary in terms of originality, but there are many that beat it out in art or comedy. On the bright side, this strip updates every day without fail, and it is enjoyable to read. If you are going to start, you have to start from the beginning, and I would recommend this Webcomic to anyone looking for a good storyline to follow.

Site updates are Daily. Schlock Mercenary is rated TEEN for Violence and Adult Humor.

People that would like this comic: People that like long storylines, Sci-fi fans, Comedy fans (to a lesser extent)

Quick Hits 04/05/06

2006-04-05T15:15:00.000-05:00

Hey, web heads. I come to day bearing a pretty good array of Quick Hits. I kept the comments for another week, but I think this may be the last time I use them. On a non-quick comic reference, I want to direct you over to Goblins again this week. I know, I talk about this comic every few weeks, but it really is that good. Last time I directed you over to Goblins, it was for the hilarity, but this time, I want to show off Thunt’s more artistic side. The use of imagery in this comic is phenomenal (big word!).

The tag line is “Life through their eyes.” This week, Thunt demonstrates what life is like through some other senses. Check it out. Of course, don’t forget to come back here for the Quick Hits!

Quick Hits

Ctrl+Alt+Del -04/05
I do the same thing with a new deck of cards.
Sluggy Freelance – 04/04
Wee!
Something Positive – 03/31
I have never seen those plays. Thank goodness.
Goats – 04/03
That cow in the background is also a computer. No, you don’t want to know how to load a disk.
Sam & Fuzzy – 04/03
Hehe, celebrity bashing.

What Happened

2006-04-03T15:19:00.000-05:00

I considered the dark side today. As you may know from my Friday TopWebComics clears its archives on the first of the month. Despite me eager voting, the comics I feel deserve a good spot are being knocked aside for many I hold in less regard. I was tempted to do the unthinkable and multi-vote. Yes, I know how to vote multiple times from the same computer. I can’t do it with any real speed since they have an image verification voting system now thank goodness, but it still works. I even tried to convince myself that I would just be undoing the work of people that use the same trick.

Since I am not one of those infallible deities (lucky bums!), I can’t assume my opinion is always right. I have to be satisfied that the deserving comics will rise and the garbage will eventually be weeded out. The only thing I can do is ask you to vote. Please don’t vote for my favorites; vote for yours. Lets see who rises to the top of the hill this month.

Inverloch: For anyone that loves a good story

2006-03-31T14:08:00.000-05:00

Hello, web heads. It is finally time for the long-promised Friday review! I decided to abandon my usual silly strips for the day and review a real popular Webcomic from the TopWebComics listing. The comic to read this week is Inverloch by Sarah Ellerton. If any of you that have wanted a little more drama in your Webcomic, today is your lucky day. Be warned: I like this comic enough to use my fancy-speak.

On the outskirts of Inverloch, two betrothed elven children – a young girl and boy - were separated by dark forces. No one ever learned what become of the boy, Kayn'dar, but the girl, Shiara, lived her life wondering what had become of her young love. Years later, she meets a young da'kor named Acheron; while most of his wolf-like race are vicious and feared, this da'kor is gentle and timid. After a short time, he falls in love with the elf, but it is clear her heart lies elsewhere. To ease her troubled mind, Acheron starts out on a journey to find the lost Kayn'dar even if it means losing any chance of being with her, but how can he hope to find someone who the Elves could not find for twelve years? Many questions arise for the naïve da'kor. Why is this lone elf so important to his people, and where should he look for this lost soul? Inverloch is the story of Acheron's quest and the friends he makes along the way. Such friends include the unlikely compatriots Lei'ella the thief catcher and Varden the master thief. What does fate have in store for them as the help Acheron on his journey? The only way to find out is to start reading.

If you can't tell by the summary, Inverloch is a dramatic Webcomic with a highly detailed and well developed storyline. Few strips can boast this level of depth and creativity; this comic has been number one on TWC for a long time. Ellerton's plot is original and enjoyable. Her artwork alone makes the comic fun to read. While drama and the storyline are the main focus of Inverloch, there are moments of comedy when personalities clash and craziness happens. On top of all these good points, Inverloch updates twice a week, and puts out an average of three pages per update. This means you usually get six well-drawn, color pages every week. I am unaware of any other comic with that kind of update frequency.

I have nothing negative to say about this comic, and I challenge anyone to find a down side. Inverloch is not my favorite Webcomic, but that is due to personal preference and not quality (I am actually more of a humor fan). If you have never read this comic, please, give it a try and see why it has been number one for so long.

Site updates are Monday and Thursday. Inverloch is rated TEEN for Violence.

People that would like this comic: Drama fans, Fantasy fans, Webcomics fans in general, Anyone

What's Happening Today & Tomorrow - Probably

2006-03-31T10:05:00.000-05:00

Good morning, mortals. I just wanted to throw out a quick memo, so I wouldn't have to add anything unnecessary to today's review (scheduled for this afternoon around 4:00). Comic Genesis is back on its feet, but I had the hardest time loading Megatokyo this morning. I don't know why I bothered; it almost never updates until after noon. Based on the numbering, this should be the final filler strip in the Angel's series they have been doing. Hopefully, we will be back to the storyline in progress come Monday.

The good news of the day is that the Top Web Comics listings keep conforming themselves to my will (Mwuhaha!). Maybe I do have some godly powers I am unaware of. The bad news is that tomorrow is the first day of the new month. I may not be the brightest deity on Olympus, but I do have some pattern recognition skills. I have only been voting religiously for the last few months, but so far, the monthly voting tally has cleared itself on the first of every month. This means votes over the next few days will have a lot of swing, and we can expect the fan-service incentives to be ridiculous by Monday. I beg you, even if you disagree with me, please vote over the next two days. Help keep the best comics where they deserve to be.

The Son of "What's Happening"

2006-03-30T09:53:00.000-05:00

Good morning, web heads. I thought I would go ahead and post while I had some free time. A little news, it seems that Comic Genesis server is having problems… again. Luckily, none of the comics I read from their server update today, but this is turning in to a nasty pattern for this Keenspot replacement. I suppose I should forgive them based on their youth. Nah!

Well Thursday is quickly becoming my favorite Webcomics day of the week. Many of my favorite comics update on Thursday (Nodwick, Inverloch, etc.), and many of the Wednesday comics are posted in the evening. That means I don't read them until the next morning. So why the heck am I having trouble thinking of things to post on for Thursdays!?

This is all I can think of today, but tune in tomorrow for the first review I have actually finished in about three weeks. I won't lie and say that it is done already, but I plan to finish it tonight. Seriously, be back here tomorrow afternoon or there will be floggings. I may not know where you live, but your failure to come back could lead to the flogging of an innocent kitten. Can you live with that?

(NOTE: No actual kittens were harmed in the making of this blog, but if that is what it takes to get readers, it could happen in the near future.)

Quick Hits 03/29/06

2006-03-29T15:19:00.000-05:00

Alright. To be honest, I thought the comments attached to the Quick Hits sucked last week, but I wanted to try one more time. If I like it or if I get any positive feedback, they stay. Otherwise, these new comments will go the way of the dodo. Yep, I take them all out back and choke them one at the time.

You didn't know that I was the one that killed off the dodos? Well, Webcomics didn't come along until the 90's. I got really bored being the patron deity of something that hadn't been invented yet. It's cool, though. I found many other projects to occupy my time. Some I am rather proud of (Boston Tea Party? My idea!) and others… well, they weren't so great. To all that it affected, I am totally sorry for the 70's. I was still high from the 60's, and I thought bell-bottoms would be funny. I never meant for your parents to take them seriously!

Quick Hits

Evil Inc. -03/25
That's just sick! Why would they even make that setting?!
Shortpacked – 03/23
...I'm doing that. Diabetes is worth it!
Little Gamers – 03/23
Sure, anyone can be cool with a ninja horde.
Sam & Fuzzy – 03/27 AND 03/28
This goes against QH rules, but these two are too funny to split up.
Penny Arcade – 03/29
The best part? The punch line has nothing to do with the first panel.

Nothing to Say

2006-03-28T14:38:00.000-05:00

Hey, web heads. I really just haven't had the inspiration to post recently. I am looking for new angles to use in my updates, but nothing has come to me so far. I will still have my Quick Hits up tomorrow, and you can expect a regular review this Friday. Other than that, I can't really guarantee anything until I either find someone to help me with this, or I get some divine idea of what to do between Wednesdays and Fridays.

Nothing this week has just screamed "read me." Maybe I just need to find a new strip to get myself back in the game. Any suggestions?

Not Now

2006-03-24T15:10:00.000-05:00

Sorry, no post today because Shalmdi has to take his dog to be put to sleep. Yes, I have a dog, and I am very fond of him. I tried to get up th inspiratiob for a post, but it just wasn't happening today. I should feel bad about coping out on another review, but frankly, I just can't bring myself to care today. See ya Monday, Web Heads.

Lots of Words, Nothing to Say

2006-03-23T16:10:00.000-05:00

Hey web heads. I was going to comment on one of my least favorite comics today. Twisted Kaiju Theatre (still no link given) changed their banner last night, and I had something funny to say about that. Unfortunately, their site is down right now, and I won't pick on them while you can't check the facts. Part of me hopes that they will be up soon, so I can talk about them guilt free. Of course, a bigger part of me hopes they won't come back up, so I can watch there name fall out of its undeserved Top Ten position at TopWebComics. Eh, either way I win. It is a good day.

Quick Hits 03/22/06

2006-03-22T16:07:00.000-05:00

Quick Hits Day! Hey, I am just happy to have something to post today. A couple of really good picks today. Let me know what you think of the commentary addition. Better? Worse? As always, enjoy the Quick Hits this week, and feel free to let me know what your picks would have been.

Quick Hits

Real Life -03/20
I have heard of that, but I never though people actually did it.
Checkerboard Nightmare – 03/19
At least he got an autograph.
Ctrl+Alt+Del – 03/20
Oblivion is worth it.
Something Positive – 03/20
Oh man, I have always wanted to do that!
Sluggy Freelance – 03/18
Corny gag, but I love the Russian roulette idea.

Another What's Happening

2006-03-21T13:50:00.000-05:00

Alright, so Comic Genesis fixed whatever glitch they had obviously. All the comics I read from that server are updated now, and some of them were very amusing. I have to give kudos to Thunt over at Goblins. Not only was this weeks comic funny from beginning to end, but it also included a throw back joke to the old Dead Ale Wives D&D sketch. Ahh, the comic bliss that is Goblins.

If any of you actually happen to be unfamiliar with this sketch, I recommend you check it out. I have to recommend the 8-bit Theatre version simple because it is based on the Webcomic as well as the original sketch. Fair warning: if any of you gamers out there take your D&D games too seriously, you may not think this video is funny. But please understand - it is. It is very funny.

…At least I think it is.

Slow Day

2006-03-20T15:10:00.000-05:00

Hi, mortals. You favorite minor deity is back in action, but slightly puzzled at what to do today. I hope you have all recovered from any late St. Patrick's Day celebrating. On the news front, I just want to warn you that Comic Genesis has been having some type of problem over the weekend. This means that any comics using there server have missed their regular updates. I think the problem has been fixed, but I would still give any of the Comic Genesis group until tomorrow to catch up.

I was planning to reference a St. Patrick related comic. Guess what? There weren’t any! This actually makes me very happy, but it leaves me without anything to post. Hmmm… well this weeks Van Von Hunter was amusing. Just note that the explosion in the first panel was created by a Doomsday Machine, and don't worry about the rest of the details. I actually think this page would be funnier if you don't know what's going on.

Apologies

2006-03-17T09:09:00.000-05:00

Well, it's me again. I don't know that there will be a review today based on my current time constraints (big word!). I will be back on schedule next week except for the archive review. I don't have a clue what to do on Mondays now, but I will think of something. I appreciate my few readers for putting up with what has been a hectic week for yours truly, and I will try to make it worth your time tomorrow. Thanks and Happy St. Patrick's day!

Quick Hits 03/15/06

2006-03-15T15:11:00.000-05:00

Hi, web heads, I am not dead! I know there were rumors circulating to the contrary, but believe me: I am one hard deity to kill. With the archives closed off to me, na dnothing crucial to say, I decided to go a few days without posting. I want to try and make up for that with a good selection of Quick Hits, but I can't really say I have a killer line up. I will say that there were a couple of good ones this week, and I think most of you will enjoy this week's selection.

Quick Hits

Quick Hits are a series of my funny comic choices for the week in no particular order. The idea is to find strips that are funny without you actually needing a back-story. Sometimes, you may not understand every part of the comic, but the punchline is the only thing you have to get. Got a couple of comics you thought were funny this week? Send me your choices.

Freefall: WARNING - Reading this comic could result in learning

2006-03-10T15:26:00.000-05:00

Well, there was no review last week, but I finally have one for today. The comic to read this week is Freefall by Mark Stanley. Sometimes I feel like I am watching a PBS educational video, but most of the time, I just enjoy the chaos.

This is the story of three unlikely friends and shipmates set in the space-traveling days of the future. Captain Sam Starfall is an alien squid from another world trying to adjust to a world terraformed and predominantly occupied by humans. What is a poor scavenger to do on a world full of humans? Cheat and steal from them of course. Sam and his robot assistant Helix are public enemy number one on the newly inhabited planet Jenna. Our two heroes(?) have barely managed to stay out of jail and alive on their own, but it seems their luck is changing after Sam manages to illegally acquire a new crew member. Enter Florence the engineer and human-wolf hybrid; this is for all you anthromorph fans. With her naïve and good natured help, Sam and Helix may finally make it into space. Considering the damage they have managed to do in just a stolen truck, it might not be a good thing that they are upgrading. Luckily, Florence is always present to help her captain out of trouble, but the poor creature may be in over her head with this job. It's a day to day chore just to keep the ship's computer from killing him. Life with Sam Starfall is never boring.

Freefall is a basic newspaper-style comic. It conforms to the black and white, three panel design, and it focuses on being at least mildly amusing every day. The characters developments and settings are very creative and well thought out. Stanley's art style is simplistic, but it seems very appropriate to the comic. Freefall's setting varies from very believable to hilariously ridiculous and every point in between. Sometimes, the plot line seems to be developing at random, but other times, it seems like the artist has planned things out for some time. The humor in this comic almost seems to take a back seat to the story and character development. Freefall may not be the funniest Webcomic I have read, but it does have its moments.

I want to address this separately because I don't know whether to classify it as a Pro or a Con. As I indicated in my opening statements, Freefall is possible the most educational comic on the net. In between jokes and ridiculous plotlines like "French Ninja Waiters," Stanley manages to sneak in massive amounts of information about history, science, and biology. At first, I thought he was just making up nonsense, but on occasion, I have either verified his facts or recognized them as true from memory. The information on wolves that he has used to base Florence on has been amazingly detailed and – as far as I know - accurate. I have enjoyed the blend of humor and info, but I can certainly understand that some people don't want to get a history lesson in their entertainment section.

Go check out Freefall for yourself and see what you think. If you are looking for a great blend of fantasy and reality, this could be the comics for you. The characters may talk to much on occasion, but I think many of you will enjoy reading this funny and informative Webcomic.

Site updates are Monday, Wednesday, and Friday. Freefall is rated GENERAL.

People that would like this comic: Newspaper comic fans, Sci-fi fans, People that enjoy science/history lessons, Comedy Fans in general

Obvious Revelations

2006-03-09T10:04:00.000-05:00

Hey, web heads. There isn't anything crucial to address today, so I will attempt to make this brief. I finished another comic archive, and my list will update some time today to reflect that. I suppose I should reference at least something current in webcomics. Ok, well this weeks VG Cats was pretty funny to me, but I didn't think it would fit Quick Hits. It requires being familiar with the anime Fullmetal Alchemist, and I happen to be a fan of that show. Yes, I watch anime, play games, and read comics. I am the geek-y triple threat, but you probably figured that out already.

Quick Hits 03/08/06

2006-03-08T10:03:00.000-05:00

Hey, web heads. I was going to post a really long story that would interst no-one, but I don't want to scare you away from checking out today's Quick Hits. Instead, I will just comment on the fact that the long dormant Sinfest is back in action. All readers should rejoice, and all non-readers need to get their digital butt over there and start reading the archives. Wait! Read today's quick hits, THEN go check out Sinfest. Good plan.

The Quick Hits list was pretty easy this week. I don't have many side-splitters, but I think all the choices are pretty funny. If you enjoy the comics, I encourage you to read some of the archives of the comics they came from.

Quick Hits

Nothing to do with Webcomics

2006-03-07T11:22:00.000-05:00

I don't focus on this too much, but anyone that reads my garbage has probably come to realize that I am what is traditionally know as a "gamer." I prefer to call my self a "deity-that-regularly-blows-all-his-money," but gamer does have a nicer ring to it. I enjoy trying out different games as I hear about them. I have tried everything from Munchkin to the ancient game of Go. Since I would guess at least some of you are in the same boat, I thought I would take today to review a game I have been playing. If you are not a gamer and came here for Webcomics, go over to Something Positive and enjoy the violence. The only back-story you need to understand is that Kharisma (dark haired girl) is a horrible person. Thanks, Milholland.

Alright, game time. Last night, I sat around a table with Paradoxical Cat and Teh Stadholder playing a game called Three-dragon Ante put out by Wizards of the Coast. I am quoting Paradox when I say, "This is the best thing Wizards has put out in a long time." I may actually agree with him on this. I have played this game on several occasions now, and despite an impressive losing streak on my part, I am having a blast with it.

Three-Dragon Ante is a stand-alone card game that is meant to simulate Poker in the Dungeons & Dragons world. It does not seem to be tooled for expansion sets, and it doesn't require you to know squat about D&D. the one deck is all you need, but I am considering buying a spare fro when I have shuffled the numbers of this set. It only takes a few hands to learn the basics of Three-Dragon, but I can say that there is a level of strategy and luck that is on par with any real-world card game I have played. Besides, dropping the dragon god Tiamat is a lot more fun than any Ace I have ever played. This game combines all the fun of poker and a CCG without having to spend money every time a new expansion comes out.

Now in case any of you out there do play D&D, feel free to use the suggested rules in the back of the rule book to put a Three-Dragon Ante game in to your role-playing experience. The special rules include ways to use your Bluff, Sleight of Hand, and other in-game skills to give you a special kind of advantage. Play using real money is always an option, but this game is designed to be played using your characters gold to build the pot. I would recommend every DM to buy a set of these for those times when the next adventure isn't ready yet or those times when too many people bail at once.

Shalmdi's Rule Variants and House Rules
My friends won't let me use all these. But I think they are fun variants. Use one of them, all of them, or come up with you own. A card game like this cries out for fun house rules.

Copper Color Flight: Formed by three Copper dragons. Regular color flight rules apply and take any remaining ante cards.

Adventurers' Party: Formed by three mortals. Each mortal's ability triggers without paying the cost (no gold or discarding required).

Master Thief: If any player manages to end a hand by stealing the last of the gold from the pot, that player also gets to "steal" one card at random from everyone else starting with the player to his left. He cannot steal a card if he reaches ten at any point.

Uneasy Alliance: Formed by Tiamat, Bahumat, & Dracolich. Pay each other player five gold. You can win despite restrictions on Tiamat and Bahumat. This is not an automatic victory, but if you do win, take the remaining ante cards.

Whether or not you try my variants, give Three-Dragon Ante a try in your regular gaming circles. Let me know if you have any cool rule variants you think would make the game more fun. See ya.

Archive: Megatokyo

2006-03-06T14:17:00.000-05:00

Originally Posted: 09/19/2003

Welcome back my loyal readers and hello to all you newcomers! I have been putting this one off for sometime, but it is finally time. This week, I will be reviewing a legend of the Webcomic world; the comic that is solely responsible for the creation of thousands of web comic fans. I am of course talking about the 1337 masterpiece that is Megatokyo by Fred Gallagher. Hey, what can I say? This comic is the sole reason that I actually took the time to learn leet-speak. 7|-|43 |233[y |)|_|3 |_|/\/|]4$74n|] j00.

Most of you know all about Megatokyo already, and some of you could probably even teach me a few things. For those of you who aren't familiar, I will try to give you some idea of what you are missing out on. Megatokyo is the story of Largo and Piro. These two are just a couple of friends looking to have a little fun. Basically, they are a couple of web head gamers [like us] with a few minor exceptions. They moved to Tokyo and then spent so much money they can't go back home; they live with a female android PS2 accessory named "Ping" (none H model you pervs); Largo fights zombies, monsters, school girls, and any thing else that he deems 3V1L, they have friends like Dom and Ed that have access to weapons and arsenals that these psychos just shouldn't have access to (It took them three attempts to get to Tokyo because there ships kept sinking); Piro has a guardian angel named Seraphim that acts as his conscience when she isn't trying to get the home office to send her some better equipment; Largo's conscience is a hamster named Boo (yes, that Boo); and a half dozen other oddities that I couldn't even begin to name. Does that help you understand the comic any better? No? That is as much as I can tell you, so you are just going to have read the comic to find out how all the insanity fits together.

Gallagher's creation sets the stage for all comics that come before it, and it sets a high bar to be met. Megatokyo's artwork is based on the Japanese mangas that are becoming popular as of late. The foreign, black and white look gives this comic and original feel that has been imitated by many other comics. Personally, I would enjoy some occasional color, but it would be very difficult for the artist. I would never want Fred to do anything that would keep him from being able to update as often. However, artwork is only one important factor. Good drawings would be nothing without good storyline, and once again, Megatokyo delivers greatness. If you are going to read Megatokyo, you have to read almost every back issue to make sure you understand the plot. Things can change drastically in just a few pages, or the comic can go on for months without changing at all. The storyline is both intricate and mysterious. I have been reading for so long, but there are so many things that I still don't understand. I want to warn all you casual readers to avoid Megatokyo at all costs. And with three comics a week, Megatokyo has the power to suck you in and hold you in its manga-like grasp. I can't even imagine going without my Megatokyo fix. Is there a support group for this comic? Not that I want to quit; I just like the thought of a group called Megatokyo Addicts Anonymous (MAA?).

Megatokyo is a comic is a well drawn comic with a great plot that updates several times a week. So what is wrong with the comic? I am going to get shot for saying this, but Megatokyo is not perfect. It has one major flaw; a flaw that has killed comics in the past but will only wound Megatokyo. Yes my dear readers, I mean the dreaded Filler Strip! It has been a while since I have said it, but "Shalmdi hate Filler!" Sometimes, it seems that Megatokyo can't go two weeks without throwing some junky filler strip that has nothing or very little to do with the marvelous story that keeps me coming back to this site. [When this review was written], Fred [had] gone almost a full month without even one filler. However, he has a habit of teasing his readers with regular updates and follows it with several fillers in a row. Don't get me wrong. The Fillers are usually good stuff, but when you get as wrapped up in plots as I do, going a week without a true update is like going a week without your beverage.

I won't ask for forgiveness for my opinions, and no amount of hate mail will make me change my mind. I love Megatokyo, but until the day comes when I can click on this comic without the ever present fear of those "Shirt Guy Dom"(I hate those) or "Dead Piro Art Days" (Hate those a little less) fillers, I will never amend this review! So there :-P.

NOTE TO THE AUTHOR: For the love of God man, who/what is this Tohya? Vampire?! Undead?!? Just a really freaky high school girl?

Site updates are on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday.
Megatokyo is rated TEEN for Mild Adult Humor.

New Twist~
People that would like this comic: Manga Fans, Drama Fans, Sci-Fi Fans, Emo guys/girls

Very little has changed over the last two years. Heck, my "Not to the author" is even still applicable. Although, I am starting to think Tohya is human. Wow, I love leet a little too much back them. I can still whip it if I need it, but I am more likely to use Pig Latin than leet at this point. Still enjoying the comic, still hating the fillers.

Apologies and More

2006-03-06T11:10:00.000-05:00

Well, I officially feel like a real internet poster as I missed one of my self-imposed deadlines with nary an excuse to the few readers I have. As someone that hates that in my Webcomics, you would think I would have worked harder to avoid it. All I can really say is that it couldn’t be helped, and I am sorry. I will have the regular archive review up this afternoon (I still have some I can access for the time being), and I will probably do an Oscar spoof tomorrow, but the review for last week is just going to have to be a no-show. I'll make it up to you soon, but I haven't figured out how yet.

On the good new side, one of my favorite comics Goblins just moved up several spaces to claim a Top Ten spot at Top Web Comics. I still am not thrilled with some of the other comics in the top, but it is good to see a creative comic like Goblins finally getting the recognition it deserves. It is currently in seventh place, and I would love to see it jump up a couple more spots. It may not deserve the number one slot, but I hope to see it sailing up above some of the others. Thanks for those readers that voted. See ya.

Threats and News - Together at Last.

2006-03-02T15:45:00.000-05:00

Hmm, I don't know if I should be concerned or not, but a poster identifying himself as "Those socks are laser-guided and I get crazy when you touch them" has informed me via the Monday Archive post that I have been locked out of my old Freewebs server. This is rather disturbing as that is the location of all of my old archive reviews.

There are only three other entities beside myself that know that password, and you can rest assured that I will do everything in my power to hunt the culprit down and punish him appropriately. Believe me, there will be much flogging this day!

…Oh right, you are here for Webcomics not just my insane ranting. Hmm, well I suppose I could talk about the fact that Melonpool has been doing a series of funny puppet videos recently. Troop still isn't updating, but they are still pretty amusing. And I suppose I could mention the fact that Top Web Comics did there monthly sweep yesterday, so today would be a good time to vote for your favorite comics.

There. Now I talked about Webcomics. Everybody wins. Except the guy that locked me out of Freewebs. He wins a floggin'. Some of you may like that kind of thing, but I'm hoping HE will not.

Quick Hits 03/01/2006

2006-03-01T14:53:00.000-05:00

I just realized this morning that the little place holder before this was actually my 50th post. I want to celebrate or something, but I just don't fell like I am where I should be yet. I do have a few regular readers and a good archive, but I still don't even feel like I have everything right yet. I don't want to say that there are more changes coming anytime soon, but I hope you don't get too comfortable with the way things are now. I like the way my Blog is developing, but I still feel like I have a way to go.

I guess this is going to be post number 51, and I hope some of you will stick around for the next 49. I love reader suggestions, so let me know if you have some ideas for a change or you don't like a change I have already made. I may not use every idea I get, but it is nice to know that someone is reading this garbage. Thanks for your support and enjoy this weeks Quick Hits.

Warning, the Goblins post is a lot of reading, but I think it may be the funniest one. I would recommend skipping the bonus comic on that same page; it really won't make any sense.

Quick Hits

Later then?

2006-03-01T09:33:00.000-05:00

Hey, web heads. I am letting myself fall behind here, and that is not something I want to happen. I will have a Quick Hits post like last week's up later. For now, I actually have to do some work or the elder gods are going to fire my Olympian butt. Ahh, it 'tis a difficult life to be cursed with so much power; for with great power comes great responsibility. I coined that about 300 years ago, and I make the mistake of telling that Stan guy. Do I even get a thank you? No! Oh well, see ya.

Archive: Wish3

2006-02-27T14:28:00.000-05:00

Originally Posted: 10/03

Greetings my readers. Are you ready for another review of a comic masterpiece from a master of both the literary and the artistic? No? Well then how about another piece of trash about some comic that I spent way too much of my time reading? No? Well tough 'cuz that's what you get! Today’s review is about Wish³ by Sylvia T. Leung. This is another of those forms that I have dubbed Webcomic Books (updates are far apart and it usually follows book forms). This comic requires god-like patience, but the rewards are heavenly.

Wish³, set in modern day California, is the tale of Basil Toback; "the third son of a third son." If you are familiar with any fantasy stories, you must realize that having a title like that is important. Basil's heritage has left him with the mysterious gift of wishing. Upon the day of his eighteenth birthday, Basil was presented three wishes, but his wishes come at a much higher cost than Aladdin’s. Once the third wish is made, something terrible will happen to our hero. It is now the task of Basil and his best friend Paige to find someway around this curse. With the help of Himitsu the fox spirit and Basil's brother Gabriel, Basil hopes that he can end the curse on his family and somehow save himself from the terrible fate that has befallen so many generations of wishers before him.

Sylvia has chosen to draw her comic in the form of a Japanese manga. If you recognize this style, you have probably been reading Megatokyo or some of its many imitators. I think that the black and white style gives the comic a more magical form, but it is easier to make things look good in black and white as well. The artwork is certainly well done if not overly original, but what artwork is completely new? [Looking back at this comic with more experience, I can recognize the more unique aspects of her art.] The plotline of Wish³ is incredibly [creative]. The storyline is different from anything that I am familiar with, and Sylvia has created characters that are in-depth and seem real. It is not hard to be drawn in by Basil's plight. I have read classic novels (yes, I do read some things other than web comics) that don't have the kind of character development that this comic has. I could definitely see this become a popular graphic novel if it ever makes it to print. Finally, the use of true Japanese elements gives Wish³ an authentic air. If I had not read her bio, I would have sworn that Ms. Leung was Japanese herself. I can't even imagine the kind of creativity that could birth this epic story (ooh, that line sounded really impressive!).

[I went a head and deleted this paragraph. Since this review was written, Wish3 changed to a weekly update schedule. I don't know what brought about this change, but I am glad this occurred. Wish3 used to update on a monthly basis at best. The storyline still develops slowly, but nowhere near what it once did.]

After all is said, this is till a great comic. If you have the patience for it, I believe that you will find Wish³ to be an exciting drama that will keep you checking back for updates. Put it on your calendar, and pray for an update.

Site updates on SundayMATURE for Violence, Language, and Adult Situations.

New Twist~
People that would like this comic: Manga Fans, Drama Lovers, Fantasy Readers, People that like long storylines

A lot of the change to this comic came as a result of the new update schedule. The plot is still rather young, and I hope to see it develop faster in the months to come.

Creativity or Bust! Probably bust.

2006-02-26T14:18:00.000-05:00

Hey, web heads. My readership has gone up a few notches in the last week or two. This is due mostly to links from a couple of artists and some friends of mine (Thanks to all!). In celebration, I decided to add something for a Sunday post. I have been running out of things to post on recently, but thanks to a little inspiration from Paradoxical Cat, I have come up with a solution. I dub this Webcomic Haiku Day! Yah?

Honestly, I am not a big fan of the haiku. It is just too simplistic in its base form, so post whatever kind of poem you like. I prefer the quatrain or limerick (not the dirty ones), but haiku is more fun to say. If you feel the urge, post some your own Webcomic related poetry here. You can either base it on a single comic or Webcomics in general. If you feel like waxing poetic, let me hear what you got. I'll start off the mix with a couple of my own attempts. I obviously think they don't suck, but I will let you make your own judgment on that. Click "Comments" to see my stuff or to post your own.

Goblins: Other Monsters Wish they were this Cool

2006-02-24T09:13:00.000-05:00

Hello again, web heads. The comic to read today comes from my list, but I would say that it is a lesser known comic. Today's Webcomic is Goblins, Life Through Their Eyes by Tarol Hunt (Thunt). A comic about goblins, named Goblins, and – I suspect – by a goblin. I know that last point sounds crazy, but he seems to know too much. Thunt even sounds like a goblin name!

Come with me to the world of the Goblins. This is yet another story set in the world of Dungeons & Dragons. Unlike most tales of this kind, Thunt's comic is not based on the adventurers of this world; it focuses on a lone tribe of goblins (duh) that must defend their home and way of life against all invaders. In D&D, adventurers quest for money and power, but what is life like for the "monsters" inhabiting these magical lands? I don't really want to give too many details, but this is one tribe of monsters you need to read about for yourself. I have never seen an idea like this before, and that is not something I can say very often. Oh and long live Senor Vorpal. With that goblin on duty, no purple worm is safe!

As of this review, Goblins just completed its 36th comic and is three entries in to the second book. This may not sound like much, but after you see the length of each page, you will understand how far this strip has actually come. Thunt only posts one "page" a week, but one of his entries is longer than three pages from most artists. Early on, the art was good but crude. Somewhere around strip five, the quality really jumped up, and on the seventh strip, Goblins went in to full color. Since then, the art has been fantastic. It isn't realistic looking, but it has a cartoon-like feel that suits this comic perfectly. The jokes are creative and funny; there is even an interesting plotline that starts to develop along the way. Thunt really has a way of pulling his readers in from week to week.

I really wouldn't change anything in this comic. The art has reached a good place. There are occasional problems with perspective and consistency in the drawings, but I think we will be able to watch Thunt's style improve over time. The comic is incredibly creative and more entertaining than I would have thought. I am really enjoying the characters, and the strange rules of this world. I fully expect to buy a Goblins book or two in the future.

Make your own decisions about this comic, and go check out Goblins. I vote for this comic every day, and I hope to see more readers coming to this funny and creative comic.

Site updates are on Saturday. Goblins is rated MATURE for Graphic Violence.

People that would like this comic: D&D Fans, Gamers in General, Fantasy Fans, Action Fans.

Randomness and Best Wishes

2006-02-23T14:02:00.000-05:00

So, what did you think of my Quick Hits? I am thinking of making it a regular article. I hope that it will appeal to the casual webcomics reader, and it wouldn't be hard to do if I just made a note of the good ones as I read. Let me know via comment or e-mail if you find any funny one-shot strips over the course of the week; comics from of my List would be great. I will compile my list with anything you send me and post the best five next Wednesday.

I actually got a suggestion from Teh Andeh of Shonen Punk. Apparently, randomness and random comics are the keys to success. I won't say that Andeh is the master of randomness, but if Chef Brian ever retires, he will probably be a good candidate for the position. On that recommendation, I would recommend the recent run of Starslip Crisis comics starting with this one. I read this comic daily, and I still don't have a clue what is going on. Not even one regular character appears in this plotline, and at this point, it does not tie in with the rest of the strip in anyway (except for a reference to the "Starslip Crisis"). This plotline might tie in down the road, but for now, it wins the award for the most random thing in Webcomics this month. Check it out for a little amusement, it is fourteen strips long and requires no back story. If this isn't random I don't know what is. Personally, I think Straub just wanted to type in a British accent.

Well, personal note time. Many years ago today, my friend The Stadholder descended to Earth. I would like to wish him a joyous celebration in honor of this anniversary, and I hope that the Fates provide him with many of these celebrations in the years to come. (Regular Speak: Happy Birthday, Stadholder, and I wish you many more in the future)

Quick Comedy

2006-02-22T14:01:00.000-05:00

Big thanks to Steven Henry over with WhoGirl for the publicity. If anyone out there is coming from his site, the review for WhoGirl can be found in my Previous Posts. I really do think that comic deserves a much higher place in the Top Web Comics standing. Have you voted for your favorites today? No? That makes you a horrible person, but I think with sufficient cash donations, I may forgive you. And lo, I am a merciful deity. :P

So, now that I am done with the BS, I guess I will talk about something, eh? No comments to my idea request. Oh well, I can think of something on my own. How about a quick hit list of some funny comics from the previous week? I am trying to pick comics that require little or no back-story to get, but some of them are just a little bit of a stretch. Here is my top five in no particular order.

Quick Hits

Man, that was tougher than you think. Not finding funny comics, just finding funny comics that don't require you to understand characters and such. If you don't understand something in the comic (why a cat is talking, what game they are talking about), just ignore it. The punch lines are good. See ya.

Petition to my Readers

2006-02-21T11:13:00.000-05:00

Hey, web heads. Last night, I was inspired by my archive review to read through Demonology 101. I have come to the realization that I seriously downplayed this comic. The early art was sketchy, but it got better as the artist went on. The plotline was both entertaining and philosophical. Good and evil blur together beautifully in this comic. If you have the time, read through the archive. You will know by the first chapter whether or not you will like this comic.

I also want to say hi to my old friend The Stadholder. He has been going through my archives recently, and contacted me last night to catch up. He also informed me that my comments feature wasn't working properly. Thanks to him I have remedied that problem. If any of you have tried unsuccessfully to leave comments, I apologize. It seems I had comments set to Blogger users only. Thanks, Stad.

Now that those things are out of the way and the comments are working again, I can get to the point I really wanted to make today. I am running out of ideas for stuff to do! I enjoyed the whole Vs thing, but I don't want to wear that out. My quiz and award posts haven't received any response so far. I am looking for any kind new article type you guys would like to see. I haven't come up with much on my own, and I wanted to have something entertaining up tomorrow. I'm offering a bounty of 50 Shalmdi Points to anyone that is willing to help. Please e-mail me or comment with any ideas you have. See ya.

Archive: Demonology 101

2006-02-20T13:24:00.000-05:00

Originally Posted: 05/16/2003

Welcome back my loyal readers and hello to all you newcomers. Well, its time to show you mortals that Shalmdi is not all fun and games. No really, I can be serious if I try. On that note, today's review is over the intriguing and often depressing Demonolgy 101 by Faith Erin Hicks. This one might not have you laughing (unless you have a sick sense of humor like me), but it will have you on the edge of your seat!

Faith Hick's little world is similar to our own [except] for the demon army fighting with the forces of good. Did I mention that the bulk of this fighting seems to revolve around a 16-17 year old named Raven? Yes, as you may have guessed, Raven and her guardian Gabe are not your average family. What is their secret? Well I don't want to give anything away, but you will find out everything after the first chapter. Well, almost everything. I can tell you this, Raven and her friends are headed for a lot of strange adventures, and sometimes, everything doesn't end with a "Happily Ever After." Be warned, Demonology has a very intricate plotline and in-depth characters, so do not start reading it unless you intend to finish.

Demonology is very reminiscent of Japanese mangas in look and feel, but in other ways, it is your typical special-person-saving-others plot line. Sorry to tell you, but I [was] not a big fan of Buffy (I hope you won't think less of me for it). I do know the Buffy plot though (saw the movie and a few of the early episodes), and I see a lot of similarities. Hicks' Demonology has a lot of original and well thought out stories of its own though. [Looking back at this comic, it may be unfair to link it in this general Buffy genre.] I think that any fan of Buffy, Angel, Charmed, and the like will find Demonology to be a comic-based equal to those hit shows.

[I didn't want to take this part out, but this entire paragraph is undone by the New Twist note below. You can skip straight to that if you like.]
Now, you people out there are saying, "But Shalmdi, if Demonology 101 is a well written comic with a good character base and in-depth plotlines, why so low a rating?" Well thank you for asking my friends, and I can sum that up for you in three words: Every Other Sunday. Yes, my readers, that is how often Faith updates her site, and it's driving me crazy!! I think that any site that draws its readers in like Demonology 101 should be willing to update at least once a week if not more often. Hey, I have the patience of a god, and I still think this stinks. Do what I do; read the archives, and then check back in a couple of months. It's a good comic, but hardly worth the wait.

Site updates are non-existent. Demonology 101 is rated TEEN for Violence.

New Twist~
People that would like this comic: Manga Fans, Drama Lovers, Fans of "Buffy" and the like

Since this review was posted, Demonlogy 101 has completed its run. What this means for all you web heads is this: with the exception of Bonus Chapters, Demonology 101 will no longer be updated. Do not despair though, the story was great and the conclusion was far better that most that Hollywood puts out. A true ending is a rare thing, but I personally would like to thank Faith for this great story. Thank you.

WhoGirl: Accessorizing with Ammo

2006-02-17T09:02:00.000-05:00

Hey, mortals. I am trying something new today, so please bear with me. I am going far off the beaten path to a comic that I found a few weeks back. The Webcomic to read today is WhoGirl by Steven Henry. I don't know what is going on in this comic, but it has been interesting so far.

WhoGirl is probably the least developed comic I have reviewed so far. The main character is "The WhoGirl," or at least, that is what she has taken to calling herself. This mystery woman enjoys guns, grenades, fighting corrupt organizations, and long runs along city pipelines. Not your typical classified ad girl, but nothing is really very typical when it comes to the WhoGirl. If you are looking for a fan service or an emo Webcomic, this is not the strip for you. The only constant in WhoGirl is the violence. Trust me; there is plenty of violence. Several other characters have appeared in the comic so far including the sword wielding Nydia and the mysterious harlequin man. Also involved with the WhoGirl is a young artist named Stu. It is tough enough to be a small town southerner trying to make it in the city. It is even harder when you keep running in to a possible psycho like WhoGirl. I have a feeling that poor guy is destined for trouble.

Steven Henry has managed to blend humor and action together to create an exciting comic world for the WhoGirl. This comic is a fun and creative read with interesting characters and a unique artistic style. The plotline is just starting to unfold, but it seems to indicate a promising future. With all the manga-like Webcomics on the net, WhoGirl still manages to set itself apart with a simple feel that you need to see for yourself.

Unfortunatly, WhoGirl is a very slow comic. I wouldn't want to rush the storyline, but even with two pages a week, the plot still feels like it is in its infancy. If the artist could manage to put out one extra page a week, he could really speed things up, but most people don't have the extra time necessary to draw that much in a week. There have also been more than a few typos in his work over the last year, but they are usually negligible. A proof reader would do wonders for this comic, but I don't think WhoGirl will lose many readers because of a spelling mistakes.

That's it folks. No star rating for this comic just commentary. Read what I wrote and make your own decision, or better yet, check out the comic from the beginning and see what you think. I enjoy this comic, and I hope to see it grow and improve in the future. With some minor improvements, this comic could easily find itself an internet favorite. See ya Monday.
Shalmdi recommends this comic.

Site updates are Tuesday and Friday. WhoGirl is rated MATURE for Violence and Adult Situations.

Recommended readers: Manga Readers, Comic Book Readers, Action Fans, People that like long storylines.

Shalmdi! Lots of Words, Little to Say

2006-02-16T14:10:00.000-05:00

No one even wants to attempt my little quiz? Eh, I expected as much, but I thought it was worth a shot. My friend the Paradoxical Cat took the quiz at my request and got 8 out of 10. He didn't even attempt the bonus, but if you have ever read a Chef Brian article, you can understand why. Non-sequitur anyone? I decided not to post the answers in today's article. Once that post goes to archives, I will comment with the answers if no one else does. That should be Monday or Tuesday.

Webcomic news for the day is slim. I even had trouble finding a funny comic that wouldn't take much background info to understand. Sometimes I forget how many comics require you to be familiar with a character, game, movie, or storyline. This is the best I have.

In personal news, I have decided to go a new direction with my reviews and hit some of the lesser known comics in the business. Tomorrow will also be the first review using a completely different review style. I have felt this change coming for some time, but I was reluctant to mess with a long time system. I won't go back and edit my old posts, but look for more changes in the future. I hope to settle in to a regular rhythm soon, and stop bothering you with these "things-are-changing-again" notes. I'm just not ready to set anything in stone until I get it right. Thanks for your patience.

Trivial by Definition. Still Fun

2006-02-15T09:36:00.000-05:00

Hi, Web Heads. I was feeling adventurous today and decided to try something new. I finished a long delayed update to Shalmdi's List yesterday (Favorites->). ON top of that, I wrote a new kind of article for the site. So far I have done VS's, award shows, and a great many general rants. In the spirit of change, I felt a little WC Trivia would be fun.

The comic is Tim Buckley's Ctrl+Alt+Del. CAD is popular enough that I would hope some of my readers are fans of it. Their archives are relatively small, and it wouldn't take to much work to collect the answers if you don't know them. I would love to hear feedback on what you think of this one, and please feel free to comment below with your answers. The first to respond correctly gets 100 Shalmdi points and an honorable mention in tomorrow's post.

I'm looking in to better rewards and incentives for my little games like this, but for now, your proven superiority is the only prize. I am excited to see if anyone can answer them without going through the archives; please, let me know if you do. Enjoy!

Ctrl+Alt+Del Trivia

1) What is the name of Ethan's "X-bot?"

2) Which one of these has Ethan NOT given Lilah on Valantine's day?
A: A chocolate statue of himself
B: A hard-candy Game Cube replica
C: A D-pad made of roses
D: A boutique of ram cards

3) Why did Lucas' last girlfriend try to kill him?

4) What was the name of Ethan's pet watermelon?

5) In the early days of the strip, Ethan was injured on a regular basis by what type of weapon?

6) What game is Ethan's coworker Rob obsessed with?

7) What is the likely origin of Winter-een-mas as indicated in the original storyline?

8) What event resulted in the X-bot's rampage and the destruction of the Lucas and Ethan's first apartment?

9) Back when Ethan lost his memory and joined the "Mac Panthers," Lucas showed him a picture that cured the amnesia. What did he have a picture of?

10) What collectible card game was Lucas trying to play when he was abducted by an underground gaming group?

BONUS: In your own words, please tell me what in Tartarus Chef Brian is talking about.

Archive: Van Von Hunter

2006-02-14T08:56:00.000-05:00

Originally Posted: 10/24/2003

Welcome back my loyal readers and hello to all you newcomers. It is time once again for another review by your favorite deity of the web comic world. This weeks review is over Van Von Hunter by Pseudomé Studio LLC, Mike Schwark, and Ron Kaulfersch. That's a lot of people to give credit for a black-and-white comic that comes out once a week.

Van Von Hunter is the comic tale of...Van Von Hunter, Hunter of Evil Stuff. Yeah, I know the name leaves something to be desired, but it does seem to fit the guy. VVH (I am not going to say that name every time) is apparently a rouge hero out to do the world some good by killing vampires ghouls, zombies, spiders, and lawyers; your basic incarnations of evil. Traveling with our hero is the girl. She doesn't have a name. Well she has a name, but she has never been allowed to say it so "the girl" is the best you are going to get from me. Van is on the run from all sorts of evil that he has managed to tick off. Being an Evil Hunter never wins you points in the undead community. Van's greatest rival is the dark leader of the land that he is currently in. Yes my readers, VVH is on the run from that evil known simply as The Flaming Prince! The Prince really didn't get much say in the name, but it does seem to fit him rather well. Can our hero survive the Prince and his minions of evil? Probably not, but it will be fun watching him try. That’s the whole plot, but I think that's enough.

Van Von Hunter is not the most original comic on the web, but it has its moments. The artwork, while black-and-white manga-ish (I just made that up) is very stylish and has a look that isn't quite like the other work that I have seen on the net. The plotline is thin at best, and the characters are more two dimensional than my flat screen monitor. Strangely enough, this complete lack of plot and/or background doesn't take away from the strip in the least. The comedy in VVH more than compensates for the lack of depth. When you can make your audience laugh, you can make them forget about everything else. Few web comics have made me laugh like Van has. My biggest complaint about this comic is the lack of updates. The artwork of VVH is detailed, but it isn't time consuming enough to justify a once a week schedule. I love quality, but I can't get enough of something I enjoy.

Site updates are on Sunday. Van Von hunter is rated TEEN for Mild Violence.

Shalmdi gives Van Von Hunter by Pseudomé Studio LLC, Mike Schwark, and Ron Kaulfersch

New Twist~
People that would like this comic: Manga Fans, Fans of Evil Dead and Army of Darkness, Comedy fans in general.

Happy Van Von Hunter Day! I saved this comic for today for this reason. Click on that link to see why. This comic is still running exactly like always, but it is still funny. Why change what works? Since I printed this, VVH has produced two books through Tokyo Pop and has an upcoming newspaper syndication deal in the works. Part of me feels like this is a sell out, but since the update schedule won't change (in theory), I hope this just means there are going to be more ways to get my Van fix in the future.

Not a Review

2006-02-13T15:42:00.000-05:00

Ok, Blogger has been giving me problems for the last FOUR hours now. This post was going to be late anyway, but I don't need any help! The archive review will be up tomorrow for a special Valentine's Day trick treat. No, I am not being lazy. As a matter of fact, it takes me less time to convert one of the archives than it does to write something worth reading. Ok, so this isn't worth reading, but it still took more time to do then the archive conversion did.

The first thing I wanted to address is in regards to my review from Friday for Shonen Punk. I just wanted to compliment Andy, the artist, on how well he reacted to my review. I don't normally make note of reactions (because I don't get many), but I am not used to people being cool about bad reviews. On a more positive note, I though the artwork was great on today's Shonen Punk comic. Yep, I am reading them now, but only on a relaxed form. I hope to see more good comics in the near future.

The big news today would be from Ctrl+Alt+Del". I don't normally post news comics unless I have a point I want to make about them. This doesn't have any significance to a non-fan, and those who are fans have probably read it already. If not, get on over there right now. The amazing thing? I actually predicted the ending of this comic when I read the first panel. You know how you make some crazy prediction and then it comes true? Well that happened with me here. I must be getting those precognitive powers I asked for. Quick, ask me a question! The answer is "blue" isn't it? Man, I'm good.

Shonen Punk: Add Puréed Manga and Stir

2006-02-10T11:45:00.000-05:00

Friday is here, and it is time for a new Webcomic review! The comic to read this week comes on an actual request from the author. I am thrilled about this, but at the same time, it makes me nervous as heck. I am talking about Shonen Punk by Andy Pinkard. It is like every manga you have read mixed together in a small bowl. If you don't read manga or watch anime, you probably won't get my references, but if that is the case, you probably wouldn't get this comic.

Shonen Punk is centered on Chiitsu Pinkada: a college guy with a lot of weird stuff going on in his life. He is your typical manga anti-hero. He can't really do anything amazing, but people that can seem to flock to him. I am sure he will turn out to be some awesome warrior with unknown power as is the anime way. While Chiitsu seems to be the star, the storyline more often revolves around his "wife" Eva. Eva is an AI construct that just sprang from his TV when he watched a DVD containing her program. That was the moment where she declared Chiitsu her husband, and everything in his life started to get strange. Without spoiling anything for you, I can tell you that he is now up to about three non-human (yet attractive) females that follow him around, a cat-girl daughter, and a collection of friends that he needs to get restraining orders against. If you have seen a few episodes from the Tenchi series, you already have a good handle on what is going on.

This comic is difficult to rate. Perhaps the best and worst aspect of Shonen Punk is the art. Some of the archives are nearly illegible because of rushed art, but his colored pages – especially the recent ones - are a joy to read. Andy has certainly improved from the start of the comic to present day, but once every few comics, the art seems to diminish in quality as if he is trying to put it out too fast. In terms of storyline, Shonen Puck could have been created by a handful of manga writers, and it really wouldn't surprise me if the artist actually had several manga writers tied up in his basement. Sometimes, I honestly think Andy tries to put too many different aspects in each storyline. They often seem rushed and hard to follow because of this. When he slows things down, the story is fun to read and creative, but the comic's fast paced atmosphere makes is difficult to build any kind of emotional attachment to the characters. If a Webcomic artist can't get his readers attached to his characters, he needs to be making jokes every page. Shonen Puck just isn't funny enough to pull that off.

The final thing I would like to mention is in regard to the near constant fan-service this comic runs. As my regular readers know, I don't like it when a comic gets hits through T&A instead of talent. I will keep my personal opinion on this out of my final judgment of the comic, but I do think the nearly constant focus on the perverse takes away from what Shonen Punk could be. If the fan service was more subtle, it might not bother me, but when he throws in things like the "Gropecell," I can't exactly ignore it.

Shonen Punk has the potential to be a good comic, but it still has a lot of growing to do before that can happen. On occasion, I have seen great artwork and good plotlines, but I have to base my review on fluctuating art and weak storylines. I hope that in the future, this comic will stop depending on women to get it hits and focus more on the artist's potential. If that ever happens, you can bet I will happily revise this review.

Site updates are Monday and Friday. Shonen Punk is rated MATURE for Mild Violence and Sexual Themes.

Shalmdi gives Shonen Punk by Andy Pinkard:

People that would like this comic: Anime/Manga Fans, People that enjoy Fan Service.

The Two Ninjas?

2006-02-09T11:06:00.000-05:00

Welcome to today's match-up in Greatest of Warriors. Check out the hype entry from Tuesday for all the details and back story if you are interested. Wasabi, The Pimp Ninja Vs. The Shirt Ninja. Let the match begin! *Insert Gong Sound*

The ninjas' stealth cancel each other out, and the battle proceeds to the first phase of combat: posturing and talking. Both combatants assume a combat pose. Shirt Ninja speaks in subtitles and says something that doesn't quite translate right, but it is clear he means to vanquish his pimpin' opponent. Wasabi will undoubtedly insult the Shirt Ninja, but without the flair of doing it in Japanese. As ninja's are of Asian origin, the war of words goes to Shirt. Round 1: Shirt Ninja

The time for talking is behind them. Wasabi lunges at Shirt with great speed, but Shirt Ninja dodges to the side and retaliates with his flying shuriken. Wasabi is momentarily caught off guard, but his excellent reflexes allow him to dodge the shuriken entirely. Or so it seems. A single streak of blood appears beneath the Pimp's eye. He mutters something to the extent of "It's on now." Round 2: Shirt Ninja

Wasabi moves cautiously towards Shirt, anticipating another shuriken barrage. The diminutive Pimp Ninja is much faster than his opponent and quickly turns the fight in his favor. With a series of lightning fast strikes, Wasabi pushes the Shirt Ninja back against the wall with several cuts to his clothing and body. Round 3: Wasabi

The battle has neared its end. Both ninjas are tired, and it has come the time for them to say any last comments before rushing each other in true anime fashion. This moment will decide it all as speed clashes with skill, and these two very different ninja meet for perhaps the last time. The two warriors dash at each other and pass with their blades clashing for only a moment. They stop a good distance apart and stand still as the cuts seep in. Shirt Ninja's mask rips revealing a portion of his face. Wasabi's blade breaks from the impact, and he falls down in defeat. Final Round: Shirt Ninja

WRAP UP: The Shirt Ninja approaches the fallen Wasabi calmly and reaches down to put his hand on the Pimp Ninja's head. With his other hand, he raises his katana and shouts the Japanese words that strike fear into his enemies. The subtitles read, "Tag, you're it," and the Shirt Ninja vanishes in to the shadows.

The battle is over.

Ahh, that was fun. I hope you enjoyed this final installment of Greatest of Warriors. This was a hard fight to predict, but according to the Fates, this will be the final outcome. Honestly, I though Wasabi was going to win this, so I am almost as surprised as you. My regular review will be up tomorrow, and sometime in the next two days I will finish up the next upgrade to my list. I know some of you may be upset to see these tournaments end, but all I can say is look to the future. If the video game industry has taught me anything, it is that a fantasy can be final about fifteen times. I guess I am due for a few more if I want. See ya.

Another Pretentious Award Ceremony

2006-02-08T14:21:00.000-05:00

Greetings, Web Heads. I have been burning myself out recently with double-posting everyday and these really long fight scenes. I like to have something up every day, but for the next few days at least, I am limiting myself to exactly one post a day. I don't feel like I could deliver a good VS's post today, so I am going to have to delay that until tomorrow. Sorry about that, but I would rather deliver a good fight scene a day late than a bad one today.

Instead, I decided to do another award ceremony! Remember the Golden Plane award? Well in honor of the Grammy Awards, I have decided to bless another deserving webcomic with one of my awards. Of course, my awards are a thousand times better than Hollywood's. Welcome one and all to the first Kilogrammy Awards! Kill-a-Grammy? No, Kilogrammy!

All nominees are chosen from webcomics posted in the last two weeks. In the category of "Best Celebrity Cameo in a Webcomic," the nominees are:

Night Wing and Starfire appearing in Short Packed
Adolph Hitler and Jiminy Cricket appearing in VG Cats
And finally, Frank Miller appearing in Short Packed

And the winner is… *Drum Roll*

Adolph Hitler and Jiminy Cricket in VG Cats! Congratulation to VG Cats for winning your very first (and THE very first) Kilogrammy. That award comes with 500 Shalmdi Points redeemable at any time! VG Cats would you like to say a few words?

Greatest of Warriors III: The First, Final Fight!

2006-02-07T14:00:00.000-05:00

Here it is, folks. The last installment of Greatest of Warriors is going to be a clash of the ninjas. These combatants have proven their skills by winning their previous battles against worthy opponents. This fight should prove to be more amazing than anything before.

In our first match, The Shirt Ninja took on and overcame the well armed Cardboard Tube Samurai. The second match also fell to a ninja as Wasabi, The Pimp Ninja showed King Ethan who the true master was. Which style of ninjitsu will prove greater in this next match? It is clear that The Way of the Shirt and the Skillz of the Pimp were destined for this great battle. Subtitles, trash talking, and katanas await us in this epic struggle.

E-mail me with your predictions and tune in tomorrow for the exciting finale of Greatest of Warriors!

The Revenge of "What's Happening"

2006-02-07T10:09:00.000-05:00

Hello, Web Heads. I hope you all enjoyed the Greatest of Warriors conclusion yesterday. I really didn't see Wasabi winning that, but I stand by the outcome. Two ninja's will do battle in the next round of battle. You can ask my friends, I am not a Ninja fan, so I have no idea how this could have happened. Oh well, I couldn't pick two better Ninja's for the competition; I look forward to writing this conclusion. I will post the hype this afternoon, and the conclusion will appear some time tomorrow. I am shooting for the morning, but I don't know if that will be possible. I will check with the Fates and get back to you.

So nothing over the top happening in the Webcomic world. There was an interesting development in Top Web Comics the last couple of days. If you have been reading my posts, you would have seen where I complained about a few of the comics that were using Fan Service Incentives to garner more votes than they deserve. I may have been mistaken on the situation; over the weekend, TWC put in a vote filter systems. It seems they suspect fowl play in their voting system. I can't say that I think this will make a difference, but it will be interesting to see how this affects the top ten over the next week.

I do have some news on a happy note (at least in my opinion). Sluggy Freelance has been a favorite comic of mine since I discovered it. Over the last year, it might as well have been called Bun-Bun Freelance. I know there is an angry mob readying their torches as I say this, but Bun-Bun is NOT my favorite character. This comics has entertained me for some time, and you can find it in my List. The last comic before they went to the current serious of filler strips (Shalmdi hate filler!) hinted that we may be returning to the original cast of characters. It certainly made my day when I read this, and I have decided to forgive Pete Abrams for taking some time off. I am just soooo merciful.

Will Sluggy ever get away from Bun-Bun? Shalmdi Sez:

Eh, I'll live.

Clash of the Cretins

2006-02-06T15:32:00.000-05:00

Hey, Web Heads. I have a lot I want to rant about today, but that will have to wait for tomorrow. Today it is about answered challenges!

The Steelers won to the joy of some and disdain of others, and the previously mentioned chicken wings were defeated by yours truly. The true battle of the day has yet to be decided (Check out yesterday's post for the match up). Final reminder, anime battle rules will apply. Our combatants are Wasabi, The Pimp Ninja from Sinfest and "King" Ethan of Ctrl+Alt+Del. With these two combatants, you know the fight started with a crack about someone's "momma."

As with out previous battle, the ninja will have first strike; the advantage goes to Wasabi. The Pimp Ninja never uses force until the required "pleasantries" have been exchanged, and will probably give up his sneak attack to administer a "punk a@@" insult to King Ethan. Round 1: Wasabi (Moral Victory)

Now that both combatants are aware of each other, the true battle can begin. After both sides administer more trash talking of course. Wasabi would probably use some very corny comments involving liberal us of b!%*# while Ethan would come back with some stupid comments involving the word n00b. A sad way to start off a competition, but it is inevitable with these two. Round 2: No Winner

Ethan will probably lose his temper first and swing at the Pimp Ninja with his might scepter. Check out the comic if you haven't seen this thing. The King of Winter-een-mas crafted his scepter from an original X-box controller. Attacking someone with one of those controllers is considered assault with a deadly weapon in most states. That baby probably weighs more the Wasabi, but unless it was dropped from a building, there is no way it could move as fast as the nimble ninja. Ethan would tire quickly swinging his massive X-scepter (Accepter? No X-scepter!), and when he lowered his guard, Wasabi would strike. Attacking the handle of Ethan's weapon would be his best move as it is already weak from holding up the controller on top; the X-scepter would break. Round 3: Wasabi

The battle seems all but won for Wasabi. He stops to point and mock the disarmed king. His last insult is punctuated by the bottom half of Ethan's scepter as it impacts with the Pimp Ninja's head. Cheap shot. Round 4: Ethan

Wasabi gets serious and assumes a battle position; Ethan takes off his sharp, metal crown and holds it ready for combat. The two enemies charge at each other and seemingly pass without making a mark (if you have ever seen an anime sword fight, you know what I mean). Wasabi's glasses crack and one lens shatters. Ethan smiles and turns around. His severed belt gives way and he trips over his fallen pants; Ethan slams in to the ground and knocks himself unconscious. The battle is over. Final Round: Wasabi (followed immediately by trash talkin' and a hasty retreat).

The strength of the king was no match for the speed and skill of the Pimp Ninja. The battle speaks for itself, so I will close now. I leave you with the promise of the next installment of Greatest of Warriors where today's champion Wasabi, the Pimp Ninja will go on to face The Shirt Ninja! Tune in tomorrow for all the hype of this next Ultimate Battle!

Archive: PvP

2006-02-06T09:15:00.000-05:00

Originally Posted: 05/23/2003

Hello my loyal fans, and welcome to all my newcomers. You know that your favorite god, Shalmdi, is always on the lookout for new comics, and last week [Keeping in mind the original post date] I stumbled on a real gem. This week's comic is PVP by Scott Kurtz. Kurtz takes an innovative look at the world of gaming and computers in this unique Webcomic.

I try to find at least one new comic every week, and last week I found. This strip focuses on an imaginary gaming magazine called PvP and the often insane characters that work there. Every day, Scott comes out with original situations to put his cast of crazy computer co-workers in, and it seems that every week he comes up with a new way to play his characters off each other. Despite the wide range of situations that they go through, the staff members of PvP magazine always stay true to their personalities, and that is a very important part of an active strip like this. PvP's hilarity is only matched by the way that Scott manages to work an occasional measure of seriousness into the mix.

Now someone out there say, "That’s all good, Shalmdi, but what makes this comic different from any of the others we have seen?" Well that is a good question; originality is what makes a good comic great. To sum it up, Kurtz uses his characters in ways I [hadn't seen before reading this comic]. The characters occasionally (but not too often) act as if they know they are in a comic strip. And whenever he "breaks the fourth wall," Kurtz comes up with hilarious new ways to use his characters. Now don't think that the PvP cast has to break the fourth wall to be crazy. When your cast includes a giant purple troll, insanity is pretty much a requirement (Skull rules!).

When I first began this review, I intended on giving PvP a 4.5 star review, for as near to perfection as you can get without being perfect. But when I began looking back on all the PvP episodes I read, I see that Kurtz's comic is always interesting. Every time I had free time, I would read another hundred comics or so, and I never resented having to read so many. PvP is original, it's funny, it's serious at times, it comes out every day, and it deserves a 5 star rating! if you aren't reading PvP yet, then you have some catching up to do!
Site updates Daily. PvP is rated TEEN for Language, Sexual Humor, and Mild Violence.

Shalmdi gives PVP by Scott Kurtz. Kurtz:

5 Stars! One of Shalmdi’s Pick Comics!

New Twist~
People that would like this comic: Gamers of all Ages. Comedy Fans. Webcomic Fans in General.

This is my biggest rewrite of an archive so far. Not only have a few things changes since I wrote this back in '03, but my review style has changed immensely. I really was completely miserable with this review. I considered scrapping it for a new one. I tried to only change as much as necessary, but by my current standards, this review does not do PvP justice.

Greatest of Warriors II: The Second Fighting

2006-02-05T14:00:00.000-05:00

Sunday, Sunday, Sunday! Steelers vs. Seahawks. Shalmdi vs. A Plate of Wings. Who will win these amazing battles? You never can tell, but I would my put money on me; those delicious little chicken appendages have yet to defeat me. I will defend my title!

In the spirit of "Blank vs. Blank," I decided to put up a sequel to my Greatest of Warriors posts. As before, I will present you with the challengers today and the winner tomorrow afternoon. Anime combat rules will still be in effect, and even I do not know how the battle will play out before the match begins. As an added feature, the winner of this contest will go on to face our current champion The Shirt Ninja in the next round of combat. Stay tuned this coming week for the amazing battles that will take place!

The first challenger in today's fight is Wasabi, The Pimp Ninja from Sinfest. An underdog to be sure, but his comical style and small stature are occasionally overshadowed by his mad pimpin' skillz. Of course, he will have a hard battle ahead of him as he seeks to defeat Ctrl+Alt+Del's "King" Ethan. Normally, Ethan is easily defeated and in constant need of help, but when Winter-een-mas comes around, he is an unstoppable force of Gaming. The King will not be defending his holiday today, but I'm curious to see how he would fair in combat against a Pimp-Ninja Master. Comment or E-mail me with your predictions!

Tune in tomorrow for the play-by-play of this new Greatest of Warriors competition. If you just can't wait for great VS action, check out this Flash Video by AltF4. This video is rather violent and has noting to do with Webcomics, so consider yourself warned. BIG thanks to my friend Paradoxical Cat for clueing me in to this great video.

Shalmdi Questions, Shalmdi Answers

2006-02-03T15:07:00.000-05:00

Hi, mortals. I come from above to answer thy questions. Yes I said "thy." Give me any lip about it and I'll throw out "tho," thee," and "thou." Shakespeare and I were tight… Sorry about that, I am just in a silly mode today. For those of you new to the site, my normal mode is crazy, so silly is actually a step down.

First on my agenda, the answer to yesterdays little quiz. No one got it (or tried to get it I would imagine), so I don't have to award any of my precious Shalmdi Points. The coffee shop and characters in yesterday's Short Packed were from Questionable Content. Finding the answer would have been nigh impossible yesterday because the website was down all day and into this morning. Somehow, Short Packed must have broken them by using their characters. Evil. More Shalmdi Points for me I suppose.

The other thing I wanted to mention was regarding my previous Call to Arms. That didn't work at all. I really don't have a big enough following to generate an angry mob. Since I can't change it myself, I have decided not to get stressed out about the rankings in Top Web Comics anymore. I will continue to vote daily, but it seems that some comics are desperate enough for votes that they will use incentives rather than skill. I will not personally support these sites, but if you like their comics don't listen to me.

Will these interlopers continue to rise through cheap tactics? Only time will tell but Shalmdi Sez:

Yeah, that is not the answer I wanted either, but I think it's true.

Penny Arcade: What Can I Say Really?

2006-02-03T09:15:00.000-05:00

Hello again, Web Heads. It has come to my attention that I have never reviewed the comic Penny Arcade written by Jerry Holkins (Tycho) and illustrated by Mike Krahulik (Gabe). If you haven't heard of this one, you probably aren't a fan of Webcomics. This comic could change that.

Back at the beginning of the Webcomic generation, there was Penny Arcade. They were not among the firsts of the genre, but they were quick to come to power. What everyone else has parodied or created stems from this comic. I know that was really over the top, but PA defines over the top. At its core, Penny Arcade is a gaming comic. The main characters are Tycho Brahe and Johnathan Gabriel (Gabe); two average gamers with some above average adventures. Penny Arcade focuses on every aspect of gaming from handhelds to PC. As I write this, I am finding out how hard it is to sum up all of what PA is with just a few words. Tycho and Gabe, have put out over a thousand comics since they started in '98. Storylines never last more that four of five comics, and those are rare. Character backgrounds aren't important in this comic. What are important are the thousands of hilarious strips that have been written in the last seven years. Penny Arcade is a gaming comic that is more than any other gaming comic could hope to be. No single Webcomic has ever been as amusing to me as this strip.

Penny Arcade is the quintessential (Big Word!) Webcomic. It updates often and on time (usually). The artwork is great and gets better every year. Gabe improves his style as much as Tycho improves his writing. These two cartoonists work together to make comedy gold on a regular basis. I can't even imagine what kind of partnership could spawn this comic. If there is any downside to this comic it is this: PA is not for everyone. I consider myself a part time gamer, and I still have to read their notes some days to fully understand the comic. Usually, you will probably laugh even if you don't understand the comic. Penny Arcade is rude, crude, and makes no apologies. This isn't for the faint of heart and certainly isn't for minors. Don't read this comic if you are uptight about ANYTHING. You will be offended; it is in their customer guarantee.

There really isn't much else to be said about this comic, and as I mentioned, it is hard to put into words what took years to create. If you are a gamer or are just looking for a good laugh, cruise over to Penny Arcade. You don't have to read the back logs to get today's comic, and they will mention in the comments any extra information they think you need about the comic. Read a few strips; if you care enough about comics to read my site, you will live this comic.

Site updates are Monday, Wednesday, and Friday. Penny Arcade is rated MATURE for Graphic Language, Violence, and Sexual Humor.

Shalmdi gives Penny Arcade by Jerry Holkins and Mike Krahulik:

5 Stars! One of Shalmdi’s Pick Comics!

People that would like this comic: Gamers of all Shapes and Sizes, Webcomic Fans in General, Anyone Looking for a Laugh.

Another "What's Happening"

2006-02-02T10:13:00.000-05:00

I finished the Penny Arcade book last night. I know you really don't care about that, but I just thought I would put it out there. You must buy that book, or you can get a friend with too much money and trick him in to buying it. However you get it is fine with me; I just don't want to know the details.

Second thing on my agenda is the continued position of Twisted Kaiju Theatre in the top ten of Top Web Comics (see precious post for the whole story). It isn't that I don't like the comic. I just can't stand the way they got themselves in the Top Ten, a position I don't believe the deserve. Fan Service is fine on occasion, but when it becomes your selling point, you have lost sight of the comic itself. Eh, I am a hair away from ranting about that again, so I will stop myself here.

Anyone out there reading Short Packed? If you are, can you tell what comic they have doing a cameo in the background? I will give you a small hint; the other comic is also mentioned in my List. I really don't have anything to offer, so 100 Shalmdi Points and a mention in the next blog to anyone that can tell me. In case you were curious, the same company that made the points for "Who's Line is it Anyway?" makes my Shalmdi Points, and they can be redeemed for just as much as the ones one the show!

Hehe. When I say things like that, I wonder if I really am just crazy. See ya!

A Call to Arms

2006-02-01T15:45:00.000-05:00

Three updates in one day! Shalmdi has gone crazy! Eh, it was a short trip really, and most would say I crossed the sanity line eons ago. I wanted to let you guys know I updated Shalmdi's List (------>) again. This time, I alphabetized the sucker. My next change will be to add a reviewed link or not reviewed notice to each entry. I want to turn my list into the best webcomic quick guide on the net. That is a big statement to make, but I like to aim high. Life is far more interesting that way.

Believe it or not, there IS a bigger issue in the Webcomic World today than my list. Shocking! I went to Top Web Comics today and saw something truly disturbing. Several great comics have been unseated in the rankings by Twisted Kaiju Theatre (notice the lack of linkage). Twisted Kaiju is a good webcomic; I want to mention that now because I don't plan on saying anything else nice about it. The problem I have with this list rising isn't so much the comic itself, but the way in which it got the votes needed. The vote incentive hinted at by TKT appears to be a great deal of naked flesh. Based on this comic's history, it wouldn't surprise me to find more of said flesh acting as vote incentive. Fan Service brings in the votes it seems.

I have read through their archives before; Twisted Kaiju frequently borders on the edge of pron and other times they just go all the way. If you want pron, search for pron. I get the stuff everyday in my e-mail box; it isn't hard to find! Even if I don't like a comic, I try to find the good points that attract others. When a comic rises to fame, it should be based on skill and not cheap stunts. I love Webcomics too much to see a third rate comic rise to #2 in my favorite comic list. I beg of anyone reading this, please do NOT vote for Twisted Kaiju Theatre.

Vote for Earthsong or Goblins or even Red String if that amuses you. TKT has gotten more votes than it deserves already; I wouldn't vote for it today if I read it. I'm asking you to vote today, but if you don't want to, at least don't vote for Twisted kaiju Theatre. Thanks.

I Love my Hardcopies!

2006-02-01T09:17:00.000-05:00

Hey, Webheads! Today is another Happy Shalmdi day! I just got my copy of Penny Arcade's first book, and I spent most of last evening reading it. Sure, I have read through their archives on at least three occasions, but Tycho's commentary makes the comics more fun. No load times are a minor plus, but it is a lesser point since I have a cable modem.

This really isn't like me. I have never been big on ownership (usually happier just borrowing or renting), but there is something intoxicating about owning these webcomic collections. Since I preordered it, I should have gotten the PA book sooner, but I couldn't afford the speedy delivery. Also, Hermes has been all ticked off at me for eons now. I swear, you put itching powder in someone's winged hat just one time…

Anyway, the point is that I am happy and I want to work. I decided to post the Friday review today, so this will be a busy week for me. There will still be a regular review on Friday, and I am even working on something to do for the weekend if I have the time. Still waiting to hear from anyone reading this garbage, but my StatCounter account tells me I have at least a couple of readers. Good to know; I imagine I will finally get comments when I make a mistake or tick someone off. Hmm, I will have to work on that.

Able and Baker: Why Monkeys Shouldn't Talk

2006-02-01T09:15:00.000-05:00

Hello readers and welcome to you newcomers! I have traveled off the beaten path and left Blank Label. Today's comic comes from Day Free Press instead, but I don't plan on making that a running theme. The comic for today is Able and Baker by Jim Burgess. I think there are too few comics based around animal testing.

Able and Baker (A&B) is the story of a monkey named Able and a sheep named Baker. Our heroes are the primary test animals for a space facility that frequently shoots them in to space after shooting them full of new chemicals. At least these two get paid for their suffering. Able is a dimwitted, selfish monkey that makes life difficult with crazy schemes and tricks. Baker plays the role of straight man. He does his best to keep Able in line and out of trouble with the scientists; his best is almost never good enough. The comedy is straightforward and simple. The usual number of active brain cells required to get these jokes can be counted on one hand. Whether that is a good thing or a bad thing is up to you.

The art in A&B is rough, but it does appear in color five times a week. That is grounds for some leeway on art. The comic's setting is creative. Talking animals seem to be common, yet they still are treated like… well animals. The real problem with this comic is the dry humor. As I said, the jokes are easy to figure out, but they are mildly entertaining at best. The artist seems to focus on the same facets of Able's personality in each new story. The funniest points in the strip are usually related to the secondary characters and the way they play off of Able. Baker seems to be played out completely and only serves as a more reasonable counterpoint to Able and his opinions. Even with five updates, it is rare for me to find one funny A&B sketch per week The best thing this comic has going for it is the short amount of time it takes to read.

Jim Burgess is a web designer by trade, and he may be good at it from what I have seen. He should know as a web designer that people like simplistic, but fantastic is what draws people in. Able and Baker falls in to the category of simplistic and often monotonous. It is amusing on occasion, but if he ever wants a true following, he needs to find a way to pump new life in to this old strip. I think A&B could be a great comic with a little more kick to it, and I hope to see that happen some day.

Site updates are Monday through Friday. Able and Baker is rated GENERAL.

Shalmdi gives Able and Baker by Jim Burgess:

People that would like this comic: Newspaper Comic Fans

Archive: Nodwick

2006-01-31T10:28:00.000-05:00

Originally Posted: 08/22/03

Hello my loyal readers and welcome to all you new-comers. It is that time again, and I have a great comic for you this week. Of course, some of you probably aren't reading this. Some of you are probably just using my review section as a big links page to new comics. If you are looking at this page, but not reading this sentence or the rest of my material, I hate you. I know it’s harsh, but they make me so mad. I wish had some cool godly lightning bolts. Ok, the Web Comic to read this week is Nodwick by Aaron Williams. Ahh, making fun of D&D and praising senseless violence. This is why I started reading web comics in the first place.

Alas, poor Nodwick. I knew him readers. Nodwick, the poor henchman that shares his name with this comic strip is a tragedy. Don't get me wrong; this comic is a comedy. The tragedy is the stuff they do to this poor little guy. Nodwick is your typical henchman. He was hired by a small band of adventurers to help with "odd jobs." So far, I have seen these odd jobs include everything from unwillingly knocking down doors with his head, to setting off traps at the expense of his body, to being used as a human projectile (he isn't very big), to carrying back-breaking amounts of loot pilfered from all kinds of naughty people. This poor guy works harder than I do. His employers include a brainless warrior named Yeager, a danger prone and reckless wizard named Artax, and Piffany, the world’s nicest and most naive cleric (What's up with her and duct tape?). From being used as a weapon and a human shield to being duct tapped back together by an oblivious cleric, this poor guy even makes a hateful guy like me feel bad. If he wasn't so funny, I would do something about his plight! Nah, I would probably let him suffer even if his antics weren't funny. It would be too much work to stop it.

Ok, the good points of this comic. It is hilarious. 'Nuff said. Oh wait...I should say more. If you are a fan of D&D or if you just enjoy hilarity set in ye-olden-times, you will be a big fan. Mr. Williams mixes together elements from our favorite tales of elves and dragons with the kind of professional grade jokes and humor that can make any web comic great. None of this would be enough, however, without the original elements than Aaron himself comes up with. His most recent string of comics, The Statue of Limitations Series (I gave it this name, I don't know what he calls it), shows an imagination and ingenuity that makes you wonder whether Aaron is a great writer or clinically insane. Either way, he is my kind of guy.

Alright, now for the bad...I got nothin'. No seriously, the only thing I could fault this guy for is being finance oriented. Mr. Williams only puts out one free "Nodwick" a week (and sometimes he has trouble at that), but he puts out loads of books and even posts in some gaming magazines. Capitalism is fine, but I do think that if you put out more free comics, you could build a bigger fan base and sell more merchandise. You probably think I am saying this because I love free stuff, but the truth is, I myself buy things from my favorite comics. I really can't see myself buying from Nodwick. Not because his stuff isn't good, but because I am not a big enough fan. Sure I love his comics, but how can a weekly strip compete with comics that update three or more times a week. More comics: that is my only request from this excellent strip.

Site updates are on Thursday. Nodwick is rated TEEN for Violence.

Shalmdi gives Nodwick by Aaron Williams:

New Twist~
People that would like this comic: D&D Fans, Fantasy Fans, Comedy Fans in General

Little has changed in Nodwick over the last few years. It is still a very funny comic, but it is still more focused on selling books than being a webcomic. That is understandable though as I imagine the artist has made a good deal of money in the last few years (I still haven't bought any of his works). I did make several changes to this review though. The content was good, but I must have put a rush job on the writing and grammar. Major overhaul was necessary.

Legal Disclaimer

2006-01-30T16:24:00.000-05:00

Hey, mortals. See that pretty banner at the top of this site? I do not own any of the images up there. From left to right, these are the characters and their comics:

Miss Match from Evil Inc.
Skull from PvP
Largo from Megatokyo
Shirt Ninja Greg from Real Life
Slick from Sinfest
My Avatar's Eyes
Mayberry Melonpool from Melonpool
Ethan from Ctrl+Alt+Del
Fuzzy from Sam & Fuzzy
Christian from Little Gamers
Cardboard Tube Samuai Gabe from Penny-Arcade

For the links associated with these websites, click on "Shalmdi's List" over in my Favorites section (------>). I chose these particular images because I love the comics they come from. Some of them would easily fall in my Top Ten, and they are all on my list. This is free advertisement for the associated artist, and I don't think there is anything illegal about that.

Remember, gods only fear two things: atheists and lawyers. Please don’t sue me. If you must, please honor my one request. For the love of me, don't use an atheist lawyer!

Aren't Comics supposed to be Funny?

2006-01-30T09:47:00.000-05:00

So, what do you think of the banner? For the most part, it is just cut-and-paste, but that thing took a lot of work, darn it! Normally, I reserve Monday's for review archives from my old site, but today I just wanted to revel in the feel of my beautiful new banner. Well, I don't get to do that as the next paragraph shows; read on to find out why. I also want to throw out a legal disclaimer for all the Webcomic artists whose stuff I "borrowed." The disclaimer will be a separate post at the end of the day because I plan to link to it.

I decided to focus on the banner later because there is a more pressing issue I wanted to address. The biggest news in WC today may be the combined happenings at Websnark.com and Something Positive. If you are a fan of S*P, read that first. For personal reasons, I never read webcomics on the weekend; it often makes Mondays more fun with the extra backlog. Well S*P killed my buzz. If you aren't a fan you won't care about that comic, but today's Websnark really drives the depression home and will help you understand the comic. Don't read either of these if can't take drama. I really do admire Burns' work on Websnark, and I want to say a thank you to Wednesday for looking out for him this weekend.

Crud, I never want to end on a serious note. Hillarity!

UPDATE: Since I wrote this, Burns has posted again. It seems everything is back to business as usual over there, so I am hoping all is well. Good luck, guys.

Wapsi Square: Alcohol, Girls, and Aztec Gods

2006-01-27T09:28:00.000-05:00

Hey, mortals! I have a couple more Blank Label comics to do before I move on, but they are all being put on hold for one reason or another. This may be the last Blank Label comic I review for a while, but I'm sure I will come back to them in the future. Today's comic is Wapsi Square by Paul Taylor. I was shocked when I realized this comic was more than gratuitous fan service and even more shocked when I learned it was done by a guy.

Wapsi Square is the story of a museum curator named Monica and her friends. The plot starts out simple enough. The Wapsi girls go to bars, work, and hang out at their homes. Don't let the images fool you; there is a lot more to this comic than Monica's figure. The characters are interesting and unique, but their daily lives really aren't that unbelievable. Unless you count Monica's overly intelligent dog, the fragmented chimera, and Tepoztecal, the Aztec god of alcohol. I can't say too much without spoiling things, but Wapsi Square tends to get a little weird when ancient forces start showing up. I haven't had any personal dealings with the Aztec gods, but Tepoz seems like a good enough deity to me.

I was originally very negative about this comic. For those of you that don't know, a Fan Service is something that uses provocative images or situations to draw you in. Wapsi Square defiantly looks like a fan service, but if the girls start you reading this comic, the art and plot lines should keep you coming back for more. This isn't just a comedy, but it certainly feels that way at times. Taylor effortlessly blends drama, romance, comedy, and fantasy to create his comic. In some ways, Wapsi Square has the feel of a soap opera, but right when things become too serious, a fantasy or comedy aspect will jump in and remind you why you read this comic.

There is a drawback to Wapsi Square; it isn't always funny and it isn't always happy. Sometimes things seem very bad, and other times, what you want to happen doesn't. This isn't the perfect comic to lift your spirits every day. For those people that don't like long storylines and emotional roller coasters, Wapsi Square just isn't what you are looking for.

Wapsi Square still has a long way to go as a webcomic, but it certainly has me hooked. Readers wait weeks for each storyline to play out, and some of the questions that arise may never be answered. Wapsi doesn't hit that mark every day, but over the weeks, it is worth the time. I wouldn't put this comic anywhere near my Top Ten, but it is one of my favorites. Wapsi Square may not be for you, but I recommend you read a few dozen archive comics before you make that decision.

Site updates are Monday - Friday. Wapsi Square is rated MATURE for Adult Situations and Sexual Humor.

Shalmdi gives Wapsi Square by Paul Taylor:

People that would like this comic: Manga Readers, Drama Fans, People that enjoy Fan Service, and People that like In-Depth Storylines

What's Happening

2006-01-26T10:48:00.000-05:00

In another move to streamline this comic, I put in a counter to monitor site traffic. I got a real nice service through StatCounter.com. They have a great free package, and they make it easy to upgrade service if this blog actually takes off. Other changes include an update to Shalmdi's The List and the addition of that list to my Favorites area (------>). I have already made a few minor color adjustments, and readers can look for a complete site/color overhaul as soon as I get the time.

There isn't anything else really worth saying today, but I do have one thing I would like to toss to the ether. It seems my precognition may just be highly limited. I predicted at the beginning of the month that Tatsuya Ishida, the artist of SinFest, would probably use his most recent storyline to change Slick's hairstyle in the comic. We haven't actually seen the old Calvin-Cut since November 1, and that time it was at a distance. The new hair is actually just a stylized version of the old art, but it is different. Will this new cut stand the test of time?
Shalmdi Sez:

Banner Sneak Peek

2006-01-25T09:49:00.000-05:00

Hey, mortals. Just a heads up for those of you that may not use Blogger; there is an outage scheduled for 4:00 PM PST today. Blogger and Shalmdi’s Guide will be down a while at that time, but the exact downtime isn’t set in stone. Things like this make me consider a new host, but that is something to contemplate in the future.

This weekend, I actually finished a rough version of my banner. I haven’t posted it yet for two reasons. First, I’m still not completely satisfied with the look, and I can’t use Photoshop again until this coming weekend. I don’t really like posting unfinished work, but I am going to post it here to see if I can get any feedback on improvements. Second, I have no personal artistic skills. All the images on my banner were done by different webcartoonists. I don’t know what this means legally, but I really don’t want to put something up that is going to get me sued. I probably will anyway, but I don’t want to.

Well, here is the current version.

Click here for full size.

Figures Used From Left to Right: Christian - Little Gamers, Largo – Megatokyo, Shirt Ninja (Greg) – Real Life, Skull – PvP, My Avatar’s Eyes, Mayberry Melonpool – Melonpool, Ethan – Ctrl+Alt+Del, Fuzzy – Sam & Fuzzy, Cardboard Tube Samurai (Gabe) – Penny Arcade. I’m not going to put a link to each of these sites, but they are all in my “The List.” I am currently unhappy with the amount of blank space under the eyes in the center. Also, Mayberry turned out fuzzier than I wanted, and I don’t have another image of him to work from because of the archive purge on that site. I may or may not add about two or three additional characters to the mix including Slick from Sinfest. Any suggestions are welcome.

In an unrelated note, I found out by shear chance that yesterday way Steve Troop’s birthday. Troop is the artist for Melonpool; a great strip that seems to be going through a prolonged hiatus following the above mentioned archive purge. It may do both the artist and the comic some good if anyone reading this would take a moment to wish him a happy late-birthday. His E-mail.

Happiness Leaves Me Broke

2006-01-24T17:27:00.000-05:00

With some of my leftover holiday money, I managed to get myself an I-pod Nano about two weeks back. That wasn't the inspiration for this post, but I love that little thing, and it did wound my finances. As I now had a way to listen on my way to Mt. Olympus, this led to my downloading all the Blank Label Podcats. I got so many great ideas from those webcartoonists, and listening to Eric from Websnark.com tipped me off to that site and inspired my last run of drastic changes. If you have been reading since the beginning, you know how much my Blog once resembled Websnark. Curse you Burns!

The Podcast that made the most impact on me was the two part interview with Scott Kurtz of PvP. I thoroughly enjoyed listening to him. Kurtz talked about his collection of Webcomic printed books. He really enjoys this medium, and he loves his collection. As the "God of Webcomics" I realized I am not doing my part to support these artists, and I will really kick myself if I don't have something to remind me of these comics should they ever go the way of the dodos. To the store!

I started off with the entire Melonpool collection. I was heart broken when I heard that Melonpool was deleting its archives, but I understand Troop had his reasons. They were relatively inexpensive, and this way, I can look back on them whenever I want. I went on to by book 1 from about four other webcomics, including PvP (Kurtz started me on this after all), and I will continue to buy these books until I have all the best Webcomics on my computer AND my bookshelf.

I just got my first book (Melonpool IV due to shipping differences) in the mail today. I haven't been this happy in a while, but as the post title says, I am broke. As I look at this book, I can't help but think this is a fair trade.

Archive: Ctrl+Alt+Del

2006-01-23T16:18:00.000-05:00

Originally Posted: 07/26/2003

NOTE: Read the “New Twist” section before you send the hate mail.

The comic of the week is Ctrl+Alt+Del by Tim Buckley. Its a gamming web comic! How original! No, no, don't leave. It's actually [really] good.

Well, you may or may not enjoy this one. Basically, I have enjoyed this comic because I got to watch it grow up. When it first got started, it was profanity mixed with cliché. Also, it used the (see if you can follow this) "making-fun-of-clichés" angle which is ironically also cliché. Personally, the random acts of violence were interesting. I miss the arrow gag, and would like to thank a guest artist (Ken Keil) for bringing it back. Then came the first plot. Ahhh, the satisfaction of watching an artist use his skill. Well, it is still a bit cliché, but its funny. Except for Chef Brian. I hate Chef Brian. I won't take off points for this guy, but every time I read it, I feel like I just had a conversation with [a crazy person]. This leaves Shalmdi feeling tired, confused, and homicidal. Now you know why I am the unbalanced one of this group. No actually, this comic has a great story. The characters have developed (except Ethan), they have personalities (except Ethan unless you count stupid as personality), and it does stay true to its gamer heritage (ESPECIALLY Ethan!!). One more good point, this strip is ever evolving. It hasn't stopped improving, and for me, that is an A+ characteristic. I love a comic strip that knows what its doing, but first you have to find your place.

Alright, enough good stuff. Time to tear up some comics...wait...not much to trash on. Awww. Oh well, this is a good strip, but it does have its bad points. For starters, Ctrl+Alt+Del has not even celebrated its first birthday yet. Youth leaves room to grow, but it lacks the experience born of age. While every comic should seek to improve itself, it would be nice to see a little more consistency. even the updates are random. First it was every day, then every week day, then BACK to every day. Now, I think it's four times a week. Other than that, my only complaint is Chef Brian Sez. This is basically a filler strip cleverly disguised as a regular feature (Shalmdi hate filler!). Kill it and let me watch its death. Yah! Ok, well see ya web heads.

Site update are on Monday, Wednesday, Friday, and Friday. Ctrl+Alt+Del is rated Mature for Language, and Sexual Humor.

Shalmdi gives Ctrl+Alt+Del by Tim Buckley:

5 Stars! One of Shalmdi’s Pick Comics!

New Twist~
People that would like this comic: Video Game Fans, Webcomic Fans in General, Anyone that like to Laugh

Since I originally wrote this review, Ctrl+Alt+Del has undergone many changes. The update schedule is always Monday, Wednesday, Friday now. The characters have changed and evolved (yes even Ethan), and new characters have even come on the scene. This strip has changed so much in the last three years that I almost didn’t feel right just posting this archive. The major change I made to this review is in the rating. In its infancy, this comic got 4.5 stars from me. Now, it is deserving of the full 5. Congrats, Buckley, you have come a long way.

Ugly Hill: Comedy and an Ego Boost

2006-01-20T16:15:00.000-05:00

Friday comes and the weekly review is here. Blank label has been good to me in the past, so today’s comic is Ugly Hill by Paul Southworth. I would use the cliché “never judge a book by its cover,” but the Uglies tend to be messed up inside AND out. At least it makes you feel better about the way you look.

If you want to know what the world of Ugly Hill is like, picture a world where monsters – not man – are the dominant species. Instead of different races, the Uglies (my own name) have different species of monsters. These beasts are the status quo; they work 9 to 5 and pay taxes… well, as much as humans do in our world. The storyline of Ugly Hill revolves around Eli Kilgore, his brother Hastings, and his best friend Snug. These characters live in Ugly Hill: a blossoming community on a bizarre Earth. A person stumbling on this comic would probably assume a high level of weird, but Ugly Hill reads more like a zany comedy than a sci-fi piece. Don’t be disappointed though. The different beasts that live in this world may not be traditional monsters, but they certainly aren’t humans. This comic almost teaches a lesson about judging people by their looks. They even had a storyline about prejudice regarding the unfortunate one-eyed creatures. That part came as close to being a euphemism as you can without actually crossing the line.

Paul Southworth has created a colorful and imaginative world with Ugly Hill. As a fan of one of his prior works “Krazy Larry,” I was hopeful about Ugly from the beginning. The artwork is certain to draw in anyone that sees these creatures. Ugly Hill updates Monday through Friday with few exceptions. The humor is a little crude at times, but it is entertaining. Between the creative setup, the skilled drawings, and the frequent updates, this comic has a lot of good going for it.

On the more depressing side, Ugly Hill tends to lack in the most important category: humor. The characters and their personalities get stale quickly. Some storylines hit their peek long before the situations play out. The jokes are mildly entertaining, but you probably won’t find yourself eagerly awaiting the next installment. If it wasn’t part of the Blank Label team, I probably wouldn’t read it despite the occasional good instalments. Krazy Larry demonstrated that Paul is capable of much more than this.

Ugly Hill is still a relatively young comic (not even a year old). I have noticed significant growth from the beginning of the comic until now. I think that maybe the artist is just getting a feel for these characters, and I have noticed much better jokes in the recent days. We can only hope that this comic will continue to improve. Will Ugly Hill be a success? Or is it destined to be the webcomic equivalent of “Eye of the Beholder?” (50 Shalmdi points if you got that reference.)

Site updates are Monday through Friday. Ugly Hill is rated TEEN for Violence.

Shalmdi gives Ugly Hill by Paul Southworth:

People that would like this comic: Comedy Fans in General, Newspaper Comic Readers

The Battle to Decide it All

2006-01-19T15:21:00.000-05:00

So what do you think of the look? I have some serious changes to do and a banner to make, but I finally feel like I have some inspiration. I’m going to have to borrow another computer to finish the banner; I can’t afford my own copy of Photoshop right now. This could take a while, but I can’t wait to get that up.

Ok, now on to the part you have all been waiting for. My breakdown of the hypothetical fight of the century: The Shirt Ninja vs. The Cardboard Tube Samurai! For this fight, we will be using standard anime combat rules as both characters can fit in to that genre without breaking character. Let the match begin! *Insert Gong Sound*

At first glance, the fight seems to favor The Shirt Ninja; because he is a ninja, he would attack from the shadows. The Cardboard Tube Samurai is not allowed to use such dishonorable techniques, and forfeits first-strike to Shirt. We all know that a powerful Samurai cannot be defeated in a single blow, and CT will evade this first strike with no more than a minor scratch. Still, blood has been drawn. Round 1: Shirt.

The element of surprise is no longer a factor in this fight, and the two combatants will find themselves going toe-to-toe. This is the time for Cardboard Tube to shine. While Shirt Ninja may be great at stealth and evasion, CT is accustomed to fighting on the open field against many opponents. The Tube will score a substantial hit before this round is over. Round 2: Cardboard Tube

At this point, CT is the major favorite to win. In a normal fight, he would probably take the gold (and the ninja’s skull), but remember, anime combat rules are still in effect. Two important factors are now in effect. First, the winner of most battles will start off behind and make a comeback. This indicates Shirt for the win. Secondly, neither warrior realizes the other is good, or they have some secondary reason for fighting. In these cases, the warrior that uses non-lethal force is usually the winner, so neither character actually has to die. CT always uses lethal force, but Shirt never has. In the end, Shirt Ninja will pull off some awesome (yet silly) attack that will barely defeat Cardboard Tube Samurai without killing him. Final Round: Shirt

So there you have it, mortals; The Shirt Ninja would win the match and take home the gold for Real Life. I know many of you would disagree with this outcome, but under anime rules, I just don’t think Penny-Arcade’s boy had a chance. I know someone would probably read this and point out the fact that in a real world battle, the winner would be Cardboard. For him I would like to add this: THEY’RE CARTOON CHARACTERS!! Thank you.

The Greatest of Warriors

2006-01-18T15:17:00.000-05:00

I just wanted to let you know I will probably spend today and tomorrow working on the look of my blog. The site may be a little unstable while I adjust and tweak this thing into shape. I still plan on having a new review up Friday, and I already have a good post topic for today. Check this out.

Yesterday, one of my mortal friends informed me that he had just finished reading through the Penny Arcade archives, and he was at the time reading Real Life. Two great comics that beg one important question: who would win in a fight between The Shirt Ninja and The Cardboard Tube Samurai? As previously stated, I am not in fact omniscient, so I cannot say for certain what the outcome would be. I have my own opinion though, and I will be more than happy to share. Tomorrow, I will reveal who I think will win and why.

I encourage any readers to comment with your own opinion on what I believe to be the greatest question of the age. Well, the greatest question that can’t be answered with “42” anyway. Considering how long it took for me to find the right Shirt Ninja and CT Samurai strips, I feel like I should write more, but I’ll save that for tomorrow. It isn’t like I consider it work to dig through hundreds of hilarious comics. Check back tomorrow for my challenge breakdown! See ya!

Plane as in "Flat-" not "Air-"

2006-01-17T14:26:00.000-05:00

Hello again Mortals. I imagine some of you spent last night exalting the actors and actresses on that golden planet thing. I refuse to support the mainstream media, so I - of course – refrained from that program. Instead I… well... I watched a DVD. Hey, I’m baby-stepping away from mainstream media; you can’t just give that stuff up cold turkey. Besides, it was Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow. That is only somewhat mainstream.

The hype surrounding the awards has inspired me to give away my own award. I call it “The Golden Plane.” Now I don’t use that silly globe, because we all know that the “round world” theory is just anti-god propaganda, right? Right. The Golden Plane will shine as the award for all great comics to aspire to! Of course, I’m only giving one away. I don’t have enough time to do as many as those Hollywood yahoos. I have better things to do with my time! (The preceding sentence was a lie)

The category is: Best Recent use of a Matrix Parody.
And the nominees are:

Tim Buckley’s Ctrl+Alt+Del for “Making an Entrance” *Insert Fake Clapping*
Tim Buckley’s Ctrl+Alt+Del again for “Fight Scene Grandeur” *More Insincere Clapping*
And finally C. Fundin & P. Madsen’s Little Gamers for “This has nothing to do with the Matrix but I think Thompson is an Agent” *Real applause even though the controversial one never wins*

And the winner is… Tim Buckley’s Ctrl+Alt+Del for “ Making an Entrance!” *Louder Insincere Clapping*

Well that is it for the first (and probably last) installment of “The Golden Plane.” Please tune in next time for another fabulous award show with no acceptance speeches, because web cartoonists don’t read my blog. Ah well, I’ll throw in this last line anyway. Mr. Buckley, would you like to say a few words?

Archive: Dork Tower

2006-01-16T11:32:00.000-05:00

Originally Posted: 05/12/2003

Welcome back my loyal readers, and hello to you newcomers. Well, the Web Comics section is coming along great, and I am more than happy to keep you entertained this week with one of my personal favorites of the WC world. Lets get to talking about the comedy that is Dork Tower by John Kovalic. Dork Tower is a comedy for outsiders of all ages! If you are a dork, geek, nerd, or a plain old freak like me, Dork Tower will do more than amuse you; it will have you dying of laughter!

Kovalic's little wonder is nothing more than a story about friends. Dorky friends (hence the name). Dorky friends with too much money and time. Dorky friends with...you get the picture. John's cast of hilarious characters is the epitome of Freak in all its geeky glory. I believe that any Web Comic fan will find some aspect of this comic that appeals to them. The only thing that I can even find wrong with this comic is the infrequency of the updates. Although Dork Tower is apparently scheduled as listed below, many times the comics are late or don’t even appear at all. Just last week, the Wednesday installment (a frequent absentee) was MIA once again. More than once, I and my fellow Dork Tower fans have been denied entire weeks worth of updates. Also, John just recently had to put in some filler comics to make up for the lack of DT's. Now while they were good fillers, they were still fillers and as I have said before, I hate fillers!!

Be warned. There are two things you should be prepared for if you plan on visiting Kovalic's little wonder. You will be tempted to buy his merchandise! I am already saving a little cash to buy his first book, and I am contemplating buying some of his Munchkin cards. But your wallet is not the only thing in danger. If you have any doubts on the level of your geek-hood, Dork Tower is the perfect thing to set the record straight. If you can relate to these comics, you are a geek. Much like me. Let the Geek Pride parade begin! Yah!

Site updates are Monday, Wednesday, and Friday. Dork Tower is rated GENERAL for very mild sexual humor.

Shalmdi gives Dork Tower by John Kovalic:

4.5 Stars! One of Shalmdi’s Pick Comics!

New Twist~
People that would like this comic: Tabletop RP Fans, People that Collect/Play With Miniatures, CCG Players, D&D Fans Especially, Sci-Fi Fans, Geeks in general

Still a great comic. No real changes have occurred in DT over the last three years. The only thing worth mentioning is how reliable the update schedule has been of late. If I had to review this comic again today, I may give it that extra half-star. Oh, and since this review was originally written, I have bought and played Munchkins and some of the expansions. That game can get rid of your friends real easy, but I still love it.

Evil Inc: For the Villain who need an Edge

2006-01-13T14:19:00.000-05:00

Here it is, mortals! Despite the Fates working against me, I have prepared a review for your reading enjoyment. The comic to read this week comes once again from the Blank Label family; the comic is Evil Inc. by Brad J Guigar. Normally, I’m against of organized crime, but for these guys, I’ll make an exception.

Evil Inc. is a spin off of one of my favorite older strips, Greystone Inn. EI is your typical American Corporation. They are publicly traded, they have board meetings, and they are trying to take over the world. For them, that last point may be more literal than usual but still typical for a large company. Evil Inc. was founded by The Evil Atom, an aging super villain that found he could amass more power through legal channels than with his battles against the forces of good. The only regular cast member from Greystone Inn is the late addition character Lightning Lady. This once-famous super villainess can control the forces of electricity and now works as Evil Atom’s personal assistant. This comic details the adventures of Lightning Lady and many others as they create plots against local heroes and fight off the ever constant threat of corporate takeover! Super villains are bad enough, but when you combine villains AND bureaucrats, Evil is the only word left to describe such an unholy union. Hmm, I wonder if they are looking for a divine partner.

Guigar’s comic is a simple yet funny strip that is quick to read and funny. The artwork is good and the characters are interesting. I really love the concept of the comic, and while I miss the old cast, I do agree that the Greystone concept was played out. The concept of Evil Inc. is very original; it opens the door for Brad to create some very funny strips. I don’t even have to throw out anything else, but it also maintains a very regular update schedule. EI is currently running Monday through Friday and is hardly ever late.

The only think that Evil Inc. lacks is faults. That’s a good thing by the way. The art isn’t stupendous, but it is more than good enough. The characters tend to be rather shallow, but that works for them too. My only worry with this strip was how long it would take for the artist to run out of ideas. That really isn’t a concern anymore either. I have enjoyed the last few story arcs, and it is amazing to see how Guigar not only keeps the strip interesting, but also sets it up for future storyline’s. The cast of characters is in to double digits, and in several storylines, he doesn’t use a single preexisting character. This may deter some, but I think it just adds a unique twist to the strip.

If I have to say something bad about this comic, I would mention that the strips don’t have me laughing regular. Most of the time, I get minor amusement from the comics, but on average, about one or two comics a week will really hit a funny bone. This really isn’t a big deal, and for a comic that updates this much, it is easily forgiven. Evil Inc. is more than worth the time it takes to read.

Site updates are Monday - Friday. Evil Inc. is rated GENERAL for Mild Violence.

Shalmdi gives Evil Inc. by Brad J Guigar:

4.5 Stars! One of Shalmdi’s Pick Comics!

People that would like this comic: Newspaper Comic Fans, Older, Super Hero/Villain Fans, Business-Comic Fans (Dilbert), Anyone looking for a quick laugh.

The Fates are out to get Me

2006-01-13T10:07:00.000-05:00

Hi Mortals. For the first time since I resumed my life on the web, I was finally ahead of schedule. I actually had today’s review ready and was part way finished with next weeks review. Plus, I already have Monday’s archive converted to the new format. Things were looking up. Until of course I read today’s webcomics.

The strip I was going to review today was ShortPacked. I thought I had a pretty good feel for this comic, so it seemed the next logical choice as I pick through the Blank Label selection. I should have known better than to try and understand Willis. Today’s strip indicated what could be a drastic change. I have read through his old work, and I really can’t say I would be surprised if he changed the Shortpacked world entirely. Ah well, his changes are always for the better.

I won’t review this comic until I see where the strip is going. I am going to get to work and finish up my backup review. Shortpacked will stay on a back burner until the artist has a chance to explore this new angle. Expect a new review this afternoon. If the elder gods would just approve my application for precognition, this kind of thing wouldn’t happen.

~Shalmdi

The List

2006-01-12T14:25:00.000-05:00

Greetings, mortals! It is Shalmdi, God of Webcomics! I have returned to grant you divine perspective on the greatest venture of mortals: the webcomic.

As a special treat to my readers and future readers, I have decided to do something I never intended to do. I am going to post the ever-updating list of comics that I go through on a week-to-week basis. Keep in mind, my friends; this list does not in anyway reflect preference or update schedule. These are simply the webcomics that I myself check on even if *sniff* t-they don’t update very much. Some of these comics barely update at all, but the archives are worth reading. Click here for a description of my parental rating system.

Last Updated: 03/31/06
Changed "Reviewed" status for Inverloch..

THE LIST

8-bit Theatre - TEEN. Updates Tue, Thu, Sat. Reviewed
Apple Geeks - MATURE. Updates Mon & Thu
Cascadia - TEEN. Updates Weekly [Infrequent]. Reviewed
Checkerboard Nightmare - TEEN. Updates Seldom
Courting Disaster - MATURE. Updates Thu
Ctrl+Alt+Del - MATURE. Updates Mon, Wed, Fri. Reviewed
Dork Tower - GENERAL. Updates Mon, Wed, Fri [Infrequent]. Reviewed
Earthsong Saga - TEEN. Updates Bi-Weekly
El Goonish Shive - MATURE. Updates Mon, Wed, Fri
Evil Inc. - GENERAL. Updates Mon – Fri. Reviewed
Flatwood - MATURE. Updates Weekly
Flipside - ADULT. Updates Mon, Wed, Fri
FreeFall - GENERAL. Updates Mon, Wed, Fri. Reviewed
Full Frontal Nerdity - GENERAL. Updates Weekly
Girl Genius 101/Advanced Class - TEEN. Updates Mon, Wed, Fri
Goats - MATURE. Updates Mon - Thu
Goblins - MATURE. Updates Sat. Reviewed
Inverloch - TEEN. Updates Often. Reviewed
Joyce & Walky - MATURE. Updates Sat [Large Archives].
Krakow - MATURE. Updates Tue, Thu
Krazy Larry - MATURE. Updates Mon [Infrequent]
Least I could Do - MATURE. Updates Mon – Sat
Lethal Doses - GENERAL. Updates Seldom
Little Gamers - MATURE. Updates Daily
Mac Hall - TEEN. Updates Seldom
Megatokyo - TEEN. Updates Mon, Wed, Fri. Reviewed
Melonpool - GENERAL. Updates Mon – Fri [Infrequent, Archives Deleted]
No Need for Bushido - TEEN. Updates Weekly
Nodwick - GENERAL. Updates Weekly. Reviewed
Nukees - GENERAL. Updates Mon, Wed, Fri
Penny Arcade - MATURE. Updates Mon, Wed, Fri. Reviewed
PvP - GENERAL. Updates Daily. Reviewed
Questionable Content - MATURE. Updates Mon – Fri
Radioactive Panda - MATURE. Updates Weekly
Real Life Comics - GENERAL. Updates Mon – Fri [Infrequent]. Reviewed
Sam & Fuzzy - MATURE. Updates Mon, Wed, Fri
Schlock Mercenary - TEEN. Updates Daily
Shortpacked - MATURE. Updates Mon - Fri
Sinfest - MATURE. Updates Daily [Infrequent]
Sluggy Freelance - TEEN. Updates Daily
Something Positive - MATURE. Updates “A lot!”
Star Slip Crisis - TEEN. Updates Mon – Fri
The Noob - MATURE. Updates Weekly
Twelve Dragons - ADULT. Updates Weekly
Ugly Hill - GENERAL. Updates Mon – Fri. Reviewed
Unshelved - GENERAL. Updates Daily
Van Von Hunter - TEEN. Updates Weekly. Reviewed
VG Cats - MATURE. Updates Weekly
Wapsi Square - MATURE. Updates Mon – Fri. Reviewed
Wish3 - Teen. Updates Weekly. Reviewed
WhoGirl - Teen. Updates Weekly. Reviewed
Zap! - Teen. Updates Mon, Thu

Whew. I think that’s it for now, but check back in the future as I am adding new comics to my List every week. If you know of any good comics you would recommend, send me an E-mail. There is a chance I’m unaware of some of the best. Well, that’s it for now. See ya!

Guide to the Guide: Part I

2006-01-11T17:29:00.000-05:00

Hello gods and mortals. I come once again to answer your questions and delve into the world of webcomics. Ok, so actually, I haven’t had any questions as of yet, but I predict that this will be a common question so I am going to answer this one ahead of time. For my godly powers *cough* common sense *cough* hath allowed me to see this coming!

As anyone familiar with my reviews will notice, I always list my parental rating at the bottom of the review. I know that a lot of you don’t really care what rating a comic gets, but I don’t want people to blame me when they stumble over something they find offensive. Also, I like to pretend that parents take an effort to know what the little mortal children are doing. Crazy idea isn’t it?

Rating Guide

GENERAL - This comic contains little or no violence and cursing. Sexual humor is either absent or limited to SLIGHT innuendo. (Regular Newspaper Comic Level)

TEEN - This comic contains regular violence and/or cursing. Sexual situations will be limited to innuendo or vague reference. (Nigh-Time Television)

MATURE - This comic could contain significant amounts of cursing and/or violence. Sexual situations may be implied. This comic will not contain full nudity or graphic violence. (PG-13 or Barely, R-Rated Movie)

ADULT - This comic may contain graphic violence. Cursing could be common. Sexual situation and full nudity may be present. Sex will not be graphic. (R-Rated Movie)

Ok, well that sums up my parental-guidance rating system. Please be advised that this will all still be at my discretion, and your opinion of graphic may be different than mine. I’ll still probably get angry E-mails sooner or later, but at least that will mean someone is reading my site.

As a final note I would like to say this: I will NEVER review a comic that contains graphic depictions of sex or blatantly offensive material. Keep in mind, this is coming from someone that doesn’t consider Penny Arcade offensive, but I still have my standards. I don’t have a color code for “X” rated, and I never will. Got it?

The Future is Coming. Duh.

2006-01-10T16:13:00.000-05:00

Greetings and Salutation Web Heads! Look at me, I’m posting on a Tuesday, yah! Ok, so I just wanted to give all my imaginary readers an update on what’s going on with this blog. I say imaginary, because I am pretty sure that the voices in my head are the only “people” other than me that actually read this.

To start things off, I have decided to make some visual changes to the blog. Anyone that does come to the site can pretty much expect that to be a common thing until I can decide on a final look. If you like a certain look or have some constructive suggestion, send ‘em to me. My E-mal is always open to readers.

Second issue, I have recently discovered a website called Websnark.com. Many of you are probably aware of this site already. I love it, but it kind of depresses me. I seriously have to rethink my plans for this site. Seeing Websnark is like taking a look at what I WANTED my site to be. I was aware that I wasn’t the first person to ever devote their energy to web comics, but it was disturbing to find something so close to my vision already online. Even more frightening, their ideas are better than what I had planned.

The first change to take place in this blog will be one that actually takes me a step backwards. This is probably the last post I will make as “Dale Ellis.” When I came to this blog, I tried to abandon the “Shalmdi” persona I used for my old website while still keeping the name that has become so dear to me heart. Well forget it. I’m just getting in the way here. Expect the glorious return of Shalmdi, God of Webcomics! Some people have told me in the past they think it is wrong to pretend to be a god. I think I let these opinions push me away from my alter-ego, and I regret that.

The final thing I want to say is more for my own piece of mine than for informative purposes. Over the years, I have come to realize that there is very little new stuff in cyberspace. Only one person can be the first to come up with an idea, and I don’t live under the delusion that I am the first to come up with anything. I will keep trying to be my own person, though. My ideas may not be original, but you can believe that I came up with them on my own. I will try my best to be different than Websnark.com and the others. If I do get inspired by an outside source, you can believe I will put my own spin on things, and tell you what inspired me. They say imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, but I – like many people- prefer cash. See ya.

Archive: Cascadia

2006-01-09T11:16:00.000-05:00

Originally Posted: 09/26/2003

Greetings and salutations to all my loyal readers and hello to all my newcomers! Once again, I bring you a web comic for your reading pleasure, and today's comic is another beauty. The comic to read this week is Cascadia by Clio Chiang. This is a great comic, but the portions are a bit small for my appetite...actually, I complained because the paper only had ONE page of comics a day.

Cascadia is set in the days of old when magic and monsters were commonplace. Yeah, I know the whole "days of old" thing is overdone in web comics, but you can't really hold that against any one comic. Also, I have noticed that magic and monsters were really common in days of old. Sigh, to be a god back then...oops, off track. The main character of Cascadia is the great archer and bandit Jacob Arman. Jacob and the team that was sent to recruit him are on a quest to recover the Relics of the Sun to once again imprison the Moon Demon. On their path to recover the relics, this team of heroes will encounter monsters, treacherous terrain, dark magic, and even death. Chiang does an excellent job of writing this story, and it is very simple for the characters of Cascadia to become real in your imagination. Also, if you have ever played Dungeons and Dragons or any other fantasy role playing game, you will find many aspects of this comic that are very familiar. This comic is great for sucking in readers.

The plus sides of Cascadia are easy to point out for any one that has read it. Cascadia is a great story with an involving plot and well thought out characters. The world that Clio has created contained elements of magic and fantasy that are all his own. While most aspects of this world have been borrowed from other fantasy, the author mixes together these elements to create a completely unique world. If that kind of plot isn't enough for you, this comic also features artwork that is superior in many ways to any other web comic I have reviewed. Chiang obviously puts a lot of time and effort into each page of his comic. Speaking of pages, Cascadia is another of the comics that I have deemed Web Comic Books. Cascadia is not like normal web comics (whatever normal is). This comic never seems to update more than twice a month, and comedy is not the central focus of most pages. For those of you that don't like regular comics but are fans of comic books, this kind of web comic may be what you are looking for.

Ok, well that is it for the good elements of Cascadia; it is time to focus on the bad points. While Cascadia is very in depth, it is also very confusing. I found myself having to read some sections several times just to understand what kind of fantastic stuff was going on. My advice to the artist on this point would be to add a "Magic of Cascadia" section or something where a person new to the comic (or an old fan that is a bit lost) can go and get an overview of how things work. Those seals still confuse the heck out of [me]. This is however a minor point when compared to the major flaw of Cascadia. The comic only updates about once or twice per month! This is crazy. Even if the author can only get out one page a week, that would still be better than eight pages that fans of Cascadia may be used to waiting a month for. I know that a comic of this quality takes time, but you could break eight pages down to two pages a week. If this is too much, then I never think this comic will have a huge following. Cascadia is too good and the plot is too involving to make fans wait over a month for each update.

To sum everything up, I am actually a big fan of this comic. I am disappointed in the time between updates, and that disappointment will cost this comic in its rating. However, Cascadia is worth the wait; it is a good comic with a great plot. One thing though, what is the deal with that freaky horse?

Site updates are about [Once a Week]. Cascadia is rated TEEN for Mild Violence and Language.
Shalmdi gives Cascadia by Clio Chiang:

New Twist~
People that would like this comic: Fantasy Fans, Manga Readers

Part of the lower rating this comic was given was the incredibly infrequent posting schedule. Recently, this comic has adopted a more acceptable once a week schedule and even manages to post twice per week sometimes. Unfortunately, I could not in good conscience raise the rating in the post as the artist is having more trouble than ever recently. It has been nearly three weeks since we had a post, and posts were infrequent before that as well. Still, I do stand by my opinions of both the art and the story. Oh! I also found out what was going on with the strange horse, yah!

Starslip Crisis: Comedy and Art... In Space!

2006-01-04T15:53:00.000-05:00

Hello again Web Heads! Sorry I missed you over the holidays, but I’m glad to be back online. Also, I didn’t decide until AFTER this sentence what comic to review this week. The web comic to read this week is Starslip Crisis by Kristofer Straub. Join the crew of the Fuseli for a story about fine art in space! Wait; come back. It’s funnier than it sounds.

Starslip Crisis is the story of the IDS Fuseli, a specially converted space ship that serves as the galaxies first starship/art gallery. The ship’s captain and curator Memnom Vanderbeam leads his small crew through their designated showcases and displays, but the Fuseli’s trips are anything but safe. As they travel through the galaxy, the crew will face pirates, killer robots, and even rival museums! Yes, life is truly hard for those working under Vanderbeam’s command… of course most of those problems are Vanderbeam’s fault. Luckily, the captain knows he can depend on his drunken navigator Cutter and his alien operational assistant Mr. Jinx to save him from danger. I’m sure they’ll be fine (The preceding statement was a lie).

So what does this comic have going for it? First off, Starslip Crisis is a solid comic strip with a unique plot and an interesting cast of characters. Mr. Jinx is my favorite :). It is a good parody of the futuristic world that could have easily been called “Star Trek: The Art Museum.” Well, it could have it weren’t for all that copyright infringement stuff. I won’t say that it has me laughing every day, but Starslip has definitely provided me with some amusement. One of the biggest selling points of this comic is its update schedule. Straub manages to boast a flawless five-days-per-week posting schedule. To my knowledge, the strip hasn’t missed a post.

Well, enough with the good, now for the bad. I hate to say anything about a comic that manages to adhere so well to a strict schedule, but I’ll get over it. The characters tend to be a little shallow with little or no backgrounds, and the artwork is very simplistic. This can work in a comic setting, but frankly, Starslip just isn’t funny enough to make up completely for its shortcomings. Like I said, Starslip has made me laugh on occasion, but it doesn’t manage to keep me amused on a regular basis. I would almost rather Straub posted less and put more into each strip. Starslip is less like a webcomic and more like a newspaper comic.

To sum everything up, Starslip is a quickly done comic that provides me with about one or two amusing jokes per week. I can’t say that this is one of my favorites, but I can say that it is worth reading. Getting your daily dose of Starslip takes all of ten seconds each day, and if you can get a laugh out of that, isn’t it worth it? I read this comic every day, so despite what I have said, I do recommend it.

Site updates are always Monday through Friday. Starslip Crisis is rated TEEN for Violence.

Shalmdi gives Starslip Crisis by Kristofer Straub:

People that would like this comic: Sci-Fi Fans, Newspaper Comic Fans

Archive: 8-bit Theatre

2005-12-23T11:16:00.000-05:00

Originally Posted: 05/07/2003

Ok, this is [was] the first review of a Web Comic by myself, Shalmdi. For my first pick, I wanted to choose a Web Comic that I enjoy and know will set the bar for all other comics that come after this. I am talking about that bastion of comedy and surprise that is 8-bit Theatre by Brian Clevinger and crew.
If you are a fan of old style gaming or just a fan of RPGs in general, 8-bit Theatre is a blast to video gaming's past. Even if you are not a big video game fan, you can still enjoy the universally hilarious antics of Clevinger's unlikely heroes. Sure, if you never played the game you aren't going to get all the jokes, but you'll still laugh your head off.

8-bit Theatre follows the adventures of the characters from the first Final Fantasy game for the NES (Nintendo Entertainment System). Join Fighter, Red Mage, Thief, and Black Mage (great names aren't they?) in their journey as the Light Warriors! But Brian's characters don't just stop with those four. The Light Warriors receive constant help from White Mage and Black Belt, but beware the evil forces of Garland, Evil Princess Sara, and the Pirate Bikke. These characters are powerful, adventurous, and, more often than not, STUPID! Also, I noticed that the cool little Black Mage bears a striking resemblance to my chosen form. [I used to use the BM from 8-bit as my on line avatar, I still love that little guy!]

But wait! That's not all! Come for the comic, stay for everything else!!! Brian does special comics for random topics and other games (Dynasty Memories series)! The Red Mage is giving advice and sarcasm for geeks of all ages and genres! Evil Princess Sara will bless you with her advice column (you lucky dog)! And that's still not everything! I could talk all week about the amazing site and comic that is 8-bit Theatre, but the other gods [My old partners] would not approve :-( If you haven't checked this site out from beginning to end yet then I hope that you are on your way there now!

Site updates are on Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Saturdays. 8-bit Theatre is rated TEEN for Violence, Language, and Sexual Humor.

Shalmdi gives 8-bit Theatre by Brian Clevinger:

5 Stars! One of Shalmdi’s Pick Comics!

New Twist~
People that would like this comic: RPG Fans. Older Gamers. Gamers in General.

This comic is still going strong almost three years later. The changes that have occurred have not been to the comic itself, so I don’t see where they bear too much telling. I still stand by my rating of this comic, but I have to admit that after reading so many webcomics, my enthusiasm for this one has diminished somewhat. This was my first Web Comic, and it is still funny.

Real Life: You Wish Your Life Was Like This

2005-12-21T10:56:00.000-05:00

Hey Web Heads; I be back! It is strange to be reviewing comics again, but I have to start again some time. I love web comics too much to stay away, and I have a personal favorite to start of this blog. The web comic I speak of is Real Life by Greg Dean. It starts off realistic and funny, and gets sci-fi and funny. Did I mention this thing is funny?

Real Life started off as the simple dream of Greg and his friends to make a webcomic. The subject you ask? Why themselves of course! Just like in REAL real life, people come and go, they get new jobs, and date new people. The world of the Real Life crew mimics in many ways the actual goings on of the cartoonist and his friends. Well… maybe there are a few differences. The cartoonist is a god-character that can alter their world as he sees fit. They have time machines, giant mechs, space ships, dimensional gateways, super AI’s, and clones; among other things. Also, the main character Greg (named after his real world counterpart) wraps a white T-shirt around his head every once and a while, grabs his katana, and becomes The Shirt Ninja! Considering that the cartoonist has a twisted imagination, a shirt, and a real katana, I don’t know whether to classify the Shirt Ninja as fact or fiction. Oh well, I like it either way. Shalmdi demand more Shirt Ninja!

Time for the sum up. Real Life is a creative and funny comic that posts on a somewhat reliable five-times-per-week schedule. Dean likes to take the time to make fun of his drawing style, but I actually enjoy the more simplistic look that his computer-drawn comics have to them. Personally, I hope the characters never take their hands out of their pockets (read the comic to get that)! Ok, so what is bad about this comic? The answer is “very little.” I would complain about how slow and irregular the comic has been recently, but for a five-per comic, slow and irregular is still about 3-4 comics a week. I like his style, and he manages to come up with funny stuff on a regular basis. I would warn you that many of the jokes require that you play certain games, but that is nothing out of the ordinary and definitely doesn’t take away from the majority of the comics. I have never played Ultima Online, but I laughed or at least smirked at many of Greg’s old UO adventures.

The bottom line is that Real Life is a great comic that has provided me with hours of enjoyment, and I think that many of you Web Heads will get a kick out of this. I only discovered this comic recently, but it has quickly become one of my favorites. I can’t wait to see what happens next. All hail the Shirt Ninja!

Site updates are Monday through Friday. Real Life is rated GENERALfor Mild Language.

Shalmdi gives Real Life by Greg Dean

5 Stars! One of Shalmdi’s Pick Comics!
People that would like this comic: Web Comics Fans in General

Introductions and the Like

2005-12-21T10:34:00.000-05:00

CHANGED: 01/27/06
Welcome, mortals. I am Shalmdi, God of Webcomics! Myself and some of the newer deities once hosted another site, but that has faded through time and a lack of support. While the fire of the Review Gods has dimmed, my passion for webcomics still burns strong. Don't expect me to sound that corny all the time, but sometimes I have to let loose my inner poet.

I had considered coming back in a mortal form, but there are too many mortals on the net as is. My kind is scarce these days. No, I am not omniscient, omnipotent, or any of those other cool omni- things. I make mistakes like mortals… just not as often :P. For more info on me, check out my Blogger Profile.

My E-mail box is always open to my readers, and I am happy to get constructive criticism. If any of you have a comic you would like reviewed (Free publicity!), please let me know. I think of webcomics as the perfect source of entertainment. Unless you hate cartoons, there IS a webcomic for you somewhere. Want me to find it?

In case you were wondering, it is pronounced Shäm-dī' (Sh – as in "shoe," alm – as in "alms," di – as in "die"). Got it?