Comics

Dumbing of Age Questionable Content (M-F) Erfworld (TF) xkcd (long story, game) Scary Go Round >>> Dailyish, MWF, Weeklyish

To catch up: Gunnerkrigg Court Girl Genius Sinfest Go Get a Roomie! (occasional nsfw) Menage a 3 (TThS, sometimes nsfw) Goblins (updates whenever, occasional gore) from here

I've been into comics for almost as long as I can remember. They were the first thing that got me reading the newspaper. More recent favorites have included Calvin and Hobbes, Jules Pfeiffer, Berke Breathed, Doonesbury and The Far Side (I am unable to endorse any definition of comics that excludes The Far Side). My dad had a bunch of Pogo and some old best-of collections from Mad magazine, and my grandfather had a Sad Sack collection, all of which I reread voraciously. I also read some Tintin and Asterix in the process of learning some French.

I didn't really get into comic books until high school (thanks, RARD!). First, X-Men (especially #94 up to the to early 200s) and other Marvel (Thor) and a little DC (Teen Titans). Then American Flagg, Elfquest, Cerebus, Sandman, and much other "alternative" (non-superhero) stuff, including later Stanley and his Monster, Bone, and Strangers in Paradise. Watchmen stands out as a classic different take on superheroes.

Wasn't as into comics then for a number of years, but webcomics, especially A Miracle of Science and Sinfest got me into it again. I appreciate webcomics as a way for independent comics to flourish. I recommend Understanding Comics (Scott McCloud) to prompt thinking about comics in general, even though I don't agree with everything he says. For recursion bonus points, it is itself a comic.

As with books, music, video/film, etc., we now (2015) live in a sort of golden age where there is more good stuff out there than anyone has time to read, watch, or listen to.

Now there is a regular flow of comics to video (film/TV), bringing its wealth of episodic story-telling chops, the archetypes of superheroes echoing once again a society's search for...something - heroes, inspiring yet (or because they're?) believable. Do we seek a pantheon, in a nominally monotheistic/areligious society? Anyway, I've enjoyed a lot of them, especially Peggy Carter and Jessica Jones, Whedon's first Avengers movie, and X-Men: First Class. Sin City seemed like the best transfer of a particular visual aesthetic from page to screen. Unbreakable captures the hero-villain relationship at least as well as many classic comic arcs have (sequel coming?).

Some comic artists also create incredible moving imagery - because I read Nina Paley's comics in the San Francisco Guardian in the 90s, I got to watch along as she released the first bits of her amazing Sita Sings the Blues on YouTube while developing the full-length film.

Finished/hibernating: The Guy I Almost Was | Buck Godot | Jason Little (Bee...) | A Miracle of Science | Powers (last read) | Scary Go Round 1.0 | FreakAngels | Crimson Dark | Bucko | Girls With Slingshots

To catch up on all at once: Bad Machinery | Kukuburi | Blip | Copper | Abominable CC | Gods of Arr-Kelaan | Hyperbole and a Half (specifically, cake)

Misc: Diesel Sweeties
Keith Knight's K Chronicles and (th)ink

 

Some of these look good: http://knifecitycreamery.com/2010/12/29/knife-city-creamerys-top-10-web-comics-of-2010/

http://www.mouseguard.net/fall1152/index.htm Mouse Guard | http://www.explodingdog.com/

Good-looking list from BoingBoing