What web comics and graphic novels are you reading?

Hay, can u reed?
User avatar
takenoko
Team Baron
Team Baron
Posts: 36700
Joined: Mon Dec 10, 2007 8:33 pm
Gender: Toast
Favorite series: All of them
Alignment: Neutral
My boom: stick
Quote: <Lunagel> That's Toei's dumb fault
Type: ISFJ Protector
Location: Yami ni umare, yami ni kisu
Contact:

What web comics and graphic novels are you reading?

Post by takenoko »

The DM of the Rings
http://www.shamusyoung.com/twentysidedtale/?p=612
Geek humor at its finest. Like dungeons and dragons? Like Lord of the Rings? Like seeing people complain and be human? Then this is for you! (This comic is completed, but there's a Star Wars parody one and the creator of this comic is doing a new story, check those out too)

Sluggy Freelance
http://www.sluggy.com
Right now I'm going through Sluggy Freelance's long archive. I like the humor and the fact that it doesn't take itself seriously. Anything can happen. Beware the killer bunny!

Ctrl+Alt+Del
http://www.cad-comic.com/
I tried to read this comic before, but couldn't get into it until my friend recommended it to me again. A video game comic, but with robots and romance and stuff.

Zero Punctuation
http://www.escapistmagazine.com/article ... unctuation
This isn't a web comic, but it's still awesome. Most people already know about it, but if you haven't checked out these video reviews, well, go on youtube and look at these reviews:
http://uk.youtube.com/profile?user=yahtzee19
I actually heard of this guy before from his series of games starring Trilby (it's a hat!). Someone did a review of a game he made using his style of reviewing, it's pretty funny. (Look for a review of art of theft)

I'm also reading Ultra Maniac right now. Yay shoujo. By the same person who did Marmalade Boy. It's a cute story about high school and magic

Also reading Land of the Blindfolded. More high school antics, this time the main characters have special powers to see into the future and past.
User avatar
Silent_X
Salami Commander
Posts: 426
Joined: Thu Dec 13, 2007 1:59 pm
Favorite series: Den-O
2nd Favorite Series: Gekiranger
Alignment: Chaotic Neutral

Post by Silent_X »

I'm not really one to read Web-comics that have a story,

Penny Arcade
http://www.penny-arcade.com/
Video Game Satire. I might not always agree with them, but I do find them funny.

Twisted kaiju Theater (warning may be NSFW)
http://www.neomonsterisland.com/
Just something I found while looking for info on Godzilla, I read through the archive and now I only check up on it every couple of weeks.

Septim's Pride
http://unix.eng.ua.edu/~rhino/
A cool Webcomic made using The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion.
Any fan of the series will enjoy it. He hasn't updated in awhile though.

Cyanide and Happiness
http://explosm.net/
Funny guilty pleasure comedy style comic.

The Book of Biff
http://www.thebookofbiff.com/
funny one panel comics that useli a lot of non-sequiturs and puns.

VG cats
http://vgcats.com/
I'm sure most have heard of this one.
my friend recommended it so I read through the archive and check for updates.
not really one of my favorites, but it is something to look forward to.

Lilformers
http://www.lilformers.com/home.php
Funny one panel SD transformers comic.
He mainly just sticks to G1 stuff, but he branches off in a few of them.


As fir Graphic Novels I can't really say as it doesn't take to long to get through one.
I will talk about what I've read recently and what I plan to read soon.

I haven't really read in Manga in a few years, but I have been reading through IDW's Transformers G1 restart series.
http://idwpublishing.com/titles/tf-headquarters.shtml

It started with me buying the Optimus Prime spotlight*, because t talked about previous Prime and I alway find that interesting, I also picked the spotlights for Ultra Magnus and Hot Rod because they are my favorite G1 characters.(I eventually all the other spotlights they had there also, still missing two from the series,)

Then after I read them I went online to learn more about the series.
Learned that the trade paper packs are 4-6 issue story arcs so I decided pick them up one at a time.
so I picked up Infiltration, Stormbringer, and Escalation when I could. Very good reads.
Recently as sub-story called Megatron Origins was released in Trade Paper Back format.
I went down my local comic book store (a few weeks after the release of the book) and found out they don't have it,
so I had them order it for me. I hope to read it soon.

I also want to read their Beast Wars stuff eventually.

*a Spotlight is an issue that focuses on one character and may or may not have anything to do with the current story in the main series.
I may be lying
Image
Disclaimer: I do not endorse HeadOn; it is barely anything more than a stick of wax. I am simply using it as a Transformers joke.
User avatar
KRendBlade
Kamen Knight
Posts: 475
Joined: Thu Dec 13, 2007 12:33 pm

Post by KRendBlade »

8-Bit Theater
http://nuklearpower.com/
It uses a lot of sprite art from the early Final Fantasy series, but it went way off course in respect to the storyline, and the result is pretty twisted. Kinda wordy, but really funny.

Dragon Mango
http://dragon-mango.com/
A bit cutesy, but still pretty funny. It plays around with the normal conventions of fantasy (dragon slayers, grunts, etc.)

Other than that, it's a combination of some of the stuff above me. And as for comics, well, I'm an old-school manga fan: Black Jack, Skull Man, Jojo's Bizarre Adventure, stuff like that. But I cheak out modern stuff too; I've been reading Kamen Rider Spirits - well, I don't think it counts as reading if you're looking at the pretty pictures, but I read synopses to make sense of it. And I'm hunting down the second copy of Capcom vs. SNK 2.
Image
KrimzonKaiser
Kamen Knight
Posts: 320
Joined: Thu Dec 13, 2007 9:15 pm
Favorite series: 仮面ライダーW
2nd Favorite Series: 仮面ライダーアギト
Dreamy: 森カンナ
Favorite Actor?: 桐山 漣
Favorite Band: Metal. 'Nuff said.
Alignment: Neutral Evil
My boom: 仮面ライダーディケイド
Location: 居場所とかどうでもいいだろ!
Contact:

Post by KrimzonKaiser »

Graphic Novel:
BLEACH. I've been following the recent scanlations and am really liking how things have gone with the recent battles of the Gotei 13 captains against Aizen's Espada (Mayuri vs. Szayel Aporro = o.0!!). Oh, and I've finally gotten the whole library of current BLEACH volumes.

B****es don't know 'bout my å
That Guy
Save the life
Posts: 2341
Joined: Sat Dec 15, 2007 10:16 pm
Favorite series: Gurren-Lagann
2nd Favorite Series: Shinkenger
Dreamy: Ozu Urara
Favorite Actor?: Hosokawa Shigeki
Favorite Band: Disturbed
Alignment: Neutral Good
My boom: Gurren-Lagann
Location: Georgia, US

Post by That Guy »

WEBCOMICS

Sugar Bits
http://sugar.snafu-comics.com/
By Bleedman. Need I say more? For those not familiar with his work, acquaint yourself immediately if not sooner. The combination of his gifted dramatic storytelling and excellent art skills create believable characters with distinct personalities that you can remember easily. I cannot express how awesome his works are.

Grim Tales From Down Below
http://grim.snafu-comics.com/
Another Bleedman, based loosely on The Grim Adventures of Billy and Mandy, set in a future where Grim and Mandy are married and have kids, fittingly named Grim Jr. and Minimandy. Oh, and Jack Skellington is Grim's brother. The drama in this one is epic, although it's on hold indefinitely so Bleed can work on Sugar Bits, his first 100% original story.

Powerpuff Girls Doujinshi
http://ppg.snafu-comics.com/
Yep, this is another Bleedman series. It's exactly what the title makes it sound like, and true to Bleedman fashion, it's a drama combining just about every classic Cartoon Cartoon you can think of into one universe. It's set a few years later than the TV series, with the girls in 4th grade, and it may be one of the best things I've ever read. It's also on hold, the second half will be up once Grim Tales concludes.

Ever After
http://ea.snafu-comics.com/
NOT a Bleedman series, but still interesting. A nice twist on some classic fairy tales, and it looks like we're still relatively early in the story, so it's hard to make to much of a judgment call, but I think it's another drama. Endling has a nice realistic art style, and the fact that it's in black and white (except for the intermission crossover with every other series Snafu hosts) kind of gives it a classy feel, IMO. I like it.


MANGA
School Rumble
This is a romantic comedy by Kobayashi Jin, but unlike most rom coms, most of the comedy is actually pretty believable. It's a comedy of errors, but it can be dramatic at times, as well. It centers around a love triangle between the reformed delinquent who loves the clueless, childish, underdeveloped girl who loves the class weirdo who loves...curry. The cast is quite diverse, and very realistic, but all silly enough to keep it from being a serious story. This is quite possibly the best story of its kind since Love Hina, and it's been adapted into two excellent anime series as well. There are hopes for a third, but they are diminishing quickly. It's published by Del Rey in America, and for those who don't know, they're one of the best authentic manga publishers because they don't censor and they include translation notes to help you understand the puns, culture, and references that may have gotten lost in translation or be otherwise unfamiliar. With SR, they even kept the names in standard Japanese order to preserve more of the humor. I recommend that everybody read this.

Naruto
The epic tale of everybody's favorite blonde ninja in orange and his journey towards becoming Hokage. I doubt there's a single person here that hasn't at least heard of it, it's so popular. I love the characters, I love the fights, and I like how everything is finally being explained in the most recent chapters. A great series. And Viz has kindly put out every volume through 27 for us, with no fewer than 12 in the last four months, to push it ahead of the dubbed anime and into Part II starting this month.
User avatar
takenoko
Team Baron
Team Baron
Posts: 36700
Joined: Mon Dec 10, 2007 8:33 pm
Gender: Toast
Favorite series: All of them
Alignment: Neutral
My boom: stick
Quote: <Lunagel> That's Toei's dumb fault
Type: ISFJ Protector
Location: Yami ni umare, yami ni kisu
Contact:

Post by takenoko »

I didn't include PA, because everyone reads that one. XD That and VG and Lilformers are all very cool

I tried Twisted Kaiju before, but didn't get all the references, plus it's super long, so I couldn't get into it.

I do read Cyanide, but I didn't list it because it can be super offensive XD

8-bit I loved in the beginning, but it doesn't seem that funny anymore?

Ha, I remember the PPGZ doujin from long ago. I don't get CN, so the references flew over my head.
User avatar
Sho-saka
NagoSan
Posts: 805
Joined: Sat Dec 15, 2007 4:29 am
Favorite series: Zero Punctuation
Dreamy: You tell me...
Favorite Actor?: Sato Takeru-san
Favorite Band: Erm...any?
My boom: Away with the faerys
Location: Being Sarcastic Somewhere; Smirking at You. lol
Contact:

Post by Sho-saka »

Webcomics

San: Three Kingdom Comic: If you're a fan a Dynasty Warriors/The Three Kingdoms novel/whatever, then you'll probably want to take a look. It has some funny references to the modern culture too and it's very funny! ^_^

VGCats: Obviously, any video games fan should know this funny webcomic.

And that's about probably it for the webcomic stuff.

Graphic Novel/Manga

Got too many to list, but I'll give you the top five:

1. Fushigi Yuugi Genbu Gaiden: I've been a fan of Yuu Watase's work and the Genbu Gaiden arc actually makes me smile a lot, due to the fact that the female lead character isn't really annoying like the original one, PLUS! She can fight! And the character development, as well as the storyline is getting better.
2. Absolute Boyfriend: Another work by Yuu Watase, let's just say that it's like Chobits for girls.
3. Murder Princess: Only 2 volumes, but I love the characters, artwork and I'm a bit of a Sekihiko Inui fangirl, after I got the whole Comic Party volumes.
4. Yotsuba&!: Whoever hasn't heard of Kiyohiko Azuma's latest work should hang himself/herself in shame. I love the fact that the manga revolves around the titular character (Yotsuba) and the whole world in her eyes as she's only five years old. That manga always make me laugh. And I swear, I WILL get the 4th volume!
5. Nodame Cantabile: Huge fan of the JDrama, as well as the anime (though I prefer the JDrama as the characters bring so much personality in life, especially Nodame and Chiaki's relationship with each other), so I thought I give this manga a go. And it's still funny, even though the anime and the JDrama ended where Nodame and Chiaki went to Paris in the next arc.
User avatar
Alara Moonrunner
Gabu
Posts: 320
Joined: Wed Dec 12, 2007 10:29 am
Favorite Band: Depends on the day
Alignment: Chaotic Neutral
My boom: Music
Location: Somewhere I am queen...
Contact:

Post by Alara Moonrunner »

Webcomics:

Alpha Luna

-werewolf comic set in present day.

Black Tapestries

-About a drifter called Lorelei (Lore) and the various problems she runs into, has an anthro slant as well as being fantasy.

Manga:

Hellsing - Dark humor and has supernatural elements set in a modern day period
Loveless - Yaoi/shonen-ai
Flame of Recca - Ninja and swords... :D
User avatar
shadowneko003
Rank Gone due to timeline changes
Posts: 913
Joined: Tue Dec 11, 2007 5:16 pm
Favorite series: Abaranger
Favorite Band: Cascada
Alignment: Chaotic Neutral
Quote: Her boyfriend's a pilot
Location: Los Angeles

Post by shadowneko003 »

@Sho-saka: Murder Princess Fan!! YAY!

Currently reading

Manga:
http://www.mangaupdates.com/mylist.html ... &list=read
Image
LJ Blogger
Do not PM me about DDL links. Please report them here in the correct forum

YES, we know our DDL links are dead! READ THIS.
Silentwolfdog
Save the life
Posts: 1501
Joined: Sat Dec 15, 2007 8:57 pm
Favorite series: Garo (and many more)
Alignment: Neutral Good
My boom: Iljimae 枝梅
Quote: I have loved the stars too fondly to be fearful of the night.
Contact:

Re: What web comics and graphic novels are you reading?

Post by Silentwolfdog »

Eh, I have vol 1 of School Rumble and I couldn't even finish it. Didn't like it.

Manga:

"InuYasha", the first manga that introducted me to the world of manga because of the anime.

Next one was "Rebirth" by Woo (a korean manga) and I loved it. Everything in that manga was opposite. Light is evil and darkness is good but that's not their truest purpose. Vampire is anti-hero, which still kill people to feed himself and he's just happens to be the world's only savior against the god of Light. It got perverted humor despite the seriousness of the story. I liked the art style. I feel like this is a good manga that's nobody is reading. It's just made me proud that I picked a good manga that isn't popular or overhyped or whatever. But maybe that's just me. lol

"Ghost Hunt" Another interesting manga, I felt like I learned a lot from reading it. Got characters from varied backgrounds, which is bonus.

I just got into "Hana Kimi" and "Aishiteruze Baby." Hey! I just needed a little romantic story. I am unable to find manga that got both action/fantasy and romantic/comedy that's suit for a girl reader. So I just read manga filled with action/fantasy then for the next time, its manga filled with romantic/comedy.

InuYasha is the only manga I know that got both. :/

I liked Naruto as well. Planning to get all volume of it someday.
Showa wa yume ga atta jidai dakedo, ima wa yume ga nai
User avatar
takenoko
Team Baron
Team Baron
Posts: 36700
Joined: Mon Dec 10, 2007 8:33 pm
Gender: Toast
Favorite series: All of them
Alignment: Neutral
My boom: stick
Quote: <Lunagel> That's Toei's dumb fault
Type: ISFJ Protector
Location: Yami ni umare, yami ni kisu
Contact:

Re: What web comics and graphic novels are you reading?

Post by takenoko »

Silentwolfdog wrote: am unable to find manga that got both action/fantasy and romantic/comedy that's suit for a girl reader. So I just read manga filled with action/fantasy then for the next time, its manga filled with romantic/comedy.
A lot of shoujo manga is like that actually. One of my favorite is Card Captor Sakura, although a recent manga that I read "Ultra Maniac" is also really good. Both full of magic using and mixmatch relationships.

If you're looking for something more serious, I'd highly recommend Red River. It's about a girl who goes to a magical ancient era. The first two volumes are kind of slow, but then she starts pulling her weight and doing a bunch of "miracles" that are entertaining to watch. I'll write a full review later
Silentwolfdog
Save the life
Posts: 1501
Joined: Sat Dec 15, 2007 8:57 pm
Favorite series: Garo (and many more)
Alignment: Neutral Good
My boom: Iljimae 枝梅
Quote: I have loved the stars too fondly to be fearful of the night.
Contact:

Re: What web comics and graphic novels are you reading?

Post by Silentwolfdog »

Actually I am looking for something, which is hard for me to explain.

Think of Kamen Rider but have female as main character and have a bit romantic element thrown in. Or even Garo, but with female heroine instead. Those costumes and powers that you usually never see on female.

I don't want something like Sailor Moon or Catwoman or something that make them look girly or sexy. This is one reason I don't really like reading superheroine from western comics because of way they were drawn which target the male audience. I just feel like shoujo manga is for girly type of readers. Maybe I just haven't looked at right place.

I am one of those tomboy girl who just like badass thing, not girly thing, but still am a romantic girl at heart. I do want to see girl in badass costume fighting an awesome battle and managed to save the cute boy at the end.

Hope this make some sense? Because it's really hard to explain.
Showa wa yume ga atta jidai dakedo, ima wa yume ga nai
User avatar
Bauffie
Save the life
Posts: 1362
Joined: Tue Dec 11, 2007 9:46 pm
Dreamy: Nakatsu Shuichi
Favorite Actor?: Matsuyama Kenichi
Favorite Band: Gazette
Alignment: Chaotic Neutral
My boom: Hayami's trendy hat
Location: Batcave
Contact:

Re: What web comics and graphic novels are you reading?

Post by Bauffie »

Have you tried My-Hime? I only watched the anime but I heard the manga was great as well. It takes place in a modern world where some (naturally?) selected girls have powers and must use them to fight each other. For comedy... how about a tsundere who collects underwear? Romance, badass fighting, comedy, feminism, a bunch of awesome characters. My-Hime got it all!

The number one shoujo manga I'll recommend is Lady Oscar / The Rose of Versailles. Of all existing mangas, this is a MUST. It was made in the 1970s but y'know how classics are indispensable. It's about a woman who was forced to lead her life as a man during the French Revolution. As a woman, she is a rare pearl. As a man, she is a strong military commander. That's why she struggles between her duty towards her country and a love she had in her youth. When I read the review pages at the beginning of the huge brick, I was skeptic because it was said that Lady Oscar was so grand that it influenced countless readers and many of them even decided to major in French culture and whatnot. But yeah, it really is that great. Man or woman, you'll love The Rose of Versailles. >_> Go get it now! Only 2 bricks of about 30 bucks each!

Phew... so, erm, web comics eh? I read... C&H. XD
Last edited by Bauffie on Sun May 11, 2008 7:40 pm, edited 3 times in total.
Image
User avatar
Kogashi
Yggdrasill Dog
Yggdrasill Dog
Posts: 3169
Joined: Tue Dec 18, 2007 2:33 am
Favorite series: Gaim
2nd Favorite Series: Shinkenger
Alignment: Neutral Good
My boom: OK KO Let's Be Heroes
Quote: Man should not live on carbohydrates alone, complex or otherwise.
Type: ENFJ Teacher
Location: San Francisco, CA
Contact:

Re: What web comics and graphic novels are you reading?

Post by Kogashi »

Hmm, web comic wise... geez I used to read alot. C.A.D., MegaTokyo, RPGWorld, Adventurers (Think that's what it would called, I forget now), Anti-Hero for Hire, 8-Bit Theater, now-a-days I'm lucky to remember to check VGCats ever now and then.

Manga wise, let's see. Hellsing, Full Metal Alchemist, Trigun, 3x3 Eyes, Battle Angle Alita, Kingdom Hearts, Read or Die, Jojo's Bizarre Adventure, Negima, Princess Resurrection, Yu Yu Hakusho, And Dragon Half... Think that's all of them.
READING TOO MUCH INTO THINGS![/size] including random over analysis rants on pop culture, and Tokusatsu series reviews, if Toei gets off my back for long enough. Also follow on twitter @R2TMIT, or facebook.com/R2TMIT
User avatar
takenoko
Team Baron
Team Baron
Posts: 36700
Joined: Mon Dec 10, 2007 8:33 pm
Gender: Toast
Favorite series: All of them
Alignment: Neutral
My boom: stick
Quote: <Lunagel> That's Toei's dumb fault
Type: ISFJ Protector
Location: Yami ni umare, yami ni kisu
Contact:

Re: What web comics and graphic novels are you reading?

Post by takenoko »

>This is one reason I don't really like reading superheroine from western comics because of way they were drawn which target the male audience.

Does not compute!

>I just feel like shoujo manga is for girly type of readers. Maybe I just haven't looked at right place.

When I think of shoujo I think of unbelievable romance stories, maybe that's just me

>I am one of those tomboy girl who just like badass thing, not girly thing, but still am a romantic girl at heart. I do want to see girl in badass costume fighting an awesome battle and managed to save the cute boy at the end.

The girl in Red River is flat chested, the rich noble women often make fun of her for being so plain (and they hate her for always capturing the prince(s) attention)

Actually Bauff's example reminds me of one of my favorite anime series. Legend of Basara. The premise is that their is a legend of a chosen savior. The story is about this twin brother and sister and the brother is the chosen savior. Then the brother gets beheaded, so the sister dresses up as her brother and leads her people or something. Of course there's a crazy love story in it as well. The anime ends in a cliffhanger, but luckily I saw the manga in the back room. So I must wait patiently for more Red River and Legend of Basara to be processed.
Post Reply

Return to “Manga/Comics”