Five Favorite Webcomics

I read a lot of comics when I was a kid - usually in the newspaper - but I wasn't a huge enthusiast of the medium until I hit adulthood. My renewed interest in comics may have actually been spurred on by the number of quality webcomics I encountered while in college. While print in general (and print comics in particular) have been hyped as dying media, the webcomic seems to be blooming - and no one's happier about that than I am.

Here are a couple of my favorite webcomics:

XKCD

Easily among the most famous of webcomics, xkcd mixes math and science with a sharp and sometimes vicious sense of humor. Dabbling in subjects ranging from pop culture to maturity back to modern technology, xkcd is usually good for a chuckle and almost always relevant. Also, it's had a palpable influence on some of my own silly cartoons.

Sample Strips

Grownups
Duty Calls
Dental Nerve

AWESOME HOSPITAL

The newest of the webcomics on my list. While not strictly a superhero comic, Awesome Hospital often nods towards (and mocks) current goings-on in mainstream superhero comics. Beyond that, though, the doctors and nurses of Awesome Hospital exemplify everything that is "awesome" and crank it up to 11. I find the stories a good dose of over-the-top fun.

Sample Strips

I Am Hendrix
Dr. New Country
Dr. Pennyfarthing

NEDROID

Nedroid chronicles the adventures of Beartato and Reginald, two best friends who... do... stuff. Okay, so there's not much of a "plot" to speak of. It's the friendship between the giant bird and the odd little bear monster that makes these jokes so effective - there's a bit of cruelty in their behavior, but it's usually good-natured, born of ignorance rather than malice. Plus, Nedroid revels in absurdity - some strips feel like verbatim conversations I have with my friends in our sillier moods.

Sample Strips

Dare Master
Nice Try Though
You Comics

HARK! A VAGRANT

There aren't enough comics out there that poke fun at history and literature. Hark! A Vagrant tackles subjects on the far end of the nerdery scale from xkcd, revealing that poking fun at Jules Verne is a lot more enjoyable than one would initially think. The artwork seems a bit simplistic, but clever writing and an uncontested control over a particular niche in comedy make this comic a must-read - if your sense of humor's a bit crass.

Sample Strips

Another Case of Watsons
The Younger Self
Jane Austen

Order of the Stick

I've been reading Order of the Stick since college. This comic's probably the most niche-interest of all the webcomics I read - and I'm not even IN that niche. It's a parody webcomic couched in the trappings of an epic fantasy that mocks conventions of role-playing games like Dungeons and Dragons. Now, I'm not a big fan of either fantasy novels or role-playing games (even though I understand most of the rules of both), but I absolutely love this comic - one of the best examples of long-form comic storytelling I've ever seen.

Sample Strips

Armor Begone
Proof That I Am Deeply Disturbed
The Test of the Mind