Webcomic Round-Up!

Sometimes during office hours I need something fun to read on my computer… and that’s when I turn to webcomics.  I’m terrible at finding new webcomics to read (I was introduced to most of these by recommendations from friends) so, in case you have the same problem, I thought I would share this list with y’all!  (And if you have any favorites, please comment below!  I’d love to try them!)

Webcomics come in a couple of different flavors.  There are the one-off, classic comic strips where one day’s post includes the whole story and gag.  While some of these have recurring characters and can be enhanced by reading in order, others can be read in any order.  There are the continuing original stories like graphic novel series, some of which have been updating for years (and years and years).  And there are the parody series.

Even though I enjoy the long stories more, I do better at keeping up with the one-off strips.  I get too frustrated waiting for the story authors to post!  I think, “I’ll wait until a bunch of new strips have piled up,” and then I forget to go back and check!

One-offs

 

Xkcd – For the scientist in you.  Makes me grin.

PhD comics – For the frustrated graduate student.  Start at the beginning for most fun!  Students in science and English struggle through the graduate program, beset by trials on every side.

Introvert Doodles – For the introvert and socially anxious.  (If the ads won’t load or let you through to the strip, you’re not alone.) 

Pocket Princesses – What if the Disney princesses were all roommates?

Strange Planet – What if aliens had to deal with life on Earth?  (I LOVE their perspective on cats.)

Original Stories

 

PS238 – What is ordinary Todd doing at a secret elementary school for superpowered kids?  This is SUCH a good series with a strong ensemble cast.  It is twenty volumes in… and PG-rated.

Use Sword on Monster – By the same author as PS238.  What if ordinary people had to fight the fantasy monsters that were suddenly appearing on earth?

Namesake – The plot is kind of complicated, so I’ll use the blurb from the website: When Emma lands in another world following a library fire, she discovers she’s a Namesake — a person with the power to open portals to other worlds via the power of their names: strange, fantasy, and fairy-tale lands we know thanks to literature, cinema, and folk tales. The rules of Namesakes are quite clear - Alices always go to Wonderland. Wendys always go to Neverland. However, Emma finds herself in Oz, where she is expected to act as the latest in a long line of Dorothies. She instead unveils a magical conspiracy plot that’s more than 100 years in the making.  This is a fun series, very creative, with heroes you love to love and villains you love to hate.  I’d say it’s PG-13 or TV-14 due to some thematic elements.  (Author is not writing from a Christian worldview.)

Parodies

Planet of the Hats – a comedy recap of the Star Trek Original Series.  As a life-long Trekkie, I’ve read the whole comic twice and nearly died laughing both times.

The other parodies that I’ve read have a very specific formula.  They take a piece of media and retell the story using screencaps—but these stories are retold with a twist: they assume that the characters are actually characters in a fantasy roleplaying campaign.

DM of the Rings – The Lord of the Rings as a D&D campaign.  Apparently, this is the series that popularized this webcomic format.  Personally it’s one of my least favorites, because the players are all very grumpy and uncooperative.  TV-14.

Darths and Droids – This long-running series will someday have covered all of the Star Wars movies.  So far, they’ve done Episodes 1-6 and Rogue One.  Best enjoyed if you start at the beginning of the comic, as the same players are playing through most of the series (though they take on new characters when old ones die).  Well worth reading even if (like me) you can take Star Wars or leave it alone.

Friendship is Dragons – This series does the new animated My Little Pony show Friendship is Magic as a roleplaying game!  I’m only 200 posts in, but so far it’s been very funny.  (And has almost made me want to go watch the show, which I did not anticipate.)

What are your favorite webcomics?  Have you read any of these? Comment below!