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!
