Archive for December, 2006

And the winner is…


rocket-builder.gifAfter much deliberation Webcomic of the Year is awarded to I am a rocket builder. It was actually today’s update that clinched it. The surreal humour, the innovative use of flash and the interwoven narrative make this my favourite comic of ’06. Only this comic could get you wondering about the Lemur uprising of ’68, it is brilliant.

spqrblues_olc_logo.pngThe award for Best Writer goes to SPQR Blues. This comic remains engaging and intriguing in-spite of (or maybe because of) its daily strip format. Felix is an incredibly sympathetic character and as a reader you’ll really care for him. Also Domitian is certainly one of the more memorable scumbags in the comic world. The greatest achievement here is to weave a fictional character into historical events and make it work.

Unity RisingBest Artist goes to Robert Deas for Unity Rising. I initially critiqued his style way back in my first Instrument of war review but what can I say I’ve seen the light. Deas achieves a great deal of expression and dynamism with a few lines. The art suits his material perfectly and encapsulates the epic feel of his comic. I also feel that he has great composition within individual frames, which are well balanced and draw the eye through the story with pace. Good stuff.

rocket-builder.gifI am a rocket builder picks up a second award for Originality and Invention. The use of Flash is used well to aid the narrative and humour, rather than just being a gimmick. The material is amazingly fresh and inventive as it interweaves four (soon to be five) separate narratives. The characters are intriguing, funny and sympathetic. Where else are you going to interactively follow a deposed sparrow tyrant around the insides of a mutant fish?

Best Webcomic of the Year: I am a Rocket builder

Best Writing: Klio for SPQR Blues

Best Artist: Robert Deas for Unity Rising

Award for Originality and Invention: Cave Monster A.K.A B. Shur for I am a rocket builder

Honourable mentions for Uku by Otto for a great piece of visual storytelling with sumptuous art and Antagonist by Swimming Trunks for great meta textual elements and humour. I’d suggest you check out all of the nominees’ comics and decide for yourself.

2006
12/31
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Geekies announcement


The Geekies will be awarded Sunday night. Last chance for you to make your case for your favourite comic.

2006
12/29
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The Geekies: WebComic of the year 2006


After a great deal of consideration I’m about ready to name a WebComic of the year.

The ground rules for the competition are fairly straightforward. The webcomic must have been reviewed on this site at least once. Any comic that had been awarded the monthly prize will be granted especial consideration. Also the amount of interest generated from a review will also impact on the decision as will the regularity of updates to the titles in question. There will be awards for Best WebComic, Best Art, Best Writing and Originality and innovation.

There are a number of nominees this year:

Instrument of War and Unity Rising by Robert Deas.

Activities for Rainy Days by Jessica Mcleod.

Antagonist by Swimming Trunks.

Uku by Otto Uhrwerk van Germain.

Withershins by Kelly Michael Kotulak.

SPQR Blues by Klio

I am a rocket builder by Cavemonster.

AlphaShade by by Christopher and Joseph Brudlos.

Dreamwalker Chronicles by Daryl Toh

I’m only sorry I had to narrow down the field so much and leave out so many great comics. If you have an opinion on who should win and why? please leave a comment. Your views will have an impact.

2006
12/28
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Merry Christmas


Seasons greetings to you all.  I’ve been a little remiss in posting of late as I’ve been preparing for Christmas and imminent fatherhood.  I’ve also been reading a number of comics and I will post a review or two soon.  In the future updates may be intermittent until I adjust to the new baby.  If you don’t here from me then the baby has arrived.  🙂

2006
12/23
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Blastwave Broken


It looks like the rare updates are even less likely to appear as Lemmeti’s webpage is broken.  No more Gone with the Blastwave for a while at least. 😦 I’ll let you know when it’s back up.

2006
12/18
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Breakfast of the Gods


botg1cover.jpgBreakfast of the Gods is an utterly surreal strip by Brendan Douglas that takes its inspiration from breakfast cereal characters. In the words of Tony the Tiger its greaat! You wouldn’t normally expect a great deal from a comic that makes a feature of cereal box characters. However, this comic takes these familiar characters and gives them a unique twist.

The comic features the evil plots of Count Chocula and his abduction of various familiar characters. I have to say I found myself cheering for Chocula at a few points as he tortured some of the more annoying characters (Snap, Crackle and Pop have had it coming for some time). The artist has depicted Chocula and chums as a suitably sinister nemesis. Douglas even manages to make Tony the tiger sympathetic. For this feat alone you should be impressed (god is Tony annoying or what? He’s only exceeded in irritant factor by the aforementioned crispy elves).

The artist creates a coherent and intriguing world with a compelling storyline that has all the drama of a Wagnerian epic. Think the ring cycle meets coco-pops and you’re on the right wavelength.

The artwork is just as glossy as its source material but with a cartoonish dynamism that carry’s the narrative forward at an arresting pace. The key difference is of course the violence. This is not for the kiddies, unless there twisted kiddies like I was, who would pay good money to see the Honey Monster whacked.

I’m hungry for the next exciting installment.

2006
12/18
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New look Geek


What do you think of the new look? The silver design was okay but there wasn’t a lot of contrast. Also most of the sidebar details ended up at the bottom of the page, at least with this design most of the items are in view.  I hope it doesn’t look to I-pod.  I just wanted something fresh and minimalistic.

2006
12/17
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A selection from the cheeseboard


pdrei15.gifProtektor Drei By Gerry Swanson is a tongue in cheek homage come parody to Giant mecha and monster movies. Bear with me here but this comic starts off when a German speaking pre-Sumerian civilisation, that just happens to be located on the American Continent, creates Protektor Drei to defend the world against badly drawn extra-dimensional monsters. Fast forward three thousand years and the giant mecha awakes and starts to rampage.

The artwork is reminiscent of Godzilla movies, in that its a bit naff and unconvincing but the audience doesn’t care. I don’t mean any disrespect here as it definitely has charm. Plenty of cheesy fun to be had here. If you like to watch mass destruction and dialogue with a hint of fromage then this is the comic for you.

saturn_bio.jpgJohnny Saturn by Scott Story (artist, co-writer), and Benita Story (letterer, co-writer) is a homage to silver age comics. It tells the tale of human punchbag Johnny Saturn and his one man mission to stop Dr Synn’s campaign of terror. It starts off with a good old Butch and Sundance battle between the Utopian and Johnny. Their relationship has taken more than a little inspiration from the problematic relationship between Supes and the Batman.

I think we can safely say that the comic has its tongue firmly in cheek with characters like Madame Fishnet. The character design and storyline are one hundred percent pulp (The Utopian makes the Beyonder look like a style guru).

The art is excellently drawn and reminds me of Marvel and DC comics from the 70’s and 80’s not only in style but also through the colouring, lettering and typography.

This comic puts the kitsch back into kapow. Go retro and give it a read.

2006
12/16
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Under the weather


I’ve got a case of man-flu and therefore I’m feeling far too sorry for myself to write a proper post.  I’ll update in the morning when I’ve had some sleep.

2006
12/15
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Magic Mushrooms anyone?


fgcomic_link.gifFungus Grotto is an intriguing title by Shatia Hamilton. This comic is just starting up and its a slow burn to begin with introducing the protagonist Vielle as she is about to leave home and venture into a wider world. However, she takes a very different journey than she was expecting. The creator warns that this modern fairytale is rated for older teens only as it will contain profanity, violence and nudity. In spite of the warnings this is a gentle start that takes a decidedly surreal twist. The only thing assaulting the reader’s eyes so far is the sumptuous artwork. The colours are amazing and the detail in the drawing is superb. I’ll be keeping tabs on this and I hope that the rest of the comic matches the quality of the artwork.

2006
12/13
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