Every Sunday, the same old comics are available in the Funnies. Some people like Peanuts, some like Garfield, and there are even some people who like Family Circus. There are others who are not satisfied by such meager offerings. They prefer things that end in “.com” or other such internet nonsense.
Remember how the people with personal organizers used to just be geeks? And now everyone can enjoy them. Hopefully online comics can be spread the same way, and it is my goal to help them spread. Each comic has its own special style, so sit back, relax, and immerse yourself in the world of geekery that is online comics.
Penny Arcadewww.penny-arcade.com
From what I can gather, two guys who basically just play video games decided to draw themselves playing video games. This is more interesting than it sounds because 1) they draw exceedingly well, and 2) they make fun of themselves.
They make lots of jokes about how all they do is play video games, have no lives, and are generally not “cool.”
A lot of their jokes make fun of video games and video game related issues as well. Luckily, these are not usually obscure video games. They talk about things that other people might know about, like “X-box” or “PlayStation 2.”
Apart from making fun of video games and the people who play them, Penny Arcade is a glimpse into the mind of your average video gamer. It allows people who do not play video games to observe the gamers in their natural habitat ? the couch.
User Friendlywww.userfriendly.com
As the name indicates, User Friendly is a comic revolving mostly around computer humor. It takes place in the offices of a technology corporation. It tells the story about the people who work there, a living dust-puppy and a song-writing computer named Erwin. While the artwork leaves something to be desired, the humor that is present certainly makes up for it.
Things you should know before starting to read this comic:
1) “Quake” is a first person shooter. More generally, it is a video game. Ranking in it and similar games determine alpha-male status among geeks.
2) “Open source” is not as intimidating as it sounds. “Open source” refers to software that people are allowed to change and modify. They hate Microsoft.
3) There is likely a geek on your floor somewhere. If you don’t get a joke, ask them to explain it to you. Many geeks are friendly.
Sluggy Freelancewww.sluggy.com
This comic follows the misadventures of Torg and Riff, a couple of regular guys. They play video games, talk about girls and accidentally get lost in other dimensions. Riff is an inventor whose inventions sometimes (i.e. all the time) malfunction in comical ways.
The comic also stars Gweyn and Zoe, Riff and Torg’s next door neighbors, a very distractable ferret, a man-eating alien, a switch-blade, and the talking bunny rabbit who wields it.
Sound weird? It is. Don’t start reading thinking this is going to be “For Better or For Worse.” This comic is odd, but it is also quality humor. The archives of the strip are available online at the website, and goes back to August of 1997.
