Hi everyone,

I get asked a lot hey what webcomics do you read. Then when I say Gunnerkrigg Court is the only one I read regularly. By read regularly, I mean it is an update today so as I check my email and and drink my coffee, it is one of the first sites I check. It’s usually met with shock. If I extend the list to who do I read on and off Family Man, Hanna is Not a Boys Name, and Penny Arcade get add to the list. Then someone will say well you should read this one and I tell them oh I’ve read it just I don’t read it now.

Most webcomics I’m aware of and look at when someone I’m talking to brings it up. This is because usually I prefer story comics over a throw away gag (I very rarely bookmark a gag webcomic because if the strip is funny I have sends that will send me the really good ones). So gagstrips I usually only look at when a friend messages me “Have you seen today’s _____________?” And then because I prefer stories, I don’t like reading page at a time and I don’t like reading large chunks online. So while I don’t read Templar Arizona online, I own all the books and can tell you all about why EJ is my favorite character. Also I read chapter 1 and 2 of The Meek all in one go. I honestly probably won’t read Chapter 3 until it’s all up. (P.S. If you don’t already you should read The Meek. It’s very good)

So I don’t read many webcomics, but I’m familiar with them. Also, I won’t lie, my experience as a reader has effected how Sorcery 101 is run. I don’t miss updates because I’m sad every time Dylan Meconis is too busy/sick to update Family Man. I like to read in chunks, which is why the archive is just a listing of title pages. I am on the edge of making a new RSS feed that is just a this chapter has finished message. And I think once I’m done fixing/redoing art for Sorcery 101 books (I’m done at what will be book 4), I’m going to start a second comic that will post a big 24 page at a time once a month.

But I think it’s interesting I don’t often get “What comes do you read?” As I thought about that fact and continued to talk to people, a comment about XKCD struck me. “Randall Munroe doesn’t tell his fans, which cons he’s going to because they aren’t webcomic fans they are just XKCD fans. So if they take over the con it would kill everyone else’s sales.” I don’t know if that is true or not about Randall or his fans just the statement struck me. It’s kinda the whole a square is a rectangle, but a rectangle isn’t nessicarily a square statement. I have just approaching webcomics as part of a bigger grouping of comics. In my head there is Manga, Superhero stuff, Indy stuff, Webcomics, Newspapers, and European comics all fall under the term comics. Learning from all of them helps everyone get better. Just if you are paying attention to 1, you might forget to look at or be unaware of the rest.

So I’m gonna show you who I’m looking at.

But for the most part I’m going to avoid webcomics because since I read so few webcomics, I know the ones I would talk about are already being talked about by everyone else.

So from now on at least once a month I’m going to do a write up about an artist that I really like and enjoy. I’ll talk about why and let you know where you can find more of this artist’s stuff. And I’m sure most people who pay attention you will recognize the names from other sections of comics if you pay attention to them. They aren’t going to be super obscure or anything. Most of them are at least semi well-know. I’m also probably gonna throw in some animators and some film makers, because while they overlap with comics a bit.

So I hope they are all informative once they start up and that you enjoy them.

First up: Jill Thompson