All posts by J. Nisen

Webcomic Wednesday A-Z: Lucky Ducky

Webcomic Wednesday finds us feeling divided on the issues of the day. We turn to the Web to distract us — or inform us — with satire and amusing cartooning.

During a several-week period when Uncle Sam has revealed itself to be delving into some nasty business (two IRS scandals, the NSA spying stuff, etc.), we submit that the time is right for some biting socio-political satire. And since we’re on letter “L,” this means we have to cheat (just a little) and recommend Lucky Ducky — which is not exactly its own comic, but a recurring comic under the vaster heading of Tom the Dancing Bug, the wonderful full-pager by Ruben Bolling, hosted online by Boing Boing. (We did tease this last week in the intro; check it out, it’s true.)

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American Chibi, the Uncanny Valley, and the Grotesque Genius of Astro City

You ever heard the term “uncanny valley”? It’s generally used to describe animated computer renderings of humans that achieve an amount of realism that just falls short of believable, causing people to find it revolting. The arch example of this is probably Tom Hanks’ animated vehicle The Polar Express, but there are many others to be found. But not generally in comics*, which tend to conform to house styles or individual artist styles, and the 2-D probably helps prevent even the most realistically rendered art from approaching uncanny valley territory. But then Kurt Busiek and Brent Anderson, in the new iteration of their classic title Astro City #1, had to introduce their newest hero “American Chibi.” And we all say “yuck.” Because it works.

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Webcomic Wednesday A-Z: The K Chronicles

Hey Kids! It’s Another Webcomic Wednesday! While comic fans with so-called “incomes” can enjoy printed funnybooks, the budget-conscious must turn to the World Wide Web to enjoy the free, online versions. The surprise is that stuff on el web is just as good or better than the pulp-mill-produced publications. And you Lucky Duckies can feel free to enjoy web comics too!

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Webcomic Wednesday A-Z: Jackdaw

Stop me if you’ve heard this before: rich corporate type takes to wearing a mask and fighting crime by night, accompanied by a sidekick. Okay, I’ve stopped. But how about this: the story is told using really interesting art (grey pencils, lots of shading) and from the point of view of the sidekick — who is not only more or less a grownup (early 20s, I’m thinking), but is a woman, and, so far, the position seems like more of a career position than the Batman-esque crime-fighting family dynamic.

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Webcomic Wednesday A-Z: I Taste Sound

Welcome to Webcomic Wednesday; while all you people with “jobs” scurry off to enjoy the Geek Sabbath (a.k.a. New Comics Day), we weary Web warriors must make due with the free, online version. But that’s okay; today’s entry is better than 98% of the crap available on the spinner racks.

I Taste Sound is a damned funny (and largely NSFW) collection of comics from Mike Riley.

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Justice League Animated Hits Netflix; Here Are Our Top 10 Episodes

Justice League has arrived on Netflix Streaming.

Just this week, Netflix Streaming rolled out a ton of animated, geeky goodness, including the likes of Regular Show, Adventure Time, Scooby-Doo! Mystery Incorporated, Archer, Batman Beyond, Batman: The Brave and the Bold, Powerpuff Girls, Problem Solverz, Dexter’s Lab, Foster’s Home, Grim Adventures of Billy & Mandy, Venture Brothers . . .

And, most significantly for the superhero-obsessed, the recent Justice League animated series. Both of ’em — Justice League, which focuses on the big seven (Superman, Green Lantern, Flash, Wonder Woman, Martian Manhunter, the Flash, and Hawkgirl) and Justice League Unlimited (JLU), which brings in DC Comics heroes by the truckload.

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