Quality Webcomics

With so many existing webcomics, how do we know which ones are worth the read? In this day and age, newpaper comics are practically involuble when so many talented artists compete for the same slot. As a result, the internet has become the breeding grounds for numerous comics for our viewing pleasure. Or displeasure.

I'll start by saying that the vast selection gaming webcomics, while occasionally tasteful, are not worth the average reader's time. If you aren't a familiar with games, or the gaming industry, most of the jokes will zoom uncaring over your head. So without further ado:

Wulffmorgenthaler: these guys are spectacular, their risqué humor and expressive artwork is laudable. Hailing from denmark, Mikael Wulff and Anders Morgenthaler really push the NSFW envelope with every sort of rude, controversial gag in the book. The site updates daily, so it's definitely worth a read.

Next is xkcd, a brilliant webcomic that almost seems to be tailored to my taste. Created by Randall Monroe, physics graduate and former NASA employee, his comic gives a skewed mathematical approach to our everyday lives. Love, work and leisure are delightfully treated with the customary nerdiness that comes with studying math, physics and programming.

I'll mention a webcomic that piqued my interest, Garfield minus Garfield, and why this comic is a unearthed gem is hard to explain. What the creator proposes is removing Garfield the cat from various Garfield comics by Jim Davis, and watching the lonely and pathetic Jon Arbuckle get on with his depressing life without the presence of his usual animal company. To quote: "It is a journey deep into the mind of an isolated young everyman as he fights a losing battle against loneliness and depression in a quiet American suburb." The results are hilarious.

A personal favorite, Married to the Sea is a joint effort from Drew and Natalie Dee. It seems they have taken old public domain images (Victorian or otherwise) and combined them with new captions. I guess it's just ridiculous to see these old images getting completely distorted out of recognition, with chuckleworthy conclusions.