Webcomic Roundup: Blast Furnace, PhD Unknown, and more!

Once again, we’re here to take a look at a handful of the multitude of webcomics available on the internet. A few of this week’s choices are actually secondary or tertiary projects of successful creators. These projects that get no less love than the originals, but are a way for the creators to flex their creative muscles in exciting new ways.

First up this week is Blast Furnace. It started as nothing more than an exercise in creativity as creator Ryan Browne decided to do a comic page a day, in one hour, with no planning beforehand. Thrown together at random with whatever plot points happened to rolling around in Browne’s head, the story quickly became about a recreational thief with a flaming tie. It also included turtles from the 70s, kid Draculas, ostriches, and so much more. The story rambles and careens in odd ways, but it makes a weird sort of sense overall. It’s truly a unique comic, in a time when so few can genuinely say that. The time limits and the lack of planning made sure that there was no second guessing on the story, but rather just a pure flow of ideas. It’s hilarious, random, fantastical, and a bit vulgar, but likely more worth reading than most any other comic.

Next is The Non-Adventures of Wonderella. The comic is about a superhero quite like Wonder Woman, but she’s much more vulgar and realistic. She swears, is lazy, has an overbearing mother, and a stupid sidekick. Plus, she can totally jump hella high, as the comic states. A frequent companion is Dr. Shark, a shark who happens to be a doctor. The comic is what a superhero story would be if the heroes didn’t show restraint and didn’t hold themselves to a higher. Sure, Wonderella saves the world on occasion, but mostly she’s more worried about having a good time. The stories often rely on puns and poking fun at established comics, so there is a lot for any comic nerd to laugh at.

 

Third is Lunar Baboon, a comic that follows the life of a man and his family. It often seems to be nothing more than events from the creators life, but they’re often portrayed in a really funny way. Other times, it seems the comics are nothing more than an illustration of a thought process. It’s much funnier that I first expected and has quickly become a comic that I check often. The simple art helps to let the funny jokes and the occasional touching moment shine. Plus, the about page claims the creator is a man-lunar monkey hybrid, so there’s that.

 

Next is PhD Unknown, written by Dante Shepherd and drawn by Joan Cooke. As the about page states, it’s a weekly webcomic about science, life and the unknown. With monsters. At just a couple of weeks old, this comic is perfect to start and follow from the beginning. Dante has been doing a photocomic, Surviving the World, for years, so this is a bit of a departure from his usual work. The premise of the comic lends well to Dante’s joke and style, while Cooke’s art is great so far. It’s sure to be a fun and funny story from creators who already have a pretty good idea of what they’re doing.

Last this week is Table Titans  from Scott Kurtz. Anyone with any real familiarity with webcomics will likely recognize Kurtz’s name, as he created PvP Online, a webcomic often considered one of the first. This time, Kurtz has traded in videogaming for table top gaming and has Table Titans focus on a group of friends who play various table top games, namely Dungeons and Dragons. It’s part fantasy comic and part sitcom, as the the trio brave dangers, defeat enemies, and have more than a couple of arguments amongst themselves. It’s a great story that’s more than just about gaming, but also about friendship, told by one of the original creators of the medium

Related posts: