Webcomic Roundup: Dinosaur Kid, Broodhollow, and more!

This week’s Webcomic Roundup is comprised mostly of comics found through a webcomic bridge from last weekend. A webcomic bridge is what I call the chain of webcomics that can be discovered through links on various webcomic sites. As webcomic creators often engage in link exchanges, it easy to find other comics that creators enjoy from their site. To begin this week, let’s take a look at Dinosaur Kid!

 

Dinosaur Kid is a webcomic created by Jimmy Grist is about a tiny dinosaur and his animal pals. Dinosaur Kid is best friends with Octopus Kid and the two get into all sorts of trouble and adventures. Whether it’s getting lost in the snow or pretending to be superheroes, the two friends make the most of any situation. The fun and levity of the strip makes it instantly endearing, as does the Calvin and Hobbes-esque illustrations. Even if it’s only a few months old, Dinosaur Kid has been consistently cranking out quality updates every week.  While everyone wasn’t a dinosaur as a kid, I’m sure many wanted to be, and this comic is what life would’ve been like for a little dinosaur. Every Wednesday and Saturday Grist updates with another piece of Dinosaur Kid’s life. Be sure to check it out. The current arc/story involves Dinosaur Kid and a class project about heroes. After a few nights of bad dreams, Dinosaur Kid gets his idea, which is sure to be revealed in the next few days.

From longtime webcomic creator Kris Straub comes his latest project, Broodhollow. As the site states, “An anxiety-ridden man, struggling to overcome his elaborate fears and phobias, slowly learns that they may be an unlikely key to understanding a town’s disturbing supernatural events. Or so he believes.” Wadsworth Zane is an encyclopedia salesman who has come into an inheritance. An unknown relative died in a town called Broodhollow and left him an antique shop. Though a self-proclaimed “man of science”, Wadsworth is still extremely superstitious and has rituals to keep ghosts and bad fortune away. Upon his arrival in Broodhollow, Wadsworth begins to see progressively stranger things and is sure that the town is somehow unnatural. As things get increasingly less sane, the question is whether Wadsworth is actually seeing these things, or just imagining them. Straub has plenty of experience with webcomics and it shows in this one. He strikes a wonderful balance with his simple art, interesting story, and somewhat creepy premise. The tiny details that he adds to many pages only enhances the overall experience. Updating Monday, Wednesday, and Friday, Broodhollow is sure to please many a comic fan.

Next up is Monster Pulse by Magnolia Pearl. Though a comic about kids whose body parts turn into monsters sounds absolutely strange, it’s very heartwarming. Bina, Abel, Julie, and West are all tweens who, after being part of various accidents, have different body parts that turn into monsters. On the other side of the conflict, you have SHELL and the scientists that work there who attempt to capture and study the children and their customers in an effort to better understand this strange occurrence. Even with this concept which would seemingly allow for plenty of violence, Monster Pulse is an all-ages comic and makes sure to never show anything to violent or explicit. Pearls art is simple, but still manages to convey a very wide range of emotions and feelings. The story is oddly engrossing, considering the material and is one that I was expecting to not like, but ended up loving. It is definitely a comic unlike any other, and should not go unnoticed.

 

Power Nap is a webcomic by the Mexican team of Maritza Campos and Bachan. The header for the site simply states, “In man’s struggle against the world, bet on the world.” This applies particularly well to Drew and his perpetual struggle against sleep. Drew lives in a world where people don’t need to sleep any longer, thanks to a wonder pill known as Z-Sups. Unfortunately, Drew is allergic to Z-Sups. While everyone else works 16 hours a day and plays the other 8, Drew works 10 hours, commutes 6, and has to fit sleep and everything else in the other 8. Needless to say, Drew is always tired. There’s demons, dream worlds, intrusive psychic ads, and much more in this strange blend of scifi and humor that Power Nap becomes. Though they’re likely working in a second language, there isn’t anything lost in translation with Power Nap. Maritza tells a ridiculous story that employs both humor and action well. Along with Bachan’s sleek art and very precise lines, the story transitions from ridiculous to action seamlessly and without feeling forced. While it seems to currently be on a hiatus, if or when it begins updating again, it will be worth keeping caught up on.

Last this week is Cheap Caffeine by Nathan Shumate. Using public domain artwork from political cartoons and magazine cartoons, Shumate makes panels and pages that while often similar in appearance are made extremely diverse in their content and script. One image may end up both being the basis for a joke about relationships and a joke centered on wordplay. The possibilities are only limited whatever Shumate can image a conversation entailing. Though the site description states that Cheap Caffeine is only “occasionally amusing”, it’s fair to say that it’s consistently amusing. When a comic truly relies on a good joke and some funny writing for its success, it’s interesting to see. CC is one such comic and is one of only a handful of comics that I know of that use this approach.

If any of these webcomics seem interesting be sure to go to the site and give them a read. As always, if you have any comics that you would like to see featured in a future post, be sure to leave a comment on let us know on Twitter.

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