I want you all to bookmark Jonny Crossbones.

Of course I want you to read it. Granted, I am aware that people may not have time right this instant to jump in, but bookmark it. You’ll be glad you did. Hands down, this is the best webcomic I’ve read in general, and it’s a virtual unknown. I nominated it for the WCCAs, but I worry I was the only one who did. I want to change that. I want this to win awards next year, this is definitely one of the most deserving comics I have ever seen.

I just adore everything about Les McClane’s work here. Jonny’s design is incredibly iconic. His characterization is the traditional, affable and brave hero with loads of potential not yet reached and he’s like a modern version of Tintin in that sense. In fact, the comic echoes Tintin so well, I’d almost say that this is like a modern-rework of that style of story with McClane’s art being arguably nearly on par with Hergé’s.

The comic has a well-done cast, Jonny being the normal guy we all get swept up with, despite how different he looks in comparison to everyone else. Gretchen is adorable, she’s brave, cute, and the daughter of a famous explorer.

So, please bookmark Jonny Crossbones, the updates may be a bit slow right now, but the comic is so worth your time.

A couple of other notes on Les McClane, he’s the artist of the popular indie-series, The Middleman, which is getting a TV show. I believe the pilot is finished. So keep an eye out for this guy. He’s awesome.

PS- Check out his tutorials.

What would you do if you discovered that all the world’s secrets — from mythological creatures to aliens and paranormal activity — were true? How would you protect these secrets from the rest of humanity?

The answer is simple: “The best place to hide a needle isn’t a haystack,”  says character Mr. Detweiler. “It’s a big pile of other needles.”

Such is the basis behind Scandal Sheet, Troy Smith’s spec-fi/comedy webcomic devoted to the characters who guard those secrets: the employees of The Comet, a tabloid to rival Weekly World News in its plausibility. The difference? The writers of this rag write those true stories of aliens and magical creatures, and include them in the paper. Positioned next to stories such as “I Gave Birth To 61 Rabbits”, they fail to register as truth on anyone’s radar.

The plot centers around journalism-school graduate and former porn writer Foster Hearst, and his best-friend-slash-partner, Max Murdock. With a cast of humans, vampires, sasquatchi, and yes, even lawyers, Scandal Sheet is as amusing as it is unique, and definitely worth a read.

After months of hype and even a message board set up in preparation of the event, Warren Ellis + Paul Duffield’s webcomic FREAKANGELS is now live.

The premise is simple:

23 YEARS AGO, TWELVE STRANGE CHILDREN WERE BORN IN ENGLAND AT EXACTLY THE SAME MOMENT. 6 YEARS AGO, THE WORLD ENDED. THIS IS THE STORY OF WHAT HAPPENED NEXT. The first panel shows a flooded London — ironically, Ellis was writing this as much of Britian WAS being flooded last summer — and goes from there: psychic communication, helicopters powered by steam, and unremembered, regretted sex. It’s an interesting setup in only six pages.

A weekly strip, this should prove interesting. Ellis knows the format, no stranger to webcomics himself (to wit, his story with Colleen Doran on the old Artbomb site, Superidol, as well as his occassional single-paneller EDISON HATE FUTURE). Duffield’s art has a Chris Bachalo quality to it which hints that the steampunk-esque trappings promised in the strip will be very visually appealing.

One to watch and read in the coming weeks for certain.

Recently came across this one. Gun Baby by Matt & Gabe White is an alternate-reality war comic, featuring pseudo-WWII fighter jets and mutated fighting dogs. Only 38 pages in, but with very highly detailed art, the tale thus far tells the tale from both sides of the conflict. What that conflict is, however, has yet to really be defined. It has something to do with “The Gears,” whatever those may be, and the necessity to call in another country’s military in order to wipe them out. So far, the story has been told from the grunt and civilian level. Perhaps as the series progresses, we’ll get more of the generals rather than the majors, so to speak.

The art is heavily manga influenced, but not annoyingly so. More Akira than Akira Toriyama. Also, the alternate world setting, with fictitious countries that seem familiar to our own, gives this a Wings of Honneamise feel. Recommended, with the hope that more pages are released with quicker time, because I’d really like to see where this is all headed.

 Its that time of the year again, the time when the votes for this years Web Cartoonist Choice Awards are counted. Whilst a crack team counts votes I decided to look at the nominations and one name came up time and time again. The Phoenix Requiem. So I thought it might be worth a look. The Phoenix Requiem is 100 pages in and every single one is high detailed. Its set in a snow-bound industrial land, mainly in a town called Esk. The land is magical, but at the current time all magic has been sealed away. The story begins with an injured man being rescued by a nurse Anya. She has to deal with this when another soldier arrives with the plague. An unnatural plague that kills and rots him before more help can arrive. The plot line seems to have just about started, and with over 4 volumes of comics to come there is time to enough it.

 The artwork is slightly manga based like Gun Baby, and like Gun Baby the comic is strengthen by the way the artist has taken on some of mangas qualities and removed other parts not necessary for the story. The story seems to have references to Sarah Ellerton’s previous comic Inverloch which has now finished. Also with a bi-weekly release of 2 or 3 pages at a time the wait between pages doesn’t seem so bad and the plot can progress at a fair rate. One to watch as it will probably win at least one award at the WCCA with the amount of nominations it has received.

Who says Mondays are all bad? We have two new webcomic debuts today (That is, March 3, 2008)

First up, My Name Is Might Have Been, a fantasy tale about the ruins of a city and the Angels that reside within it. And one man’s quest to out-do his father’s accomplishments where they are concerned. Co-written by World Fantasy Award nominee Catherynne M. Valente (Orphan’s Tales series) + Ferrett Steinmetz (late of Home on the Strange), and drawn by a debut webcomic artist, Avery A. Liell-Kok, this promises to be an interesting read.

Also debuting, is, well, my own work. The Grave is a political tale set in a prison for supervillains. The characters may seem familiar, but the situation that the inmates of The Grave find themselves in, sadly, SHOULD also be familiar as well. Written by myself (Geoffrey D. Wessel) and drawn by another debuting artist, Michael Bramley, I HOPE this series is half as good to you as we think it is to ourselves.

Check ‘em out.

Its about superheroes. Read it.

 I was tempted to leave my review of Magellan at that, but I feel it needs a little more explaining. In particular Magellan is mainly about trainee superheroes of Force Magellan, an international superhero organisation. The new group of interns has a selection of great set of characters, from the “normal” Kaycee Jones, to the almost overpowered Charisma. Alot of backstory has gone into these characters although Kaycee is regularly the main character. She deals with being a “normal” someone without superpowers in a superheroes world, the trauma of being a rescuee and the classes set for new recruits.

 The art style is outstanding from the first page to the latest, reminding me of superhero comics that I once read. However there is two not-safe-for-work picture, but other than that the comic is safe (one in volume 1, one in volume 4). Overall however the story and art make the comic feel true to its origins without copying any particular superhero comic.

Its about superheroes. Read it.

When it comes to comics about stuffed animals, I doubt anyone has read a story as gripping or as violent as The Unstuffed. This is a story about an evil emperor (who happens to be a hamster with a monocle) who has taken over 80% of the entire world. Every hero who has crossed him has either died or been converted by Emperor Brown’s Stuffing process. A process that converts the normal stuffing to one that will obey Brown’s word if he gives it. Even the last of the resistance, Grey and Fox have been captured and placed in a metal container ready for processing. For this is where the story begins, and through its pages has kept me entralled.

The artist, Corey Messer, has provided a back story to the world in word form so anyone can jump into the world without too much hassle, and with a bi-weekly update schedule it means that its never too long before another comic arrives. The art itself suits the comic with a mixture of gore, stuffing and a weird sense that the characters could be easily made into toys. However the art does nothing compared to the story-writing, which has had alot of work put into it. The characters are well written and I feel compassion for the “enemy” characters as well as the anti-hero “good” characters, more so once I had read the backstory Corey wrote.

 The story wont be for everyone as it is violent, dont let the fact they are stuffed animals confuse you about that. That said it is an enjoyable read and as its ongoing it will continue to be one of my weekly webcomics.

 As a side note, Corey is running a competiton to draw a character as if they swapped sides. So for all you artists out there, its worth a shot (I on the otherhand will just enjoy your art whilst cursing my lack of art skills).

We were sent this sad bit of news today by Joseph of No Need for Bushido. I hope you remember our interview with him and his (former) partner Alex Kolesar.

The message is a repost of the author’s notes at the site:

Yes, this week’s comic is a little bit different. Due to irreconcilable issues, I’ll be continuing NNFB as both writer and artist - Alex will no longer be a part of No Need for Bushido.
As I’m sure you can tell, based on the recent decrease in the comic’s quality, that Alex has lost interest in making NNFB. Apparently you can only rip off so many fight scenes from Kenshin before it gets boring. Because of this, my only options were to let the project die, or continue it in a new form that I can produce myself - a sprite comic.
Before anyone emails me, I’ve considered looking for new artists, but I think that NNFB will actually thrive under this simpler form. Like OOTS or Dinosaur comics, the writing will be best appreciated in a streamlined visual format. There will be no more time wasting splash pages, or 20 page-long fight scenes. Instead the comic will focus on It’ll take a little getting used too, but I think you’ll like it.
I’ll keep you informed of Alex’s future online endeavors when or if he begins them

Needless to say, I am quite upset about this.

Howdy folks! Poinko from Lancaster the Ghost Detective here! Just wanted to let you guys know that if you plan on being at either CAPE! or A-Kon this year, try to see if you can spot me! I’m not sure where I’ll be at CAPE!, but I’ll make sure the table is clearly labeled for your convenience. If you’re gonna be at A-Kon (and really, why wouldn’t you?) you can find me in the Dealer’s Room at the Happy Jackal Graphics table.

Stop by and see me, say hi, maybe even pick up a copy of my sketchbook, if I get it finished in time…

Make sure to let us know either here or in the forums. Look forward to seeing you there!