Friendly Hostility is sporting a trio of summer-themed storylines.

One: Fatima is in a bit of trouble. She’s dragged her brother away from his summer of lovin’ to fight with her in a team freestyle cage fight to clear her debts get ahead in life. The shocker so far? Fatima is capable of love.

Two: Arath, who couldn’t talk to Collin at first about him being gay, invites Collin to come to Mexico with him. Collin has been banned from Mexico. The twist? It’s an election year.

Three: Bootsy has turned 18 years old, the age of legality. Collin and Fox being gone, she celebrates with The Demon, who invites her to stay the night to get away from paint fumes. And she confesses her love for him. Why, oh why?! It’s so awkward.

Each of the story lines has, in my opinion, a freshness to them because they have such a limited time frame: Summer. They won’t drag on forever, and they have to have a cleverness that comes of conciseness, and the variety also works well.

The storylines are also brilliant in the way that they highlight very important characterizations: Collin as an aspiring dictator, Fox as a loyal brother who respects his family’s… erm… traditions, Bootsy as a romantic, and Fatima as someone who plays by her own rules. The situations that are developing — the Mexican incursion, and what the Demon will say to Bootsy — provide good vehicles to reveal essential things about these characters.

Well played, Friendly Hostility. Well played.

Reading through my Wednesday comics, I came across Patches, which I keep around because it is quirky and cute. Today’s Patches is interesting for two reasons — it marks a slight change in style (though in the past darkness has been indicated by black, and shadows by hatch marks), as well as a tribute to David Bowie created in an ingenious manner. I think it makes for a really great joke.

Which made me think about another comic tribute to musical genius. There is the Planet Song (second post there, 9/14/05), which is a tribute/parody/filk to Sufjan Steven’s States Song, which I believe can only be heard in concert. Jeff? Any chance of getting the rest of the Planet Song?

I love pop culture references.

So, I know most people are focused on July 4th (which happened about ten minutes ago). But I would like to bring some attention to my friends the Canadians.

Canada Day was July 1st. Have a look at some Canadian themed webcomics.

Canadaman made me giggle, because it features a United States Superhero character who seems to be treated with bemusement. And there are political jokes, which I always am a sucker for. Lemme know if you know of any other Canadian comics or what you think of those on the webcomics listing.

Fancomics are interesting in the webcomic community; their creators cannot profit from the production of their creative wares, or else they are in violation of the intellectual property rights held by another person. Now, I don’t understand the ins and outs of this – but I do know one thing from many years of writing fanfiction. You must, must, disclaim any ownership of the characters, scenarios, or plots.

I have heard of very few situations of cease and desist notices (exceptions for Anne Rice and Orson Scott Card, who prefer their works not to be used), but the need for such a precaution means that fancomics are created for the love of the fandom, and the love of story telling, and the love of art – with no long term plans beyond feedback. Maybe they’re looking for practice, or exposure, but to me, who merely has talents as a bitter, haggard wordbeast, it seems baffling to create a comic without plans to publish a book or create a t-shirt line. I couldn’t imagine putting all those hours into fancomics without reward.

So, hats off to Simply Potterific, and others like it.

Yesterday, I wanted to write about the Holy Bibble when Yaweh decided to show his power with such forcible strength that he ripped the time space continuum to do a card trick. I just laughed with giddiness that Yaweh, who is essentially a fool, was pulling what so many movies have had God do in Hollywood by using his booming I-mean-business voice. And since the Bibbling Prophets say it is true, it must be a true representation.

But then I got side tracked by some hoopla.

And then it wasn’t news.

BUT NOW The Holy Bibble is having a Happy Annibirthday celebration and giving away wallpapers. Do you have yours yet? It has the same impeccable attention to detail I originally praised the Holy Bibble, and I love it.

Girly makes me uneasy.

Six comics in sexual harassment becomes a joke, in the form of an unwanted suitor who believes his penis is his only redeeming quality. The “joke� is reoccurring.

Girly makes me angry.

In the first part, the main plotline is both how Winter and Otra (“Girly�) come to be leader and sidekick, and then friends, and then lovers – as well as the downfall of El Chupacabre. Chupacabre is described as a lover, pleasurer, eater, and penetrater of women.

The first time a woman walked onscreen and then down a dark alley, I was expecting rape. Rape is defined as “sexual intercourse carried out forcibly or under threat of injury against the will usually of a female.� The woman was grabbed, and for all her scream of surprise or terror (most likely terror) turned into pleasure, as indicated by the hearts around the sound effect, it was rape.

Winter and Otra obviously don’t see it as a problem – they go after the elephants. The news doesn’t see it as a problem; Women being found naked runs as the secondary story.

I could dismiss this all as a satire if at the conclusion of the story the lesson didn’t fall so flat.

Winter says he’s been doing the right thing, in the wrong way. She proclaims that he has been practicing sexuality haphazardly, leading to guilt and resentment. But what about the common feeling of violation? Of shame? Of disbelief? Of fear and self-blame?

And then there is the statement that Chupacabre never attacked anyone. He was irresistible, and so they just submitted. Does this excuse him? Consider real life attacks – could a rapist claim that they just submitted? Could it be true? Would it make it any better?

Chupacabre was finally driven out of town by Winter and Otra. And I stopped reading.

The entire first part of this comic is a giant thumbs up to sexual harassment and rape. Joking about rape makes the act of rape a joke. Make a joke about murder, and you’re not likely to be patted on the back in the bar for doing it. Make a joke about rape, harassment, etc., and you may just be a local hero.

Or a webcomic creator successful enough to have a book published.

Webcomics aren’t just for geeks anymore.

I’m working at Michigan State’s sports camps this summer, and I’ve seen more than one kid come in wearing webcomic merch. These kids were generally under the age of 12.

I know parents are letting their kids onto the internet in droves, but I seriously doubt that a middle schooler has the patience or know-how to get through the entire archive of Megatokyo. They’re more likely to be playing Runescape.

Does this mean that webcomics are becoming more mainstream? We are talking about serious syndication, we are talking about books and merchandise. But do webcomics have what it takes to become Homestar Runner? I’ve seen more Homestar Runner shirts than anything else. Everyone I knew threatened to turn in an Englilsh Paper.

I don’t have much evidence for this, but I have a feeling it’s become kosher to talk about internet obsessions – many people, who claim to be normal, might just share them.

Inverloch and Earthsong being published isn’t exactly recent news, but it hasn’t been talked about here. Megatokyo has been at the book game for a while now, and Fred is on book four. Inverloch and Earthsong both went through a revision process — in fact, you can view the newly drawn pages of Earthsong as “redux” pages on the internet. Inverloch has used redrawn pages as incentives.
Megatokyo included the original art in all of the editions. (I own the first one. I bought it on impulse while in Ann Arbor, squeeing over the fact that I was that close to someone that did webcomics. Little did I know, a year later, I’d be writing for Fleen.) It does, of course, include editions and bonuses. And in reading Fred’s rants, he went through a lot of trouble to make the comics the correct ratio, let alone revise the drawings.

All three works mentioned are aiming for the same thing: an epic storyline. They want to tell a story. So, why the different approaches to publishing? Creators out there, what would you do? Readers and fans, what is it that you prefer?

Spoilers are details of plot that may “spoil� your enjoyment of a movie, book, or other media. Those who hate spoilers say that dramatic tension or humor depends on certain things not being revealed – those who love spoilers say that if you can’t still enjoy the work after it’s been “spoiled,� it’s not a good work to begin with.

Where does this fit in with webcomics? A general rule of spoiling is that if sufficient time has passed between the publication of the work and the posting of a spoiler, it’s not a spoiler anymore. Rosebud is a sled. Soylent Green is people. But often spoilers for webcomics appear in the commentary that is posted simultaneously with the update – as with Questionable Content or Friendly Hostility. (Many more comics have commentary. I picked two in which I, personally, read the commentary.)

Does the quick turn around mean that everything is a spoiler? Or does it mean that nothing is a spoiler? Within hours, everyone who read QC knew that Faye’s father had killed himself. I know I got the link instant messaged to me by no less than three people who were spreading the word – but then again, they only sent the link, they let me read the comic myself.

I suppose this is a philosophical question. I like spoilers, to a certain extent. If I end up knowing the ending – as to a movie, or the end of a television episode, or even a book – I’m okay with that. I like to see how things are put together; I am a story teller at heart. However, spoilers for LOST are inexcusable. I’d rather squeal and hyperventilate at the latest reveal than know it was coming.

Would I want my webcomics spoiled? Let’s say I always make sure to read the comic first and the commentary second. But at the same time, if it’s something important enough for the creator to talk about twice, then does it matter what order the information comes in?

kris dresden has held my browsing attention for the past 48 hours or so, but I’ll save Max and Lily for another day.

Encounter Her is a comic driven completely by its art. Sleepy contentment, the moment of seeing someone attractive that you know you’ll never see again, frustration in the dance of courtship — it runs the gamut of emotions and it never says a word. Your heart jumps when the main character just misses her… and you cheer when they meet up in the end.

Consider this, creators. Does your art speak for itself?