WCN Peer Reviews

Ronald Gravelle's Review of 365 Days With Jay By Jason Marcy

Jay Marcy is one of the few auto-bio cartoonists who is not afraid to tell the 100% truth, even when it makes him look bad or gets him in trouble with other people. In a genre full of fakers and embellishers. Jason is the voice of truth and laying it all out for the world to see. No made up stories or fiction passed off as Auto-bio, just the cold hard truth, maybe mundane, maybe insane at times, but it's all 100% real. Jason Marcy is a superstar auto-bio cartoonist. ... Read It Now!

Brian Payne's Review of 365 Days With Jay By Jason Marcy

For my money "365 Days With Jay" by Jason Marcy is the best journal comic out there at the moment and yes, that includes James Kochalka's "American Elf." In this wonderful strip we meet Jay himself, his beautiful wife and adorable son, as well as his cantankerous boss and conversant coworkers. What I find most appealing about the strip is that Jay doesn't make any attempt to sugar coat his daily existence. He presents his life as it is with brutal honesty, warts and all.

In this autobiographical comic we bear witness to the good and bad times in equal measure. We are the fly on the wall as he argues with his wife and becomes impatient with his rambunctious little boy but are also there to see the families enormous love and affection for one another. We are privy to Jay's private thoughts and internal dialogue and are able to hear our own self doubt and fears echoed there too.

Jay's black and white artwork is both muscular and accomplished. He draws some of the most fantastic facial expressions I've ever seen and is able to capture a wide range of emotions with just a few brush strokes. His art is both economical and comical and yet as realistic as his depiction of life itself.

So, be sure that you check this comic out each weekday because spending the day with Jay is time well spent.

... Read It Now!

Carolyn Watson-Dubisch's Review of Commute Of The Living Dead Words and 'Toons by Eric Boeker

Commute of the Living Dead by Eric Boeker is a genuinely funny comic. I was surprised to find myself laughing again and again at his zombie humor.... It's odd, you'd think it would get old fast -like a day old corpse.... (Oh well I'm not as funny as he is.)

The art is a great match to his humor. This is a comic that's worth your time. It's only a few pages at this point, but I truly hope he can keep up the pace.

... Read It Now!

Carolyn Watson-Dubisch's Review of Supernatural Law by Batton Lash

Baton Lash's Supernatural Law is a genuinely hilarious concept. The comic tells the tale of the law firm of Wolff & Byrd, who chariably represents those from the lowest levels of society, the werewolves, the zombies and of course the vampires.

The stories are well written and wonderfully drawn. Baton Lash has a great sense of story, and this is most definately a comic worth your time.

... Read It Now!

David Jack's Review of 16 Hole by Jason Turner

In a great display of colour and comic flavour, Jason Turner, one of the Scott Mcclouds favourites, surprise us with an effort of surve 24 hours of creativity but doing an amazing trip from cafe to cafe, magazine to magazine, to creative a road trip of strange characters.

Where most of the 24 hours comics fail, 16 Hole success.

... Read It Now!

Bob Stein's Review of Skin Deep By Kory Bing

This ongoing graphic novel presents a unique blend of familiar myth and modern settings as the stage for very 'real' characters that you can identify with.

I stumbled onto Skin Deep several months ago, and once I read a few pages I was hooked. It took a while to go through all of her back panels, but it was well worth the time. What is funny is that I don't even like one of her main characters - but it's because she comes across as a real person to me who would be annoying in real life. (You have to figure out who I am talking about on your own.)

Kory manages to make each of her characters a complete person - they have histories, personalities, quirks, and both good and bad points. Her art style is clean and colorful, and very distinctive. I highly recommend her sketch book - lots of neat drawings for cheap.

In any case, if you aren't reading Skin Deep regularly, you are missing out on some great storytelling.

... Read It Now!

keir healy's Review of Kittens Say Boo! Written and Illustrated by Hannah Eller

kittens say boo is an autobiographical web comic, only a few months old but made me laugh more than most webcomics can in a year. which is no lie. THough the style is sketchy and often still finding its feet it completments the humour and writing style to a T. Really there ain't much i can say other than read it, because its awsume, despite the fact its quiet short and leaves you begging for more, so read and enjoy.

P.S Hannah, you keep writing 'em we'll keep readin' 'em.

... Read It Now!

David Hadskey's Review of Bus Stop by Aaron C.

This witty color comic captures random snips of conversations between characters waiting for the bus. Does a Harvest Bot 5000 feel left out in a male dominated society? Why would a voodoo doll ride the bus so much? These are some of the funny story shared waiting at the BUS STOP. ... Read It Now!

Daniel Graves's Review of the Adventures of Wyatt Earp in 2999 By Josh Lynch and Justin Zyduck

While it's always fun to see a comic playing with such time honoured and cliche-riddled genres like the Western & SF, it is fun to see it done so well. The concept of the displaced western hero is not new (c.f. Hex), but the creators heap absurdity upon absurdity in such a way that the old cliches become innovative tools to advance the personality of the characters. Having only read the two issues, I find myself thoroughly invested in the characters of Wyatt and Doc, and find myself checking back to see if a new adventure is posted. To write and illustrate a character that we can simultaneoulsy laugh at AND care about is a rare accomplishment. The creators are to be commended for such an accomplishment, especially after two issues!

With respect to desgin, I enjoyed the horizontal layout that fits nicely on the computer screen. It seems to me that for those of us used to the printed page and print comic book format, it is challenging to adjust as a reader to this format. It must involve some considerable rethinking about story-telling for the writer and illustrator when desigining the story. These creators do this boldly. I look forward to how they continue to develop their storytelling technique.

Thanks for a great read.

Dan Graves

... Read It Now!

Ed Gedeon's Review of Endtown By Aaron Neathery

I noticed this comic and thought, "Hey, this artwork looks familiar!" Then I checked out the author's name ... Aaron Neathery was the guy who drew the "Guest Week-and-a-half" story for "Narbonic". His clean style, expressive characters, and zippy dialog are all at work here in this new strip.

"Endtown" centers around Al, a regular guy trying to survive after civilization has collapsed. He lives in an underground village with other survivors, most of whom have been mutated into bizarre forms. (Al's girlfriend, Gustine, is now a rhinoceros.) Al is still trying to decide if his semi-important role in this new world is better than his screamingly dull existence in the old world.

The strip is fairly new, so new readers can get caught up quickly. It's sharp, it's zingy, it's tangy with a hint of mint! Try it today!

... Read It Now!

GRX's Review of Freak U. By A. Prosser

I really like this comic..all the characters have different humour! ... Read It Now!

Jay Doubleyou's Review of Looks Like Rain by Thomas Rothlisberger

I first came upon Looks like Rain from a link forwarded by AllanComic. Within a few moments i because completly addicted and couldn't stop reading.

Rothlisberger manages to keep a distinct style, whilst keeping his content simply yet humourus. Part of the problem with day to do webcomics is the problem of whether to keep to style and the content at the same level from day to day and Rothlisberger does this incredibly well.

Awed by his drawing style, he manages to present us with familar situations that are presented to us within life, and unlike most 'written blogs' through the comic medium he manages to show us how much more can be going on in the background.

I saw kudos to Rothlisberger, he's certainly one of those I will look out for in the future and i seriously hope he keeps his updates as frequent as i can't stop reading.

... Read It Now!

Perry Belmon's Review of Everyday Heroes by Ed Gedeon

From the early black and white pages and into the more recent full color ones, Ed has created a fantastic reality of regular folk with super powers, doing everyday things. Mortgages, school life, neighbors and villains. Everyday Heroes is funny and fantastic. Seriousness with a silly twist that provides a great foundation for a wonderful story. What can I say, I like this comic. I enjoyed watching Eds art develop over the years along with the characters. My only complaint is that the comic isn't updated more often. Definitely worth a look. ... Read It Now!

Juan Navarro's Review of Plague Edward J Grug III

This short wordless comics is just really fun to read, and it's great how Grug got it to be funny and cute, yet still suspenseful. And without words involved you can almost hear the horror music as the zombie mice come walking in. I dug it! ... Read It Now!

Andrea McEnaney's Review of City Mouse Goes West by Rich Watson

Ok, I am slightly biased about this comic because I know the author but I have to say that "City Mouse Goes West" is a wonderful comic. It chronicles the adventures of a mouse that came from New York City, the Big Apple, to Columbus, Ohio, the city where nothing much ever happens. It might seem strange that there would be much of a culture shock in such a move, but there is and Rich captures it perfectly. He shows the difference in dialect, the differences in behavior of the citizens. In fact, I remember him telling me that it was quite disconcerting to have a total stranger strike up a conversation while waiting in line. That just doesn't happen in NYC.

It's hilarious to watch the Mouse as he tries to fathom the insanity of Ohio State football fans, something that even some denizens of the Capitol city can't understand either. But the artwork and layouts are masterful. Rich captures the serenity of Goodale Park, the bustling traffic of High Street with equal ease.

CMGW isn't a gag a day strip but there is humor in it, especially when Rich shows some of the conversations with the Mouse's roommate, Max (another talented artist). There may not be any guffaws but there is always a chuckle.

So, read "City Mouse Goes West." Go. Now.

... Read It Now!

Eric Boeker's Review of Plague Edward J Grug III

Imagine the next zombie invasion. Now imagine it on a scale confined to rats and kittens...think "Food of the Gods" meets "C.H.U.D." meets "Cats and Dogs (Rats)", and you are starting to grasp the horror-comedy genius that is "Plague". Wordless and compleing, "Plague" tells the tale of what happens when three cats/kittens get swept up in a horde of flesh-hungry zombie rats. Fantastically rendered and cleverly executed, "Plague" is a must read for zombie and kitten fans alike. ... Read It Now!

Aaron C.'s Review of Jonny Subconscious Created by Jeff Juliard

The everyday grind and depressing news gets tiresome, but this comic introduces the no bullshit viewpoint of a writer's own Tyler Durden esque subconsious to it all. Often thoughtful and serious, sometimes plain absurd, it never fails to leave me with a smile, and usually laughing out loud. ... Read It Now!

jack McCormack's Review of The Bare Pit by Noodtoonist

I said all in the intro. WOW. What a dunce. Send the pointed cap. Just some perspective. I am less than a year short of my four score. Although a closet nudist for years I bit the bullet last year and made a first time visit to a local club. I tell some, should have put quotes around that, that I have started a "Bucket List".

1. Visit a nudist venue.

2. Get a tatoo.

3. HAVE AN AFFAIR (my wife asked if I have found a caterer)

I had a longer list but I forgot it!!!

... Read It Now!

Barry Corbett's Review of Awesome Marcus Ninja By Joel Buxton and Shane Heron (Season 5 onward) Ian McKendry (Season 1-4)

I stumbled across this comic recently and found myself laughing out loud. It’s a real gem. Marcus Ninja is one of the more unique characters out there... and he’s out there, all right. Trained as a Ninja, with a Ninja’s sensibilities, he makes his way in the world totally oblivious to the conventions of society. This conflict is what makes the strip funny. There is no scenario that Marcus cannot encounter without injecting some wry commentary and finishing with a roundhouse kick.

He adopts a pig named Ronin because he thought it was a dog... and refuses to accept the error in spite of all evidence to the contrary. This one event speaks volumes about Marcus. Public opinion cannot sway him. He stubbornly sticks to his original assessment, no matter the cost.

The comic is beautifully illustrated, with brilliant panel designs and lots of creative camera angles. Buxton and Heron know when to rely on dialogue and when to back off, letting the image convey the message.

However, it’s the dialogue that makes this a winner. Fast paced and witty, it will have you chuckling at your computer. For example, at one point, Marcus is assigned to infiltrate the Molemen of Toronto. We get a look inside their headquarters, where we find them playing cards and moaning about their shrewish wives. (In fact, the only reason they formed this gang was to get out of the house). In another sequence, a sleep deprived Marcus begins seeing a tiny cowboy on his shoulder. The cowboy dispenses lots of folksy advice, which of course Marcus follows blindly... with the inevitable comedic results.

Do yourself a favor and bookmark this strip, It updates every Monday. A good laugh is the best way to start your week.

... Read It Now!

helmer gutierrez's Review of Rainbow Connection by Steven Prokop

Discover the wonders with high and lows of the gay life thru the eyes of Itchy and Derwood, a young couple of gay friends and the people who revolve around them, This comic counts with a sense of reality that you can easily find under the jokes surface, The characters are extremely warm and tender, not afraid of showing their true colors or their points of view, All of this involved in the shell of a easy to swallow pill, There is continuity between pages, but each one is conclusive at the same time. Saying that and due to the LGBT nature of the comic I will recommend it for anyone, but with a PG13 suggestion. ... Read It Now!