Archive - Nov 24, 2003

Todd and Penguin's 3rd Anniversary!


Todd and Penguin turned 3 this month, and since I don't want to sing praise of my own comic, I will use the words of Lee Adam Herold of Chopping Block to describe it:

David Wright has taken a truly funny, well-drawn, engaging comic and done what I’ve seen precious few others do well. He’s imbued it with actual love. The pitfall in trying to do this is that invariably it comes off as corny or trite, and elicits more groans than laughter from readers. Witness the bane of all contemporary comic creators, The Family Circus. But with Todd & Penguin, the love is a natural part of its fabric. Like Calvin and Hobbes or Peanuts, it walks the line between sentimentality and sharp wit, and you never notice how difficult it should be to pull off.

Comic-Fire! Round Two: Millikin Versus Pierce


Another installment of this month's Comic-Fire! between Eric Millikin and Justin Pierce.

This week it's a debate question for the artists among you. A deeply complex question, one for all of the ages. Well, perhaps the information age anyway. Enjoy.

Open Soapbox: Instamatic Poli-Cartoon?

By: Dan Carroll
Department: Features
Issue: November 2003 Issue

The Internet is a wonderful thing. As a culture, not only do we have access to more Photoshopped pictures of naked celebrities now than at any other point in history, but we are also inundated with pornography's ugly sister: Internet news.

Juxtapose This! by Dylan Meconis


Death of a Webcartoonist -- online burnout

I don't know whatever possessed me to try and write a column about burnout. It's like being assigned a term paper on nihilism: you're really, really tempted not to turn in anything at all. Nobody can say that you failed to grasp the concept at hand .

Luckily (?) for you, my work ethic has risen, phoenix-like, from the ashes. But I have been to the Edge: and I can tell you what lies beyond.

Monkey Law by Brad Hawkins, reviewed by Bill Duncan

By: Bill Duncan
Department: Reviews
Issue: November 2003 Issue

Brad Hawkins’ Monkey Law is an excellent example of the kind of genre-hopping that webcomics makes possible. One part social-political commentary, one part funny-monkey stories, Monkey Law is an occasionally awkward marriage of seemingly disparate parts, that delivers a powerful punch.

Going Bananas for Politics: An interview with Monkey Law's Brad Hawkins


Brad Hawkin, the creator of Monkey Law, talks to Leah Fitzgerald about his art and politics, and the business of making monkeys homeless.