Broken Frontier

Sam Little’s Untrue Tales is one competitor definitely ripe for webcomicdom, combining slice of life with tried and true comic book storytelling and occasional dashes of risqué humor. The result is a very expressive and unpredictable comic. Whether two guys discussing costumes amid “Sex Trek: The Next Penetration” or a Norwegian girl ranting and raving about her multi-cultural courtship, Untrue Tales spans the spectrum between obscene and heartfelt in only eight pages.

In fact, some of Little’s stories are so effective; they don’t even feel “untrue” at all – as if he plucked these characters right off the street. There does some to be a slight learning curve; however, as Little’s first compact story arc feels like an HBO sitcom – well-written but more or less situational – while his next story has an unexpected tinge of spontaneous poignancy. Regardless, this is one to keep an eye on in the completion.

Garbriel Mark Ostley’s Teachers is a whopper of artistic prowess despite all appearances. Though Ostely’s entry might initially appear a rough and unpolished work, just clicking several pages into the two chapters will show otherwise. Following the adventures of four teachers into the paranormal events surrounding their school, the artwork is simple yet neatly exaggerated, while the winding perspective creates an entirely bizarre and surreal reading experience.

Ostley crafts a recognizable personality for each of the highly stylized characters. As a result, there’s never a flat page in all of Ostley’s work, though a few of the panels could use a bit more detail from time to time. However, Teachers is one webcomic which meets the old adage you can’t judge a (digital) books by its cover. The art style may not seem as significant or shiny on Zuda’s title page, but clicking through this unbelievably creative world disproves all prior first impressions.

Super-heroes are notoriously easy to make fun of. Believe me, I spent last night watching “Legend of the Superheroes” on YouTube. So when Joe Comics proclaims to be “a serialized satirical celebration of just how ridiculous heroes and villains can be . . .” my initial reaction is “Yeah, and . . . ?” Admittedly there are some pretty hysterical moments in Gabe and Chichi Hernandez’s webcomic, like Joe’s answer to Ultron, Mr. Roboto – a drooling fanboy villain in a costume. It’s the first part of that statement I admire – a celebration and satire of just how over-the-top super-heroes can be.

But Joe Comics is hit or miss – and when it misses, it really misses. Like when introducing “The Dumb League” or cracking jokes about what so-called heroes weigh or scored on their SAT, the inherent meanness of Joe Comics outweighs a lot of its very promising potential. On the other hand, the art is fantastic and even Joe Comics himself is a perfect character for the proceedings. But Joe Comics is walking a fine line between poking fun at super-heroes – and making fun of their fans. It’s a tightrope Joe Comics is so far bumbling – and it’s a long way down.