Neko The Kitty

You ever read a comic featuring an animal and think, "that author must really have a (insert dog, cat, capybara, whatever)".  You'll be saying that after about 3 frames here.  The human story is slow to take direction, but they're not as cute a the animals, so why bother?  The main attraction though is that this comic contains actual wit.  The majority of comics depend on one of 2 sources of the funny.  A. The irreverent kind where the characters talk about international politics before a giant king fu banana appears in the final panel, and B, the kind where the punchline is telegraphed in the very first panel because the short conversation allows for no other outcome.  Neko combines these senses to make something special.

Nekobox

[Custom] Sprite comic. I'm not sure if this is clear, but it can be described as having a very typical web-comic like vibe to the whole production.  None the less it has it's stand out strips.  Make sure to beware sudden assaults of shots of stuffed animals and dolls posing for snapshots.

Started: August 20th, 2001.

Ended: Ongoing.

June 27th, 2004

Neurotically Yours

Starving beat poet with, what was it called?  Cute little animal thing acting all violently psychotic.  Yeah.  Flash animation.

Niego

This comic remains optimistic besides it's black black heart.

Nine Swords

Fantasy adventure, decent full color inkings.  Vampires, knights, ethereal mages and some exploding heads.  Still not sure what's happening myself. :)

Orneryboy

Orneryboy Along with Dirty Girl And Brian, make with the funny. 

Ozy And Millie

Kind of like Kevin and Kell, the early years.  You get that precocious Waterson-like view of the adult world mixed with a little politics.  Good stuff and it makes me wonder why it's not syndicated as it's perfect daily family strip fair, just good.

"The enlightened, son, can find the very universe beneath a maraschino cherry."

Penny Arcade

Two psychos who look nothing like their alter egos talk gaming.  I feel fine calling them that because they apparently had no problem plunking down 200 USD for the Steel Battalion game (I don't care if it comes with a mecha cockpit).  Real tech junkies.  Also home of the infamous cardboard tube samurai.

Perry Bible Fellowship

Some people are twisted.  Some of those people we put in jail, others we celebrate as ingenious artists.  Got to love it.

Pet 'N Zoo

Anthromorphs in a daily one shot.

Started: no01.?

Ended: no 42.

Pihakwa

Along with Return to Sender, this is one of the top comics that I wish would have gone on much longer than their short lifespan actually did.

Pipingrad

This site is basically made up of two comics by Phillip Jackson.  It's a broken shell barely illuminating "Sh*thouse" and "Freakshow", two comics built upon simplicity in both story and art.  Every once in a while you'll hear an artist theorize that single frame and short form comics are harder to do than longer comics.  This is the page that makes you appreciate the successful implementation of that theory.  "Sh*thouse" follows the exploits of two foul mouthed [apparent] children endlessly delivering pain upon each other.  But of course there's nothing tasteless about that since they're just circles with stick arms and legs... ...right?  I personally prefer "Freakshow", which is the bastard child of Edward Gorey and a lemmings game.

Ended: Shithouse, 87, Freakshow, 44.

Player vs Player

Daily style strip of people who work at a gaming mag, and a big blue ogre looking thingie...  Scott Kurtz writes and draws this long running comic quite professionally and has a nice mix of debatable (I used the nice word) opinions that aren't just preaching but also aren't simply the over-extensive daily rants that some artists feel the need to do.

Project Fanboy

There was a man, there was a woman and a webcomic was brought forth unto the world.  Minute knowledge of Anime probably helpful.  Nonsensical in a good way.

Questionable Content

Kind of like the male version of Life's so rad.  At it's best it's an humorously observant comic about two 20 somethings smashed into close and slightly uncomfortable confines, at it's worse it's like a television sitcom that puts a boy and a girl together and then tries to keep them away from having a relationship through painfully forced situations.  It's interesting to see the way it's always evolving though, even the dialogue takes a left turn after a bit from normal syntax to a more John Allison like prose and back again.  Eventually, considering how Jeph surrounds his protagonist with mostly attractive women, we shift into what I like to think of as the "tenchi muyo" of webcomics.

Started: 

Ended: Ongoing.

Real Life

I'd tell you this was about Greg Dean's real life and gaming, but all that is just the foundation for his 4 panel musings.  Home of the infamous Shirt Ninja.

Started: November 15, 1999.

Ended: Ongoing.

December 31st, 2004

Red Meat

Heh, just click here.

Red VS Blue

More machinima than comic.  These guys utilize Halo for some pretty funny story telling in the chronicles of Blood Gultch, the amazing two base box canyon.

Redemption

I haven't read it, but I like the scratchy art style utilized.

Residence Life

College kids, evil RA's, tube rats.  Yeah... ...It had a good run but author Dana Kelly just disappeared in January of 04 and was initially presumed dead, but then it turned out a bunch of people who ordered stuffed toys from him never got the product or a refund.  So he may just be hiding out in Mexico.  Who knows.

Return To Sender

You've got to love a comic that just says f*ck it, and plays by it's own rules.  I almost dread the development of a plot.  Too bad it stopped updating after only a handful of strips.

Roomies

The precursor to Willis' "It's Walky".  Personally I kind of always dug these characters more since they were (somewhat) more grounded in reality, but as usual the earlier stuff didn't have the same well spoken visual language the artist's later work had.

Ryan Estrada Comics

Just one man, one man who loves to make comics.

Sam and Fuzzy

Another fine example of "cute little animal thing acting all violently psychotic".  You know it'll never get old.  And even if it did, this one actually has thought out story lines.

Sambakza

Simply some of the best flash animation I've seen.  Most stories revolve around the boyfriend / girlfriend match up of a cat and a rabbit.

Saturnalia

When I first saw the title I thought it would be a stereotypical comic about a bunch of young people getting involved in pagan magic fighting demons and such.  Having read it I find it's a stereotypical manga about a bunch of young people fighting a war over androids in the near future.  None the less the fact that it's drawn exceedingly well and that Space Coyote is so intent on eventually giving each character a unique personality make the comic go a long way.  Includes a decent mix of humor with it's action.

Scary Go Round

John Allison of Bobbins takes his characters in a new direction.  Think Scooby Doo, only it doesn't have the dog and it's, you know, actually good.  Just don't expect solid punchlines, the pleasure is in the very texture of the dialogue from frame to frame.  Beyond that, there's a certain charm to the way Allison constructs fairy tales that don't always have expected endings, or even beginnings.  Call it a crash course on 90 degree angles.

Secret of Mana Theatre

Kind of like a cousin to 8-bit theatre, only instead of utilizing the sprites of Squaresoft's NES Final Fantasy game to present us with a wacky sense of humor somewhat following the story of the original game, it utilizes the the sprites of Squaresoft's SNES Secret of Mana game to present us with a wacky sense of humor somewhat following the story of the original game.  The big attraction is that it's animated in Flash Shockwave.  Be sure to look for hidden Easter Eggs during the "play again?" screen, though sometimes they can be frustrating to find.  The fact that the creator doesn't allow discussion of them in the forums doesn't help...

The Seraph Inn

Fantasy comic about a cute forest animal going on a big adventure with elves and humans, yet no, it's not a rings copy.  Actually it's proof that even in other fantasy worlds, naive men will embark upon even the most unreasonable and strenuous adventures just to impress pretty girls.  Though by the end I imagine the whole thing will become a parable for racial harmony.  It's got some pretty good art and I especially like the way Sarah Ellerton renders glass and water.  Considering the constant width in outlines, I wouldn't be surprised if Ellerton had or will work in animation at some point.

Sex and Violence

Nudity, blatant violence... 

...you know who you are.

Sexy Losers

Okay, I wasn't drunk when I posted this, let's just say if you don't like it, don't read it.  Some comics are ribald or risqué, always skirting the face value of sexuality in the name of "artistic subtlety", well let's just say that sometimes it's healthy to cast subtlety to the wind and go all the way with your subject matter.  Being that bold alone won't make you a good story teller, but in this case comic author Hard has the talent to back up most of his strips.  So yeah, not for the sexually immature... ...or those who aren't smart enough to wait until their parents have gone to sleep to start reading.  (You can not believe how much of the archives I had to go through till I found a picture suitable to post here.)

Shaw Island

You know how when talking about Woody Allen someone always inevitably says "I liked his early funnier movies." and you think to yourself "Hey, his new stuff isn't bad."  Well Shaw Island kind of reminds me of that.  The first part of this series is based on an island on the West Coast where two 20 something stand around an moan about problems that obviously (okay, I'm guessing) stem from writer Zachary Stroum's personal feelings.  This story line was counterbalanced by the unpredictable actions of a few circles with eyes that were the hamsters and crabs of the island.  It was a good balance.  Then after a little while he decided to split things up, the hamsters were suddenly anthropomorphic and spent all their time satirizing modern humanity while the human characters wandered back to the city to peruse the Japanese Manga angle in a separate strip that had considerably fewer updates.  So look at it this way, whatever your taste may be, Shaw Island probably has something for you.  Edt 05/03/04, but then they returned together, and a comprimise was reached...

She's a nightmare

Serial comic about a tough women for hire and her espionage like antics.  Nothing incredibly unique, but it's professionally done.

Sinfest

Share it with the kiddies, satirical writing combined with great art [and I mean that, it may seem simple but the man's control of the pen is Herschfieldian].  Sometimes it seems like the jokes are repeated, but you have to admire anyone who sticks to a daily schedule.  This was consistently one of Keenpot's most read comics for a reason.  Also has another forum that scares me and makes me hide under my bed with an old stuffed toy.

Started: January 17th, 2000.

Ended: Ongoing.

December 31st, 2004.

Skirting Danger

Sometimes you read a comic and have to wonder how much of it is based off of the creators actual life or their fantasies.  Sometimes you don't even have to wonder.

Slackers

Not to be confused with Slackerz, this is another brightly illustrated comic concerning the daily happenings of some college students.  The interest factor comes in the fact that it takes place at Singapore University.

Mr. Smoozles

Small animals, animals that are rather cynical.

no. 53

Sokora Refugees

Sometimes you read a comic and it becomes painfully apparent it's being drawn by a heterosexual male.  Sokora Refugees comes dangerously close to becoming some kind of record holder by cluing me into this fact by only the second page.  It's a fantasy story much in the vein of Inuyasha, where a modern day high school girl gets transported to a fantasy land of heroes and monsters.  So far I think it's the comical touches that keep the whole thing afloat.

Something Positive

A perfect comic for children everywhere, you can honestly bookmark this in the family entertainment favorites folder right now.  If there's any kind of problem with it, it maybe that sometimes the punch lines seem too straightforward and expected, but the fact that often times the beginning and middle of the dialogue is also funny more than makes up for it.  Seriously, in this age of vulgarity and a mass acceptance of the "laissez fair" / "anything goes" attitude amongst web comics, it's good to have a comic like this that can remain consistently funny while not appealing to the lowest common denominator.  I mean, every kid has to learn how to spell cunnilingus at some point in their life... ...right?

Sore Thumbs

Sore thumbs is a 5 star comic held down by being 3 stars.  Does that make sense?  Remember when Doonsbury was regulated from the comics page to the editorials?  This kind of makes me wonder if Keenspot shouldn't have opened a new section.  But that'll probably never happen since it's written by Keenspotter Supreme Chris Crosby.  The creators will tell you that all the characters are supposed to be the embodiments of various political stereotypes, but somehow things still seem to be a little slanted form time to time.  It usually has good saves but the main draw is the artwork of penner Owen Gieni.

Started: March 8th, 2004.

Ended: Ongoing.

April 23rd, 2004.

Soul-D

Needs more updates.  Yes.

Spooner

Every once in a while we'll all contemplate marriage and permanent relations, not actually doing it but just the idea of it.  Sometimes I wonder if history won't look back at the various decades and define them in simple terms: warriors, hippies, disco, corporations, a bunch of sods who were raised by single mothers.  Yes we were a joyous generation, and while there's nothing but smiles induced by Ted Dawson's strip, it might also serve to depress singles something awful.  But in reality I could only find 2 faults.  1. Contrary to typical webcomics the archive tends to repeat itself an awful lot and 2. Strips are often "slice of life" structure, the jokes have no build up or falloff as there is no real story.  Maybe both of these points can be attributed to the strips former syndication status.

Something Mad and Crazy

What the hell happened here?  Keenspace was a free hosting service notorious for a long waiting line.  And when this one got on it only seemed to muster a few comics.  It's worth a quick stop by for the "web comic heroes" strip which was even featured at MacHall.  Though I can't seem to even find a picture of the thing now.

Just as sitting under the stars makes me wonder how many shine down upon us, so I have to wonder how many web comics will have come and gone in our lifetime.

Star Cross'd Destiny

Description pending.

Stripped Again

Thin strips of crude adult humor. Good to have around to balance out seeing the Family Circus in every Sunday's paper.

Striptease

Not exploitive like the title might make you think, but a decent story about one man's quest to make, you guessed it, comics.  Chris Daily creates skillfully expressive character which actually don't look alike, a certain plus.

Two Lumps

Two cats.  Nuff said.

What the hech does nuff mean anyway?  That's one altercation away from being pretty obscene.

UpEvil

It should be no metaphysical coincidence that this comic lies right above Underpower.  Upon charging through it's archives it's hard not to squint your eyes, purse your lips, curl your hair and remark aloud "Holy crap, this comic has more filler pages than Underpower!".  Not that that's something to be ashamed of, no, that's a friggin achievement there.  The fact that it's got a rather talented artist whom also seems to be some kind of supermodel just adds to the weird character of the site as a whole.  Along with the minutely detailed blog style rants, con visits, and the fact that it's writer and artist go by "Neo" and "Ellechan", it's a good page to check out to witness a web comic that personifies so much of what defines a web comic in this day and age.

Started: April 21st, 2004.

Ended: Ongoing?

Underpower

Quite a random comic with a story that's not entirely clear, but the appreciation lies more in the broad characters and their little moments.  Some of the best art around too.

VG Cats

I should stop comparing comics to each other, but think Penny Arcade, only Tycho and Gabe are anthropomorphic cats and Tycho is a girl... ...or Gabe is a girl, whichever you prefer.  Great art (on often humongous canvas') and good humor, too bad it kind of gets dated since it always refers to the popular games of the moment, but each strip comes off as pretty accessible in itself none the less.

Walking Is Still Honest

Haven't quite developed an opinion about this one yet.

Wapsi Square

Girls with Slingshots and Wapsi Square are a lot alike.  I started reading them both at the same time and was apparently in the mood for a female-centric comic where common life problems are handled with snark and, spunk?  Is that the word?  Either way, both thrive on entertaining observational insight and a healthy, but sporadic amount of boob jokes.  One difference is that one's written by a guy and the other a girl, how long did it take you to figure out which is which?

Started: Aug. 9th, 2001

Wendy

Wendy is cute, Wendy is Wendy, Wendy acts like she developed a pain killer addiction after the augmentation operation.  If creator Joshua Lesnick has a working wheel in his brain, he'd get Matel to joint venture the creation and marketing of those giant hamster head fun boxes.  I might just buy one. :p  However, on April 4th 2003 the ending of part 2/3 seemed to bring an end to it's online incarnation.  Apparently it was one of those "just wasn't feeling the love" things.

When I am king

Vector frames, animated strips and a 3d rendered dream sequence fill out this unique look at an Egyptian king's quest around the country side.  Beware of vector penises [plural?] and camels that like to... ...well I don't want to ruin some of the funnier moments so...

You Damn Kid

The recollections of some guy with some kind of sitcom childhood.  I'm not sure if any of this actually happened, but he'll make you believe it did.