The Best 5 Webcomics Out There

In a never-ending quest to find entertainment throughout the day I have been led to the wonderful world of web comics. Some being updated daily, a few times a week, or just weekly there can be some unbelievable time wasting power in these websites, not to mention the incredible artistry involved.

A Softer World - asofterworld.com

Being a fan of beautiful photography and stunning wit isn't required to read A Softer World, but it sure helps. Emily Horne taking photos of friends, monuments, and nature sets the background for Joey Comeau's dark witted remarks, written in a typewriter font and superimposed onto the photographs that have been cut into panels. Sometimes one photo is repeated in every panel while other times the photo is stretched over all panels. For the most part, A Softer world is a three panel comic with stinging remarks, poignant observations of life, and zombies. Up until its fifth anniversary in February 2008, A Softer World was updating once weekly, but to celebrate its massive success, Joey and Emily are now updating three times a week.

Also of some note is Overqualified by Joey, a weekly updated venture into the world of cover letters. Funny, observational and smart, Overqualified is a glimpse into the world we hide from our employers. Also, Emily writes a weekly photo journal called I Blame the Sea, started with the fifth anniversary of A Softer World.

Questionable Content - questionablecontent.net

Don't let the name fool you, the only thing questionable is why it took me so long to find this amazing piece of comic genius. Written by Jeph Jacques, QC is a look into the lives of Marten Reed, Faye Whitaker, Dora Bianchi, and Hannalore Ellicott-Chatham, as well as Marten's adorable futuristic anthroPC Pintsize. (Basically a robot + computer)

Main topics of discussion are indie music and fashion, relationships between the main characters and secondary characters including family and odd co-workers, and their sex lives, or how it is in most cases, the lack of sex in their lives.

Even for someone who has never heard of several of the bands referenced, I feel like I can relate to the characters: Faye's anxiety attacks, Dora's sarcasm, Hannalore being a germ freak.

For people who are in-the-know with the indie music scene will find this comic a refreshing alternative to other comics. And if you know nothing about it, but would like to, it's also a great way to improve your indie-cred.

Indietits - indietits.com

Do you ever see a group of birds chirping away and wonder what they are saying? Well, even if you don't, let me assure you... it's funny. Jeph Jacques does it again. He takes paintings of birds (and the occasional llama) and (somewhat realistically, I'd like to hope) shows what they are saying to one another. As you can imagine with opinionated little birds, hilarity ensues.

Dinosaur Comics - quantz.com

Also known as Quantz, Dinosaur Comics was started by Ryan North only a few weeks after A Softer World was started by his friends. If you heard of a comic where the artist uses the same panels every day and only changes the wording, most people would question the artist's ability, but in the case of Ryan North, artistry is not bound by an ever changing sketch. T-rex, Utahraptor and Dromiceiomimus are the three dinosaurs who meet daily and question life and its meaning. T-rex is described as "a dinosaur who is enthusiastic about ideas" and Dromiceiomimus as a lady who "likes dinosaur sex" and the Utahraptor is described as "a good friend." Sounds like a winning cast to me!

T-rex is an instigator who loves stomping on buildings and people, and looks for approval from his friends. If the T-rex is the protagonist (unlikely) then Utahraptor is his ever-present antagonist. The Utahraptor prides himself on disproving the crazy theories T-rex comes up with.

Read often enough and you just might learn something!

The Fart Party - fartparty.org

If you feel immediately put off by the name, you're in good company. Julia Wertz writes a daily comic that is autobiographical, but only publishes about three times a week. Take a highly talented artist and have her live in San Francisco and move to New York City and that is the premise of her comic strip. With a filthy mouth and a clumsiness that can only be beaten by my own, Julia has a great rapport with her audience. Her drawing style can range from highly skilled self portraits to surprisingly expressive stick figures, when she is in a hurry.

Other comics of note include:
Ctrl+Alt+Del - http://www.cad-comic.com/
XKCD - http://xkcd.com/
Penny Arcade - http://www.penny-arcade.com/comic
Happiness and Cyanide - http://www.explosm.net/comics/