You should all read Pictures for Sad Children by John Campbell, but honestly I’m not entirely sure why. That is, I laugh out loud at pretty much every strip, but still being unable to pinpoint exactly why it works. It could be the completely deadpan deliveries of the dry jokes, coupled with the ultra-minimalistic art that bring so much to the humour despite being extremely simple. I absolutely adore the ambiguity of the expressions, rendered in the most basic way with only dots for eyes and lines for arms, but still they communicate just enough of the essentials to make it fantastically hilarious — when it by all accounts really shouldn’t.

Also, who wouldn’t want to parade around in a shirt sporting a drawing of the Eiffel Tower and the word “Paris”, laughing quietly to themselves as everyone else probably are missing the fine print of “Just another bullshit town” below.

…But the Damage is Irreversible (shortened to AiLBtDiI from now on) by artist David Hellman and writer Dale Beran feels somewhat like a forgotten secret among webcomics these days, but still, it’s one of my definite favorites, featuring exquisite art and fantastic writing. It has sadly been on hiatus for the past few years, with no signs of it returning any time soon, but the archive is full of brilliant gems that encourages frequent re-reading anyway. Actually, AiLBtDiI is one the comics I go to whenever I feel my own creative inspiration dwindling, as the comic is wonderfully imaginative, often thought-provoking and even strangely moving at times, and succeeds in sparking the readers imagination in ways comics rarely do. The random stories being told ranges from completely bizarre tangents, to heartfelt profound realism all the while being, more often than not, hilariously funny.

Also, if you want more of David Hellmans art, and let’s face it – why wouldn’t you, check out the fantastic downloadable Xbox360 (and soon PC) game Braid, featuring gorgeous art by Hellman. His watercolor backgrounds and fluid style really suits the gameplay of the time-manipulating platformer which received a ton of great reviews when it was released last year. But still, as great as the gameplay is, I feel it wouldn’t be half as successful if it wasn’t for the art, not to mention the fantastic implementation of the music as well. And in some way the game feels like a continuation of Hellman and Berans webcomic, as the premise and atmosphere of the game in some odd ways wouldn’t feel out of place as an installment of ALiLBtDiI.

So yeah, that’s two recommendations I guess, and both the webcomic and the game are literally jaw-droppingly good. No seriously, I can guarantee you will be picking up the pieces of your jaw at least at one point when reading the comic or when figuring out the puzzles of the game. Enjoy!

Looks like I’ve been neglecting this blog for a while, so I’ve decided to step it up a bit from now on. I will indeed “get my blog on” or “blog it up”, if you will. First out is a roundup of all the new (well, new to me) webcomics I’ve added to my RSS reader lately. They’re all pretty awesome and well worth checking out.

The Bad Chemicals by a guy named Brent and his bulldog Junior is a dark and hilarious depiction of life in America, complete with pretty colors and huge triangular noses. Much like the equally excellent Pictures for Sad Children, The Bad Chemicals also features somewhat simplistic drawings that in the end adds to the humor, making it all the more funnier. Especially the consistently sad eyes all the characters are sporting make every twisted scenario even more tangible, heartwrenching and hilarious.

Haiku Comics by brothers Nathan and Robert Olsen does not only exactly what the title promises, fusing haikus and comics together, but also features aliens, a lot of vampires, and literally a ton of zombies of every variety — even zombie babies. I’m loving the half-tone look of the art by Nathan which works wonderfully coupled together with the words by Robert, succeeding in elevating Haiku Comics to something truly unique and refreshing in the webcomics scene.

Sin Titulo by Cameron Stewart is the only long-form comic of this roundup, coming across like a combination of the intriguing storytelling technique of LOST, and the surreal and twisted reality of a David Lynch movie. Stewart teases the readers excellently with every new page, always keeping them guessing where the story may turn. Actually, the week-long (and lately even longer) wait between each installment may become too much for most, though. Here’s hoping the entire story, once completed, will be compiled in a book available for purchase – so that Sin Titulo can be called a “page-turner” both figuratively and literally.

Space Avalanche hails from Ireland, where creator Eoin Ryan presents his hilarious random mashup jokes, ranging from this classic setup with a brilliant twist to numerous Star Trek strips that will have both fans and non-fans alike in stitches. The pop-culture references are frequent, but rarely too obscure, giving the comic a vibe similar to both The Perry Bible Fellowship and Truck Bearing Kibble. Highly recommended!