Alembic Grimoire: Now in print!

Do yourself a favor and click here to purchase the very first signed, limited edition issue of Alembic Grimoire. Here is a synopsis, straight from the site: "Alembic Grimoire is an online graphic novel steeped in dark lore and mythos from ’round the globe, all with a nice dollop of humor along with Lovecraftian horror." Sounds good, right? Preorders are open until September 1st, so hurry and get yourself a copy, and help out the little guy, because boy do we need it!

Milestone!

Perpendicular Universe has officially hit 200 comics! That's an achievement these days, what with half the webcomics out there going on hiatus or just plain quitting early on in their runs. It looks like a fairly entertaining comic, and the newest update is pretty long, so there's a fair amount of comic for the buck, the buck being...free? Go check it out now, and tell em Jack sent ya!

Review: Kidd and Geezer...

Sorry no review last week, but as I've mentioned on my other sites, and possibly on here in the past, my computer used to belong to Fred Flintstone, and being the kind human being(except for to his wife. Seriously, was that emotional abuse or what?)that he was, he let me buy if off him for a few seashells. Now it barely works. I think it's about fried. Anyway, I'm going to attempt to whip up a review today, so here we go!
Kidd and Geezer, by Frank Zieglar, centers around Geezer, an old dude who lets Kidd, a college guy, live with him because he needs the money. And as it states on the site, "The gender gap is guaranteed". Nice tagline, I must say. Anyhoo, The comic updates on a Monday, Wednesday, and Friday schedule. To the ratings, Robin!
ART: 8
I liked the art in Kidd and Geezer because it's simple, yet distinct. Every line has a reason. There wasn't an overabundance of sloppy scribbles used to just fill in space like a lot of comics do, just clean, neat, three panel comic art. The comic starts off in black and white, which I liked just as much as the color comic it becomes. I almost wanted it to STAY in bw for the nostalgic factor of reading the daily newspaper comics when I was a kid. Ah, but that's just not to be these days..
WRITING: 6
Well, we're promised a gender gap, and for the most part, we get it. It's fun to see how different these two characters are, and how they each handle the situations they come across. But for some reason I just don't buy Geezer as a totally convincing old dude. He's just not crabby enough for my tastes. He's almost always smiling, he doesn't have hair growing out of his ears(maybe this should be in the art section of the review), and he just doesn't seem that annoyed most times by Kidd's naive(or is it dumb?)ways. Maybe I'm being picky, but I've been around a LOT of seniors in my day, and they almost always seem to get irritated rather easily at the younger set. I know that's not true of all oldies, but that's just my opinion on the subject. I suppose if he WAS that mad all the time, it wouldn't make for a funny little innocent webcomic, so I can understand why he's a bit toned down. Now Kidd, on the other hand, seems more like a bubbleheaded thirteen year old girl to me, with his innocent ways and dimwitted nature. Neither character has any real bite, which left me feeling a little underwhelmed. Also, although the comic has some decent cute strips, a lot of them just had no relevance, like the writer was just running low on ideas. The "Kidd starts a webcomic" strips also seemed like a quick way to do some easy, light on artwork fillers as well. Now you're probably wondering why give the writing an above average grade after all that? Okay, with all that said I still liked the writing generally speaking. There were more decent ones than bad, and the comic is good for the younger set, which I haven't reviewed that many of recently. Not all webcomics have to be completely adult oriented. While I didn't really laugh while reading it, I was charmed by how "nice" it was.
ORIGINALITY: 7
You don't see a lot of comics out there about a senior citizen becoming friends with a college kid rooming in his home, so for that reason it's pretty original. Other than that it's a three panel newspaper style comic, which isn't. Original.
WEBSITE: 8
The website has a nice blog which I enjoyed reading underneath the strips, a random comic button, an about page, an extras page, Twitter and Facebook links, recommended reading, and a link to Frank's diet and exercise blog, Big Fat Blog, all in a nicely designed package. It was easy to maneuver and also easy on the eyes.
TITLE: no score here, just wanted to mention that I like the name of the comic. It's catchy, and seeing a comic with that name is what made me want to check it out. "Kidd and Geezer? How in the world will they get along? I have to click!" Nice.
OUTCOME:
Kidd and Geezer was a nice change of pace for me in the review department, because it was a clean, family friendly comic with no shock value or grossness to speak of. While I did find it to be kind of middle of the road, and sorta vanilla in its humor, you won't do wrong by giving it a read. It could be just the break you need from all the manga and gratuitous violence out there today. And stay off my lawn.

Be featured as a hero/villain in Cap Ahole Issue 4!

Hello all, Jack here with an important announcement. Would you like to appear in issue 4 of Captain Ahole? Would you like to fight along side the Stuporhero himself, or do battle against the dimwitted duo? Well, here's your chance. Just send in a drawing of a superhero/supervillain you created, along with a description of his/her powers and a short bio. The most creative one(picked by myself and Ashenskye of Just Another Day)will appear in the next ish of the non-award winning comic, Captain Ahole! Sound fun? I hope it is! Oh, and be sure and send in a little description of his/her personality too. The contest ends June 30, so you've got plenty of time to work on it. Send your drawings to uncaringmachine@aol.com with the subject something like "Cap Ahole contest submission". Thanks, and good luck!

New Webcomic Series By Me!

Yep, I'm doing yet ANOTHER webcomic. What's THIS one about, you say? Well, it's called Jacked Up, and it's about the little things I go through, with drawing, daily life, work, etc. It's more autobiographical than anything I've ever done, and drawn in a really simple style. I'm doing it so I can have a small stress relieving thing to do in between Cap Ahole and this site. I hope you click the link and give it a shot. Maybe you can relate! Oh, by the way, it updates seven days a week. SEVEN!

People who need people....

Yknow, sometimes, when the chips are down and you need a helping hand, there are those people who jump in and save the day. When I needed help designing my Captain Ahole comic site, and then redesigning the site, only one person came to my aid, kinda like Scoot when Cap needs a save. That person was Ashe Skyler, over at Just Another Day. I had NO idea what I was doing, but he sure did. Go on over to Just Another Day and check out his comic, which is pretty good, with solid storytelling and nicely drawn and colored art. And hey, maybe if you need some help, he'll be there for you too. And hey, why not go over to Captain Ahole and see the new layout? You'll like it, I swear!

Cap reviewed at The Dish!

Hey gang, guess what? My webcomic, Captain Ahole, was recently reviewed on The Dish podcast, from the peeps over at Comicdish. I enjoyed hearing them talk about the oddball humor and over the top, off color things that happen in the comic, and I think you'll get a laugh out of it too. Head on over and listen in!

Review: Ace Hoyle...

Hey people, Jack here with yet another weekly webcomic review. Not weview, REVIEW! Heh. Some of you will get that. Anyhoo, this weeks comic to get the chimp treatment is Ace Hoyle, a gambling comic by Tomas Batha and Phill Provance. Not too many online comics out there with a casino theme, now are there? Updated weekly, let's see if Ace can hold up to my intense scrutiny...
ART: 6
I'm going to have to say that they really took a gamble with this art style. Sorry. I couldn't resist. Okay, the art starts off VERY sketchy. Tons of scribbly lines and blacks fill in for backgrounds for the first half of the comic. I'm glad to say that things change after awhile and the linework is much tighter and consistently detailed after that, thank God. The artist does, however, trade the heavy black filler for grey in many scenes, but it's still an improvement. The character designs are decent enough, even though they reminded me of the characters you see in those Bible tract pamphlets you find in mall and grocery store bathrooms. That is to say they all looked a little seedy, but maybe they're supposed to, seeing as how most of them are gamblers. I did like the occasional use of color in a mostly black and white comic. It gave Ace Hoyle a unique look. One thing I really think they need to take out are the two headshots of a character named Dolly between comics 9 and 10. Why break up the story by inserting two "pin-ups", both of which are exactly the same, but one with an orange background and one with blue? Filler is never a good thing.
WRITING: 6
I'm not a card player, I've never been to Las Vegas or any casino. I don't know the lingo, how to bet, or what cards mean what. So just remember the 6 I give the writing is coming from someone who isn't in the know when it comes to gambling, just a comic reader. So for anyone else who isn't into this sorta thing, they most likely won't want to read this comic. It just won't make that much sense, or entertain someone looking for some light webcomic reading. However, if you're a card shark, or just a casual viewer of gambling on tv, you may find something to like with Ace. It's all about poker, poker, poker. I mean, the entire site is about poker. More on that in a bit. Aside from that, the writing is pretty good, not a lot of out there humor, more in the vein of wisecracks between characters about their skills at the table. Not my cup of vodka, but maybe yours?
ORIGINALITY: 8
An 8 because you don't see many, if any, poker themed webcomics. That's original, right? Also, it could be a good way to get people who aren't into webcomics, or comics in general, to maybe try something new.
WEBSITE: 5
Okay, the reasoning behind the rating. The site isn't really a webcomic site at all. It's a poker site. All around the comic are links to online poker. Tacky. The comic almost seems nothing more than a big cartoon advertisement to reel in new poker players. Other things that do add to the comic are a "Hoyle-ites" fan club that you sign up for(it's free), where you can play flash games, take polls and quizzes, and enter contests, and a rogues gallery that gives info on the characters. The website is a mixed bag, and if you can look past the links and POKER POKER POKER in your face, you can find some enjoyable extras.
OUTCOME:
I didn't really care for Ace Hoyle, but like i said earlier, I'm not a poker fan. Can you enjoy it if you aren't? Can you enjoy a comic about goth dudes who fight aliens? Sure you can, if it's well done and keeps your attention. Ace isn't a bad comic, just not something I would bookmark and keep coming back to. A niche comic in every sense of the word, Ace Hoyle will mostly appeal to the online poker player in you. I, unfortunately, am not "all in".

Review: Haiku Comics....

Hm. More zombies. Am I witnessing a trend here? Nah, zombies have been around for ages, but they seem to be having a rise in popularity once again. Haiku Comics, by brothers Nathan and Robert Olsen, incorporates zombies, vampires, and all sorts of various grotesque goings on into once comic, the catch being that the stories are told via haiku, a rhymeless form of poetry, usually consisting of three lines. Interesting, no? Haiku seems to be on a once a week schedule right now, but I couldn't find any schedule on the site. Anyway, on to the gruesome review.
ART: 9
That about says it all, right? Great black and white, AND recently great color art. I can't even say I prefer one over the other. The chunky characters are pretty distinct from other comics, and the stylized violence and over the top gore add to the charm. There isn't really any bad to talk about, so I'll just say that it can be very mean spirited at times, with lots of punctured skulls and eaten brains, but that's what the comic is, so if you can't take it, don't read it.
WRITING: 7
Poetry isn't usually my thing, because I'm not a very poetic person, and I think I can say whatever I have to in normal sentences, without trying to make it sound like something more meaningful than it really is. So with that said, the main premise behind Haiku Comics can get a little tiresome after reading a bunch of them in one sitting. The haiku doesn't do a whole lot for the comic, except give it a gimmick. They could have left out the poems, called it Silent Comics, and still had a hit on their hands, because they are that easy to follow. Oh well, haikus are still a pretty original idea, and they are easy to read, and decent enough.
Originality: 8
Like I said upstairs, haikus are a pretty original idea for a comic strip, and they are put to good use, even though the comic flows pretty easily with or without words. The haiku idea did draw me in, and the comics are short and to the point. Vamps, zombies, and serial killers aren't a new idea, but when combined with poetry, it's pretty different, in a sick and twisted way. Cool.
WEBSITE:6
Some may say the site is minimal by design, but I beg to differ. It's got the right idea by being black and white, but it needs something. Maybe some haiku's in the background, and a page where fans can submit their own haiku's that could possibly be made into comics if good enough. Right now there are Facebook and Twitter links, and a store featuring a Haiku Comics book, a coffee mug, and a cool zombie buffet tshirt. Functional, but not great. Needs to be more eyecatching for the casual reader, and the fan.
OUTCOME:
I've liked Haiku Comics from the first time I saw it months ago, and it's well deserving of at least a once-through. You may tire of the haiku theme after a while, but the comics are so short and easy to read, I don't really see that happening too soon. Something pretty unique and a fresh take on horror(with the occasional foray into slapstick), you will do no wrong by trying it out. I'm going to go ahead and round up my rating a wee bit.

Review: Goo From Another Dimension..

Now for something totally different: Goo From Another Dimension by Tyler S. Payant, is a webcomic about a mound of purplish goop not from our world, or dimension, for that fact. The comic updates twice a week, Wednesdays and Fridays, with Wednesdays being a review of different things Goo finds interesting in our world, and Fridays being a new comic. There are currently 132 strips in the archive. Now, Is the comic more than just a purple blob of nonsense? Let's see...
ART: 7
I really liked the art in Goo. The characters are drawn in a nice clean, sorta unique style, especially Goo, who is quite ugly, but likable at the same time. Likable like an alien Danny Devito. I did find some of the art to be a bit too gross. Like this one, where Goo gets a pimple. That first panel. Ew. Too detailed for my stomach. Or the one right before it, which features pancakes. You have to see it for yourself. Sometimes the art was just too much for me to handle, but that's just his style. And they are gross out strips, so I guess it does its job, right? Now, the backgrounds are a bit harder to rate. The majority are blurry real life photos. But still, at least Tyler takes the time to put em there. It works, but I would like to see more hand drawn stuff back there. Or at least less blur.
WRITING: 8
Right from the very first strip I was actually laughing out loud. LOL. Whatever. I don't know if it was my mood or something, but just seeing an overweight bee and having Goo say to it "Whoa, you're a BIG bee!" with that ugly surprised look on his drippy face made me laugh. Then the second strip. Meh. Then the third strip. I laughed my butt off and even described it to my fiance while she played Super Mario Bros 3 beside me. I think I got her killed at that point. Anyway, that was arguably the funniest strip on the site. And so it went. Really funny, then smile inducing, then filler strip, then really funny again. A lot of simple everyday stuff injected with Goo's oddball alien way of looking at things, making for hilarious results most times. His friend Jack isn't so interesting though. Seems there for nothing more than for someone to have grossness bounced off of.
ORIGINALITY: 8
The comic is pretty original in that Goo is a uniquely ugly and weird main character. He isn't attractive, and he isn't pleasant in the least, and he looks at things in such a different manner than everyone else, but that's what I liked about him. Or it. Yes, it is another gag comic, but it's done in a quirky style that I don't see that often. It's not a roommate or gamer comic, or a roommate gamer comic. It's about a freakin' wad of alien putty. To me, that's original.
WEBSITE: 8
A nicely laid out and themed site. The purple color scheme and perfectly sized title are appealing to the eye, and the links and extras pages are welcome additions. I also want to mention two things, one I like and one I don't. The reviews section is something I haven't seen on any other comic, and I find it unique and original, so maybe I should have put it under originality, but it's here, so oh well. Anyway, this is where Goo reviews different things from our dimension. Everyday objects such as grape jelly and kittens get the Goo scrutiny, with "Kittens smell like cats. Duh.", being one of his nuggets of wisdom. I like it. On the "dislike" side of the spectrum, a "support Goo" donation button just seems out of place. I've never liked donation buttons on smaller comics, because it just seems like you're panhandling, but maybe that's just me. Most people just aren't willing to donate, especially to a little known comic.
OUTCOME:
Goo From Another Dimension had me writing a bit more than I originally intended with the new review style, but I'll get over it. Goo was just that good. Very funny for the most part, with an original main character and a nice website to view his gross shenanigans, Tyler has a great comic on his hands. Goo deserves a bigger audience to witness all of his ugly purple splendor. Consider me a fan!

Formspring?

Go ahead, ask me anything over on Formspring, the application that allows you to, well, ask someone questions. It's basically the Twitter of questions. So, anything you wanna know, feel free to ask, whether it be about comics or no. I'm interested to see what kinda strange questions come my way!-Jack

Review: Bear vs. Zombies...

Bear vs. Zombies, by Isaiah M. Mcallister, is exactly what the title says it is: a webcomic about a bear named Bear and his zombie destroying path of destruction after his girlbearfriend is killed by said zombies. Phew. Should have taken a breath there. The comic updates every Wednesday according to the About page. Now to the ratings.
ART: 6
Which is pretty good considering the near lack of backgrounds other than a gradient filled sky and a tree here and there. The character designs make up for it though with the zombies being pretty distinct from other zombie comics, and the animals being nice and cartoony without looking overly goofy. I especially like the look of the title character, Bear, with his cool cloak.
WRITING: 6
While BVZ is written as a mix of humor and action adventure, I didn't enjoy much of the humor, as the jokes felt stilted and a bit forced most times. And I know it's animals fighting zombie hordes, so reality isn't a factor, but why do these forest creatures know that Whitney and Bobby smoked crack, or how to make the Kessel run in under 12 Parsecs? I guess I should remember that there is a rabbit who can drive a Jeep though, and let all that slide. I dunno. I guess I was hoping for less human jokes and more animal gags. Aside from that the story moves along briskly and we find out things are more than just a simple zombie outbreak. I did find myself wanting to keep reading to find out more, and to see who lives and dies, so Isaiah is writing a decently compelling story.
ORIGINALITY: 7
If it was just a zombie story it would have been a hard 5 because let's face it, zombie comics are everywhere. The extra 2 points come from it being a zombie comic told from an animal point of view, even if the animals act like humans.
WEBSITE: 5
Pretty basic site with a store featuring one tshirt(a nice one though it is), a monthly archive, a decent blog, Facebook and Twitter buttons( I need to get those), and lots of red. Maybe a few more colors would please the eye a bit more.
OUTCOME: Bears Vs. Zombies is, at this point and time, middle of the road for me. I liked it, but I didn't love it. I didn't care for the constant pop culture references coming from woodland creatures, but I did like that the story seems to be coming to a head, with a definite ending in the works. I think BVZ is going places, but it might take a while.

New ratings system?

I'm thinking of doing something to this effect: Art:1-10 Writing:1-10 Website:1-10 Originality:1-10, with a short description for each of why I gave it the score I did, and then a closing statement about the overall comic. Well, and at the beginning a description of what the comic is about. This way I can keep it short and sweet, and have time to do both this site and my webcomic, Captain Ahole, and not lose my sanity, and end up in the Asylum myself(heh, zing!) So, let me know what you think people!-Jack

Overhauling ratings?

Hi again, people. So, here it is. I'm thinking of changing the way I review comics on the site. Kinda streamlining the reviews to help me be able to keep doing this, because my time isn't as available as it used to be. Maybe some sort of numbers for different categories, like rating art, writing, originality, etc., with a number. I'm still working it out, but as soon as I'm ready to start I'll let you know. Thanks for reading!-Jack

Help decide the cover to Captain Ahole issue 3!

Hey everyone, just dropping in to let you know that over at my webcomic, Captain Ahole, I'm having a poll to let the readers pick the best cover idea for issue three! Head on over and scroll down to vote for what you think sounds best! Thanks!-Jack

Today begins the second issue of my superhero laugh-fest, Captain Ahole! Thrill to the exciting cover, which should give you a pretty solid idea what's coming. And what's coming is...well....coming Friday, when page one slaps it's time consuming mug onto the interweb!-Jack

50 Tools and Resources to Help You Start a Webcomic.

I found out about this while checking out the forums at The Webcomics Community(look for yourself!), and you should read it and see if there is something that could help you. It's quite a large list! Click here!

Three years of Left Handed Toons!

It's been three years since Left Handed Toons began it's oddball concept, and it's been three years of hilarity. Congratulations to Justin and Drew for going the distance and getting pretty darn good and successful at it.

The Webcomic Builder!

If you are looking for advice on how to start a webcomic, how to color your webcomic, or just about anything else to do with webcomics, you should take a look at The Webcomic Builder, a brand spankin' new site dedicated to the ins and outs of the medium. New, yes, but their are already five posts ranging from effective coloring to the basics of good site design, as well as tutorials by Tony Piro of Calamities of Nature fame. I've read them all and have to say they are on to something here! Check it out and expand your webcomic creating horizons!

Review: Slash AFK...

Slash AFK, created by M. Neils, is a comic about two people named Pocket and Boom(kewl names, huh?)living together one week after meeting online playing an MMO(multiplayer online roleplaying game, for those not in the know. Which are probably none of you). Ah the ever changing rules of dating. I remember when I had to take a girl out for a Slushie. Anyway, they meet online, move in together, and hopefully hilarity ensues. Updates are Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays, with 35 updates so far.

The art in Slash has a cutesy pootsy sorta chibi anime look, with lots of startled looks on the characters faces and no pupils in their eyes. It's a sloppy cartoon style that I've seen before, but that doesn't make it bad. Just cute. Tons of black to cover the lack of backgrounds works pretty well, but they never leave the comfort of their computer chairs, so backgrounds wouldn't be much more than a pic on the wall or something. They really should branch out a bit. If they go to the grocery store, how about SHOWING them go, so we have a little variety? Or when they are in-game, instead of just showing the character they are playing, show some of the game backgrounds, so we at least get some idea of what kind of world they are in. Colorwise I liked the blue, black, and white scheme because it was different than the old familiar black and white. It sort of reminded me of the soft glow of a computer screen. I wonder if that's what Neils was going for. All in all not a bad look, but could be a little more detailed.

I've played Fallout 3 on the Xbox, but never online. That's the closest I've come to an MMO. What I'm getting at is the humor here isn't for me. It's a CONSTANT reference to online roleplaying games, something I'm not into. So the audience will consist of a limited group, and I hope Neils knows this. Someone who reads Garfield most likely won't get this. Someone who spends all their time in front of a computer with a headset on talking to others about orcs and druids would. It's just a bunch of leveling up jokes and, well, that's about it. I wonder if this is all they do in real life. If so, get out there so you have more material to work with!

The site is pretty limited. If you're looking for character, about, or fan art pages, you won't find them. There are links to Facebook, Twitter, and Shoutbox though. It's simple, but the comic is right there to read, no difficulty at all, and no scrolling down, which I found a bit odd.

Slash AFK is geared ONLY toward MMO players, so if you aren't one, or don't understand them, don't bother reading this comic. If you are one, give it a quick read through, but I'm not sure you'll like the basic art or the simple jokes. Since it's pretty early in its run, it has plenty of time to improve, but we shall see.

Slash AFK gets...