Todays Review: Gothbunnies...

Comics that involve anthropomorphic characters tend to creep me out a bit, unless they are handled in a certain fashion. I don't like seeing furry sex. It's not something that appeals to me. Where am I going with this? I'm not sure. I guess I'm just saying that a "furry" comic has to be fairly interesting and avoid the stigmas that come with the genre to get my attention, or even a review from this dude. Now, that brings us to todays review...

Gothbunnies(nice title), by Joanne Wojtysiak, concerns a pack of rabbits(Sorrel, Larch, and Dittany) attempting to move into their newly acquired home, a nice big hole, but finding out that it's not that easy when you have sinister monster plants and magic to contend with. Updates come every Wednesday.

The art in Bunnies is nice and detailed black and white goodness. A nice grasp of anatomy is present, even down to the carefully crafted hands. Human hands of course, we're talking walking talking bunnies here. Some pages are more detailed than others, but that's to be expected in any comic. I would love to see what Joanne could do with a town or castle setting, and this comic seems like it would be no trouble to slap a castle in there somewhere. Anyway, nice art, good sense of page layout, very professional work. Moving on.

The story itself starts off pretty slow and laid back, what with a lot of bickering amongst the characters, until a male rabbit named Vetiver pops up. The pacing could have been a bit better, as the comic tended to drag at times, and I honestly wasn't sure what crowd the comic is going for. The comic really has no goth themes, with the closest thing being magic and a bunny that wears a lot of black. Don't worry though, because it's all explained in the "about" section of the site. Also the difficulty in figuring out who is male and female(I had this problem)is explained as well. She thought of everything! Aside from these few problems the comic does get fairly interesting later on involving police, magic spells, water fairies, and all sorts of things. I'm curious as to where the comic will go from here.

Gothbunnies is an interesting specimen. Some will probably check it out based solely on the "goth" in the name, and may be turned off when it's not goth at all. I'm sure though that many will come for that reason and yet stay for the other themes because it is a well done and well thought out comic. Great art and a slow yet solid story that will most likely pay off in the end. Hop over to Gothbunnies(heh) and give it a once over. You just might be in it for the long haul...

I give Gothbunnies...

(Gothbunnies is basically for PG with minor swearing)

Moving. Sucks, don't it?

Sorry no new review the last few days, but we've been busy moving into a new house. Don't worry though, we're getting free internet access somehow, so I'll be saving money and continuing to update, hopefully on a more frequent schedule. Go read some webcomics!

Mini Review-Pick of the Week!!!

Herman The Manatee is the newest pick of the week, and with only six comics in the archives, that's saying something. The comic is created and illustrated by Jason Viola, co-creator and illustrator of The Bullet Points, which I have reviewed in the past. Herman's simple yet hilarious main plot point is: Herman can't seem to NOT get his cranium cracked by motorboats. I know, simple, right? Updates swim onto the site every Wednesday.

The art in Manatee is nicely done with a detailed ocean view drafted in beautiful blacks and whites, a welcome change of pace for this reviewers colorblinded eyes. Black and white, when done right, can surpass even the most perfectly colored comic. Great style reminding me of classic comics of years gone by. Or it's just drawn good.

The writing is strictly written around the idea of a poor Herman never being able to get a break, with his feeble mammal mind not quite being able to grasp NOT going to the surface for a skull fracture or two. For now it's really funny seeing exactly how each week he will come to that end, but I wonder how long Jason will be able to keep up the one note joke?

Great comic here. Why? Because it's just such a ridiculous premise that it works. You don't have to be a cynical art geek or a gamer nerd to enjoy Herman for what it is; twenty seconds of good natured fun. Do yourself a favor and take a dip in Herman The Manatees world.

I give Herman The Manatee...

(Herman is for all ages...thus far)

New! Chimpies Recommended Reading!

Hey all, I have a new banners area down and to the right solely for Chimpies Recommended Reading. What that means is any comic that gets nine or more chimps will receive a small banner linking to their comic as reward. And if you feel like linking to my site as well, ahem, don't let me stop you....trust me, Chimpy has great taste! Enjoy!

Someone drew Chimpy!

David Buist over at Cartoonme.net sent me this awesome pic of Chimpy at what I can only assume is amateur night at the Laugh Factory! Check out the drawing and then head over to his website and give it a looksee!

Fuzznuts...

Talking animal gag humor has always had its ups and downs. While a comic like Zoology does a great job of finding all kinds of funny in the everyday workings of a zoo(hence the name), a comic like Garfield finds all kinds of boring in the setting of his owners house. I guess what I'm saying is just like Forrest Gump once said, you never know what you're gonna get. So how does today's comic stand up to my intense scrutiny? Let's find out...

Fuzznuts, written by Zack G., with art by Chris W., explores the mostly ignored theme of loneliness and isolation in todays post modern park setting. Or the crazy antics of a couple of squirrels named Fuzz and Nuts. I'm not too sure. Anyway, Fuzznuts is updated Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays, with around 22 comics in the archives as of this writing.

As far as the art is concerned, it's pretty much perfect for this style of comic. Two squirrels standing in front of a green and blue backdrop with the occasional tree to liven things up a bit. You don't want it to be too cluttered, because the focus should be on the jokes, so minimal yet enjoyable art is a good thing, at least for this comic. Character designs are cutesy with an edge, and Chris W. certainly has a good handle on his style, which avoids the cliched anime and Penny Arcade copycats out there. The coloring is simple and compliments the artwork with subdued tones that don't wear on the ole eyeballs. Simply put, me likey!

In any gag strip such as this there are always hits and miss jokes, and Fuzznuts isn't an exception to the rule. There's the funny, and then there's the filler comic seemingly only put up to adhere to the schedule. You'll never find a comic that hits the mark one hundred percent of the time, so I won't hold it against our squirrel friends. Zack G. does a good job of working within the three panel format, ending with a joke in the last panel that usually turns a frown upside down. I have to say though that I would like to see a little more variety in the situations that Fuzz and Nuts are put into, but squirrels can only get into so much trouble, can't they? Only 20 something comics in leaves plenty of time and room for these little guys to grow, and for Zack's best work to shine through.

I enjoyed the squirrely antics on display in Fuzznuts, and will be checking back in to see how it progresses from here. You might want to try it out for a smile or three, as I found it to be simple yet effective fun. While I didn't find it to be a full meal, it's lighthearted appeal is meant to digest easily. Check it out.
I give this comic...

(Fuzznuts is PG-13 with occasional mild swearing and violence)

Sketchart!

Would you like to share any of your sketchy art pages? If so, email me at uncaringmachine@aol.com and I'll post it up with a link to your comic, or if you don't have a comic, I'll post it anyway! We all love to see what's going on in those creative minds!