I have a book on my shelf entitled The World According to Mister Rogers, and it’s a book I pull out and read over again every so often when I need to be reminded that the world is not all bad, and we really can try and be good to each other. I know you probably don’t believe me or are laughing, but that’s ok. I mention that book because one of the things that leaps out at me when I read it is how Mr. R would pour over his scripts saying “Simple is better. Simple is better.” It’s a page I’ll take for my reviews from this point on. Simple is better.

I realize, given the trends in comics and the awards that this particular one has achieved that I will be in the minority when I say that I simply didn’t care for this work. I call it a work because, unlike most comics out there, it’s obvious the artist put some thought and time into it to make it something special. It’s also necessary to say that I never was a fan of Mr. POE, either. He struck me much as a characterization I saw once of Frederic Chopin; after being introduced, the composer said (in a voice like Droopy) “I’m Frederic Chopin. I don’t like playing in public, I don’t like people, and I don’t like you.” I may be wrong, but so help me that’s what I think of when I read or read about Mr. Poe. It didn’t help here.

Anyway, back to the review; the reasons are pretty straightforward, I think. For one, the work was frightening, to me, to a degree. It was as though I was drawn into someone’s nightmare; into a world that made very little sense and where anything could happen, and I was trapped there. That’s disorienting to me. Also, I felt as I read it that we were looking into the parts of someone’s soul that really aren’t our business. To paraphrase a line from the movie The Shadow, I know what evil lurks in the hearts of men because I see it in myself. It’s something intensely private to me and I felt uncomfortable seeing what I perceived as some of that darkness/conflict laid out in the comic for us, the readers, to see in the characters. It was an invasion of privacy, from where I was standing, as though someone suddenly took all those things you keep hidden in the dark parts of your heart/mind/soul and put them out for display. Put me right off, so to speak. Some may not understand my reasoning, some will, and I’m all right with that. On the art side of things, the artwork itself seemed a bit hurried - I kept wanting to reach in and erase the squiggly lines to add some more defined ones. The pace of the comic was hard for me to go with as well, akin to being swept along from one shock to another in a very swift river’s current. All in all, not my style.

Having said that, though, does that mean I think it’s a bad comic? I can’t really say that. It wasn’t my kind of comic, and I didn’t really care for it. Aside from the more dark aspects of it, I didn’t really see anything that would make me want to warn people off. Is it a comic I would recommend to others? Not if you were very young or prone to depressive episodes. I do feel, though, that most people would need to read it on their own, and make their own call.

For me, I give it 2 stars. Rating:

The Surreal Adventures of Edgar Allan Poo
Updates on Saturdays.
http://www.drunkduck.com/The_Surreal_Adventures_of_Edgar_Allan_Poo/index.php
by Dwight L Macpherson
art by Thomas Boatright
lettered by Thomas Mauer

reviewed by The Doctor

(7 votes, average: 2.86 out of 5)

 Loading …

My dear ol’ mother used to tell me that when you can’t say anything nice about something, don’t say anything at all. However, as anyone who has read my reviews will tell you, that’s one piece of advice I didn’t exactly pick up on. I do, however, usually not say much about a subject when there really isn’t anything to say. Such is the case with this latest item for our review, Wannabe Pirates.

It was family friendly, which was a plus. The art was crisp and clean but seemed a bit stilted and, to be honest, I didn’t really laugh or smile a lot as a read it. Does that mean, however, it was a bad comic? Not at all. It just means that whatever it was that really strikes me as funny wasn’t there.

It’s definitely a comic that will appeal to some tastes and not to others, and so I encourage you to read it for yourself and see what you think.

For me, I give it 3 stars, if for no other reason than being a fairly unique (at least to me) concept, and for the positives noted above.

The Doctor

Rating:

The Wannabe Pirates
http://thewannabepirates.com
by Largent & McCrary

(3 votes, average: 2.33 out of 5)

 Loading …

The original review for this comic was a bit more lengthy and went into detail as to why I simply didn’t like or enjoy this comic. That was, however, before I ran across the blogs (and you know who you are) in which the artists and fanboys of some of my other reviews are whining and moaning about how horrible my reviews are, how I’m an idiot because I don’t see things their way, and other assorted complaints of the “flame him for daring to express a negative view” variety. To them, I guess I don’t know what to say except “Tough darts, guys - don’t read my reviews, then.”

However, despite the risk of giving someone else’s fragile ego a boo-boo, The Doctor has rolled up his sleeves and written a new and improved review, complete with short words so no one strains their brain power. I’m sure after this one my write ups will go back to their old selves, so no worries.

I didn’t like the comic. The humor wasn’t of the type that makes me laugh, since I usually prefer gags and topics that haven’t been done to death as far as jokes go, or at least ones that aren’t so out there that you have to be in the know to get them. (The strip in which Jimmy calls various girls comes to mind; one is watching bees pollinate flowers and the other is sitting next to Bigfoot) I also felt the subject humor wasn’t original or even very imaginative, dealing mainly with the main character’s inability to deal with girlfriends, other friends or his own inept geekiness. Same basic formula as pretty much any recent sitcom, but this also had the main character cut from an Al Bundy (Married with Children) type mold, too. Some of the subject matter was a bit adult, too, and so I’d be cautious about letting kids read it. Therefore, I didn’t give the comic a high rating. I also know, however, that I am not God, and so I encourage you to take my review with a grain of salt and read the comic yourself, if you so choose.

Good place for a personal note as a reviewer, too, I think, on behalf of other reviewers: A review, unless done by a professional (which I am not, as I have stated many times) who critiques on a professional level and about professional points (such as use of color, shading, line work, etc.) is primarily an opinion. Since it is an opinion, it’s allowed to be different than those of other people. If you are the artist and don’t like it, then don’t create web comics and then ask review sites/people to review them. If you’re a rabid fanboy, accept the fact that others will have a different opinion and don’t waste time flaming them. You only make yourself look idiotic, and I suspect hurt the comic itself in the long run by driving people away.

I’ll step off my soap box now, and close by saying that hopefully none of what I have said will pertain to the creator of this web comic. I suspect that Mr. Purcell will shrug and say “Oh well…he didn’t like it,” and go on. At least, I am hoping he will. I would hate to think that my opinion bears such almighty weight that it would discourage someone from doing something they enjoy.

I give the comic one star. Rating:

The Doctor

Been Better
http://beenbettercomic.com
by James Purcell
(1 votes, average: 3 out of 5)

 Loading …

I could go on about this comic’s incredible use of cutting edge humor, incredible art and hysterically funny gags, you know. I could, but I’d be lying. I am convinced after reading it that “Muddle Creek” is aptly named, primarily because you have to muddle THROUGH it to try and finish the never-ending archives.

With all apologies necessary to any fans and especially to the author, I have to say that this comic can be summed up in one word - DULL. I began at the first comic and after about 3 weeks worth of slow jokes, obvious jokes, boring jokes, and then ones that were worse, I literally said, out loud, “Does it get any better?” and jumped ahead to the later comics. Sad to say, it didn’t. The art is bland, the conversations stilted and predictable, and the cast is pretty much the same assortment you’d see in something like Dilbert.

I don’t know what power Bloom County had over the world, but it seems like an inordinate number of webcomics are trying hard to cash in on their style, rather than going their own direction. This one, unfortunately, is no exception.

I finally gave up more out of a sense of self-preservation than anything else, and came here to write the review.

If you like a comic that tries hard to be Doonesbury or Bloom County, then read it. Note that I said “tries hard.” It seems to be yet another attempt at a socially conscious, hard hitting comic that when all is said and done should be bottled and sold as a cure for insomnia. However, on a positive note I saw nothing that would make me warn people away from it or make it non-family friendly, though. So I give it 2 stars.

And that’s my opinion.

The Doctor

Rating:

Muddle Creek
http://muddlecreek.com/
by Jerry Benedict
Reviewed by The Doctor
(3 votes, average: 4.33 out of 5)

 Loading …

Tastes like chicken? I can understand where the author got the name from, considering that the webcomic “tastes” like a lot of other works - let’s see… The Far Side, Bizarro, Non-Sequitor and a number of others, all with the same basic format and gag lines.

Does that make the comic bad, though? Heavens, no - just repetitive. As I read through it I didn’t really chuckle or crack a smile simply because most of the comics were derivatives of the same rather standard jokes that you have seen in the aforementioned comics.

On the plus side, I didn’t see anything really graphic or non-family friendly, so that’s always a good thing.

I give it 3.0 stars simply because it was an overall decent comic, even if it wasn’t my particular cup of tea, so to speak. Rating:

The Doctor

Tastes Like Chicken
http://tasteslikechicken.smackjeeves.com/
by Josh Alves
Review by the Doctor
(2 votes, average: 3 out of 5)

 Loading …

I don’t really have a lot to say about this comic in particular, and so wisely, I won’t. Surprised? Get used to it. The art was decent, and the detail in it was good. The storyline was ok (if a bit overused in concept), if you like surreal comics that look like you’re watching someone’s acid induced dream with no sense of coherence or logical design.

These things don’t make it a bad comic; it makes it a comic that isn’t one I’d really enjoy simply because it’s very disorienting to me to read it. I spent so much time trying to understand where things were coming from, and why, that I missed a lot of what the comic probably has to offer. (The girl, in particular, looks like she dresses with clothes found in a dumpster somewhere and could use a good shower, or at least a mirror) Also, the “my life is dull and drab but I can escape to this incredible world where I’ll be SOMETHING” types of stories don’t appeal to me. Escapism is ok to a point - somehow this went past this point.

Based on its merits rather than my opinion, I give it 2 1/2 stars. All I can say is, read it yourself and decide.

The Doctor

Rating:

Kukuburi
http://www.kukuburi.com
by Ramón Pérez

Reviewed by The Doctor

(3 votes, average: 2.67 out of 5)

 Loading …