The first webcomic to be reviewed is one called We the Robots, and immediately upon reading it, I realized I’d stepped into an arena I was woefully unprepared for, given my rather straight and narrow outlook on life.

However, despite that, I’ll do my best and use my Power of Peerless Prose ™, rather than the Power of the Infinite Windbag ™. If pressured for an opinion, I’d give Robots 2 out of 5 stars. Why? I’m glad you asked.

For one, the comic’s art isn’t really all that impressive. It looks like a great many other webcomics, i.e., simple and without anything resembling fanciness, or perhaps as though the person didn’t really feel they needed to put a lot of work into the drawings themselves. Stick figures meets a how to draw heads course, neither one of them working.

Another negative were the stories themselves. I constantly got the impression as I read that the creators were trying to draw those heavy symbolisms between humanity’s foibles through the examples of the robots. Case in point, the strip in which the robot sits, simply staring at the television for 4 panels.(October 15, 2007) Obviously some kind of comment on the mindlessness of television, but hasn’t that about been done to death? Those types of examples abound; overall the strip simply tries too hard to be “with it,” as they used to say, but instead comes off more as a strip in which you’d scratch your head and say “Huh?” more often than not. Entertainment, guys. Entertainment.

Finally, the comic is entirely too willing to use harsh or crude language, seemingly just for the sake of using it. Like theatre when I was in college, it seems to be put in simply because it can be, or as though they want to show how cool and modern they are by having their characters resort to vulgarity when it isnt necessary. Best case in point, the comic of October 12, 2007, in which the robots are talking about someone named “Superbot” and for no apparent or good reason, the strip ends with “Superbot would punch them in the C*CK!” Now….the point or reason for that was? I’m neither a prude nor a Bible thumper, but come on. Use some imagination, guys.

So there you have it, my review. No doubt many will not like it, and for that all I can say is not “Im sorry,” but instead, “that’s my opinion and only holds true to me.” Enjoy!

Rating:

We the Robots
by Chris Harding
http://www.wetherobots.com/
review by The Doctor

(6 votes, average: 3.5 out of 5)

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Wisecracking rabbits. Depressed donkeys. Bitter ducks. Insane sponges. We’ve all seen human characteristics displayed by a variety of decidedly non-human characters. We The Robots does this as well, and while the robot genre has been mined before, Chris Harding (the comics creator) does so in a pretty bleak, rusty colored, morose little world. WTR updates about three times a week, give or take. No set schedule here.

I recently reviewed a comic titled Max and Tonks, which borrows heavily from the artistic vision that is WTR. Little did I know that was the case, for a few days later here I am reviewing We The Robots, and the originality shines through. This is a world unlike any other I’ve had the pleasure(and displeasure, lemme tell ya) of visiting. It has a curious style akin to South Park in that it resembles construction paper cut-outs set in a drab and dreary, yet oddly soothing environment. The robots also have resemble the baby that’s always on that show (I haven’t watched often, so the name escapes me). I compare this comic to South Park, but it also has it’s own uniqueness that I’m sure will please anyone with an eye for the surreal. With that said, I really enjoyed the sparse settings and clever character designs.

Chris Harding does a good job of expressing the “robots” rollercoaster of emotion, especially in the workplace. He has a strong grasp on the human dilemma, how many of us go about our lives, almost as mindless automatons, performing menial tasks and having our little cookie cutter houses with our cookie cutter dogs, aware that this isn’t what we dreamed things would be like, but doing nothing about it. Complaining on the inside, yes, but taking the steps to improve our situation? No. There is plenty of humor in setups, which is played up to sometimes hilarious effect. I’ve seen less with in some network sitcoms (I’m talking to you, According to Jim!). I also noticed quite a few somber strips, devoid of humor, but no less effective in provoking deeper thoughts. It’s not all fun and games for these characters. I couldn’t help but feel pity for the plight of these machines and their neverending brainstorm of doubt and contemplation. This is a very good mixed bag of humor and angst.

In closing, I recommend We The Robots for anyone with a penchant for the depressing and a fancy for bitter wit and sharp sarcastic humor. You just may see yourself in any number of these characters, and know that you aren’t alone in your constant ridiculous struggle for self worth. Umm…..I really liked it.

Rating:

We the Robots
by Chris Harding
http://www.wetherobots.com/
review by Jack Carter

(2 votes, average: 4 out of 5)

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We The Robots is about (a nation of) robots. I will warn that it is hilarious and I will waste far too much time rereading it, I suspect.

Also, some (the friends of the artist, in fact) apparently have trouble getting the name of the comic right. The About page includes a few sentences about the proper title and how to get it right. I was in tears because I was laughing so hard, but you’ll have to read that page for yourself.

Now that we are all properly informed about the name, let’s talk about the comic. It began in October 2007 and usually updates three times a week. It normally has a three or four panel layout, but sometimes deviates with other layouts. There is even an animated cartoon in there as well.

The artwork is a little different than the norm. The backgrounds are usually dark colors and props are drawn in but left uncolored. The robots are rendered in color with no contour outline. Like the props, the details of the characters are draw in but left uncolored. It’s a unique look.

Most of the We The Robots strips are unrelated, storywise. It presents, in fine comic tradition, a sideways look at life. In many cases, we see the robots doing something utterly stupid, sometimes even self destructive. We would never dream of doing these things, but we do - if we look at ourselves honestly.

Of course, sometimes we can easily identify with We The Robots too. There’s one entitled “Underwater” where the robot is swimming peacefully under the water and loving until that “dreaded moment” we all hate.

There’s lots to like about We The Robots. The only thing that detracts for me is the occasional use of a cuss word. The humor is good and enjoyable and it could be just as good with some other word inserted there, but that’s just my personal opinion. My other personal opinion is that (as of this writing) Uncle Bill needs to leave ASAP. Yikes!

Rating:

We the Robots
by Chris Harding
http://www.wetherobots.com/
review by Delos Woodruff

(2 votes, average: 4 out of 5)

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I hate to say it, but something about We The Robots by Chris Harding that just doesn’t click for me. I’m going to try in this review to work through what it is that doesn’t click for me.

The problem is not the art, which is clean and consistent. The characters are distinct and recognizable; no worries here about the characters all blending together. The coloring is interesting because it’s not your typical computer coloring job.  Rather than using a color scheme that “pops” and is almost too garish, Harding mutes his pages by giving everything a sort of “old newsprint” grayish cast.  The coloring actually adds to the sense that these characters live in a drab world of oppressive work and school conditions with not a lot of hope for a change any time soon.

The problem is not really the characters either. The focus is mostly on a robot named Bob, who works in a cubicle, has a horrible boss, and tends towards existential dreams regardless of whether he’s at home in bed or asleep at his desk. Bob is a highly sympathetic character, as is the rest of his family – pre-teen son Mickey has a teacher who stifles his creativity, teenage daughter Sandi has peer pressure issues (and seems to be that rare breed of preternaturally aware teens who know that giving in to peer pressure is more trouble than its worth), and Bob’s wife suffers through their angst without having a name of her own. The most consistent supporting characters are Bob’s coworkers, especially bearded Stevo, who are there mostly to set up situations for Bob to deal with.

The problem is also not with the humor. I appreciate a good fart, potty or sex joke just as much as the next person and am far from being easily offended. (Case in point: a lot of my fellow gay men would be offended that Bob’s Uncle Mike comes to visit and makes a comment about the crayons in a restaurant not being the “normal” colors, and that “everywhere you go, they’re trying to turn you gay;” I recognize that this is the viewpoint of a particular character in the strip, and a particularly obnoxious character that neither Bob nor his wife even like – so why take offense?) The strip varies its humor nicely, with an equal proportion of “base” humor and more thoughtful intellectual punchines.

I think the problem is with the pacing. Most of the jokes / sequences either run a day too long (beating the punchline into the ground) or just seem to end abruptly with a blank look on a character’s face. It’s almost like watching recent seasons of Saturday Night Live; jokes run out of steam or just sort of peter out. This type of “non-ending” to a comedy sketch or a comic strip works for some people, so your mileage may vary. I’ll keep checking back in with We The Robots because there are some genuinely funny installments, but I can’t give it my highest recommendation.

Rating:

We the Robots
by Chris Harding
http://www.wetherobots.com/
review by Anthony Cardno

(3 votes, average: 4.67 out of 5)

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Our first comic to be reviewed is We The Robots by Chris Harding. The reviews will be posted Friday May 2nd and you’ll be getting an eyeful from those dueling reviews, let me tell you.

In the meantime, feel free to visit We The Robots and prepare yourself for our examination.