A while ago I produced a few episodes of a web comic entitled Maul which rips off the visual style of a friend’s substantially more successful series. This one is entitled RomCom and is based on the Hollywood romantic comedy genre. The idea came from a conversation about how trite and formulaic romantic comedies are, invariably involving some sort of chase (normally to an airport) once the troubled protagonist[1] realises the he/she cannot just let the other one slip away. The result is invariably a reconciliation and a beautifully flawed life together. A happy ending.
Somehow it seems more fun to think of what could be the worst possible ending to a romantic comedy. Let’s keep the chase (possibly even to an airport) and the troubled/yearning roles, but what would be the worst possible revelation that could happen in the very last scene? So here we go – RomCom, a web comic of despair.

My patience with TGSF is rapidly running out. I like the concept but my attention span is just too short to keep it going as a long term project. I’ve put up two more episodes – Back to the Ol’ Buzzcut and Get High Tonite.
I will probably do two more, but then its on to my new concept – the Lulwer-Bytton contest.

In the meantime enjoy TGSF; while it lasts.

As is my wont I’ve started work on another short-lived comic entitled Maul. It’s pretty much a carbon copy (plagiarism) of nrvs web comics though I did clear it with nrvs himself, so no lawsuits then.

For some reason I tend to be quite serious about the aesthetics of comics. I hate Garfield though some modification elevates it to the godly level of Peanuts. I consistently enjoy Basic Instructions, but somehow the only the first episode of the relentlessly aesthetically pure Adventures of Confessions of Saint Augustine Bear really blew me away[1].

The aesthetic of nrvs web comics (and therefore of Maul) is less about the punch line and all about being meticulous about the delivery.

That’s right profane comic fans, The Good Ship Faakensheize is back on the air and season 2 promises to deliver even more thrills ‘n spills than season 1!

For those new to this groundbreaking space dramedy, here’s the blurb from season 1

This is the story of the Good Ship Faakensheize and its maverick commander – Flip.
Commander Flip is a man on a mission; not an important one, but a mission nevertheless.
He captains the Good Ship Faakensheize and its crew as they explore space and time, though not necessarily in that order.

The ship’s computer knows that, in fact, there is no-one on the ship other than Commander Flip, but does not tell him this.

And now in season 2 the cast and crew return after an extended leave of absence, due to protracted contract negotiations and rehab, ready to rock your galaxy.
Unfortunately the show’s producers couldn’t agree on terms with the ship’s computer (undisputed star of season 1) and therefore he hasn’t returned in season 2. But don’t worry! The cast has been amended with several thrilling new characters, including the delightful Skinny Intern, and the writing remains at an acerbic genius pitch.

So strap on your starship goggles as we head back towards the inner reaches of outer space!

Yes, so there it is – I’ve finally picked up my old online comic again. I struggled for a long time with how to go about writing a second season for this series.
The premise is simple, each season has twelve episodes and each season I intend to each season use the same (poorly)drawn panels and to just change the text. We also always only see one character on the screen (Commander Flip) which means that the other characters have to, somehow, be able to plausibly remain off screen.
A few weeks ago I happened on the thought that if season 2 (in the absence of the Computer character) was about the making of the TV show (which is what season 1 was) I could get away with the other characters being off screen as they are the crew that produce the show (the director etc).
I’m also explicitly linking seasons 1 and 2 to bounce the two sets of jokes against one another, but I’m taking a lot of care to not just re-phrase the same jokes in a new context. The first two episodes of season 2 do mirror season 1 closely, but from episode 3 onwards I’m looking to broaden my horizon and rely less on the spaceship angle and more on Commander Flip’s struggle as a daytime TV actor.

Oh yes, and there will be even more fucking swearing than in season 1 – and sex.