I recently discovered a couple of web comics that are so diverse that they’ve qualified to be added to my personal guilty pleasure list. All of these sites are unique and are worth taking a look at.
Bug – is one of those web comics that you find yourself initially reading because someone recommended it to you. Later, you’ll find yourself recommending it to others. Bug is the daily life observations of Adam Huber as visualized through bugs. This strip should not be confused with La Cucaracha by Lalo Alcaraz, in which one of the main characters is a cockroach. This strip is original and fun as this example shows. No subject is off limits in Bug and while it is an acquired taste, once you start you’ll find yourself easily addicted.
Spinnerette – is a wonderful variation of the Spiderman story except it takes the story to its logical conclusion. What if the mutation that turned Peter Parker into Spiderman didn’t just stop at giving him internal spider powers, but rather outwardly manifested itself. What if Parker had turned into a true arachnid with eight limbs. Well, that’s what happened to grad student, Heather Brown, who finds her world completely turned upside-down when she is infused with spider DNA in a lab accident. Heather didn’t plan to be a superhero, but figures that is what she is supposed to do. This comic is about her journey as she learns to protect herself and the citizens of Columbus, Ohio where she often laments that there are no tall buildings to swing from. I laughed out loud when Heather got a ‘cease and desist’ letter from Marvel Entertainment because her costume looked too much like Marvel’s Julia Carpenter Spider-Woman. The writing is smart and this is a wonderful take on an old story. Please note the original art style was anime, but that has changed with the current artist. (I’m personally not fond of the current art.) Start with the first issue and have fun as you watch Heather grow as a crimefighter, as an adult and in your heart.
Finally, it’s not a secret that one of my favorite comics is Arlo and Janis by Jimmy Johnson. This strip is generally a gag-a-day strip, but there is continuity and underlying tones that makes this strip work. The principal characters, Janice and Arlo Day are a middle-aged couple in their late forties who love each other and are still sexually attracted to each other. In other words, they are not a typical comic strip couple. You can find Arlo and Janis here, but what I want to point you to is the author’s blog. Jimmy Johnson’s blog is one of the best around. Johnson, who lives in Pass Christian, Mississippi, used his blog to personalize the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina in 2005. His stories are touching and his blog is as smart as his strip. Jimmy Johnson is worth checking out.