James Francis Comics

“User Friendly”: a webcomics warning

www.jamesfrancis.net — Tue, 28 Sep 2010 15:15:57 +0000

While some webcomics tackle highly unique subjects (such as the talking-dinosaur-comedy of Dinosaur Comics), not all of them stray from the classics. User Friendly is one such example: a (mostly) traditional workplace comedy which has been running since 1997. With progenitors such as Dilbert and Office Space, User Friendly is in good company. It also usually manages to put its own unique spin on the model. For instance, there are two sentient creatures known as the Dust Puppy (a living lint ball) and the Crud Puppy (a creature composed of keyboard crud). There is a computer geek who hangs out with Hastur and Cthulu. And there’s a programmer who’s addicted to hot ramen from a cup (okay, that’s not so unique).However, User-Friendly also serves as an example of the dark side of webcomics. It was discovered in 2009 that creator J.D. Frazer had used punchlines from MetaFilter users in some of his jokes. Frazer apologized for his conduct and updated his site to credit the original writers. This goes to show that webcomics still have the potential to violate copyright laws, especially when the strips are published in print collections (as they were in UF‘s case). If you’re thinking of making your own webcomic, be very careful when quoting or referencing another source. Trust ussomeone will catch on if you don’t.

“Usagi Yojimbo” animated web-comics

www.jamesfrancis.net — Sat, 25 Sep 2010 05:42:47 +0000

If you’ve never seen a rabbit samurai before, you’re not alone. Stan Sakai’s comic creation Usagi Yojimbo (“rabbit bodyguard” in Japanese) doesn’t have the mainstream recognition as Superman or Spiderman, or even a similar anthropomorphic warrior comic, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. However, you can get acquainted with the character at publisher Dark Horse’s website, which features four unique animated comic strips.These comics advance panel-by-panel as you click on them, with animations taking place within the panels themselves. There are currently four episodes, which follows Miyamoto Usagi (a walking, talking rabbit trained in the ways of the samurai) as he encounters an assassin with a unique penchant for folding cranes.After reading through this short story, you’ll see what has attracted people to Usagi since 1987. Sakai’s characters and world owe a heavy debt to classic Japanese legends, cinema, and pop culture, from early Godzilla films to the comic series Lone Wolf and Cub. Usagi’s real name, Miyamoto Usagi, is also a reference, to the most well-known samurai in Japanese culture. Miyamoto Musashi was a 16^th-17^th century warrior, writer, and artist still recognized as a strategic and tactical genius today.You can catch up on Usagi’s adventures in the collected volumes. The first 7 are published by Fantagraphics, with all others published by Dark Horse. The most recent is Volume 24: Return of the Black Soul, published in August 2010.

Myspace Dark Horse Presents is a stunning return to form

www.jamesfrancis.net — Thu, 23 Sep 2010 19:11:49 +0000

In the 1980s and 1990s, Dark Horse Presents was one of the pinnacles of the independent comics industry. Each month, it featured a variety of talents who would grow into recognized masters of the art form. The first of these was Paul Chadwick, whose character Concrete (a realistic look at what life would be like for a man whose brain is trapped in a concrete body). Later, Frank Miller’s hardboiled Sin City was serialized within the anthology’s pages. When the book ended in 2000, it was mourned by many.Thankfully, Dark Horse returned to its roots in 2007, launching the second volume of Dark Horse Presents. There was one small difference, thoughthe comic is published online at Myspace, and is free. That’s right, you can go to http://www.myspace.com/darkhorsepresents and pick one of four stories to read online, including one written by Levar Burton of Star Trek: The Next Generation fame. Myspace Dark Horse Presents continues the tradition of featuring new and exciting talent along with already-acclaimed writers.If you can’t take reading online, the stories from MDHP are being collected in a series of trade paperbacks. So far, five volumes have been released. The latest volume features classic characters like Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Conan the Barbarian, Solomon Kane, and more.