2017 Wild Webcomic Quasi Award Winners

Welcome to the 2017, and perhaps last, Wild Webcomic Quasi Awards.  This post will pass out the awards to the comics that excel at the categories for which they were nominated.  I give these awards out myself, based on my own judgement from my time reading these comics.  This year's nominations can be found here, with the rules for this contest posted here.  Without further ado, the first award.

------------------------------------------------

Best Black and White Art

There are lots of reasons to award Our Time in Eden, from it's excellent writing to it's character development, but the art truly stands out.  Especially when it comes to those characters.  There's a hauntingness to each character that is hard to really describe.  They look like the world has crushed them under it's weight and they just want it to go away.  Ben Steeves' art truly makes the sad tale written by Gibson Twist to life in a way that likely wouldn't come across the same way in a purely written format.  There isn't much action, if at all, but each page is filled with details, large and small, that give an amazing sense of detail into the events described no matter how small.  It is a wonderful looking comic, despite it's less than happy story.  This has earned it the award for Best Black and White Art for 2017.

Winner:  Our Time in Eden

------------------------------------------------

Best Color Art

Last year, Stand Still, Stay Silent was the winner of the Best New Comic award, one it earned based on it's updates, story and especially it's art, and in the last two years, it never let up.  The art itself may have improved, but since it was already amazing, it's hard to see how much it could have.  Characters are easy to identify, colors are bold and used with amazing effect, and some of the monsters are just downright terrifying to see.  Minna Sundberg is an amazing artist and her level of production at such a high level cannot, and should not be ignored.  Even cutting her production from 5 days a week to 4 just so she had time to focus on a video game side project didn't slow the comic down at all.  It is by far one of the best looking comics on the web today, and thus the winner of the Best Color Art award for 2017.

Winner:  Stand Still, Stay Silent

------------------------------------------------

Best Gag Comic

Kris Straub has issues with his larger comics, but the one comic he hasn't slacked on is his gag comic, Chainsawsuit.  It's topical, without being insulting, silly without being stupid, and funny while being, well, funny.  It's never the same thing twice, with rarely a repeated joke, or if there is, the joke is that it IS a repeated joke.  Kris has a definite grasp on comic timing and silly comments, so while his darker, less funny comic might have stalled out, he can at least fall back on his silly strip named after an idea he's mentioned maybe twice over it's life time.  The award for Best Gag Comic in 2017 is given to it with no reservations.

Winner:  Chainsawsuit

------------------------------------------------

Best Shortform Comic

There's a cartoony feel to David Davis' Cosmic Dash, one that might throw off those looking for a more serious science fiction comic.  The thing is, that it IS serious, but it's not dark.  Each of the shorter tales through it are very positive in attitude without being silly or goofy.  There is drama, but it doesn't crush the comic, and the positive mood of the comic keeps it fresh and interesting.  The sheer number of shorter vignettes keep the comic moving and fresh.  Some are only a few pages long, especially compared to the larger segments, but all are positive, all are fun, and all are some of the best science fiction out there.  Cosmic Dash receives the Best Shortform Comic of 2017 on this positive attitude.

Winner:  Cosmic Dash

------------------------------------------------

Best Longform Comic

It might be a cheat to talk about Pete Abrams' Sluggy Freelance in terms of "longform" since early on it wasn't such a comic.  The last few years, and it's attempt to wrap up the various loose ends, have changed the game significantly.  Now old plot points are coming back from the dead, to finally be put to rest, old ideas and theories are being brought in, up and finished and the comic as a whole has taken the light feeling of an epic and really expanded it into a grandiose piece of fiction.  It's not a comic that anyone can come into and pick up, not easily or quickly, but the overall plot for those who are long time fans is a wondrous thing to see in action.  It helps that this is likely it's last, regular updating year, and with that in mind, the award for Best Long for Comic of 2017 goes to webcomic that set the standard by which all comics are measured.

Winner:  Sluggy Freelance

------------------------------------------------

Best Cast

Giving each character time and development is something that, at the very least, is hard, and gets worse with every additional character.  It helps to have a basis to connect them all, and Jackie Wohlenhaus' Between Failures has that linkage, a failing entertainment store.  From here their stories can be explored and examined, their relationships built and expanded upon, all while not strictly forgetting the rest of the cast exists.  The fact that Jackie keeps creating characters that sit on the edges of his central cast and keeps them interesting and fun is something that cannot be ignored.  This fact alone is more than reason enough to award this comic Best Cast of 2017.

Winner:  Between Failures

------------------------------------------------

Best Character

Corridor Realms has quite a collection of comics, and through them some more than interesting characters.  Blake J.K. Chen's creations range from the alien, to the, um, inscrutable, but probably one of his best is Robert, or Bobby, from Subhuman Sanctum because he is, ultimately, the most human.  He has no real special powers, though he can fight when needed.  He's no special snowflake, often getting in more trouble than he intends, and he falls for a girl who is probably an out right alien.  Well, that's probably special, but the way he handles it all comes from a very human place and make him the winner of the Best Character of 2017 award.

Winner:  Robert from Subhuman Sanctum

------------------------------------------------

Best New Comic

The very premise of a comic can often make or break it for a reader before they've seen a single panel.  Even after that initial hump, the premise can still haunt the reader and turn their opinion against the comic even if it probably shouldn't.  Which makes MJ and Jesse Fanta's PopChromatic a unique piece as it's very premise can be poisonous to most people, a comic about a pop star competition is less than appealing to many, yet manage to make it entertaining and engaging.  Sure that competition is the core of the comic, but realistically, it's about family and their relationships with each other, whether it's between Jade and her twin sister Amber, or Justice and his father.  This elevates it above the basic premise and makes the comic far better than many would assume it should be.  Because of this, PopChromatic gets the Best New Comic of 2017 award.

Winner:  PopChromatic

------------------------------------------------

Best Completed Comic

I'm going to slip out of award mode for this one.  The last two times I did these awards, Michael Poe's Errant Story was nominated, but never awarded.  It was less because Errant Story failed in some way, and more that other comics, at that moment, deserved it more.  I have covered, in detail, why I think this is one of the best comics ever.  I really don't have more to say about it than that.  If this really is the last time I do one of these awards on my own, then now is the time to officially give it the respect and award it deserves.  As such, I am giving it the Best Completed Comic of 2017 award, and no you can't stop me, it's my award thingy.  Now back to the award mode for the final category.

Winner:  Errant Story

------------------------------------------------

Best Overall Comic

Stjepan Sejic has created quite a few comics, all very good with fun dialog and interesting ideas.  Several have been published, but despite that, his most popular comic is the one that started as a series of erotic bondage pin ups, Sunstone.  That identity, the bondage pin up thing, really is just the hook for readers, because the comic itself doesn't dwell on it much.  Oh it's there, but the comic is really a love story, a romance, between actual characters for whom the bondage thing is a hobby they enjoy.  It's about these characters, their flaws and triumphs, and their relationships so that bondage thing almost becomes background noise.  Even now, with the completion of the first volume of the story, it carries on with another pair of characters and their rocky relationship, and it looks to be just as interesting and engaging as the first.  With it's amazing art, dense updates and great story, it is with no shame that Sunstone, a comic that isn't quite safe for work, is awarded the Best Overall Comic of 2017.

Winner:  Sunstone (NSFW)

------------------------------------------------

And that wraps things up.  As I said earlier, this likely the last time I will do this award thing on my own.  While I have enjoyed doing it as an exercise, honestly I just don't read enough comics to do this even every two years.  Still, I hope that you found it interesting and maybe encouraged you to give a few of these comics a read, either the winners or the nominees.  That is the point of all this after all.

Next time, February 3rd for those keeping score, I'll be posting about the future of the blog.  Then, well, I have an idea, but I need to sit down and reread the damn thing.  Until then kiddies.

2017 Wild Webcomic Quasi Award Nominees

Welcome once again to the Wild Webcomic Quasi-Awards.  The goal of these awards has always been about recognizing the achievements of the various comics out there.  When the field numbers in the tens of thousands, standing out with great art, great story, great characters or just being great in general is difficult.  So here, at least, there is some recognition.  That said, as I am the lone judge and nominator of these awards, only comics I have read and reviewed for this blog will be considered and only my opinion will be used to determine who gets the award.  On to the nominees.

Best Black and White Art - Nominees should express great use of line, form, shape and shading using a mostly monochrome pallet on a consistent basis.

Blue Blaster - Despite the title, this comic manages to show superheroes, villains and everyday people in great detail without ever actually showing the title character's true color.
Namesake - A multitude of fairy tale worlds come alive through the sparing use of color in this epic adventure.
Our Time in Eden - The characters in this long running comic carry a weariness that is hard to match in any other comic.

Best Color Art - Nominees should express great use of line form and hue using a multi-color pallet on a consistent basis.

Stand Still, Stay Silent - Color plays a important role in this post-apocalyptic comic, often setting the tone of a scene as much as the action and words spoken.
Paranatural - The cartoonish look of this comic allows for flexible characters that move and flow to enhance any and every joke that it puts forward.
Blindsprings - Great pains are made in the art of this comic to show the break between the colorful spirits and the depressing reality in this fantasy tale.

Best Gag Comic - Nominees should express excellent use of timing, word play and humor within a single strip or page on a consistent basis.

Three Panel Soul - While only weekly, this comic manages to get a laugh nearly every time.
Chainsawsuit - Never quite the same thing twice, except for Two Cops, which is.  Silly and fun.
Saturday Morning Breakfast Cereal -While often dense and hard to understand, the jokes, in the end, are just what is needed for a daily dose of chuckles.

Best Shortform Comic - Nominees should be able to tell coherent and independent stories based around a small cast or idea without requiring an overarching plan or story to the comic as a whole.

Broodhollow - While there is an overarching mystery to the town of Broodhollow, each chapter covers a small corner of it effectively.
UnCONventional - The stories aren't as distinct as they could be, but they are broken up in reasonable ways as it follows the various people running a convention.
Cosmic Dash -  Serious, yet light and fun, each chapter of adventures of the Lucky Strike and it's crew is a wonderful romp through space.

Best Longform Comic - Nominees should be able to tell a coherent and consistent story over a long period following a character or cast from the first strip to an eventual last strip in an interesting and engaging way.

Girl Genius - Yes, they are out of the castle, have been for a while, and it's still fun to read.
What Birds Know - Nearly finished, this epic tale of birds, gold, greed and rage is worth the time it takes to read.
Sluggy Freelance - Tying up the loose ends of this long running comic finally turned it into a more epic piece than anyone ever imagined.

Best Cast - Nominees should have a cohesive cast of characters who support and build each other in ways that make each essential to the other and creating a great whole from the sum of their parts.

Dumbing of Age - David Willis manages to take his various characters across multiple comics and brings them together into a single, new comic that explores them in new ways.
Between Failures - A varied collection of characters all work or are related to a failing store, but it's a positive look at their lives.
Bohemian Nights - 20 somethings spend their off hours partying, drinking and having fun, but it doesn't always go positively

Best Character - Nominees should be a single character that stands out from the rest of the cast with a strong personality, history or story, but also one that drives the story through their actions.

Joyce from Dumbing of Age - Wide-eyed and innocent to start, being exposed to the world changes her view on the life she once knew.
Robert from Subhuman Sanctum - Former street thug is exposed to hippie aliens and finds a new, more interesting world to be part of.
Arron Rung from Blue Blaster - Super powers do not a hero make, at least not strictly, as Arron struggles between using his powers for heroics, and making a bit of cash on the side.

Best New Comic - Nominees should show general excellence in the creation and publication of a new comic starting between now and the previous nomination announcement.

PopChromatic - Jade doesn't like pop bands, but the things she'll do for her twin sister.
Namesake - Storytelling comes to life in a magical journey Ellen take through those stories.
Paranatural - Ghosts, magic and weird conspiracies dominate the world Max suddenly finds himself in.

Best Completed Comic - Nominees should be naturally completed comics that stand out as great pieces of fiction and art.

Errant Story - The fantasy epic that is the classic of webcomics today.
Skullkickers - Baldy and Shorty (they have actual names) fight monsters for fun and money eventually resulting in a battle to save the multi-verse.
Punch an' Pie - A loving relationship fails, and the story follows as the two characters move on with their lives.


Best Overall Comic - Nominees must show general excellence in the fields of art, writing and publication over the length of the comic's lifespan.

Derelict - The post apocalyptic tale of strange creatures, the sea and young woman alone in the world is something that should be read.
Sunstone (NSFW) - It may have started as a series of fetish pinups, but this tale of love and misunderstanding deserves the time to read through it.
The Adventures of Dr. McNinja - He's a doctor, a ninja and a hero in this amazing comic that is only just winding down.

Next time, the winners.  Until then kiddies.

The 2017 Quasi-Awards Pre-Award Post

Wow, that's an awkward title.  Okay kiddies, it's time for the 3rd, now biennial (yes that's a word) Quasi-Awards.  For those unfamiliar, this whole mess started way back here, with another site's webcomic awards, which annoyed me because it was unclear what was going on.  No rules, explanations, no nothing.  The result was, well, a whole category on my blog for A) trying to fix it and B) doing my own version.  Twice!

And as will the last awards given out in 2015, I will start with a review of the rules and any changes.  So let's get to the rules:

1.)  Comic can not have previously won in the given category.  Comics also cannot win more than one award per award event.

2.)  Comic nomination must be for the award period (in this case the last two years).  Things like "best new comic" have to be within a very specific time frame, other comics can cover longer periods

3.)  Comics must be active for the length of the award period.  This means the comic updated regularly over the award peroid.  Only exceptions are for the "completed comic" award or the "short comic" award.

4.)  Comic must qualify for the given category.  A primarily color comic cannot be entered in the black and white category, for example.

5.)  If a comic wins "Best Overall" it cannot be nominated for another category ever again.  Unless it's a special "legacy" category.

As with last year, there will be only 3 nominees per category as I am the only judge and it's hard to nominate from my rather small pool of comics.

Not any other serious changes.  That said, I suspect this might be the last time I do one of these.  Mostly because my pool of comics isn't deep enough to support a fourth edition.  Hell, I'm surprised I can do three!

Next week, and yes, I said WEEK, the nominations for the 2017 Wild Webcomic Quasi-Awards!  Until next time kiddies.

2015 Wild Webcomic Quasi Awards Winners

Welcome to the 2015 Wild Webcomic Quasi Awards.  This post will distribute awards to comics that meet and exceed the standards for which categories they are nominated.  These awards are given out by myself, based on my own experiences with these comics over their life times.  Nominations for this year's award may be found here.  For past winners please see this post.  For a more detailed set of rules regarding the process of these awards please see this post and this post.  Let the awards begin.

------------------------------------------------

Best Black and White Art

When it comes to monotone are, achieving a feeling of depth is a task left to shading, something that even great line artists often can't pull off.  Allison Shabet manages this better than most that I've seen in her comic Dead Winter.  While the characters come across more, say, cartoony than other comics, the effective use of shading makes them far more realistic than other, much more realistically drawn strips.  At the same time, the use of black and white isn't done to save time or due to lack of ability, there are several strips that are in color, typically as dream sequences, so Allison is fully capable of drawing a full color strip.  Instead she chose black and white to more accurately describe the comic and it's themes.  The fact that there is one touch of color, a bit of red on two characters, drives home this point better than anything else.  That is why this comic is awarded Best Black and White Art for 2015.

Winner:  Dead Winter

------------------------------------------------

Best Color Art

Stjepan Sejic is an amazing prolific artist.  Multiple comics in print, cover art for other print comics, guest comics, and of course his webcomic Sunstone (NSFW).  Saying that Sunstone is his best work is difficult as it was, until rather recently, just a side project, but even in this form, it far surpasses most other wholly dedicated webcomics.  Realistic and well adorned characters, amazing use of color and form, and the pages themselves are monstrous in size and scope.  What was once just a string of mildly erotic pin ups has blossomed into a story of love, loss, and some kinky sex whose artistic style is immediately recongnizable and amazing at the same time.  It is with this in mind that this comic is awarded Best Color Art for 2015.

Winner:  Sunstone (NSFW)

------------------------------------------------

Best Gag Comic

Humor is still one of the hardest forms of art ever to exist, and managing to do it consistently is harder still.  Justin Pierce somehow manages, even when on hiatus for kickstarter reasons, to keep The Non-Adventures of Wonderella the hilarious non-adventure it is.  Being a superhero parody gives the comic plenty of fodder to play with, and a main character who is, well, lazy, a little stupid and almost always drunk means the jokes practically write themselves, and yet they don't because there is effort here, a great deal of effort.  This makes this comic the winner of the Best Gag Comic award for 2015.

Winner:  The Non-Adventures of Wonderella

------------------------------------------------

Best Shortform Comic

Speaking of superhero comics, sometimes it's nice to just read one that is both sincere and playful about the topic.  Krazy Krow's Spinnerette fits this bill nicely, and more.  With each chapter being almost it's own story, it's wonderful how the characters can still be shown to evolve and grow, and how the different pieces fit into place.  With an amazing series of artists, wonderful character designs, and some tight writing, Spinnerette is not just another parody of superhero comics, but an actual one that takes full advantage of the genre and reminds readers why superheroes were so popular for so long.  For this, Spinnerette wins Best Shortform Comic of 2015

Winner:  Spinnerette

------------------------------------------------

Best Longform Comic

The fantasy epic has been done many, many times, so creating one that can stand out is a feat unto itself.  Oliver Knörzer and Puri Andini succeeded in doing this with Gaia.  The world created is both intricate and flexible, and the story, while only really just beginning, demands the reader's attention.  While epic events are happening, the story manages to keep the focus on the small group of heroes and their actions, but it's clear their roles in these events will only become greater as time goes on.  The art is great, and sharp, the action clear, and the writing crisp, even if it feels a little long in the tooth sometimes.  Gaia is a comic and story set for the long haul and likely will be updating for quite sometime.  To this end, Gaia is awarded Best Longform Comic of 215.

Winner:  Gaia

------------------------------------------------

Best Cast

Few comic allow more than one or two characters to get really good development, and much of this is due to time.  There's never enough strips to cover every character, their strengths and weaknesses, and what makes them who they are.  Then there are comics like Pete Abrams' Sluggy Freelance whose 17+ years leaves MORE than enough room for development for not just the main cast of the comic, but several villains, side characters, and alternate versions of those characters.  With so many plots, it's often easy to forget that the characters drive the story forward, but Sluggy manages this that even with all it's failures, the characters are still appealing and wonderful.  Sluggy Freelance then wins Best Cast for 2015.

Winner:  Sluggy Freelance

------------------------------------------------

Best Character

Most of the first half of Ben Fleuter's Derelict has no dialog.  The comic's main character says nothing for the vast majority of the strip even after that.  In fact, her name, Dang Thu Mai, isn't revealed until more than a hundred pages into the comic.  And yet, the reader really comes to know and understand who she is without even noticing.  Her few words and actions do more to build her as a person than any string of shared dialog.  She's not all around great, or a hero, she's full of flaws and fears, but she's also brave enough to go where she probably shouldn't.  There is so much more to her than a name and a few streaks of green in her hair, making Dang Thu Mai the recipient of the Best Character award for 2015.

Winner:  Dang Thu Mai from Derelict

------------------------------------------------

Best New Comic

Just because a comic is new, does not mean the comic is the first product of the artist.  Minna Sundberg's Stand Still, Stay Slient is not her first foray into webcomics, and it shows.  From her disciplined update schedule, a shocking 5 days a week for such large pages, to the amazing art and wonderful story telling, SSSS has all the trappings of a long running, mature comic, despite being only a bit over one year old.  It's clear that this comic, it's story, it's mysteries, it's characters and it's world are destined to stick around for a long time to come.  Thus Stand Still, Stay Silent is Best New Comic for 2015.

Winner:  Stand Still, Stay Silent

------------------------------------------------

Best Completed Comic

Webcomics can end, and while many do seem to go on forever, many more are designed to end, with a story arc that demands an ending at some point.  As the first recipent of this award, Jon Kilgannon and Mark Sachs A Miracle of Science was chosen because it is a complete story, and was meant to be one.  The story is rather small, not an epic tale that could change the course of history, but a simple detective story, with a love interest on the side.  It manages to balance the harder science fiction with the more fanciful, play with psychology and memes and still have the main characters get together in the end.  It's a remarkable tale and one that deserves to be read which earns it the Best Completed Comic of 2015 award.

Winner:  A Miracle of Science

------------------------------------------------

Best Overall Comic

Selecting a Best Overall Comic for any particular award period is always difficult because all the comics that win, or are even nominated, should be considered.  At the same time, simply excelling in one field or another is not enough.  With good to great art must come good to great characters, good to great story and good to great humor where applicable.  This is difficult for any single comic to achieve, and yet there is always more than a few that succeed.  This time, I have selected a comic that has done all of the above and more, and that comic is. . .

Tom Siddell's Gunnerkrigg Court.  Tom's story of a strange school on the edge of a forest is definetly one of the best comics currently updating on the web today.  It creates a wonderful world, an enduring mystery, and an amazing cast that it is almost impossible to read webcomics today without it being mentioned amongst the greats.  It captures what is great about webcomic, their evolution and scope, and encourages the reader to come back again and again.  To call Gunnerkrigg Court anything less than great is a mistake, and it more than deserves the title of Best Overall for 2015.

Winner:  Gunnerkrigg Court

------------------------------------------------

Thank you for read and congratulations to all the winners and nominees.  I encourage everyone to read every nominee and I'll see you next week.  Until then kiddies.

2015 Wild Webcomic Quasi Awards Nominations

Once again I am back with the Wild Webcomic Quasi-Awards.  The goal of these awards is recognize comics for their achievements in a wide array of categories.  Each nominee for their award category should represent their category at their best.  As I am the lone judge and nominator of these awards, these are my opinions based on the comics I have read and reviewed as part of this blog.  On to the nominees.

Best Black and White Art - Nominees should express great use of line, form, shape and shading using a mostly monotone pallet on a consistent basis.

Dead Winter - Zombies and the people struggling against them rarely look as good as they do in this well drawn piece whose world's only hint of color is a dash of red and a dream here and there.
Deep Fried's Weapon Brown - The post-apocalyptic Sunday funnies is dark, gritty and gorgeous.  Though it revels in the violence of the world, it also does so with detail rarely seen in most comics.
Little Guardians - The imaginative monsters that inhabit the strange world of the guardians and the human characters that struggle against their natures and destinies make this comic one of best drawn comics out there.

Best Color Art - Nominees should express great use of line, form and hue using a multi-color pallet on a consistant basis.

Sunstone (NSFW) - This absolutely gorgeous comic about love and bondage started life as a series of pinups and has only become more beautiful as time as gone on.
Romantically Apocalyptic - The photo realistic artwork of this comic is second to none and the bizarre events and characters that inhabit it are almost beyond amazing.
The Demon Archives - Soldiers in identical battle armor might seem easy to draw, but to make each stand out and create a story using those same looking characters might be one of the greatest feats one can imagine in art.

Best Gag Comic - Nominees should express excellent use of timing, word play and humor within a single strip or page on a consistent basis.

The Non-Adventures of Wonderella - She's not a hero, but not a villain either, and her non-adventures usually result in more damage than any villain can ever hope to do.  And yet, she still hasn't caught that leprechaun.
Saturday Morning Breakfast Cereal - While some jokes are more "intellectual" than others, the basis is that humans can screw up just about anything if we put or minds to it, or not.
Chainsawsuit - Sometimes a random joke is all that's needed.  There's no rhyme or reason to it, no high minded idea, and no hero to poke fun at, just random events that are too silly to pass up.

Best Shortform Comic - Nominees should be able to tell coherent and independent stories based around a small cast or idea without requiring an overarching plan or story to the comic as a whole.

The Adventures of Dr. McNinja - He's a doctor, a ninja and Irish and these are his adventures.  They're silly, over the top and often don't make a lick of sense in the long run.  Well, as long as they don't deal with King Radical.
Aptitude Test - While the story started as a simple one shot tale of a test, the ongoing short stories continue the fact that the real test is life, and a multiple choice test can only hint at person's true potential.
Spinnerette - With superhero comics either becoming pale imitations of their former selves, selling out to big media or simply dying off, it's great to find one comic that makes an honest shot at telling classic heroic tales.

Best Longform Comic - Nominees should be able to tell a coherent and consistent story over a long period following a character or cast from the first strip to an eventual last strip in an interesting and engaging way.

Girl Genius - One day, her locket broke, since then Agatha has been on a quest to claim her heritage from those who fear it, those who desire it, and those who would like nothing more than to destroy it in a world where mad science is the norm.
Gaia - A group of friends finally graduate from school, amongst the best in their class, only to have things go horribly wrong.  Through making new allies and friends, a greater adventure awaits all of them and it will take all they have and know to make it through.
What Birds Know - It was just a school project, but when three friends head into the woods what they found was a history they never knew and a fire looking for a lone spark to rise again.

Best Cast - Nominees should have a cohesive cast of characters who support and build each other in ways that make each essential to the other and creating a great whole from the sum of their parts.

Sluggy Freelance - For 17 years the ever expanding cast of Sluggy Freelance has grown, but in numbers and personally into a memorable group where no one character ever stands completely above the others.
Dumbing of Age - A kind of rehash of previous comics, the various characters from four different comics are brought together to tell a new story with fresh eyes.
Bohemian Nights - When a group of twenty-something friends get together, wild parties and drinking contests occur, but they only get a few hours to play before returning to their dreary lives and planning the next meeting.

Best Character - Nominees should be a single character that stands out from the rest of the cast with a strong personality, history or story, but also one that drives the story through their actions.

J. Thomas Blackwell from Between Failures - Though manipulative, Thomas spends his time trying to bring together his crew of retail workers to make them a stronger team, and better friends, even while he deals with his own demons he can't quite control.
Alison Green from Strong Female Protagonist - She started a revolution by taking of her mask, and now seeks to save the world without fighting a supervillain, a task more daunting than any she has ever faced before.
Dang Thu Mai from Derelict - A survivor in a world destroyed by disaster, Dang isn't some gun ho hero or ruthless monster, but a normal person struggling with her own fears and insecurities in the face of survival.

Best New Comic - Nominees should show general excellence in the creation and publication of a new webcomic starting between now and the previous nomination announcement.

Stand Still, Stay Silent - The end of the world wasn't the end of humanity, and the plaque that killed billions was only the start of the world's troubles.  Now a small group seeks long lost knowledge in the world that was.
Blindsprings - A lost princess who finally returns home hundreds of years later.  A group of persecuted magic users.  A collection of spirits who want to make a deal.  The truth of this world is slowly coming to light in this fantasy tale.
Subhuman Sanctum - A chance encounter turns a boy's life upside down, but while this new world beacons him onward, old obligations rear their head and the question of whether to follow a new way or stay with the old becomes the center piece of this comic.

Best Completed Comic - Nominees should be naturally completed comics that stand out as great pieces of fiction and art.

Errant Story - This epic fantasy tale continues to hold the standard for long pieces of webcomic fiction and stands as the artists current masterpiece.
Miracle of Science - A science fiction tale of love and mutual discovery that enthralls the reader in a wonderful world and amazing action.
Rice Boy - There are few worlds as creative and amazing as this and with a story that is epic and characters who are great.

Best Overall Comic - Nominees must show general excellence in the fields of art, writing and publication over the length of the comic's lifespan.

Derelict - A comic that hits every note of what great comics should strive for with interesting, realistic characters, great art, and an intriguing world.
Gunnerkrigg Court - The continuing story of a school on the edge of magic and science and how the two collide and interact remains one of the standards webcomics are held to.
Gaia - This epic fantasy comic picks up the torch set down by other great comics and stories and begins a new, exciting journey where the final goal is still a mystery, but it's coming up fast.

Return of the Quasi Awards

So once again I'm going to try my own version of a webcomic award.  Of course, since I'm the only one doing this, it shall be a Quasi-Award.  I will tap comics I have covered in this blog so don't expect any comics coming out of no where.  That said, there will be some changes to the awards this time around.  The core rules, however do not change:

1.) Comic can not have previously won in the given category.  Comics also cannot win more than one award per award event.

2.) Comic nomination must be for the award year period. Things like "best new comic" have to be within a very specific time frame, other comics can cover longer periods.

3.) Comic must be active for the length of the award year period, meaning the comic updated regularly over that time frame. Only exception might be a "completed comic" award, or "short comic" award.

4.) Comic must qualify for the given category. A color comic cannot be entered in the black and white category, for example.

5.) If a comic wins "Best Overall" it can't be nominated for another category ever again.  Unless it's a special "legacy" category.

With that out of the way, let's get to the changes.  First and foremost, I'm scrapping the Non-Traditonal Art category from last time.  No, I'm not doing it because I don't like the cateogry, I LOVE it, but I don't read any comics that fit it.  Hell, last time's winner, Lizzy, is dead and GONE in the form that won it the award.  Three of the others are dead/complete and the fourth I don't read.  If I pick some up in the next couple of years, I'll re-add the category, but until then, it'll be gone.

All is not lost however.  I've decided to add a category that I mentioned in those rules above, a Completed Comic category.  This will be for comics that have naturally completed their runs.  As long as an "end" is provided to the comic/story, then the comic will qualify, but if it's like Shadowgirls and just stopped, it won't.  This does mean that comics that qualify for Completed Comic will not be eligible for some of the other awards, specifically the story format (Shortform, Longform, Gag), but can qualify for art and character categories.

I'm also reducing the number of nominations from five to three.  As I have been thinking on how to expand the awards to multiple judges, three pre-nominations per judge, which is then whittled down to 5 actual nominations has become very appealing, and since I'm the lone judge, 3 is plenty.  It also means I have to make hard choices just for nominations.

Other than that, expect much the same as the last time.  Next week, the nominations for the 2015 Wild Webcomic Quasi-Awards!  Until then kiddies.

Wild Webcomic Quasi-Award Winners

So here we are, the "award" post of this series.  Before I begin this, keep in mind these are ONLY comics I read or have read, nothing else.  There are THOUSANDS of webcomics, and I would prefer to include them all, but I can't, so I go with the couple hundred I know about and have read.

Last week, you may have noticed I put brief descriptions after each nominee.  One of the things missing from the Webcomiclist Awards was any indication WHY those comics were nominated and/or won.  Now I don't strictly think it's necessary to say why the comic was nominated, and really I just did it because I thought it would be interesting, but it did allow me to think about which comics actually deserve to win the award, and why.

So for this, each comic will get a justification.  It'll be brief and describe, as best as I can, why the comic I chose was granted the award.  This doesn't happen in actual award shows, but then they also have the recipients yak on for way too long, and it certainly didn't happen in the Webcomiclist Awards as they had comics for the actual award ceremony for each category.  As this is a purely text driven award here, I am including such statements, and I think they are essential to the award process.  Yes, the winner gets the most votes, but why?  Something like this would have reduced my confusion over the Webcomiclist Awards and I likely wouldn't have written that original post because of it.

Okay, enough of this, let's get on with the awards.  For who was actually nominated, go back to the last post guys.

------------------------------------------------ 

BEST BLACK AND WHITE ART

Creating good black and white artwork is really hard.  Shading becomes far more important and mastery of positive and negative space is essential in order to create great artwork.  With this in mind, the award goes to Joe England's Zebra Girl.  While the earliest strips aren't nearly as good, the current structure and design is top notch and likely some of the best work out there.  Character designs are instantly obvious, and he manages to make a world that is in his chosen medium come to life in a way that the other nominees, and even majority of webcomics, simply can't match.

WINNER:  Zebra Girl

------------------------------------------------ 

BEST COLOR ART

I suppose the winner of this category should be no surprise.  I pretty much gave it away in the nominations.  Aaron Diaz's Dresden Codak wins this award, and if I didn't place a wait period in these awards, probably would win every year.  The art of this comic is amazing, has been from the very beginning, and continues to improve with every strip.  The amount of time and attention he dedicates to his artwork is incredible, and reflected not only in his blog, but also the amount of time between strips.  A month or more can occur between strips, and you know it will look amazing when you see it.  No matter what you think of the stories in these comics, the art is simply superior and worthy of this award.

WINNER:  Dresden Codak

------------------------------------------------ 

BEST NON-TRADITIONAL ART

I had to reach for this one, honestly.  I don't read a lot of comics that don't use pen and paper to create the strips, so I had to dig well into my non-read and dead comic folders to find enough nominees.  I did, but that said, the winner was pretty much never in doubt.  Remco Ketting's Lizzy gets this award because no other comic I have ever read is quite like it in terms of presentation.  I originally read this strip in it's non-flash format because I don't like flash operating on my browser, but upon reading the flash version, the entire nature of the comic changed.  Animations created the missing sense of scale and movement, sounds punctuated key moments and the interactions drew you into the world.  That said, I could easily have given it to Leisuretown, one of my favorite strips of all time, except for one thing:  Leisuretown's been dead for 7 years or so.  Lizzy, less than one.  Sometimes the divide is just that small.

WINNER:  Lizzy

------------------------------------------------ 

BEST GAG COMIC

Deciding who to actually nominate as a gag comic was one of the harder decisions I've had to make.  Gag-a-day was the original name for the category, and kind of demanded, well, a gag a day.  Going to just Gag Comic opened it up, but even if I hadn't done that, Tatsuya Ishida's Sinfest likely still would have won.  Of all of them, this comic feels as close to what I expect in the newspapers as I can reasonably expect on the internet, while also holding on to it's own ideas of humor.  There's an innocence in amongst the jokes about sex, drugs and hell that few other comics can even approach and it has earned this award, though it deserves so much more.  VIVA LA RESISTANCE!

WINNER:  Sinfest

------------------------------------------------ 

BEST SHORTFORM COMIC

This was one of the hardest choices on the list.  Shortform means no long, overarching plots, but as it's not a Gag comic, I expect there to be stories, good ones.  And the nominees all manage to do that, but in the end, Tom Siddell's Gunnerkrigg Court wins.  While the others all have good, solid stories, EVERY chapter of GC is probably stronger than entire comic strip runs.  Some questions are answered, while new ones are created with every successive chapter and story, and it's never quite what you think, sometimes it's even worse.  The world is wonderful and the characters are well developed and, well, real to an extent.  The other nominees are good, yes, but none really match Gunnerkrigg Court.

WINNER:  Gunnerkrigg Court

------------------------------------------------ 

BEST LONGFORM COMIC

I'm going to get yelled at for this one, if someone actually read this blog.  I'm giving this award to Brian Clevinger's 8-Bit Theater, and that should raise some eyebrows at least.  A year ago, no way, in fact 8-Bit likely would have been in the Shortform category, but between now and then, the comic ended with one of the longest jokes ever.  The setup and punchline were separated by almost 9 YEARS, meaning the comic had a planned storyline from nearly day one, which qualifies it here, and the audacity to actually do it deserves an award, and while comics like Errant Story and Girl Genius are probably superior and would win any other year, THIS year goes to last, great sprite comic of all time.

WINNER:  8-Bit Theater

------------------------------------------------ 

BEST CAST

The Cast and Character categories were actually the hardest to pick not only the nominees, but the winners as well.  So many comics are built on their stories or jokes or setups that characters often get a back seat and are rarely touched on outside of a few stand out moments.  Finding comics that require it's characters to prop it up, AND still be good is a tall order.  For the best cast, the winner is R.C. Monroe's Out There.  It is the definitive cast driven comic, defined for the first storyline being built around two people talking, and it really never stopped being that.  The cast has expanded greatly, but it still comes down to two characters talking about stuff, and that's what earns it the best cast award.

WINNER:  Out There

------------------------------------------------ 

BEST CHARACTER

In many ways, writing the nomination blurps helped establish the winners of each category.  Best Cast was determined shortly after writing what Out There was about, and K from Sage Leave's Blip was determined the same way.  Despite all the weird things that happen in the world of Blip, K remains perfectly grounded in reality, a reality that isn't strictly in her favor.  She smokes and drinks too much, cusses like a sailor and when she falls into a depression, she FALLS into a depression.  She also bounces back, finds life and energy and is, well, pretty normal.  The fact that she forms such close friendships with people that they are willing to dive into the mind of a person who wronged her and do horrible things to him makes her compelling because she could never do it, and that's probably for the best in the end.

WINNER:  K from Blip

------------------------------------------------ 

BEST NEW COMIC

Now it's time to dig into the meat of these awards, the best of the best.  New comics come and go, often quickly.  Staying power is hard to see early on, so to get this award, a new comic has to show some serious ability and talent and encourage the reader that, no, it isn't going anywhere, and it's going to be damn good in the process.  My choice is Krazy Krow's Spinnerette.  I'd call him by his real name, but I can't quite find it.  Anyway, this comic manages to get all the cylinders firing properly, which is no surprise given that Krow has multiple comics already under his belt and has manged to come up with a creative idea and story direction.  The art by Walter Gustavo Gomez is sharp and creative, Krow's writing is witty and fun, and the stories are just right for the tone of the strip.  For a comic to come out this strong and seemingly ready to STAY this strong is something rare and special, and should be rewarded.

WINNER:  Spinnerette

------------------------------------------------ 

BEST COMIC

And now, the final and highest award.  Being the best means doing everything great.  It's not just the art that's great, or the story, or the characters or the humor, or the drama as the case may be, but all these elements combined must be done very well indeed.  To one extent or another every comic that has won an award here could have been considered for Best Comic (except Spinnerette, sorry, you got nominated for new comic, maybe next year), but they all excelled in different areas, and few of them did all of them at once.  I also have already pretty much stated which comic I constantly think is the best, so if you've been reading this blog, you already know.  The winner is. . .

Howard Taylor's Schlock Mercenary.  This one comic has managed to do what few other comics even remotely do:  Present excellent artwork, create wonderful stories, have a large, colorful, and memorable cast, have almost impeccable comic timing, and most of all, it updates every day.  Every, SINGLE day.  To my knowledge, it has NEVER missed an update, even when the comic's servers went down, somewhere it was actually updated, and that's practically unheard of in the webcomic community.  To do all the other things would make this an impressive comic, but to do all of that AND update like clockwork every 24 hours mean this is practically a comic GOD.  It is then the Wild Webcomic Quasi-Award's Best Comic.

WINNER:  Schlock Mercenary 

------------------------------------------------

Well, that's it, I'm finally done with this string of posts.  I do have to say, it's actually pretty hard, especially with a limited  library of strips to pick from.  Perhaps I was a touch too hard on the Webcomiclist and their awards, but at the same time, I think mine are, over all, a bit better.  The definition of each category and the explanation for why each comic won gives this that much extra punch and I hope you understand why I did what I did and chose what I chose.

So will there be another one?  Probably not.  I simply don't read enough comics to do this on anything like a regular basis.  Perhaps someday it can be a more regular thing, but until then, I'll just do my normal thing.

Until next time kiddies. 

Wild Webcomic Quasi-Awards Nominees

No, I am not out of ideas for articles and stringing this award thing out as long as possible.  Why would you even think that?

Okay, I kind of am.  But hell, might as well just keep right on going if I started this mess.  This week I'm going to put up my version of "nominees" for the webcomic award based on my ideas from last week.  I'll only do 10 of my key 11 awards because, well Reader's Choice would be silly for me alone to do.  I've also set the clock to start when this blog did, September of 2009.  Mostly to allow for as many new comics as possible.  Also, I will be looking at comics I read first, then getting into those I do not.

Got all that?  Alright, let's begin.

Best Black and White Art Nominees - Nominees must express great use of line and shading in a predominantly monotone comic.

• Deep Fried's Weapon Brown - Using characters from newspaper comics in a twisted post-apocalyptic setting, the Weapon Brown portion of Deep Fried is not only a good comic, but artistically well done, giving life and reality to the wide assortment of characters that inhabit the funny pages.
• Zebra Girl - The story of a girl turned to a demon has gotten darker since it's initial inception, but has also gotten more beautiful as the artist explores the wonders of hash marks and other shading options in his black and white classic.
• Spinnerette - Krazy Krow's superhero comic features sharp lines and unique poses as its 6 armed protagonist struggles with learning the ropes, and bumbling the entire way.
• dead winter - With so many zombie comics out there, it's rare to find a really good one, especially one that relies on black and white shading and the occasional shot of red.  The character design isn't realistic, but feels right and looks great.
• Serenity Rose - The sketchbook style design of this comic sets it apart even from it's competitors.  Like dead winter, it uses other colors only to enhance the black and white world of the comic, making it one of the best looking comics on the web.

Best Color Art Nominees - Nominees must express great use of color in a predominantly color comic.

• Dresden Codak - Few comics look even remotely as good as this one.  The colors are carefully chosen to match the scene and the character designs are scrutinized carefully.  Just read the guy's blog, and you'll see how much work goes into it.
• Marsh Rocket - Recently completed, this comic features pages done in one general color tone, giving it a unique look compared to even other color comics.  The fact that it switches between colors as it shifts scenes shows a level of skill with color that most artists never manage to pull off.
• Romantically Apocalyptic - When it comes to realistic artwork, no comic comes closer than this one.  Using photorealistic techniques based on actual pictures, it's easy to forget it is drawn and painted.  The parts that aren't actually based on photos show how skilled the artist actually is at their art.
• Prophecy of the Circle - The watercolor look of this comic is the defining feature of the strip.  The unique look makes this comic stand out even against the others.
• Girl Genius - Vibrant colors help make this manic comic about mad science ruling the world pop like no other.  Much of the excitement of the comic comes from the colors and it looks great.

Best Non-Traditional Art Nominees - Nominees must show innovation in the use of media beyond simple drawing.

• Lizzy - Flash based comics rarely use flash to it's fullest, but this comic does.  Using animation, sounds and interactivity to draw in the reader and make this strip great.
• Terror Island - Though completed, this photo comic uses game pieces to tell the story, a story based strictly on going for groceries.  Deceptively simple, but fun and interesting.
• The Dreamland Chronicles - Using 3D rendering to create comics is relatively new, and this comic sets the standard for the format, conveying emotion and action quite well.
• 8-Bit Theater - The standard bearer and probably greatest sprite comic of all time, this completed comic manages to merge nostalgia, humor and the long joke all into one.
• Leisuretown - Though long dead, this comic is probably one of the great photo comics of all time, using static figures to tell complex and engaging stories.

Best Gag Comic Nominees - Nominees must show excellent use of humor within a deceptively small amount of space.

• Sinfest - Structured as a traditional newspaper comic, this is the kind of comic that should be in the papers, except that it is decidedly adult in content.  Tackling everything from religion, to sex and drugs, it pulls no punches, and is probably why it won't end up in a paper near you.
• The Whiteboard - Though based on paintball, this comic doesn't need knowledge about it to understand the jokes.  The over the top humor and explosions make this a great gag strip and one that should be followed.
• Chainsawsuit - Random humor is hard to do, but this comic manages it well.  Using simple figures and running gags, it manages to have something for everyone.
• Cyanide and Happiness - Shock humor is something that's even harder to do than random, and this comic excels at it.  Not for the weak of stomach, it will keep the hardy in stitches.
• Bob the Angry Flower - Bob is one angry flower, he's also quite mad and his comic highlights the madness quite well through a quasi-surrealistic scenarios that cap off a humorous comic.

Best Shortform Comic Nominees - Nominees must be able to tell coherent and independent stories based around a small cast or idea without any obvious overarching plan or story to the comic as a whole.

• City of Reality - The idea of a utopia is almost comical to most writers and often it's used as the face for an evil group.  Not in this comic, where Reality is exactly what it seems, and it takes a special breed of people to be part of it, and to defend it.
• Sluggy Freelance - Is it not nifty?  The continuing adventures of four friends, a hyperactive ferret and a homicidal rabbit trudges on with its increasingly complex universe and story.
• Gunnerkrigg Court - At first it seems this is some Harry Potter rip off, until you actually read it and find a world where robots and gods exist side by side.  Antimony and her friends explore the varied mysteries of the court as well as grow up within its confines.
• The Adventures of Dr. McNinja - He's a doctor.  He's a ninja.  He's Irish.  His adventures are wild and bizarre ranging from fighting zombie ninjas to surfing a robotic version of Dracula through the atmosphere.  And that's just a light day.
• Blip - K is a blip, a mistake on the face of creation, so Heaven is on a quest to keep her down, and Hell wants to prop her up, all without her realizing it.  Her friends, a vampire, a witch and Frankenstein's daughter, are working to keep her happy.

Best Longform Comic Nominees - Nominees must be able to tell a long, overarching story starting from the first strip that is done in an engaging and interesting way.

• Errant Story - The epic tale of a girl looking to pass her final exam and the chaos it causes is moving towards it's conclusion and everyone who reads is along for the ride.
• Serenity Rose - One of the few witches on earth deals with her amazing supernatural powers, her personal insecurities and those who would hurt her friends.  All with blue hair and goggles.
• Roza: The Cursed Mage - Her blood causes fire.  She doesn't want that to happen any more, so off she goes looking for a cure.  It feels more like a classic animated film than a comic, and is just as rewarding.
• 8-Bit Theater - Recently concluded, the four "light warriors" quest for, um, personal gain mostly.  Their wild antics all come to ahead with the longest joke ever told.  And the joke is on them.
• Girl Genius - In a world where mad science runs rampant, Agatha looks to find her way in the world, and survive the multitude of enemies she and her ancestors have manged to make over the years.

Best Cast Nominees - Nominees must have a cohesive cast of characters who support and build each other in ways that make each essential to the other.

• Sluggy Freelance - Torg, Zoe, Riff, Gwen, Kiki and Bun-Bun form the core of one of the longest lived comics on the internet.  They work so well together that even as they are broken up on their own adventures, they still manage to influence each other.
• Schlock Mercenary - The cast for this comic is massive and each one is memorable in one way or the other, but they are also generally vulnerable.  Their skills still support each other and make an effective ensemble cast.
• 8-Bit Theater - While many may have their favorite (and most like Black Mage) it's hard to think of any single main character from this comic alone.  They are basically one note, each and everyone of them, but the complexity comes from their interaction with each other.  Without the others, no one of these characters could hold the comic up on their own.
• City of Reality - Trying to explain a practical utopia is hard, and takes a cast of characters that can plunge the depths of it as much as possible.  The cast of this comic manages to do this so well that you really need each of them to understand it.  Even the mayor, who is a rabbit sock puppet.
• Out There - Few comics are almost exclusively based on two characters talking to each other, and even fewer are actually good at it.  This comic has it down to a science.  What started with two people in a car has expanded to a flexible and strong cast whose even minor conversations can draw the reader in and keep them hooked.

Best Character Nominees - Nominees must be a single character that stands out from the rest of the cast with a strong personality, history or story.

• { … } from Hanna is Not a Boy's Name - Having a character that has no proper name is a daring move, and this comic manages it with ease.  Despite not being the title character, he stands out as the narrator and prime mover of the comic.  His design is distinctive and his story is the most mysterious and compelling of the entire comic.
• Bob from Bob the Angry Flower - There are few characters in comics that are more mad than Bob.  He's brilliant, and stupid, insane and the only sane man in the room.  And he's a flower who opens canned food with a tank.  While there are other characters, this comic isn't just named for him, but it is him, and nothing else really matters.
• Roza from Roza:  The Cursed Mage - Strong female characters that aren't jerks are hard to find, but Roza manages to pull it off.  She's brave, strong willed, and intelligent, all without being violent, angry, or even, dare I say, bitchy.  An excellent example of a positive female role model in any comic I have read.
• Heather from Spinnerette - The bumbling heroine of her own comic, Heather is passionate about her new role as a superhero, and enthusiastic almost to a fault.  Her clumsiness and lack of forethought shows someone who is moving faster than she thinks, something that is more than uncommon amongst most people.
• K from Blip - Despite the strange world that dances around (and hides from) her, K lives a relatively normal life.  She has ups and downs, smokes too much, cusses like a sailor and has a circle of close friends who are more than ready to stand up for her.  She is probably the most realistic character here, despite the wild world in which she lives, not just in the fact that she has no "super power" but also because she is the most like normal people.

Best New Comic Nominees - Nominees must show general excellence in the creation and publication of a new webcomic.

• Does Not Play Well With Others - Micheal Poe's (artist of Errant Story) return to comedy is marked by a daily gag strip that just got it's feet wet starting this year and is already showing the old muscles never quite forget their nature.  Could easily be one of the great gag comics of the internet.
• UnCONventional - A simple stick comic that follows the staff of a generic convention and the trials and pitfalls they run into manages to give surprising amounts of depth to the stick figure characters.  It also opens an interesting window on the backroom work most conventions deal with, including an incident with a wild badger.
• Road Waffles IV - Okay, it's not strictly a new comic, but give that each episode of Road Waffles is all but independent from the rest, it is unique and new enough to be here.  The themes are similar, violence, death and explosions dominate this comic and keeps you wondering what will happen next to this cast, and who will live.
• Spinnerette - Part of a resurgence of superhero comics, Spinnerette doesn't as much parody superhero comics as it does embrace those elements, just with a slight humorous twist.  Initially it seemed it would go all out parody, but it is sincere about it, even if it does joke around with it.  The lightheartedness of the strip is what makes it oh so good.
• The Adventures of Superhero Girl - Faith Erin Hicks also dipped into the superhero genre with her take on it.  Her friendly, almost innocent view of the genre is also lighthearted, but with less edge and direct humor aimed at the genre and instead rolls with it in a very Canadian way.

Best Comic Nominees - Nominees must show general excellence in the fields of art, writing and publication over the length of the comic's lifespan.

• Schlock Mercenary - The long lived sci-fi comic continues its run as Tagon's Toughs seek out the all mighty dollar.  The art is excellent, the writing tight and funny, and the updates, oh, the updates.
• Gunnerkrigg Court - Every chapter reveals something new about the world of the Court, and every one of them leads to more questions.  With excellent art and heartfelt interactions, this comic is definitely one of the great comics of the internet.
• Errant Story - With it's end on the horizon, the story of a scary girl looking for ultimate power continues to show off the high art level and writing, all with a dash of humor to help it go down.
• The Adventures of Dr. McNinja - It was a crazy idea, a doctor who is also a ninja, but the wild combination has led to a string of wild stories that have few peers amongst the funniest comics of all time.
• Hark, a Vagrant - The unique nature of this comic has earned it praise from multiple places.  It's unique take on historical events, the free flowing but brilliant artwork and the clutch humor make this one of the standout comics on the internet.

Well, those are my nominees.  There are some comics that I had to seriously debate putting on this list, but eventually eliminated them for various reasons.  Next week, the winners.  See you then kiddies.

Designing A Webcomic Award

So last week, I reviewed the Webcomiclist's 2010 awards and found they were, well, less than spectacular.  But I can't very well issue a broad criticism of their system without having some idea what I would do instead, so this week, I will.

Now, before I begin keep in mind that details here can be modified.  Time for nominations, who exactly is involved and such can be changed over time, but the core elements presented here would be what I would insist upon.

Picking the winners is actually easy compared to picking out the nominees.  There are tens of thousands of webcomics, and since I'm not affiliated with any particular group, I have to consider them all.  To help here, there should be three ways to collect nominations, and there will be some time rules.  The nomination rules are as follows:

1.)  Comic can not have previously won in the given category within the last 2 - 5 years (varies depending on category).

2.)  Comic nomination must be for the award year period.  Things like "best new comic" have to be within a very specific time frame, other comics can cover longer periods.

3.)  Comic must be active for the length of the award year period, meaning the comic updated regularly over that time frame.  Only exception might be a "completed comic" award, or "short comic" award.

4.)  Comic must qualify for the given category.  A color comic cannot be entered in the black and white category, for example.

Initial nominations are elected by three methods:

Judge Picks - The judges of course will have their say in the final vote, but in collecting nominees, they instrumental.  Each will be allowed up to 3 nominees for any given category.  They will also narrow down the total initial nominations (except certain exceptions, which I'll also get to later).  Most likely judges should be divided up by specialty (art, story, etc).

Artist Nominations - The actual artists/writers of the comics will also be allowed to nominate their own works.  The restriction is they can ONLY nominate their own work, allowing smaller comics to get in on the awards that more popular comics would normally dominate.

Readers Choice - Speaking of popular comics, fans will have their say, being allowed to nominate their favorites.  The top 20 picks for each category will be allowed into the first round of vetting.  Probably will be forum based or something so it can easily be counted and tracked.  They can pick ANY comic they want, of course.

Vetting is the next step.  There will likely be, oh, 100 or so initial nominees for each, and that's way, way too many to ever properly list.  So the judges will have to narrow the group down to no more than 5 overall nominees per category.  The best initial nominees are to be chosen, and then those get a more thorough examination and the best is given the award.

Yeah, I know, it's a bit complicated, and the judges get a lot of say here, so there should be several of them.  Even then, I doubt it'll actually work out in the end.  Like many of my ideas, it's probably too complicated, but the main thing is to set up solid nomination rules and the basics of the process. So let's get into the different categories starting with the ones that definitely should be part of the awards, and then a few that I think are neat ideas, but don't think they'd actually work.

• Best Comic - Obviously the last and most important award.  The best comic should have excellent marks (though not necessarily perfect) in the categories of art, character, plot, writing and update regularity over the length of it's lifespan.
• Best New Comic - Best comic started within the award period and having more than 3 months or 30 strips, whichever is greater.  New comics cannot be nominated for the Best Comic category and are only eligible their first year of publication.
• Best Character - The best single character in a comic.  Typically the character should show development, growth and personality that makes them stand out from their peers.  Only one character per comic may be nominated.
• Best Cast - The best collection of main cast members in a comic.  Winners should have an interesting and well developed dynamic with each other, strong personalities and presence that makes no one character stand out without the others.  Only for main cast members.
• Best Longform Comic - Longform comics are built around a single, overarching story, and while they may have shorter, sub-stories within their length, said sub-stories are there to enhance and define the greater story.
• Best Shortform Comic - Shortform comics are built around multiple interconnected, but generally independent stories.  There is no intention or design for a single, overarching plot for the comic even if one eventually does solidify out of the mass of tales and adventures.
• Best Gag Comic - Gag comics focus on telling a joke, or gag, with every strip and typically have extremely short stories that typically have no, or very few, consequences outside of the original story in a form typical of traditional newspaper humor comic strips.
• Best Non-Traditional Comic - The winner should be a comic that makes best use of non-traditional art, storytelling or joke telling formats.  Strips using computer generated images, photo comics, strips based in flash and other comics that don't use the normal means of presenting art and story are all eligible for this award, but are NOT eligible for other art awards.
• Best Color Art - Comics that feature superior color art in a mostly color strip.  Good color art features excellent choices in color (duh), shading and contrasts that make the art stand out above and beyond other comics.
• Best Black and White Art - Comics that feature superior black and white art in a mostly black and white strip.  Good black and white art features good use of shading, contrast and line work above and beyond other comics.
• Reader's Choice - Essentially a popularity contest, the winner is voted on by the readers. 

Those eleven MUST be on a final award list.  The rest of this list, however, is a bit less sure for me.  They're good ideas, but I'm not sure if awards are really necessary for them.

• Best Long Story - Single storyline that has ended within the award period.
• Best Short Story - Single storyline that was started and completed within 3 months or 30 strips within the award period.
• Best Single Strip - Single strip that represents the best webcomic artists can produce.  This one is probably an artist nomination only category.
• Best Guest Strip (single or series) - Single strip or series of strips from a single guest artist representing the regular comic's characters, personalities and style.
• Best Completed Comic - Comic whose run lasted at least 2 full years and ended within the award period.
• Best Short Comic - Comic whose run began and ended within the award period. 
• Best Supporting Cast - Award for supporting characters who provide excellent support to the main cast, either through plot design or simple characterization of the main cast members.

I'm sure I could come up with more as well.

So that's my webcomic awards concept.  Hmm, I guess I should give some examples.  Well, I'm the only judge, but I'll go ahead and do my own version of these awards next week.  Well, the nominations anyway.  Until then kiddies.

The Webcomic List Awards

Handing out awards has become so common even the highest forms of them are kind of diminished, especially on the entertainment side.  At one time, the Oscars actually MEANT something, now, not so much.

There have been many webcomic awards, several since I started this blog, but this is the first one I actually sat down and read, for a number of reasons, the main one being I found a link to it.  The other is that several comics I read, or have read before, were up for awards.  So let's see what they were doing and what I thought of the winners.

Best Writing:  The winner here was xkcd, a comic I don't regularly read, but it was up against many I do, including Sinfest, Saturday Morning Breakfast Cereal and Bug.  Which instantly makes me wonder what they defining as "writing."  When I think writing, I think storytelling, dialog and plot, not clever use of math or over using the same old joke, which is what all four of these really do.  The only other comic on the list, Oglaf, I've never read, so I won't make any judgments on that, but one has to wonder on this.  That said, there is a catagory for "longform comic" so perhaps they wanted something for the gag strips to grab, so why not call it "best joke" or "most clever" or something?

Best Color Art:  Dresden Codak won this, and if you've ever seen a strip from it, you know why.  The Meek, Hanna is Not a Boy's Name and Oglaf were also nominated, but I can't argue with any of that.

Best Black and White Comic:  There were only three nominees for this category, something that bugs me as there are a lot of black and white comics out there.  The winner is a comic called The Abominable Charles Christopher, and it's competition was Lackadaisy Cats and Sandra and Woo.  Now I've never heard of the winner, but I have heard of Lackadaisy, and I'm not sure Sandra and Woo should be put up against that strip.  They aren't quite the same, and as we'll see, Abominable Charles Christopher probably wasn't fair competition either.

Best Non-Traditional - Romantically Apocalyptic won out here, but I'm not sure why.  Oh, it's a great comic, but it is actually pretty traditional.  It is drawn by hand, just using photorealistic techniques that have been around a while.  Dreamland Chronicles uses computer generated figures, so that fits, and the other two nominees, Union of Heroes and Softer World, are photo based (like Terror Island from way back when).  Romantically Apocalyptic is very good, yes, but I'm not sure it actually fits into this category.

Best Character:  Why did Hanna is Not a Boy's Name get two nominees here?  Hanna and his partner are interesting characters, no doubt, but pick one or the other guys, not both.  The result is seven (!) nominees for this category, which was won by Cleo from Cleopatra in SPAAAACE! (which they misspelled in the award show, there are 4 A's).  Which I also question since the comic is maybe two years old, if that, and one of the other nominees is Annie Carver from Gunnerkrigg Court.  Sorry, Cleo doesn't even rank against Carver, who isn't even the best character in her own comic (I'd give Kat the nod myself).  Axe Cop, AXE COP, got a nomination for this.  Sorry, Axe Cop doesn't qualify here, his motives are based on a kid's imagination and randomness.  The other two nominees are from the comics The Dreamer and Imy, neither of which I've heard of, but somehow I'm not sure if they knew what they were doing in this category anyway.

Best Longform: Here's one of the big categories, and I'll tell you the nominees and you tell me who won:  The Meek, Gunnerkrigg Court, Girl Genius, Questionable Content and The Abominable Charles Christopher.  If you said The Abominable Charles Christopher, I have to wonder what the hell I'm missing.  The Meek is a great comic, Gunnerkrigg Court is probably one of the best webcomics of all time, Girl Genius is popular enough to win print comic awards and Questionable Content is oddly popular, but The Abominable Charles Christopher wins the award?  Either this comic is the best damn comic in the history of comics, or something odd is going on here.  I'll get to that in a bit.

Best Gag-a-Day:  The first category was the "writing" one, and featured some very funny comics.  So does this one.  In fact, it features THE SAME COMICS.  Exactly the same.  xkcd, Sinfest, Saturday Morning Breakfast Cereal, Bug and Oglaf.  Bug won here, and while I think Sinfest or SMBC are probably better, I won't rage on this.  What I will rage on is why this category and the best writing category have the same nominees, but different results.  VASTLY different.  xkcd is a very cerebral strip, yes, but funny, while Bug is much simpler and still funny.  So why are they even sharing ANY category.  If it weren't for the Best Writing category, this award wouldn't bother me at all, it's fine, but with the EXACT SAME NOMINEES in the other category, I really must question the vetting process for these categories and nominees.  Someone didn't think this thing through.

Best New Comic:  Aside from Axe Cop, I haven't heard of any of these comics.  Red's Planet, Minor Acts of Heroism and the winner, Scenes from a Multiverse, are all unknown to me, so I cannot, and will not lay a judgement here.  In fact, Red's Planet already looks good enough to read from one image, and I'll probably check out Scenes from a Multiverse as well.  Good choices for nominees here and this category did exactly what it was supposed to do:  Get you to read new comics.

Best Comic:  Best comic is supposed to be the overall best comic, right?  With nominees like Gunnerkrigg Court, Questionable Content and The Meek, none of which won, BTW, that comic has to be pretty damn good, right?  So why did Red's Planet win?  Yes, Red's Planet, the comic that was nominated for Best New Comic and DID NOT WIN, was given the Best Comic award, over some of the best comics on the web and another called Freak Angels, which I have not read, and may be very good as well.  I would say this is because they didn't want to give two awards to the same comic or something, but they did that with the Abominable Charles Christopher.  Red's Planet has to be about a year old, or else it shouldn't have been nominated for Best New Comic, and it somehow beats out comics that have half a decade of strips behind them?  I don't get it.  I'm not saying Red's Planet doesn't deserve it, it may very well, but I find it hard to believe given the competition and the fact that it didn't get Best New Comic for this year's awards!

For comparison sakes, I went and looked up 2009's awards.  Here are my notes from that:

- Abominable Charles Christopher won the Black and White award last year, so they really must like this comic to award it again in the same category.  In fact, the field was much denser that year, so I will respect that award much more than the 2010 award that featured THREE nominees.

- The Best Writing category actually meant what it should have in the first place.  Gunnerkrigg Court won, BTW, bringing it's total to 3 awards in 2009, including Best Comic.  It didn't get any in 2010.

- Non-Traditional was won by Dreamland Chronicles, which is fine.  Why were they nominated again this year?  And what happened to the other nominees from 2009?  Did they die?

Now I don't know the details of their nomination process.  It's a webcomic list site, so I would assume only comics on the list are eligible, but something doesn't resonate right when comics get repeated nominations for categories they won, and the other nominees vanished without a trace.  Why was the writing category changed so much?  Was it just to give xkcd an award?  How can a comic win Best Comic but not Best New Comic in the same breath?  How damn good is Abominable Charles Christopher that it earned three awards in two years, one of them against potent contenders?  And why did Hanna is Not a Boy's Name get two nominees for the SAME CATEGORY?

The only other thing I have to complain about is the utter lack of a proper list of winners.  The "presentation" was done via comics and I can respect that and enjoy it, but give me a link to the end that tells me who won each category please?  Not just the links to the comics at the end of every comic.

I want to make clear that I am not disparaging the winners here. You won, be proud and show it off, but I have some issues with how these awards were given out and the nomination process, not with the winners.  I have no doubt that simply being nominated means your comic is damn good and you deserved it.

Next time, I think I'll write out how I would organize my own webcomic award show thing. Until next time kiddies.