Agent-X Comics » Recommendations

Time for some Bad Machinery

agent_x — Sat, 03 Jul 2010 04:35:41 +0000

Got a hankering to see schoolgirls and schoolboys solving mysteries that involve curses, football, supernatural creatures and mothballs?
If those things ring your bells, then you will love….

Bad Machinery

	Bad Machinery is a webcomic set in the fictional town of Tackleford, England, written and drawn by John Allison. The story involves two groups of schoolchildren that attend fictional “Griswalds Grammar School” who spend their time solving mysteries. The groups interact, but each is unaware of that the other group is out solving mysteries, just like they are. Rest assured thouhg, the whole thing is far less “Fantastic Five” than it sounds. This strip has humour, action and mystery all with a very British sensibility to it. Visually, Allison’s artwork is a joy to look at. There is detail (such as in the background scenery) but the overall feeling is simplified and not too over-drawn. (By the way, I have no idea why this comic is called Bad Machinery. If you do, please let me know in the comments below).





	Got a strip you think I should know about? Then leave me a comment below.

You are a Bad-ass Charlie Brown!

agent_x — Fri, 25 Jun 2010 23:30:59 +0000

Ever wanted to see what your childhood comicstrip memories would look like, if all the characters had ended up in a post apocalyptic world?
Well, wonder no more, as I present to the following webcomic for you to delight in….

Weapon Brown - *Warning : this webcomic is for adults only, and many panels are not safe for work.*

	Weapon Brown is a parody of all the comic strips you read in the paper when you were growing up. Jason Yungbluth has taken these characters and set them loose in a desolate post-apocalyptic world. Charlie Brown is now a cybernetic warrior who roams the lawless wasteland with his dog Snoop by his side. All the characters you remember from the funny pages as a kid now have blood thirsty appetites, mutations and cybernetic parts. The strip has a fantastically fun feel to it all, whilst still retaining a gritty, road warrior vibe. As well as the fantastically detailed art, I had immense fun trying to see how many comic strip references and characters I could pick out. It’s like a pop-culture comic quiz jammed inside of a Mad-Max film. Jason Yungbluth is the artist & writer for this strip and he produces a highly professional and refined piece of work. The comic is fast paced, action packed and well illustrated. It is also quite a respectful tribute to the original comic characters while parodying them a the same time Weapon Brown is part of Jason Yungbluth’s Deep Fried webcomic site, but it has proved to be so popular that it’s going to collected as a stand-alone graphic novel by the end of 2010. Start reading it from here, but be aware that you may have to jump a few of his other Deep fried strips before returning to the story.





	Got a strip you think I should know about? Then leave me a comment below.

Fun Western Comics

agent_x — Sat, 19 Jun 2010 04:28:03 +0000

Even though I grew up on Superhero comics, I have always had a soft spot for comics set in the Old West, for some reason.
This may be due to my father making me watch too many Clint Eastwood westerns when I was younger.
The two comics I am recommending this week, are humorous tales that are set in the Old West.

Now get clicking, so you can check out:

Reed Gunther

	Reed Gunther is an all ages comic book set in the old west. There is a very small similarity to the old TV series “Gentle Ben”, as the main character Reed Gunther, travels with his best friend Sterling, who is a bear. That is where the similarity ends though, as Reed & Sterling battle supernatural monsters, track down slimy villains and catch a runaway trains. Created and produced by brothers Shane and Chris Houghton, this series is full of fun and excitement. The art is professional and captivating, while the storyline never fails to inject humor or kookiness without losing track of the excitement.

Breckinridge Elkins

	Breckinridge Elkins is a story originally created by Robert E. Howard, who is best known for the creation of Conan theBarbarian, and all of the heroic fantasy that followed it. For many, Breckinridge Elkins is a fantastic introduction to all those who are unaware that Howard was anything other than “that Conan guy,” and it shows he was more than capable of creating a story with a humorous lighter touch. “Mountain Man” is the first in the series, adapted and illustrated by Gary Chaloner himself and colored by Cayetano Garza. As a big fan of Chaloner’s art style, I am thoroughly enjoying this webcomic adaptation of the story. Chaloner also posts his rough layouts of the strips too, which is a great resource for readers and comic artists to get a glimpse behind the curtain and see how these become the final finished pieces.

	Got a strip you think I should know about? Then leave me a comment below.

Satanists and the Thug life.

agent_x — Sat, 12 Jun 2010 07:45:45 +0000

The comics I am recommending that you check out this week, are two Australian strips which are currently shown online and will soon be gathered into graphic novels.
Showing your art & story online before you publish is becoming a very common way to build a fan base for your printed graphic novel before it actually hits the shelves. It is smart marketing, if you ask me.

Now get clicking, so you can check out:

McBlack

	McBLACK is a graphic novel about the daily life of the thug, assassin, arsonist and small businessman Whiteface McBlack. He used to be a private dick, but he gave it up in order to pursue on his true calling: murder, sabotage, theft and arson. There’s shootings, stabbings, beheadings, machete attacks, hand grenades and exploding vehicles – so this is basically your standard slice of life drama…. Or, it would be a standard slice of life drama, if your daily life brought you into contact with mutant cyborg bikers, redneck triads, a wrestler-turned-monster-truck-dealer and a variety of other heavily armed freaks and weirdos. This comic is presented online in a full page graphic novel layout, and has a fantastic dark, noir style feel to it’s art. It is pencilled by the talented Jason Franks and the art is perfectly inked by Dave Gutierrez. You can get the McBlack graphic novel now, over at Black Glass Press.

The Sixsmiths

	The Sixsmiths is a strip about an ordinary family of Satanists who have fallen on hard times. They are your normal, everyday, suburban family. They go to work, go to school, buy groceries and attend church regularly. The only difference is that, when they go to church they worship Satan and cannot WAIT to experience the joy of living in Hell in the after-life. The Sixsmiths, this is one heckuva comedy and one helluva family. The Sixsmiths is the work of J. Marc Schmidt and Jason Franks (yes him again). Schmidts art style is wonderfully simplistic and clean, which allows the storylines to not be overshadowed by the art. Schmidt is also the author of the graphic novels EGG STORY and EATING STEVE, available from Slave Labor Graphics. The Sixsmiths is about to be released as a graphic novel later this year.

	Got a strip you think I should know about? Then leave me a comment below.

The Dilbert redux

agent_x — Sun, 06 Jun 2010 01:09:44 +0000

This week, my comic recommendation is a bit different to what you might expect.
It involves taking an already existing strip, then changing the text to give it a whole different outcome and punchline.
Altering other strips to give a different result is not exactly a new idea, as it has been successfully done already in strips such as Garfield Minus Garfield.

However, the reason I am recommending strip below is that it takes the extremely popular strip ‘Dilbert‘, created by Scott Adams, and it gives it a brand new lease of life. I often enjoy these redux strips better than the original.

Dilbertte

	Dilbertte takes the popular Dilbert comic strip and replaces the dialog, in an attempt to accentuate blandness and change the entire tone of the strip. This is by no means a bad thing. In fact, the end result can often end up being far funnier that the original strip. For example, compare the strip above with the original one here. Dilbertte purposely attempts to make some strips extremely bland and nonsensical, often leaving many readers scratching their heads. It really is the type of thing you have to just “get” and you must be able to revel in the stupidity of it all. It is reduxed by Tom, who can be found lurking on twitter and posting things he should not, as @FiveThumbsDown. And just in case Scott Adams asks, we have no idea where Tom is….
	Got a strip you think I should know about? Then leave me a comment below.

Try these comics about comics

agent_x — Sat, 29 May 2010 13:08:53 +0000

This week, my two recommendations of what to check out are comics that are about comics.
Yeah, it’s a weird idea, ain’t it? Anyway, have a look and you may just find something new to enjoy.

Now get clicking, so you can check out:

Let’s be friends again

	Lets be friends again is a comic about comics. That’s pretty much it. It’s not very complicated. The strip is an irreverent gag-a-day style bucket of fun, with lots of inside jokes to keep the comic books nerds very happy. It is written by Curt Franklin (who writes the words and can mostly spell alright) and drawn by the talented Chris Haley (who I suspect would like to be drawing more boobs)

Sam Zabel & The Magic Pen

	Sam Zabel & The Magic Pen is a webcomic by Hickvile creator Dylan Horrocks. It tells the tale of Sam Zabel, who is a cartoonist struggling with anhedonia (the absence of pleasure & joy) This has him greatly troubled and searching for the joy he once new. The story shows great promise, so I suggest you read it from the start and I am sure you will want to stick with it and find out the fate of Sam.

	Got a strip you think I should know about? Then leave me a comment below.

New strips to try

agent_x — Fri, 21 May 2010 13:43:16 +0000

As I promised, I am once again going to point you in the direction of some online strips that I like.
I hope you like them too. Give them a chance and also let the creators know you like ‘em by leaving them a comment. (only if you actually do, of course).

Now get clicking, so you can check out:


	Mocktopus is a fantastic little strip that I am glad I found. Max Huffman is the creator of the strip, but is also a regular fifteen year old high school student. Or is he?? Max describes the strip as “an interspace comicbomb designed to delight and terrify”. It is a gag-a-day style strip, but with a few recurring characters from time to time. Partly autobiographical and mostly just plain odd but hilarious. Personally, I really enjoy max’s art style as well.


	Kiwi Blitz is a webcomic which chronicles the adventures of a couple of teenagers’ attempts to fight crime in the not-too-distant future. It’s a mix of anime, superheros, teen angsty stuff and it even has a giant robot Kiwi bird. Yes, you read that correctly. The strip is created by Mary Cagle, and it has a clean, colourful and expressive manga style. Although it is a fairly young strip, the story shows great promise, so read it from the start and I am sure you will want to stick with it.

	Got a strip you think I should know about? Then leave me a comment below.

Agent-X recommends these cool comics

agent_x — Sat, 15 May 2010 04:58:38 +0000

Here are some recommendations of cool new online comics to read.
There are many great comics available online these days, but finding them can be difficult. I often stumble across some really fantastic stuff during by internet travels and I decided that I should be sharing them with others.
So, I intend to be supplying you with two or three (maybe more) online strips to check out each week. I hope you enjoy them and you discover something you like along the way.

Go now, and check out:


	Max Overacts is a strip by Caanan Grall, who is an Aussie cartoonist, currently residing in Toronto, Ontario. He also creates the strip ‘Celadore’ over on Zudacomics. But on his site occasional comics disorder, he also shows off new comics he is developing. The current strip is “Max Overacts”, which about a boy named Max, who displays unbridled optimism on his quest to be the next greatest thespian.


	Dracula vs. King Arthur is a very original medieval tale of Camelot, but with vampires thrown in. It’s the kind of story that you never knew you wanted to read until it jumps up and bites you on the neck. Very simply, the plot line, is that Dracula is sent back in time by Lucifer, to Camelot, to face off against King Arthur and The Knights of the Round Table. This online graphic novel is written by Adam and Christian Beranek. Teaming up with Chris Moreno, who creates the sublimely good artwork, this strip is a masterpiece in the making.

	Got a strip you think I should know about? Then leave me a comment below.

Check these out

agent_x — Mon, 26 Apr 2010 00:00:22 +0000

Looking for a cool new online comics to read?
Well you are in luck, because I have two to recommend to you today! I really like the art in these comics and I hope you do to.

Go now, and check out:

	“Toonhole” is a very cool site, which has comics drawn randomly by a bunch of different artists. The artists include: Mike Nasar, John Martinez, Ryan Kramer, Chris Allison & Aaron J Paetz. WARNING – it is not always safe for work.
	“Lead Paint Comics” is a strip which is about boobs, barfing meat golems and girls with time portals in their crotches. It is written by Mike Cornnell and Dana Wulfekotte
	“Split Lip” is a horror webcomic site, drawn by Sam Costello & various artists. There is a good range of stories on the site, and if you are a horror aficionado, I think you will like it immensely.

Looking for a cool new online comics to read?

agent_x — Mon, 05 Apr 2010 03:45:07 +0000

Some comics to try out – April 5, 2010
I have two to recommend to you today! I really like the art in these comics and I hope you do to.

Go now, and check out:

	“Tinkers of the wasteland” by Rulo Trevino. (Just FYI – this link takes you to the start of the story) And he has more excellent art here : http://trevinoart.com/
	“The Strange High House in the Mist” by Jason Thompson.

Enjoy!

Agent-X Comics » Recommendations

Time for some Bad Machinery

Bad Machinery

Got a strip you think I should know about? Then leave me a comment below.

You are a Bad-ass Charlie Brown!

Weapon Brown - Warning : this webcomic is for adults only, and many panels are not safe for work.

Got a strip you think I should know about? Then leave me a comment below.

Fun Western Comics

Reed Gunther

Breckinridge Elkins

Got a strip you think I should know about? Then leave me a comment below.

Satanists and the Thug life.

McBlack

The Sixsmiths

Got a strip you think I should know about? Then leave me a comment below.

The Dilbert redux

Dilbertte

Got a strip you think I should know about? Then leave me a comment below.

Try these comics about comics

Let’s be friends again

Sam Zabel & The Magic Pen

Got a strip you think I should know about? Then leave me a comment below.

New strips to try

Got a strip you think I should know about? Then leave me a comment below.

Agent-X recommends these cool comics

Got a strip you think I should know about? Then leave me a comment below.

Check these out

Looking for a cool new online comics to read?

Weapon Brown -
Warning : this webcomic is for adults only, and many panels are not safe for work.