Movies often depict aliens coming to earth with their space craft and superior technology destroying us for whatever the reason may be, but what if, when we do make contact with the aliens, they simply came to tell us the reason for our existence on planet earth and educate us about what is really out there in the universe and overall, leave us be. Call me skeptical, but anyone with superior technology can tell us anything we want, and we really would have no way of knowing, if the “aliens” could be telling us the truth or not.

Regardless of my human skepticism, Holly Laing & Drew Dailey manage to take you deep into their human/alien world that is Terra. I highly suggest that you hit the Info link on the home page of their webcomic and read the “History” section first. This will give you a primer of their story which is essential because it starts off with the human/alien interaction and you need to know who’s who, what their talking about, and why.

Terra is a recent webcomic having been published since March of 09, and Holly & Drew are currently formatting Terra to be printed into a few volumes. So if you’re not able to read it on a regular basis, just look out for the book someday. But until then, be sure to look up at the sky often, because you might be the lucky human to make the “official” contact with an alien being.

Terra website

Her slice of life journal that she’s currently producing, Alex’s Guide to a life well-lived has just the right amount of humor & wit to keep a reader interested, and just like all of her other webcomics, there’s added commentary, she keeps you up to date with everything she’s doing and her web site is easy to navigate thru. This girl is dedicated to her craft. With her many short stories along with commissions and keeping her online social networks active, she truly lives by her motto: “I’m arting as hard as I can!”

So if you’re interested in Alex’s many works, just follow all the links that I’ve provided below, there’s a little something for everyone.

Alex Heberling’s website

Alex Heberling’s Twitter

Stories:

Garanos

Jigworthy

The Shepherd

Corner on Main

Summer’s Year (24-hour comic)

Death is my favorite of the group, although you rarely see him (he is a bit of a loner), the other bears call on him when they need his mysterious numbing power.

Another bear you you won’t see much of is Gimp, his quietness and ability to get along with everyone keeps him out of trouble.

Prozac is the unofficial leader of the group, he is easy going and keeps a cool head…as long as his supply of Prozac doesn’t run out.

Lech wants to be the leader of the group, and bullies everyone when Prozac isn’t around.

Crack is described as being in a perpetual state of withdrawal…everything no matter how small puts him over the edge.

The rest of the group is pretty self explanatory: Gay, Nerd, Evil, and Tanked.  Gay, Nerd and Evil are usually fighting, poor Tanked rarely knows what is going on, but I guess that is a good thing when you are living with someone like Evil.

In the latest story arcs we are introduced to a baby panda bear named Vanity, but you have to cut him some slack, he is after all endangered.

Alison Acton’s artwork caught my eye when we were preparing for 2009′s Mega Con. It was our first convention as Comi Girl, and I was a bit nervous (and it showed). I had a list of people I wanted to meet, and Alison was one of them. She was kind enough to do an interview with us, and we chatted a bit about the comic.

During the drive home I read the comic that we purchased at the convention (the Cameraman was driving), once we arrived home I jumped on the computer and read the web comic until I was current, and every since then I make sure to visit the site every Monday and Friday for the newest installment.

Besides the great artwork, and comedic story lines, the other thing I enjoy (and that sets Alison apart from a lot of other web comic creators) is that there is always a note from Alison about the comic; what inspired it, things that she noticed about the story or artwork after she finished it, or just updates on her young son. That personal touch makes you appreciate the comic even more.

I am not a big fan of Happy Tree Friends (it is a little too violent for my taste), but Bear Nuts reminds me a lot of the cartoon…ridiculous cute characters doing adult things.

Bear Nuts Vol. One and Two are available from DMF, Vol. One was also recently listed in Previews, so you may be able to order it from your local shop.

Alison has also recently started an  Etsy store where you can buy prints and original artwork from the comic.

Start reading the story from the beginning, or you can pick up at the introduction of Vanity either way you won’t be disappointed.

Related Posts:

Interview with Alison Acton at 2009 MegaCon

The first thing that caught my eye about this web comic is the navigation of the web site. There are large navigation buttons over the artwork and the main navigation bar has a “New Readers” category, something that some web comics fail to have. The second thing that I noticed is the color of the artwork, muted and flat with some of the characters having brighter colors. The third thing that also got my attention was the Steampunk aesthetic of the comic. It’s a genre that’s coming back in vogue, and it’s being embraced well by Daniel & Dawna. And lastly, the website has plenty of information about the authors, what they’re currently up to and other pertinent information clearly stated on the home page without feeling too cluttered.

The story that is Monster Commute in itself is pretty interesting. Yes, it’s about the horrors of the daily grind of commuting that many of us are well accustomed to, but it also imaginatively deals with the government and certain aspects of large corporations. But I’m just covering the surface of the story by mentioning that. The story has many layers to it; it’s vast, but more importantly Daniel & Dawna manage to not confuse us when they add to the story. Words are great but the use illustration is even better and I think that’s where Monster Commute really shines. It helps get a clear picture of this vast story and also draws readers into this imaginative world that’s just like ours but slightly different.

It’s a great web comic, you should check it out and most importantly Daniel & Dawna has a jump off point for all new readers entitled UnSun in the sub-category of “Storylines” under the main category of “Archives”. Daniel & Dawna have all the bases covered with their web comic and they actively attend conventions, various events, and post plenty of pictures on flickr. This is a very engaging web comic, one of the best currently out there.

Monster Commute The Web Comic

Monster Commute on Flickr

Monster Commute on Facebook

As children, we tend to have crazy imaginations making up any character we can think of and giving them odd names, that’s what Axe Cop is. So it’s refreshing to see someone having the great idea of trying to take a child’s crazy imagination and putting it into a comprehensive story that we could all enjoy and find humor in. So to Axe Cop, I say bravo…you make me feel like a kid again.

Axe Cop is written Malachai Nicolle (the kid) and illustrated by big brother Ethan Nicolle.

Axe Cop website

Our new series “The Week In 60 Seconds” premiered on our You Tube channel today. It is our take on the week in 60 seconds. Let us know what you think…there is more to come!

]]> http://comigirl.com/magazine/comics/ontheweb/the-week-in-60-seconds/feed/ 0 http://comigirl.com/magazine/comics/new-web-comic-the-futurists/ http://comigirl.com/magazine/comics/new-web-comic-the-futurists/#comments Wed, 01 Jul 2009 09:13:50 +0000 Marylou http://comigirl.com/magazine/?p=32 The Futurists is a new web comic created by Mitch Breitweiser and Patrick Stiles. The first eposide has just been published so now is the time to check it out. “Set in colonial India in the late 1800’s, The Futurists is an epic tome about the quest for eternal life gone horribly wrong, the search for absolution , and the path to self destruction.” If you are a fan of Mitch Breitweiser’s art you’ll love this comic. Visit whoarethefuturists.com for more information and to read the comic.