Noire. That's a good word for The Rose killer. It's a black and white tonal comic about the grey areas of life and death in a big grey metropolis. Murder is the theme and a certain detective has to unravel them. The rose is the clue. Set in 1920's New York, this is a story of murder most foul during the era of prohibition, when the mob and the police were rival armies and the streets were their battleground.
Nicotine evokes the period nicely with her attention to detail on the period costumes and hairstyles. Her art is bold and heavy, like the atmosphere in the story. Read The Rose Killer, rated M.
Jimmy Solar is an alien-dog-lookin' guy, space guy on a mission, guy with a faithful friend that says ‘squeep’, thorn in the bad-guy's-side kind of guy, maybe a little bit inept but knows how to make a spaceship go around and shoot lasers. That's really all that's needed for fun and adventure in space, right? Skillfully done, this comic seems like it was probably almost as much fun to draw as it is to look at. Creator ctupa is a dab hand at comics and each page is lively with expression and detail. This all-ages comic is a great read!
This little comic does a very simple thing: it tells the story of a dollar's life. Where has that dollar been? Who has used it? For what? Aside from looking perfectly lovely, it cleverly uses storytelling elements to move the dollar's story forward one ‘snapshot’ at a time. Although just about the most passive character imaginable, the dollar is the focal point of the story growing around it- of places and people and events. It seems the comic itself is nearly over (should have featured it sooner!) but perhaps that means it's the perfect time to check it out so you get the whole story?
This is a humour comic strip about the funny side of childhood. Amuse yourself at the bad things that happen to these poor kids. In a lot of ways, these situations are funny because they're often pretty true to life in some ways.
Read Jerk Wadz by fr33z3dry. Rated T+
“Featured” Comic- the Drunk Duck Awards 2009!
A lot of people didn't realize that these were happening last year, so we're hoping that featuring them will give them some publicity and help bring in lots of nominations!
These are put together and run by you guys from start to finish (mainly by DDer amanda!), and is a great way to showcase some of the talent on DD and give kudos to the creators and comics you appreciate. Not to mention, a great way to find new comics to read! It's a lot of planning and work, but very rewarding too!
But it can't happen if people don't VOTE! Which is what this feature is about- getting people to nominate those comics they feel worthy, so the panelists can eventually narrow it down to the one or two most outstanding… You can vote until July 31st, so please do so!
If you're not quite sure what some of the categories mean, this thread should be useful!
Alicka and Winston have to stick together, as the misfit siblings. It's because they're imperfect little brats, according to their control freak mom who hates them. They're really not that bad, just a bit nonconformist- but as punishment, their mother is about to send them to Winterkill Academy for Juvenile Delinquints- where they might just die before they ever make it home again. Don't let the light palette fool you, the story so far is pretty dark. You want a comic that's mysterious AND visually arresting? You got it. You never realized yellow was such a great color for comics.
Izzy is a mushroom. A magic mushroom… but not the kind that makes you hallucinate. If you saw Izzy coming towards you though, you might think that you were.
Izzy is a bad tempered, grumpy, rude, and yet loveable little guy. He was thrown out of the magic forest because of his bad attitude and now has to make his way in the big city!
Rated T+
Cerintha is a weak, greedy, lazy, and somewhat dense woman (and a bad soldier). Due to not too much fault of her own, she's being chased across the countryside by her former commander in the army, a madwoman with godlike powers, another madwoman with a big sword, and an inscrutable (but probably not mad) woman who can will herself to come back from the dead. Oh, the list grows. Somehow she's gained the magical protection of the sky god which surely will just get her into more trouble. It's hard to feel sorry for her when every page of this comic is so funny, though. There is a dramatic story going on here behind all the comedy- some struggling with power, others struggling with weakness, a bit of madness, a dash of betrayal, unasked-for gift-curses and even a bit of war.
Al and Scout are two cats. That's as much as you need to know really, because cats are cute and amazing and funny and wonderful and everyone on the internet (who is smart), knows this. Cats are the internet mascot animal! Anyway, Ed Cho creates this hilarious and cute comic about these hilarious and cute characters, who are actually house cats, silly house cats who are just plain loveable. READ IT!
Read the latest stuff on the main site here: http://www.alandscout.com
Flamines takes place in a world of political and religious conflict. At the centre of the mess are 13 towers, build by God to protect mankind while he battles a great evil in Eden. Of course, while God is doing that, mankind is doing a pretty good job of inflicting evil and horror upon itself, mostly in the form of wars over the towers. A manga of epic scope- although still in its early pages, they are filled with family conflict, terrorism, and a pretty cool tank/mecha battle. Amazing attention to detail and an adept hand at manga techniques make Flamines a visual treat too!
If the Endstone and the Banestone touch, they will begin the destruction of the world. Whoever possesses the Banestone becomes possessed by it and seeks that objective. Cole Montaigne is following in her father's footsteps, she WILL find the Endstone! Certain stones have power, they're wielded by those called “stoners” and wielding that power is called “rocking the stones”. Repoman, the artist and writer, has a sly wit that's evident throughout Endstone. It's a retro style, Sci-Fi Fantasy comic in colour and black and white with an addictive story. Rated T+
The story starts with Eva and Katmandi (who is probably Eva's only friend in the world) robbing a tomb of some ancient artifacts. Things only get more interesting and weird from there. It seems like Eva has some kind of Quantum Leap job- only instead of being sent to strange places to make things right, it's her job to steal stuff and run away. Katmandi owes her his life but isn't so sure about all this. This charming comic looks just fantastic, all sepia and watercolors with some gorgeous backgrounds.
Eve is a singer, she's loud on stage, not so much in person, unless she's around Lilith. Eve and Lilith don't really get on very well. Lesbian, transgender, drag king, transvestite, gay, straight- they're just labels. These are the people.
Eve's Apple by Christine Smith has a funky look, crisp black and white inking, expressive faces, and lots of cross-hatching for tone. The story is compelling and funny. Get into the lives of these ladies!
Rated T+
On her way to school, Alana is kidnapped by a couple of weirdos who unlock the magical powers contained in her earrings. Now she is mixed up with a bunch of demons (some of whom think she is someone else and are trying to kill her). Don't take this “magical girl” comic TOO seriously - it's a mad, colorful, profanity-laced romp through a world of demons and danger which doesn't worry overmuch about backstory and physics. The archives use many different art styles and approaches so it's a great one for you visual people too!
The Greek pantheon has arguably been the most entertaining and bizarre of the dysfunctional god families. DIS centers on Hades, overseer of the underworld, and how much he hates his assigned work, his demented nephew Hermes, and his new admirer. The stories are drawn in a somewhat manic art style which gives things an interesting sense of energy and immediacy, and the writing presents a fairly human (though thoroughly ridiculous) view on the gods. Hades is doting daddy to his his 3-headed pet dog, and would you believe that the sound of god-instigated love at first sight is “ping DONG”?
Kazimieras is 13, a boy growing up in Lithuania in the 80s. The Soviet Union is an oppressive presence, but people's attitudes to it are complex, especially Kazimieras'! He likes to dream and think the best of people. He's an optimist, and life is always good as long as you know how to live it… As long as you don't get caught by the Red Army!
The Optimist is by Kristen Gudsnuk mainly using watercolour but also other materials like plasticine. It's truly a beautiful piece of work, well worth a look! Read
Jimmy Cline pulls into a small town on his motorcycle looking for a job. He finds one at The Crossroads, the town's only hotel and restaurant. Naturally he finds more there than he bargained for- it seems the town is home to a few supernatural creatures. The town is also home to a lot of good people, and this well-rounded comic is just as much about them as the ghosts in the pantry. Jimmy's first instinct is to hit the road and get away from this weird place, but he is surprised to find that these people, with all good intentions, want him to stay.
Time travel isn't just for Dr Who you know… A lot of other people have fun with it too. Among them is Cassie Wells, a sassy young (or old, it's a time travel thing…) woman who leads the life of a temporal tourist, hopping from period to period for the fun of it and the experience. She's not just in it for fun though, this woman has brains too!
Cassie and gang get into some funny scrapes. But who better to tell about the comic than the artist himself, Thomas Overback! Read his FAQ here for an intro:
http://www.timeslikethis.com/faq.html
And his cast page here to learn about the characters:
http://www.timeslikethis.com/cast.html
Or, even better, Just jump right into this hilarious story!
http://www.drunkduck.com/Times_Like_This/
Time like this is a very humorous comic! Rated M
Laura and her mother have moved from Seattle to a place even more rainy- the village of Deluge. Laura's mom has been offered a new job at their hospital, which is probably so well-paying due to the unique nature of the rain the townspeople for some reason put up with, instead of doing the sensible thing and moving away. At first glance a semi-storybook comic for younger ages, a number of dark elements are emerging. The curious story and appealing art in this one will keep you reading!
The world as you know it has ended. Everything has ended. Even time itself! …sort off… Things aren't working as they should, not your body, not your mind, not civilisation, not the world, not… time. The world is almost OUT of time. Jason wakes up dead in this hellish place and if he can survive, maybe he can save it.
Surreal, sometimes funny, sometimes ghastly, The Ends is an extremely professional piece of polished work. Rated M
Do you feel like something a little out of the ordinary? How about the wandering (and incredibly depressing) dream imagination of Traume Von Magpie? One after another, Traume keeps dreaming. Innocent jaunts end in frightening nightmares, most of them namelessly creepy. His surreal adventures are fittingly rendered in a sort of Victorian cartoon style, among others, with several mind-bending pages worth a close study. Unique and well worth a look!
The story of a monkey, his brother, a goddess, and a frog living on an island where things go from weird to bizarre!
This full colour comic by Keon Brown is hilarious! The island adventures of Angry D Monkey and his friends are a joy to read about. If you're anything like me, this one should keep you laughing for a while.
Rated M for merriment!
…What? I couldn't think of any other word for “funny” starting with “M”. :(
Chainey is dead, but he's also alive, he doesn't know why until he meets Maggot Boy, also known as Davey, and his friend Sam, a necromancer. Davey is an “Aware”, that's a zombie who can think, he works for chief Necromancer Lazaro, keeping the city safe from the mindless hordes who threaten it from the outside. Keeping the normals safe… But they're not the only awares in town and they're not all as nice as Davey.
Maggot Boy is drawn in a lovely hyper cartoony, almost Disney style by Flipsidered, who lives in the very same city as me funilly enough. Read Maggot Boy! rated T+
Robomeks! This stylish comic centres on 3 teenage robot mechanics whose job is surprisingly dangerous and exciting. A colorful and funny action comic with a lot of neat design moments (such as the flamenco robot who fights with his feet). In the current story, the Robomeks are called in to corral some malfunctioning music bots only to find that, of course, things are not all as they seem. A run in with a competing agency, a kidnapping, a standoff, and a high speed chase later…
Once you've read what's here on DD, there are another 75 pages of earlier material on the Robomeks website (which is linked to from the comic)!
This is one whose feature is long overdue… Mainly because we assumed it was done already :)
Thrash metal Bones works in the back alleys, disposing of dead bodies for serial killers. But this idyllic situation is not to last. Bones is soon thrown into all sorts of trouble, everything from vicious riots, to dip in a reservoir of human waste. Bones and his fellow inmates of this heavy metal world are thoroughly gross, base, disgusting creatures, but that's what makes them and Putrid Meat so endearing and funny.
Putrid Meat is drawn brilliantly by Pit Face, and the coloured pencil colouring really enhances the grim, gritty, grotty feel of the story!
Beware, not for the faint of heart. The title says it all. Rated M.