Words in Balloons

In the early days of the Internet, somebody had an idea that suggested maybe this crazy, new-fangled network could be a birthing ground for new and great comic strips. Maybe these comic strips could showcase a sense of wit the newspaper strips don’t have, maybe they could give creators the freedom to do some really crazy things with artwork and maybe they will be totally awesome.

Thus, webcomics were born.

OK, that might not be exactly what happened, but webcomics have been around since the early days of the Internet and have continued to evolve since.

While I could take this opportunity to endorse webcomic greats such as “Achewood” and “Penny Arcade,” I am going to talk about some lesser-known strips that deserve just as much praise as those heavy hitters.

“Romantically Apocalyptic” is a webcomic about three gas-masked fellows and their lives in the post-apocalypse — or is it about something more? The plot is pretty hard to follow, but it’s a fun read with gorgeous artwork — which mixes live actors, edited photos and sketches — that creates a vision of the apocalypse that looks real and otherworldly at the same time. While it can be hard to follow at times, it’s worth it for the beautiful artwork alone.

Another great comic is “Nedroid.” It is one of the rare webcomics that manages to be consistently hilarious while keeping the comedy completely clean and lighthearted. The strips are mostly about a bird named Reginald and his best friend, a round little bear named Beartato (pronounced as a hybrid of “bear” and “potato”).

Reginald and Beartato alternate between being huge yuppie idiots (the worst day of Beartato’s life was the day his father wouldn’t buy him a fresh violin) to witty geniuses (in one strip, Harrison decides to buy novelty gravestones for his friends).

The artwork further sells the humor through a simple blue color palette and Harrison’s variety of expressions, despite his having only one eyeball and a beak. The magnum opus of “Nedroid,” though, is “Party Cat,” a story about, yes, a cat that loves to party.

Lastly, we have “Gunshow.” The best way to find out if you would enjoy “Gunshow” is to ask yourself if you enjoy questioning an author’s sanity while reading his or her work. If you do, chances are you will love its disturbing comedic brilliance.

Author K.C. Green alternates between techniques ranging from sheer absurdity (one strip depicts the characters of “Seinfeld” turning into owls) to more simple humor (another has cowboys taking an exam about the definition of “hootenanny”). Then there are those that still manage to be funny despite their bleakness, such as “Fun With Your Depression.” The variable sense of humor is what manages to keep “Gunshow” fresh, and you never know if you are going to get a disturbed or lighthearted laugh out of it.

The true beauty of webcomics, though, is their archives. If any of the aforementioned comics strike your fancy, you have instant access to all the strips produced throughout the years.

It’s easy to find a new one to enjoy every day, and then lose that entire day going through it.