A Fine Example

Napoleon is an ankle biter, but only during pledge week.

I really shouldn't have to say anything else. Every freak among you should be popping over to A Fine Example just for the sake of What The Fuck.

What the fuck was, by the way, my most prevalent reaction as I toured through the archives. A Fine Example is neither character driven, nor situational. It's driven by some sort of random insanity. It's a good insanity... the type that drives you to come back time and again just to see where the hell the creator is going to wander off to and who might come along for the ride. It might be a fancy feast eating... something-or-other. It might be a slogan wielding horde of "Undead Americans". It might even be, well, assorted body parts oddly joined at unnatural angles. Oddly enough at it's very base, deep down under layers of madness, A Fine Example is a family story. Dad, girlfriend, son. There are family dynamics at play, deep seated issues between a young boy and the woman that plays the role once held by his departed mother. The silent conflicts of the man that loves them both. Yes, deep down, this is the stuff that dramas are made of. Only it's not. It's an oddity, an oddity formed of excellent writing.

The artwork is also a bit of an oddity. Sketchy black outlines and cross-hatch shading seem to hover over the simple backgrounds, almost as if made of layered bits of torn paper. The drawings have the feel of newspaper lithographs with an added stylistic flare. The children of the comic are especially enthralling - faded as though lightly erased bringing them immediately into the foreground. The effect extends to the son's expressions which are muted and faint, and a vague white aura surrounds him. He seems isolated, intelligent, and acts as an anchoring force for the quirky and animated personalities that surround him.

The website is simple and functional, though not all the bits are up and running. The Store, for example, seems to be under construction and the Blog is somewhat neglected. (The last post was July 27th) The About page is flooded with the same humor that makes up the comic and is likewise worth the read. Though there was a bit of a hiatus, A Fine Example may well be back on track now - updating "Mondays, Thursdays and more".

Go on now... the parrot waits for no one.

The Devil's Panties

Realizing that life quickly gets in the way of artistic endeavors, artist Jennie Breeden discovered a delightful way to force daily practice - she started a webcomic, The Devil's Panties, the second in my personal webcomic trinity.

If there is a Queen of the slice-of-life webcomic world, it must be Jennie Breeden. Aside from obvious elements of fantasy, the strip is often a word-for-word rendition of her real-life experiences. Armed with a tape recorder and an ear for snippets that will readily entertain others, Jennie captures those seemingly mundane moments that will resonate with the majority. The intimacy of the story telling would make it tempting to swamp the comic with inside jokes, but that's seldom the case here. In fact, on those rare occasions where an inside joke pushes it's way to the surface, the joke exists in the simple fact that, without context, the comment is almost completely nonsensical.

The artwork is mostly black-and-white with bright splashes of color acting almost as punctuation. Cross hatch and line shading gives a sense of tone, and the plentiful detail work is done in a simplistic style that compliments the casual feel. Many weekends, and the Portfolio page, bring an extra treat in the form of colorful portraits in various degrees of abstraction. (Don't miss the black-and-white artwork that appears beyond the first page of the Portfolio.)

The website is simple, but functional, and includes a number of fun side projects and giggle spots. Also present is an awesome FAQ section that is a must-read for new webcomic creator's hoping to turn their hobby into a full-time job. Speaking of making webcomics a full-time job, Ms. Breeden has done just that and you'll find a number of items in the online store that helps keep her going.

Above all - The Devil's Panties will always be special to me. It was one of the first truly slice-of-life comics I read, and one of the ones that made me feel as though I should give it a go myself. The whole thing has a friendly and casual feel, like a text-message from your friends. There's no pretension, no smarmy drama, just life presented in a fun and engaging way. Definitely worth the daily read.