Web-Comic Review: Questionable Content (Part 1)

Jeph Jacques' Questionable Content is without a doubt one of the biggest successes in webcomic history.  Started in 2003, the comic is still running today, earning enough to support the author and his now wife entirely.  I have been reading QC religiously for the last week, and have reached around strip 950 in this 2000+ strip epic.  So, while I haven't quite caught up with the comic, read on for my musings on the story thus far and where I think things might go from here.

Questions: Level Up

Cartoonist Gene Luen Yang has built his career from talking about what it is like to grow up as an Asian American.  Level Up continues in that vein by exploring the stereotype of the strict Asian parent, examining both its veracity and its effect upon the sons and daughters it is inflicted on.  

Quickies: Americus and Kinetic

Neal Barton is miserable.  It's his first year of high school, and not only has his best friend been sent away to military school, but his favorite book series is being attacked by a local group of religious fundamentalists who aim to ban it from the local library, his home away from home.  What's a nerdy guy to do?  It's time to take a stand.

As a librarian, this one got me where it counts.  I completely identified with Neal's obsession with the Apathea Ravenchilde series (Song of Ice and Fire junkie here!) as well as with the amazing librarians he befriends.  Being from a relatively small and very religious town, it was very easy to imagine this situation occurring here.  I couldn't ask for a comrade more dedicated than Neal.  I would recommend this book strongly to the tween crowd, as a good way to learn about freedom of speech and how to stand up for what you believe in.  Adolescence is all about rebellion, but some forms are more constructive than others.  Americus shows how to do it right!

Review: The Sentry

The great heroes of Marvel have been established for decades.  Spider-Man, The Avengers, The X-Men.  Creating a new character and garnering enough popularity with that character to join the big boys (and girls) in main storylines and events can take years.  For instance, the character Deadpool was introduced to Marvel in 1991, and is just now coming into prominence in the Marvel universe.  So what do you do when you want to skip that whole process?  The Sentry holds the answer.

Quickie: DC Comics Covergirls

Louise Simonson's intricately researched and beautiful coffee table book takes readers on a tour of the lives of our favorite DC heroines and femme fatales.  With chapters dedicated to fan favorites like Wonder  Woman and Catwoman, as well as the lesser known Vertigo girls and supporting cast like Lois Lane, this book was thoroughly fascinating.  It also profiles the masters of cover art, ranging from the 1930's to today, using hundreds of images, many in their full sized glory.  There is something here for everyone, whether you're interested in comics history or evolving gender roles and their reflections in art.  There is also a very witty introduction written by the brilliant Adam Hughes, master of the pin-up comics cover girl.  If you like your heroes with a little bit of feminine wiles, this is the book for you!

Review - The Question: Zen and Violence

As a long time fan of The Question as he appeared in the fantastic Justice League Unlimited television series, I have always been curious about the character's origins.  Dennis O'Neil began writing the character in 1987, and Zen and Violence is the first collection of his work on the character, documenting his leap from ruthless investigative reporter to martial artist vigilante.

Quickie: Li'l Depressed Boy

A satire that alternately mocks and embraces hipster culture through the tried and true format of "boy-meets-girl".  Cynical, but heartfelt, creator's S. Steven Struble and Sina Grace, show no remorse for the extremely blatant caricature that is the series, even going so far as to name their protagonist LDB, or Li'l Depressed Boy, a literal every man with a blank face and a doll body who is of course chasing his own Manic Pixie Dream Girl (look it up).  Without this wink to the reader, LDB would be cliche, and it is interesting to read a book toeing that thin of a line between sincerity and mockery.  The book is undeniably "hip", drenched in pop culture allusions and self referential humor, in almost a self-hating sort of way.  It even has a scan page in the back with instruction to make a LDB paper doll.  I read the first collected trade, and the comic is still ongoing, so for now, let's just call it an homage.  And speaking of homages, click the jump to see more fabulous LDB art, including shout outs to other tales of this genre.