I turned [mumble mumble] years old yesterday, and Janice and I didn’t mark the occasion with anything big, but she got me a nice gift that’s very “me,” an anthology of recent webcomics called The 99. I’ve spent a lot of my career as “webcomics guy,” not “giant crossword/wordplay guy,” and while my focus has shifted, it’s always interesting to look back in on the field now. A lot’s familiar, some things have changed!
Like most anthologies, this is a grab bag, more aimed at “there’ll be something here for everyone to enjoy” than “every strip will amuse every reader.” But I got some delighted laughs out of it, and I thought I’d share a couple of strips that tickled me the most.
What I especiallly like about both of these is that they go a little further than they had to. Some other cartoonist could have stopped with panel 2 and called it a day, but like stand-up comedians, they’re committed to building on that first laugh with some follow-up.
Images are linked to each cartoonist’s web presence. One has their own URL, one promotes through Instagram. (That’s something that wasn’t around when I got started!)
Tomorrow: time for another Ubercross release!
IIIIIIII
CAKE
HAPPY BIRTHDAY! CELEBRATE MANY MORE HAPPY & HEALTHY ONES!
Keep on producing great word play fun, puzzles, & general information for all your fans (count
me one!)
Louis