If Only I Hadn't Given Up Art Classes

I don't tend to read comic books/graphic novels. I have a huge respect for them, but so far I haven't jumped onto that particular bandwagon and bought a bunch. The ones I have read I've enjoyed, but I finished too quickly (or at least, too quickly in my opinion because I'm used to traditional novels) and didn't run out to get the next edition. So I'd have suspected that the genre was out for me altogether.

Enter webcomics.

If this were the old school SATs, this would go like this--webcomics : comics :: blogs : columns.

For me, they work better because I can get a steady stream of updates. (Some better than others.) Also, it's cool to see an artist progress, both in terms of art and character development. Some artists have even made their webcomics into a source of income, making t-shirts and sponsoring ads to support their work.

The first webcomic I ever came across was Queen of Wands by Aerie, about a set of three twentysomething roommates and their wacky misadventures/sad mistakes/discoveries in growing up. (It's better than my lameass summary, I promise.) It's finished now, but a good place to start, especially since you get a complete arch of character and plot.