Kav & Tony Break it Down is nothing more than two long-time comic book readers making fun of the Golden and Silver Age Superman comics. We understand that these books were written for a juvenile audience but we could not resist reviewing these classics. Please note that no comic books were hurt during the review. 

Tuesday means it's time for Kav and Tony to break down your favorite Superman comic books. This week, we begin a review of Superman #194 'The Death of Lois Lane'. This was published in 1967 and the writer was Otto Binder, pencils were done by Curt Swan, and the inker was George Klein.



KAV: Ok here we see the title page and I just realized, whenever anyone thinks about Lois Lane reporting, she's always covering an erupting volcano whilst being carried by Superman. The Freudian implications are staggering.

TONY: I'm bored already.  




KAV: Kryptonite is always falling through the air next to Superman. This time it's attached to a guy. Stupidman can't think of ANY way to stop the dude falling-gust of super breath or anything, he just flies right up to dude and gets exposed. We see Lois saying, "It's wonderful to be Mrs Kent!" WTF? She scorned and mocked Kent for years as a cowardly idiot-now she's proud to marry him??? Lois thinks her son got super powers by drinking some radioactive serum she left lying around. CPS should be notified immediately.

TONY:  Wow, Lois and Clark made their kid serve them dinner. Cold as ice. Those two act somewhat indifferently when their son is flying. There is no panic or anything. If my son did that, I would be on the phone to the Catholic church demanding a exorcism. It's funny to see that Lois' prized possessions are on the bottom shelf on some crummy cabinet. Some people place valuables up on their mantle or in some sort of display case. Not Lois. I bet her wedding dress is in the garage under a pile of oily rags.



KAV: Clark remembers he was Superman- I guess the memory effects of the red/green/gold K wore off at the EXACT same second his robot told him the startling truth...hmmm....

TONY: Lois the genius keeps radioactive gifts on the bottom shelf and Clark the ding dong keeps his radioactive suit in a lead case. Why don't you just wrap your kid up in asbestos at night to keep him warm. 


KAV: Luthor doses Betty and Barney HIll I mean Clark and Lois with truth gas...and even though he's standing
closer to the gas than them, it conveniently doesn't effect him so the plot can move forward unhindered.

TONY: Lex uses some kind of device to pull their car off the road into his lair, so Clark and Lois get out of the car like it's no big deal. "Oh hey Lex, you crazy super villain. How can we be of service to your evil deeds today?" This is madness. Pure madness! 


Folks, that is all we can handle for this week. Have no fear because next week, Kav and I will break down pages 5 to 10 of Superman #194!


Kav & Tony Break It Down: Action Comics #283 (Part 1, Part 2, and Part 3)


Kav & Tony Break It Down: Action Comics #311 (Part 1, Part 2, and Part 3) 

Kav & Tony Break It Down: Action Comics #312 (Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, and Part 4)



A. Kaviraj is an artist and writer at Champion City Comics. His works include Dr Death vs The Vampire, Doctor Death vs The Zombie, and The End of Paradise. 

Every Monday, we review current and shelved webcomics to show you what's out there in the world of webcomics. If you would like your webcomic reviewed then please contact me at .


This week we are invading La-La Land (aka Hollywood) to get a glimpse of how the other half lives thanks to the very funny webcomic, Celebrities! This webcomic is the collaboration of Joe Gressis, Daniel Dominguez, and Jim Loveall. Every week a new celebrity is placed in their comedic cross-hairs and we see our beloved 1%, I mean glorious celebrities in all sorts of odd situations. For example, we have for you a lovely Christmas moment with Eddie Murphy below.


 
 Want more Celebrities!? Click here.

I like the original version by Muddy Waters but I love this version from the album Hard Again which features Johnny Winter.

Welcome to the Champion City Comics Trailer Park. Every Saturday we will review a trailer of interest and give our take on the good and the bad.

This week, we are reviewing Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace in 3D trailer. WARNING: this will not be nice, so overly sensitive fanboys should avoid further reading.  

The Friday Forum is a place where fans of Champion City Comics can voice their opinions on various topics that are related to webcomics or comic books. 

This week, I'm checking to see who is excited for the return of The Walking Dead on AMC and I want to know what's your choice for Podcast of the Week. Let's review!


THE WALKING DEAD

I am anxiously awaiting the return of this show on February 12th and am interested to see how the group handles the aftermath of the shootout at the barn. I haven't seen that many people gunned down since the last charge in Gallipoli. Also, did everyone see what they did with the opening credits at MovieWeb? If not, check it out below. Kirk Cameron is praying for your sins.

Interview by TonyDoug Wright

Every Thursday, Champion City Comics will interview someone involved in the world of webcomics so you can learn more about the creators of your favorite webcomics or know more about some up-and-coming webcomic creators.

This week, we have an interview with Luke Foster, the creator of Moon Freight 3, a sci-fi comedy that is updated ever Monday, Wednesday, and Friday. Moon Freight 3 (MF3) follows the exploits of Larry Forrest, the cargo inspector on Moon Freight 3. Larry's companion is a robot named Bolts and the two characters do their best to survive their mundane jobs in space while working for a talking rat and dealing with psychotic co-worker space pilots.

I started reading MF3 last month and was impressed that this series has been running strong since August 2008. Foster's style can be described as minimalist, but when you start reading Moon Freight 3, you will see that it works well for the story. Over the past four years, Foster has been able to keep the stories fresh and he doesn't seem to be losing any steam with his webcomic. 

 Luke was a good sport and answered some questions via email. Thanks for the interview, Luke!  


What comics, movies, and/or television shows inspired Moon Freight 3?

The biggest influence would probably have to be the BBC sci-fi comedy Red Dwarf. I was watching the extras on one of the DVDs a few years ago, and show co-creator Doug Naylor was talking about how, when making a sci-fi comedy, it was important to always make sure the comedy came before the science fiction. For some reason, that line really struck a chord with me. I also liked how the cast of Red Dwarf were, unlike the characters in most science fiction, not the absolute best at their jobs, or the greatest heroes in space, or the like. However, when creating Moon Freight 3, I didn't want to go to the Red Dwarf extreme of making my characters the absolute worst at their jobs, either, as funny as that was. Instead, I decided to make my characters, especially Larry, a perfectly average guy, like any one of us, stuck in a job we don't necessarily like. Battlestar Galactica was another influence, in that the science fiction was a setting for the story rather than it's genre. BSG was, at its heart, a war drama that just happened to take place in space. The science fiction trappings were just part of the characters' lives, and I wanted the characters in MF3 to have a similar lack of acknowledgment of what to us is science fiction, but to them is commonplace.

Your webcomic started off as a black and white comic with a minimalist approach. Did you face any criticisms from the webcomics community for your style?

I did face some, but only when I asked for critiques, mainly telling me to do things like add backgrounds and more shading. I added color at the one-year anniversary, but it was originally supposed to be just for that week, as a celebratory thing. However, I received so many positive comments about the addition of color that I kept it that way going forward. I know I have a long way to go to even come close to being as good as a number of artists I respect, though, so I'm still putting in the practice. Hopefully it's working.

Click to view

What sites have you used to promote Moon Freight 3?

I use Twitter, Facebook, and a Livejournal community on a regular basis. I have also done Project Wonderful advertising on other comics, and I've posted on forums. I also use podcasts on an irregular basis, usually when a new book collection comes out, and I am very lucky to have such strong support in those communities.

What webcomics do you read on a regular basis?

In terms of science fiction strips, I read Schlock Mercenary, Starslip, Drive, and Ralf the Destroyer. I'm also a big fan of Least I Could Do, Gutters, PVP, Evil Inc., Chainsawsuit, Sheldon, Girls With Slingshots, Questionable Content, Penny Arcade, The Adventures of Dr. McNinja, Wondermark, Sticky Comics, Weregeek, Stale Popcorn, Joe Loves Crappy Movies, Remedial Comics, The Trenches, Theater Hopper, Rob and Elliot, Kiwi Blitz, Bucko, and Alone in a Crowd.


Webcomic fans gravitate towards titles that are different from the rest. How do you see Moon Freight 3 as different from other webcomics?

MF3 is a character-driven workplace comedy set in space, and I can't think of many others that fit that description. I also intentionally set out to avoid many of the usual science fiction tropes, which is why there are no aliens, no faster-than-light travel, humanity hasn't left our solar system yet, robots don't struggle with the concept of humanity and instead are just happy being robots, etc. Hopefully I've succeeded in keeping those differences alive. I've also tried to create a diverse cast of characters that includes spacemen who hate their jobs, formerly mentally-ill ex-con robots, perpetually cheerful physics students, talking rats, and shady robot doctors. You know, a little something for everyone.


Moon Freight 3's website can be found here. 

Greetings! This week, we have updates for Dr Death vs The Zombie and Red Devil. Once again, you'll notice that when you click the title of the webcomics below that we have an option for reading Red Devil and Dr Death vs the Zombie at Drunk Duck. 

We're glad you enjoy our titles and be sure to stop by our site daily for news, reviews, comic book art tips, comic book writing tips, and much more.



DOCTOR DEATH VS THE ZOMBIE

Writer: TonyDoug Wright

Artist and Letterer: A. Kaviraj

Dr. Death character based on the story Dr Death vs The Vampire by Aaron Schutz

Champion City Comics is pleased to present the exciting conclusion to Dr Death vs The Vampire. Dr. Death has taken refuge in Las Vegas following a brutal encounter with a vampire clan. However, his refuge is short-lived due to the presence of a zombie that is terrorizing the city.

This week, Dr Death and Shade must prepare for the zombie ceremony!

Kav & Tony Break it Down is nothing more than two long-time comic book readers making fun of the Golden and Silver Age Superman comics. We understand that these books were written for a juvenile audience but we could not resist reviewing these classics. Please note that no comic books were hurt during the review. 


Kav and I survived part one  and part two of our series where we have reviewed Action Comics #283. We are going to finish our review today, so get set for some Silver Age nonsense!





KAV: OK the effect of the Red K is to make any of Superman's wishes come true, which is MAGIC, not science. This is the only time that I know of where Kryptonite had a magical effect, and once again the DC world is blurred by magic and science intermixing. Then he uses his super breath to blow the boat away, but luckily Jimmy and Lois are too dumb to connect the strong burst of wind with the dude standing 20 feet away with his lips pursed.

TONY:  This panel is absolute madness. There is no way that Jimmy and Lois would had survived a gust of wind that would propel them '200 miles a minute'. A minute? Are you kidding me?! The highest wind speed of Hurricane Katrina was an estimated 175 mph. In case you need a bit of help, MPH stands for miles-per-hour.  

KAV: Sherlock Holmes is created by Superman's wish and is able to determine by the CONTOURS of the Red K's effect on Superman! He also knows he's a storybook character, given brief life by Superman's wish. This fact doesn't seem to upset him though.

TONY: Why is Supes tossing the kryptonite into the water? Shouldn't he destroy it to prevent future problems? Silly me and my rational thinking. I wish I had the energy to rant about a fictional character coming to life programmed with rational thoughts and feelings. *Sigh*   

KAV: What??? Jor-El states that he's always wanted to meet Pa Kent. Assuming they never met before as this story does, how the f---- does he even know who Pa Kent is??? OK the effects of the Red K have worn off and Superman bemoans the fact that he can't TEMPORARILY help mankind any longer.

TONY: You'd think that the Chameleon Men would transform into something to stop Jor-El from creating an antidote. Nope, they just sit there and watch everything unfold. Good job, dummies. OK, if Superman wished his parents were there to help then were Ma and Pa Kent the real Kent's or were they figments of Superman's imagination? Also, were Jor-El and Lara the real ones who perished on Krypton or were they also figments of Superman's imagination? Because if he could get Jor-El and Lara back then he would, right? YOU ANGER ME, SILVER AGE COMICS!   

KAV: The soldier sees flames shooting out of Superman's mouth and states, "What is it, Superman? Has some Red Kryptonite affected you so that whenever you talk, you breath fire?" THIS IS THE MOST LOGICAL, COGENT THING ANY SILVER AGE DC CHARACTER HAS EVER UTTERED! KUDOS DUDE!

TONY:  Wouldn't Superman suffer some major facial burns from breathing fire? How messed up would his internal organs be after shooting a ball o'flame out of his big mouth? I loved how he had a 'tingling sensation' when he breathed fire for the first time. This calls for a silly YouTube link. Click here for fun.

KAV: This page has me speechless. You handle it, Tony.

TONY: I love how Clark destroys the intercom and then uses his Superman powers to get the smoke out of the room. Clark should have gone to college and roomed with some stoners. The second to the last panel was ridiculous. Clark was trying to protect Lois by placing a piece of paper over his mouth so he wouldn't torch his love with a fireball. Nothing protects people from a fireball like a piece of paper. Brilliant!  

KAV: We learn that Superman used super-ventriloquism...ON HIMSELF! Note to DC: ventriloquists ACTUALLY OPEN THEIR MOUTH SLIGHTLY. It's impossible to utter syllables without air being projected from the mouth! Then Stuporman gets mind reading ability, and of course Lois is thinking what she always thinks when someone reads her mind, about the impossibility of marrying Superman, and the side bet of Clark as spouse.

TONY: Boo on you, DC writers! Ventriloquism? Really?! C'mon, man! What's up with the fort? Were the early settlers of Metropolis defending themselves from Captain Jack Sparrow and The Spanish Armada? You're right Superman, Quimby, I mean Kennedy, and Khrushchev would go to a deserted fort to have a meeting with no security. Thou art a tool, Superman. Also, I love how Khrushchev is suddenly fluent in English, which does not seem to cause any suspicion from Superman.

KAV: Man it was awesome watching Supie bitchslap Khruschev! You go, girl! Why do so many Superman tales end with him in the lower right corner as Clark, thinking some ironic thought as Jimmy and Lois stand and sit behind him. I'm serious-this is a VERY COMMON end panel which I just realized.

TONY: Hooray for the last panel! The Chameleon Men surrender without a fight? You've got to be kidding me. Boo on you again, DC writers. What a lame ending. Also, I love how Superman can just fly to the 30th Century and return those two dopes to the authorities. While you're in the 30th Century, could you bring back the cures for all modern diseases? Thanks, pal.   

Kav & Tony will return next week with another Superman comic to review. Need more Kav & Tony? Check out some previous reviews below:

Kav & Tony Break It Down: Action Comics #311 (Part 1, Part 2, and Part 3) 

Kav & Tony Break It Down: Action Comics #312 (Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, and Part 4)



A. Kaviraj is an artist and writer at Champion City Comics. His works include Dr Death vs The Vampire, Doctor Death vs The Zombie, and The End of Paradise. 

Faithful fans,

We have a new schedule at Champion City Comics, so use this as a handy reference for our weekly shenanigans.

Monday - Webcomic Reviews: The Champion City Comics staff scours the internet for the best webcomics.

Tuesday - Kav & Tony Break it Down: Kav and Tony make fun of old Superman comics.

Wednesday - Wednesday Webcomic Update: Champion City Comics updates their webcomics every Wednesday!

Thursday - An Interview With...: Every week we interview someone involved in webcomics or comics.

Friday - The Friday Forum: We discuss anything webcomic or comic book related.

Saturday - The Trailer Park: We review trailers for upcoming movies and give you the good and bad.

Sunday - Sunday Song Selection: A day of rest for our staff but you get a music selection via YouTube.

Every Monday, we review current and shelved webcomics to show you what's out there in the world of webcomics. If you would like your webcomic reviewed then please contact me at .

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 From 1989 until 1997 I worked in a couple of restaurants as a bus boy, dishwasher, waiter, cashier, short order cook, and prep cook. It was a thankless experience that provided minimal joy, but what kept my sanity was my fellow coworkers who understood the frustration of the third ring of hell also known as service industry. To those of you who have served or are serving, then I feel your pain. God bless you.

From 2010 to 2011 there was a webcomic out there that delivered a wonderful dose of humor to the world of restaurant work. Sock Puppet Army by Nick Hamilton was created in his Russian Literature class in 2005 and five years later became a regular webcomic that followed the daily adventures of a group of mostly twenty-something workers at a chain restaurant. The main character is Jack, a recent college graduate that could only find work in the restaurant industry. His fellow coworkers include Chris (a guru of sorts that's a bartender), Ryan (the angry and barely sober thirty-something server), Meaghan (the feisty trainer), and Ian (the dim-witted server/bartender). The staff must deal with bitchy customers, underage hostesses, and a head chef with a drill sergeant's attitude. Sock Puppet Army was updated on a weekly basis and each new webcomic featured commentary from Nick Hamilton about the restaurant industry or life in general. There was also a forum where current and former restaurant employees shared their tales of horror.

At this time, the webcomic is listed as updated 'now and then' and I hope this article motivates Nick to get this webcomic up and running again because it was fantastic. If not then let me crack open a 40 for my fallen webcomic homey. Respect, yo.

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To check out the entire Sock Puppet Army archive, click here. 



TonyDoug Wright is the owner and editor of Champion City Comics.

Sunday is a day of rest at Champion City Comics, so I pick a video for people to enjoy. Today, I have selected "Breath" by Pere Ubu. This band is pretty damn good and it is a shame that many people are not familiar with their catalog. Enjoy.

As comic book readers, we've engaged in countless discussions on various topics that range from what superhero is more powerful ("Who would win in a fight between the Incredible Hulk and Superman?") to what is your fantasy team-up ("Wouldn't it be cool if Spider-Man joined the Justice League?"). The debates can be lively or erupt into a forum war where moderators are left to deal with the causalities. Fortunately, there is a web-site where comic book fans can check out some cool "what if" covers where the superstars and cult figures of the comic book universe come together for some action-packed adventures.

Last year, I discovered Ross Pearsall's website, Super-Team Family: The Lost Issues , where he creates some truly amazing covers for old school comics like Brave and the Bold, Super Team Family, and Marvel-Two-In-One. Ross updates his site daily of team-ups that SHOULD have happened and provides readers with some personal commentary on his choices. Also, Ross listens to the fans and occasionally does requests for those looking for some dream team editions.

Ross was kind enough to answer some questions about his website via email. Thanks, Ross.


Ross, please tell our readers a little bit about yourself.

Not much to say, just a lifelong fan of comic art.


What inspired you to develop The Greatest Team-Ups That Never Happened?

Brave and The Bold was my favorite title growing up and I thought that it was too bad that it was discontinued before they got to some team-ups that I was hoping would happen. I wanted to see Jim Aparo's take on characters like Starman, Martian Manhunter and Captain Marvel. I decided to make a few mock up covers of what those issues might have looked like and it just grew from there. Eventually I had enough covers to start a blog and at the suggestion of a friend, I did.

Have you received any feedback from Marvel and/or DC regrading these covers you've developed?

Not form the companies themselves but I have had nice feedback from many industry professionals. Neil Gaiman. Scot Adams, Todd Nauck, Art Baltazar, Franco and Dave Gibbons have all Tweeted about the blog, Paul Chadwick and Tony Isabella have posted kind comments, and I have read nice words from Jeff Smith, JMS and Walt Simonson. Roger Stern and Erik Larsen have even made requests. It has been very gratifying for me to know that I have given some small amount of pleasure to creators that have entertained me for years.


How many covers do you have prepared in advance for your blog? How long does it generally take to complete a cover?

I am almost a year ahead of what I post on the blog. Covers usually take 5-6 hours to complete.


What cover has had the most positive feedback from your readers? Have any of your covers caused controversy among your readers?

Thing/Death and Thing/Bone have had the most hits, due to being tweeted about by their creators. My recent set of "Retro" Brave and the Bold covers seemed to be popular with a lot of folks. The hasn't been any controversy yet, thank goodness.



Are any characters "off limits" or do you consider them all fair game?

Anyone is fair game as long as there is appropriate art to use and I know enough about the characters to make a scene work.


If you want to check out Ross' site then click here. 

Happy Wednesday! This week, we have updates for Dr Death vs The Zombie and Red Devil. Once again, you'll notice that when you click the title of the webcomics below that we have an option for reading Red Devil and Dr Death vs the Zombie at Drunk Duck. 

We're glad you enjoy our titles and be sure to stop by our site daily for news, reviews, comic book art tips, comic book writing tips, and much more.



DOCTOR DEATH VS THE ZOMBIE

Writer: TonyDoug Wright

Artist and Letterer: A. Kaviraj

Dr. Death character based on the story Dr Death vs The Vampire by Aaron Schutz

Champion City Comics is pleased to present the exciting conclusion to Dr Death vs The Vampire. Dr. Death has taken refuge in Las Vegas following a brutal encounter with a vampire clan. However, his refuge is short-lived due to the presence of a zombie that is terrorizing the city.

This week, Dr Death and Phreaker part ways as the vampire delivers his hotages.

Kav & Tony Break it Down is nothing more than two long-time comic book readers making fun of the Golden and Silver Age Superman comics. We understand that these books were written for a juvenile audience but we could not resist reviewing these classics. Please note that no comic books were hurt during the review. 

Kav and I survived the first three pages of Action Comics #283 and are ready to tackle the next three pages of this tale where Supes battles two aliens who explain everything in great detail. Enjoy!




KAV: Of course we're heavy on the xyz letters again-is this some form of racism? Why do aliens automatically have names heavy on the xyz? Here we have Jan-Dex and Zo-Gar. Zo-Gar continues his explanation of every move he makes...this would get real annoying real fast, man. Like everyone in the future, these two miscreants know Superman's secret identity. They're always out for revenge but no one ever just shows footage of Clark changing into Superman-they come up with these elaborate plans that ALWAYS FAIL.

TONY: Are the two chameleon men devising a nasty scheme or are they competing in an old school version of Project Runway? "Make it work". Sorry boys, but guest judge,Truman Capote, said your work was "hideous" and thought you two just draped a stupid ol' costume over some ghastly red rocks. What really bothers me is that these two dopes decided to set up an elaborate trap on some deserted island rather than go directly to the Daily Planet and take out Clark Kent. If these two can travel time then they should be able to find their way around Metropolis. Kav, I agree with you on the xyz issue but I'll add another complaint that these guys report to the Cosmic King and Lightning Lord. Thumbs down on the generic ruler names.   


KAV: These guys are so mentally challenged that they have to give themselves instructions EVEN WHEN THEY ARE THINKING? The detailed explaining to the audience of every move is really wearing out any possibility of a plot, boys. Why not just have a page that says "Something happened but Superman defeated the bad guys". That would be just as effective.

TONY: OK, I'm angry. Why did these two morons land on a deserted island, set up a kryptonite catcher, change into sea creatures, turn into cops, walk or ride to Metropolis, and then call Jimmy Olsen? This plot is incredibly absurd. Don't even get me started on the one alien calling Jimmy to take a row boat to an island for a big Superman story. He doesn't give his name, but Jimmy thinks it is a legit lead. Hey stupid, there was a reason Perry didn't want you going to the Kennedy-Khrushchev meeting.



KAV: We have Superman doing what he does best when he's Clark-thinking about what he could do as Superman with that 'If Lois and Jimmy only knew' smirk on his face. Then they see the Red K statue but Lois and Jimmy are too special to realize it's Kryptonite. Yeah, it must be SOME OTHER GLOWING RED METEOR dressed in a Superman suit! Some reporters. Then we have more recap so the readers who don't know about Red K can get brought up to speed. Even though they've been brought up to speed, several times....So we have the guy who can see for light years bumble right up to the effective range of Kryptonite-like he ALWAYS does.

TONY: Looks like Lois and Clark were dumb enough to tag along on Jimmy's mystery lead. Forget the superpower summit, we need to get on a row boat and waste our entire afternoon checking on some silly Superman tip. Again, was it necessary to take a row boat? They could not get a ride on a ferry or possibly rent a boat from the marina?

We are not finished with this story, but we'll return Tuesday, January 24th with more KAV & TONY BREAK IT DOWN!  

Need more Kav & Tony? Check out some previous reviews below:

Kav & Tony Break It Down: Action Comics #311 (Part 1, Part 2, and Part 3) 

Kav & Tony Break It Down: Action Comics #312 (Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, and Part 4)



A. Kaviraj is an artist and writer at Champion City Comics. His works include Dr Death vs The Vampire, Doctor Death vs The Zombie, and The End of Paradise. 

If you are looking for a great comic book podcast then I recommend TWO HEADED NERD, which can be found here. The hosts, Matt and Joe, talk comics and give their weekly picks on what to buy and on what to skip. I've embedded their most recent show that features a shout out to a certain Champion City Comics. Enjoy!

When I am not running Champion City Comics, I am a historian and an adjunct instructor of history. It was sometime last year when I discovered the historical but humorous webcomic from Kellan Morgan titled Lincoln's Mustache. Morgan describes his webcomic as "...the culmination of a love of history plus a love of facial hair, explosions, and horrendous historical events turned humorous. Also, vague historical references that no one gets because I’m just a bad comic writer person who doesn’t care about you, the reader. Deal with it."

First, let me say that I do not understand the current pop culture mustache craze. I'm Generation X and back in the day, having a mustache meant you were one or all of the following: 1. A Baby Boomer who could not come to grips with the fact that the 1970s had ended 2. A frequent visitor to Fire Island or 3. A cop. But I digress.  

Lincoln's Mustache is a fantastic blend of obscure historical facts and a Monty Python type of humor which is witty but twisted. Updated every Sunday, this webcomic features some great commentary from Morgan about various historical figures and/or events. I've really enjoyed this webcomic and it is one of the few humor based webcomics that makes me laugh. Although Morgan credits himself as a bad comic writer, I believe his work is absolutely wonderful.


You can check out the webcomic at http://www.lincolnsmustache.com/







TonyDoug Wright is the owner and editor of Champion City Comics.

Haters gonna hate, but I'm going to go out on a limb and say this movie will be craptacular. Share your comments below.

The world of webcomics has its fair share of pretenders that claim to walk the walk and talk the talk, but they fail to deliver quality webcomics on a regular basis. For those that get it, they deliver great webcomics on a daily or weekly basis. One company that has it right is The Webcomic Factory, which currently features sixteen great webcomics for fans of humor, pop culture, sports, and all things geek related. Most importantly, they update their site daily.

At the helm of The Webcomic Factory is Tony DiGerolamo, a writer who has an extensive and impressive resume that includes writing jokes for Politically Incorrect With Bill Maher and television writing scredits for Space Ghost: Coast to Coast. Tony has been the writer on comic book titles, The Simpsons and Bart Simpson.If you know anything about webcomics and frequent the forums then you probably know - or know of - Tony because he gets the word out to the masses about his webcomic projects.

Tony DiGerolamo was kind enough to answer some questions via email. Thank you, Tony! 


I read that your creative partner, Christian Beranek, informed you years ago that webcomics were the future of the medium. Did you immediately buy into his philosophy or were you dragged in kicking and screaming?

Actually, it was the other way around. Christian was running Silent Devil with his brother Adam. I had met them through artist Chris Moreno, who was working on The Travelers with me. Chris and I were at a convention and we saw the Penny Arcade guys raking it in with T-shirt sales. I turned to Chris and said, "Chris, we're doing a webcomic next time." At the time, I was pitching Super Frat as a print comic. Christian wasn't totally on board with the webcomic thing at first, but he had the vision to see that it was worth something. So we started posting on the Silent Devil website and eventually moved Super Frat to its own site. Now we're approaching our 500th strip.



Super Frat is one of many webcomics you're associated with at The Webcomic Factory and your titles cover various guy-related topics like sports, relationships, parenthood, and collecting action figures. Most importantly, your site is consistently good and updated. Why do so many so-called webcomics fail to understand the importance of being consistently good AND updated?

Well, the great thing about webcomics is that people can start doing them on a whim, but the bad thing is they don't always understand what they are getting into.  I was the same way with the early strips of Super Frat.  We'd update furiously for a while, then stop, then start then stop and start.  Took us about a year to get in the groove of a weekly.  You also have to have blog posts most of the rest of the week so people keep coming back.  When you're running a webcomic, it's mostly about running the website.  Super Frat tends to be specific to college comedy and being vulgar and crude.  The Webcomic Factory is more broad and the blog focuses more on webcomics and the site in general.  It's nice to have the flexibility of both sites.  A third and fourth site are in the works, but I hope I don't have to update them!

You have an impressive resume where you have done writing for television, film, novels, comic books, and comedy. What writers do you consider influences and why?

I wrote jokes for Politically Incorrect with Bill Maher, scripts for Space Ghost: Coast to Coast on the Game Tap website, blog posts for Comedy Central's Indecision '08 site and a bunch of others. I've had two novels published, two screenplays produced. I write for stand up comics and various comedy blogs. I also write for Bongo Comics: The Simpsons and Bart Simpson comic books.

Writing influences? Kurt Vonnegut, Jr. He always had a great sense of a "universe" for his characters, which I admired. Hunter S. Thompson, because he's so balls-out crazy. Charlie Kaufman, because Adaption is one of the best written movies ever. John Ostrander for GrimJack. Mike Baron for The Badger. Howard Chaykin for his many manly characters. So many more.

I HATE MY KIDS - COURTESY THE WEBCOMIC FACTORY

As a fellow webcomic creator, I'd like to know what you enjoy about the webcomic medium and what you see as problematic for the medium.

What I enjoy about it is the access and the price. Print comics became so expense. I was writing a comics review column and I could barely break even buying my own comics! There's also a great variety of opinions, stories and formats, thanks to the low bar of entry for webcomics.

As for problems, webcomics are just like any other medium. There's a lot of junk, but at least in webcomics, most of the junk has an earnest feel to it. The money is both its strength and its weakness. It's a strength because corporations haven't decided to attempt to dominate the landscape by pouring money into the webcomic community. There have been a few attempts, but they haven't really worked, so the power is still mostly in the hands of the creators. The downsize is, of course, many creators just run out of steam and quit.

But there's an upside to that too. Some creators that quit, well, they should quit. Maybe it's because the strip wasn't very good to begin with or the story just runs it's course. What I'm seeing a lot now are creators that understand that some stories should end and then they can move on to new characters. With that in mind, webcomic hubs are emerging. Sometimes it's a creator-collective or sometimes it's just a creator that's moved on to his second or third project. I think this is a great development because it ultimate puts the focus where it belongs, on the creator, rather than the characters. That was always the problem with print. Sure, you could do a run on Spiderman or Superman and then try to launch your own comic, but most fans would stick with the characters. Webcomics lends itself more to follow the creative forces rather that the logos, copyrights and trademarks. Hopefully, legislation like SOPA (Stop Online Piracy Act) and PIPA (Personal Information Protection Act) won't take that away.


How many artists and/or writers submit requests to you on a monthly basis to be part of The Webcomic Factory?

One or two.  Not as many as you think.  Artists are wired differently than most people.  They get caught up in their art like people get caught up in playing video games.  Then they look at the clock and it's 3 am four days later.  Some artists are disciplined enough to hunt for work on a regular basis, but a significant amount are not.  I do most of the hunting.  I put out searches on message boards, look at portfolios, tell the artist our deal and if he's cool with it, I audition him, approve him, sign a contract and get rolling. 

Writers, no offense, but I don't need them right now.  Got plenty of scripts.  It's never usually an issue with me.  Christian has a million projects as well.  That's the advantage of being a writer, you can juggle dozens of projects at once.  Artists are lucky if they can juggle two or three simultaneously.  It's work intensive in the art, physically creating images.  For writers, it's more brain intensive.  When you burn out on work as an artist, some food and a good night's sleep can set you right.  But when you're writing and you burn out, no amount of food or sleep will help.  You need, what I like to call "input".  Experiences or just anything but writing to fill your brain.  Then you process and go back to "output" i.e. writing.  I sound like a robot, don't I?  Such a Factory mentality!

What I'm always looking for are potential sponsors, fans to help spread the word and fellow creators to exchange links.  My goal is to have 500 link exchanges by the end of 2012.  And, of course, the more money we make, the more focus we can put on the site to make it better.  There was talk early on for two strips a day, but we're not ready for that yet!

ANTIWAR COMIC - COURTESY THE WEBCOMIC FACTORY

We seem to frequent the same websites to promote our webcomics. What sites have you considered to be the best for spreading The Webcomic Factory news?

Reddit has always been awesome. Love the fans there. Stumbleupon is great too. Twitter and Facebook works if you can build a following. One of the best communities is at the Webcomics List. Very helpful and generally polite bunch. Most of the other comic sites are still stuck in print, with an occasional mention of webcomics in between Marvel and DC movie updates. But slowly, things are turning our way. More and more media outlets are covering webcomics and without the stigma of the print superhero books.


What's the tougher audience: comedy club or comic book forum?

Tough call. Comedy club audiences can come at you, but at least you can fight back. If you're funnier, you win. Forums eventually fill up with anonymous trolls that claim part of the forum as their turf and then proceed to alienate everyone that comes there. Fighting back in a forum is pointless, especially for a creator. Inevitably, you lose because anonymous trolls are protected by their anonymity, so they can lie all they want about themselves and you can never call them on it. The best thing to do is to try and be a nice guy until the troll runs out of steam. Most trolls are just nerdy Internet kids with nothing else to do and they find some sense of power in tearing down others. After a week or two, they become disgusted with themselves and disappear or move on to tear down someone else. Hecklers are similar, but their arrogance is usually their undoing. That's why you go after hecklers and they almost always regret opening their mouths.

The bottom line is, if you're nice, honest and earnest, people will like you even if you webcomic or your jokes aren't that good. The ones that don't will be exposed for their obvious insecurities. Because if you look like a puppy and someone kicks you, it's the kicker that looks like an asshole, not you.

POST APOCALYPTIC NICK - COURTESY OF THE WEBCOMIC FACTORY

Are you planning any new releases for The Webcomic Factory?

Yes, besides As the Mayo Turns (which just premiered this month), we'll be premiering a whole new strip drawn by artist Tim Radacio of Oklahoma. Can't give it away yet, but it's going to be a comedy about a particular minimum wage job I used to have. Should be fun and a lot of the stories are true. Our current line up is:

Monday: The Antiwar Comic
Tuesday: In a Relationship
Wednesday: I Hate My Kids
Thursday: Post Apocalyptic Nick
Friday: Olde Tyme Gamer
Saturday: As the Mayo Turns
Sunday: Dealers

Sometimes it changes when a particular artist takes a break, so you'll see some of the comics start and stop from time to time. Amongst the comics that will be back sooner, rather than later, Tony Destructo, Sports Guys, Miserable Comedians and digital hobo. They'll all be back at some point. Many, many fans keep asking me about The Horror of Colony 6 and yes, it will return! Plus I've got like five other projects.