Well of Souls Forums

I am not sure it has any competition... does it?

I first found Outsider posted on a forums site, the same site also had postings for other webcomics, and the only one at the time that seemed to rival Outsider was one by Dave Barrack which was only because Barrack trades a worthy story for constant pin-up panels, explosions, and superhero fights.

Outsider may take a while between panels, but quality beats quantity.

At least Outsider has an ACTUAL plot, whereas with Dave? LOL no!

The second issue us that because Dave updates so rapidly, his characters all sound the same more or less. They are less characters and more avatars as the voice of the author or his amusement. I honestly think he is self-indulgent to an excess... since he just does constant pin ups and never keeps a consistent plot. Ever.

You are trying to compare Outsider to this cringy crap? Heresy, I say, HERESY!

Jokes aside, it's not nearly as good. The story is pretty much nonexistent, the quality gradually diminished, and the blatant fan-service is just toppling it all off. I tried to follow it when it began, but after 40 or so pages, I just gave up. Then, attempted to pick it up again when it was around 300 pages, but all the symptoms got worse, it was just bleh, so I abandoned it for good. Well, it updates faster, but we don't talk about that here.

Update, I saw the latest pages, and it made my eyes bleed.

I found this website after Shlock Mercenary finished and Lackadaisy Cats stopped updating.  Both had excellent storylines.  SM's graphics were simpler than Outsider's, but character development was comparable.  LC's sepia-toned graphics established the Film Noir aspect of the story and the characters seemed "real".

In all three webcomics, suspension of disbelief was so easy that I felt myself to be a proverbial "fly on the wall" watching the action first-hand.

(I just hope a certain-red-haired space elf does not like swatting flies telekinetically... )

Yeah, I was going to say, the Barrack webcomic is a super-heroine story, so apples to oranges, really. Schlock Mercenary is more comparable, both in terms of genre and story quality. I found this place via TV Tropes, and their works page on this comic.

"Crimson Dark" by David Simon is similar in aesthetic, if a bit more emphasis on battle action and a little less on character development.

I have a list of links to some webcomics that I think are really good.

In particular, Ashley Cope's and Der-shing Helmer's comics have both really good artwork and interesting well-written plots. Which is a combination that I find to be unfortunately rare in webcomics.

I wouldn't say "vs" because it's not really a competition.

In the "space sci-fi" genre, besides Drive and Spacetrawler, I'd recommend Runners (kinda Star Warsy universe: thousands of alien races, interstellar crime cartels, space pirates, bounty hunters, smugglers, the works; oh and there's mysterious blue women too), Freefall (cartoony antics or examination of what humanity means when there are aliens, intelligent robots, and uplifted animals? you decide (the comic doesn't)), and perhaps Leaving the Cradle (more of a first contact story, with an alien ship crashing on contemporary Earth).

Arioch wrote: ↑

Tue Dec 21, 2021 3:47 am

I have a list of links to some webcomics that I think are really good.  In particular, Ashley Cope's and Der-shing Helmer's comics have both really good artwork and interesting well-written plots. Which is a combination that I find to be unfortunately rare in webcomics.

Well sir, with all due respect, 10 of those webcomics seem to have stopped updating, and 8 of the others seem to have completed their runs.  That leaves only 10 webcomics that are ongoing.

Keklas Rekobah wrote: ↑

Tue Dec 21, 2021 3:22 pm

Arioch wrote: ↑

Tue Dec 21, 2021 3:47 am

I have a list of links to some webcomics that I think are really good.  In particular, Ashley Cope's and Der-shing Helmer's comics have both really good artwork and interesting well-written plots. Which is a combination that I find to be unfortunately rare in webcomics.

Well sir, with all due respect, 10 of those webcomics seem to have stopped updating, and 8 of the others seem to have completed their runs.  That leaves only 10 webcomics that are ongoing.

Is a webcomic no longer worth reading if it finished or stopped updating?

[opinion=mine]

Completed stories are always worth re-reading. Stories that suddenly stop are like being “ghosted” by a friend.

Since I can rarely afford a stake in a webcomic, I have no reason to complain; but I still wonder if the artist is alright or if they have just grown tired and abandoned some really fine work.

But that’s just me.

[/opinion]

Keklas Rekobah wrote: ↑

Wed Dec 22, 2021 1:52 am

[opinion=mine]

Completed stories are always worth re-reading. Stories that suddenly stop are like being “ghosted” by a friend.

Since I can rarely afford a stake in a webcomic, I have no reason to complain; but I still wonder if the artist is alright or if they have just grown tired and abandoned some really fine work.

But that’s just me.

[/opinion]

TV shows like Babylon 5 and DS9 virtually demand repeated viewing, since the actors are just THAT good as characters.

Scifi novels have a harder time getting as much replay value... which is perhaps why no author I am aware of is a one hit wonder. They all make several novels or at times sequels.

A webcomic strikes a certain balance of replay value between a novel and a TV show, but I think TV in any case will always win on replay value simply because it is easier to 'replay' and share.

Reading books is not as popular as it once was. Comic books are fully aware of this, which is why Marvel sold out to Disney. They make more money on their Disney merchandise and movies than their actual comic books.. which vary in quality because of rotating writers for decades.

gaerzi wrote: ↑

Tue Dec 21, 2021 1:21 pm

I wouldn't say "vs" because it's not really a competition.

In the "space sci-fi" genre, besides Drive and Spacetrawler, I'd recommend Runners (kinda Star Warsy universe: thousands of alien races, interstellar crime cartels, space pirates, bounty hunters, smugglers, the works; oh and there's mysterious blue women too), Freefall (cartoony antics or examination of what humanity means when there are aliens, intelligent robots, and uplifted animals? you decide (the comic doesn't)), and perhaps Leaving the Cradle (more of a first contact story, with an alien ship crashing on contemporary Earth).

Somehow, I completely missed this "Runners" webcomic, thanks for the link. It really captures that classic Star Wars vibe, without being a mere copy. "Leaving the Cradle" starts off interesting enough, but later on, it gets too bogged down in overused tropes.

Keklas Rekobah wrote: ↑

Wed Dec 22, 2021 1:52 am

[opinion=mine]

Completed stories are always worth re-reading. Stories that suddenly stop are like being “ghosted” by a friend.

Since I can rarely afford a stake in a webcomic, I have no reason to complain; but I still wonder if the artist is alright or if they have just grown tired and abandoned some really fine work.

But that’s just me.

[/opinion]

Some might be worth re-reading, but looking a such great, yet suddenly and unexplainably abandoned comics like Galaxion makes me sad instead. One day, the author just disappeared, no explanations, nothing. "Ghosting" indeed...

Yes, Galaxion is a good example.  The Meek is another.  Both had well-developed characters and storylines, and both are seemingly abandoned without explanation.  I hope their creators are alright.

Outsider is one of those that deserves an entire read-trough every week or so.  The quality has been consistent, the characters are believable, and the background material is overwhelmingly brilliant.

*showing my age* I remember when Galaxion was an actual comic book. I was happy to re-find it on the web, and then *poof* gone again. */showing my age*

Another webcomic that is quite similar to Outsider in genre and tone is "Leaving the Cradle": https://leavingthecradle.com/comic/1

It's a first contact story, with relatively realistic technology and a carefully documented setting.

Demarquis wrote: ↑

Sat Dec 25, 2021 3:43 am

Another webcomic that is quite similar to Outsider in genre and tone is "Leaving the Cradle": https://leavingthecradle.com/comic/1

It's a first contact story, with relatively realistic technology and a carefully documented setting.

It was already mentioned, but, you can't really try and compare its quality with Outsider, can you? Also, it attempts to look like hard-ish sci-fi, but there are just too many Mary Sue moments and other overused tropes.

Arioch wrote: ↑

Tue Dec 21, 2021 3:47 am

I have a list of links to some webcomics that I think are really good.

In particular, Ashley Cope's and Der-shing Helmer's comics have both really good artwork and interesting well-written plots. Which is a combination that I find to be unfortunately rare in webcomics.

Then you might enjoy http://www.rice-boy.com/. The guy is currently nearing the finale of his fourth webcomic.

"It was already mentioned, but, you can't really try and compare its quality with Outsider, can you?"

I'm sure Arioch doesn't mind. And I happened to enjoy it. I honestly can't think of any Mary Sue characters in it.

Currently, I'm following 55 web comics, ranging from SF-Fantasy-slice of life-funny animals. Some are every day, some MWF, some T-Th, some weekly, one (Order of the Stick) updates when Rich can. Some started just last year, one has been going 7 days a week since 1994 (Kevin and Kell - Bill Hollbrook is an animal re: production).

I've got 8 comics in my "on hiatus" folder with hopes they'll come back and 22 comics that hit "The End".

Best thing I can say is I'm enjoying all of them. Trust me, I've dropped a ton of comics when I felt the creators getting bored with their own work. Nothing worse than someone mailing it in just because they feel obligated to do so.

Demarquis wrote: ↑

Sat Dec 25, 2021 3:52 pm

"It was already mentioned, but, you can't really try and compare its quality with Outsider, can you?"

I'm sure Arioch doesn't mind. And I happened to enjoy it. I honestly can't think of any Mary Sue characters in it.

I stopped following it when the lizard-lady transformed into a Mary Sue, and smashed through the flimsy doors, inept guards, as well as the plot itself. For absolutely no reason or without even the slightest chance to succeed, too.

Honestly, Leaving the Cradle is one of my favourite comics, up there with Outsider

The technology is either hard sci-fi or where it deviates, explained reasonably. As to the plot, I'll admit it looks like the typical 'ET first contact' trope-heavy story at first, it's something of a ruse on the author's part and the story has quickly deviated away. There's also a wonderfully packed wiki somewhat similar to Outsider's 'Insider'.

I'd really suggest giving it another read