"Should Old Acquaintance be Forgot?"

This January has been a rough one. Between sleeplessness and the cold I've found a few sobering reminders of the natural law that all things must come to an end.

First is the end of Michael Steele's chairmanship of the RNC, which would be entirely unimportant if the Daily Show didn't exist. Wyatt Cenac's impersonation of Steele, in muppet style, is probably one of the greatest lampooning acts ever created on television. From the subtle nod to the unreal unfoldings of Michael Steele's time with the RNC to the 'bibbles', all of which were delightful, this was really one of those things which make an already great show undeniably awesome.

The other thing that finally came to an end is Superpoop, a webcomic that is known for taking a nonsensical stance on politics everything and being incredibly good at making amusing narratives out of disconnected images. Lately it became a bit more serious than usual, talking about the end of the world, and it just kind of ended there. Sure, there are mass animal deaths, and the poles may shift (good title for a stripper movie), and there are wars and rumors of wars, and rumors of famine to boot, but as deluded as our sense of stability is, the idea that the world will explode or somehow end in less than millions of years is ridiculous.

But January hasn't been all bad. I found a flash game powered by Java (and it's not Minecraft!) that has no point and yet is infinitely enjoyable. This game goes by several names: Dust, Powder Game, or something else. You'll know it when you see it, but here's a link to the game. It has no goal other than perhaps crashing the applet (by dropping the 'dot' counter to zero, which simulates, albeit facetiously, heat death via entropy) or creating an enduring equilibrium. Basically the game simulates particles, which the player throws into a space, and which behave according to certain rules, and eventually it all becomes madness.

A static image doesn't do it justice. This is just a weak representation of the sort of madness you can scheme up in this game, and I heartily recommend it. The trick is to start a kind of madness that you can leave alone for a half hour while you do something else, and return to find it still swirling. Inertia is the only enemy.

Concerning Webcomics

There are probably more webcomics than failed webcomic artists in the world now. There is no best one and I can only speak with authority on English language webcomics. However, if I am going to be honest I might as well say I am no expert on the matter. I am not even like one of those self-named experts who show up on news shows to talk about social media and internet society. Therefore, I will keep my focus on webcomics I have come across in my too-long sojourn on the internet.

One of the first webcomics I came across is one familiar with many people in or adjacent to the 'gamer subculture', Penny Arcade. Their artwork is distinctive, their jokes are often decent, and their content is extremely topical. I am fairly certain (but do not want to check) that Penny Arcade is the most important or at least the biggest gamer webcomic in existence. For this reason I usually forget to visit it for months at a time, and then only to check up on the Twisp and Catsby numbers, some of which are among the best things I have ever found on the internet. Penny Arcade is well-known enough that I refuse to link to it.

In the early years of the first decade of the second millennium, say 2002 or so, there was a dreary webcomic about teenagers in a mall, which I think was titled Mallrats (not the Kevin Smith movie) which included jokes about dolphin ejaculate and sluts. I can't find any evidence of this webcomic anymore, so I guess it stopped existing. The slut's name was Missy. The dolphin was a rarely used character. Pity it's not around anymore, for nostalgia's sake.

Lately, however, with social media attracting previous non-users of the internet (larger numbers of socially healthy girls and popular boys - especially those in universities, 75% of mature non-nerdy adults, 80% of new marketers and social trendsters) the scope of webcomics has remained approximately the same. Damn. I really thought there was a demographic revelation in that. Still, there could be

"Hark! A Vagrant" is the name of a witty and sophisticated (yet still remarkably grounded) webcomic that may or may not be Canadian, and occasionally publishes strips about Edgar Allen Poe (this is a sign of quality and refinement) or H.G. Wells or even Fitzgerald. The art style is fantastic and the comics are of highest quality.  If you enjoy offbeat, literate humour, this webcomic will serve you well.

The art of captioning pictures is hardly new, but it has found popularity on the internet as well. One example Superpoop, has some of the funniest nonsensical compositions I have ever come across. It is part of a cluster of webcomics that are probably more popular than this blog will ever be.

Finally, the art of political dispute has spread all over the world, with various infectious strains remaining prevalent and resistant to eradication by measure of reason or hygiene. Political cartoons emerged with print media in the 1800's and were epitomized by such publications as "Punch", although caricatures were probably made of Caesar Augustus and other ancient politicians and leaders. In fact, the verbal art of caricature, in my opinion, probably started before the current iteration of dominant sapient hominids.

Why did I discourse so much? Because this final webcomic has some of the best perspectives about U.S. politics (and occasionally global matters) that I have found. It may strike some as radical or whatever, but ever since I heard someone on TV verbally steal one of their strips, basically verbatim, I have understood the need for greater exposure. This Is Historic Times is the best political cartoon I have run across, even though it can be heavy-handed, and even though I don't really care too much about political comics in general. The drawings are great and the artist is a definite up-and-comer.