Webcomics and Stuff

Hello there friends. Surya here, haven't posted in ages. As some of you may or may not know, I am a friend of Shounak, and a hardcore manga, anime, sci-fi and fantasy addict. I shall now proceed to shamelessly advertise my interests by listing my top 10 manga (several of which have been reviewed here already)

One Piece (of course)
Anatolia Story aka Red River (Great blend of action, politics, fantasy, and romance)
Skip Beat! (I got into more romance recently)
Berserk (hell yeah!)
Hunter x Hunter (I'm thinking of building a shrine to this one)
Vinland Saga (a truly fantastic and accurate historical manga.... about Vikings!)
Hajime no Ippo (850+ chapters, and it is as fresh as ever)
20th Century Boys (Superb psychological and suspense manga)
Full Metal Alchemist (Did you think I would fail to include this?)
Black Lagoon (Welcome to Roanapur, leave your conscience at the door)

However, I did not come here to speak of manga. I came here to speak of the latest enthusiasm to sweep the dullness from my existence: webcomics.

All of you know what webcomics are. There must be thousands of them. What few people know is that some of them are outright fantastic. Just how good are they? Well, if you forced me to choose between my favorite webcomics and the top 10 manga I listed above, I'd take the 3rd option and murder you for forcing me to make such a choice.

Below, I review four of the greatest pieces of fiction I have ever read, and they are all webcomics. Click on the pictures to see them completely.

1) Sluggy Freelance

This is the story of four young men and women (Torg, Riff, Gwenne, and Zoe), who without ever trying anything much, somehow end up getting involved in insanely dangerous adventures. They often have something to do either with one of Riff's failed inventions, or the evil Hereti-Corp company and its attempts at world domination. This particular webcomic falls smackdab in the middle of "dark comedy". Extremely dark. For example, numerous friends of the main cast were brutally slaughtered ( as in shredded to pieces) by satanic kittens. Gwenne has been possessed multiple times by a demon, and Zoe has been cursed into turning into a camel when someone says the magic word ("shupid", and "kwi" to turn her back). Character deaths and collateral damage abound, yet in spite of it, the main character Torg remains cheerful and happy-go-lucky.

And of course the show isn't complete without talking animals. So we have the alien Aylee (think the movie Alien, or maybe Species), Kiki the hyperactive ferret, and of course, the star, the hard-drinking, Baywatch-watching, knife-waving, gun-toting, indestructible, psycho, homicidal Bun-bun the mini-lop rabbit.

The webcomic has been running since 1997. The author has taken occasional days or weeks off, but the comic continues to be updated daily, if not with content then with guest stories and art.
Visit www.sluggy.com

2) The Order of the Stick

This is a color webcomic drawn entirely using stick figures, about a group of adventurers in a world running entirely on Dungeons and Dragons 3.5 RPG rules. It is notable for its simple yet compelling art, its complex storylines, and its rich character development. It is a fantasy adventure comedy, with most of the humor coming from the fact that the characters are aware that the world operates on D&D rules.


Thus, one of the party, the bard Elan, becomes a much better swordsman after someone shows him the rules for the Dashing Swordsman profession, and the villains are seen studying the "Book of Vile Darkness" (a famous D&D book) for new ideas on torturing prisoners. And of course, everyone studies the Monster Manuals.

While a knowledge of D&D is useful, it is not at all necessary for enjoying this comic. The sad news is that updates are rather irregular, though there are already 690 pages available at www.giantitp.com .

3) Erfworld

This is a fantasy webcomic set in a world which goes entirely by the rules of a turn-based strategy wargame. All beings have 'stats', what a city can produce depends on its size and level, and once production finishes, the object, unit, or person, simply 'pops' into existence. Everyone takes turns while fighting, and no one fights at night, wounded units are healed at the start of a new turn. The story begins when the losing side in a war uses powerful magic to summon a human wargamer to be their new Chief Warlord, and to magically enslave him to their ruler, Stanley the Tool.

While the comic has several humorous elements, it explores several dark and adult themes such as death, submission and domination, and brainwashing, as well as political and social commentary. The fantastic artwork doesn't hurt either. The comic is in graphic novel form, and the first book, "The Battle for Gobwin Knob" was rated by Time magazine as one of the top 10 graphic novels of 2007. Book 2 has just started, and updates once every five days.

4) Schlock Mercenary

My favorite of the entire lot. Where to start? It is a sci-fi webcomic covering the adventures of a crew of interstellar mercenaries, "Tagon's Toughs". It is a 'hard' sci-fi work, in that many of the facts stated are based on actual science and maths. The name comes from Seargeant Schlock, an amorph who looks like a five-hundred pound pile of crap.

The comic has been running since 2000. The author Howard Tayler deserves some sort of award, considering that the comic has been updated, daily, with no breaks at all, for over nine years, and is still going strong. In that time the artwork has greatly improved. Above is the very first strip. Below is one of the newer ones.

As a long-running comic, Schlock Mercenary has a large primary cast with dozens of recurring characters and villains. It is a superbly rich and detailed story covering two galaxies, and was nominated for the Hugo Nebula Award (science fiction's Booker prize). View at www.schlockmercenary.com, be sure to check the archives for previous strips.

some watches.......

1> The funny romcom........ : http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oKkfIlOErXE 2> The loveable movie......: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RDOAxX-5dho

3> History at its best: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5sQhTVz5IjQ&feature=fvst

For info go to wikipedia.(;)) some trailers and funny videos added to the post. chek em out.....esp the ugly truth one.

My reads this Puja....

reviews form the net.....
1> Dan Browns new

Guide Review - 'The Lost Symbol' by Dan Brown - Book Review
The Lost Symbol by Dan Brown is Brown's third Robert Langdon thriller. In Brown's first two Langdon books -- Angels & Demons and The Da Vinci Code -- Langdon uncovered conspiracies within the Catholic church that involved art and science. The Lost Symbol takes place in Washington D.C. and explores the secrets of Freemasonry.
Brown is not the first to use the Masons as a launching point for a thriller. Indeed, I couldn't help but compare my experience reading The Lost Symbol with watching National Treasure. I enjoyed the movie more because it took itself less seriously than The Lost Symbol and enjoyed a visual advantage (always nice to be able to see the symbols and buildings involved in a conspiracy). Still, there is plenty of Mason folklore to go around, and The Lost Symbol does a fine job of creating another mystery in our nation's capital.
So why do I consider The Lost Symbol merely an average read? First, Brown does not create anything new -- no new character development, no big surprises in plot trajectory. Furthermore, his signatures "twists" are not nearly as tantalizing as in his previous books. After so much build up, I found myself let down by the reality of the secrets revealed in the end. Finally, there are several points when it seems as if Brown is trying to make his book more intelligent or profound than it actually is. Langdon's rants about religion and truth, when not directly tied to the mystery, are tedious and even a little preachy. In fact, the last 50 pages of the book try a little too hard to be enlightening.

2)The Hard tales of the Geisha.....

Memoirs of a GeishaArthur Golden
I decided to read this book because I was curious about what a geisha actually was. I know most 'westerners' think them to be prostitutes, but to me that didn't seem to be the whole story. While they did strive to be ‘kept women’, they were also very skilled and cultured, who for the most part entertained men with dance, music, witty conversation and seduction of wealthy patrons. The word geisha does not mean ‘prostitute’ but ‘artisan’ or ‘artist’. However, sexual intrigue is part of the job description, namely in the ritual known as ‘mizuage’, the selling of their virginity. This book is surely different and unlike any other book I've read, because of the theme and the way it's written. The pace and quickly changing conflicts leave no room for boredom. It's characters are vivid and the wording is clear and elegant. Personally, I've never became so emotionally attached to a book. I'd often find myself crying or laughing. There are many ups and downs in life that this book couldn't explain better. It's poignant, emotional and delves into the nuances of erotic maneuvering. It gives the reader a totally new perspective of history and a respect for the dramatic life of Japanese geishas. Readers experience the obstacles and triumphs of a highly successful geisha known as Sayuri, from the time she was sold by her parents to a geisha family, to the triumphant auction of her mizuage and her reminiscent old age in Manhattan. Most of the story centers on the geisha's coming of age in Gion (the geisha district), struggles with rivals and her search for love during the 1930s and 1940s. We witness her struggle from maid, to apprentice and finally an actual geisha, and learn just what it is like to live solely to entertain and be perfect. Arthur Golden portrays the story through the eyes of a young girl, allowing us to experience the thoughts and feelings of a woman in her world, as well as the characteristic grace, stoicism and politeness of Japanese culture. However, the annoying thing about this book is the ending. It’s so abrupt and simple. It undoes all of the sympathy and warmth I felt for the character. She becomes very shallow and manipulative. It’s like the writer got bored, or was behind on his deadline because the last pages were very weak, as if gave up and wanted to end the book. I can understand why she ended up where she did.....how else would she be able to tell her story? But it’s disappointing because here is a woman with so much potential - she's beautiful and intelligent - but she is also trained to be manipulative, deceitful, and opportunistic. It seems to condone that the end justifies the means. The ultimate message of this book is; rely on yourself because everyone else will fail you. Not that this is surprising, based upon the environment and upbringing she experiences. It could be argued that she made the most out of her circumstances. For a book like this, with an incredible build up where you want to see everything wrapped up, there is no adequate ending. I still recommend the book, but warn against the end - what a letdown

The metaphors in this book delve into the meaning of life. My favorites include; ‘I felt as a bird must feel when it has flown across the ocean and comes upon a creature that knows its nest.’ ‘Was life nothing more than a storm that constantly washed away what had been there only a moment before, and left behind something barren and unrecognizable?’ ‘We lead our lives like water flowing down a hill, going more or less in one direction until we splash into something that forces us to find a new course.’ I was amazed at times with the writing and the detail of it. At other times, however, I felt the author sacrificed the story for style. In the beginning the metaphors were well-placed and clever, but as the story went on I wished that just once, Sayuri could say something without comparing it to leaves or butterflies. It's a novel that's full of passion, feelings, and sadness which made me want to keep reading to discover what was going to happen next. The setting is what makes this book readable and enjoyable. By using original Japanese words and detailed descriptions the author draws the most incredible pictures in the readers' mind. I liked that the heroine was not flawless, it helped me sympathize with her situation. But what captivated me was the subject matter, it's a rare and enlightening look at a secret culture that's both elusive and seductive. The book closes with an image Sayuri constructs, describing the choices she has made: "But now I know that our world is no more permanent than a wave rising on the ocean. Whatever our struggles and triumphs, however, we suffer them, all too soon they bleed into a wash, just like watery ink on paper." Although the ending was a disappointment, the rest of the story more than made up for it and anyway, what’s wrong with fairy tales?

From the movie: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wYzqz3dMBCo

Thanks for reading.......(:))

Some photography i tried out.......

Very lucky with some and not with the others........
Racing towards Newtown, The Snake outside the verandah, the Beautiful cloudy noon, The Coconut tree abstarct pic, The Beauty of Fire........(Diwali 2008)

Pujas 2009: Protima dorshon.......

pochonder koyekta....... khub bhalo katlo ebarer puja.......

Saltlaker labony Fd theke shuru kore sei Norther bikhyato Colge square theke Mohhamad ali.... the souther... suruchi sristi nobin dol. sobai... sobar prodorshonitei sei debishoktir prokash ghoteche....

Note: sorry others. Bengali fest a bit for bong pple. so usage of bengali... or it feeles bad.

Case File 6# with the fine baba and N00B baba.....

Hey pple like its been this one yr of no posts.. sorry to say but was damn tired blogging all kind of stupid worthless sad junks...... but anyways back with some new case files this yr.....

Starting with the>>>> my new experiences.......

1> Playing carrom----- Well i tried........ and tried... and tried........ still trying.

But there is this wierd curse on my fingers. my striker just wnt move straight and my fingers oscillating like maad on the board.... pple shouting beside me(yeah everybody seems to know everything)and when i think i could not play wrse i just had to proove myself wrong.....

Well thats the pic of shuv doing his chi on that guy(damn i forget his name) trying to ward off his stench and stuuf that came with it>> read on later

well to begin with it was that sad tuesday when we have GAMES peroid. some dbpc ians enjoying true freedom in the school boundries......(seriusly!!) i try to get my hand steady. and play with pple far better than me.... well to start with shuv(the man with the hands of the randoms Gods)(fugly genius when it comes to using those long fingers) then theres sag... yup ryudo for u.... the guy who just has to play good...... and theres arn the one who hits the carrom men and they slide like theyve been creamed(ahem ahem)

These two pple just had to come and bug us. u know the typical who think they rule the gallaery. and with all the elements presesnt that can make me play bad present in the scene u can guess how well i played...... everybody seemed perturbed. Arn breaking dwn slowly under pressure... Shuv warding off the smell form one of them....and shag well i wasnt looking...... i played something like this......>>>>

Well first of all sorry for the chepta gutis.....(bangalira bujhe nio) Thers our striker big dildor on the field..... sorry cannot say why they wanted to name that that. now as u see. i am not white and thus they lay there ready to be dropped.... and all the black concentraded arnd the centre. cos we drop em(me and arn... ahem ahem>>>>> arn) and i kinda get them up with the clearest fines u wud ever see anywhere....(not good is it)any ways so thats how they named me finebaba..... atleast i know the origin of this one..... sigh!!!

The other sad game i fail to remember.....(hey i am saying the truth)but i do remember we lost miserably....(cursed) and the only two carrom men we had dropped were actually dropped by our enemy folks(flukes>>> sigh!!!) the third was today. as i vivdly remeber shuv inheriting my talents somehow and scoring better fines than i do. the only similarity being............ i lost again.. being on his team.......(well it was not entirely his fault>.......i know u guys think i did it all myself didnt u!!! solely being responsible of making my team loose) well yeah!!!(sigh!!)

(Arnab dont read on)(DANGER!!!!!!!!)of hrt brks

seriusly dude dont read!!!
2> the 2nd one was not exactly what i played or xperienced....... my friends ar hooked onto playing dota like mad pple....and as they talk and i pick up..... i kinda get the impression that Arnab is well... sort of a not so good a player.......(not being modest!!). well it hurts to say llllloser sometims....

ARn thats not rite!!!!

I dnt really get abt what they say....... but the game filled with heroes called.... ball-gin. bara-thrum..... rasta(???)... boob mother.....and many more......

Stop reading dammit!!!

Shuv was a newbie as all NEW players were..... but he soon reached a new skill level. but as the story goes poor dear arnab was stuck the same place, hiding behind trees and running toward the bases thumping against walls..... sad truly!

Well if u insist on reading i will hell will tell the mailto:truth!@!!%$3@*()&$%7^*3^32&586

Arnab tried as i tried in carrom.....(he aso tried in TT as in table tennis but that sad story is for another day) and Shuv and shag tried as much as they could. one landed up with hard core insomnia and the other the khisti syndorme....well I have no proof so cant exactly state the entire sad humdrum..... As i was told.... Arnie did try magic on someone who was immune on it, got killed 5 times bfore u coluld say whoops..... runs towards the base and tries using his spl laser techniques and psy beam attacks form there........did die once getting hit by the falling tree branch, does play horrible with a lot of heroes.......(not being modest plz) Gives pple a sore eye, a sore brain, a sore thoat. some lose sleep, some collpse on the keyboard as he tries to find the exact buton on the keyboard which takes approx 10 min to do so.... some loose the will to speak(uhum uhum sag) and some to live(uhum uhum sag) and well if the game is ovr by a few mins its always sags fault(uhum uhum) or its the damn computer that frooze or the damn keyboard the revolted with the poping out buttons.(bloody genuis) and if its the immortal hero that bcomes mortal under arns will, and the hero who just dissapears form the screen and arn looking all arnd in the map for it.... or it is just plain dumbness as arn kills his team or goes on giving hp and gold to the others or its the diabloical homicidal mission of getting rid of him(well shuv and shag tried> to cut him off!!!!)and Arnab still is the shining rock he is. exuding confidence as he says "sure i am used to playing in normal" and he still couldnt undersatnd why after each game the nxt day there is thsi odd silence when all of them try(they all try) to discuss DOTA!!! some pple just never understand.......(that being modest is the best thing>>> shub shag its a hint>>> tell him bfore its toooo goddamn late)))) and arn gained the noob baba title(sigh)

Well 4things i was told arn does...1> hiding behind trees(hes there some where)2>uhhhh!!! 3>running to save himself till he leads the enemies rite where the others dnt want him to and then then everybody is mass murdered.....4> Hiding in the base behind bushes and well throwing telekinesis powers...... to contact with the dead(shuv and shag)

Note: most exaggaerted and untrue(uhum uhum) facts since most infos gathered form other although trusty sources.... and Arn if u ar seriusly bursting like a pressure cooker. well i am angry too. u werentt really supposed to read on remember!!!