Apologies to those who may have tried to comment this morning. I meant to post last night, but I spent the day in a healing coma.
Dr. McNinja
Author/Artist: Chris Hastings
Inker: Kent Archer
Online Since: October, 2005 (First Comic)
This webcomic is centered around the Dr. McNinja character. If you couldn't tell from the name, he's a ninja who is also a doctor. Through the comic, we follow his adventures against Ronald McDonald, Pirates, Giant Lumberjacks, Mexican scientist riding velociraptors, and his own family.
This comic has a lot of strength in it's art. Hastings is a great artist, with a firm grasp on the human body and the illusion of motion, which is vital for this type of comic, in which the best scenes are the fights. His Inker, Kent Archer, makes the black and white format just the right side of dramatic, without making it too dark.
The writing is very well done. Hastings takes absurd ideas and doesn't try to make them realistic, he just makes them fun. The dialogue is quick and unendingly witty, while the characters stick to their nature. A lot of the situations seem surreal and would be stupid if they weren't written that well. Hastings' writing reminds me of the writing for shows such as the Venture Bros. The violence is about the same level as well.
There isn't a lot negative I have to say about this comic. There are often delays in the updates, sometimes skipping days. There is always an explanation, though. I'm probably just selfish, and I always want to see it on time.
Hastings has been trying a new art style in the last few updates, and I personally find it to be a little more "dirty" looking that the original, clean black and white format. That's just my opinion, however. Judge for yourself.
Keep an eye out, I'll be posting a Dr. McNinja video made by a fan.
5 comments:
I have not read a comic book in years. I like how you talked about the writing style and how it matches up perfectly with the inker who draws the pictures. It shows that the writer is aware of the absurd situations but he is not trying to pass them off as real, he just goes with the flow and has fun with his stories. You obviously like to read the updates and get irritated when they are delayed. I get the same way when they show reruns of television shows that I watch. Your writing is very organized and has structure. You don’t’ overload the reader with information, you just state what is there and you move on. I also think the look of your blog is very clean. Did you ever read Archie? I was a huge fan while I grew up.
None of my links are working this week. The only way they work is if I send them in a separate comment. Sorry, here's the Archie comic link. Archie
As someone who cannot draw her way out of a paper bag I have always admired comic book artists. I find their art work amazing. Have you checked out any Japanese comics? I have become addicted to adult swim shows for this reason. I have also found Paul Gravett to be a good site to find unique comics not found in the States. Now I also find US comics to be great and I do not mean to be obsessive about anime, but your comic reminded me of this genre more than anything else.
I have never heard of this comic before. Based simply on your description is sounds like something that I would love. You wrote about the comic very well and I enjoyed your analysis. I like the part of your description "absurd situations". I myself think that I go through many absurd things. Like the other day, I slipped on a chicken wing at the bart station. I found a myspace for Dr. McNinja. I'm sure if it is official.
I don't read comics...but I looked at this Dr. McNinja thing and I really liked it. Your critique of it was spot on and I can totally understand how a reader would get antsy waiting for the next installment. The only other comic that I've read is the Cartoon History of the Universe by Larry Gonick. If you vaguely like history, then you probably will like this/have already heard of this and like it(?).
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