Monitor Duty by Randy Lander "Digital Gutters" One of the questions that I used to get asked a lot was why I didn't review online comics. The short answer, as detailed in the FAQ on the site, is that I just don't have time to review everything, and I have to draw the line somewhere. Printed comics became that line. However, that doesn't mean I don't enjoy online comics. Whether you're talking about daily strips, weekly comics or continuing serials, there's a lot of great stuff to read on the Internet. And with Crossgen embarking on a very ambitious online comics program of their own, now seems to be a particularly good time to point out some of the other choices out there. First of all, Crossgen deserves major kudos for their new comics on the web project. It's a great way to expose their work to new readers, and the delivery system, while suffering from a few flaws, is a pretty good one. They're not the first publisher to do online comics - Marvel has been doing their dot.comics for some time now - but the scale of their approach, and the long-term plans for it, are more impressive than anyone has attempted. I've read over some of their books I previously haven't given a chance, and I have to admit that after sampling their newer titles like Sojourn and The Path on the website, I'm more interested in Crossgen than I have been since before their launch. So in that regard, the project has been a success, at least as far as this one potential reader is concerned. Crossgen is being mirrored and hosted on a number of additional sites, and one of those sites is Cool Beans World. I had the pleasure of getting a look around the Cool Beans site a few months back, and I was impressed with what I saw. Cool Beans has a 2000 AD feel to it, with works by familiar names like Simon Bisley and Pat O'Neill providing some of their design and content. Their strips tend to have a heavy amount of sex and violence, and are not really suitable for younger readers, but for those who enjoy the ultra-violence or dark gothic approach of books like those found in 2000 AD, it's well worth checking out. In addition, they actually host fondly remembered series like Marshall Law, as well as adding content that expands the variety of work available, such as Larry Young's Astronauts in Trouble. Cool Beans also provides movie files with voice acting for some of the comics, and the interface is flashy but not at all clunky. One of the online publishers that has been around for quite a while is NextComics.com. They have a variety of work by new creators, as well as a few names that will seem familiar as they have now moved on to printed work as well. The work tends to have an independent feel to it, aimed at the mature sensibilities of folks who enjoy work from Vertigo, Fantagraphics and Oni Press, but that's a generalization, and they have a fairly wide spectrum of material available. Along with the sites that serve as online publishing houses, there are individual creators "self-publishing" on the web as well. Though he is part of the site known as Opi8.com, Andrew Dabb (writer of Happydale: Devils in the Desert for Vertigo) is the driving force behind the weekly Slices online comics. Every Wednesday, Dabb provides a new three-page story with a different story and artist. Some are funny, some are sad, a lot of them are incredibly weird. I don't always "get" the stories, to be honest, but the variety of material, the strength of the writing and the many new voices in terms of artists make Slices a worthy stopping point on the web. Soon to see print in Image Introduces... as Rex Mundi is Brother Matthew, the gothic story of a monk investigating murder in an alternate pre-Industrial France. With elements of mysticism and religion added onto a mystery framework, Brother Matthew boasts an interesting setting and tone, and the writing and artwork is top-notch. The creators have recently added Jeromy Cox, one of my favorite colorists, to their talent roster, which promises to keep up the excellent level of quality the colors have had. I've also been quite pleased with some of the gaming-centric strips on the web. Dork Tower is always fun, updated three times a week by creator John Kovalic and providing the same laughs and perceptive take on the gaming/geek community as I've come to expect. Kovalic also drew my attention to PVP, the story of the staff of a computer gaming magazine, when he began publishing the PVP comic through Dork Storm Press. PVP is a lot of fun, featuring the interpersonal work dynamics that pretty much anyone can relate to along with an eye for geek culture that makes it particularly enjoyable to me and those with interests in the same niche hobbies. Nodwick, published every Thursday by Aaron Williams, finishes up the Dork Storm trifecta with the story of a hapless henchmen and some hilariously amoral adventurers that should appeal to anyone who has ever played Dungeons & Dragons. Of course, I have barely even scratched the surface of all the online comics that are out there. Both Marvel Comics and Oni Press have free comics on their sites, and Oni's are even downloadable in PDF format. Top Shelf has samples and original comics from their various artists. Slush Factory has four in-house web cartoonists, from newcomer Neil Kleid to indy favorite Dean Haspiel. I'm a fan of paper, and they'll get my graphic novels and "pamphlets" away from me when they pry them from my dead, cold hands. But that doesn't mean I don't embrace the new as well, and I've found that an increasing amount of my online time is spent the same way I spend my other leisure time: reading comics. Email Randy Lander comments about this column, or discuss it on the Fourth Rail message board.