El Goonish Shive

 

I found this online comic strip series called El Goonish Shive done by Dan Shive and when I first looked at it I was thinking of just skipping it. I wanted to skip it at first mainly because I have been used to looking at other comics that have been done with more detail. But this is the style I tend to mostly do (in a way) and the amount of detail I put in. So I was still interested and I'm glad I kept reading it. It's a daily comic strip, but with a story which I believe it is important to read from the beginning or else one would probably just lose interest in it.

The thing that got me interested in it the most was how the comic started. Even though it was just simple drawings, the way the characters interacted with the readers and introduced "their" first comic was funny to me and I just wanted to keep reading.

    The first panel on the image above was one of my favorite. It was just funny to me the way they pointed out how the school was "possibly" drawn on. I still haven't figured out why some are in color. I thought the first few were just in black and white and the rest would start being in color, but after going back and forth through some of the ones I have already read, I notice the 3 to 4 panel ones are in black and white and the bigger paged with more panels, like the one above, are in color. Also, like most comic strips, the backgrounds are mostly blank unless the characters are in certain areas and background is needed to show the readers know where they are (the characters, not us. Of course we know where we are... Unless you don't... Then something may be wrong... Anyway...).

    I'm really glad I found this comic strip series and I believe others would enjoy reading them as well. The style is simple, but still entertaining. I think this comic was cleverly done and I'm sure it isn't the first time this has been done.