With the explosive popularity of Duke Memes, more and more students are taking a look at online pictures accompanied by short, funny phrases. We’re sharing them like crazy on Facebook, Tumblr, and Reddit (I’m sure there have been days when they dominate your news feed). If you are like me and still get a good laugh from the best memes, you will also likely appreciate online comics. Similar to memes, they are great for reading in small bouts and are certainly gaining popularity. The following list includes some of the best web comics I’ve come across.
The Oatmeal by Matthew Inman—Okay, I love this one. Inman never fails to come up with hilarious themes and goofy drawings. In addition, he has a unique sense of humor – he is known for throwing around ideas and imagery that are so ridiculous you can’t help but laugh when you picture them. Here’s a winning parody he did on the pains of online shopping:
http://theoatmeal.com/comics/shopping_cart
Xkcd by Randall Monroe—The site’s tagline reads, “A Webcomic of Romance, Sarcasm, Math, and Language.” This articulate description pretty much sums up the basis for the cartoons, which went viral around 2008. Updated at least three times a week, xkcd serves up enough wit to satisfy your inner nerd. Here’s a wonderful piece that combines physics and Pink Floyd:
http://xkcd.com/964/
Cyanide & Happiness by Kris Wilson, Matt Melvin, Rob DenBleyker, and Dave McElfatrick—This web comic truly breaks the mold – and maybe even pushes things a bit too far – with its provocative take on humor. Many of the strips take on sexual, racial, religious, and criminal themes. If you’re new to Cyanide & Happiness, you’ll quickly get my point after reading a few segments. Nevertheless, sometimes you appreciate a little dark humor. Here’s a good example of what I’m talking about:
http://www.explosm.net/comics/1723/
Saturday Morning Breakfast Cereal by Zach Weiner—This online strip is similar to Cyanide & Happiness in that it features somewhat inappropriate, yet offhandedly funny remarks. The site is stocked full with colorful cartoons – enough to have you clicking the “Next” button for hours! Here’s a comic I’ll admit I laughed at even though it’s a sly attempt at humor:
http://www.smbc-comics.com/index.php?db=comics&id=1335
Dinosaur Comics by Ryan North—The website explains its core mission, “Dinosaurs discuss difficult issues of life.” North spawns genius from redundancy – in each strip he utilizes the same six images depicting three different dinosaurs, cleverly bantering back and forth. What’s better than dinosaurs and comedy? Here’s a snippet of the dinosaurs discussing the existence of God:
http://www.qwantz.com/index.php?comic=2143
Of course, there are many more hilarious web comics out there catering to any and every genre of humor. Some real gems are still waiting to be found. I am personally sold on this next-gen comedy.
Photo Sources:
Mashable.com (http://7.mshcdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/01/theoatmealmatthewinmanint…)
Xkcdexplained.com (http://24.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_lbnm27kECU1qao43ho1_400.png)
Itunes.apple.com (http://a3.mzstatic.com/us/r30/Publication/36/ca/9c/mzi.rhwiuorg.225×225-…)
Userlogos.org (http://userlogos.org/files/logos/inductiveload/SMBC%20image%203.png)
Unicornprince.com (http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_8WWVgRMIBB0/S5MABsHSvpI/AAAAAAAAA38/xPgQ-8iZ3Q…)