What Did I Learn?

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the Horrible Pirates by Viper Comics

The Horrible Pirates is a crazy, wacky kind of comic that screams constantly forward to some ill advised and doomed fate. Really. I don't know how the current storyline will end, but the phrase "doomed fate" is an understatement. Which is kind of offputing since The Horrible Pirates is a humor comic. This, of course, requires some deviation from how you might normally look at this comic.

It is filled with these little quips and side jokes that are very amusing. The story constantly takes these weaves and turns and I defy anyone to try to predict what will happen next. It is at this point that I would normally talk about the characters, but the story changes so much that I think it best if you read the comic and meet them for yourself as they are introduced and their stories...play out.

Nevertheless, these Horrible Pirates (aptly named, by the way) not only do quite a lot of piratey sorts of things, but they also kill time with shuffleboard and video games. At port, some are drinking out of soda cans off school lunch trays while others are quaffing ales in mugs. It very much reminds of that comic your high school friend did that was just for your group of friends to enjoy. The Horrible Pirates is better than that, of course, but it is definitely done in the same spirit of fun.

There are plenty of surprises, such as getting "monkey slapped." I dare you to find that sort of event anywhere but in The Horrible Pirates. There are a few amusing intermissions as well, with one where the artist is told to stop telling so much story and do more pirate stuff. That's pretty clever and so is the result: the next strip after it. There are also a few spots where the strip has to pause and explain something. If this were any other comic, I would say it was an error in the storytelling. However, since the Horrible Pirates has a good number of asides and non-standard storytelling techniques, it is my opinion that this is a regular part of the show, so to speak.

There's a certain amount of expectation you might have when it comes to pirate themes. You might expect that when (for instance) food gets wet with sea water, it is ruined and unfit to eat. You'll need to belay that expectation. Remember to watch for this: The treasure map is written on a napkin So, don't hold this comic too closely to real life. A napkin would have failed to make it out of the very next panel after it was introduced, let alone last through as many bad things as it has. The strip's concept is pure craziness and takes you along for the ride.

Fortunately, the art matches the writing. It's solidly drawn with fun details and yet stays very cartoonish. This is perfectly fitting, because I do have to warn you that the piratey-ness does include its fair share of blood and some other very, very strange things. I am also reminded of the Jason and the Argonauts and Sinbad black and white movies. There are things that happen in those movies that can't happen in any other way and likewise the things that happen in the comic would be horribly difficult to render well. A more realistic style would not fit the Horrible Pirates very well at all. Side note: I enjoy the scratchy, uneven panel borders and I may have to steal borrow the idea myself.

What did I learn?
Keep to your themes and slave every bit you can to them. Don't be afraid to part from standard realism (remember the snowmen that Calvin & Hobbes used to make?) Have an intermission strip available to post if you're going to miss an update. Don't be afraid to poke fun at yourself and break a few rules if you want to. the Horrible Pirates offers us a great chance to let down our hair and enjoy the ride.

Note: I failed to find the author's name when I was reviewing the comic. All I can find is a copright notice for Viper Comics.

Previous Reviews

Battlegate| Butterfly| Good Ship Chronicles| Evil, Inc.| Madscott| Jefbot| Chronicle| Sheldon| Stardrop| Theater Hopper| Knave| Lullaby| High Moon| Metadawn| Dead Days| PC Weenies| Ask Maridee | Tiny Folk | Gordian Algebra | Starslip Crisis | The Front | Coffee Time Comics | Patches | Little Creature | The Horrible Pirates | Serenity Tales | Crashlander | Girl Genius | This Is Me | Handle With Care | SuperFogeys | Copper | Eskimo Dave | Real Life | Chateau Wonderful | Count Your Sheep | Breakpoint City | Eeekeemo | Boxcar Astronaut | Zip and Li'l Bit | Wally & Osborne | Jump Leads | Dr. Sheep and the Aardvark | Station V3 | Dresden Codak | Lab Ratz | Toyzville | The Boids | Cow and Buffalo | Casey and Scotty | Just Outside | The Pretentious History of Everything | Tia's World | Quirks | Patrick Grey | For What It's Worth | The Sixth Dimension | Max and the Gorilla Goon Squad | Rainbow Orchid | Neko and Neko | Lions, Tigers and Bears | Spacequint | Lessons In Fire Safety | Corrupt Hardware | Enker's Tale | The Surreal Adventures of Edgar Allan Poo | A Rusty Life | You'll Have That | From the Margin | Jitterati

About These Reviews

I love comics and I'm always looking at how I can improve my own work by examining other creators' works. It's such a wildly diverse field that it's not advisable to make sweeping generalizations and ignore special circumstances and subjects.

There's a lot we can learn from one another. And while there are many forums where you might discuss this, I haven't found any lengthy discussion on what we can do to make our comics more successful. There are a few good books on the subject but the aspiring webcomic creator is forced to learn by sheer brute force practice how to adapt his/her personal style to the medium. This is not as efficient as it could be.

Also, there are literally thousands of webcomics but only a handful of places where you can find decent, regular reviews. The focus of my reviews will be on trying to determine what is positive, successful and worth emulating about each comic. You might even get hooked on a given comic you read about here.

You may also wonder where the 'criticism' is and where the negative things about the comics are pointed out. As a matter of fact, I did mention some dissappointing issues with layout and such in my initial reviews. I quickly came to the realization that it's easy for any viewer to know what they like and what they don't. I don't need to call extra attention to the negative. I have, on a few occasions, emailed a webcomic author with a few ideas for improvements but there's no need to make that information public.

I'm not trying to sugarcoat anything, mind you. I just wish to have an open discussion about what good comics do. Hopefully, more voices will join in.