The Outrunners
Written by Jonathan Gelatt
Illustrated by Andrew Krahnke
The Outrunners Comic
Release Date: Ongoing, Weekly
Cover Price: Free

I’ve never checked out many webcomics, but when I read the synopsis for The Outrunners, I knew I had to give it a shot. Written by Jonathan Gelatt and illustrated by Andrew Krahnke, the ongoing comic – with a new page added every Wednesday – offers a healthy dose of adolescent gangbangers who don ripped jeans and mohawks, carry guns and bats, and raise their fists to the man! Really, what more could you ask for?

Years after global energy wars ravaged the earth, the world has become energy deficient and now “united” under the crest of the American Continents. With the government regulating all aspects of social life including travel and gun use – only the nationalized police known as Metros are permitted to handle firearms – the streets have become littered with disorganized gang activity run by young criminals.

Savage Jungle Princess
Written by J.A. Short
Art by Gabby Noble
Kult Creations
Release Date: Available Now
Cover Price: $4.99

Savage Jungle Princess is not your typical comic. It’s being done as a FREE weekly web comic that you can ALSO order as a printed comic for $4.99 via the Kult Creations website.

Although it’s never stated, I assume the comic takes place during World War II, and features a shipwrecked young woman on the run from an all female crew of half dressed Nazi soldiers.
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Luckily, to save her from a giant dinosaur, comes a Tazan-like…wait for it…Savage. Jungle. Princess.

Man From Space #1
Written by Marc Jackson
Illustrated by Marc Jackson
Weirdo Comics
Release Date: Available Now
Cover Price: Free!

Man From Space #1 is a pretty darn entertaining web comic. I have to admit, I’m usually not a big fan of web comics, but for some reason, this one really entertained me.

Writer and artist Marc Jackson takes us for a super crazy, wild space ride, and it’s every bit as fun as it can be. The story goes ALL OVER the place and sometimes you get lost, but that’s OK, because it’s all fun and it’s all good. There’s so many interesting characters introduced in this comic, yet they’re never hard to keep track of. All in all, this comic is definitely worth your time.

Battle Creek, NE
Created by Mike Steele
Art by Julia Philip
Battle Creek Comic
Release Date: Ongoing, Weekly

I’ve read webcomics about time travel, space ninjas, rampaging monsters, elves, orcs, Einstein, and heartbreaks. The Web has presented comic creators with an interesting new landscape. Tumblr, WordPress, and everything in between have guaranteed that if any aspiring creator makes a comic, it will get digitally published. Whether anybody reads it or not is a different story.

With this new creator-owned digital dynamic, webcomics and the ideas supporting them are, pardon the adage, a dime a dozen. This means the introduction of webcomics obliterated any preconceived notions behind the theory that there is such a thing as an “original idea.” It’s all been done before, detectives with drinking problems, goblins who like to knit, we’ve seen it all and our attention spans are ever-dwindling. So, now the question is — how does a webcomic really stand out among the tidal wave of daily digital comics?

The answer, as Mike Steele and Julia Philip have shown with their webcomic Battle Creek, NE, is character; good ole fashion character.

King Of The Unknown
Created by Marcus Muller
Art by Marcus Muller
King of The Unknown
Release Date: Ongoing

Webcomics typically fall into two categories: either they are rough homemade projects that rely on humor and a compelling story to make up for a lack of art, or they are polished, professional-looking comics that feature a very abstract concept that has relatively no mainstream appeal. The webcomics that can find the space in between those two categories tend to be the ones that generate an audience. Off the top of my head, I can think of several webcomics that have jumped the gap from D.I.Y projects to independent masterpieces including, Evan Dahm’s Rice Boy and Ben Costa’s Shi Long Pang. King Of The Unknown falls into that harmonious middle ground as well with polished artwork and thoughtful storytelling. Marcus Muller has created a comic that has ties to mainstream audiences, yet stays true to the roots of the webcomic community.