Surviving Retail Webcomic by Chuck Egan

The Surviving Retail flyer is now available for download and for you to print up and post in your store’s break room, or anywhere else you’d LEGALLY like to post it. It’s guaranteed to class up the joint. I’d like to thank everyone who participated in helping to pick out the four strips that made the final cut. I think we have a nice variety of strips that speak to what Surviving Retail is all about. Just click on the picture of the flyer below to be taken to the 8.5×11 hi-res printable version.

Hey Everyone! I’m in the process of creating a flyer which I’ll post here on the site for you to download/print/share with your friends, co-workers, and hated enemies. I have room for four possible strips on the flyer. I have some in mind, but I am partial so I thought it’d be best to let you help decide. I’ve had some help from my friends on twitter but since everyone doesn’t follow me on twitter I thought I’d give everyone a chance to weigh in. Do you have a personal favorite that speaks to you? Help me choose the four strips that you feel best represent what Surviving Retail is all about. Remember there are no wrong answers so vote early and often and I will make a decision next week.

This week I’d like to once again get back to sharing with you the sketches I picked up at Webcomics Weekend back in February. If you are unfamiliar with Lar he is quite possibly one of the most talented and nicest creators in all of webcomics. Lar is the artist for two comics Least I Could Do which updates seven days a week in color, and Looking for Group which updates twice a week in color. To say he’s a work horse is an understatement.

In addition to his comic work Lar holds Ustreams every friday night usually starting around 7 or 8 and running just past midnight eastern time, except when he’s at conventions. You can find Lar’s Ustreams here. He also has a number of tutorials recorded so if you are looking for inspiration and it’s not yet friday you can catch up on previous ustreams. His ustreams are very interactive. He is constantly telling stories and responding to comments from those viewing in the chat rooms. If you have some spare time on a friday night I would invite you to stop by and give it a look. Lets be honest there’s nothing worth watching on TV anyway.

In an effort to fill this space with something of merit I’m going to update you on my reading list. The latest books I’ve read, or are currently reading include: Octopus Pie Vol. 1 by Meredith Gran, the Wolverine Omnibus, Goats Vol. 1 by Jonathan Rosenberg, and Digital Fortress by Dan Brown.

I purchased Octopus Pie while up at the New England Webcomics Weekend a while ago. After spending a lot of money earlier in the day I was hesitant to purchase it but I figured why not what’s another few dollars it’s not like we’re in a recession or anything. I really enjoyed it and feel like I shoulda picked up the second one while I was up there so I could continue the story. I’ll probably wait now. Vol. 3 is being released very soon so when I do pick up the next one I’ll be sure to pick up vol. 3 as well.

I’m a sucker for buying the Marvel Omnibuses, or pretty much any mammoth sized collection. I currently own about twenty four omnibuses/compendiums/one volume collections and have about another five or so on order from Amazon that have yet to be released. Averaging about 700 pages each that equal out at about 16,800 pages of reading. Half of them I have yet to crack into and the majority I’ve read a bit and have to get back to at some point. I’ve never been a huge fan of Wolverine but I’ve always been curious. The great thing about the Omnibuses is that they collect all of the earliest appearances and issues that would cost thousands if I were to purchase them individually. I’ve really enjoyed it through the first few stories that I’ve read in this volume (Weapon X storyline, 1st appearance in Hulk, and Wolverine miniseries) and that’s just the first quarter of the book.

I’ve heard of Goats but never really seriously checked it out. But then someone on twitter mentioned that all of the Goats books were on sale for $5 each. It was a trusted source so I figured why not, so $15 later I am now the proud owner of the first 3 Goats books. I’ve made the first book my break time reading material at work. I have really been looking forward to those two half hour breaks every night. Goats is some funny stuff and I always get a kick outa seeing the early evolution of a comic strip. Being a new comic stripper myself I find these early strips in a long running series to be very educational. One of the extras that I appreciate is the occasional commentary Jonathan throws in about a specific strip or storyline.

I’ve read all of Dan Brown’s books now. They’re all quick reads with a fast moving story and Digital Fortress is no different. It is Brown’s first novel and it shows. The plot originally seems very straight forward and predictable but eventually moves along into different directions allowing for the story to develop some depth. I am usually surprised by a plot twist but the majority of twists in this book were very easy to spot. The last few chapters I felt were the most disappointing. As the characters are looking for the possible code that will save the day the eventual answer is rather obvious if you had been paying the slightest attention throughout the book. If you’re looking for a quick read while you’re sitting at the beach this would be an ok choice but if you’re looking for something to make you think, I’d look elsewhere.
So there you have it, that’s what I’m reading at the moment. If it intrigues you enough to go out and give these books a look than by all means go for it, and if this turns you off to some then I’m glad I could save you from wasting your money. As always thanks for reading and hopefully in the future I’ll be able to update again on some books that you might want to check out.

This week I would like to share with you another webcomic that at its core is very much about surviving the daily monotony of work. I would like to introduce you to Moon Freight 3 by Luke Foster.

Moon Freight 3 (MF3) is a buddy comic that takes place on a cargo inspection station, the catch is that this inspection station is orbiting Mars. The sci-fi element of the strip does not take center stage but rather is used as a backdrop in which MF3 follows its two central characters, Larry and Bolts the robot, through their mundane existence upon the seldom visited station.

Larry is the everyman who more times than not is found sitting around being lazy, or as he describes to Bolts “I’m not lazy, I’m bored and uninspired !“ Bolts is the yin to Larry’s yang. Bolts tends to be very task oriented and is always trying to be the more professional of the two going so far as to even wear a tie at one point. The two play off of each other perfectly in a very classic straight man- funny man manner.

While Moon Freight 3 has a storyline, it is very accessible to new readers. Each new strip stands on its own but also adds to the overall story. Luke incorporates a number of smaller arcs that further develop the world in which MF3 takes place. As is the case with many webcomics, MF3 is a continuing work in progress as Luke works to hone his writing and artistic talents. Clicking through the archives you can see the improvements Luke has made in such a short time.

With its first anniversary quickly approaching MF3 continues to get better and better. August marks the first anniversary of this strip. If you are not already doing so I would invite you to check out Moon Freight 3 every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday. Also be sure to follow Luke on Twitter, without which I would have never discovered his strip.