Gopher Select

These are the best sites and discussions about comics on the net. They are the easiest to read and they contain information that you want to read.

Also, try Negative Space Spaced Out.

indy magazine
Interviews with comics creators and reviews from 1994 to 2005.
Vertigo FAQ
What do you want to know about the Vertigo line from DC Comics? A decent amount of news links here. Worth checking out. Getting a little old, however. November 1999?
Comics Research Bibliography
Includes bibliography of articles on both scholarship and marketing.
Animal Man: Origin of the Species
The first volume ends just as it starts getting weird. The second volume really brings a restrained Grant Morrison ethos out into the open. This is where I started picking up the series, on a recommendation from a friend. This was one of those series that kept me coming back into the comic book shop every month; it wasn’t just a love of the story but the stories clear love of superhero comics that sucked me in.
Ira Schnapp: The Visionary
“Ira R. Schnapp was an eyewitness to the first-ever appearance of the Man of Steel. He also saw the debuts of the Caped Crusader, the Scarlet Speedster, the Emerald Gladiator, and the Amazing Amazon... in person. He was there the day Barry Allen raced across the bridge between the earths and became the Flash of Two Worlds. He saw the mightiest heroes of comics’ Golden Age unite for the first time to form the Justice Society of America. And he witnessed the unforgettable first meeting of the JSA and Justice League of America with his own eyes.”
COMICS-PRO
Comics-pro is a mailing list directed at comics professionals, including writers, artists, colorists, letterers, editors, self-publishers, distributors, and retailers. The FAQ alone is worth reading!
indyworld
Originally a great print magazine, Indy has become the best site out there for getting information Independent and self-published titles. Also includes the “Industry Addresses” compilation for professional use.
WasteLA
Waste L.A.: Descent; the photo-comic to begin photo-comics. And you can order it right here. Or read it right here. Descent is one of the best series I read in 1996, and I strongly recommend you check it out.
Altavista Babelfish
If you want to read a web page whose language you can’t understand, try passing the URL to the Babelfish. It works amazingly well for a stupid computer.
Elliot S! Maggin
Fan info on Elliot S! Maggin, including descriptions of his contributions to the Superman mythos. Also including samples from “Last Son of Krypton” and “Miracle Monday”, two brilliant novels. This is a must stop site, folks. Find out why he uses the exclamation!!!!!!
Crazed Ferret
The Crazed Ferret quicktime/avi movies! Must sees! Getting a bit long in the tooth, and what’s with the Star Trek trailer on each one? Nice examples of early multimedia from the Carnageian era of the net.
The Invisibles
With Invisibles, Grant Morrison is going off in a similar direction to his work on Doom Patrol and Animal Man. This is a search for reality where everyone wears great clothing! Grant takes on Michael Moorcock, Eastern Philosophy, and Sixties Fashion, and weaves them into a philosophical treatise so deep you’ll need to wear rubber pants.
Comic Art Collection
Michigan State University library’s Special Collections. Includes the Library and Scholar Directory.
DM of the Rings
Shamus Young’s epic retelling of The Lord of the Rings movie from the perspective of the player characters is absolutely hilarious, and, fortunately for you, now available in its entirety. If you’re a gamer or a Lord of the Rings fan, this is required reading.
Mack White
Some of Mack’s comics, presented fully on-line. Includes the Goat Nuns, The Mutant Book of the Dead, The Treasure of San Diablo, and more!
Alternative Comics
“Alternative Comics” publishes some great stuff by Kochalka, Henderson, and more. A pretty nice-looking selection of comics in their on-line catalog also.
Grant Morrison Comixography
Everything ever written by Grant Morrison, including some plays. If you want Grant Morrison, this is the place to be.
From Hell
Alan Moore’s Twentieth Century psyche seen through the eyes of a Nineteenth-Century killer. Through Jack the Ripper’s murders, he sees visions of a mechanized future: “How would I seem to you? Some antique fiend or penny dreadful horror, yet you frighten me! You have not souls. With you I am alone.” That’s not Jack the Ripper speaking, that’s Alan Moore, using Jack as the gods used the Delphic oracle. This is a brilliantly dark book, made all the more so by Eddie Campbell’s moody pencils.
The Cartoon History of the Universe
Do not pass up these books. The most fun I’ve ever had reading history. Larry Gonick has an eye for the absurd from the beginning of time. But don’t let the funny pictures fool you: this is a real history book.
Animal Man: Deus Ex Machina
This completes the Grant Morrison run on Animal Man. This was the book that got me hooked on Doom Patrol and the Invisibles and pretty much ensures that if Grant Morrison writes it I’ll at least take a look at it.
Steve Gerber
From the author of Howard the Duck and Void Indigo and many Saturday morning cartoons. Look around for short stories, comic book script templates, and Steve’s latest comics. Also, read his blog. “Only when a writer has been called a liberal, pseudo-intellectual, oversexed manic-depressive can he be sure he’s fighting the good fight.”
Rec.Arts.Comics.DC.Universe
A chat area for DC Comics’ shared universe and characters. Lots of good discussions going on here.
Watchmen
Destined to be one of the seminal works of the (modern or dying, take your pick) superhero comics industry. Moore weaves a tale of millennial fever in a world where the atomic bomb is big, blue, and looks like us.
Histories of Negro Comics
Some histories of creators of “Negro” comics, including Orrin C. Evans (All Negro Comics), Bertram A. Fitzgerald (Golden Legacy); and some others such as Malcom Ater (Commercial Comics Company). There is some really interesting material here.
Twist and Shout!
Home of Holed Upand an archive of Rich’s Ramblings. Looks like they may be coming back to publishing. The LAPD is no doubt polishing their guns as we speak.
The Dreamer
Will Eisner’s Dreamer is a semi-autobiographical tale set at the dawn of the modern comic book age. It’s well-written, and also a lot of fun trying to pick out which of the fictional characters match which non-fictional creators.
The How-To Guide to Comics
Ennead’s How-To Guide for Cartoonists and Comics Illustrators: Cartooning and Self-Publishing Links, including the Cartoonist’s Materials FAQ.
Rec.Arts.Comics.Misc
The mother of all comic book discussion on the net. It’s a Usenet newsgroup, and all the other “major” Usenet newsgroups branch out from it. Still a lot of cool discussions going on here.
Not Available Comics
Blinky, Cutegirl, the Fantabulous Matt Feazell!
Augenblick Studios
Aaron Augenblick, creator of “Robot’s Song” and “Tales of the Great Unspoken”. Take a look at the Golden Age segments, they’re brilliant.
Bruno
Dating, Feminism, and Fashion. Eleven years of Bruno, a complete web-comic from 1996 to 2007. But the archives suck. The only way I can see to read it is to read it backwards.
Moonshadow
A fascinating story, touching, silly, and funny, lovingly illustrated by Jon J. Muth, about a young boy who, after growing up in a small and insular community where he was an outcast, is cast into a universe which he can never call home.
Something Positive
Takes a few strips to get up to speed, but this is one of the best on-going serials on the net. If you enjoy the current strips, definitely read the archives; Something Positive has been funny from the very beginning.