August 15, 2003
Webcomics: Mac Hall
In the small amount of free time I've been able to muster this week, I've spent most of it reading webcomics, many of which I was introduced to through Otakon last week. I've decided to do a bit of a roundup on most of the major ones for those who read this site but aren't really into online culture. Consider this a primer on webcomics for non-geeks. I've elected to start with a comic I first heard of while listening to its creators last Friday: Mac Hall. Following entries will review/analyze/explain other major webcomics as I have time.
Mac Hall is the joint creation of journalism major Matt Boyd of UMD and 3D animation student (?) Ian McConville of Bowling Green University. Matt just graduated, and I believe that Ian will be a senior this fall. So basially we're talking about two guys who are basically my age (I think Ian is a month younger than I am), both either in or recently out of college, and interested in the Internet. Cool.
Overall, Mac Hall would probably get an R rating for intermittent langauge and adult references, so don't say I didn't warn you. The overall theme though is bascially one of college life (which would probably get an R rating anyway, come to think of it).
Unlike some other webcomics I could mention, Mac Hall is not themed around video games, though they do make not-infrequent appearances. Mac Hall is mostly about the antics of its creators and their friends, and is set in MacDonald Hall, the fictional dorm in which all the characters live. Names have not been changed to protect the innocent because, as Matt put it last week, these people are happy to be "a bunch of raving idiots". Whee.
Strips range from the simply hilarious to the overtly Catacombian to the downright silly. Yet from time to time, more serious subjects are broached. The guys of the strip deal with midterms and finals in fairly standard ways, and basically look like they're having a pretty standard college experience.
I think one of the things I really like about Mac Hall is its sincerity. Unlike, say, Penny-Arcade, which is brimming with sarcasm and cynicism, Mac Hall isn't. Most of the humor is not directed at anyone but the participants, and it's generally pretty funny. It's a far more personal strip than any of the others, in the sense that it offers a window into the lives of its creators and, erm, "subjects," I suppose.
Another thing: Australian Indoor-Rules Quiddich is definitely points in their favor. It sounds a bit like Hallball, but a lot more like Blackwatch in fall 2000. The rules are found in Matt's rant here (though the comic is funny too).
If you like what you've seen so far, take the time to browse through their archives. I'm not exactly sure when they update, because they seem to have taken a break for the week and I haven't been reading it that long. Take a look, and laugh as needed. Rinse and repeat.
