So whilst I'm working on that list I'd thought I'd post a few comics that came close to making the list and are still cool enough to tell you about.
First off: Candi - A College Story by- Starline Hodge
Why it could have made the list:
It's fun to read the comic and watch as Starline's art improves dramatically. Slow change to her artwork seems to seep into each comic and sometimes panel to panel. It is also obvious that the storylines in the comic mirror events in Starline's life. She knows these characters and puts them in situations that in which most people can relate. Finally, one storyline hit pretty close to home for me as a reader.
(The art does get better, I promise)
Coming out in college was by far the most bizzaar time in my life. Not only for me, but for those around me and especially girls I had had 'flings' with. I was pretty hooked before this plot emerged, but after, I was a dead duck.
Why it didn't make the list:
'Communicating a world' is going to be a phrase I'm going to use a lot in this and upcoming posts. What that means is that I should be able to to look at any panel, turn 180 degrees and imagine what the world looks like. 'Candi' doesn't do this well, at all. Bland college dorm rooms are often just as a place to expose the characters and story.
Speaking of story, at some points it just goes bat-shit crazy. Talking/flying ferrets, battles between squirrels and ferrets, sociopathic relatives who receive orders from talking squirrels, did I mention talking/flying ferrets? I could say that the craziness is a metaphorical reflection of how hard it is to adjust to stressful situations in life and college, but I won't, it's just insane.
For all the things 'Candi' gets right, a whole lot of things are wrong. If you don't mind LSD induced stories here and there and 'cute' art, look it up. I wish the best to Starline and the comic.
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