The Digital Strips Podcast
Bring the 5% of webcomics worth reading to the rest of the world. The Digital Strips blog provides coverage of the webcomic community with news and commentary from our crack team of reporters. It consists of reviews of webcomics, with the occasional interview, round-table discussions, and general advice on how to create and run a webcomic.

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S M T W T F S
     
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Syndication

Robin Kaplan's Ushala at World's End is a comic worth looking at ... again. The work has expanded since last we saw this exceptional comic, in some ways that we never would have foreseen. Follow the sherp and don't miss out on this story!

Direct download: DS524Complete.mp3
Category:Digital Strips -- posted at: 2:42pm EDT

Our long look at Mad Rupert's Sakana was so delightful, Jason decided we should also look at her choose your own adventure experiment, Pol-Apo. It's got a biting wit in the writing and a fun soul that is extinguished much too soon with a hiatus that might be permanent. Steve continues the enjoyment train by introducing Oddity Woods, a kid detective tale as charming as it is engrossing.

Direct download: DS523Complete.mp3
Category:Digital Strips -- posted at: 2:58pm EDT

Jason has news about the successful end of the Superfogeys Kickstarter as well as Tauhid Bondia's A Problem Like Jamal getting serious about systemic racism and gun violence. After the news, the guys dive back into Mad Rupert's Sakana for the second part of their review of this great comic. You might feel like nothing has happened for pages (chapters?) at a time, but in the end, it's a journey well worth going on. Make some new friends and enjoy this comic today!

Direct download: DS522Complete.mp3
Category: -- posted at: 3:43pm EDT

After giving their thoughts on the PvP collection currently on Kickstarter, the guys take another look at Madeline Rupert Jaspering's Sakana, a comic DS first took a look at back in 2012. What's changed? What's the same? Is it still as fun and character-rich as it was back then? Listen in to this first part of that return to Sakana to find out!

Direct download: DS521Complete.mp3
Category: -- posted at: 3:03pm EDT

Jason talks with Superfogeys creator Brock Heasley about his first novel, Paper Bag Mask, the real-world inspirations for that story, the Kickstarter currently wrapping up for the first volume of Superfogeys, and the long, winding road to where that comic is now.

Direct download: DSSpecialBrockHeasleyComplete.mp3
Category:Digital Strips -- posted at: 9:51am EDT

Zom Com brings us moment-to-moment undead gags that are sure to leave you in stitches! Also, Jason took a look back at A Long Halloween and got so engrossed in the first chapter that he couldn't even more on to the second (soon, though!). Finally, Steve introduces us to the lovely world of Yehuda Devir and his wife with One Of Those Days.

Direct download: DS520Complete.mp3
Category:Digital Strips -- posted at: 1:36pm EDT

Kate Beaton has provided years of quality, silly jokes with Hark! A Vagrant, and now that she's ending the comic and declaring the site to be an archive, you should go enjoy all that wonderful silliness. Also, a new webcomic is launching soon, and the guys are interested in the process involved with starting a new online comic these days. All that, plus our review of Goodbye to Halos, a wonderful fantasy comic that features representation for LGBTQ people and a fun, exciting fish-out-of-water story to boot.

Direct download: DS519Complete.mp3
Category:Digital Strips -- posted at: 11:57am EDT

Hey, it's time to celebrate another webcomic milestone, this time involving John Allison and his massive, impressive body of work. Another thing we celebrate in this episode is Brigid Alverson, a former DS co-host and contributor who has opinions on a recent article from The Comics Journal about Amazon/Comixology and the Small Press Expo. Finally, we do what we do best: review the comic, Kochab, by Sarah Webb.

Direct download: DS518Complete.mp3
Category:Digital Strips -- posted at: 2:55pm EDT

Are you a troll, or are you a goblin? While you consider that question, join us in giving a fond farewell to the most professional of felines, Business Cat, whose final comic has now posted. However, there's much to celebrate as we take a look at the murky depths of Deeply Dave and the fantastical chicanery of Sneaky Goblins.

Direct download: DS517Complete.mp3
Category:Digital Strips -- posted at: 1:56pm EDT

Webtoon continues to grow and now it's getting some heavy hitting names like Stan Lee and Warren Ellis on the service. Also, we look at a comic that is charming, fun, and adventurous in 7" Kara.

Direct download: DS516Complete.mp3
Category:Digital Strips -- posted at: 3:30pm EDT

Just three episodes after talking about A Problem Like Jamal, we're happy to report further on exciting developments for the comic! Also, Steve brings us False Knees, a comic mainly about birds doing and saying funny things, but also other stuff.

Direct download: DS515Complete.mp3
Category:Digital Strips -- posted at: 2:46pm EDT

Jason Brubaker (reMIND, Sithrah) has some thoughts on the current state of webcomics, including what it takes to succeed in an ever-increasingly bloated ecosystem, and the guys provide their thoughts on those thoughts. Also, Steve wants to check in with Order of the Stick, which is still big on words. Not to be outdone, Jason brings it back to Gunnerkrigg Court, which has finally taken a turn towards the exciting again.

Direct download: DS514Complete.mp3
Category:Digital Strips -- posted at: 3:39pm EDT

Not content to just talk about comics on the web, this episode features some digital books about comics on the web. So meta! Or something. Enjoy talk about Launch Party (formerly on Kickstarter) and Hit Reblog (now on Comixology) and then hear about a new comic coming from the Brothers Weiner as well as a look at Mary Cagle's Sleepless Domain, a comic that takes some interesting twists and risks that you won't be expecting (unless you're spoiled by this episode, so be warned!).

Direct download: DS513Complete.mp3
Category:Digital Strips -- posted at: 2:06pm EDT

This week's comics take the conversation to some interesting places! Proper condom usage in Boo! It's Sex! Dark humor, including Garfield-murdering punchlines, in Little Life Lines! And Black Lives Matter in A Problem Like Jamal! Nothing is out of bounds in this episode!

Direct download: DS512Complete.mp3
Category:Digital Strips -- posted at: 2:11pm EDT

Not only do we have two excellent comics for you this week, but two comics that understand the web very well and utilize it in interesting ways to make their comics reach and impact that much greater. First up is Deathbulge, a biting gag-a-day that skewers all aspects of life with a razor sharp wit. Secondly, The 3 Pilgrims will take you on a journey you'll just be itching to be a part of.

Direct download: DS511Complete.mp3
Category:Digital Strips -- posted at: 3:10pm EDT

Direct download: DS510Complete.mp3
Category:Digital Strips -- posted at: 3:07pm EDT

Direct download: DS509Complete.mp3
Category:Digital Strips -- posted at: 10:11am EDT

Direct download: DS508Complete.mp3
Category:Digital Strips -- posted at: 4:44pm EDT

We celebrate diversity at Digital Strips, and you can't get much more diverse than the divide between the two comics in this week's episode. Dark Simpsons shows us what our favorite animated characters would be like in the hands of the a devious, macabre devil while Fruity Cutie Rescue is sweet as can be and just a wonderful good time from the talented creator of Precious Rascals.

Direct download: DS507Complete.mp3
Category:Digital Strips -- posted at: 10:43pm EDT

This episode is all about CAW4HW, or A Comic a Week For a Hundred Weeks, or Caw For Haw. No matter what you call it, you're bound to laugh at a few of the jokes creator Jawkly has here. Steve and Jason discuss their favorite gags, as well as a possible future for the comic and hope for continued comics from Jawkly.

Direct download: DS506Complete.mp3
Category:Webcomic Review -- posted at: 3:36pm EDT

If you haven't sat and debated the nature of classic Looney Tunes characters, then do we have a fascinating illustrated conversation to share with you! Also, we're looking at the 2018 Eisner nominees for Best Webcomic. There is some outstanding work represented, but the people who choose these comics would do well to provide some new categories so the various subjects can breathe a bit more. Still, a lot of good stuff to check out, so we can't complain too much!

Direct download: DS505Complete.mp3
Category:Digital Strips -- posted at: 3:28pm EDT

John Keogh is back on it and back on Twitter, with a whole slew of new comics for you and I to read (endure?). Also, the guys review Space Boy, a story full of sci-fi elements, the promise of the future yet to come, but most importantly, heart and soul. Don't miss this one!

Direct download: DS504Complete.mp3
Category:Digital Strips -- posted at: 2:04pm EDT

Direct download: DS503Full.mp3
Category:Digital Strips -- posted at: 3:30pm EDT

Direct download: DS502Full.mp3
Category:Digital Strips -- posted at: 4:39pm EDT

Direct download: DS501Full.mp3
Category:comics -- posted at: 3:11pm EDT

Direct download: DS500Full.mp3
Category:Digital Strips -- posted at: 2:40pm EDT

Direct download: TILN56_Just_Flush_it_Man.mp3
Category:TIL(N) -- posted at: 3:16pm EDT

Direct download: DS499andahalfFull.mp3
Category:Digital Strips -- posted at: 12:46pm EDT

RAW thought it would be a great idea to have a two-hour long Gauntlet Match and BOY were they right. As a result, Rollins elevated himself in an otherwise unremarkable lead-up to the Chamber match. Other notables: We feel your Titus exhaustion, Nia; turns out Crews can lose (his surname); get hyped for a new Dusty Rhodes Classic; Gargano says goodbye to the NXT universe (thanks for nothing, Ciampa); neither of us care about Rousey; we're hoping to see something exciting from the stories going into both Chambers; just DO SOMETHING MATT AND/OR BRAY; and how long will Cena stare at his hands after he's eliminated before they kick him out of the demonic structure?

Direct download: PG72Full.mp3
Category:Pro Grapplers -- posted at: 2:47pm EDT

Ever consider cloning yourself? Steve's son wants more of his dad, but his reasons aren't exactly loving and tender. Meanwhile, Jason's pulling all his knowledge on the subject from Multiplicity and The Prestige, so the conversation takes a turn for the zany and macabre. Finally, Steve's wife has been watching the Island and has some ideas of her own.

Direct download: TILN55_The_Clone_whatevers.mp3
Category:TIL(N) -- posted at: 10:36am EDT

Before they look to the horizon and gaze into the future of what Digital Strips might be, the guys pause to look back, at the year that was (in comics, don't worry, we're not looking at ANYTHING else) and recall their favorite finds from 2017.

Direct download: DS499Full.mp3
Category:Digital Strips -- posted at: 2:03pm EDT

On the Road to Wrestlemania, it's always best to add more men to everything! Also this week: SmackDown Live continues to be the third-best WWE show on Tuesday nights, the Revival remembers just how much they hate legs, Bayley and Sasha tear it up but get shut down by Nia, Elias is over with the universe but under Braun's double bass, LANA IS THE BEST LANA NUMBER ONE, Kairi Sane is finally getting mad (and even), and a plea to just keep the shows as they are, please.

Direct download: PG71Full.mp3
Category:Pro Grapplers -- posted at: 2:13pm EDT

While Steve talks about digestive issues at Disney Land, Jason uses his pain to develop his screenplay for a Hangover x Disney movie. It's one of the best story ideas ever conceived, so don't steal it.

Direct download: TILN54_John_Mick.mp3
Category:TIL(N) -- posted at: 1:35pm EDT

Man, bodies get old and give up on us, and that sucks. Know what will never give up on us, though? Those sweet, wonderful webcomics! Like Lookism, a shrewd look at the life of a bullied student and what it's like to get a measure of beautiful revenge, and Space Boy, a timeless escapism into the unknown, in more ways than one. Also, a talented 11-year-old has taken their hand at Trump comics and the promise they show has to be seen to be believed. The resistance is NOT futile!

Direct download: DS498Full.mp3
Category:Digital Strips -- posted at: 3:36pm EDT

Mixed Match Challenge had an off week, but that's ok because we also have ANNOUNCER BEEF! Also, the CWC is back with HHH running 205 Live now, and that's a-ok with us. All that, plus: Jason Jordan is now officially out, Alexa fears and fights for her title, Bayley has a good match (YES!), Elias proves he's main event material, Shane denies Rusev Day, the SmackDown Live Top 10 list is finally here and it's lame, Zayn vs. Owens is still a delight even when surrounded with BS booking, you need to check out Heavy Machinery like NOW, and we're replacing Steve with an Alexa-enabled device.

Direct download: PG70Full.mp3
Category:Pro Grapplers -- posted at: 1:39pm EDT

Jason is here with his take on three food adventures he and his stomach recently went on. Hear the banal terror that is Super Mario Cereal! Bask in the Mexican-spiced goodness that is Taco Bell's Nacho Fries! And fear the undercooked breaded nightmare of Lidl's Chicken Wings! Also, Steve is here to make fun of him the whole time.

Direct download: TILN53_Jason_eats_shit.mp3
Category:TIL(N) -- posted at: 2:00pm EDT

Last week saw a TON of great wrestling coming out of WWE, and we talk about it all on this episode! Topics include: who had the match of the night at TakeOver; can Steve tell any tag team partners apart; a plea to get someone different booking SmackDown Live; why both Rumbles were very good this year; more Lesnar and Strowman mad at each other, please; more very, very good character work in the Mixed Match Challenge, please; Strowman dominates RAW and THE BOSS IS BACK; John Cena's no good, very bad, horrible Rumble weekend; and why Tyler Bate is our MVP of the Week.

Direct download: PG69Full.mp3
Category:Pro Grapplers -- posted at: 2:01pm EDT

Steve's daughter has discerning, but still lax, bathroom standards. Also, he flew with some booze-fueled football fans and it's not an experience he wants to repeat anytime soon. Meanwhile, Jason thinks he flew with a celebrity, but it's possible it was all in the guy's mind. Finally, in-flight movie recommendations! (The less nudity, the better.)

Direct download: TILN52_Flying_in_the_porta_pottie.mp3
Category:TIL(N) -- posted at: 8:39pm EDT

Steve found the four horsemen of the apocalypse and they're up to nothing but Horseplay, but his brief journey with Rachel Briner's Patches leaves him nostalgic for motherly love. Jason, meanwhile, contemplates Mike Norton's own words and asks, "Is there any writing necessary to make Lil' Donnie any more absurd than the real life man himself?"

Direct download: DS497Full.mp3
Category:Digital Strips -- posted at: 2:43pm EDT

RAW turned 25, but we really don't feel any different. Enzo Amore is no more-ay and 205 Live will get its first GM next week. And Vince reminded us he's still far out of touch with an announcement about the XFL. It's been a crazy week, and that's even mentioning: Stone Cold still delighting, lots of smiling and waving at RAW 25, what worked and what didn't at that show, screwy alignments in the SDL title picture still have us confused, the first-ever pin from a Blue Thunder Bomb (congrats, Sami!), the Mixed Match Challenge is still a delight, we were reintroduced to TM 61, plus our hopes and dreams (and fears) for TakeOver and the Rumble. Whew! With all that going on, we had to double the length! Hope you enjoy the wrastlin this weekend!

Direct download: PG68Full.mp3
Category:Pro Grapplers -- posted at: 3:29pm EDT

Steve takes a chance and risks losing it all for his son’s homeless man-fueled ping pong dreams, Jason remains hung-up on fast food, and both guys need to get the heck out of here before the soap operas start.

Direct download: TILN51_Dont_be_a_ping_pong_ding_dong.mp3
Category:TIL(N) -- posted at: 3:28pm EDT

WWE has learned that Strowman is money, so he dominated the first hour of Raw; indie security fodder, Hawkins-chucking, and chocolate cake loving ensue and it's wonderful. Also wonderful this week: Asuka/Jax impresses, Jason Jordan is still the smartest man, The Revival is here to WRESTLE (don't check YouTube), Elias finds a new gig, Seth welcomed back an old friend, the U.S. Title was decided, Fashion Files still delights (even if it's harder to find), shut off your brain and enjoy the Mixed Match Challenge, check out all the new signings, Hardy promises the Broken-verse is coming, and please, WATCH NXT.

Direct download: PG67Full.mp3
Category:Pro Grapplers -- posted at: 1:49pm EDT

Steve teaches us that, when you're stuck in a fence, your tears become stronger than you realize. Jason just wants to nap, but it's the daytime and that will break his brain. And together, the guys debate the cleanliness of your bath water (hint: it depends on where it's been).

Direct download: TILN50_Like_a_Bridge_over_Butt_Water.mp3
Category:TIL(N) -- posted at: 2:08pm EDT

Direct download: DS496Full.mp3
Category:Digital Strips -- posted at: 11:18am EDT

Look around backstage, you never know who, or what, you might find! Strowman's brute strength is again our highlight this week, but there are other items worth nothing, like: Rusev deserves all of the ... accolades, Jordan is still the smarmiest, slimiest heel on Raw, Paige hears some bad news, Matt and Bray inch closer to a new thing, TJP throws a fit after a CWC rematch, Titus and Apollo make it a win, exasperated Joe is the best Joe, Dakota Kai is a really good sport, and Shane is still the worst. Finally, just how DOES one watch a Facebook Watch?

Direct download: PG66Full.mp3
Category:Pro Grapplers -- posted at: 10:42am EDT

Memory is tied to our senses in ways the guys don’t understand. Jason jumps between the soundtracks for Beverly Hills Cop and The Bodyguard when it comes to dictating his childhood. Steve finds Washington state to be EXTREMELY dank, but his need for Chinese food when Enrique Iglesias is belting out tunes means maybe we can’t trust him.

Direct download: TILN49_I_can_be_your_take_out_baby.mp3
Category:TIL(N) -- posted at: 2:06pm EDT

Direct download: DS495Full.mp3
Category:Digital Strips -- posted at: 12:21pm EDT

Direct download: PG65Full.mp3
Category:Pro Grapplers -- posted at: 1:29pm EDT

Direct download: TILN48_Not_Doctors_with_Borders.mp3
Category:TIL(N) -- posted at: 2:55pm EDT

Direct download: PG64Full.mp3
Category:Pro Grapplers -- posted at: 2:12pm EDT

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