Erik's Favorite Things: Shotgun Shuffle

I think I've established that I like webcomics.  With the newspaper comics page being as much a source of innovation as a dead cow stuffed in a car trunk, it takes creative individuals with unorthodox stories to really shake things up.

Well, that is unless you count the recent week where they had Doonesbury talk about rape in the military right next to Zits and Prince Valiant.

What I'm saying is that newspaper comics need help.



So let's talk about my new webcomic obsession: Shotgun Shuffle, the story of two roommates who can't really stand each other, their families and relationships.

I stumbled on the webcomic by accident and figured I'd give the archives a shot.  I found myself laughing more often than not, picking up on subtle (and not so subtle) pop culture references, and enjoying the comments section almost as much as the comic itself, which is unheard of for an online comic.

The cast are Ellie Quinn, two young women struggling through life, one trying to make her way through the world of minimum wage jobs, the other struggling through personal relationships and college.  I know the idea of two female roommates has been done to death in media, but this is one of the few times I've seen it done in a way that manages to set a pace that allows mystery to build up even while it's taking the time to develop characters further.

The supporting cast is also great, between Ellie's sisters and coworkers.  Ellie's sisters are all introduced as unique personalities, with traits that define them instead of just staying in the background and being interchangeable.  Quinn's "friends" and her relationship with her "boyfriend" Alex (you'll understand when you read it) are completely dysfunctional, but relatible to people I know and their relationships.

Certain reveals caught me completely by surprise, but I look back and see the clues laid through the stories.  Stories that I thought I would get tired of (the Forrest Gump/Star Wars crossover, for instance) constantly brought fresh ideas and new laughs that caught me off guard.

Now, obviously if you're discussing a comic you have to discuss the artwork, and considering how often it comes out, Shotgun Shuffle might rank up with the best I've seen, up with Penny Arcade and the Sunday episodes of Sinfest.  Lines are clean, each character has their own distinctive speech bubble (a recent development) allowing for messing around with panel placement without losing track of who's speaking, and the design of the panels themselves are amazing. Tilting or distorting a panel for a character who is stressed or upset adds to the emotional punch of a scene.

I think, though, if I had to spotlight one thing, it's the honesty behind each story.  From big box store/fast food horror stories to characters who become completely detestable, there's a story that comes from real life.  It might be in the text below or buried in the comments, but the writer will let you know where the story came from and connect it to his own life.  Nothing feels forced, and reading about Chris' experiences and the people he met in various jobs reminds me of the people I knew in my own variety of jobs through my life.

There really aren't any complaints I can think about the comic except there isn't nearly enough fan art.  Between the simple moments, the twists, and the strange meta effect of characters commenting on their own story, it has become one of the highlights of my week.  I'm also incredibly impressed with Chris' ability to produce, on average, three comics a week despite work and children, especially after he broke down just how much effort goes into producing each strip.

But reading his appreciation to his fans in the comments section as well as their appreciation to him makes me suspect that this is a comic that has a lot of potential for future growth, and perhaps he'll reach a point where he'll be able to be supported by the people who read his work instead of making it a second priority in his life.

I'm not sure it would reach Penny Arcade levels of success, but then again, I'm not sure you'd want to deal with the confusion of calling something "ShotgunCon."