The Daily Comics Review: Webcomics Wednesday

by Hal Bent

Wednesday may have been a little off-kilter having to commute to the big city for training at the 9-to-5er today (and yesterday!), but Webcomics Wednesday always gets me in a great mood. I am always amazed writing for the DCR and seeing the so many newspaper comics that churn out unoriginal, rehashed, outdated junk when there are so many great creators working their butts off to produce fantastic work.

Just like last week where I shared Hyperbolic Dystopia (check it here if you missed it), it's a kick to know that a few new readers are finding some great, under-the-radar work. I even got a shout-out and link to the DCR from the creator. Most surprisingly, he referred to me as a "nice gentleman". I should print the facebook post, frame it, and give it to my mother.

Of course, these creators are laboring to create art, often without pay, without a huge audience, and crammed into their nearly non-existent "free time" they do it because of inner need to create, just as mankind has done since the dawn of reason. Those are the webcomics which draw my attention and eyeballs and I love to feature here at the Daily Comics Review on Webcomics Wednesday. Some days, a fellow just needs to drop the snark and appreciate achievement.

THE LAST COWBOY by Zoe Coughlin
Website: http://www.thelastcowboycomic.com
About the Creator: The Last Cowboy is a bi-weekly (updated Monday and Friday) sci-fi webcomic written and drawn by Zoe Coughlin.
CHARACTERS:
Professor Adsila Bell: A human professor in space in a futuristic sci-fi world where humans are a dying race. She was
recently gifted a robot, Sparky.
Eve: A young human on a pink alien planet having escaped from a horrible laboratory of yet unknown purpose. Living on the planet with roly-polys (big--like bigger than people big--native bugs).
Luna and Laney Silva: Mom and 8 year old. Mom is head of a robotics company, where the professor is now in her employ in space observing a pre-tech alien species (aka the prime directive --or General Order #1-- for Trekkers like me!).

STORY:
Chapter Three is kicking off this week, and the webcomic began in June 2012, so there are two completed chapters to catch up with and be ready for the continuing adventure. The premise revolves around humanity suffering from "Roswell Syndrome" where contact with extra-terrestrials (initiated by the Moon landing), cause every human to be infected and unable to bear children. The population is under 500 million, while there over 30 billion aliens including "big-bug aliens", "giant bird-like dinosaur-type aliens", and fluffly dragon-like aliens, and humanity is on its way to extinction.

I'm a sucker for sci-fi, and especially smart sci-fi. This webcomic is well-drawn, well-paced, and the dialogue is head-and-shoulders above some of the so-called "sci-fi webcomics" I shake my head at, close the tab, and never bother with again. These fan-boy fantasies with their zero-G boobs, cheesy pop-art, and NSFW art (and not-suitable for anyone "dialogue"). This webcomic has strong, female characters, no gratuitous fluff, and beautiful visions of planets and extra-terrestrials.

Again, it's exciting to follow a great webcomic early on its (hopefully) long run. So enough with my babble, and onto the webcomic:

Here is the Chapter 3 "On Your Marks" cover, setup with a depiction of the alien linguist, GabeRoss: