(Written by fikko3107)
Today I would like to introduce you to a great (although retired) role-playing LEGO webcomic called Irregular Webcomic!
Irregular Webcomic! is a webcomic written by David Morgan-Mar, an Australian Physicist, started in the year 2002 and ended in 2011, at which point it became a blog. I know there are a lot of LEGO webcomics, such as Legostar Galactica, but this is my favorite. Well, it’s not technically a LEGO webcomic, more like a role-playing webcomic. But in a LEGO aspect, it should be noted that only about 3 out of around 18 webcomics don’t use LEGO minifigures as the main characters, and 2 of the 3 still uses LEGO to create the scenery.
This LEGO webcomic is called “Irregular” because unlike other webcomics, which post a new chapter every week and follows the same storyline, Irregular Webcomic! is divided into themes, and they are published randomly; one week may be Fantasy, the next may be Space. But it’s quite ironic that it is one of the few webcomics that, while it lasted, was released “regularly”.
Now, let’s talk about the LEGO comics themselves. The charm – at least to me – is the funny strips, but there is more to it than that. David often gives hilarious annotations, which are also thought-provoking and educational, so it’s a win-win for you, the reader.
Another nice feature is the themes themselves; one may expect cliché themes such as Adventure, Fantasy, Space, Pirates, etc. But while Irregular Webcomic! has all of the above included, there is more. Themes such as Espionage (inspired by James Bond), and Cliffhangers (inspired by Indiana Jones) are fun, interesting, and often surprising.
And then there are the downright unique but still awesome themes like Nigerian Finance Minister, MythBusters (yes, that MythBusters) and Steve & Terry (by Steve meaning Steve Irwin). But just when you think you can’t top Steve wrestling Cthulhu…
David Morgan-Mar did. He made crossovers. Imagine what would happen if Adam challenged Death in a MythBusting contest? Yep, it happened! 😈
Now do you see why I like this webcomic so much? If you still don’t, let’s see it in a more LEGO aspect. Observe the Cthulhu model below. In case you haven’t noticed, that Cthulhu was made by plucking an octopus from a LEGO Classic Pirates set and added to a dinosaur body from the long retired LEGO Dinosaurs theme, and then putting on wings. Personally, I think it looks rather creative. This kind of strange combination is one of the things that remind us how wonderful LEGO is as a creative medium; it can be used to create just about anything!
Being a webcomic, Irregular Webcomic! focuses more on the characters -which means the minifigures. In fact, David Morgan-Mar has admitted that one of most used background is the baseplate from the #6278 LEGO Enchanted Island set, using both sides, and with the minifigures… I can’t say that’s overly creative, but it serves its purpose well. Below is a shot of some of the characters from the earlier themes. Notice that not all are made by LEGO, but they still fit in perfectly.
Now, I’ll talk a bit about my top 3 favorite themes…
➡ DEATH LEGO WEBCOMIC: Death is a very unique theme. It introduces the concept that there is one Death for every death, (Death of Drowning, Death of Falling Off a Building, etc.) This leads to some incredibly specific deaths, like, Death of Insanely Overpowered Fireballs – who happens to be the main character of this theme, as he is constantly promoted and demoted. Link to Death LEGO Webcomics
➡ FANTASY LEGO WEBCOMIC: The fantasy theme chronicles the adventures of a group of adventurers: Lambert (a Hobbit merchant) Alvissa (an Elven bard), Mordekai (a *lovable* rogue), Kyros (a pyromaniac wizard), Draak (a lizard-man who talks in mono-syllables) and Dwalin (the dwarf). This series is very amusing, especially thanks to Kyros’ antics, and the overall irresponsibility of the group. Also, the theme pokes fun at The Lord of the Rings, as shown below. Link to LEGO Fantasy Webcomics
➡ STEVE & TERRY LEGO WEBCOMIC: Last but not least, we have Steve & Terry, a theme telling the whimsical misadventures of Steve, a fearless crocodile-wrestler, and his long-suffering wife, Terry. It’s interesting to note that the character that antagonizes this theme is none other than Cthulhu. Also, Steve & Terry has one of my most favorite memorably funny strips, which is a crossover with Death. Link to Steve & Terry Webcomics
So that’s just a little intro to the Irregular Webcomic! series. If you are interested go ahead and check them out following the links above. Want more of David Morgan-Mar? Like Star Wars? Try the ongoing webcomic, (which is not related to LEGO at all) called Darths & Droids. What do you think? How did you like these LEGO webcomics? Any other ones that you really like? Feel free to share in the comment section below! 😉
As I mentioned in my previous posts, I’m a TFOL (Teen-Fan-of LEGO) and I’m an official contributor here. You can visit my Contributor’s Page if you would like to learn more, just to chat, or read my other posts:
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Yup. Great post, Fikko.
Lol! 😆 I especially like the mythbusters ones. 😀
I’m still thinking of an idea for a great post. Any suggestions. So far I’ve written “The Best LOTR MOCs Ever” but am still thinking of a better title. If any of you have any suggestions, I’d gladly read them. 🙂
Meneldur, I actually did write a post about the best LOTR MOCs some time back, but of course we could always feature more. Here is the link: http://thebrickblogger.com/2012/09/the-best-lego-lord-of-the-rings-dioramas/
Sorry, I’m still somewhat new here. That was a great post. Maybe I can do a part 2 or does that have to be written by you? It’ll feature Amon Hen, more Hobbit MOCs by Blake Baer, and maybe some awesome mini-builds I found.
Yeah, as I said; surely you can do a second part. Since writing that article I have personally seen several awesome LOTR MOCs that would be worth to blog about. 🙂
i got one meneldur! how about ”never before seen LOTR MOCs. (it will blow your mind!)” I like that! and… this was an interesting post. too bad that website is gone… 🙁
Hmm. Never before seen MOCs huh? Where do I find them?
Great post Fikko, the Death comics seem so funny. And Meneldur how about, Beyond the Basics: Some of the Best LOTR MOCS. Or, Bricks Without Bounds: LOTR MOCS. Just a few ideas.
Nice suggestions, Strider. Thanks. I don’t think it’s considered plagiarism if I use one of your suggestions. Or I hope not.
Interesting but wheres the MUFFINS
Could you list a couple other lego comics that you like?
VERY IMPORTANT: 50% and UP off LEGO Marvel Superheroes (some):
I came across some message boards this morning, so I just went to one of my local Wal Marts and scored the Hulk’s Helicarrier Breakout for $25 (original $49.99) and the Quinjet Aerial Battle for $15 (Original $69.99), people were reporting the Quinjet at $30, but I got it for ONLY $15. Many people reported this. So if you live close to a Wal Mart and have some graduation money it might be worth checking out to see if your store has these sales. Sorry to have gotten off topic, but I thought this was worth sharing before TFOLS and KFOLS spend their graduation money elsewhere LOL
Cool. I’ll have to check it out.
Theres supposed to be some 1st wave LOTR sales and opther Marvel and DC sets also but the store I went too was all out, I’m hitting 2 more after work. Keep in mind not all sales will be at every walmart though.
Micho, thanks for sharing! That’s indeed important news! I was at the beach today (gorgeous day; bright sunshine, balmy water, sugary sand, fluffy clouds… the whole package), so didn’t have a chance to stop by at WM, but I hope others took advantage of the opportunity. Thanks again for sharing! 🙂
Thanks for the news. I was at Wal-mart a couple days ago no sell there but I didn’t check the clearance aisle. I just checked to see if they had minifigs and they didn’t.
I already have the whole first wave of LOTR but I have 0 Marvel or DC sets so I might pick up a few of those.
Oh yeah, thanks for the info, Micho. 😉
My pleasure.
On an unrelated note. I seem to have a stuck Lego piece. An old blue helmet – http://www.peeron.com/inv/parts/3842a – is stuck in a container bin – http://www.peeron.com/inv/parts/2439 . (Kids, don’t try this at home.)
Frustrating the heck out of me. Crammed in really tight, I hardly am able to budge it.
Oh, yeah, that’s going to be hard to take out! Try it in soapy water. It usually works. 😉
Yeah, I did, but it’s hard to see any effect… I tried bending it out with a needle, and then it budged… The needle, that is…
Oh, well… Whined enough for now…
In the end, I got so tired of seeing no progress, that I decided to push a thin needle through the bottom of the bin and push it out from beneath. At least the pricked hole is hardly notable in most cases. =/
It also turned out to be a modern blue helmet. http://www.peeron.com/inv/parts/2446
Glad you were able to get it out. Yeah, certain parts are not a good idea to keep together as they can get stuck really badly. That’s one of the reasons I sort all my parts in storage drawers. And I do have a drawer with badly stuck parts I was never able to take apart. Sometimes when I have nothing else to do I take them out and tackle them again. Nice little challenge. So far the stuck LEGO has been winning. 🙄
I don’t know if you could claim I won here… It was a victory, but at a great cost…
Nice web comic. I love to follow the various LEGO strips.