Quick Webcomics Reviews - NPC: Non-Player Character
[written 20 May 2014, for folks who find this at a later date]
Webcomics Roulette! Today’s target (chosen at random from a very long list) is…
NPC: Non-Player Character
URL: www.npccomic.com
Writer & Artist: Mary Varn
From the Site: [about page: http://www.npccomic.com/about/]
“Welcome to Non-Player Character! NPC is a comic that revolves around the gaming lives of Lisa and her two blue cats Chloe and Bink. It’s part situational comedy, part geeky goodness, and a lot of bizarre feline fantasy.”
About the Author:
“I’m a freelance animator in New York City. I started NPC (Non-Player Character) in Feb 2009 when I realized I was playing too much World of Warcraft and wanted a creative outlet between freelance jobs. I don’t make a living off the comic, but it supplements my freelance income and makes me very happy.” + more on the site
Tags: gamers, geeks/nerds/fans, anthropomorphic cats, slice-of-life, New York
Format: 3-4 panel comic, “classic newspaper style”, color
Vintage: first comic dated 19 February 2009
Current? – Yes. Most recent comic was 21 May (this morning).
Update Frequency: Monday-Wednesday-Friday
RSS Feed? – Yes. (There’s also a Tumblr.)
Archives: looks like …695 strips
Alt-text? – Yes! don’t forget to mouseover for an extra punchline.
Monetized? – Free-to-you, but yes – supported by ads, web store for merch, and Patreon
“Where Do I Start?” – somewhere in the middle
Quick Take:
For me, NPC is more of a grinner, able to generate smiles and the occasional chuckle, and a lot of the appeal operates more on a “I know that sitch” level [see: Subway Reads, Stuff You May Have Forgotten to Clean, 3 Signs You Spend Too Much Time on Twitter] than on gags, pranks, and wild goings on — talking cats notwithstanding. If I were more of a gamer (or a cat owner) then I’m sure more of the jokes would hit home for me.
Running through the archives was a pleasant way to spend an evening (hey, I got the Hearthstone jokes!) and the balance of gamer-life with cat shenanigans keeps either from getting too stale. Overall, I give it a thumbs-up; it’s worth your time to try.
Nuts&Bolts: Archives, blog, clearly labeled nav buttons — running ComicPress for WordPress so you’ve seen this layout before.
Bells&Whistles: ‘random comic’ button, chapter-based archives, strip-by-strip comment system, strip transcipts, active social media presence
What’s that URL again? – www.npccomic.com
* I won’t upload art, images, or screencaps unless I see explicit permission given (Creative Commons or similar) so you’ll have to make do with links for many of the quick reviews – but I trust you remember what the mouse button is for. —M.
