GameOn - Web Comics - MegaTokyo

Official Site: MegaTokyo - Fred Gallagher

The comic isn't strictly based on games, but it references and parodies it so often that it might as well be a comic about it.  The comic started back in 2000 when two guys on the internet decided to a comic strip and noticed that there was an audience for the first two strips they made and decided to continue on.  Over the first few years, Rodney Caston and Fred Gallagher had their creative differences in story and so their partnership in creating MegaTokyo comic strips was dissolved with Fred continuing the story.  In a way, the two main characters, Piro and Largo, are loosely based on the two creators "Fred and Rodney" since those were their online names.  The comic starts with them failing to get into the Electronic Entertainment Exposition (E3) and ended up going to Japan only to end up getting stuck there.  The art style leans toward the typical Japanese manga style face features with a bit of Fred's own style leaking into the artwork.  Fred is actually an architect which is why a lot of his drawings of structural buildings are so nice and intricately drawn (in the later chapters).  The story favors a lot of Japanese manga/anime fans as well as Western gamer fans with heavy references to gaming culture and the Otaku culture.  I first found out about MegaTokyo when I saw the first book at the library back in high school (this was already 2004 when the comic started 4 years prior).  Ever since then, I've had great interest in Fred's work but haven't followed it since book 2.  Looking at it again, I want to re-read everything from the beginning and catch up to the latest strip.  Fred's art style is rougher than most web-comics since most of his drawings are the bare-bones without the inking (outlining), clean up, coloring, etc.; however, it's still very pleasing to the eyes.  Match it up with absurd humor and references to cultures the reader have a common interest in and you get a really enjoyable comic.  Out of all the ones I'll be mentioning this week, this is probably my highest recommendation to follow.