THE FUNNY e-PAGES

That's why "something positive" has been going strong for eight years--making it almost ancient in the age of the Internet. And one thing I really like about it is that while he's never afraid to go for the one-off joke strip, he's much more interested in establishing a deep storyline that's carried through from the very beginning. Characters are never written out of the series, and will often come back to make strong cameo appearances. And there are mini-arcs that build upon the ultimate narrative.

But, again, what works (and what seems to be the key to good webcomicry) is the use of sarcastic, boundary-pushing humor. Milholland makes strips out of the conversations your friends might have in a bar--you know, those uninhibited, probably offensive conversations that make you all laugh but feel a little uncomfortable--but has them set as everyday occurrences.

The main characters are a strange mix of what I can only deem "loser cool": nerds with a sense of self-worth that's probably higher than it realistically should have a right to be, but also self-aware enough to be okay with the fact that they aren't actually really cool--and being perfectly fine with that.

Basically, it's what you would get if you took smarm, cut it up, and molded it into characters for a comic strip.

That said, it's hard for me to not identify with Davan, and not just because his name sounds a great deal like mine.

Most of the pop-culture references are role-playing, video game, and sci-fi/fantasy-based, which obviously appeals to me, as does the dark humor (really--if people were as violent as they are in webcomics, this society would have collapsed a long time ago), and I find it's one of the staples of my daily webcomic diet.

I will say (probably to the amazement of most S*P readers) that I can't stand Choo-Choo Bear, although I'll tolerate him because he was part of a great crossover with Queen of Wands (whose main character, Kestrel, now is supporting character in S*P).

So, like with Questionable Content, if you have a few days to spare, go to the archives and delve into "something positive." If you don't have a few days to spare, I congratulate you on your steady employment.