25 Most Popular Comics of 2015
Holy crap, it’s 2016 already! Last year saw a lot of big changes for Drunken Cat Comics, we updated the website, combined our two webcomics (Daily Shots and Mixed Drink Wednesdays) into one, started a new update schedule and kept to it, made a partnership with Comikka to post our comics for mobile devices, and even won an award for our graphic novel, Fear of Flying.
Anyway, now seems like the appropriate time to look back at last year and celebrate our most popular comics. So without further ado…
25. You’re too Old for Prizes… go to work
Yep, the Cereal Kid made it on the list. I started drawing this poor kid back in 2013 for the Daily Shot comics (Cereal Kid’s first appearance). After that first comic, for whatever reason, I couldn’t stop drawing him. I think it probably had a lot to do with the fact that the Daily Shots required so many comics and that I had a lot of fun thinking up new, crazy (and often awful) cereals and cereal prizes (case in point). This is actually one of the more timid Cereal Kid comics but, it’s also one of my favorites because of the cereal name.
24. The Last Sandcastle
Last year Derek and I had a number of discussions on how to refocus the site and the type of comics we should start including on it. One thing we wanted to accomplish with the new site was to tell more stories that allowed readers to get to know us better, this quickly led us down the path of doing more with journal and memoir comics. This comic was one of the first of many memoir comics I did over the course of last year. I’d been meaning to draw this story as a comic for about a year and with the site relaunch it seemed like the perfect opportunity to showcase this stinky anecdote from my childhood. I’m still really pleased with how the sepia tones and line work play together in this comic.
23. The Job Interview
One of the reoccurring subject matters Derek and I played a lot with this last year was student loans and debt. It’s one of those looming realities that’s constantly hanging around our necks like a noose that we may eventually strangle ourselves with. This comic is also one of the many style experiments that I did this year and, personally, I really like how the interviewer’s shirt turned out.
22. A Pubic Service Announcement
This is actually the first webcomic to ever appear on our site, it was done way back in June of 2012. This year people finally decided to heed it’s warning and share it’s message with their friends, family and loved ones.
21. Panic!
The first of many sad comics on this list. This one is a part of a series of comics I did as a months worth of Daily Shots titled Of Mice and Cheese. I started drawing the mice characters in the backgrounds of our French comic, La Poubelle. Then a year later decided to see if I could make a story that would stretch across a multitude of Daily Shots and decided that the mice would be the perfect subject for it. The story went to a lot of strange places and ended up being about twenty comics long.
20. Forcing Smiles
Our website, webcomic, and company are all called Drunken Cat Comics, it’s only natural that some of our comics are about drinking and/ or the realities of drinking. This is one Derek did shortly after the relaunch and honestly I think it says a lot about the lies of photographs and role of social media in our society.
19. It’s A Cat-atstrophe!
If there’s one thing Derek and I’ve learned while doing these webcomics it’s that comics about zombies are always popular (well, zombies and Batman). This comic, however, throws in another element that we started making more comics about this year, cats. Let’s just say being a pet owner is hard enough without a zombie apocalypse to worry about.
18. Cleaning Out My Closet
A heartfelt story about the things left behind after a relationship ends. It’s also another one of the comics we made last year that could be viewed as a sad comic. If you’re wondering what’s up with this sad comic thing, Derek shared some of his thoughts on the matter in his comic titled Everyone is happy.
17. Morning Rituals
Cats are strange creatures of habit, just like humans. This comic lays out my mornings pretty accurately.
16. Message in a Bottle
This is one of my favorite comics Derek did back in the Daily Shot days. I think it’s a perfect, sweet statement sent out to the void that is the internet. I feel a lot of people shared this comic in hopes that Derek’s message would get to it’s intended target. Not sure if it ever did since the internet is a vast ocean.
15. Restoration
One of a few excerpts from my daily journal comics that made it’s way on this list, this one’s about a good deed a stranger did for me. I’d like to think that this comic did so well because deep down people want to believe and live in a world where good things happen and people aren’t the horrible monsters that the internet and news make them out to be.
14. Batman Vs. God
As mentioned above, one of the two things the internet loves is Batman (the other being zombies). This comic truly taught Derek and I the power of posting something with Batman in the title. On top of that, I think it’s a pretty funny comparison.
13. Daily Requiem
I remember when Derek told me about this comic, I really like how it turned out. Derek’s been doing a lot of experiments with the form this past year. I especially like that he chose to leave the face blank so the reader can project themselves into the character… also it reminds me of Dick Tracy, which is awesome.
12. Drifting
Another excerpt from my daily journal comic, I started using these more as it got closer to June (my wedding date) and into July (my honeymoon). The stress of wedding planning, buying a house, and general sleep deprivation can be blamed (or thanked) for this comic. There’s something about floating in water that I keep coming back to in my journal comics, I’m not really sure why.
11. Remember When…
This is one of those comics that can be read a number of different ways. I personally think this comic is about apathy but, that’s just me. You be the judge.
10. Hostage Negotiation
This was easily one of my favorite comics by Derek this past year. It addressed an issue that hit very close to home in a sly, hilarious way. I remember after reading this I started thinking about how I could address some issues that had been bothering me in a similar way. Also, I love the lighting in the background when Loan Officer makes his appearance.
9. Baggage
This may be one of the comics I’m most proud of from last year. It’s also the comic that garnered the most comments from readers, it really seemed to connect and hit close to home with people. With this story I feel like I was able to unload a lot of frustrations I was having at the time and really just work them out on the page. I chose to do this comic in a new art style, which loosened me up and kept me on my toes. In general, I found the whole creative process for this piece very therapeutic. I’m really happy with how framing in the panel above turned out, I think it perfectly illustrates the disconnect the character is feeling and I love the ending of this comic.
8. Student of Life
All I can say is you better learn the Pythagorean Theorem or you’re in for a rough life.
7. Time Machines Exist
Another sad comic that the interwebbers go gah-gah for, this one’s short, sweet, and will hit you right where it hurts the most… your iPod.
6. Velociraptors make Terrible Babysitters
Of all the webcomics Derek and I have created this one has always been a fan favorite. The comic’s origin (and title) are actually from a random Twitter post Derek did. I found it so amusing I felt it needed to be made into a comic. The comic was originally posted as part of Drunken Cat Comics’ Dinosaur Day, where both the Mixed Drink Wednesday and Daily Shot comics were dinosaur related (see the Daily Shot’s comic: Dilophosaurus make Bad Fast Food Employees). My favorite part of this comic was getting the opportunity to draw a dinosaur, something I rarely get to do.
5. Family Meals
I wrote this comic while waiting for a shuttle with my family shortly after getting off the Disney Cruise. Something about that cruise must have got me thinking I guess… maybe it was Tomorrowland? I’m really pleased with how this comic turned out. I especially like the color palette that I ended up settling on and the view out the family’s screen door is hilarious to me.
4. The Biggest Cat Toy
The surprise comic in this list, this one wasn’t released until December 22nd but, in the closing days of the year, managed to climb our chart very quickly. This comic stems from a conversation my wife (Amy) and I had one night at dinner as we watched our new kitten attempt to play with our Christmas tree.
3. Human Time Vs. Cat Time
If you haven’t noticed a theme yet I’ll let you in on a secret, people love comics about cats. This is another great one by Derek that makes a number of all too true points about cats and humans.
2. 6 Quick Halloween Costumes for the Last Minute Shopper
I guess the moral of this comic’s popularity is that people are procrastinators and truly appreciate a helping hand.
1. Be Normal
We finish our list off with easily our most unexpected hit from last year. This comic almost didn’t get posted to our website. I remember making it on a whim and not being fully convinced that it was any good. Never the less, I decided to color it. I think the color palette is what I was most pleased with and was the determining factor in deciding to post it. That being said, I did have a lot of fun drawing these long necked monster characters and soon, before I knew it, I had a lot more comics starring what I’m now affectionately calling Blirps. For whatever reason, people have really connected with these monsters, I think it may be that they project our own awkward anxieties.
And there you have it, our most popular webcomics from 2015. Hope you enjoyed this little trip down memory lane. Be sure to check out our latest comics every Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday. Here’s to a great 2016!
