Happy Birthday, Schlock

Schlock Mercenary is 20 years old.  The artwork has gotten better, and the storylines have developed with the kind of depth that can only occur with a long run.  Recent years have been sadly marred by wokeness, which has diminished the overall quality as it does everywhere it appears.  Still, the core story remains interesting.

They're wrapping up the basic arc of those two decades too, for those of you who followed along.  If not, and if you're inclined to binging comics, by all means start at the beginning.  The early years especially were a lot of fun.

5 comments:

Ymar Sakar said...

John ringo mentioned it often in his novels. That or just baen readers in general liked it.

Thos. said...

Schlock Mercenary was the first webcomic I ever looked a -- or even heard of, for that matter.

I agree about the early years being especially fun.

I'm also in awe of Howard Tayler's work ethic. Twenty years' worth of original work every single day. Makes me tired just thinking about it.

J Melcher said...

Schlock is great. Seems odd that after five Hugo Award nominations the strip hasn't won even once. (Although until Girl Genius retired from competition, that field was a bit tilted.)

Off the top of your head, can you name the author or works that were considered better than Taylor's _Schlock_ in the years when the strip was at least acknowledged to be among the best?

And I wonder if the Puppy Kickers kicked Taylor out in the more recent years? How does a twenty year effort get nominated in a string of years, then suddenly vanish?

Skia said...

Used to game with Taylor a while back. Was in a small guild together. Good guy, very amusing to play with.

Grim said...

I bet he is.