They say if it ain't broke, don't fix it, an approach that has seen the online comic strip Webcomic Name grow in popularity since its debut in 2016. Drawn using a simple art style, and taking influence from cartoonists like Shen, Sarah Andersen, Reza Farazmand, Ruby Elliot, and Kate Beaton, Webcomic Name stars a pink blob in a world of colored blobs trying to navigate mundane (and occasionally extraordinary) problems, all with the same punchline.
Launched in July 2016 by Welsh writer and artist Alex Norris, the strips began as a parody of "relatable" webcomics that usually explore the disappointments that people experience when they compare their expectations with reality, always ending with the same reaction: "Oh no." To celebrate seven years of this breakout success, here are 15 strips that will have you laughing. Oh yes.
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15 Beginning
The one that started it all. The hand of the artist creates the hero of the webcomic, imbuing it with life. The blob instantly regrets having been drawn unbidden into an unforgiving world filled with pain, misery, and social awkwardness. This first strip defined this comic's form, and though it is a little more existential than much of the later material, it captures the mood of many back in 2016.
14 Identity
This strip captures a party conversation that almost every aspiring artist has had at a party, and the dread that it inspires. Working in creative fields requires a lot of dedication, practice, and luck to become successful. That's why it can be disheartening to hear, as the pink blob does, that someone who appears to be living the dream is still working in a relatively mundane job to make ends meet.
13 Allergy
When it comes to relatable, internet friendly topics, nothing can top how much people love cats - even if their bodies' immune systems don't. This comic not only accurately represents how much pain people suffer to be near their furry friends, but also showcases Norris' abstract style of depicting animals, as well as the disgruntled feline being a rare example of something other than the protagonist saying, "Oh no."
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12 Hahaharsh
Everyone says that they can take a joke, but sometimes a joke at your expense can feel like it's more of a cutting remark than it seems at first glance. Even though intellectually, you might be aware that the joke was just that, somewhere deep inside a gnawing feeling of a sincere dig at whatever your perceived flaw might be, and could well stick in the mind long after everyone else has forgotten the punchline.
11 Double Standards
Self-criticism can be just as harsh coming from yourself. Although body positivity is more popular than ever, and different beauty standards are being embraced by people all over the world, it can still be difficult to accept one's own flaws. However, those flaws might just be the things that other people find beautiful. Still, at least you can take comfort from this comic that everyone feels the same way.
10 Progress
It might be hard to remember (or for the young, to even fathom) but during the early years of the 21st century, phones becoming smaller and easier to fit into pockets with each new iteration was a major selling point. The advent of apps, games, and watching videos on phones means that they have had to grow larger, more cumbersome, and less convenient than they were just 20 years ago.
9 Refresh
Another joke about phones, and specifically the way that easily accessible social media makes life just that little bit worse. With all the infinite possibilities the world has to offer to make people happy, billions across the globe decide to start their day by doom scrolling. Even on the most gorgeous days, people still find themselves checking work e-mails on their day off, or getting into fights with strangers on the internet.
8 Art/Ist
The internet's capability to spread information about any subject or person has been a curse as much as it has been a gift. Now that anyone can see how their favorite creators can be terrible people, processing how to enjoy the art they love can be difficult. An embrace of the "Death of the Author" argument is deconstructed here, where the terrible artist's next work is about their terrible beliefs. This comic may resonate with Harry Potter fans.
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7 Sad Art Only
Published at the beginning of the Covid-19 pandemic, this strip reflects how, paradoxically, people seemed more excited to consume sad content, rather than anything upbeat. As stay at home instructions were issued worldwide, international travel shut down, and meetings with friends and family became few and far between, media that reflected the feeling of the new status quo became more popular than anything more pleasant, to the dismay of artists looking to cheer people up.
6 Betrayal
This strip is another example of the pink blob not being the one to exclaim, "Oh no" at the end - in fact, they're happy in the third panel. Unfortunately, the punchline itself, now without purpose, is driven to say, "Oh no" itself. The result is a very funny, meta introspection on how the cartoon fails if the protagonist manages to achieve even a fleeting happiness, only for the betrayed punchline to save the format in the last moment.
5 Empath
Similar to society's shifting beauty standards, more and more people are being encouraged to share their feelings with friends and loved ones, a practice that is good for mental health. However, many people will have gone through the experience of trying to bear their soul to a sympathetic ear, only to have their friend make the conversation about themselves in the name of empathy.
4 Surprise
An example of an uncommonly uplifting Webcomic Name comic, the pink blob proudly proclaims that they are not aroused, only for the appearance of the reader to change this completely. The strip's hero may now be turned on, but the reader that comes to these comics expecting to sympathize with the hassles and disappointments of modern life might instead feel warm and fuzzy that their presence can raise even the pink blob's spirits.
3 Impossible
Here is another strip about the struggle of the artist - or, really, anyone who wants to get ahead in the world - but suffers from a malaise that comes with modern life. While success is achievable, it takes effort to get there. To many, it feels like this effort gets more difficult the closer to success one gets. The slumped arms in the final panel tell us how hopeless this can seem.
2 Expression
More of a cosmic horror than the other cartoons on this list, here, the star of the comic is warped first by an unseen critic wishing that he would be more expressive, resulting in his happy visage multiplying into several smiles and eyes on the front of his face. Then, in a monkey's paw moment, the critic tries to correct themselves by wanting the same joy, but in one face. This causes the 16 eyes and eight mouths to align but not quite merge, creating a deeply unnerving creature that the narrator regrets bringing into being.
1 Different
The most popular of the Webcomic Name strips that have been made over the past seven years, the pink protagonist, wanting "things to be different", ends up trashing their room and all of their possessions, before realizing what they have done. Norris has said that they initially wanted the cartoon to simply be about how, when they want things to change, often end up destroying the things they love. Its publishing date, however, shortly after the 2016 U.S. presidential election, saw it take on new meaning among readers as the consequences of people who want any kind of change at any cost. That's part of the fun of the relatable, hilarious, and dark Webcomic Name strips: if it isn't relevant to something in your life now, don't worry - it soon will be.
Source: Webcomic Name
