Hideous and Hilarious: Allie Brosh’s ‘Hyperbole and a Half’ Webcomic
The number of webcomics and personal blogs out there that can be described using the phrase, 'quirky musings,' can't be estimated without going totally mad. But when sifting through the navel gazing, ranting, and transparent attempts to garner book deals (Not that I'm judging. I'd live blog an unnecessary colonoscopy if I thought I could get a book deal out of it.), there is the occasional gem in the form of a complete nut job with talent.
One such nut job is Allie Brosh, creator of Hyperbole and a Half, a half-webcomic, half-blog. The art is both terrible and wonderful to behold. It consists of shaky-handed drawings that are more expressive than cleaner or more detailed art could be. It's also enlivened by the full-throttle nuttiness that Brosh puts into it.
That, for example, is Brosh's response to close-talkers. It would definitely cut down the time of that "Seinfeld" episode.The earlier entries are more personal, less illustration-oriented, and so they're a little weaker. But as the blog goes on, and both the writing and the art style become more outrageous and expressive, the entries get stronger and stronger. It's all worth looking over, but there are a couple of stand-out entries.
One, for pedants out there, is a how-to guide on dealing with bad Internet commenting grammar. Recommended techniques include pretending that typists of 'No U' have only two fingers, and have to conserve keystrokes. There's also a creature called an 'alot,' for people who can't manage the proper spacing of 'a lot.' It changes the meaning of most Internet comments.
Also, do not miss Brosh's fantastic telling of her personal version of "Old Yeller." Never has deep, scarring trauma been turned into something so funny.