Welcome back to the Web Comic Spotlight where we take a look at a piece of the comic book world that keeps us entertained on a daily basis. Last week, we featured the fantastic western web comic Next Town Over. This week, we take a look at one of the first (of many most likely) web comics from the world of tumblr. Check out Little League!
Little League was started five months ago by artist Yale Stewart. Although it's a new comic, it's made quite the impact so far on the tumblr world. Not only is creator Yale talented, he has the credentials to back it up.
[Yale] attended Savannah College of Art and Design and graduated with a BFA in Animation (2010). Originally from St. Louis, MO (Go Cards [and Blues]), he currently resides in Savannah, GA.
Little League is exactly like it sounds like. Take the Justice League of America, make them elementary school age, and let the fun begin. While Tiny Titans exists, that caters to a younger audience. Little League seems written for a more adult audience that likes remembering their younger years, plus super-heroes. It uses more adult language, and not cussing, mind you. The web comic's vocabulary is more suited for an adult reader.
The web comic mainly follows lil Batman and lil Superman in elementary school. They meet Flash, Hal Jordan, Martian Manhunter, and Power Girl right off the bat, but as the series continues, more characters like Wonder Woman and Lex Luthor are introduced.
It's great seeing these characters in a new light, even if it does poke a little fun at the characters expense, although it pokes a little fun with a lot of love.
The personality types from the DC books are there, and there's nothing funnier then seeing Batman brood or being overly prepared for an event.
This web comic has an incredible sense of humor to it. The type of humor that will make you reminisce on your days on the playground and scream about cooties, or when the whole class clamored to pick a book off the book shelf. This web comic puts fuzzy and familiar feelings in my heart.
Not only will the content remind you of a time long gone, but the art is reminiscent of newspaper comic strips, even the "white" outside of the panels has a newspaper tint to it. I love the cartoonish style which reminds me of all those Saturday morning cartoons I watched as a kid. Everything about this web comic makes me remember the fun things about childhood, except dodgeball.
If you want to get in on all the fun, start reading here! The strip is continuous, so you might as well start at the beginning. You'll be hooked from the get-go. I would love to see this strip actually become a DC comic book. It is incredibly funny, and it has a wonderful art style. Little League is worth checking out, and by "checking out," I mean reading the entire thing. As always, I'll leave you with one of my favorite strips.
Again, make sure to check out the Little League site, and I promise, you won't regret it! Also check out Yale on twitter, and the Little League facebook page!
There were quite a few e-mails this week featuring some great web comics. It was a tough choice! Thanks to Wande Abimbola for sending this our way! If you think there's a web comic that needs a spotlight, please e-mail us at comicvinespotlight@gmail.com.
Mat "Inferiorego" Elfring is a comedian, writer, and host of the internet show no one watches, Barely Watchable. Follow him on Twitter: @inferiorego