Titles: My Superhero!

Type: Webcomic

Year: 2022-?

Country: United States

Genre: Comedy

Status: Ongoing (review as of chapter 35)

Platform: Webtoon (read the one-shot here, read the main series here)

Appropriate for 30+?: Probably yes, with the right expectations going in

My rating: 4/5 stars

(Rating scale: 5/5 = masterpiece, 4/5 = quite good, 3/5 = mostly good, 2/5 = bleh, 1/5 = I regret ever being exposed to this series, 0/5 = affront to humanity)

This one is a true rarity! My Superhero! is an appropriate-for-all-ages comedy/superhero-parody series that's sufficiently witty and unique as to charm younger and older readers alike. The art is flashy and stylish, the panel layouts are dynamic, the character designs are fun, and the humor almost always hits (even the puns! especially the puns? and I normally hate puns). But what really impressed me about this series is that it somehow manages a G-rating without relying on childish humor or cliches. It kind of reminds me of the fun energy and creativity of Captain Underpants, minus the potty humor. I hope the series is released in print form some day, as it would make a wonderful gift for children, especially as it's a series the adults in their lives wouldn't mind reading along!

Unfortunately the chapters are quite short and the updates infrequent (every three weeks), so despite being over two years old the series is still quite brief. It's also very fluffy, does not feature the most original premise, and overall is admittedly a touch forgettable, which is why despite being a delightful series I didn't feel like it had enough substance to warrant more than 4/5 stars. On the flip side though its brevity and easy-reading nature mean that I'd recommend basically anyone and everyone check out the one-shot, as it would only cost you a few minutes of your time. If you found it as enjoyable as I did, you can then read the main series. I've included links to both above.

Next time you're stuck waiting somewhere or need a quick dopamine hit, instead of browsing memes for 30 minutes why not give My Superhero! a read instead?

Titles: Colms Comics

Type: Webcomic

Year: 2020-?

Country: Unknown (United States?)

Genre: Comedy

Status: Ongoing (review as of chapter 197)

Platform: Webtoon (read here)

Appropriate for 30+?: Yes... however maybe not 40+

My rating: 3.5/5 stars

(Rating scale: 5/5 = masterpiece, 4/5 = quite good, 3/5 = mostly good, 2/5 = bleh, 1/5 = I regret ever being exposed to this series, 0/5 = affront to humanity)

These short-form comics are goofy, crass, meta, and more often than not parodies of existing intellectual properties. While each individual comic can be extremely hit-or-miss, there's a good chance you've seen some of the hits floating around the internet before. While the series' content draws from a range of inspiration (from hookups to the pandemic), most of Colms Comics are references to video games, anime, and other nerdy pop culture, although for the most part the humor is generic enough that even if you haven't played Resident Evil, the Legend of Zelda, or whatever's being lambasted you'll still be able to infer the joke (with the exception of the Pokémon comics, as explained in the next paragraph). The cultural references are generally Millennial-oriented, so Gen Xers and older may feel out of the loop at least occasionally.

Starting with chapter 85, Colms Comics gradually morphs into an almost-exclusively Pokémon parody series... and for good reason: it's one of the best parodies of the Pokémon Red & Blue games out there. Anyone with even passing knowledge of the Pokémon franchise should be able to derive entertainment value out of this sub-series, however unlike with his one-off comics referencing other video game series, the Red/Blue references can get pretty specific.

While far from a masterpiece, Colms Comics got quite a number of audible laughs out of me, and isn't that all you really need from a comedy series?

I don't believe in reviewing series that I haven't given a fair shake: usually this means watching/reading to the end (or for ongoing series, watching/reading up to the latest release). Long-running series especially can vary dramatically in quality over time, plot holes can get resolved, annoying characters redeemed, twists revealed, etc. But sometimes a series is so bad that I just can't bring myself to continue unless I get strong reassurance that it does in fact get better. I also don't want to clutter up this community with individual posts reviewing series that I think are below average or a waste of time.

Enter the Drop Pit! A place to dump all the series that are so bad/boring that I dropped them after a few chapters/episodes. Feel free to list your own dropped series that you think others (or at least other 30+ fans) shouldn't even bother with. Or maybe there's something I've dropped that you think I should give another chance? Please note that this is not a place for series that I've dropped only because they weren't my taste, with the exception of series I dropped because they felt too childish (that's the whole point of this 30+ community, after all!)

This is by no means an exhaustive list; I'll add to it periodically as I try new series and stumble across ones I've tried and dropped in the past.

Webcomics:

The Lazy Lord Masters the Sword: dropped at ch8. Bad art, uninteresting characters, bland setting, weak premise, harmful lessons about overwork leading to success, definitely not of interest to the 30+ crowd.

Villain to Kill: dropped at ch5. Premise, plot, characters, and dialogue are all bad-fanfiction-levels of cliche. At least the art is passable. Definitely not of interest to the 30+ crowd.

Lookism: dropped at unknown chapter. I started this series due to its popularity; at first it was interesting enough on account of its original premise, decent art (strong rotoscoping vibe), charming moments, and social commentary (I was curious what the South Korean perspective on "lookism" would be). At some point however the series' negative qualities took over: the never-ending stream of two-dimensional villains, excessively unrealistic plotlines, and the final straw: repetitive scenarios. The series currently stands at over 480 chapters(!?); IMO it should have wrapped up somewhere in the 200s at the latest. While the content is more geared to a teenage/young adult audience, it has enough good qualities to be potentially entertaining to older demographics too, but only up to a point.

Jungle Juice

Print comics (manga, etc):

Western animation:

Eastern animation (anime etc):

Title: Hero Killer (original title: 히어로 킬러)

Type: Webcomic

Year: 2021-?

Country: South Korea

Genre: Action, superhero

Status: Ongoing (review as of chapter 147)

Platform: Webtoon (read here)

Appropriate for 30+?: Probably

My rating: 2.5/5 stars

(Rating scale: 5/5 = masterpiece, 4/5 = quite good, 3/5 = mostly good, 2/5 = bleh, 1/5 = I regret ever being exposed to this series, 0/5 = affront to humanity)

A subversion of the superhero genre, Hero Killer feels like it has something to say, but it's not clear what that is. The main reason to read this series is for the art and fight scenes, both of which are somewhat above average. If you enjoy mindless infinite power-leveling action series like Solo Leveling this one is worth checking out. However I'm not sure what it offers for the general reader: there is potential here for some interesting themes, but they're never explored beyond the surface level. For example (mild spoilers ahead):

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The series is steeped in tropes, including: superpowers, the bad guys are actually the good guys (sorta?), might makes right, and an OP protagonist who always manages to have just enough strength to win the fight. The series is quite violent (although not always graphically so), and yet for some reason Webtoon censors all the swears creating unintentional meta humor: one chapter has a foul language warning, despite being many chapters deep and quite a number of beheadings, dismemberings, and other instances of graphic violence under its belt at this point, and then the chapter still censors the handful of mild swears it contains. Probably my biggest gripe, however, is the length of the series: the English release is currently at almost 150 chapters, and each chapter is quite lengthy. This in and of itself isn't much of an issue, but I'd expect more substance given the amount of material generated. At least it hasn't felt too repetitive like many long-running series, however there are tons of characters and a good number of plotlines and backstory to keep track of, yet at the end of it all it feels pretty empty, like we're at best at the story's halfway point but there's nothing but another few hundred chapters of empty calories ahead of us. That said, it does a good job at being mindless fun, earning it a solid C rating (2.5/5 stars) in my book, but throughout the whole series there's a regrettable stench of unrealized potential that keeps it from being more than a long, forgettable romp.

In terms of content warnings there's a good deal of violence, some quite graphic and disturbing, but given the overall "bubblegum action series" vibe it's comparatively nothing that will keep you up at night (I'd give it a 16+ bordering on 18+ rating). Nearly all the characters embody the "perfect sexy superhero body" trope, especially the women in their skintight and/or semi-revealing outfits. However there's no actual nudity, no extremely graphic close-ups, and no sexual acts portrayed (in fact, most of these characters seem so preoccupied with getting stronger and completing their missions that they're practically asexual).

So is Hero Killer enjoyable for the 30+ crowd? Maybe, depends on what you're into. Most characters appear to be in their 20s-30s, but due to their superpowers they have the potential to live for thousands of years thus for the most part they act like generic adults, so there aren't any teenage/young-adult shenanigans. However as mentioned the series is pretty tropey and overall lacking in depth, so it's probably going to feel empty to anyone looking for more substance than your typical shonen anime. The series does get slightly better as it progresses and the plot and characters have a chance to fill out, but overall it's pretty consistent, so it should only take a few chapters to decide if this is the kind of series you'll enjoy or not.

Title: Stagtown

Type: Webcomic

Year: 2021-2023

Country: United States

Genre: Horror

Status: Completed

Platform: Webtoon (read here)

Appropriate for 30+?: Yes

My rating: 4/5 stars

(Rating scale: 5/5 = masterpiece, 4/5 = quite good, 3/5 = mostly good, 2/5 = bleh, 1/5 = I regret ever being exposed to this series, 0/5 = affront to humanity)

I'm normally not a fan of the horror genre, but this one felt a bit like a classic episode of X-Files: creepy things happening in a small town that slowly accumulate into an page-turner (screen swiper?) of a thriller/mystery infused with a dose of action and a sprinkle of cryptid fantasy. This series is a bit less gory than most horror series, and contains basically no sexual content to speak of, so it's a good cross-generational series (it does have some body horror and scary moments, so I'd give it a 14+ rating). The art is mid-tier but professional and pleasantly old-school (no 3D models here!). The main cast are twenty-somethings but for the most part act like generic adults; I did not get a "young adult fiction" vibe from this one.

Overall I'd give the series a B (4/5 stars): not the most ground-breaking work of fiction out there, but plenty enjoyable with good pacing, multiple memorable moments, and a solid piece of work from start to finish. The series is a good length: long enough to wrap up the story in a satisfying way but not so long that it drags (many webtoons suffer from being too drawn out and/or not knowing when to wrap things up). If you have the stomach for some mild gore and scary moments, and appreciate a good fantasy mystery, I'd recommend this one for sure.

Summarized in a phrase: monster-of-the-week X-Files nostalgia in webcomic form

Title: Inside Job

Type: TV series

Year: 2021

Country: United States

Genre: Comedy

Status: Cancelled (RIP)

Platform: Netflix

Appropriate for 30+?: Absolutely

My rating: 4/5 stars

(Rating scale: 5/5 = masterpiece, 4/5 = quite good, 3/5 = mostly good, 2/5 = bleh, 1/5 = I regret ever being exposed to this series, 0/5 = affront to humanity)

Inside Job is peak Millennial media. Most of the main characters are Millennials, jokes and cultural references are aimed at 20- and 30-somethings, a major plotline revolves around the Millennial protagonist and the strained relationship with her Boomer dad, and there's even have an entire 80s nostalgia parody episode.

Overall I'd give the series a B (4/5 stars: good but not great). The humor generally lands and the plots are interesting enough. The characters start out painfully two-dimensional but become more charming over time. Unfortunately the latter episodes somehow lack the charm and fun of the earlier episodes, and alas the series never got a chance to redeem itself in season two after being unfairly axed by Netflix after a mere 18 episodes (and a cliffhanger ending). Perhaps not a "must-watch" for the general public, but I'd heartily recommend it to any fan of western adult animation.

Summarized in a phrase: a funnier, smarter American Dad.