SpongeBob Comics Discussion

McSponge

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Interesting. It's cool that they're shedding light on SpongeFunnies by giving it it's own issue. Hopefully it'll be better than the recent SpongeFunnies. They've been getting much more stale overtime (I guess that's what you get when you have such a simple style used for so long :| ). I mean, we had an entire Interactive issue, so it makes sense to get a SpongeFunnies issue. The only thing I'm afraid of is an entire Flotsam Jetsam issue (Which I highly doubt will happen, but still, the thought of it is scary :wetpaint: )
 

CherrySponge

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The cool thing about these comics is that sometimes they're able to get old writers from the show to write or draw the panels, and sometimes even both!
(I don't think they will, but I think they should possibly do another full-length comic with Squilliam, as he seems to work well in the short ones too.)
 

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I Think they got to Re-Release Issue 1, becuase i've seen a different cover art on the internet or maybe it's that there's another one of these but not united plankton pictures
 

McSponge

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Haven't posted here in a while. I got Issue 72 about a month or so ago (Haven't gotten anything since. Barnes & Noble does a really lousy job at stocking the latest issue in my area). Anyway, Issue 72 was a pretty generic comic. I'm kind of glad to see a more simple themed comic, especially since we've been overloaded with story arcs over the past year or so. Either way, this comic wasn't really that unique, it's a pretty forgettable issue. None of the storylines in the issue seemed too interesting, they all felt kind of bland, honestly. Even the cover of the issue is one of most generic covers I've seen in a long time. Bubble Burgers! wasn't that innoventive, it felt kind of predictable, and honestly not funny at all. The SpongeFunnies were pretty lame in my book, aside from the artstyle, I didn't care that much for Jellyfish Fields Line. It's story felt weak, and none of the jokes really made their mark. The ending was slightly charming, but that's really the only redeeming quality in this strip's storyline. This issue's Flotsam & Jetsam Ocean Facts felt a lot less stiff than usual. The main fish seemed a little more cartoony, so it's kind of nice to see Maris Wicks break out of her artstyle and experiment with more. Plankton at Home had some decent gags, and I did enjoy the artstyle, but there's a big flaw at the beginning of the comic, when Karen brings home Krabby Patties. Plankton doesn't even try to take them from Karen, he just ignores them, not even bringing them up! I feel as though this comic was kind of pointless, it wasn't really that grand. Plankton's explanation as to why he won't ever return to the KK was very weak considering how he's been through much worse.

The final comic Trust Buster is probably the best comic in the issue, only because it had a great plot twist ending.

Overall, this was a pretty lame issue, nothing really that good in it, just kind of a middle-in-the-road experience. I'm looking forward to see what's in store for future issues, especially Issue 75.
 

Gloom

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I had to donate some of my comics for money during a garage sale but I still have most of them from 2009-2014 :(
 

McSponge

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Gloom said:
I had to donate some of my comics for money during a garage sale but I still have most of them from 2009-2014 :(
Ooh, you have some SpongeBob Comics from the last days of Nick Magazine? (I assume this since you included 2009 and 2010 into the mix of years, though you could be just referring to the Comic Crazy books).
 

McSponge

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Recently got Issue 74 (Accidentally skipped over 73. Oh well, knowing Barnes & Noble, that's probably all they'll have if I go looking for Issue 75). It was honestly pretty good. Much better than Issue 72, goodness, that issue was boring! It was super generic.

I feared this one would be like 72, seeing how generic looking the cover was, though I was pleasantly surprised by the issue.

Leaf Me Alone had a pretty nice twist, I also really liked the artwork in this script (It was on-model, yet super expressive). The surface scenes were definitely the highlight of the strip, and I also liked the Salty Spitoon reference.

The Flotsam and Jetsam strip was actually really good in this issue, I think it's one of the best ones I've seen in a while.

We Used to be Some Buddies was a very lame strip in my opinion, definitely a very annoying, and fairly weak strip. It was super predictable, it had a lame, unoriginal conflict, and a lot of the jokes felt like they could only appeal to those 5 and under.

The Friendship is Friendship poster was decent, I really liked the patterns used for it.

Automation Frustration was a fairly weak strip if you asked me. From my pet peeve with Krabs not having a helmet in Sandy's to the overall predictable actions of the characters, this was definitely one of the weaker comics in the issue. I guess the only real likable aspect of this strip was seeing Krabs and Sandy have some interaction (Even though it felt like the beginning of The Krabby Patty That Ate Bikini Bottom if it was stretched out).

The SpongeFunnies fell flat, the jokes were too cheesy, the second strip didn't even have that much of a proper direction.

Unseen Friends was a pretty annoying comic, seeing that it brought out the uglier side of SpongeBob and Patrick, though the ending did catch me off guard..

Also, that last comic on the back of the Issue was hilarious. Such a simple comic, yet it's one of the funniest one's I've seen in a long time.

Overall, Issue 74 wasn't as great as Issue 71, and felt inferior to Issue 70, though it remains much better than Issue 72. It was a sub-par issue, though it did have it's moments.

So far, the 70s seem to be a hit or miss period of time for SpongeBob comics. Who knows, I really need to read Issue 73 before I can start fairly judging these issues (Since I absolutely despised Issue 60 [One of my least favorite issues], while I absolutely adored Issues 61 & 62, while I felt Issue 63 was decent, with the rest of the 60s being pretty lackluster, with a few gems here and there). I'm definitely looking forward to Issue 75, I can't wait to see an entire issue of SpongeFunnies. Honestly, SpongeFunnies hasn't been that good since around the late 40s. They've gotten really bland, and generic, and I feel as though James is running out of ideas for new strips, and he really needs to expand his material to explore into more grand storylines, because really, his jokes are lamer than new prints of Garfield.
 

AquaticKonquest

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Issue #75...

  • Don't know what to call the SpongeFunnies comic, but the story's pretty good. Very interesting in terms of structure - while it's all one story, each scene is split similarly to strip comics.
  • No lie I don't read the Flotsam And Jetsam comics.
  • Pirate Club was a fun read!
  • Wishes is pretty cute. And I love how some of the panels are used for effect in the story!
  • Sandy's List was fun - really brought her out as a character, especially since she's the only one in it!
  • Bouncing Belly is also cute - I love Scalzo's style!
 

McSponge

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So, I finally got Issue 73 at Books-A-Million! today (It was tucked away behind a bunch of random comics. It was the only copy of 73 there, whereas there were plenty of 72's, 74's, and 68's). Anyway, I read Issue 73, and it was amazing! Way better than 72 and 74, I think this is probably my favorite comic since 62!

I'm usually against huge stories that take up more than half of an issue, but this is probably the first time in a long time that I didn't really mind. The Curse of the S.S Unpleasant was an amazing comic! I loved the detail artstyle (Hifi did an amazing job with shading in this comic), Mama Krabs' role in the story was fun, there were even a few interesting plot twists I didn't see coming. Lots of funny jokes, and it actually was kind of suspenseful. Definitely the best comic I've seen this year, Derek Drymon still has it!

The SpongeFunnies were surprisingly decent. Haunted Ha-Ha was lame, I personally didn't find it that funny :unsure:, nor did I care for Supernatural Facts to be that good. Though the twists at the end of the comics were interesting, I will give James that, he managed to surprise me in this issue.

Moon Goon was fun, lots of great gags in this one, with a hilarious ending, definitely a great comic.

The Flotsam Fables was fairly interesting (Though it was just a compilation of ghost sightings from over the years). Not as good as last year's, but still more interesting than your average Flotsam Jetsam comic.

The Ghost of the Rare Penny wasn't too good, but I really loved the artstyle in this one.

Overall, Issue 73 is so far my favorite issue of the 70's :thumbsup:

I was genuinely surprised at how good this issue was, considering how it's surrounded by two lackluster issues. Looking forward to reading 75 (Though I'm pretty sure I won't be reading it until next month or so).
 

Klu

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Recently I started reading those, and I was surprised how good comics are! Not every story or art-style is a winner, but most of them are really good! Some of them really deserve some kind of tv-adaptation, if WhoBob WhatPants was based on some SpongeBob book, why not comics?
P.S. 100th Post, yay. :sbx:
 

McSponge

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So last weekend, I went out and finally got Issue 75 (Finally, it only took nearly a month since it's initial release!)

I feel as if James Kochalka is worn out, and definitely needs a break. SpongeFunnies were actually funny for the first 30 or so issues, then things started to slow down a bit, and he picked things up (By making the comics connected to each other, telling a bigger story than the "one-shot" comics) until around the 50s or so, then it's just been downhill from there (With an occasional laugh every now and again). Honestly, I thought James was just striving to tell a bigger story, seeing how he doesn't even do individual comics anymore. Unfortunately, this story's main comic, Skate the Cake did not reach my expectations at all. It was a nice idea to give SpongeFunnies a larger story (Especially with all the commitment James has given to this comic, being around since Issue 1, goodness, he also did SpongeFunnies in Nick Magazine, too!), but the story was just a mess. It was clear there was no real direction, as Squidward's plan was all over the place. The story isn't the biggest problem in this comic, though, it's the jokes. A lot of this comic's jokes are terribly generic and predictable (A recent problem that's been developing in James' work on the SpongeFunnies). The only legitimately funny jokes were some of Krabs lines when SpongeBob meets up with him, during SpongeBob's day off. Other than that, the story was a big hit or miss with humor, either given me a slight smirk or making me regret my decision of reading this. I think James should take a break from doing SpongeFunnies, at least for a while, he's scraping the bottom of the barrel in terms of humor.

This issue's Flotsam & Jetsam wasn't really as informative as it was comedy. It focused on the in's-and-out's of looking cute. Personally I found this comic to be really funny, probably one of the funniest Flotsam & Jetsam comics out there. I especially liked the Shark in this comic, I felt he was a pretty funny addition to the comic. Especially the irony at the end of the strip when Stubby Squid and the Shark were discussing some nasty facts about their species, covered up with these cutesy illustrations. Definitely one of the more clever Flotsam comics I've seen.

Pirate Club was a pretty decent comic (It's also exciting to see a new name in the credits. Kit Lively is the name, and I hope to see more of her work, since this comic was mildly entertaining). The premise of the comic is simply, yet pretty silly. I liked the set-up to the conflict, I felt as though the mess from Scrapbooking, making SpongeBob look like a pirate was pretty clever if you ask me. There were some funny lines here or there (Though I didn't really care for the buried stick gag, that one felt a little too forced and convenient to occur if you ask me). The highlight of the comic was definitely the ending, the fact that the comic looped around back into the theme of Scrapbooking was hilarious, especially with the set-up of the joke with the pirate's warning about Scrapbooking. Overall, it wasn't the best, but it was pretty good. Also, it's so weird seeing Jacob Chabot's artstyle by this point. He was so on-model with how the series looked back when the comic debuted in 2011, but by now his artwork feels a little too stiff compared to the current style in the series. His artwork is stuck in the Post-Movie days, and it's really interesting to look at. It's so surreal seeing new SpongeBob artwork drawn in the same basic style as the Post-Movie era (Though not as atrociously stiff as Seasons 6-8, it feels more like Seasons 4 & 5).

Our next comic, Wishes is also written by a new person, I see (Charise Mericle Harper). Unfortunately, I can't stand this comic. It's so boring, and so dragged out, it feels like forever to get this comic done. I wouldn't mind that had it been a good comic, but it's not! I'm all for new artstyles, heck, that's why I got into SpongeBob comics, I enjoyed seeing the characters in different artstyles. But this comic's artstyle is so dull, and not even the writing could save this, there's barely any funny jokes in this comic at all. The plot is boring, the whole "Wishes" element isn't even incorporated until towards the very ending, and doesn't really have much to do with the main conflict (Patrick being unable to blow a bubble, which isn't even resolved, he never does end up blowing one!). It's a boring comic overall, and I really hope Charise will improve her writing as time goes on, because this comic was super lackluster without any interesting artwork or funny jokes the make up for the bland storyline.

Sandy's List, oh boy, was written by Jay Lender! So glad to see some new work from Jay, haven't seen much from him in a while. This comic is super fast-paced, and it's great. Michael La Pinksi's artstyle is fantastic, most of the comic is nothing more than just action-packed visuals, and Michael's art really brings the comic to life. It's a fantastic comic, and I especially like the hilarious ending.

Then we have Realistic SpongeFunnies! Finally, some kind of breath of fresh air to SpongeFunnies! And guess what? They're actually funny! Yeah, each SpongeFunnie (Written by Kochalka) are actually funny! And seeing Jerry Ordway's artwork again is great, too. I personally wouldn't mind seeing more of these, these are great! They're such a unique spin on SpongeFunnies (Especially since SpongeFunnies have a super simplistic artstyle to begin with!). Though I'm pretty sure this is the only time we're going to see them, I'm crossing my fingers and hoping we'll see Realistic SpongeFunnies return in the future, because they're awesome!

Finally, we end the issue with Bouncing Belly (Written by Kevin Scalzo, a name I don't entirely recognize, so I'm going to assume he's new). This comic was mediocre, there wasn't anything special about it, just a delightful artstyle.

Overall, Issue #75 is an issue I have mixed feelings for (Similar to the 70s in general). It definitely has some bad comics, like Wishes, Bouncing Belly, and the main comic of the issue, Skate to Cake. However, there are definitely gems in this issue. Pirate's Club, and especially Sandy's List & Realistic SpongeFunnies. I'm really happy to see more variety in this issue (Something that's been severely lacking from most issues since the 40's, in my opinion), and even better, it's interesting to see new names on the staff. I have confidence in Kit, and I really hope Charise and Kevin's writing will develop overtime to become much better than their current work. Also, it's nice seeing some old names again, I was especially shocked to see a new comic from Jay Lender.

Issue #75 is a hit-or-miss issue. It's not a great issue, but it's not a bad issue. It seems to have more good than bad, which is definitely good (Better than being nothing more than "Okay" like a lot of mid-late 60's issues).

So far, I'm not sure what to make about the 70's. There are definitely some bad issues that have come out (Like Issues 74 and 72), though there are definitely gems in the 70's, particularly 71 and 73. So far, I still don't seem to have an overall opinion on the 70's. Really, it could go either way, there have been some fantastic stories to come out of the 70's, while there have been some terrible ones. This issue really gave me no insight on what direction the 70's will go into. It's pretty much the 70's summed up into one issue, there are great parts, and then there are really weak parts.

At least the 70's is a big improvement over the 60's as a whole so far. Most of the 60's issues were really bland, and there's really only 2 issues that stick out to me as amazing issues (Issues 61 & 62, though they do follow probably the worst issue the comic has seen, Issue 60). Is it better than the 50's? Ehhh...maybe...

I just feel like if the 70's continues pouring out issues that don't contain a story-arc, it may be superior to the 50's and 60's in my book (Since the weak parts of those collection of issues were the constant story-arcs which became severely boring as time moved on, especially that last one with Pencils the Pirate, oof, that was rough). Only time will tell.
 

ssj4gogita4

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SPONGEBOB COMICS #77

(W) Lender, Jay, (A/CA) Schigiel, Gregg

'Untidaled,' Part 2 of 2! SpongeBob and friends discover where all the ocean water has gone, and it's a really big pickle jar with a very tight lid, openable only by a gigantic fish-eating kraken (formerly a DJ). Can the Bikini Bottom rescue squad free the sea? Also in this issue: SpongeBob can't go to work due to a severe case of crying face! Mr. Krabs' hand-crafted new piggy bank gets totaled in the fryer. Plus, 'SpongeFunnies' by James Kochalka and ocean facts from Maris Wicks.

In Shops: Feb 14, 2018
SRP: $3.99
 

ssj4gogita4

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SPONGEBOB COMICS #78

(W) John Trabbic, Brian Smith (A) Brian Smith (A/CA) John Trabbic

Freak circumstances conspire to make SpongeBob's buck teeth grow out-of-control-threatening to demolish, or at least radically redesign, the Krusty Krab as we know it! Can Sponge-Bob's friends avoid dental disaster and knock his choppers down to size? Find out in "Healthy Teeth" by hot SpongeBob storyboard artist John Trabbic! Plus, delightful detail-meister Brian Smith (Tree Friends) brings you "Mini-Golf Madness" - five spreads of spectacular bird's eye panel panoramas detailing Mr. Krabs and SpongeBob's journey through the ocean's finest mini-golf course! Plus: "SpongeFunnies" by James Kochalka, ocean facts from Maris Wicks, and more!

In Shops: Mar 14, 2018
SRP: $3.99
 

McSponge

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Well, a few days ago I received Issue 76 surprisingly, and interestingly enough, it turned out to be a great issue. Untidaled was an amazing comic (Really happy to see Jay Lender back in action, haven't seen him in a while). It's probably the first actual story-arc that's legitimately great. The Showdown at Shady Shoals story arc was mediocre, Barnacle Bill didn't reach expectations, due it's lack of originality (Emphasizing more on being an homage to Popeye), Mermaid Girl was interesting, but fairly forgettable, and Lost Booty was super long and really repetitive. This was definitely a fun strip to read, it had a suspenseful, and really original storyline, lots of funny jokes, and I really enjoy the art of this comic. The moment I saw this issue's cover, I knew I was in for a treat, this is by far the best Story Arc we've gotten in the series so far.

The Fotsam & Jetsam Ocean Facts were decent this time around, not that great, though it did have some amusing visuals.

Barbells on the Beach was just a cute little story, nothing much wrong with it aside from an ending that didn't make much sense to me.

The SpongeFunnies in this issue were really bad, I think James needs to take a break, at least for a while after the 100th issue, he needs a little break from writing these, it's obvious he's out of ideas at this point.

Build a Boat! was a pretty good comic, I definitely enjoyed this one.

Finally, Rocks Look Like was a pretty good comic as well, ending the issue on a satisfying note.

Overall, I'm really happy about this issue. It's definitely the best Issue since Issue 62 (Though it's not even close to how great Issue 62 was). So far, the 70's have been doing pretty well. It's a big improvement over the 60's, and if the rest of the 70's will be as good (If not better than this issue), it might be as good as the 50's were. This issue was great, I absolutely loved Untidaled, and I'm looking forward to reading it's conclusion in Issue 77.

The 70's have been a real mixed bag, though it definitely leans more towards the positive side. Issues 71 & 73 were pretty good, this issue was great, Issues 72 & 74 were really bad, and issues 70 & 75 were real mixed bags. I'm looking forward to seeing what's going to come out of this series of comics in the future.
 

AquaticKonquest

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Does anyone else think the speech bubbles on the cover of #77 are unnecessary?

I mean, I don't know, it's just that the graphology does more than a capable job of showing us the situation and being comedic, so the speech just feels redundant; it's not like the last issue where the image needed the speech to provide a little more context. This issue's cover just looks perfect on its own merit, is all.

Just a thought I had while glancing at the image.
 

President Squidward

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From the Free Comic Book Day website:

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JAN180045
(W) Derek Drymon, James Kochalka (A) Robb Bihun, Vanessa Davis

Inspired by SpongeBob's comic book obsession, Plankton teams up with underwater super-villains to steal the Krabby Patty formula! But he may have gotten in over his tiny green head when word of his plan gets out in the aquatic bad-guy community! Soon, the Chum Bucket is filled with every Mermaid Man adversary we could fit into one story! How will Mr. Krabs fend off this evil, if somewhat over-large, invasion? Plus: In "Patrick Versus Somebody," enjoy the spazzy antics of Patrick and SpongeBob as they attempt to transform Patrick into a living comic book! All this, plus ocean facts from Maris Wicks and an amazing wraparound cover from Jacob Chabot!

In comic stores on FREE COMIC BOOK DAY, May 5th, 2018.
 

ssj4gogita4

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SPONGEBOB COMICS #79

(W) Charles Brubaker, (A/CA) Jacob Chabot

It's all-out aquatic op-ed war as Plankton and Mr. Krabs engage in the extreme sport of editorial cartooning in the newspapers of Bikini Bottom! Their slanderous scribblings even draw SpongeBob and Squidward into the destructive conflict-threatening everything they hold dear! Find out who gets the last laugh in The Cross-Hatch of Despair! Also: the threat of whirlpools forces Mr. Krabs to activate The Buddy System, which means Squidward and SponegBob must stay close together all day! And in Facial Hair Scare, a fake beard mishap throws Patrick into an identity crisis! All this plus Ocean Facts by Maris Wicks and SpongeFunnies by James Kochalka!

In Shops: April 11, 2018
SRP: $3.99
 

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https://www.firstcomicsnews.com/bongo-comics-may-2018-solicitations/

6nVqxT1.jpg


SPONGEBOB COMICS #80

MAR181229

(W) David Lewman, Max Davison (A) Hilary Barta (A/CA) Raul The Third

The secret formula is just part of what makes a Krabby Patty delicious. There is also The Method, SpongeBob’s crucial food prep procedure, and Squidward must learn it! But can he bear to study at the (cute) feet of a spongy sensei who drives him bonkers? Find out in “Method Madness”! Then in “Can’t Get Much Commoner,” King Neptune decides, perhaps unwisely, to learn about the simple pleasures of mortals by spending a day with two mortal simpletons-SpongeBob and Patrick. Also: Patrick decides to live the rest of his life in a kelp maze, and Mr. Krabs wants to win a place in the Underwater Book of Records. All this plus ocean facts by Maris Wicks and “SpongeFunnies” by James Kochalka!

In Shops: May 09, 2018

SRP: $3.99
 

~Marine Mermaid~

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ssj4gogita4 said:
FEB181184.jpg


SPONGEBOB COMICS #79

(W) Charles Brubaker, (A/CA) Jacob Chabot

It's all-out aquatic op-ed war as Plankton and Mr. Krabs engage in the extreme sport of editorial cartooning in the newspapers of Bikini Bottom! Their slanderous scribblings even draw SpongeBob and Squidward into the destructive conflict-threatening everything they hold dear! Find out who gets the last laugh in The Cross-Hatch of Despair! Also: the threat of whirlpools forces Mr. Krabs to activate The Buddy System, which means Squidward and SponegBob must stay close together all day! And in Facial Hair Scare, a fake beard mishap throws Patrick into an identity crisis! All this plus Ocean Facts by Maris Wicks and SpongeFunnies by James Kochalka!

In Shops: April 11, 2018
SRP: $3.99
The cover reminds me of "Duck Amuck" esspecially with Spongebob's pants!
 
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