In Which I Enjoy My Hobby That Takes Me Away From Real Work

When I first started posting to the Nest one of the first comments was from a certain Lucas Teodoro da Silva. In an attempt to avoid the incestuous back slapping routine that could arise from reviewing everyone who mentioned themselves here, I held off for a while to get a feel for his webcomic 8 1/2 by Eleven.

But now I feel the need to let you know it's lovely.

da Silva provides a couple of handy guides for the new reader, which are nice places to start. He mentions that he started the strip as a way of keeping his drawing hand in and I think that can be seen in some of the strange images that accompany otherwise potentially normal conversations. He also mentions that any humour is largely coincidental, but I found that the strip I link right there is one of the funniest I've read in a long time.

But one can see his point. As Joe and Monkey also commented on recently, da Silva ponders on the strange effect of reusing words too often. There is a lot of text and the action is slight, which carries a sense of lazy whimsy to me. It's a strip that strolls past and mentions amusing stories rather than jumping at you with a custard pie.

Because of the leisurely pace, we can find ourselves facing touching moments and still finding time for a laugh, or discussing light weight fluff and remembering the real world.

I personally cannot get enough of main character Nillan's younger sister. She reminds me of every person I ever thought was great to hang around with. Apparantly she will be receiving a name soon, as da Silva has been running a fan competition for it. I can't wait.

So, go and enjoy. It's one that I think you'll want to catch up with every day. Oh, and the titles kick arse.