Webcomic It's style over substance. Fuck Homestuck.
If you're here for a gripping plot, memorable characters, or good art, boy howdy you're in for a bad time. The plot is off-the-rails in the worst way imaginable, clocking in at over 5 years of... nothing. It's 2/10/15 when I'm writing this, and the end is finally in sight. Most of the characters are designed to be memorable, but typing quirks and catchphrases aren't a voucher for characterization. Hussie even admitted this himself.
Pros:
- It's really innovative at times. Not through narrative or character development or traditional narrative things, those are... mediocre, but through the sheer number of ways it can throw it at you. If you find other webcomics that present themselves in a single-panel form like Homestuck does, you can guarantee this is why.
- The outfits are neatly designed. Alchemized outfits are cool and unique, but they only get worn for a few panels at most before they switch into other outfits.
Cons: - It's long. It's really, REALLY fucking long. It's 5 years old and aside from lots of hiatuses, there are daily updates of massive size. There's hours of animation, which is confusingly paced. You'll have to watch each one multiple times to make sure you didn't miss something or understand it.
- The characters are really forgettable. Let's hope you can distinguish near-identical acronyms, because you'll see their userhandles more than their names. The art style doesn't lend itself towards this either, with a format for each character's appearance resulting in that Only Six Faces trope.
- The pacing is awful. Everything feels like padding, but it all matters. The format it presents itself doesn't lend itself towards that either. Dialogue is presented in walls of text, which can work in weird postmodern ways, which is the one thing Homestuck does well, but it's a pain to read.
- And honestly, the most painful thing is if you find yourself enjoying the comic, Hussie himself will create characters to make fun of you. Come Act 6 Act 6 Act 3 (yeah wrap your brain around that) all the characters introduced (yeah, introducing new characters in the 6th act, 4 years after it started) are insulting carbon copies of the people who fund his comic.
Overall, if you want cool visuals, go for it, but if you're looking for something that's not style over substance, you're better off looking elsewhere.
Webcomic Homestuck is the best webcomic.
Homestuck is infamously weird. It brought a lot of new things to the internet storytelling table- dedicated multimedia, games and music and reader interaction and weirdly impressive short video flashes made in collaboration with fans to punctuate the more awesome points. Also, just from a new reader standpoint: it starts with a boy examining his room for about 200 panels and then Earth is destroyed, and that's the plot prologue. But it's a banter comedy- inspired by a mix of old adventure games and blogging. While it was running, fans used to badger people into reading it just so they could talk about it. And I think it's great.
Hussie is detail oriented and likes foreshadowing. Alternate timelines, dimensions, and universes as part and parcel of Homestuck, and dialogue is CONSISTENTLY snappy and witty, all the endless nonsense clever enough that when you reach certain points in the story you are actually straight up delighted. Stripped to basics, the story is about the surviving humans of an inevitable, time-loopy apocalypse, told exclusively through their chat logs and video game like abstractions, trying to figure out what happened/is happening/will happen to them, and the answers just keep cosmically expanding in scope in a way that makes you want to invest- it's hard to give a good picture of the comic from the plot, it's a comic is about modern teens being friends written by a guy who absolutely understands the internet.
Characters are unusually distinctive- with the authorial trait of all being varying degree of weird endearing assholes, their interactions are the highlight of the webcomic. Plot is stacked like a trick deck full of terrible puns and portmanteaus, but sometimes I feel like I'm reading an unedited novel- like Hussie was just throwing every interesting idea he had into it, resulting in some subplots feeling unimportant later on, (unless it's some super important vital clue that maybe possibly could have been put elsewhere,) or at least rambly. However, I think the pros far outweigh the nit picky cons. I could say the pacing issue thing about Lord of the Rings, if comparing over detailed exposition dumps.
Homestuck got very popular, very quickly, 2 years into it's run. The constant plot overturns and foreshadowing trained the fandom into being very dedicated. Annoyed convention goers couldn't understand why a story about a boy in his bedroom caused such hysteria.
While hard to review, actually finding a good story like Homestuck is really rare, and I recommend it. It's like new age sci-fi, and it's so dedicated to off the wall growth, it never takes an easy or comfortable plot turn. It's weirdly fascinating, it has really funny writing- seriously, this guy worked hard at it, and is a great demonstration on how to do a meta time travel story down to all it's tiny, innumerable details.
Webcomic Guide to Enjoy Homestuck in First-Time Reading
So the series has finally come to its end, epilouge and all. This review serves as a clear-view of what the series really is (since it's very hard to determine before the series ends) and for readers that haven't read it yet.
This epic consists of three shifting genre: -Point-and-Click/Adventure game / Intro arc: First time you arrive in Homestuck world, characters would be doing frivolous things that it really test your reading patience because it takes long while to see their consequences. But the charm with this arc is, if you do wait and pay attention to the whole thing, the Chekov's Gun really pays off (of course there's Red Herring too, but impossible to know which is which in the first time). This part of Homestuck is light and soft, enjoy at your own pace.
-Troll Introduction arc: First-time reader will be asking why the hell it introduces barrage of new characters and not just use the plot progress to existing character? Because it's Survival Horror compared to previous arc that's why. Oh and don't be intimidated by terms Hussie made up, they are all not new Trope.
-Kids&Troll-unite arc / Reckoning Arc: This is where mechanics of the universe become clear and consequences of actions are more immediate. Best arc in my personal opinion. Grand-Finale of this arc is 15-min animation, really worth it.
-New Kids arc: New characters that superficially resembles minor chars introduced before appears, but their personality are not going to fully resemble those chars. Genre Shift to Teen Drama, albeit with apocalypse plot still happens.
True Ending: It's in the middle of that last arc rather than in the epilouge, served in claymation.
Webcomic Homestuck is an experience...
Homestuck is something that you need great patience to read. The plot is complex, long, and wild from start to finish. All of the characters are so distinct and likable to each different kind of person who read it. Of course, do not limit your self. If you think you don't have the patience to read it, don't worry! You develop the patience. You discover things you never knew about yourself reading Homestuck. I was so against reading Homestuck for so long. I first read it 3 years before i got into it, and thought "oh man this is way too boring. I don't even like reading!". Then i started reading it again because I didn't feel like doing other "productive things" like schoolwork and whatever at the time. I still didn't quite enjoy reading most of the time, due to my small amount of patience, and when I did read I didn't like the genres people described Homestuck as. Tearjerker? Action? No thanks. After the first 120 pages or so of act one, I started to think it was somewhat entertaining and decided id keep reading it every day. You get attached to characters and keep going through the story despite the immense confusion and start getting used to the weird hi-jinks that start to make sense. I looked forward to the pesterlogs as much as I didn't want them. While HILARIOUS and how they shed light on some confusion in the comic, they also feel like they drag on and on and ON... Of course until you get to like, act 3. By then you're numb to the lengthy pesterlogs and just yearn for them, and their reactions to their situations. I love just about each and every character! Pretty much every character except clown boy. He is a fleshed out character you can like but... I cannot forgive him. Homestuck's inside jokes are the finest things like, /ever/. I love them far far too much. It makes pesterlogs at least 10x funnier. Also, I love to decipher and get used to the typing quirks too. The trolls add to the sudden and immense confusion when you get to them so, good luck with that. I suggest having a friend sworn to non-spoiling at the ready to answer questions or tell you the answer will soon come. Honestly, just read it. Not an order but, its an experience I feel like everyone needs. I feel like if everyone read it it could change them, make them understand everyone is different but the same due to the insight into characters lives. The way characters cant avoid trouble and fights with each other in their life until brought together through an even bigger threat makes a point about coming together through pain. Their emotional traumas and how they deal with them is honestly so wild to me. If you look around you can see people doing the same things. Anyways, just, I really suggest reading it. If you reaaally don't want to, that's on you. Its your choice. ♥
Webcomic An unique and groundbreaking internet story hindered by pacing issues, too much text, and trolling
Now that it's actually over, barring epilogues or such, let's give it an actual review as a story as a whole, instead of as something you've only really seen so far.
It's got a lot of things going for it. The story as a whole is great, this vast epic thing that in its own way is the sort that hasn't been seen before at all, and it mostly works. It takes every possible advantage out of its highly flexible medium, constantly pushes boundaries and surprises the viewer with new things that no one else has done before. The cast of characters is varied and three-dimensional and for the most part well-written, and you'll probably find one or two to relate to and to want to follow this thing to the end. There are many great high points, great epic moments and great laughs and great cries and great shocks. You'll rarely know where the story is going, helped by the improvisation, which is a good thing more often than not. The art is good for the most part, if basic, with an occasional really high point. The music is top-notch to the end.
It's far from perfect, though. The story really starts to break up after the fourth act or so, and just keeps getting worse into act 6, jumping between an ever-increasing cast of mostly pointless characters, becoming a confusing jumbled mess that's hard to follow. There really is far too much dialogue, repeating things over and over in a slightly different way: about nine tenths could be culled and absolutely nothing would be missed. Both these things hurt the pacing, which the writer doesn't even seem to try to maintain in the first place. The flashes, too, are paced to follow the music, rather than the other way around - there are many second-long pauses that could be removed and the animation would feel tighter. Even if for the most part the constant improvisation and playing it by ear is to the benefit of the story, this is not always the case: along with the high points there are also moments of incredible low, anger and disappointment and resentment will be felt at some point by just about any reader. This is greatly exacerbated by the author's willingness to often do things just to troll his audience or rile them up, which hurts the story - anger fades, but the story never really heals.
Overall it's still pretty good, and worth checking out - although I'd recommend to start with Problem Sleuth, which is shorter, tighter, and suffers from very few of the problems just brought up, and those that do are involved to a far lesser extent. This makes it a superior story in my mind, but if you manage to read through it and enjoy it, Homestuck will probably be your thing as well.
Webcomic It is so bad it is brilliant
It all started off with it being introduced to me from a friend. It looked interesting, and im into complex and weird plots. But when I opened MSPA, and I read Act1 I was bored out of my mind. I kept being pestered it would be better later, and thank god and mother freaking teresa it did. The drama, comedy, and characters are very well done.
The Plot:
Pros- The plot although it seems kind of quirky, is a pretty nice plot. It is full of ideas and the conflict is very interesting
Cons-Although im a fan of complex plots, this plot was way to complicated. The evil lord Hussie keeps throwing new plotholes and conflict here and there and it is very hard to follow along with.
The Characters:
Pros- I LOVE these characters. All of them. They have so much diversity and personality. Tops on my list are Rose, John, Sollux, Eridan, and Terezi. They have believable problems and many flaws, but have allot of charm.
Cons- There are way to many damn characters.
The Art:
Pros- This art is very simple, but complex at the same time. The art would look dull and plain, but in other places would look absoultely marvelous. It is also very easy to get used to
Cons- The art is a bit inconsistent, and changes a little too much to follow with.
The Music:
Pros- The damn.FREAKING.music. Toby Fox and Malcolm Brown have made some of the greatest music I have ever heard, and every song has an epic and gorgeous light to them.
Cons- Its too good.
The Dialogue:
Pros- The dialogue is actually quite hilarious at some points, but can also be very strong and meaningful.
Cons- The quirks. I actually like the quirks, but they are not very good ways to tell a story. For example Vriska and Equius have such a weird quirk and I cant read some words because of the different usages for them. Some of them are really hard to take seriously. Like Eridan has allot of dramatic quotes, but his wws are so hard to not laugh at.
Hussie:
Pros- Hes a pretty good writer and artist
Cons- He is freaking satan. Damn you. Overall I think this is an okay comic. Its not fantastic, but it is very innotive and interesting. I think this comic will influence many in the future
7/10
Webcomic Homestuck: Here's the thing.
So Homestuck. I'm sure most of you have heard of it at some point. To put it simply , Homestuck is a very long webcomic, filled with what I believe to be a variety of interesting characters. It's pretty good, in my opinion, and here's why. It is a story that is meant to be taken semi-seriously. It takes drama and comedy, mashes them together, and pulls it off in it's own unique way. There are various gags that some say are thrown in to extend the story, but I believe they are there to give character. I will give an example. Early on in the story, one of the characters, John, is dealing with his inventory management system. It is meant to give you an idea of how the story will be told overall. The actual story is told in more-or-less walls of texts, which are meant to represent conversations between characters. The art style is very simplistic, and it is meant to be. The art style sticks e=with the mood of the story at any given point. When the story gets more dramatic, the art gets better. Some will complain about how long it is, but that is really up to you to decide. One thing I will say, is that the story doesn't always take itself seriously, and because of that the pacing isn't always spot on. It may also seem like the characters never evolve, but they do, in their own way. Unlike most stories, where the characters deal with their problems and it seems that they become perfect, they deal with their old problems, and develop new ones, like actual people. Alot of the story may seem like fluff, but it is intentionally written like this. Another thing I touched on earlier is the pacing. It is not perfect by any means, and can drag out items, or make them extremely condensed. In the end, I would give Homestuck a read. Don't start reading it with grand expectations of it being a masterpiece, but as a book. Whether you like it or not, is up to you.
Webcomic Die, Die, Why Won't You Die.
I did a fairly non-noticeable review of Homestuck a while ago. It was mostly positive, although back then I still dislike most of what I dislike now. That review was naught but eight months ago. Yet, I find it pertinent to express my views as they are now, rather than lend them pastly to the rabble mob of fans. Here I shall provide no summary. This is a review for those who know what they're talking about. If you don't, read on as a warning.
Homestuck is long and boring. These are very core elements of its narrative and if you feel yourself even slightly entertained by what's going on, I recommend you stop reading immediately and seek medical attention, as a class-2 Cognitohazard has wormed its way into your skull. We'll be there in a second with the amnestics.
Anyway, Homestuck is long and boring. It got way too out of hand, by author's admission, through the introduction of the Trolls. Said introduction has also made the entire thing into just a really big mishmash of nonsense that isn't suspenseful, engaging, or fun in any way. Commonly do we see tumblr text posts advertising its wackiness, comparing the first scene to one of the more actionable ones later on. You know the one. And I think that really illustrates the problem with Homestuck. It never died. It got older and more tumorous and no, that's not a reference, that's just sad. Until the psychic fish lady, the evil clown, the mind-control spider girl, and the Weird Dog are our main villains, and they're all at this pit of lava, and we're paused here for months and months, just looking back at past failures. It's too damn goofy.
Also, it's pretty bigoted sometimes. Seriously, remember those racist comics Andrew drew a while back? A true insight into the soul.
Webcomic Handle With Care
You've likely heard a lot about Andrew Hussie's Homestuck by now. Multimedia Web Original, primarily comic? From what I've seen, yes. Coming of age story with Time Travel? Accurate enough. Formulated from pure Internet and the tears of a thousand fake imaginary wizards? Sure. The longest written work in the history of the English Language? Absolutely. Matter of fact, this critic lost track of exactly when it reached that word count, but it's there by now. However you wish to describe Homestuck, I whole-heartedly recommend it, but I advise you to exercise caution. The rather tedious First Act can be attributed to Hussie training his previous fan-base: namely stragglers from Problem Sleuth. After that, it gets intense, and then difficult to follow. It requires a strong pan of attention to bring yourself up to speed. Also keep in mind that there are times when it lives up to Multimedia. With full flash animations, music, game updates, and even its own game coming out soon, the sum is... daunting to say the least. To say nothing of the devoted (sometimes rabidly so) fan-base. But I digress. All in all, I'd have to say it's a trial, however the experience is well worth it.
Just don't mention shipping in a room crowded with Homestuck fans. You'll figure it out.
Webcomic Worth a shot
I really like Homestuck. I like very long and complicated plots such as Lost and Kingdom Hearts. It appeals to me greatly.
That being said, like others said, there are good and bad bits.
The good:
The plot. Yes it's complex, but able to be followed. The wiki and even tvtropes help. (This is from someone that finds everymanhybrid a little too confusing) The characters, in my opinion, are all for the most part likeable. They may appear flat, but some do grow and change, John and Karkat come to mind. This may not count, but the fanart too! I love seeing headcanons, extrapolations and other things about this series that make me understand it more.
The bad:
It's long. It's VERY long. It takes a long time to catch up, especially if you're waiting for updates and forget the plot.
Also the plot, while with help it can be followed, it's very confusing. Sometimes it seems just like a bunch of ideas got mashed together.
So pretty much. I think people should give it a shot. Don't let crazy fans and hype decide it for you. Try it on your own. If you like long stories with complex plots, I think you'll enjoy this. If you don't, you probably won't.
Webcomic With the right expectations, it's an infectious ride
If you don't know what Homestuck is, pretty much everything you need to know going in is here.
Also, it's written by the author himself, which helps.
But seriously, Homestuck is pretty awesome.
The sheer multitude of original ideas and characters present here is staggering, not to mention the non-conventional way in which the story is told. It spans multiple universes, a period of three years, literally dozens of memorable and entertaining characters and plenty of room for fan projects like fan fiction, theories/headcanons and even shipping.
Unfortunately, this comes at a price. If you read the article above, you'll know that Homestuck was reader-driven for its first three acts and first intermission. This lead to three very meandering and aimless sections, mostly comprised of jokes instead of plot. But if you know this is coming, it's really not that bad as Hussie is a decent comedic writer and a glorious Deadpan Snarker. These first acts are quite charming but not all that interesting, which can be a problem because they run a bit long.
One of the most common phrases in getting people to read Homestuck you'll hear is "It gets better". That's true, but I'm not as quick to dismiss the beginning as others are. I find them funny, and these are fun, well-developed, well-rounded characters to spend time with. Unfortunately, that's not what most people are looking for when they read something as infamously deep and rewarding as Homestuck. Not everyone will have the patience for it. But for those who do, it's an easy fandom to become obsessed with, and, if you ask me, a genuinely well written, epic story.
Webcomic General Notes and Advice
So, Homestuck.
It's pretty complex, so I'll divide it up into a few sections.
Pacing - Now y'all have probably heard this before, but Homestuck starts out slower than just about anything else I've encountered. It's not until Act 3 or so that it settles into what the comic as a whole is like. Also, the comic is very slow moving, with many panels/conversations seemingly being completely irrelevant to the plot. That's just how it is.
Art - One thing that stands out immediately is that the art isn't any good. That part is intentional, and I think that one has to realize that the art in HS isn't mean to be good. It's just meant to give you an idea of what's happening while the text tells you exactly what's going on. It gets better during important scenes, but all in all it's not too important to the story. The text is.
Characters - One thing you may have noticed in other reviews is that there are a hell of a lot of characters. Specifically, 12 new ones show up when the trolls are introduced. Don't worry. Out of those 12 trolls, only Karkat, Terezi, and Vriska are important right off the bat. Kanaya and Gamzee become important later. So as a piece of advice, don't try to remember every little thing about the trolls (or other characters for that matter). The story is long enough that any characterization that is truly important will just kind of rub off as you read it.
Pesterlogs - These mammoth walls of text may seem pretty daunting. But every single conversation is important, so don't skip them. Otherwise you won't know who the characters are, and you won't know what's going on.
Music - Homestuck undoubtedly has the greatest music of any webcomic I've ever played. My personal favorite is Megalovania. Also, the music is synced nearly perfectly with the animated flashes, which are IMO the best part of the whole thing.
Miscellaneous - Homestuck has a really big and complicated story. However, once you get towards the middle/end, it all starts paying off. It may not be for you, but I think it's the greatest webcomic I've ever read. It's a true epic narrative, and it does the best job I've ever seen of making the story seem truly BIG, and really spelling out how important every decision or action is.
It's also pretty funny.
So yeah, it's really good, if you like that kind of thing. Otherwise, I guess don't bother.
Webcomic You won't regret it! Or will you?
I will start saying I utterly love it, even if I know where the disliking comes from for somebody! I think it's mostly about tastes and opinions, since we approach something quite unusual.
First, the way the story is told. It's not like anything you've seen before, an experimental narrative that involves reading, interacting, animation&music, and yet mostly reading (a lot of it). What is there to read? Weird descriptions and chatlogs. Yep, chatlogs! I won't go into details, I'll just say it gets nice and creative! Anyway this kind of narration isn't perfect. Fact is, Homestuck is a good experiment, it just doesn't work for some people. Not everyone finds it immediately comprehensible or has fun reading a mess of things that only make sense later. It can become frustrating after a while.
About this, I also like how everything is useful to the plot, even the boring stuff. It's not always good for the sake of entertainment, since it kind of force you to pay more attention than the usual, but I find this to be quite a good thing. Ok, some stuff isn't THAT useful to the plot, but still kind of relevant to comprehend details and analize characters a bit better. The con is maybe the fact that that'd be better to get into characterization through more important events instead of strange chatlogs that look like they serve no purpose. What I suggest though, is to read it "lightheartedly" at first. You can read it again if you liked it and have time, and you'll probably discover a lot of things you didn't notice before.
The music is good. The art is, well, not even that important most of the time, except to communicate things at the bare minimum. But it gets really good at times, in different ways. Colors are VERY important. The roughtly animated flashes honestly fascinates me, some of them are just epic.
The characters are good and well done, some way more than others. Still, everyone of them is really "flawed" in their own ways, and the kids/trolls look exactly like people who still have to grow up and learn a lot. SPOILER: the price for it is often death and/or physical and emotional pain. If you're searching for something to have "feels" about, there you have it.
I'd like to get into stuff a bit more, but I'm running out of space. Let's just say Homestuck is interesting and weird and I think you should give it a shot!
Webcomic My opinion of Homestuck...
Pros:
Plot is well written and makes sense most of the time
Characters are very interesting and well-rounded
The art and animation have a unique style to them
The music is amazing
The character interactions are great
The humor can be funny.
Cons:
The length, dear god the length. Hussie has a tendency to drag things out which doesn't move the plot forward at all (some of the jokes, the trolls sometimes, and too many other moments to mention).
Some characters serve little purpose despite being well developed.
The first act may put off a few people because of its slow start.
The amount of ways a person can get revived kinda takes out the tension when they die since Hussie may create a new way to revive the dead person.
Overall: I'm currently on Act 5 Act 2 and my opinion is that this comic, while good, just keeps me from wanting to go back sometimes because of how long it is. I wouldn't care usually but this comic has a tendency to drag stuff out (most of which has little significance to the plot) but sometimes this may be necessary since it gives us more time to connect with the characters and their struggles.
Oh, and you have to get past the first act. There's another problem there.
Plus, some of the revival methods that Hussie creates just come out of nowhere but he makes them make SENSE. It's good that he can do that but....still.....
Overall, this comic is great and I love it. Although the length, slow start, meaningless characters (despite being well-developed), and the ludicrous amount of revival methods may put off a few people......Hussie's adeptness at handling a cast of Loads and Loads of Characters and weaving a great story with many plotlines is the main highlight of this webcomic.
Oh, and the flashes and art are great too. =)
Webcomic Homestuck: Long and unique... Perhaps too much so.
I love Homestuck. I started Andrew Hussie's work with the stellar Problem Sleuth, and I knew his next comic would be great. Homestuck is great. The panels get more and more complex, culminating in gorgeous videos with sound. The characters are all quirky, and most have very recognizable voices. The comic is mostly humorous, but as time has gone on it's also become quite a bit more dramatic.
Unfortunately, Homestuck's length is also its greatest weakness.
The problem with Homestuck for me is that when the cast expanded at the beginning of Act 5, the story lost momentum. While it regained that momentum in some places (Especially the beginning of Act 5, Part 2), we're still spending massive amounts of time on an asteroid watching a bunch of quirky troll characters dicking around and occasionally killing each other. Unfortunately, my only desire is that they kill each other faster, because there lies the crucial problem: If you don't like the trolls, you won't like Homestuck as it is now. And if you are just trying to wait it out, well, tough titty, the trolls are here to stay for another God-knows-how-many thousand chapters. At the same time, we get mountains of injokes and references, at which point I've just become rather jaded.
I love Homestuck, but I don't like Homstuck right now, and every time I try to take a break, when I come back, I'll either be completely enamored with the comic or just bored by it. It's weird, because there's plenty of things to like; the plot is advancing at a lightning pace whenever we focus on the kids and Exiles, the dialogue is funnier than ever, the drawing is better, and Hussie is adding more and more interesting tidbits that will definitely be brought up again in the future. I just think it's gotten too big, especially when Hussie brings in troll ancestor characters who begin having their own stories too.
I don't expect the comic to bend over; Hussie will never relent his creativity to audience reactions, and I love that. However, be warned about two things before trying Homestuck: It is long, and it will change. The characters you like might die; the ones you don't might continue to annoy you until the comic ends. It's all part of Homestuck's charm and malice.
Webcomic Don't Even Bother...just don't.
I know I'm going to get a lot of flack for putting this out here, but I am anyway: There are no likeable characters in this story. You may think you like one character or the other, but at one point, you realize-you don't. They're boring, bland, and too many of them. Furthermore, the "chat logs"...holy crap, where to begin with them? The logs are most certainly the least fun way to reveal a plot point. Don't get me wrong, I like reading, but when I have to slog through several lines worth of moronic dialogue which doesn't even have to do with the plot itself, it gets tedious. I could have more fun reading my Grandma's text messages. Or maybe reading 700 birthday cards in one sitting. Sure, there's pretty music and funny dialogue in some places, but, seriously-when I have to slog through a bland chapter with one character in hopes of an important plot point surfacing and it changes characters abruptly? No, just....no. Also, the minigames? Why even bother having a score for these pointless thrown-together bits of Flash? Once you go to the next "page", your score is all for naught. This lost momentum fast and now it's at a boring standstill, flat characters who do nothing but stand around, and make "funny" inside jokes and references is not fun. It's boring. And it gets old really, really fast. In short, if you want to be so bored and utterly confused that your mind may actually leak out of your ears, then yes, this game is for you. But, if you want to keep your sanity and keep your computer un-punched, then no, absolutely not. This game ends up being an elaborate waste of time.
Webcomic A Wide World of Wonder.
This won't be in-depth, because there's ~30 other reviews that'll say the same things. I'll give my piece, then sod off.
If you're looking for a casual read, this aint it. Homestuck is very very long and very very involved in itself, and if you don't read literally most of it from start to finish, you'll be missing something. But, while Homestuck is as vast as they say it is, it's not necessarily good all the way through. Acts 1-4 OOZE a nostalgic, Romanticist 90s RPG atmosphere, full of promise and adventure and honest creativity that will probably inspire you to at least think about stuff. But, if that's what you're into, it becomes a letdown later on in Act 5 Act 1, which focuses on an entirely different and much larger set of characters and their relationships, even though its in a very similar adventure game setting... for the most part. Contrary to what most fans will tell you, I'd say if you don't mind being a little confused on certain character dynamics later on, you can skim the extensive chatlogs in Act 5 Act 1, if not scroll past them entirely. Act 5 Act 2 goes back to its roots, however, and focuses back on our main group, with the second communicating with them. Here, you'll want to read the chatlogs- this is some of Hussie's most immersive writing. The first few parts of Act 6 are pretty long and not super great, but if you can power through some of it, you'll have a decently entertaining time. Right now, the comic is taking a break for the author to finish the entire rest of the comic, so you have plenty of time to read.
What makes Homestuck special to me, though, isn't just the plot. It boasts an extensive collection of original music, with ONES of full-length albums available to listen to and purchase on their bandcamp page. Most of it captures the adventurous, lighthearted feel of the early acts, while others highlight the more epic points of the tale. The artwork of the comic's panels itself is often very interesting and mood-setting, from a mind-bending cityscape created by copypasting and photoshopping cathedrals from Google Images to original and surreal landscapes. All is supported by fantastic flash animations throughout the story, set to the same epic music.
Overall, I'd seriously recommend Homestuck to someone who has time on their hands. Good luck!
Webcomic Its worth the weirdness
Take Andrew Hussies brain. Add one internet, a group of clowns, and blend until smooth. Serve three times a day in a 650 px x 450 px box
Homestuck is a long, unique, epic, with twisting plotslines that are either going nowhere fast or will cause the complete destruction of the universe, its a coin toss. Hussie has some truly unique and brilliant ideas (What if there was a caste system based on blood color?) and some other ideas that are... kinda weird and random (What if the president were actually two juggalos??) It becomes obvious by the second act that hes just throwing in whatever sounds cool to him at the moment, and coming up with ways to tie it all together.
Thats not a bad thing, mind. With the impressive update speed, and the extreme use of Four Lines All Waiting, I can say with confidence that Homestuck has something for everyone.
A lot of the elements may seem contrived, or implausible. Thats because they are. See, andrew hussie is really easily bored. The plot of Homestuck is in a race with Hussies short attention span, and when it fails to interest him, we get stuff like Troll Will Smith, and Hussie killing himself off and turning the comic into a parody of itself, written by the villian. Its easier to ignore, or even enjoy, the weird random parts when you're reading the comic as it updates: if you're archive trawling, they break immersion and distract from the story.
Wether theres enough good story to take on the monumental task of reading it is up to you. In my opinion, seeing into Hussies incredibly creative mind is definately worth the trouble of seeing it through Hussies increbly creative mind.
Webcomic Its greatest strengths are its greatest weaknesses, and vice versa.
Homestuck is nearly unreviewable. It's so far removed from any form of traditional storytelling that it's hard to say whether anything is a flaw or a feature. Two people can look at the same part and either love or hate it. I'll try to summarize the main points::
The Plot/Cosmology:
- Good: Hussie is extremely adept at creating a massive sprawling web of plotlines and then linking them all together while avoiding plot holes. There are very few works out there that match the level of complexity while still making sense. The plot is unpredictable, and always surprising.
- Bad: He creates complexity by pulling new features out of his ass and retconning them to make sense. It creates a coherent story, but also means that any "rule" he establishes can be broken, and any plot point that occurs can be negated. This negates any sense of tension. For an example, character deaths. He's created so many methods to come Back From The Dead that a death has no tension because he can create a new plot point to resolve it. If he writes himself into a corner he'll simply invent a new method and retroactively justify it.
Media:
- Good: Hussie combines animation, text, and viewer interaction in an unprecedented way, and it allows him to tell the story in a way no one media could. It very often enhances the story, and makes it incredibly memorable. He also shatters the fourth wall a lot to add additional layers of audience involvement.
- Bad: Hussie has a tendency to do things for the heck of it rather than because it actually serves the story. There are tons of needless scenes and gimmicks that don't serve much of a purpose. The fourth wall breaking also comes across as self indulgent.
Characters:
- Good: Hussie is good at creating and handling a large cast and making them all multifaceted and well developed. Every character has a distinct voice and personality. None of them seem flat and their interactions are fun to read.
- Bad: He also has a tendency to introduce characters in groups, and then not use them all. This bloats the story with unnecessary characters who might be well developed, but also have little purpose. They also have a tendency to ramble.
Overall, it's impossible to guess if someone will like Homestuck or not; too much depends on personal preference. Read it, and form your own opinion.
Webcomic Objectively, Homestuck is interesting
Homestuck is a webcomic that encompasses the adventure of four internet friends who live in different corners of the USA, and through chatlogs and single panels, play a video game called Sburb that alters reality and destroys earth. This makes no sense even in context, which is generally how the rest of the plot goes, like piecing together a mystery.
Homestuck is unique in the way it is told, running on what amounts to pure dialogue to show personal growth of each of the characters, the cast of which quickly grows and morphs as the universe expands. The setting spans from various parts of Earth, to the afterlife, to a game medium where each kid has his own mythology, super-powers, and planet. Dialogue and narration is written in such a way that every memetic line and visual clue amounts to a complicated puzzle about how every character's storyline (nearly all independent of each other) affect one another and the fate of the universe, respectively. The story spastically jumps from pov to pov and even different timeframes and memories, running more on thematic parallels that basically equal almost complete narrative freedom. The story is huge, the characters slowly becoming fleshed out and really unique from one another. The rapport off they have of each other is genuinely fun to watch and leaves you wishing they talked to each other more, unbelievable as that sounds with the veritable slogs of dialogue you brave.
Usually the art is a major part of the essence of a webcomic but in HS it seems secondary to the story. The actual mini-movies and rpg style games that can tell hundreds of pages worth of story in one update certainly make it up, along with gorgeous guest assets and well utilized leitmotifs customised to each character, fight, and situation.
Even if you don't want to read it for numerous equally as subjective reasons, HS is interesting as a general phenomenon. Also, the music is pretty amazing!
I've read a lot of books, and in storytelling, HS is way up there. The format is nothing but creative. Acts 1-5 (with the interlude of the Troll's 600 hour session) ostensibly take place within the span of a few hours (trollside) and a day (kid's side) on the main characters birthday, and the sheer complexity and closed time loops, interweaving of character's timeline, and general intelligence in which everything from the stupid jokes to the Cascade climax was revealed was very exciting and actually satisfying for all that build up. Since then, a revelation that changes the impact of every action in the comic thus far has been common every few updates. Reread that sentence and appreciate how difficult that is. The author is not afraid to bring points to their conclusion after years even with the resulting confusion of a casual reader. I frankly have no idea how Homestuck will actually end- and that's novel. It stimulates the imagination. Worth a read.
Webcomic Holy Shmoly.
Homestuck is... interesting.
Good points:
-The characters. The cast is diverse and interesting, particularly amongst the trolls.
-The relationships. The characters all have varied, interesting relationships. From Equius and Nepeta's moirallegiance to Karkat's lashing out at just about everyone, Homestuck runs the gamut of character interaction.
Bad points:
-The length. Homestuck is BLOATED with odd flash animations, pointless jokes, and all manner of strange focus swaps.
-The seriousness. I honestly think that Homestuck would work better if it was not meant to be taken seriously. It seems like a gigantic parody of an epic, mixing the ludicrous with the dramatic, and should be treated as such for optimal effect.
My recommendation: Read as much of Homestuck as you can, but try to look for fanfics also. Compare the fics to the actual story, and see which you prefer.
Webcomic Try it if you dare... You'll be rewarded
Okay so the first thing about homestuck is that it starts really slow. As a general rule I don't like stories that take a while to get into, but it's worth it if you can get through the boring first few acts. I'll get to the point. The thing I really like about it is how it puts across a universe that's really solid and well explained, leaving barely anything to speculation. It doesn't fear length either, although it may be messily paced it definitely isn't rushed at any points. The timelines are very non-linear and can sometimes take a bit of understanding which I guess might be a bit of a turn off for some readers. I'm not going to say 'everybody read homestuck right now it's sooooooo cooooooooool' because everyone has different tastes, but I'm just going to say that personally I enjoyed it. It's a good read, IF you have the time to read it.
Webcomic Love it or Hate it
First of all, and this is completely objectively, people need to stop calling this a webcomic. Wecomic implies, panels, speech bubbles, or something that resembles a comic. This is neither positive or negative, it just isn't a webcomic, its a unique beast. Now onto the review.
As I said previously, it is a unique beast, and that applies to the content as much as the format. There is truly nothing like Homestuck, and there probably never will be. Whether what it is is a good thing or not completely depends on the person. I personally hate it. I hate almost everything about it. I hate its use of second person for a narrative, I hate it's immense walls of text, I hate its art style, I hate how it attempts to use comedy and drama at the same time, effectively killing both, but most of all I hate how no one seems to understand why I hate it. I don't mind that people like it, that's fine. I can see that it has plenty of things to like. I just hate that people seem to treat it like it's objectively good. No, Andrew Hussie is NOT the God of the internet, and no Homestuck is NOT the Undisputed greatest piece of fiction ever, and people need to stop treating it as such.
Webcomic Homestuck is... homestuck just is.
When i say homestuck, and people are like what is homestuck (probably not here, though) i cant really say anything, due to the fact it can be everything it can be, and then its nothing. some people will read homestuck and wonder what the heck they are reading. homestuck is simply a web comic. it isn't about how they win the game. it isn't about how the world ends. it isn't about how four kids play a game. i think its about a bunch of people caught up in something that they cant exactly change. Andrew Hussie brings to the light something no one has ever thought about at all. homestuck is weird to the extreme of making sense. its a lot like life. at least, that's what i think. Andrew Hussie may or may not just be trolling us, we'll never be completely be sure, but it is in fact not very probably just trolling us. sometimes it feels like that, I'll admit that. in all, some people don't like homestuck because its to confusing. some people don't like that they cant predict the end. some people think that it wont change their lives at all. but then again, does anything? homestuck is hard to describe. it isn't categorized because there isn't a category it belongs. some people don't like this. some people love all of this. i understands everyone's point. well at least, i try. but in the end, i have to be a human.
in my opinion, READ HOMESTUCK NOW.
Webcomic Homestuck
Well... What can be said about it?
Homestuck for me has been quite the experience. From the characters personalities, to the struggles they've gone through, they always find a way out. They find ways to survive.
Hussie has changed my view and perception of life. Keep your friends in your heart and don't allow life to abandon you. John, out of almost all of them has taught me so much. His dedication to his friends and his will to survive has brought him so far, and he has learned so much. He did not break down over his fathers death. He fought.
Now, if you haven't read it, or only read a part, you don't understand why. It's mix of comedy and drama has made me laugh, cry, and reflect on my own life. I find it life changing and inspiring.
Webcomic I hope you like text, and typing quirks...
Homestuck is a word-based word-story based in being overly wordy with occasional pictures to illustrate the words.
The story revolves around four kids, four guardians, four exiles, and twelve trolls. All the kids save Dave are likable enough; all the Guardians pull some really impressive stunts, the Exiles are some of my favorite characters in any webcomic, and the trolls...
The trolls...
The trolls are what makes or breaks Homestuck. They take over the story. All twelve trolls have remarkably different personalities; an assortment of wills that would be incredibly hard for any author to do; and though Andrew Hussie is a decent enough writer, keeping up with twenty-four characters is too much.
The only solution for him is to reduce the size of the cast, which Hussie does in the most horrifying, disappointing, depressing, and disturbing manner possible.
If you don't like the trolls, don't read Homestuck. If you do like the trolls, don't read Homestuck (because you'll have to read about all the terrible things that happen to them).
Also, Homestuck has more than its fair share of in-jokes and self-references; which tend to be annoying on rereads, but are rather amusing the first time.
In general, I would recommend those who don't like the trolls to stop reading when Karkat is introduced; and I would recommend those who do like the trolls to just read fan-fiction written by people who aren't sadistic jerks who want to marry Vriska and kill off as many characters as possible. If you don't like Homestuck, don't start.
Webcomic Definitely a story that is also a puzzle.
Homestuck is one of those pieces of media which takes a certain aspect which appeals to some people and drives it as far as it can possibly go. In this particular case, that aspect is plot complexity. I think that Andrew Hussie's description of Homestuck as "a story that is also a puzzle" is one of the most apt you can come up with—what with the frequent time travel, oodles upon oodles of characters, and various intertwining gambits, the plot has grown into a monster the likes of which I've never seen before and will probably never see again.
And like many examples of media in which one aspect goes up to 11, Homestuck is not for everyone. I believe it will greatly appeal, though, to anyone who loves to think, is very patient, and has more spare time than anyone should really be allowed to have. Any story with this level of plot complexity is probably not going to appeal to you unless you're willing to put in the brainwork and time necessary to fully understand what's going on. However, as someone who loves puzzles and complex plots of all sorts, I think Homestuck is one of the best webcomics I've ever read.
And what I've said above shouldn't be taken to mean that Homestuck's sole virtue is its plotting; partially due to the lengthy and slow-paced development, it has what I consider to be two other fundamental characteristics of a good story: well-developed characters and creative world-building. Certainly not all of the several dozen characters are well-rounded, but Hussie has managed to make many of them interesting nonetheless. And the world(s) in which the whole story takes place is/are displayed in astonishing detail.
Finally, I find Homestuck to be a triumph of experimental storytelling. With second-person narration, small Flash games, and the Hivebent arc as just a few examples, Andrew Hussie has cycled through so many different plot devices and media that the story defies classification. Sometimes these experiments may go awry, but for the most part they show the many different ways in which one story can be told.
In short, if you're someone who enjoys puzzling about whatever you're reading and who is willing and able to put a lot of time into a slow-paced and complex story, Homestuck is likely to be an amazing read. Otherwise, you may still enjoy it, but proceed with caution; it may eat up all of your time.
Webcomic A Long Road (Some Spoilers)
Homestuck. What can I say about it?
Well, for one thing, you can't really classify it as...anything. It IS. Kind of like a black hole; get too close and sooner or later you'll fall in. It's a long road, from introducing all the characters, to dealing with their stories and interactions and personalities, to the time travel, to all the shocking twists and turns, to the NEW shocking twists and turns, to...well, you get the idea. That's not even mentioning the fact that it's all done by one guy.
All the stuff mentioned above...in any other story, any other thing...people would drop it like a live grenade. And by drop, I mean hurl it as far away as possible. But Hussie does something with it. He makes it all work. Somehow, he makes it work. He makes every single character and concept introduced and referenced matter and work. And they do. Homestuck's been around for 3 years. 3. Freaking. Years. And like I said, it's a long road that's only gonna get longer.
And for me...that's the problem.
You see...I used to read Homestuck. I say "used to", because not too long ago, I stopped reading it. Well, that's not entirely true. I starting reading it again, but we'll get to that. I should say I used to enjoy it. Sometime during Act 6, when it was revealed that Jake's dreamself was revealed to already be dead, something inside me kinda switched off. I think I realized, due to all the stuff that happened in Acts 1 through 5, all the deaths, all the resurrections...I realized that Homestuck was getting formulaic and predictable. At some point, the Alpha kids are going to die; all of them. And then those deaths will be nullified and they'll be a-okay.
Now, when I say it's predictable, that's my personal opinion.
However, it just got tedious. Irritating. I couldn't stand looking at Homestuck fanart without getting angry. For some reason, it just...pissed me off. I wad getting tired of Homestuck. All those meaningless deaths just left me without any empathy for the characters. Any of them. Even the Alpha kids who hadn't died yet.
Despite all that, I'm still reading it. I'm still reading it so that I can see how it ends. I owe myself that much at least.
So I guess my review is....it's a very good story, with a lot of diverse characters. It's an original tale, and it's exciting. But the meaningless deaths do take a toll.
Webcomic What the **** is Homestuck?
Yes I did just refer to a bad meme, live with it
If you're in this section, chances are you're looking to know if you should read Homestuck or not. Ah who am I kidding, you've already read it and are looking for confirmation that others share your opinion. But I'll just pretend you're doing the former.
So, what is Homestuck? Is it any good? And most importantly, should you read it? Well, the answer to the first question isn't exactly simple. As I'm sure you've heard, Homestuck kind of defies definitions of genre and even the media it's presented in. At it's core, Homestuck is a partially interactive epic, using everything from simple pictures and words to flash animations to fully interactive gameplay to tell its story. And what a story it is. Is Homestuck any good? Well, that depends on who you ask, but from a strictly literary and qualitative standpoint, yes it's good. But it isn't exactly for everyone, and not everyone will really enjoy reading it. For starters, it takes its time about things, and has pretty unusual pacing. It starts out pretty slow, so if you do read it make sure you at least get to the third act before quitting on it. Trust me, things start picking up around then. It also is quite wordy in parts, and is not recommended for those who aren't very good at or simply don't like doing lots of reading. Most important to remember though is that this is not a casual read/view/play. If you're going to indulge in Homestuck, you had better be ready. This thing is deep, convoluted, complex and HEAVY. It will require and outright demand your attention for hours at a time, and will twist your brain into pretzels as you try to understand it. The cast is enormous, the plot convoluted and massive, the universe complex and intense. If you're looking for a light little ditty to distract you for 15 minutes, it's not for you. But if you're willing to make the commitment, Homestuck will suck you in and swallow you whole, and will never let you go.
A few more notes. If you like following just one core group of characters, you're in for a shock come the fifth act and then again in the sixth. Let's just say the cast expands a bit and you'll have to leave your old friends behind for a while. Ultimately though, I think it's worth it. One thing is for sure; there's nothing quite like Homestuck.
Webcomic IM: Write About Pleasing Audiovisual Series Online
What can I say about Homestuck? Is it a webcomic? Is it a beta for a game? Is it a hit?
Homestuck is not just those things - Homestuck is an experience. One webcomic, one part video game, and one part of The Epic, it is a story to remember. To me, Homestuck boils down to Scott Pilgrim meets Baka and Test with a little bit of Pandora Hearts and some elements from Inception to make things interesting. It's basically a Shout Out-filled story that boils down to one thing - Four teenagers and twelve trolls do what millions of us do every day - Play a video game. But, instead, this video game sends the protagonists on an epic quest to save the world.
All in all, There are no five stars needed for Homestuck's Crazy Awesome story. Instead, I give it 4.13, or 413, because this is Homestuck.
Webcomic Insane, impossible, incomprehensible... And yet it's simply the best thing there is!
Homestuck is more than a webcomic. With the inclusion of sound and epic animations it's more like a 'thing' than something that can be defined. In summary, it's the best thing since *insert extremelly awesome thing here* and it's worth reading, even if Act 1 is a little boring.
The plot is the most insane part of Homestuck. Between insane time loops, anachronic order, dream selves and the huge amount of characters you will have no idea what is going on 95% of the time. The other 5% will be when you are re-reading it for the 5th time to try and make sense of it. The plot is beautifully written, it's unpredictable and very well thought out, there are no plot holes despite all the forshadowing and shenanigans and the end of act scenes will make your jaw hit the floor. Plot: 10/10
The many characters are equally interesting, while some of them may seem clichèd they are more subversions and deconstructions in the end. Hussie creates characters like Vriska for the sole reason of breaking the fanbase, but then turnsthe Bluh Bluh Huge Bitch into a sort of Woobie. How he does that, no-one knows. Characters: 10/10
The art is a major improvement over Problem Sleuth and it keeps improving as the story goes on. As well as the characters standard chibi sprites we have different art styles for different moods. Said moodsgo from comedy to horror to pure epic to tear jerking back to funny again. Homestuck has a Mood Whiplash page for a reason! Back on track, while the art isn't particularly GOOD, it's certainly not bad and it certainly doesn't diminish the awesome that is Homestuck. Art : 10/10.
The music in Homestuck is very varied, but also very good. The most epic scene. Get the most epic music, Explore, Sburban Jungle, Descend and Umbral Ultimatum are some of the best songs, but the soundtrack on a whole is totally amazing and definitly worth buying. There's a lot of different albums from the simple Homestuck Volumes to albums by the Midnight Crew and The Felt. All in all, Music: 10/10.
To summarize, you really have no reason to not be reading this right now. I could go on for hours about how awesome it is, but I'm approaching the word limit. I'll give Homestuck a final rating of 10/10 and hope that you're now reading it. I'm off to check for updates!
Webcomic Be prepared to subtract free time.
"Homestuck is honestly one of the best things I have ever read. It is funny, dramatic, and gut wrenching. Coming home at the end of the day, Homestuck is literally the first thing I check. Look at the size of the main page. Look at the characters. While Act One is somewhat slow, by Act Three you will be unable to look away. The art is simply amazing and the flash updates are astounding. Simply a complete joy to experience."
I wrote that a year and a half ago. It stands up still; but not quite as much. If you read Homestuck simply on it's own, and stay detached from the fandom at large, I guarantee you will enjoy it, simply because it is one of the best webcomics on the net today. There are parts that will infuriate you and parts that seem incredibly contrived or unnecessary. For myself, the trolls are similar to a cancer that has invaded the story, subtracting character traits and spotlight time from the characters I grew to love, as well as driving the story to more of a text based format instead of the flash driven story of the past. Homestuck now isn't the Homestuck I knew then, but it is still good. The fandom at large...well let's just say Fan Dumb. There are plenty of wonderful people, but there is an overall toxicity that repels a lot of people. It's the internet, it happens. As for the comic on it's own merits, definitely worth at least a look through. It stands as possibly one of the most compelling examples of a webcomic qualifying as some new form of wonderful art.
Webcomic Love it! But will you?
Homestuck is interesting in and of the fact that it's the first of its kind, combining a variety of media (from traditional comics to flash animation to interactive video game segments) in order to tell the story of "a boy and his friends and the game they play together." People who've experienced Homestuck tend to have polar opinions: some abhor it and others worship it. Personally, I'm absolutely in love with it. Though Homestuck has some good art and some awesome music; ultimately, I think that what draws/repels people to/from Homestuck are its characters, plot, and fanbase.
Characters - I think its difficult not to find a character whom you love, especially considering there are nearly 20 main characters (more depending on how you define a main character). However, I can't say for sure if your favorite character gets screen time because some of the characters are screen whores, some of them get axed, and others mysteriously disappear for long stretches of time.
Plot - The plot's very convoluted and very thick. There are time paradoxes, multiple plotlines (that eventually merge into one main plotline), and side stories (even a separate comic within Homestuck). The plot can be absolutely hilarious at times and aggravatingly boring at others. It can be lighthearted, but it can also be heart-wrenching. Though it progressively gets more and more complex (almost to the point where it's unmanageable), I think it gets better and more engaging as the story progresses and the characters develop.
Fanbase - As with any popular work, Homestuck has fans, both good and bad. The trick is to find the section of fans you can relate to. Is Homestuck a passing fancy or are you so into it that your lines of reality have begun to blur? When these two groups of people are separate, the results are wonderful. When they mix, heads roll. Some fans are obnoxious; others are brilliant. Again, it's about finding where you're happiest and ignoring the fuckasses.
Overall, Homestuck definitely appeals to a certain type of person, someone with an offbeat sense of humor who is willing to trek through an incredibly complex plot. Whether or not you end up enjoying it, I think Homestuck is worth experiencing for anyone simply because there's nothing quite like it, and I think people can, at the very least, appreciate the novelty of the idea.
Webcomic Wild Ride
As has been previously stated, Homestuck isn't a webcomic. It is something entirely new, something that makes full use of the website medium and has inspired countless copies, good and bad. There's no name for this format yet. Forget genre-busting, Homestuck is media-busting.
As for the ...thing... itself, overall it is excellent. The plot pacing starts off slow, but speeds up exponentially after the first act. The art and animation improve drastically over the course of the story. As does the music. It is great music.
Now, the plot is incredibly convoluted. To say things happen in anachronical order is an understatement. If you cannot keep track of paradoxes, things happening "simultaneously" at different times, and other temporal lunacies, this may not be the ...whatever... for you. And since time is a function of space, an internal mapping system that can cover whole universes may also help you. Go insane.
Also a warning. The author takes pride in taking tropes that are commonly done badly, and making them work, or at least not kill the work. The presence of these tropes may put you off. Things like author involvement, audience psycheouts, rapidly switching characters in the middle of something interesting/important, then focusing on something trivial, before throwing you back into the ring again, leaving you dazed and not sure where you are. Or even who you are. Often.
Tied in to the above, another warning: you may exhibit Andrew Hussie Syndrome. Symptoms include: saying whatever he's just done has ruined Homestuck forever, saying this X wasn't as good as the last X, and, more noticeably, yelling at the screen, the sky, and frightened people around you, "HUSSIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIEEEEEEEEEE!". This is because when you eagerly await the next update, you don't know how it's gonna fit into what's going to happen, given that it hasn't happened yet, and you're not going back over the absolutely huge archive to see how it fits into the past. The deductive momentum built up over the course of the narrative has hit a brick wall, and it hurts.
So I recommend you DON'T read Homestuck. I recommend you wait until it's finished. Then I recommend you buy it on DVD, and set aside a free week (or more)to watch it all in one go.
Then I recommend you grab some tissues for the tears you will weep at the fact that it IS finished.
Webcomic Dashes expectations, but usually in a good way.
I actually still mostly like the comic, depsite the shrotcomings. I like the non-standard mixed-media presentation and metafictional format. I also actually enjoy the way so many things resolved in suitably dramatic and engaging ways that, nonetheless, were a lot less obviously climactic than one would expect. While I could see this getting stale pretty quickly, I feel that the author is currently handling most of these pretty well; if there's a skipped moment of awesome, we generally get to see it eventually. If a climactic moment is subverted, it's usually in a clever manner.
I think the trolls- and especially their constantly shifting romantic antics- did get a bit out of hand. I like the character interaction, but I feel it needs to be tempered with action and plot advancement. I thought, and continue to think, the human characters should be the focus of the story. It was also rather jarring to suddenly add, develop, and attempt to engender audience involvement in 12 new characters, as the story had (up to that point), been focused on a mere 4.
The self-inserts also need to stop. The Sweet Bro and Hella Jeff jokes outside the comic itself are also getting a bit out of hand. I mean, I like the occaisonal bits of metafiction, but they shouldn't distarct or D Etract from the core story itself, and they are beginning to do so.
In summary, for the tl;dr crowd: a very complex, nuanced, interesting bit of new media with great characters and an engaging world, bogged down slightly by pacing issues and overuse of a few running gags.
Webcomic Homestuck... is.
What can be said about Homestuck?
The latest in a series of goofy mock-adventure games, this time with the addition of flash animations, minigames, music, IM conversations, and an extraordinarily complex, dramatic plot. The result is... odd.
This is definitely one that Broke The Rating Scale, if only because it's nothing familiar. Even as webcomics go, it's stranger than Dresden Codak, more convoluted than Sluggy Freelance, more hopelessly nerdy than XKCD, and more bipolar than It's Walky!, all by a thousandfold. Reading it, and seeing it referenced around the internet, can't help but give the sense that you're seeing something beyond a comic, almost a force of nature.
In a way, it's terrible. The tone is all over the map, the characters are difficult to relate to, the haphazard pacing physically hurts sometimes, the humor is groanworthy as often as not, and the dramatic moments are difficult to take seriously in a strip taking place in a caricatured world, a world in which wholesale genocide is treated less seriously than the phobias of the most minor named characters. And yet, in a way, its aggressive disregard for convention, the operatic mixture of absurdity and drama, is its greatest draw; it manages to be truly different without being completely offensive, and so it demands respect.
For that reason, there's really no way to evaluate it. Its existence is worth more than its content. There are snippets of good music, good animation, good jokes, and some genuinely dramatic moments, but that's not its value. The sheer audacity of such a thing existing, something that's to webcomics as webcomics are to older media, is enough to read it. Maybe someday, this will be seen as breaking new ground, but for now, it's a novelty that has to be experienced to be understood.
So here's my advice: When you've got a few hours free, get a bit drunk to handle the pacing, and plough through the archive. I can't say exactly when, but eventually you'll be glad you did.
Webcomic Like a bucket full of squid giggles
I absolutely love this comic and everything associated with it. The kids aren't entirely made up of their personality tropes: they deviate from them, and their hidden neuroses make them all the better. The trolls took a creepy furry, drugged juggalo, crazed psycho, rage-filled moron and class-obsessed racist and turned them into adorable Nepeta, chill Gamzee, awesome and tragic Vriska, romance expert and sympathetic character Karkat and uber-strong, actually acceptable Equius. Although the latter is still creepy. And the frequency of updates! Fast webcomics get about 1 update a week, while 2 a day for Homestuck is the bare minimum when there's no flashes!
Simply put, read this now. Do it. DO IT
Webcomic If TV Tropes ruins your life, Homestuck consumes it
Homestuck is hard to pin down into one category. At the beginning it was an Affectionate Parody of world-building games and RP Gs. After a while, it became increasingly obvious that it was just the surface of a universe shattering, timeline warping, world destroying, creation twisting whirl of events that will leave you befuddled, thinking, and above all, captivated. As the author himself puts it, it's something like Earthbound meets The Sims meets Spore. But beyond that, its tongue in cheek humor, fourth wall breaking (or obliteration in some games), and mind twistingly meta segments balanced with segments of on the edge of you seat action, epic flash segments, strong music and drama creates an atmosphere that this troper has honestly never found in any other work.
However, be warned. The material can be daunting. Hussie updates nearly daily and once you start reading, there is a chance that you won't stop until you look up and realize you have just spend the last 72 hours straight in front of your computer and are now approaching a state close to rigor mortise. The fanbase is decidedly insane (you'll find a population similar to us tropers) but endearing. The author is a former troll, but very much still loving in a very blunt manner. The website and forums crash on a regular basis due to the SHEER AMOUNT of people that access it daily. All in all, it's an experience that has to be done personally to be understood. And it will be worth every moment of it.
Webcomic My Favorite Webcomic
I can't even call Homestuck a webcomic, it's an adventure! Made by the oh so talented Andrew Hussie who has the ability to pump out updates incredibly fast almost everyday and you have a very very sticky page. Not just the speed that counts, but the quality as well! Homsetuck is action, adventure, comedy, drama, etc. It's really hard to put this comic as a specific genre, so let's go with epic.
Homestuck IS a complete upgrade of Problem Sleuth. Let's go through this shall we?
Characters: This is the strongest part of Andrew's work. The characters in Homestuck ARE THE BEST CHARACTERS. Every character is memorable. The fans LOVE the characters and the fan-art threads just prove that further. We have nerdy John, smart Rose, sick Dave, and playful Jade for the 4 main kids. There is just way too many people to list though and I don't want to clog the word limit. Either way, you will laugh and feel for the characters. You are going to get attached trust me, just look at the forums...
Plot:
The second strongest part of Homestuck, we have here a awesomely original story going on here. I don't see tropes here, I see tropes being BORN here. I'm seeing a ton of TV Trope articles with Homestuck quotes at the top, and Homestuck is not very old at all. Andrew made a really nice page (and the fans placed links) here: http://mspaintadventures.com/?s=6&p=003574 It has a lot of spoilers though so let me explain a basic plot summary for people who want to start reading Homestuck. John Egbert is your average 13 year-old kid who gets a S Burb Beta in the mail on his b-day with great depth behind it. That's the best I can think of anyway.
Time to criticize Andrew's Homestuck...
The Negative: Although Homestuck has everything good about it there is a few flaws I would like to point out, I know this is a matter of opinion, but bear(RAWR) with me. The trolls...aren't being used well. The trolls were OK near the beginning when they were new and everything, but at present time the trolls haven't done shit. I wish we could see some actual progression from them, oh well. From the looks of the updates it's going to be soon.
10/10 - Homestuck is a breath of fresh air in Webcomics and SHOULD be read.
Webcomic Ridiculously complicated, but somehow it all makes sense...
Homestuck is, like its predecessor Problem Sleuth, an Affectionate Parody of multiple genres of video games, and a ridiculously-but-awesomely complex story. It's a story of four kids and the game they play together, which happens to be a game that offers a way to escape the end of the world. And then we have the Geodesic Cast of the other characters associated with the session: four guardians, four exiles, four kernelsprites, twelve trolls... not to mention multiple sets of alternate-universe counterparts.
This story is riddled with Mythology Gags to the point of becoming Continuity Porn. Don't let that stop you, though. Andrew Hussie is a master at tying up Kudzu Plots neatly. Just be careful: if you want to understand this series, expect to spend hours upon hours reading the recaps, watching the forums or wiki for associated "IDE/Theories" and explanation of how the current events tie to previous ones. Speaking of the forums, they're... weird, but awesome. Just like the comic.
In conclusion, read it, but don't be surprised if it starts taking over your life.
Webcomic Don't read Homestuck.
Time-consuming and not worth it. Homestuck does not live up to the hype.
The pacing is horrible: The Comic is given fake length through unnecessary running gags that have no effect on the overall plot. Examples of this include the captchalogue dilemmas and the long processes of just navigating through the house.
The characters are bland, they are flat and doesn't evolve through the series, the author appearently doesn't care either way and introduces new characters and plot lines whenever he gets bored. He switches between perspectives too fast. There are almost no dialogue, most of the time you are reading second-person narration. It's like watching someone playing a bad unfinished gamebook.
There are very few resolutions to the plot, it feels like you are always hanging and the story never moves forward. You never have a sense of continuity, the author makes up new rules and ideas as he go and throw them away when he gets tired of them.
The art is overall not pretty to look at, a few detailed pictures and flash scenes don't make up for the overall ugliness displayed in the ms-paint gifs. The music is very forgetable and highlight rather unintresting scenes.
I've read from act 1 to the first intermission. I think that's more than enough to write a review about.
Watch a movie, watch a tv-show, play a video game, read a book, read a webcomic. Don't read Homestuck. Please, don't spend time or money on it. It's overhyped and overrated. There are works with much better writing, much better animation, much better interaction, much better music and much better art.