Homestuck - Andrew Hussie

So I don't know if this is even applicable to the reading blog. Because it's sort of a book. Kind of. If you consider online graphic novels with the occasional Flash movie cut-scenes books, then yes. I suppose this is a book.

Homestuck is a webcomic on the website MS Paint Adventures. It's sort of organized in a play format with acts and an intermission. Except this is a colossal, mega play with thousands of pages and seven acts (but not really because it's unfinished). I've read a little over 3000 pages at this point. Which is slightly ridiculous. But moving on. The set-up of Homestuck sort of looks like a choose-your-own-adventure game, but you're only ever given one choice. Thus defeating the purpose of the choose-your-own-adventure format.

Anyways, it's hard to explain. But basically it's just super cool and also has really great soundtracks. Except, now it's gaining in popularity, so my hipster senses are getting very angry at the webcomic becoming more mainstream (which I acknowledge on a conscious level as being absolute crap, but I can't help it).


Okay, so explaining the plot of Homestuck is quite possibly the most difficult thing in the world. The plot is filled with time-travel and paradoxes and, more often than not, doesn't even follow the main plot line, but instead goes into charming but completely confusing offshoots. If Homestuck had a literary cousin, that literary cousin would be Catch-22. You don't start putting the pieces together until about halfway in. And it makes it really hard to fully explain the scope of the webcomic without giving away vital plot information.
But I'll try to touch on the key elements of the plot without giving away too much. So, the first character you're introduced to is John Egbert, screen name ectoBiologist. He's the hero of the story. Kind of. It is his birthday, and he has just received a copy of a new game called Sburb. But not really because it is intercepted by his dad. The nefarious cretin! Mischief ensues and pretty soon, meteors come falling from the sky. With the help of his three best friends (who are introduced later), he must... do something that has yet to be explained.
Like I said, really confusing.

The overlapping and seemingly unconnected plotlines are, at times, a pain in the rear. But once they start connecting to each other, and you get your "Ah-ha!" moment, it's a lot easier to read through. The four main characters are charming (one's an idiot; one's a sort-of-goth; one's a hipster; and one has narcolepsy). The eventual supporting cast is equally as fun (and perhaps better). The graphics are pretty good. The music is superb. And the writing is absolute gold. Chock-full of humor and vocabulary-enhancing goodies (such as mendicant, abscond, peregrine, echelon, aplomb, and other words I only wish I knew).

Try it if you have time and patience. Try it with an open mind. If not, you're just going to end up irritated.
Also, this is largely a fantasy, adventure, comedy thing. There's virtually no romance or drama or any other genre. Look elsewhere for that nonsense.