The staple of many people's "Favourite" folders are their daily comics to read. They're almost like having your favourite television show on every night of the week. Unless of course your favourite show is the horrible "Who Wants To Be A Millionaire?" which just seems to be on every night. At any rate, everyone has their favourites and most will defend theirs with a zealousness only said to have existed in Greenpeace members. I sifted through hundreds of comics, perhaps even a thousand to come up with my final seven. And let me tell you, there are a whole truckload of strips out there if you go looking. Since this is for comics on the web, I allowed newspaper or syndicated strips into consideration (so long as they're on the web, smart ass) and besides the strip itself, I also took into mind the web site they are on. Now, on with the funnies.

Calvin and Hobbes

Perhaps the greatest syndicated comic of my generation. Calvin and Hobbes to many represent all that is good -- yet defiant -- within each of us. From the mind of Bill Watterson, this dynamic duo kicks off this "Top 7" list in fantastic fashion. The official version found on the web contains all the strips in their inked and pixilated glory. However, the reason this online strip doesn't rank in the top three is because of the limited nature of the website. Lacking in many interactive amenities, it is the pure hilarity and genius contained within the strip that vaults it into the top seven. Retired in 1996, Calvin and Hobbes now exists only within the confines of "Archives."

Sinfest

Self-proclaimed revolutionary Tatsuya Ishida and his striking wit takes the six spot with force. Generally considered to be a "vengeful isolationist" as one web-cartoonist put it, his skill however, is undeniable. Though Sinfest's lead character, Slick, is as Tatsuya says, a "Calvin rip-off," there is little doubt that his character is very much his own. Perhaps a grown-up version of Watterson's Calvin, many of the strips contain associates of Slick. It is these side characters such as Monique the "It Girl," the Devil, and God (the hilarious puppeteer in the sky) that create a dynamic within each strip that is remarkable in its own right. An incredible strip, a mysterious man behind it and a website that does what it needs to do.

The Parking Lot is Full

It began as a group effort but now only a tandem remains. Jack McLaren (the artist) and Pat Spacek (the writer) were just two Canadian kids attending one of the countries most prestigious computer sciences and engineering institutes when The Parking Lot is Full began. Now, more than five years later the two of them are still putting out one of the most wonderfully offensive comics on the web. No, not 'offensive' in the 'Japanese tentacle rape' sense of the word, but more along the lines of, 'this is the way society really is, deal with it' kind of ways. Their website is certainly not the most attractive, it by no means rates anywhere near in quality to the comic. It is though, just like the seventh selection in that the work is so voodoo-curse-you fantastic, that not making the list would be more of a crime than what Pat is currently doing in South Korea.

Real Life

Geeks. Geeks... the whole lot of them! And that's precisely why Greg Dean's Real Life is just what it says it is. A strip about people, people who use computers, eat sleep and breathe computers. Geeks. To take it one step further, the characters are based on Greg and his myriad of friends. Unlike the previous three selections, Real Life doesn't usually tackle issues that are Earth-rattling to the common person, but rather prefers to cater to its niche following. Do you really need to be told who they are? Instead, Greg puts to paper what interests him on a day-to-day basis. Leading to many discussions about gaming, card games, comics, computer gaming, HAL-like renegade super computers, and various other forms of gaming. The art, much like the writing is very simple and to the point, and so very effective in what it aims to do. Additionally, Greg has provided his readers with a wonderful website with a plethora of options in which to lose themselves for hours.

Player vs. Player

Originally destined to be the staff at an American school, the characters of PvP narrowly avoided a life of being under paid and garnering little respect. Instead, this ensemble cast of five men; two women and a big blue troll live a life of little pay, but incredible admiration by their legions of fans. What do they do? It's a comic that got its start on the Internet, what else could they do? Cole (Richards) the editor watches nervously over his staff at the print gaming publication, Player vs. Player. Nervously, "but why" you ponder? The magazine's resident artist Brent Sienna always causing a stir, his tough-as-nails girlfriend Jade Fontaine never biting her lip, teenager Francis Ottoman maxxing out computers to the point of nuclear meltdown, and the lovable blue troll Skull is more accident prone than a blindfolded Mr. Bean. All in all, PvP's creator Scott Kurtz has created an online marvel with an army of fans that would rival his fictional cast's magazine horde. With the success of the comic comes many great user-submitted works, a hopping public forum, and many other items to round out a nice designed website. The PvP marvel is truly a complete package.

Penny Arcade

Two real life best friends comes together to create a tandem similar to that of Luke and Han from some sci-fi flick. It is perhaps the most visually spectacular comic on the entirety of the Internet. No small fucking feat that is to be sure. And to match such a visually spectacular look is an equally powerful wit and mastery of the spoken English language. Mike Krahulik (Gabe the artist) and Jerry Holkins (Tycho the guy with the words) have been producing this comic of extreme humour since 1998 and in that time have improved upon every aspect of the comic. From the art, to the words, to re-occurring characters; each has taken on a life of itself. The main focus of Penny Arcade is gaming, but it is by no means limited to that field. Many memorable strips have focused on other aspects of life, such as the 1980's and its love of the Kool Aid man. Hell, there is even a look at the recent earthquake in Seattle, and a marriage proposal from Mike to then girlfriend Kara (also a character) in one of the strips. More than anything though, it is the long lasting "catch-phrase" type appeal and love-hate relationship of the main characters that makes Penny Arcade so great. Wang anyone?