The Only Webcomic You'll Ever Need (Review of Unfettered by Talent)

(Sheer hilarity from Unfettered by Talent)

Many of you probably know Eric Burns of Websnark fame. Burns has proven himself over the year (that's not a typo) to be the greatest webcomic critic in history. You know it, and I know it.

But it's not enough that the man provides consistently amazing commentary on his site all day, every day. He yearns to become a legitimate webcomic creator in his own right. And while he has made several mediocre attempts (Brigadier General John Starks, Gossamer Commons), nothing has really struck me as spectacular.

And then he mentioned Unfettered By Talent. Even just a look at the first strip in the archive (pictured above) was enough to tell me that this is Eric Burns' tour de force. I mean, WOW. "I can't wait to buy gum!" It works on so many levels. It's a clever gag. It's a means of mocking his own self-righteous writing style. It's a subtle (yet obvious) jab at today's microwave oven pop culture generation. It's an esoteric reference to the sonnets of the great romantic poet, John Keats. It's AMAZING.

And as you read through the archives, you really begin to understand why Burns chose to give this strip it's name, "Unfettered By Talent". It truly IS unfettered. Burns makes no qualms about rough, edgy drawings that may be considered kische by some pundits of the higher art circles. As such, he is able to break free even from the relatively open medium of webcomics and take the strip to even higher heights. Each strip is more dazzling than the last in its stark portrayal of the human condition, and yet each strip also shines as a beacon of wit and incisive criticism. You'll laugh. You'll cry. As you read through the archives Burns systematically breaks you down and then builds you back up again as a new man, an enlightened man, the "great man" commonly spoken of by such philosophers as Nietzsche and Sarte. This strip could even be considered the greatest piece of English literature ever composed.

EVERYONE needs to go read this strip, right now. And everyone needs to link it from their blogs and websites, or even put up a flyer in their local community center. Such a testament to genius cannot -WILL NOT- go unnoticed. It must be proclaimed everywhere.