Pillage, then burn

One of my favorite webcomics (second only to PA, in fact), also happens to be one of the most inaccessible on the 'net. The reason is that the archives are pretty bad--the story starts out alright, but the art is atrocious. Getting my friends to read it has always been next to impossible.

Until now.

The author has recently put together a little something he calls "basic training," which introduces the characters and enough of the backstory so that after a few short pages (they're entertaining, honest!) you're ready to jump right in a few years into the story.

If you're one of the people who I've talked into reading before, but stopped because it was so god-awful ugly (I can't really blame you), I'd recommend another look.

If you find you're getting hooked, I do have a suggestion. If you think you like it enough that you wouldn't mind daring the actual beginning of the archives, I can recommend a good place to do it. When you get the the CSI storyline, the Acey Nubs "attempted suicide" case (you'll know what I mean when you get there), that would be a good point to jump back, just because the stories that come next are a bit more moving with some additional backstory. I think it reads pretty well on its own, though, so don't feel like you have to in order to enjoy it.

One of the running gags involves the fictional book, "The Seven Habits of Highly Effective Pirates." The Wikipedia entry on Schlock Mercenary lists some of the rules of the oft-quoted book. The most common one is probably rule number one, which I've been hearing my friends say for years:

"Pillage, then burn."