Every once in a while I'll happen upon a comic that I'll want to hate. Like I really really want to. I look at it and I see all these negative aspects and I see all these things which prevent it from being a fantastic comic and I want to write it off as crap and move on but I can't. I am inexplicably drawn to read its entire archive, enjoy it, forget about it, then happen upon it again at random and love it. That's a pretty specific description but I swear it's happened tens of times at least.

What Happens Next is one of those comics. At first glance it's a gag-a-day comic about two college age kids who play a lot of video games and make quips at pop culture. It looks like Penny Arcade and, for the most part, reads like Penny Arcade. This is a dangerous position for a comicker to take up. They're doing something that's been done before, and done a hundred times to death. Not only that but when a comic has such a similarity to Penny Arcade it's impossible not to draw comparisons to the comic which has earned its popularity with solid writing and art for years now. These things alone mean that even before reading, it has some strikes against it.

However, that's it. That's all there is to say against this comic. As a gag-a-day comic what are important are two major factors: likability and comedy. Now being in the Penny Arcade style, with all its downfalls, comes with the benifit of being familiar and likewise likable right from the start. The art is crisp and smooth and it works as well as it always does. There isn't a whole lot of character development or plot development because, lets be honest, that's not what's important in this comic. There is just enough of each to allow for running gags on character's personalities, and to allow for situational comedy. There is continuity, but it's very unassuming so that even if you are not aware of strips leading up to today's you'll still get the gag. In fact, I read the first half of the comics in backwards order without batting an eye. As much as it looks like Penny Arcade the mood is quite different. Penny Arcade has always been sarcastic and a little bitter at the world, while What Happens Next is more carefree and much less egocentric.

What really makes this comic shine, despite its drawbacks, is its comedy. It's a genuinely funny comic that, even after having read once, is worth going back and rereading from time to time. There are few comics that have actually made me laugh out loud, let alone kept me laughing for a few minutes. This is one of them. It is not only funny, but pretty consistantly funny, and that's not luck. So, basically, if you like funny stuff, and you don't mind the Penny Arcade comparison, read this. It's worth your time.

Still, I can't help but wonder what might have been. Bill Porter can definitely draw. He's demonstrated it in his gallery. With a little more work on concept this could easily be an "A" comic instead of a "B-".

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