Alright, it’s another one of these comics things that everybody cool has been into for ages, and that you can mock me for only just discovering, as it’s only in the last six months or so that I’ve really become a fan of it (as opposed to the name showing up across my radar every so often) – but basically my favourite webcomic at the moment (particularly after the twin endings of Ellerbisms and The Everyday) is Kate Beaton’s Hark, a Vagrant (or, if you go by the header image rather than the page title, Hark! A Vagrant. I HONESTLY DON’T KNOW WHICH I SHOULD BE CALLING IT). However, on the offchance that you’re not among EVERYONE EVER in having discovered it before me, I will now take great pleasure in telling you a bit more about it.

There are a few things that set Hark a Vagrant apart from most webcomics out there. Chief among them is its subject matter – although Beaton can be known to alight on a number of (usually surreal and/or whimsical) topics or flights of fancy, two particular recurring themes are that of classic literature, and (largely Canadian) history. She has a particular line in filtering the past through a modern (or postmodern, or post-postmodern, or whatever) eye, whether it’s (to pick just two of my favourites) remarking on the Rathbone films’ shoddy treatment of Dr John Watson or having Anne Bronte say “asshole” and “alcoholic dickbags”. It gives the series a unique edge, but despite covering topics that many present-day readers would consider stuffy or staid, the humour itself is never so. Sometimes it’s even just plain sexy.

Secondly, and this is perhaps an even more crucial element than the writing and gags in terms of why I love it so much, Beaton has that rare knack of making her drawings look really funny. Even if you don’t necessarily like or get the joke, the strips are usually just plain hilarious to look at. There are plenty of gag strips that make me laugh, but far fewer that do so both through the writing and the art – and frankly, that Hark a Vagrant does so for me puts Beaton in a small group along with exalted names like Bill Watterson. I mean, I defy anyone to read any of the fat pony strips and not laugh even before reading the text. Her art style is terrific – on the surface it appears quick, doodly and almost even bashed-out; but look at it more closely, and it’s clear just how much craft goes into her expressions in particular. It’s a lot more refined than initially appears, and contains a vast amount of character. And it’s no surprise whatsoever that she names Quentin Blake among her biggest influences – it’s clear to see in just about every strip, but entirely in a good way.

The best thing about recommending a webcomic, of course, is that you don’t even have to be persuaded to go out and buy a book – I can just link you straight away to the brilliant, brilliant Aquaman strip (probably my favourite one of the lot) and watch you get hooked. It’s an utterly lovely series, full of wit, charm and character – and frankly, if there were any justice, it’d be a syndicated newspaper cartoon. Even without that, though, it’s hard to see Beaton not becoming a superstar at some point.