Your Next Obsession is the place where we watch for anything and everything that deserves love on the Internet and beyond—from funky web comics with too few followers and underrated tunes by talented musicians, to awesome videos lacking appropriate views, and books, video games, and movies sitting forgotten on dusty shelves—all so you don’t have to. Every week we’ll showcase the underappreciated artists, musicians, comedians, actors, books, games, and movies we think you need to know about. If you love them, let us know! And don’t forget, this is completely interactive, meaning we want your input, too! Know about a comic you think we should see? Want to tell us about a singer who you think deserves more likes? Let us know in the comments here, on our Facebook page, or via Twitter with the hashtag #yournextobsession. We can’t wait to help you discover your next obsession!
Bee and Puppycat
Combine one plucky young woman named Bee who loves food, television, and skirts, with one sort of cat, sort of dog, intergalactic creature of cuteness who also happens to be a space agent, add a dash of cartoonish pink and a sprinkle of fluffy animation, and you have a perfect show sponsored by Kickstarter and part of Cartoon Hangover. Watch here.
- And check out the creators’ website here.
The Property of Hate
The protagonist of this webcomic is a self-serving yet incredibly dapper gentleman with a television for a head, who persuades a young girl to travel with him into his OZ-like world of color where practically everything is made of puns. Part Alice in Wonderland, part Adventure Time, all puns. Lots of puns. And they’re image-centric, too. Support the creator and check out the comic, and other whimsical, wonderful things here.
Undying Happiness
A cute, smart, funny comic about undying love between a normal girl and a guy who just happens to possess the ability to come back from the dead. Sounds like a nice perk in theory, but it’s less effective in reality when he drips blood on the carpet as he regenerates. Which poses the question – how often does this dude die to make this skill useful?
Awoken
A parody of Twilight but with Cthulhu. Yes, you heard correctly. Cthulhu, the master of the deep and harbinger of the end of the world. Have the fearful lord of the seven seas (and all major oceans) cross paths with one ordinary teenage girl named Andromeda Slate (Andy for short), and you have a love story for the ages. Well, maybe not the ages, but at least until the next apocalypse. Buy this gem on Amazon. Warning: hilarious prosaic sentences, gaping plot-holes, teenage angst, and Lovecraftian references abound.
Over the Garden Wall
Directed by Patrick Hale and originally aired on Cartoon Network as a miniseries, this adorable but bordering on the dark side show follows two brothers, Wirt and Greg, who find themselves wandering around in the land of the Unknown, a strange place filled with talking pumpkins, taking birds, and talking – and singing – monsters. Although there are only ten episodes, “Over the Garden Wall” feels like sepia-soaked journeys into another time, with the perfect mix of lemon-drop melancholy thrown in. Here’s the first episode. We dare you not to love it.
The Piano
If there’s nothing new on Netflix, or you’re taking a break from Amazon Prime, check out this oldie but weird-y. A strange movie about a mute mother who can only communicate via sign language and her young daughter who move to New Zealand with the mother’s prized piano. Holly Hunter actually invented and learned her own version of sign language for the movie, as there was no standard at the time and the character would have had to cobble her own together. That’s some dedication. Jane Campion wrote and directed the piece, which earned a Best Picture nomination in 1993.
Emily Carroll, artist:
Just when you thought the Internet was safe, and all comics were cute, fluffy, and full of fun, enter Emily Carroll, a master of psychological horror and storytelling. Her individual strips and longer works dare to take you down winding paths where every inch of light is submerged in darkness. Dipped in red and black, and awash in the darkest hues of otherwise bright colors, her narrators confide in you, warn you, and remind you that the world is far more frightening than even your deepest fears, and that what haunts you is rarely imaginary. Warning: not for the faint of heart, but definitely for those who love a good scare. Check Carroll out here.
Image of Bee via the Bee and Puppycat Wiki, image of the first page of the Property of Hate via thepropertyofhate.com, image of the first page of Undying Happiness via Zelkats, image of Awoken cover art via Amazon, image of Emily Carroll’s comics via her website