Grab Bag #2
Independent Content Sites

What with all the megasites dominating most media coverage of the internet, you'd think the web had become no better than a giant virtual mall.

To some degree, that's exactly what it is. The "mom and pop" sites have been elbowed out of the way by whoever can pony up the biggest advertising budget. Individual creativity still flourishes, it's just grown increasingly harder to find.

Here's a few sites that are breaking the mold and pushing the boundaries of what a website should be. They're not about offering free e-mail addresses, or being your one-stop portal into the web, or even buying Time Warner. They're just great bastions for exciting, creative content--and really, it's about time somebody noticed that content should always be king, isn't it? (Assuming their creators are amenable, look for more coverage on these fantastic sites in future editions of this here web rag. Word!)

Creepsville

You used to have to pay for great comics, but not anymore--perennial PCC pal Frank Kurtz is self-publishing his Creepsville comics on the net for all to enjoy. "Agents of Peril" tells the sordid tale of Agent Frankenstein and Lieutenant Dick Protozoa as they investigate a mystery inside a mystery. Aside from the neat comics, there's tons of fun stuff to discover on the Creepsville site, from classic board game reviews to some bad celebrity pics that must be seen to be believed. I don't want to spoil all of it, because half the fun is finding it all, but I will say this: do not depart until you've stumbled upon Zumbie. He will change your life.

Maura.Com

A first-person journal penned by Maura Johnston, one of the leading lights of web prose. The entries arrive a few times a week and can range from brief three-sentence impressions to full-length social commentaries. It's one of those rare first-person efforts that not only reveals an internal self, but seems to speak to the reader's own feelings as well. (It probably wouldn't hurt to mention that this writer knew Maura very briefly when they both studied at Northwestern University, "briefly" meaning meeting once at a graduation ceremony, and that he e-mailed her once about doing a call-and-response writing project for PCC but never recieved a reply. Not that he's bitter.)

Infiltration

Simply fantastic. Those are the only words to describe this online version of the Infiltration print zine, which chronicles forbidden journeys into lost areas of the civilized world--a hobby more commonly known as "urban exploration." Once again, great writing rules the day--you wouldn't think a random exploration of an abandoned hospital wing could speak to our collective experience, but somehow it does.

Mullets Galore

It's everything the name implies, and more. This online zine attempts to chronicle the timeless hair phenomenon of the mullet, also known as "ape drape" or "white-trash hair." A full mullet description vocabulary is a handy tool, and plenty of fine mullet photos are present as well. If you can't find some decent desktop wallpaper on this site, then you need some serious help.

Ratbastard

Another first-person journal, only Herr Bastard is possessed of a fanastically acerbic voice that rarely fails to entertain. There's the voyeuristic aspect, as with all web journals, but you'll also laugh your ass off. To know the Ratbastard is to love the Ratbastard.