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Webcomic:  Stars on the Ceiling

Creator:    Tim Aichele

Format:  usually three panels

Updates:  Mondays, Wednesdays, Fridays

Genre:  autobiographical

Themes:  slice of life, comics, creator life

Characters:  Cartoon Tim, Cartoony Tim, Stick Figure Time, Abigail

Archive:  Goes back to 11/11/04

This is a stick figure, autobiographical comic by Tim.  Tim is a comic guy, like myself, and also a songwriter.  That’s about all I know from reading a few dozen strips.  I find the strips genuine, although a little unambitious.

I am not an artist, but I feel like I could draw this.  That’s not a slam against the comic, I just think it should probably come out every day.  I also think the panels should be bigger, they sometimes feel crowded.  But I really think Tim needs to give us more insight into the Why’s.  Why he feels one particularly way in a panel or in a scene.  I mean, okay, it’s autobiographical, but I’d feel I don’t know enough about Tim.  I like that he talks about the cons he visits, that’s fine.  In the About section, he says that the comic was partially inspired by American Splendor.  Harvey Pekar would often give us insight into his mind, his hopes, his fears, his dreams.  I think this comic needs more of that.  Open yourself up, Tim.

After 12 years of posting, especially when you do ones that talk to the reader, you could easily do 6 panels or 9 by reusing the artwork.  Dig deep, my friend.  You did it in this strip, but I think you could do more.  That’s what we fans like to see in your comic.  I mean, it doesn’t always have to be bearing your soul, but when you do, that’s what makes the compelling moments in my view.  And they don’t always have to be dark, like Harvey.  Not everyone is dark.  Looking at the 2004 strips, I’m seeing some of that there.  I guess with such a long run, he probably felt he ran out of stuff or couldn’t do that anymore?  The earlier stuff did seem more compelling.

Also, his site is just screaming for a larger bio about the real Tim.  I mean, if you’re doing an autobiographical comic, you kill two birds with one stone doing a detailed bio.

Maybe I’m being nitpicky, but with a site with this kind of a library, there’s bound to be a storyline that can interest the autobiographical webcomic fan.  Check it out.

Previous Reviews

Druid City

Waffles & Pancakes

Pond Scum and Other Misc. Crap

Dodgy Comics

Don’t Hit Save

Things in Squares

Heck If I Know Comics

Tower 25

Bearded Comics

Conspiracy of Birds

Toonhole

Existential Comics

The Sorrowful Putto of Prague

Cancer Owl

BarteNERDS

Oglaf

Bigfoot Justice

Pepper & Carrot

BREAKING CAT NEWS

Pete Meets

Dumbing of Age

Gone Into Rapture

Disco Slick

Tales of Absurdity

Apples & Swords

The Sisters

Basic Instructions

Downhill Rage

Buni

False Knees

Forming

Saturday Morning Breakfast Cereal

Spying With Lana

Romantically Apocalyptic

The Black Wall

übertool 

The Oatmeal

The Frumps

Lunarbaboon

Stupid Snake

Fowl Language

Holding Pattern