Geek Sites: Least I Could Do
Remember when you were a kid, and you used to grab the paper for the sole purpose of reading the funny pages? I remember those days… I remember when those comics actually made me laugh, with Garfield scarfing away at his lasagna, or Beetle Baily trying to get away from Sarge so he could take a nap. Perhaps it’s just my own perception, but the laughs aren’t there anymore. The paper comic has gone the way of the dodo, much like its news based counterpart. The days of the paper comic are gone, but the concept remains; and with the new media comes new entertainment — and thus we are presented with web comics.
Web comics share some similarities to their paper-based predecessors in that most come out daily, with a larger full color Sunday spread, and most tend to follow the usual four panel format. The difference is in the content provided. With a newspaper strip, the creators cannot risk being edgy, as it could very well mean the loss of syndication — and thus the loss of their income. With a web based comic, however, there are no such constraints. Web comics definitely get away with quite a bit, and I think that’s what makes them so much fun. There is no web comic that exemplifies this like Least I Could Do.
Least I Could Do is a Mon-Sat strip that follows the exploits of one Rayne Summers, a hyper active, lust driven, loyal lunatic and his circle of friends. Written by Ryan Sohmer, and illustrated by Lar DeSouza, it has not once failed to make me laugh. The storylines are engrossing; the characters are so very relatable, and the writing is sharp, witty and sometimes touching (don’t get to close to Sohmer though… He WILL touch you, especially if you give him Red Bull). Least I Could Do is an example of what comics should be: funny, touching, and socially relevant. Take for instance, this example, in which Rayne heads to Nigeria to discuss with them his thoughts on their rampant e-mail scams:
Rayne, to me, is wish fulfillment personified. He does what we can’t, with a smile or an “Are you a robot?” look; he fulfills his own personal fantasies, as well as ours. Often times, due to Rayne’s penchant for doing what he wants, when he wants with whoever he wants, we get the impression that he is merely an amoral lunatic; however, Sohmer makes sure to balance this out, often reminding us that Rayne does indeed have a soul, and cares more about the people around him then he lets on. Just because he appears to be this shallow sex obsessed geek, doesn’t mean he doesn’t know exactly what love is.
(Also, it should be noted that the artist above was Chad WM Porter, and while he did a very good job, the art really didn’t take off until Lar took over.)
Rayne’s not perfect, he sleeps with such a multitude of women he is convinced that he broke 4 digits. He mocks any and all religious faiths, equally and unabashedly. He comes up with different, often horrifying, ways to get women to leave after he has slept with them. He’s no role model, but when we see the interactions that he has with his friends and family, or the lengths he will go to just to make them happy, we can see that he is one of the few good guys out there… Even if he doesn’t believe it himself.
In the end, Least I Could Do is what comics should be. It makes you laugh, sometimes it makes you a little sad, but more often than not it makes you think, about who you are, and where you are going. Perhaps if everyone had just a little tiny spark of Rayne in them (and I do mean tiny. Dear God, too much Rayne would make for a terrifying world), perhaps our world would be a better, more honest place. I had intended to make this article more about web comics in general, but as usual, Rayne demanded that he get the entire spotlight, and to be honest, I really couldn’t think of a better strip to start a series with. If you aren’t reading Least I Could Do yet, then click your browser over there and get started. Believe me, you’ll be glad you did.
All images and video are copy write Blind Ferret entertainment.
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