A weekly feature spotlighting new & unusual features on the GoComics A-Z roster

Feature: Tough Town
Creator: Bob Shannon
Format: strip
Frequency: daily
Recommended if you like: Cow and Boy, Dinosaur Comics, reindeer

Welcome to Tough Town, where the main character is Rudolph, a disillusioned, divorced reindeer who also happens to teach 4th grade when he's not hanging out with the aliens down at the local bar. If you're a fan of absurdity, clip art and reindeer, I think you'll like it here. To illustrate Tough Town, Bob Shannon uses Pixton.com, a digital storytelling platform that allows users to construct comics using their own art combined with the help of props, text, panels, etc. Much like the late great Cow and Boy, or the ever popular Dinosaur Comics, there is very little change in the expressions of the Tough Town characters from panel to panel, creating an atmosphere of statis that is the perfect breeding ground for deadpan humor. The lack of reaction from characters gives the reader the sense that even the most unusual events are totally normal in this space. So it's delightful, if not exactly surprising, when Tough Town introduces visiting characters like a possessed bowling ball, a sentient urine sample, a narcissistic bluebird of happiness, or an amorous Menorah.

The thing I like most about Tough Town is that it consistently delivers good punchlines without ever feeling like it's trying too hard. Check out more of Rudolph's adventures and non-adventures every day right here on GoComics.