Edit:
That sneaky Box Brown bid higher than Magnolia, but you should go read Bellen too! It’s also awesome.
……
You see that ad up there? It’s for an incredible comic by Magnolia Porter called The Good Crook. You must go read it! It’s gorgeous.
There are only 3 days left of my donation drive! And 3 more days to donate for original sketches from me. 
Thanks everyone for supporting me and my comic. I really appreciate it!
Donate for wallpaper: This lovely wallpaper was made available during the sketch-a-thon. I am making it available again for a limited time. |
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Links:Abominable Charles Christopher, The, Achewood, American Elf, Bellen, Bob The Angry Flower, Cat and Girl, Diesel Sweeties, Dr McNinja, KC Green, Dr Voluptua, Dykes to Watch Out For, Girls With Slingshots, Girly, Grumps, Gunnerkrigg Court, Herman the Manatee, Kinokofry, Kukuburi, Little Gamers, Nedroid, Octopus Pie, Overcompensating, Patches, Perfect Stars, Questionable Content, Raymondo Person, Riotfish, Sam and Fuzzy, Scarygoround, Templar, Ugly Hill, White Ninja, |
July 2nd, 2008 at 4:34 am
ARGH! Poor Maria!!!!
July 2nd, 2008 at 4:39 am
That had BETTER NOT BE TINA!
July 2nd, 2008 at 4:42 am
Relax, I’m pretty sure it’s Jenny.
July 2nd, 2008 at 5:20 am
My poor sweet Maria. I love her so very much.
July 2nd, 2008 at 5:29 am
Oh Maria love, don’t worry, I don’t think he blames you at all for that decision.
July 2nd, 2008 at 5:29 am
:O
O_O
ZOMGZZZ!
Ha, I’m stupid. I managed to post my other comment on the last comic. DAMN, I’m dumb.
Anyways, that better not be Tina.
July 2nd, 2008 at 5:58 am
I bet it’s Tina.
July 2nd, 2008 at 6:38 am
Goodness Rene, you keep me on the edge of my seat!
July 2nd, 2008 at 6:50 am
why can’t it just be a random blonde? O.o am i not thinking deeply enough to be an A♥M fan?!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
O______________________O
July 2nd, 2008 at 6:51 am
actually.. that does look like Jenny.
July 2nd, 2008 at 7:15 am
Poor Maria! She looks so confused. And maybe Anders and Maria will pull through after all!
Rene, I LOVE your comic! Keep up the great work. It’s got me hooked.
Much
July 2nd, 2008 at 7:28 am
I’m betting it’s Jenny.
Anders loves Maria for the win. There’s hope!
Thanks for such a wonderful comic Rene!
Much love, from here in Hawaii.
July 2nd, 2008 at 8:02 am
hahaha ummmmm
July 2nd, 2008 at 8:56 am
Tina? It looks like Jenny to me…
July 2nd, 2008 at 9:53 am
damn. you just like them curveballs, huh?
I just read all of the Good Crook just now. That shi[p] is the real McCoy! It’s good to see so many people doing comics the RIGHT way, you know?
July 2nd, 2008 at 10:20 am
Maybe if it was Tina… Maria would tell the truth about her feelings to Anders. Really, I just wish there was more than her own stubbornness stopping her from happiness.
July 2nd, 2008 at 11:01 am
It’s Jenny. Anders even predicted it in panel 2 of comic 150: http://anderslovesmaria.reneengstrom.com/2008/04/29/150-really-hardcore/
Though technically, didn’t Anders steal Björn’s ex first?
July 2nd, 2008 at 11:46 am
It can’t be Tina. She’s in Norrland and Björn knows that she’s the townwhacko, why would he hook up with her?
Jenny and Björn got some musician vibes going on in the strip linked by StrangeQuark.
July 2nd, 2008 at 2:21 pm
Maria is now making me think of something I once heard. “You could put her in a room with a hundred guys, 99 of whom are perfectly nice, and within seconds she’ll beeline to the one who’ll smack her around.”
Oh Maria. Will you ever win?
-G.
Who had the thought, “She must be LOUSY in the sack if her men keep stepping out on her,” but then realized that was a sexist thought.
July 2nd, 2008 at 3:21 pm
Thanks for the re-mind strange quark. You’ve got a good memory.
And Greg Stoltze — “Oh Maria. Will you ever win?” Are you quoting Mr. Burns?
And as for your p.s., Greg, I didn’t think that. I thought it was just more of the marvelous uncertainty and craziness Renee is so good at dishing out.
The narrative is full of surprises that don’t feel surprising after the fact.
They’re surprises resulting from a broader view, the same broader view that allows Renee to foreshadow Bjorn and Jenny’s getting together and allows most of us readers to miss it or forget it. Surprises that make you think, “oh, that’s right, that probably is how it would happen. Of course.”
Really Great, Renee!
July 2nd, 2008 at 3:23 pm
vi ses, what’s that in english?
we’re seen? we’ll see?
i understand quite a few swedish words, but have no clue at all about swedish grammar.
July 2nd, 2008 at 4:38 pm
“Vi ses” means “I’ll see you”, as Anders says in the sixth panel (not a literal translation, but the most suitable one).
July 2nd, 2008 at 4:48 pm
uh oh, is that who i think it is?
July 2nd, 2008 at 5:20 pm
I’ll say it again .. we need Rene and Box to swap for an issue!
July 2nd, 2008 at 5:38 pm
ok so im throughly confused yet again. was there an “end” to the flashback sequence or did it just dissolved into the story arc that we are in now?
what was the time span between maria and bjorn, and anders and maria? how long was it before she met anders after bjorn?
whatever happened to the first pregnancy?
did i miss some panels or something please let me know kthxbye
July 2nd, 2008 at 6:53 pm
Thank you so much for linking to me! It’s completely made my day!
Also, I’m sad for Maria with this one, but I’m glad Bjorn is doing good! He’s grown on me.
July 2nd, 2008 at 7:55 pm
It can’t be Tina. Tina’s way too scrawny and that girl has curves.
July 2nd, 2008 at 10:15 pm
Speaking of cuves…
If this hottie is Jenny, I certainly wish we would see more of her
July 2nd, 2008 at 10:54 pm
it cant be jenny, they’re not in her neck of the woods anymore, right?
July 2nd, 2008 at 11:48 pm
bjorn, you are quite cool. suck it, maria, go crawling back to anders tomorrow.
July 3rd, 2008 at 12:13 am
:( pauvre maria
July 3rd, 2008 at 2:07 am
Hahaha! Helvete Bjorn!
*laugh track as per Meredith Gran’s guest comic*
July 3rd, 2008 at 3:46 am
i dunno rene. i am not having any trouble following this. i guess i can recommend that it might stand alone better if there were specific styles. like flash backs.. or flash forwards.. and specific styles for whatever character. that way it can stand alone, instead of needing an index or time line.
July 3rd, 2008 at 4:49 am
Hey Renee and everyone,
I don’t know if anyone here has heard of Zero Punctuation. Its a webcomic video that is a game review (very critically) and is usually very funny. Today he took on the world of webcomics (likely due to no new big games at the moment) and I was wondering what you all though
http://www.escapistmagazine.com/videos/view/zero-punctuation/108-Webcomics
July 3rd, 2008 at 9:15 am
Bjorn is the only character in this comic that is not suffering… I think i like bjorn….
July 3rd, 2008 at 11:26 am
Rene, if you’re looking for merchandise ideas why not solicit favorite AlM lines or panels from your readers? A handful come to mind immediately:
* I say! Is that a vagina?
* Helvete Björn! (if using Meredith Gran’s composition I’d assume you’d split this with her)
* I am also poor
And you had a wonderful quote from your brother in your autobio sequence (now offline), which I’ve since forgotten.
Of course some of your beautiful artwork, of both the country and the city, is destined to appear on the front of many sweatshirts. Don’t make us wait! Autumn is coming!
July 3rd, 2008 at 11:36 am
Ah yes, Victor’s brilliant stoner philosophy: “It’s not what you listen to, it’s how you listen to it“
July 3rd, 2008 at 12:47 pm
Hmm… I don’t think that’s the one I was thinking of.
July 3rd, 2008 at 5:15 pm
First-time reader, definitely coming back. My husband linked me here, of all people.
Great comic.
July 3rd, 2008 at 7:04 pm
I had just discovered ALM in the wee early hours of the morning. It’s now noon and I’ve finished the archive, and I can say that it’s possibly my favorite web comic, and one of my favorite comics in general.
It very much reminds me of Blankets, which is a very good thing, and as someone who is currently in the planning stages of his own web comic, your work is nothing short of inspiring and motivating.
So thank you for producing something that I’ve been allowed to enjoy so much. I’ll be checking back frequently for updates.
July 3rd, 2008 at 7:51 pm
For those who wonder if it’s Tina it’s not. Bjorn is up there with Anders and Maria. I can’t see him making the long trip back home for no reason only to hook up with a psycho, so he’s most likely shaq’d up with Jenny. Regardless, I don’t care, as long as Bjorn is out of Maria’s picture, that leaves room for AAAAANDERS!!! They’ve had a rough ride, but god I hope they work things out. I’m a die hard fan of love beating the odds. Too few people run that race anymore….
July 3rd, 2008 at 9:37 pm
Hey Renee,
Wanted to let you know I had the honor of donating. You are awesome!
July 3rd, 2008 at 10:36 pm
First time reader too, just sat and read the all the strips, awesome,
July 4th, 2008 at 12:15 am
Hi, Renee.
I am also a first time reader. Just like White667, I just read all the strips (even though I have a big test tomorrow… I just couldn’t stop! xD).
Great comic. Greetings from Chile!
- Pablo
July 4th, 2008 at 12:23 am
fuckin’ tina!
ughh what a ho. same goes for bjorn. sluts.
haha.
awwh… poor maria…
I really hope she forgives anders eventually. (even though he was a giant prick)
July 4th, 2008 at 4:30 am
Hey Renee,
I found you from Questionable content a couple months ago read a couple and found octopus pie. But tonight I was drawn back here and read every single comic. I am so sad I didn’t get into ALM when I first stumbled upon it. I love what you do with this comic, it is so great! From the art to the story to the characters- nothing is lacking! Personally, I really enjoy the digital comics, as you say they have a real comicky (I know lack of word) feel to them. But your hand drawn ones are art and beautiful and definitely have their place. I hope you continue to do both once you get your new scanner. I have never gotten so caught up in a webcomic emotionally before. In this last comic, I actually physically felt my stomach jump and drop like a stone because i was empathizing so much with Maria… It makes my heart hurt. I’m so happy for you that all this support is pouring in so you can keep making this amazing comic. All the best!
July 4th, 2008 at 5:07 am
Quoted: Maria is now making me think of something I once heard. “You could put her in a room with a hundred guys, 99 of whom are perfectly nice, and within seconds she’ll beeline to the one who’ll smack her around.”
If that describes anyone in this comic, it’s Yumi, NOT Maria. Also, what’s going on here is mere hours before Anders walked into his own house to find naked Bjorn playing a strategically-placed guitar. And then they ran into Jenny and the three of them shared embarrassing stories (well, one about Anders, anyway) over beers, and then Anders met up with Maria. And now here we are. The story line isn’t that hard to follow, even with the flashbacks.
July 4th, 2008 at 5:09 am
Wow ! I’ve been through the whole archive today, I really love that comic : the narrative style and the drawings are just of the best kind ! My many congrats !
July 4th, 2008 at 6:01 am
Hmm, hmm, I’ve never commented before….so, I absolutely adore the comic.
It’s amazing.
Also, the speech bubbles are very ambiguous in parts of this strip. Does Anders or Maria say, “So are we…?” in the first panel?
July 30th, 2008 at 1:06 am
Dear Rene,
I do hope your wrist recovers soon, for your sake and for ours. I have just read the comic, and I absolutely love it. The characters seem so off the wall, yet so real and recognizable. I also love how the story comes together in little fragments from here and there in the past and present. I’ll be looking forward to next Monday.
August 5th, 2008 at 1:49 am
Wow… I pretty much knew that he’d make a move on her, but I was pretty sure that she’d snub him…
Ay, ?que estabas pensando, rubia?