Bear Warlock by Brendan Salakoh
Bear Warlock ran from 2007 to 2009 in the Manitoban, and followed the random crazy adventures of a talking bear and his gang of equally kooky animal friends, including (but not limited to):

– Clam Factor, a math-genius constantly spouting about his excellency in all thing arithmetic

– The Alchemistic, who always appears to cause havoc with his array of potent potions

– and Handsome Horse, Bear Warlock’s partner-in-crime who is confined to a wheelchair for the duration of the series due to his “gangly” leg

During its time, Bear Warlock was incredibly popular, with over 400 fans of it’s Facebook page. When I was a volunteer for the Manitoban, in the office we often used to joke that people only picked up the Manitoban to see what Bear Warlock and his gang of crazy friends were up to that week. Though its main characters were a band of magical talking animals, the appeal of Bear Warlock was its focus on topical issues of the day. Throughout the series, Bear Warlock protests tuition fees with UMSU, tries out for the Blue Bombers, regrets his subscription to the Winnipeg Sun and deals with the fallout of the 2008 financial crisis. Sometimes I still wonder what wild adventures Bear Warlock would have gotten into if his creator had not retired the comic in order to pursue his degree in city planning.

Nick Cage: Vampire Hunter by Ryan Harby
Need I say more? Who wouldn’t want to read about Nicolas Cage’s adventures in a vampire-ruled post-apocalyptic word?

“Vampire apocalypse or not, I’m still gonna live life on the edge.” Wiser words were never spoken.

Mr. Fish by Ben Clarkson
Oh Mr. Fish. Why the long face? What has got you down this week? Whether decked out in gold chains and Mohawk ala Mr. T “ready to work” or “in unspeakable pain” about the clam atop his head, I always pondered those questions when looking to see what would cause the frown on the curmudgeonly fish each week. What had caused such sadness, such angst in this upstanding fish? These were the questions that plagued my mind when I first spotted this cartoon in 2008.

Dick Legs by ????
I tried to investigate the origins of Dick Legs, which ran in the Manitoban from 2010 to 2011, but my attempts led me to some rather (ahem) vulgar content that I would not advise readers to search out. I always felt a little immature for finding this particular cartoon so amusing, as it surrounds a character that has two (ahem) phallic legs and includes a number of off-colour jokes about . . . well, dicks. But what I will always love about this cartoon is waiting to hear the reactions from each editor at the Manitoban to what good old Dick Legs had done in each week’s issue. My particular favourite was a Dick Legs ode to CSI: Miami, and Caruso’s infamous one-liners:
“Looks like this dick/was on his last legs/ Yeeeeaaaahhhhh!!!!”