Scandal Sheet!

From Comixpedia

Scandal Sheet! (SS) is a webcomic by Troy Smith, also known as Chef Troy or Cheffie. It follows the adventures of the staff at the Comet, the sleaziest tabloid that ever Photoshopped an extra head on Elvis. But are they too obvious? Ask Bigfoot, he's on staff: “Hey, Furry Fans! There ain't no zipper running up my back!”

The central concept behind Smith’s comic is that fantastic and mythological creatures can and do exist. The Comet protects them from humankind—and humankind from them—based on the simple fact that no one of any intelligence believes the stories written in tabloids. Hiding the truth within outrageous fiction prevents it from drawing attention: as Foster’s boss puts it, “Once my paper runs a story, the mainstream media won’t touch it.”

Though elements of the implausible are addressed from the beginning, as one early storyline concerns the creation of a pornographic film with plot, tabloids and myths are not the sole themes running through Scandal Sheet!. Foster’s stint as a pornography writer serves as a precursor to his current position with the Comet, a mark of infamy that has yet to fade. Meanwhile, his bachelor lifestyle has left him open to the machinations of his neighbor, Ito Masello. Other characters’ tales are also currently emerging, providing for a rich storyline that keeps readers guessing what will happen next.

Recurring characters include:

Foster Hearst: One of the main characters of SS, a journalism school graduate who formerly mocked his friend and roommate, Max, for working at a sleazy tabloid...until he learned the truth. He is now gainfully employed at the Comet, and his misadventures are frequent fodder for Smith’s comic.

Max Murdock: Foster's best friend and the other main character of the series. He has been working at the Comet for some time and was frustrated that he couldn't tell anyone he knew how important his work really was. He's happy to have Foster as a confidante.

Ito Masello: A half-Italian, half-Chinese lawyer (with a Japanese name--long story) working at the firm of Robben Olde Widdowes and Laffing who lives in Foster and Max's apartment building and possible love interest for Foster... she has no problem manipulating Foster into posing as her boyfriend for her parents or her co-workers, but doesn't seem to realize that he'd like to quit pretending.

Phil: The Comet’s resident "Sasquatch-American" is an imposing figure, but a really nice guy. However, he gets very lonely, as he is the only one of his kind in Florida.

Samantha Hooper: The Comet’s vampire informant got off on the wrong foot when she was first bitten back in 1890s New Orleans, but has since learned the error of her ways and helps out to make up for her past misdeeds.

Scandal Sheet! has been running since June 3, 2002, and is updated every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday... except when it isn't.

The 'isn't' is all too common. Smith frequently misses updates, often without posting notices about them until much later or when he actually updates, more than once over a week later. Another criticism would be the amount of real time it takes for storylines to be resolved. In the more than two years since the strip started, only a few months appear to have passed. It has only been a few weeks in-world since Foster joined the Comet staff, for example.

Scandal Sheet! is hosted on Comic Genesis, a free webhosting and site automation service for webcomics.