How’re you all doing? I hope the first couple months of 2023 have treated you well. I’ve decided to ease back into things and to do so, I looked for a nice, quiet and simple webcomic and I think I found just the thing. Without further ado, then, The Webcomics Weekly is back in your life with “Knot Just Frogs,” featuring a very silly frog and a hilarious, rude goose.
Knot Just Frogs
‘Just Frog’ – ‘Making Friends’
Updates: On Break (Normally Tuesdays)
By Dustin Diep
Reviewed by Elias Rosner
Classic. That’s the word I would use to describe Diep’s “Knot Just Frogs.” From the one & four panel format of the strips to its episodic gag nature to the use of realistic-ish looking animals, all it would have to be is in black and white and this wouldn’t be out of place in a newspaper’s comic section. Yes, I know they print in color nowadays but you’ll forgive me this one indulgence. Mostly because, if the comic were in black and white, it would complete “Frog’s” streamlined, simplified feel.
When I say classic, I really mean it. There’s not all that much that separates “Frogs” from the many other “relatable” funny animal comics on Instagram or Webtoon or Tapas or the scattered remaining independent sites on the internet. The characters are broad archetypes and it’s a purely episodic format. The art is competent but not stellar, whereby it hasn’t been refined to a consistent, clean style and isn’t pushing any boundaries on technical skill but is still full of life, communicates clearly, and leverages its simple figures to keep the schedule without wild fluctuations in quality. What I mean is – there’s nothing wrong with “Frogs;” it’s just hard to say there’s anything particularly revelatory or must-read about it.
But fuck if it isn’t funny.
I binged the whole series thus far in, like, 30 minutes and I do not regret a single second. Diep’s paneling and angle choices are very well thought out and are a big part of why the series works. Instead of sticking to static three-quarters shots of the characters, only varying how zoomed in or out we are, they bring us into the 3d space of “Knot Just Frogs.” We look down at Frog Son or up at Goose. In ‘Efficiency,’ we cut from the standard angle to behind Goose’s head to look down on Frog to really sell the shame and better set-up the punchline. The inclusion of the tiny sketch bonus panels are also something I love in webcomics which Diep employs to great effect.
The other reason I couldn’t put “Frogs” down is the characters! I know I said they’re all archetypes but you know what? Archetypes are perfect for this kind of short form comedy. Frog Son is an oblivious doofus and we love him for it. Goose is the only one with any common sense but has a wicked sense of humor, especially when hanging out with Crow. It makes for a good mix of character and situation based comedy. There’s also healthy dose of absurdism mixed in to keep us on our toes.
While I will whole-heartedly recommend this to anyone looking for a new series to check in with and laugh, I think “Frogs” has a lot of growing to do. And that’s a good thing! It has the room to do so and the bones to as well. Sharpening the characters and refining their art so that the jokes hit that little bit harder would do a world of good to the comic. Keep experimenting with the angles and the difficult task of distilling jokes to a single image.
And don’t insult the creature under the bed. It’ll think you’re being quite rude.
