Why I Read: Carbon Dating

This week’s “Why I Read” webcomic review is by Dan, about Carbon Dating.  Remember, if you’re interested in writing up a review of your own for one of your favorite webcomics, just let me know 🙂

Synopsis:

Carbon Dating bills itself as “A comic strip about Science, Pseudoscience, & Geeky Relationships.” I can’t really sum it up better than that, but I can expand on it 🙂  A slice-of-life style webcomic based loosely on the creator’s on life and relationship, Carbon Dating follows science-writer Rob as he tries to correct the scientific misconceptions and pseudoscientific beliefs of some of his friends, whilst simultaneously trying to enter into a relationship with a scientifically minded woman.

How I Found It:

I actually found Carbon Dating by first reading an article the author wrote about using Project Wonderful advertising.  His success inspired me to try it (which is how we gained a lot of readers like you!), and to read his comic and see what it was all about.

You can also find Carbon Dating on Facebook, Twitter and Google Plus.

Why I Like It:

Carbon Dating is one of my favorites to read for a variety of reasons.  First off, it’s about science and science writing and stuff, things I experience in my own life.

As well as diving into a bit of nerd/geek culture, which I can also appreciate.

A big part of Carbon Dating is based on debunking scientific misconceptions and pseudoscience.  Here’s one of my favorites:

Sometimes he even debunks personal myths I’ve held, like using Aloe to treat sunburns:

All in all, it’s well written, with engaging, interesting characters and an interesting storyline.  He tackles a lot of interesting scientific topics, and links to lots of interesting articles and videos in his author commentary.  I learn a lot, AND laugh.  A double win!

Things I Think Could Be Better:

There is nothing wrong with simple, black and white comics, and I was going to suggest that experimenting with color and more detail might be interesting visually, but then I saw that the most recent comic strip (see featured image above) actually is trying out some coloring/shading, so… cool!

The author also does a pretty good job at trying to inform and educate about a variety of topics, without insulting those who hold to the misconceptions he covers.  However, at times, his frustration with the misconceptions and those who hold them can leak thru, and might be off-putting to some readers.  But, I guess those who would be offended probably aren’t his target audience anyways 🙂

Closing Thoughts:

Carbon Dating is fun, funny, educational, engaging, interesting, other positive adjectives, etc.  It’s being well run and produced, and the creator is continuing to improve his craft.  I like it, and think you would too 🙂