MacHall is DEAD.
Following the end of an era, Ian McConville and Matt Boyd of the original Mac Hall crew have continued on with a new comic. 3PS is a complete change in the way Ian draws the comic and Matt constructs the stories and jokes. When Mac Hall ended they moved on to different and better but similar things. Mac Hall was about college and now that it is over and 3PS is the inky representation of adulthood.
Ian's Art:
The art has changed and has taken on a distinctly western comicbook feel compared to the more cartoonish feel of Mac Hall. The characters are drawn and inked starkly against white and black backgrounds. On black backgrounds a white aura surrounds the characters. Color only figures into play when dealing with worlds of fiction such as WoW, City of Villians and Elite Beat Agents where a little of the old Mac Hall style bleeds through. When the main characters are depicted they are shown in this new black and white style. Special emphasis is placed on light and shadow and the effect is quite pleasing. The art mixed with Matt's irreverance makes 3PS one of the freshest and most interesting comics in the hallowed halls of the intertubes.
Reject False Icons:
Matt's writing has grown up a great deal, reflecting a like change in the Matt and Ian themselves. The comic is not filled with the collegial humor of MacHall but translates his wit into ink. The comic is filled with quiet observation that allows the reader to fill in all of the thoughts in the minds of the observer. Each comic is named in the tradition of all great philosophical treatises: "On {insert topic here}." Each comic displays a careful detail in the way he tells a short joke or story. The comic also contains a few strips written by Ian and his girlfriend (as well as 3PS and MacHall's slave driver) Jes. Matt's stories generally are about him growing into being an adult, feeling the pain of employment and unemployment, concerns over the possible rise of the South, and the urge to plant things. When Ian or Jes write or inspire comics, it's not clear which, it generally has to do with their jobs.
3PS LIVES!
3PS has no over-arching story other than the lives of the writer and artist and whatever game they might be playing. What it delivers is consistently funny and enjoyable comics, posted usually on Mondays and Fridays though it has been more erratic in the past few weeks. It at the very least will give you an intellectual tickle once a week.