Does Not Play Well With Others (or DNPWWO for sane people who don’t want to type all that out every single time) is yet another webcomic by cartoonist Michael Poe. It is a social satire following the lives of monstrous supernatural housemates Naga and Fran, as well as those of their neighbors (an assortment of vampires, aliens, mad scientists, and superheroes). Story arcs are short and combine pop culture with meta humor to discuss topics such as relationships, comics, gaming, and the deleterious impact of the internet on modern society.

DNPWWO began in 2005 as a series of one-off sketches and gaming jokes featuring Naga and Fran, and then launched as an actual comic in 2011 when Poe decided he needed to be writing something funny to offset his creative burnout. Although it is not necessarily in the same continuity, it can be considered a spiritual successor to Poe’s first webcomic, Exploitation Now, as it shares the same satirical tone and references to pop culture. Poe also frequently introduces characters to the cast which he has pilfered from his abandoned ideas for other comics. None of the characters are intended to represent good people.

The Cast

Naga

Naga is a playful snake demon, and Fran’s long time housemate. She is an amoral predator and enjoys preying on people in a variety of creative ways, the most obvious of which is just eating them.

Comics: 230
Recent Appearance: pwc-0582
First Appearance: pwc-0001


Francesca

Fran is a witch, and Naga’s long-suffering housemate. Raised by the head of a new age coven, Fran has some major issues and ultimately rejected her mother’s approach to magic in favor of the power to blow shit up.

Comics: 259
Recent Appearance: pwc-0593
First Appearance: pwc-0001


Nikki Morrison

Nikki is a vampire and former med student who lives on the same street as Naga and Fran. She is new to the vampire lifestyle and does not have much knowledge or control of her abilities yet. All things considered, she is probably the calmest and most well-adjusted member of the cast.

Comics: 133
Recent Appearance: pwc-0588
First Appearance: pwc-0006


Craig Kirkland (Falchion)

Craig works in the family business as the superhero Falchion, more because it's something he's good at without having to work very hard than because he has any kind of true calling. He tells a lot of terribly disturbing family stories. He is housemates with Seth, and has a girlfriend named Janis.

Comics: 100
Recent Appearance: pwc-0585
First Appearance: pwc-0030


Seth Edelstein

Seth is an elf who was adopted as a child and raised among mortals. He is a magical archer who apparently possesses that golden combination of patience and masochism that it takes to be friends with Craig. That, or he just really needs the rent money.

Comics: 90
Recent Appearance: pwc-0585
First Appearance: pwc-0022


Tekmage

Tekmage prefers to be called Artificer, but has been stuck with the name Tekmage after Falchion started using it with the press. Employed by a shadowy organization, Tekmage is a professional supervillain and has dedicated a considerable amount of time and resources to fucking with Falchion.

Comics: 70
Recent Appearance: pwc-0568
First Appearance: pwc-0031


The Grays

Marx, Zakmar, and Bill are biopodmates who were sent to Earth back in 1994 to learn about the culture. However, once they returned to their planet they wound up exiled right back to Earth because Bill had gone native and turned into a horny little stoner. They now spend all their time on the internet, and run a variety of weekly tabletop RPG games with their neighbors.

Comics: 58
Recent Appearance: pwc-0593
First Appearance: pwc-0012