"Game companies doing game company things."
Who makes this?
Silke "Zanreo" Erland
What does the creator say about their comic?
(from the comic's profile on Comic Fury)
"Consolers is a comic about personified game companies, showing you all the weird stuff going on in the game industry. Join Nintendo, Sony and Microsoft and their friends in their misadventures through the gaming industry!"
At first glance, it would be easy to dismiss Consolers as "just another video game comic". Don't. It's not that.
What it IS is an entertaining look "behind the scenes", from the point of view of the companies that bring you these fine videogame titles. And "Zanreo" does it with funny, interestingly designed avatars of said game companies.
The comic is mostly "as it comes", meaning that a bit of major/interesting/funny/disturbing news is dealt with in as few pages as possible. There's also the historical "arcs", which dive into some facet of video game history (like the rise and fall of Atari, for example, which covers the infamous E.T. game).
I'm not going to go into some "rating" system, but let's kick the tires a bit.
Art:
This is the first thing a lot of people look at. It's not the most technical thing, not by a long shot. However, there is no time where I'm staring at a page going "what the hell is going on here". Zanreo shows us what we need to see, and does it with a lot of charm and character.
Speaking of Character:
The "characters" are, of course, the personified video game companies. Zanreo's designs are definitely a strong point. There is little confusion, as she incorporates iconic elements into each character, be it the direction pad that holds Nintendo's side ponytail, or the famous Code embroidered on Konami's lapels. The creator also manages to give them each the personality that would cause them to act as they do in the real world.
The Writey Bits:
In the absence of an ongoing plot, I want to talk about humor. Consolers has it. Zanreo knows how to find the odd, bizarre, and usually hilarious aspects of video game news. She exploits them well, and this is what keeps myself and others coming back.
When she writes the history arcs, the reader finds themselves wanting to know what happens next (even when they know).
Update Schedule:
Now here is where I'm going to have to dock some points. It seems that the comic is a little sporadic in its updates. This leaves the reader uncertain. I'm not sure what (if anything) might be done to bring a more regular scheule to this work. I feel it would help grow the readership, however.
The Verdict:
Read this comic. It's funny, charming, and a little odd. The amount of love put into this thing shows through page after page. do yourself a favor and add it to your reading queue.
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