Webcomic Wonder - Wastelanders Anonymous

Subject: Wastelanders Anonymous

Who makes this?
"Seabiscuit"

What does the creator say about their comic?
(from the comic's profile on Comic Fury)
"A scavenger, a zombie, and a plague doctor travel in a post apocalyptic world and have adventures and crap."

Wastelanders Anonymous takes place after the end, when mankind (and mutants, and zombies) have to eke out a living through scavenging and the like.  It's a mostly fun look at the world after.

As usual, I'm not going to go into some "rating" system, but let's see what Anne is going to send us to get.

Art:

Seabiscuit's style is distinctively her own, with a simple but vibrant construction of the characters and effective use of backgrounds.  Some people might find it a bit *too simple, but those people are joyless anyway.

Characters:

The main cast of Wastelanders is a motley bunch, though all connected through back-stories we are slowly learning more and more about.  Each has their quirks, and you will honestly find yourself falling in love with some or all of them.  Or else your heart is dead.

The Writey Bits:

The plot is a bit of a slow burn (as evidenced by the somewhat intimidating archive - which is worth binging), with fairly detailed looks into the daily lives of the characters filling chunks of time.  This is in no way a bad thing, as it helps to get to know not only the characters, but the world they live in.

Mostly, the comic is pretty light-hearted, which makes the not so light-hearted bits hit even harder.  There typically come in two flavors: "heart-breaking" and the much rarer "creepy".  Sometimes they are combined, and it hits even harder.

Update Schedule:

Seabiscuit has been updating every Monday and Friday for some time now (which dropped down from a Monday-Wednesday-Friday schedule due to the artist running herself ragged).  She occasionally misses an update, but the reasons are understandable, and she usually tries to warn the reader.

The Verdict:

Wastelanders Anonymous is clearly a labor of love for its creator.  The dedication she shows makes for an ultimately worthwhile read.  Highly recommended.

Webcomic Wonder: INTS: Black Gate

Subject: INTS: Black Gate

Who makes this?
Eleanor Gluck (aka "Spelledeg")



What does the creator say about their comic?
(from the comic's "About" page)
"If military means greatness, that's the best path to take in life, right? That's what Ryae believed when she enlisted for The Royal Atrum Academy of Defense. Unfortunately for her, it means she's signed fifty years of her life away to the service of the Crown. She's stuck in a contract she signed up for but no longer wants. Between her unwanted contract and the war that rages 7 sectors below, she's in for the ride of her life.

Black Gate is a sci-fi/fantasy 'coming of age' comic with drama overtones. It deals in relationships and culture clash. Rating is PG - PG13. While there is very little strong language, some of the content isn't suitable for younger audiances. Black Gate has war themes and they aren't minimized. There is 'onscreen' death among other violent themes that do occur in this comic."

I find there is very little more I could say by way of introduction.  As usual, we're not going to go into some "rating" system, but let's see what's in the various Sectors.

Art:
The art on INTS: Black Gate is done in a very expressive, dynamic style.  Eleanor is a whiz with the
lighting and it is rarely unclear what is going on.  She does a good job of bringing to life the details of a world very unlike Earth.

Characters:
INTS: Black Gate gives its readers a very tricky task in the character department: to remain sympathetic to a character that is, to put it simply, a bit horrific.  Thankfully, Ryae is lovingly horrific.  And there are other characters around who are much easier to like.  And they are all distinct.  It's actually very easy to find a favorite (and yes, it just might be Ryae).


The Writey Bits:
The plot is intriguing and the interplay of the characters (informed by the distinctive point-of-view each character brings) is absolutely stellar.  The reader finds themselves wanting to know the next bit now now now.

There is one small problem I have found, and that is a relative lack of information about this very alien world serving as the backdrop to the intrigues and action.  This is a comic that could very well use more in-your-face info, perhaps even a wiki.

This was not a deal breaker for me, but it could be for a less patient reader.


Update Schedule:
INTS: Black Gate updates very Friday.  Some updates get missed, but over all Ms. Gluck keeps her schedule.


The Verdict:
If you are looking for an obviously carefully laid out science-fiction world, well-represented characters, a long-form story carefully unfolded, and pleasing art, but aren't afraid to occasionally be perhaps a bit bewildered, look no further.  INTS: Black Gate, despite a few flaws, is an entertaining read and well worth adding to your list.

Webcomic Wonder: A Trip For Biscuits

Subject: A Trip For Biscuits

Who makes this?
Annika Raaen (aka "zaika")

What does the creator say about their comic?

(from the comic's profile on Comic Fury)
"I'm not really sure how to describe it. It's a little speculative fiction, a little pulp adventure...all set in the 1920's with an extraterrestrial twist. You'll just have to come along for the ride, I suppose!."

A Trip For Biscuits takes place in a 1920's that never was.  The first impression is that it could have been written at that time, as the art and writing are classic (a few anachronisms aside).

As usual, I'm not going to go into some "rating" system, but let's see what's in the oven.

Art:
Classic.

Annika renders her pages in a throwback style, incorporating black and white on colored/tinted paper.  The effect is to make the comic seem to be a product of the mythic 1920s.


Characters:
We have only met a few characters, but each of them is fully realized with engaging dynamics.  They are also visually distinctive, so there is literally no way to get them confused.

The Writey Bits:
The plot, which is long-form, is a slow builder.  We have seen a bit of what makes it different (the afforementioned "sci-fi twist"), and individual threads are beginning to cross.  The author has dropped enough crumbs to keep the reader engaged.


Update Schedule:
Here is where I have a small bone to pick.  The update schedule is listed as "Every Wednesday", but there has been a number of slips.  To be fair, however, the reader has been warned when this was going to happen in most cases.


The Verdict:
A Trip For Biscuits is shaping up to be a classic.  There are enough strips to get hooked, but not enough to overwhelm the new reader.  I highly recommend it.

Webcomic Wonder - Those Unknowable: The Shadows Over Innsmouth

Subject: Those Unknowable: The Shadows Over Innsmouth

"Lovecraft differently"


Who makes this?

Seth Witfoth (aka "MistakeNPotatoes")

What does the creator say about their comic?

(from the comic's profile on Comic Fury)

A story that takes place in Lovecraft's Cthulhu mythos - it will also incorporate many more stories and worlds that Lovecraft wrote about."

The first impression you might get is that this comic centers on monsters.  It does, mostly.

It also goes into the humans involved in the goings on, but it is largely about the horrors (who are strangely sympathetic).

As usual, I'm not going to go into some "rating" system, but let's delve into some forbidden eldritch lore.

Art:
Wow.

Seth's art is TOP NOTCH.  The creator has a very clean, technical linework and amazing colors and shading.  He has a wonderful grasp of angles.  All told, a quality package.

Characters:
There are two sides to the characters.  On the one hand, you have the hapless humans, caught up in the machinations of things elder and eldritch.

The other, and argubly more iconic side, is a cadre of elder thingies, including a dimensional shambler, a bykakhee, and a group of deep ones.

I hate to say it, but the creator seems to have a "favorite" side, and it's not the humans.  Though he takes great care with them, they seem to lose out on face time and development when compared to the monsters.


The Writey Bits:
This is a long-form comic, with a clear narrative.  It is slow-moving, but this only helps to build tension.


Update Schedule:
In general, Those Unknowable: The Shadows Over Innsmouth updates twice a week, typically on Wednesday and Friday.  This helps to alleviate some of the slow pacing and makes it easy to follow week-to-week


The Verdict:
If you're not reading, then why not?  It is an entertaining (and occasionally horror-tinted) tale, long in shadows and short in flaws.

Webcomic Wonder: Consolers

Subject: Consolers

"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.

A word from our humble, if a bit eccentric, host...

Greetings, gentlebeings!

As you may have guessed by the title of this little experiment, this is a place where we, which is to say I, will talk about, spotlight, review, critique, and otherwise ramble on about webcomics.

This will be done on a basis of "as often as I have time to do them", and will follow whatever format seems best for the subject at hand.

That's right: there are no rules.  Just whatever comes to mind.  This will be the critical version of Calvinball.

So sit tight, strap in, and hang on to your various appendages, because we're diving deep into the weird, wild world of webcomic wonders!