Between Places.

Quis custodiet ipsos somniandos? Who watches the dreamers?

Dream magicians don't simply dream. When dream magicians dream they create worlds, sometimes even of the size of small planets, that exist beyond reality. These worlds are inhabited, just like the real world.

One of these dreamworlds is Mysada. Mysada is an aberration. Its creator is an unkown entity. And dreamworlds created by mysterious dreamers aren't something the members of The Order, a top-secret magical SWAT team, are too happy about. Their job is to protect the dreamers so that things don't get out of control. Mysada is already under attack - E.L.F. squadrons - dream-annihilators - have invaded the world, trying to capitalise on the fragile equilibrium and bring Mysada under their control.

And The Order face another unprecedented challenge. Someone's out there who has the ability to convert dreams into reality, using his skills to take the fight into the real world. Someone whose dreams can kill...

Between Places is genre-bender fantasy written and painted (yes, painted - each page looks like oil-on-canvas) by Canadian artist Tiffany Munroe. Check out how she does it here. The artist couldn't have chosen a more appropriate style, as the absence of discernable linework gives the whole comic a soft-edged feel, perfectly complementing what the story is all about - dreamworlds. There are hundreds of panels with lovely details (still lifes spring to mind) and Miss Munroe is unrivalled when it comes to the use of colours to create certain vibes and moods.

I've been following Between Places for quite a while by now. This is an example of mulitdimensional worldbuilding on a scale that would make even Stephen Hawking dizzy - means, you don't just "read" this comic - you "experience" it!

Sakana No Sadness.

Let's suppose you've chosen to spend the last 13 years in a basement under a garage between piles of comics, computer games and dirty clothes, are fed by your parents via a service elevator and your only link to the outside world is a stammering one-armed hovering robotic assistant called Pin-Chan calling you "Ma-master". You know that you've got the social ineptitude of the Hunchback of Notre Dame but you think you've come up with a solution. Because, luckily, when it comes to Cyborgology, you can teach the designers of the Terminator a thing or two. And you decide to pull off a Frankenstein creating the girlfriend of your dreams - cute, obedient, charming, unquestioning, low maintenance. But the very moment Miss Cyborg opens her eyes it turns out that there's a bug in her code - and you subsequently find yourself living out your worst nightmares...

Sakana No Sadness is a homourous SciFi comic and the latest project of artist and writer Simon Harchun who's also known for the now completed comics The Artiste Manquee and Anime Sucks. Sakana's just reached the end of its first chapter, means you can jump right into the story. Sakana's surreal, well paced, playful, witty, certainly different and the main character Hicheo takes "geekiness" to a new level. What are you waiting for? Sta-start re-re-reading, Ma-ma-master!

Catalyst.

Yesterday, I started to read Catalyst by Esther Chuah. And I simply couldn't stop reading. I reached the latest page (#311) about 5 hours later. Means I'd been binching thru 5 years of archives without even noticing it. Why?

Is it 'coz I simply dig High Fantasy? True, but then - I read a lot of genres. 'Coz the artwork's amongst the most sophisticated I've seen in webcomickery? True. However, even first rate artwork can't make up for bad writing or a boring plot. 'Coz the story is totally original and unrivalled? Well, we all know that after about 100 years of HF, there are not really entirely new stories out there anymore, just new angles, twists and turns - and that's true for almost every genre (no disrespect whatsover to anyone who writes novels, shorts or comics!)

So, why? The secret is that Catalyst delivers HF as good as it gets. There's the damsel in distress, the fragile blind girl Kai' (I'm XY, means damsels in distress never fail to catch my attention), her brother Rune, who takes care of her, the ambivalent Elei (who'd make a gritty heroine in any genre), Daian, the good friend (you know, the male bonding thing...), the High Lord Alcarin who's got his own agenda, the talking fox 'Re and a huge supporting cast. All this is wrapped in a nice piece of world building influenced by Eastern mythology. Furthermore, you can't help caring about all these characters from page one onwards. And the whole story is told in a highly cinematic way - close-ups, long shots, dynamic angles. People bleed when swords or arrows are stuck in them, cough up the red stuff when suffering from the Blood Plague. Mysterious tatoos eradiate strange auras and, of course, there's the Ring of The Seventy Gifts...The whole menu is served in chapters of easily digestible length which are intrinsically comprehensive. And stuff happens. The plot moves. All the time.

In short, this comic rocks. If there'd be a print version I'd buy it immediately. No question about that.

What Nonsense.

San Francisco. The Golden Gate. A corpse in the middle of the road. Cause of death? Literally flattened by traffic. Trademark of a serial killer that the coppers've been hunting for quite a while. Witnesses? Yep. One. She drops something (or better, someone) over the railing into the dark water hundreds of feet below. And then simply disappears.

Question: How is all this linked to a remote vacation home full of residents who occasionally (or maybve less occasionally) tend to be a bit on the loony side of life?

There's only one way to find out - read the comic!

What Nonsense is a surreal humour/horror/suspense comic in longform format written and drawn by Caitlin Crowley, featuring anthropomorphic animal charaters. The central protagonist is Pike Swinson, a nearly burned out workaholic towny who's forced to take some time off by his employers and ends up - guess where? - precisely at the Nawncentz boarding house. Being a rather level-headed down-to-earth bloke (or rather boar) doesn't really help when you are stuck with a bunch of lunatics who at best only have a serious attitude problem...

What Nonsense is unusual and experimental but nevertheless highly entertaining. So, if you enjoy something out of the ordinary - and I certainly do - go check it out.

Precocious.

Welcome to the Poppinstock Academy for Gifted Children (or rather kittens, cubs and puppies, to be precise). There's Bud Oven, a feline visionary; Autumn Pingo, a quick-witted red fox and definitely a WOMD on two paws; Jacob, an over-enthusiastic mutt; Dionne, a cheetah with a truly Machiavellian character. And there's chronically spaced-out calico Suzette. Part of the gang are also notoriously overachieving tuxedo Roddy, Quincy, a German shepard and the epitomy of a "gaming geek" as well as athletic gentle-giant wolve Max who has no pretensions to being the alpha-cub.

Precocious is a daily comic strip written by Chris Paulsen. Still wondering what the perfect cartoon kitty cat looks like? Chris has delivered the answer. Don't be fooled by all this cuteness, though! Most of these little geniusses are rather spoiled elitist cynical egotistic little devils. Which is exactly how the author intended them to be. Because we love them for it. With more than 500 strips under its belt "Precocious" is a sharp and witty cartoon in the tradition of Calvin and Hobbes, Peanuts or Ozy and Millie (no disrespect whatsoever to Chris here, he did his homework to come up with something fresh). So, don't delay, check it out today! Otherwise you'll miss out on some seriously entertaining stuff!

School Spirit.

Getting used to a new school ain't easy, as Caspar finds out pretty much on his first day. Fortunately, life's too exciting to worry too much about these things. Especially, when your mates, your teachers, your sports and a mysterious graveyard bordering the school grounds need all your attention.

School Spirit is a school-centred humour comic in longform format by Daniel VanderWerff who's been working as a primary school teacher for years. It's refreshing to see a comic where kids actually talk and behave like kids of their age group, and not like disillusioned twentysomethings trapped in the bodies of twelve-year-olds. He offers a lot of characters that you simply gotta have to like. If I'd have to name my favourite it would definitely be Ms Convey. And the School Spirit Eleven Cricketing Lessons are one of the best synopses of what the game's all about that I ever encountered.

School Spirit is well-written, witty, fun to read throughout and full of subtle references and homages to popular as well as general culture (the kids and their teacher having a school meal depicted in Last Supper style is priceless. So are Caspar's day-dreaming scenes). Check it out!

Planes Of Eldlor.

Planes of Eldlor is a relatively new High Fantasy epic by Sarrah and Robbie Wilkinson. Maintaining the peace between the various kingdoms that form the world of Eldlor is the job of the dragons who've more or less managed to keep everything in balance between the humans, the elves and the dwarves. But now, there's something lurking on the other side of a dimensional rift. An ancient evil is about to return, a dark power that everyone thought had been beaten once and for all...

Together with their comic, the writers offer a whole entertainment package including a nicely done kinda Handbook of Dragonology for beginners. The authors take their readers seriously and there are a lot of ways for fans to interact with the writers.

If you enjoy fantasy with an original plot, characters draconis species that you'll quickly warm up to and want to know more about (somehow I always picture Sukozu speaking with the particular British accent of a well-educated young gentleman from the 19th century), if you liked Eragon but thought it was a shame that Saphira hadn't any brothers or sisters, in short if you are looking for a well-written story with nifty artwork, here is your ticket to the Planes of Eldlor!

Fuzznuts!

Fuzznuts! is a quirky humour comic by Zack G. (writer) and Chris W. (artwork) featuring the two badass squirrel mates of the rodentverse. Foraging for food? Are you shittin' me? Raiding the birdfeeders in da 'hood is the way to make a quick "nut" these days. At least that's the plan...

Fuzznuts! takes a sideways look at, well, everything - pop culture, movies, history, you name it. So, if you wanna know how to take care of your pidgeon problem (alka-seltzer and rice), what to do if your best friend got run over by a car (spray paint) or turned into a zombie (spray paint and duct tape), if you wanna learn something about IDRDs (improvised dog-repelling devices) such as flea bombs or what being human in the eyes of your fellow rodents is all about (namely baseball and beer) - Fuzznuts! is just what the doctor ordered: funny, sarcastic, over-the-top. Lean back and enjoy!

Kinnari.

When? A long, long time ago. Where? A place far, far away, called Avantipuram. Kinnari relates the story of Neel and his little sister Manu who are on a journey full of adventures, thereby encountering exotic, mysterious and sometimes even supernatural beings. Deeply rooted in Eastern mythology, Kinnari also tells the story of how it is to grow up in a world you don't always understand, of self-discovery and of the importance of sticking together when things don't go your way.

Kinnari is written and drawn by Meenakhsi Krishnamoorthy, an Indian artist. Her artwork is a unique and beautiful amalgamation of Japanese manga and traditional Indian iconography. Kinnari is even more. Meenakshi approaches her plot like a movie director the storyboards for an action film - beautiful scenery and exotic settings alternating with fast pace cuts, dynamic camera angles and extreme close-ups.

Looking for a real gem amongst webcomics? Don't look any further. Read Kinnari!

Cetiya.

Imagine a world where mystical powers are converted into binary code and downloaded to your body. Where a special hardware called ADEPT utilises your bioenergy to execute these powers. Means, the weapon is you.
Welcome to NAAMAST, a crime fighting elite military organisation deep underground. The SOP? One ADEPT. One controller. And ADEPT operative Prada has achieved what he wanted - becoming the Number One. Worldwide. Which came at a price. Called Nine who's his controller.

Cetiya is cyberpunk manga written by Leah Potyondy. And it delivers. Unlike manga drawn by many western artists, Cetiya looks and reads right. The art style is spot on. The iconography is right. And the symbolism is right. The plotline is original and intriguing, the dialogue's crunchy - and all this (writing as a fan of Vexille, Ghost In A Shell, Appleseed, Evangelion, etc... here) is wrapped in the classic manga scenario of bio-/nano-technology de-humanising human beings (with or without their consent) by gradually taking away what makes us human. Enthralling stuff!

Sunset Grill.

The year is 2426. Welcome to Kieselburg City. Had a shyte day? Fancy a pint at the Sunset Grill?

Sunset Grill is a CGI comic written by Kat Feete. Despite being set against the background of a multi-cultural neo-feudalistic society of humans, bio-clones and humanoid aliens governed by the Empire of Earth this comic is NOT about interplanetary wars or conspiracies on a parsec scale. On the contrary, it's all about the life and struggles of average people who've got one thing in common: they happen to drop by regularly at the Grill, a boozer located in one of the toughest districts of Kieselburg. The author offers a whole potpourri of protagonists, ranging from the staff at the Grill to imperial troopers, law enforcement, the local underworld and their affiliates and freeloaders.

SG comprises a network of separate story arcs, subplots and interwoven plotlines. Characters appear, disappear and re-appear - like in real life. Good writing, an interesting main and support cast and thorough world building - means all the ingredients are there to make SG an intriguing concept and an enjoyable read at the same time.

What It Takes.

At one point in a not too distant future life as we know it tanks. What's left is a postapocalyptic vaccum populated by survivors. And Colbey is one of them. The daily routine is straight forward: find food, scavenge and, above all, keep your ass out of the firing line. Who you once were doesn't matter. Whom you are affiliated with does. Means, and for "independents" like Colbey, things are getting more and more difficult by the day...

What It Takes is a brand-new comic by Karen "KEZ" Howard who also writes The War Of Winds, a gripping fantasy epic with top-notch artwork. In her latest comic, the author has opted for toned artwork and a slightly rougher, more dynamic style which accommodates the story-telling extremely well. And with Colbey, KEZ has created a character I'd like to see more often in the genre as a whole - a strong, gritty and uncompromising female lead. Part V. I. Warshawski., part Underworld's Selene. Plus bits of Dirty Harry's twin sister thrown in, too...

Despite it's still early days, the stage is set. The game is on. Time to enjoy the show. I certainly shall.

Scattered Leaves.

Scattered Leaves is a fantasy webcomic by writer and illustrator Seanan Dixon. After escaping from her plague-ridden village, young Ana is sheltered by a group of mysterious beings called Sprites. Sprites are rumoured to be strange "traders" - humans get whatever they want if the Sprites are interested in whatever the human chooses to offer in return. Although Ana has heard that many of these deals do not turn out to the advantage of humans, she's so desperate that she offers to trade in her entire memories in return for a pair of wings. And the Sprites accept...

Since SL is a relatively new comic, the writer has deliberately chosen the first dozen pages to be her "test track". Accordingly, the format varies (colour, B/W and toned). So do line art, inking and lettering. However, all of this does not distract the reader from the story per se. On the contrary, it's very intriguing to see how an individual artist is fine-tuning her style, thereby exploring what works best for her comic. And the most recent pages show that Miss Dixon has made her decision on how the comic will look like from now on.

SL offers quality artwork and good story telling. Am looking forward to reading more.

TWCL Awards 2009

The internet has spoken. And The Webcomic List Awards 2009 are live. This year's winners are:

Best Non-traditional Art: The Dreamland Chronicles.

Best Black and White Art: The Abominable Charles Christopher.

Best Colour Art: Freak Angels.

Best Writing: Gunnerkrigg Court.

Best New Comic: Moon Town.

Best Character: Digger.

Best Gag-a-Day: Girls with Slingshots.

Best Longform: Gunnerkrigg Court.

Best Comic: Gunnerkrigg Court.

Congratulations to all winners and thanks to everyone out there who nominated their favourite comics!

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N.B. Staging these awards took about 6 months including coming up with a format/SOP, coding the vote counter, eliminating a significant number of cheaters (didn't know who they've been effing with...), judging, drawing award ceremonies, designing award pages, etc. Therefore, and on behalf of this year's award committee, a massive Thank You to everyone who've given up their time to help getting the 1st Annual TWCL Awards off the ground.

Spotlight?

Relax. I'm not jumping on the bandwagon. This is not a webcomic-related blog. No comment box at the bottom, see?

This also isn't the place where yours truly is planning to delight you with his opinion on how the Gods of Webcomickery should run the webcomicverse, what to do if you wanna be the next Charles Schulz, whether it's fair that Scott McCloud's "Infinite Canvas" concept only works on a Mac, or whether feeding your comic into the satnavs of your reader's SUVs by hijacking geostationary satellites is the next big thing in 21st Century Sequential Art.

Firstly, because the thing with opinions is that you don't need to know anything to have one. I haven't the foggiest. Means any opinion on my part would be totally irrelevant.

Secondly, there are people out there who DO know these things. And this is precisely why Al Gore invented the internet in 1977 and sold it to Google in 1998. There are already so many really cool sites out there, by experienced webcomickers, for webcomickers, stuffed with expert advice on every imaginable subject associated with the world of (web)comics.

So what's the plan then? Well, this page will feature comics of various formats, genres and styles. Amongst them not only comics by fellow members of the SpiderForest Collective or by comic creators you bump into on community forums such as the TWCL, but also comics solely discovered by chance. And last but not least comics which I believe are in some way unusal, experimental or different.

The common denominator? I most definitely enjoyed reading them. So I thought I'd write a couple of lines about them.

That's basically it.