We are always trying to find ways to talk about more webcomics here at Multiversity. Because of the incredibly decompressed nature of most webcomics, it can be hard to review them with regularity. So, we are trying something new, starting with Tom Scioli’s “Princess” – we will look at the first seven installments of the comic, and do our best to annotate/discuss the comic periodically as it progresses. These will be shorter than many of our annotations columns, due to the relative paucity of source material, but should be a lot of fun. Welcome to Webcomics Worth Watching.
The story so far:
The story drops us in media res, with the titular princess battling her way out of a jam and attempting to get back to her spacecraft. We also find out that she fled her home planet, and they want her to return.
Aside from our heroine, we meet the Captain, who gets promptly shot, as well as Autodoc, the ship’s medical droid. We see the Princess plot a course for a distant world and, eventually, land on that world.
A galaxy far, far away:
The most obvious reference point for this story is Star Wars, with lots of hints, both subtle and not so subtle, making up the foundation of the book’s visuals. The spacecraft’s throttle contraption is clearly modeled on the Millennium Falcon’s, and the high speed travel looks an awful lot like light speed.
But I also thought that the Captain’s helmet looked familiar, and I think this is what I was thinking it looked like one he Yavin IV tower guards:
What do you think?
The Eyes:
One of the features that jumped out at me instantly was the Princess’s eyes – they do not resemble Scioli’s typical work. One of my favorite things about his art is how is constantly incorporating new ides and techniques into his stylistic soup, and this appears to be a hint of anime/manga influence popping up.
Now, maybe I’m wrong about that, but that is what it feels like to me. I think that’s an appropriate influence here, as well, as manga seems far more likely to have – and comfortable with – a strong female protagonist. We are only seven installments into this story, but so far, the Princess is headstrong, powerful, and captivating; in fact, she’s not all that dissimilar to another Princess from an aforementioned property.
The artwork:
I mentioned Scioli’s adopting of new techniques earlier; it seems like this combines a lot of his prior work in one place. There are flashes of “Satan’s Soldier” in the bold coloring, or the layered approach of “Transformers Vs. GI Joe,” though I’m not exactly sure if there is a crayon layer here or not. The big change this time, to me, is how stylized the lettering has become. I love how the below image has a small avatar of each character within the text box, so we know exactly who is speaking. Scioli is far from the first person to do this, but it feels charming here.
On the next installment, we get another example of this – the Captain’s coughing is emphasized for seriousness, but it is also speckled with blood, in case we really don’t get how dire his situation is.
This might seem like a small change from Scioli’s past work, but it is really emblematic of just how polished and refined his work here is. The aforementioned “Satan’s Soldier” felt like a pure, raw blast of superhero mythos; “American Barbarian” was all Kirby bombast – this is his most meticulously paced and put together webcomic since “Final Frontier,” coincidentally another comic set in space.
The twist:
Like another classic sci-fi story, the distant planet stumbled upon isn’t so distant for us; it’s Earth.
This twist was somewhat telegraphed, but in a winking way. We all know the types of stories that this is referencing, and all the pieces are there – the removal of the oxygen mask, the creatures and landscape that, in darkness, might look alien and dangerous and, finally, the reveal.
This is where we are currently left in the story – I’m excited to see how the story will change with the action on terra firma for a bit. I’ll be back at the next natural break point to discuss more but, until then, let me know what you think of “Princess” in the comments!
