Wow. 175 issues of The Webcomics Weekly. Isn’t that wild? It kind feels unreal we’ve reached this number. I mean, it’s not a HUGE number but it’s still big and a marker for the real big one: 200. I know 175 isn’t really a milestone number but there’s something very satisfying about multiples of 25 that brings out the wistful side of me. It’s like looking at a map and seeing “Here There Be Dragons.” Maybe for some it’s trite, like hearing “Eros Conquers All.” I disagree, clearly. Celebrating 25 installments – and 25 weeks for us – is just what the “Dr. Frost” ordered in these trying times.
So kick back, read on, and brace yourselves for the journey to 200 in this week’s issue of The Webcomics Weekly.
Dr. Frost
‘The Tower of Leviathan’ (4) – (7)
Updates: Saturdays
By Jongbeom Lee
Reviewed by Elias Rosner
Frost’s big active return to the plot is excellent. We see where he has grown and changed, and what he has retained, in the seven years since disappearing. It feels so good to have him back, interpreting the world around him, but I’m also a little sad we couldn’t have gotten Seonga in this role. I get that this is Frost’s comic but him taking a step back in the last few arcs has been a welcomed change in dynamic. Perhaps going forwards this will be the case, as the set-up for this round revolved around the person Seonga got to confess back in ‘Student of a Genius.’ In fact, much of this arc felt like a culmination of what’s come before in this season. It’s an act ending moment of sorts. We’ll see if I’m correct but I feel like from here on out, things are going to kick into high gear.
There’s a particular fear Lee is addressing in these chapters and it’s one that, I think, many younger people don’t consider in their day to day life: the alienation of the elderly. While the US is considered an aging society – without the care infrastructure to support this trend – it can oftentimes feel hostile towards, or at the very least standoffish with, this segment of the population. Modern systems are built with younger users in mind. An erosion of shared communal, cross-generational spaces means fewer interactions between those outside one’s immediate family and fewer opportunities to make new connections. Combine this with a lack of long-term friends and family as people inevitably die off or as they’re shipped off to nursing homes, and you have a recipe for loneliness and alienation.
Once a group is severed from a population, it becomes easier to other them and further feed isolation and breed resentment in one or both groups. Now, we don’t see much of this from the elderly’s perspective in these chapters but it’s not hard to see how he’s excoriating a society that is willing to toss aside people once they’re no longer viewed as “productive.” Lee emphasizes here the complex web of personal and structural attitudes and actions which act upon each other to lead the character to where they are now. It’s not simply that the younger people don’t like the elderly. It’s not simply that there are prejudices and that these prejudices are exasperated by policies which reinforce them or restrict the lives of the elderly. It’s that and more. It’s subtle at times and obvious at others. It’s life, at its worst.
It’s humanity, needing a good slap to the face.
Eros Conquers All
Episodes 1-3
Schedule: Saturday
Written and Illustrated by ameliori
Assisted by bishie_fishie
Reviewed by Michael Mazzacane
“Eros Conquers All” has the kinda name that creates an immediate expectation, while it might be listed as supernatural it might be closer to YA supernatural romance. Eros will be a supremely male drawn in that exquisite digital Clip Studio style. And so on.
Some of that turns out to be true, Eros is very pretty. But in the first three episodes at least it’s so far devoid of romance and instead going for alternative affective registers as Eros goes about his days subsisting on manipulating humans only to break their heart. Ameliori and bishi_fishie’s art do a fantastic job of capturing that wanderlust sort of style with highly detailed environments and a variety of textures in the coloring. Their art is the immediate hook for this series; it’s so consciously stylish without going overboard. Their strip construction and panel design isn’t groundbreaking but the use of geometric shapes in between to break it up or remove panels and go into abstract symbolism gives this strip a mood. Their formal qualities aren’t similar to “Sandman” (and this comparison isn’t just due to the shared deity main character) but how both artists employ the medium to create something feels like more without actually being more is interesting.
Continued belowFor all the finery and delicate qualities in Ameliori’s inking, the use of color in this strip is what draws me in. The rendering, save for the reveal of a fine portrait in the third episode, isn’t all that complex. Outside of some perfunctory shadow work it’s mostly flats for the most part, but this simplicity is juxtaposed against the use of textured brushes in the environment and Ameliori’s line work. It’s another example of how well balanced everything is. You can look at pieces individually and see how they work but it all adds up into something more. I’m not immediately sold on the core narrative but this art is more than enough to keep checking in on this from time to time.
Here There Be Dragons
Episodes 1-5
Updates Mondays
Written By Steve Horton and Desteal
Art by Disteal and Rafa A.D.
Lettered by Julia Norza
Reviewed by Mel Lake
In a crowded field of fantasy webcomics, it can be hard to distinguish one from the next. “Here There Be Dragons” gets off to a promising start by featuring diverse character designs and a two-time Eisner winner as co-creator.
Bree, a dragonspeaker from the Golden Kingdom, is considered mad by her peers because she actually believes the tales passed down from her ancestors about the dragons that hold up the world. But when one literally speaks to her, it’s enough of a big deal to summon a fearsome foursome to accompany her to the edge of the world to check it out. Well, they’d probably be fearsome if they weren’t so busy squabbling and drinking mead, anyway.
The actual journey Bree and her companions are on has only just begun, since only five episodes are currently out on Webtoon. But with the gorgeous colors and excellent character designs and intriguing worldbuilding already present in the first five, I think it holds a lot of promise and am very curious to see how this story develops. Bree herself is a breath of fresh air, as a black woman main character in an adventure comic. The other characters are also not cut from the same manga-inspired cloth that many Webtoon fantasy series are. No shade to those designs, but it’s nice to see some diversity in the designs of leading characters.
The art team is firing on all cylinders here, even though since the story has just begun, they’re given mostly exposition to work with. And since we don’t know the skill sets of the characters yet, it’s hard to figure out what exactly is happening in certain scenes. But did I mention there’s dragons? Yeah, there’s dragons, and when Bree speaks to them she gets this gold stuff that comes out of her mouth and it’s freaky but also super cool.
I’m down for any story with dragons, so long as it maintains a balance of action with world building and a healthy dose of character work. “Here There May Be Dragons” gets off to a strong start and is definitely one to watch for fantasy fans looking for a fantasy series featuring a diverse cast and a strong art team.
