Welcome back to The Webcomics Weekly!
Can you believe we’re almost a month out from hitting 100? I can’t. It’s a strange milestone and while I’m sure the site has many, many other columns that are far longer, we number ours so. . .
This week! We have the return after a short break of “Order of the Stick” and the continuing adventures of “A Better Place” and “Trekker.” Joining them is “Motherlover,” which will be published in print by Iron Circus Comics in 2023 and this editor first heard of here and “CHOKEPOINT.” Yes, the capital letters are a stylistic choice.
A Better Place
‘Speed Them Along’ – ‘I am Trying’
Updates: Thursdays
By Harry Bogosian
Reviewed by Elias Rosner
The hardest part of choosing how many pages to review each week is whether or not to remain consistent in numbers or consistent in intention. Numbers split scenes in odd ways and, especially for non-Webtoons, which are often built for each episode to be akin to an “issue,” whereas intention, usually scene by scene, can have wildly different lengths. In an effort to make it easier for me and to get me to the end of the comic before 2025, I’ve changed to scenes rather than the 5-pages every other week I was doing, and this is the first time in a long time that we’ve had a lengthy scene without clear narrative breaks.
After the frantic cutting back and forth of the last few updates, this chunk of pages encompasses the entirety of Theo, Nina, Arima and Mr. Bun’s arrival in the City of Cups proper, after having fallen to its spell earlier on. It goes about as well as you would expect i.e. not very. The strange gudetama-like creature in the cup drags everyone save Mr. Bun and Theo into the City’s drug-like haze. It’s an unsettling scene, made all the more chilling by the bright, golden-orange light that permeates the city and the wide eyes of Nina and Arma and their distended, artificial smiles. Theo is pushed to his limits and Bogosian sells every second of it.
He makes it clear that this is a hard battle, not only because the enemy is so powerful and clearly in control, but also because it pushes Theo to his limits and beyond. Mr. Bun cannot save them, cannot perform the unpleasant tasks as he has in the past. Theo must step up and set aside his goodness and wield the power he has. It’s gut wrenching to watch precisely because Bogosian drags it out and really lets us watch Theo be forced into it.
And his face after he performs the deed. Oh, his face and his voice and his posture, it’s defeated and broken and we’re right there along with him. This, coming off of the battle of Hannah vs The First, highlights the differences between the two as well and their approaches to power. One wants to be careful while the other is willing to do whatever, however, and with as much force as she can. Theo is learning what he must do to fight his sister but, when the time comes, will he be able to? Or will it be up to Mr. Bun, the smiling terror-controller, who plays all sides for his own gain?
CHOKEPOINT
Chapter 00, Chapter 01: Part 1, Chapter 01: Part 2
Updates: Varies
By Mackle
Reviewed by, Jason Jeffords Jr
To say I love Manga is an understatement. Surprisingly enough I was reading/collecting Manga before American comics. This started when a Fredmeyers opened near my house and they had Shonen Jump when it was physical and monthly. My parents bought me this, set me up a subscription, and I fell in love. Why does this information matter? Well, I like writing about myself, plus “CHOKEPOINT” is greatly inspired by Manga.
However, this inspiration is its strength as well as its weakness.
The reason I’ll cover three chapters is that the story of “CHOKEPOINT” is hard to talk about. In my time on earth, I’ve read a lot of stories in differing media. That’s not meant as a bring, but as a truth. The reason I mention it is because I’ve read stories that give a lot of information in its first chapter, and other stories that barely give you scraps in its first few chapters. Nonetheless, both of these styles can do great, but it depends on multiple factors. One such factor is curiosity. Luckily, “CHOKEPOINT” piques your curiosity, but it isn’t because Mackle drip feeds you info, but because it has potential. Although little is given for the story, the potential in a great story it exudes is fascinating.
Continued belowMackle’s art style is where the manga inspiration falters. Yet, that’s not due to the art, which is jaw-dropping, but because of the format, which I’ll get to later. Mackle’s style could be compared to Tsutomu Nihei (“BLAME!,” “Knights of Sidonia”) whose art includes great details and grandiose environments. That said, Mackle’s style is absolutely gorgeous, between the details, use of black, character designs (reminiscent of “Code Vein”), and awes-inspiring backgrounds. You’d be hard-pressed to say it was bad in any way. Yet, there is one aspect that just doesn’t work; the Webtoon format.
For how fantastic the pages are, Mackle’s art becomes limited on the format of vertical reading. If Mackle moved over to the normal panel/page structure I believe “CHOKEPOINT” would improve greatly, and see even better success. That’s because even though I don’t understand everything that’s going on I loved what I read/saw. Nonetheless, I eagerly look forward to the future of “CHOKEPOINT.”
Side Note: “CHOKEPOINT” reminded me so much of a Manga that I was reading in the Right-to-Left format. That is until I corrected myself.
Motherlover
Pages Ch 1. Meet Cute Pg 1-18
Schedule: Once a Week
By Lindsay Ishihiro
Reviewed by Michael Mazzacane
To get it out of the way quickly, yes the title of this comic has a name similar to a well known SNL Digital Short, back when SNL was good. And no “Motherlover” by Lindsay Ishihiro is not like that short. Instead it is this delightful slice of life queer romcom – the first chapter is called ‘Meet Cute’ after all – about two women, Imogen and Alexis, at different points in their lives. With the authorial promise/epiphany “yo, those moms are gonna kiss. I could feel it in my ‘shipping bones.”
I’m a sucker for queer romance, but even if Lindsay Ishihiro’s comic only focused on the trials of Imogen I would still be sold on it. The opening couple of pages as Imogen drives up to drop her four sons off at school is well done quite comedy that instantly shows off Ishihiro’s art style and what is capable of. Imogen’s introductory page is only 5 panels but Ishirio plays with perspective to create the feeling of tense energy as Imogen drives up to the drop off spot. Switching up perspectives also allows the cartooning to come through that accentuates but never fully breaks the representational style that is employed. This mixed with the overall bright colors and not overly detailed rendering give this “For Better or For Worse” (Lynn Johnston) and “Luann” (Greg and Karen Evans) vibe.
Ishihiro’s dialog comes through as snappy, slightly overtuned, but witty. It does a good job of getting the tone across as Alexis accidentally insults the fellow school moms or Imogen tries to wrangle her sons. Hopefully the lettering gets a bit more expressive going forward, at one point Imogen mentions a phrase and how she means it in a sincere and non-sarcastic way, the opposite of how one of the moms said it. The lettering in both cases is the same, while there is punctuation emphasis, it doesn’t make it read all that different.
“Motherlover” is just a delightful easy read about people trying.
Order of the Stick
Pages 236 – 240
Updates: Varies
By Rich Burlew
Reviewed by Gustavo S. Lodi
Now this is a tricky one, and something this reviewer was not expecting as a return to “Order of the Stick” after a short leave of absence. For the latest review on the satirical take on RPG tropes, fantasy worlds, and general geek culture, “Order of the Stick” deals with one member of the party changing gender (temporarily) as part of an elaborate escape plan.
Full disclosure: this particular strip is from 2005, which makes it 15 years old as of the time of this writing. And the progress on discussing gender fluidity and non-binary identify has been tremendous during that time, despite so much being still left to be addressed.
That said, there is a sense of uneasiness to this story, of jokes feeling dated and out of place as a result of this evolution. It most certainly feels like a product of it’s time, despite the comedic nature of the strip and the usual provocation it delivers to provide insightful commentary on the absurdity of reality.
Continued belowPerhaps this is what is lacking on these five pages: the connection of the punchline with something more profound, which is what great comedy often provokes, and what the “Order of the Stick” has done time and time again. This story is not over yet, so that punchline might still be on its build-up, so here’s hoping for a bit more “a-ha!” to this “bwa-ha-ha.”
Trekker
Pages: Book 9 “Sins of the Fathers” Pages 21-31
Schedule: Mondays
Written and Illustrated By Ron Randall
Colored by Jeremy Colwell
Lettered by Ken Bruzenak
Reviewed by Michael Mazzacane
The multiple sins of the multiple fathers come to light as we find out what’s been eating Karch all this time along with Angus own. It turns out Karch has sworn a vendetta on Angus and like Inigo Montoya has dedicated to his life to the art revenge. His overdeveloped sense of vengeance clashes when he sees Mercy has come with Angus to try and talk him out of it or maybe kill him in the defense of her surrogate father. All of these revelations, the nature of Angus role in his fathers death, come in the span of a couple of pages. Of course they are built and supported by the previous chapters worth of content, but they are still concise and effective. Randall’s page composition for Angus’ flashback isn’t an exposition dump that through the distillation of plot morally lets Angus off the hook. Quite the opposite it makes you feel for Karch’s father and the failing of Angus, even if what he did is the tactically correct move. As he says to Mercy, it doesn’t change anything for Karch’s father or his crew.
All of this sets up for “Trekker” to once again take one of those surprising philosophical right turns into deeper territory than you would expect, as Randall begins to ruminate on the nature of violence and the sad thing about how it is so easily justified. Mercy is a woman of violence same as Angus and Karch. This trios justifications are just different, and in the case of Mercy perhaps even hypocritical as she invokes the sanctuary of the Law. As Mercy and Angus walk and talk I couldn’t help but think about the end of the first volume of “Kill Bill,” and Bud’s righteous declaration “that woman deserves her revenge… and we deserve to die. But then again, so does she.” Angus has this coming, Karch is justified in his animus even though it appears to be destroying his soul in the process. And Mercy is left somewhere in between consumed by her own want to inflict violence on others for that which has been done to her. It is a surprising turn by Randall one that begins to reckon with the nature of his protagonist in a cold light.
This issue of “Trekker” while it is oversized is a good example of the kind of economical and substantive storytelling available to a single comics page with the right amount of efficiency and clear eyed storytelling is applied.
