The Webcomics Weekly #98: Chapter Two on the Road to the Prologue to the Opening Salvo to 100 (8/04/2020 Edition)

The Webcomics Weekly is back in your life. This week it serves as your biweekly reminder of that razor thin line of comedy and respect “Order of the Stick” walk. “Trekker” has Mercy staring down some bad stats. “Agents of the Realm” concludes their seventh chapter. We check back in with “Clink” which shouldn’t be confused the with Switch snapping sound. It’s the beginning of the end, of the second chapter, to “The Otherknown.”

When we last left off it appeared we would finally be getting to see what the possessed-powered up Ruby would look like in battle. Instead we get ominous vagary and a lesson in being a Magical Girl. Rule #3 of being a Magical Girl don’t confirm your civilian ID … even if your girlfriend calls you out bleary over the whole kidnapping and crystal prisoning. Magical Girl Rules are not a reason to stop and deal with your own emotional issues, which is the delightful crux to the end of “Agents” seventh chapter.

Louis staging and page for the Mackenzie and Jordan sequence is great. The whole sequence is about breaking down Jordan’s emotional wall, which plays out first by emphasizing the distance from another. Followed by Jordan, finally, sitting down and beginning to deal with it. Dealing with it, meaning accepting the uncomfortable truth that all the times she was ditching Mackenzie it wasn’t to go save the world it was their own insecurity getting the better of them. Louis handles this sequence with a level of emotional maturity and honesty that I wish more people tackled their characters with. Jordan isn’t let off the hook for the messed up stuff they did, but it is all in the name of building the honest communication their friendship (irrespective of whatever that relationship may eventually grow into) did not have. Throughout this Jordan and Mackenzie slowly get closer together until the final pages and yay they kiss and make up.

The lettering on page 366 is great, the page is titled “word vomit” in the url because it is. Dialog writing in comics is tough, you have to be extremely efficient like most things in making comics. That efficiency goes out the window on page 366, and that is the point. These are complex, knotty, awkward, emotions Jordan is trying to work through. You tend to word vomit in those moments. There is a high density to the lettering, but that density helps to both make a clear reading line through a densely paneled page and que the reader into the character acting bits in Louis art. 366 is a word vomit in the best way.

Chapter 7 comes to a happy end, which can only mean everything will go downhill from here. We’ll find out in a couple of weeks.

It’s been a little over a year since we last checked in with “Clink”, despite reviewing another comic named “Clink” in the meantime. This is the one about a werewolf fighting Six Fingers, a Frankenstein (and fuck off with the “Frankenstein’s Monster was actually named Adam” and other pedantic bullshit.) We’re back for another dose of supernatural noir and while the series is still engrossing and engaging, with the right length to each update to keep me satisfied month to month, things have slowed a little in ‘The Manor and the Mystery.’

This isn’t a shock, as we’ve transitioned from dark and stormy horror-tinged noir to a broad daylight mystery, complete with a mysterious benefactor with something to hide, a missing person, and the underlying societal and class tensions that our main character has to navigate. I appreciate the change in direction for this chapter, keeping things fresh and building out the world; it’s just a lot of talking, slowing things down and losing a bit of the edge the previous chapters had. That said, I’m invested in solving this mystery and the new information presented in the most recent part has me itching for us to get to the meat of ‘The Manor and the Mystery.’

Forkes’ character rendering continues to be a draw, making sure the visuals remain full of life even as we have scenes of characters literally sitting down for lunch and becoming talking heads. It’s hard to make a jaded, cynical character interesting to watch, as they can easily become obnoxious or flat, but Forkes keeps Nate on the right side of fun without losing that “fuck it, I’m tired” attitude, helped along by his partner but not, the Ghost named Jane. I love the dynamic between the two. Jane is the best addition to this chapter and I really hope they stick around because watching them tease Nate is fun.

The only other critique I have is that the backgrounds can be sparse in the outdoor pages, leaving character to sit in yellow or blue voids, which has the unfortunate effect of making these talking scenes feel flatter despite the conversation conveying details that will certainly be important to solving the mystery, build the world’s mechanics, or simply further the characters’ personalities. Despite my critique of the volume of text, the content is well written and I’m never bored; it can just get a little much. ‘The Manor and the Mystery’ marks the expansion of “Clink’s” narrative and while it has yet to really get going, it’s a ride I’m willing to take, be it cozy slow or short-story fast.

For the past two entries on this column, reviews have been influenced by a running story of gender swap within the fantastic confines of table-top RPG for the “Order of the Stick.” And while parts of this theme were hit and miss, the conclusion to it was very satisfying and timely.

Comedic series and strips like this one – and comedy as a whole – have the power of insightful observation though satyrical jabs (one might need to roll 20 in d20 to get it, though), and this was exactly the case.

“Order of the Stick” has always been at its strongest when it combines the funny observations of RPG and fantasy trope, with the more grounded absurdity of real life. And by showcasing a deeper understanding of pre-conceived gender notions, that usually leads to prejudice, with far more grounded and specific reasons to dislike a person, the story hits comedy and insight gold.

At the end of the day, the broader social message is that it is always terrible to cast someone aside for the pre-determined notions of who they are or how they should act… but it is equally illogical to like someone, just for the sake of liking them, after a deeper study reveals they are truly, on a personal and individual level, despicable.

Walking a very thin line of comedy and respect, the “Order of the Stick” lands squarely in the side of virtue, fun, and enjoyment, and the realisation of the achievement is given both within the story and to readers alike.

It’s the beginning of the end! Well, at least for the second chapter of “The Otherknown.” Funny enough, I think I used that joke for the end of the previous chapter. Nonetheless, let’s get jiggy with it!

The last few pages of Chapter 2 may not have had an abundance of words as previous updates, but damn do actions speak louder than words. Merriman drops a great intimidating scene between Ajupris and Demeck, showing how close he seems to be with the mysterious and deadly Barthélemy Chenu. Not only that but Barthélemy – I love this name – makes an appearance at the end, showcasing how he seems to be a plot-driving force for the future. Yet, we aren’t in the future and we should address the actions that transpire on the bridge.

Angered by Demeck, Ajupris lets out one hell of a foot stomp and breaks the bridge. Not only is this a great visual moment (we’ll get back to that) but a fantastic story beat that should show great consequences for the future. Plus, it’s a hell of a cliffhanger, which I love. Moments like these are great, and show Merriman’s great forethought, as it seems she has a good amount planned out ahead of time, which is nice to see unravel slowly in the future. On that note, I hope in the upcoming chapter we learn more about Barthélemy.

Now to that visual moment. Throughout “The Otherknown” I have greatly enjoyed the visuals, and that holds true here. It seems Merriman constantly outdoes herself. During Demeck’s derogatory speech towards Ajupris, she lessens the opacity of the lettering to the point where it’s barely legible, showing Ajupris not listening. It may not seem like much, but that small detail added to the slow build-up towards the disastrous foot stomp. On that foot stomp, it’s not great just for the visual of the impact, but for the ramifications that Merriman includes. During the bridge swaying we see the screws loosen, Chandra get caught up in the incident, loud cracks, and bright colors showing the shocks. The manner in which Merriman shows the actions are fantastic to behold.

With the second Chapter now behind us, I look forward to what transpires, especially with some of the hints we’ve been given.

Major League Baseball is back, or at least for the moment with how their abbreviated season has begun. The stats do not look good for them or Mercy to star the second part of ‘Thicker Than Blood’: Three months since she’s killed a man and five since it was for money. Lucky for her business is picking up as we see in the opening pages with a set of Gatefish’s goons out to get her.

For this batch of pages Randall has gone with a different technique for generating grey textures. Previous entries had achieved this effect through the use of zip-a-tone processes. For these pages he is using duo-shade, a process that involves exposing special boards to a pair of chemicals that would react and generate specific kinds of lines. Hopefully he didn’t use that too much since that was found to be carcinogenic. The duo-shade is less angular and concrete compared to the zip-a-tone pages; it looks more like a really nice ink wash from far away. It gives “Trekker” a different kind of noir look pushing it away from a chiaroscuro effect to something more impressionistic. A different kind of mood. The more fluid application of grey tones has an interesting effect on Randall’s ink work. It seems a bit looser and more cartooned as Mercy has a talk with the Gatefish. It feels reminiscent of a “Dick Tracy” strip, which is a retro appeal but well outside the retrofuturism of the series as a whole.

‘Thicker Than Blood’ was originally published in “Dark Horse Presents” and now with 16 pages under its belt a key difference is apparent. The plot doesn’t really begin until this second entry, most of the time Mercy would’ve gotten her mission by the fifth page not the 15th. Instead we have gotten a much greater emphasis on the personal psychology of Mercy, which is a space more often seen in the ongoing solo title not a strip. While these are notable shifts in perspective and structure, the overall fundamentals of what makes this an effective strip are there. It is interesting to see Randall push the limits of what you can expect in spots while still sticking to the classics in many other regards.