Webcomics Weekly #60: Far Out and Off the Books (11/5/19 Edition)

The Webcomics Weekly is back in your life. This week things get “Far Out” mane as we adventure to the great beyond, looking at the “Otherknowns,” and new pages of “Tiger, Tiger.” With continuing coverage of “Agents of the Realm” and “Sam & Fuzzy”

This batch of pages has a lot to offer, from an example of how to do the same thing for the third time and keep it interesting to progressing the overall plot with the reveal of the final Agent.

“Agents” has been in that early Digimon phase for a while now, like any team book it’s about both putting the team together and showing what they can do that makes them unique. In Digimon this meant at least 5 episodes of the same basic plot beats as each DigiDestined got their moment to shine. Mildred Louis dosen’t have that budget, it’s the sort of repetition that isn’t very effective in this kind of comic. These past 90 pages or so, since Adele showed up, has been an exercise by Louis in efficiently quoting previous forms without fully repeating them. Now that Kendall and Paige are powered up it’s time for that cycle to repeat as they must battle a giant Bleed Crow. Both new Agents get their moment in the sun, in the form of a page dedicated to their specific weapon (bow and arrow and hammer/bludgeon) and in the case of Kendall her puns. Oh I like her already. These one page highlights are solid, Kendall’s is a bit more indepth as Louis gets to play out the reacts to her punning. Norah is not impressed by these puns, Louis reaction work is excellent in these spots.

Fighting the Bleed Crow is its own ball of wax, sure it is a big animal but this one can fly. That ability actually poses quite a few logistical issues, one of the reasons you don’t really see this sort of thing in comics. Louis strikes a good balance as the injured monster flees, dedicating a third of a page to show the sort of distance being traveled and dedicating the remainder of the page to the Agents search. Or lack thereof as the brush isn’t very conducive to tracking giant monsters. The decision to give each character a unique vocal color in the lettering pays off as the Agents fret over their skirts. The panel is cramped and confused visually, but with the lettering the dialog is able to keep that sense of panic without it being confusing as to whom is talking.

Norah jumps out a head looking for the Crow and instead finds the final Agent, the purple haired chained blade wielding Jordan. Norah’s had plenty of annoyed and exasperated reactions recently, but their reaction to the sudden sight of Jordan pushes things into the awkward realm. The page design or their meeting-stand off is well done as Louis consistently mirrors the two off one another. It visually walks the line between awkward first meeting and a Western standoff.

This batch of pages as we enter the fourth chapter of “Agents of the Realm,” are a good example of how sound page design can progress things and give people moments to shine. This latest battle was a tricky problem that showed the finesse and overall sound craft that “Agents” is built on.

Comb your pompadours and flick up the collar on your leather jackets y’all, we’re taking a ride back to the 1970s for a good ol’ fashioned monster hunt. What are we hunting? Why, I can’t tell you that, that’d ruin the fun. What I can say is that “Far Out’s” inaugural chapter is shaping up to be a fun throwback with a modern spin and executed with a ton of flair. GoMaccha takes full effect of the black and white artwork to flesh out backgrounds and characters while still remaining economical so as not to overwhelm the panels.

The strongest aspect thus far of “Far Out” is the use of perspective, both in building tension and in establishing the style. Characters and objects frequently break the bonds of their panels, putting them closer to us but at odd angles, as if they were TOO close. This happens on page 16 with the main character, who is thus far unnamed on the page, when he points his shotgun off panel. It stretches and elongates, with a big shimmer showing the care the main character takes in maintaining it, conveying the power of the object as well as performing the value the main character places in it. . .which makes the later fate of the shotgun a great symbolic moment of where he is at the moment.

I also have to give praise to the expressions, which at times have a McKelvie-esque mischievousness. They’ve got a wide variety, allowing the personalities of the characters to shine through so that, even though I know so little about him, I get the main character and want to keep following along. Page 21 falters in this regard, with him not conveying full danger of the fight in his face, but the rest remains up to snuff.

There are also a couple places where the reading line is messed up, so word balloons are read out of order. Panel 3 on page 10 is where I noticed it and while it doesn’t harm the page, it did add undue friction to the reading experience. The characters are strong though and I’m more than willing to put up with a bit of balloon friction to keep reading and to see what’s awaiting our protagonist on the other side of his prey. I bet it will be pretty Far Out.

A few things are different this time around! I’m reading a webcomic based around science and space, not magic! Before you grab your magic brooms and brush me out, I am a fan of magic. But, I needed some good ol’ sci-fi and space ships in my life! The biggest difference: we’re looking at a bigger page count. Nine to be exact! Why? Well read on to find out!

The first few pages of “The Otherknown” don’t feature much in the way of plot, instead Merriman focuses on introducing characters. Primarily, Miss Ajupris, her niece Chandra, and Mr. Demeck. It’s not until six pages are we introduced to Judd Winsome, and his son Reed. For starters, Mr. Demeck oozes classic villain vibes, or at least ‘not the greatest boss’ aura. As it turns out one of our radars rings true, as Pappa Winsome mentions he isn’t ‘so’ bad.

Reed feels like he was written to portray my excitement of reading a science fiction Webcomic, with him screaming in surprise about the recently landed spaceship. Merriman emphasises this excitement by giving Reed a humongous dialogue bubble containing a big, bold WOW that takes up a fair about of space. Through these character interactions, Merriman brings a lot of information into the mix, whether it be Winsome implying a ‘rank’ between them, or Chandra mentioning her Aunt is there to buy mountains, not the moon.

But with one quick line about not having thoughts, or opinions from Chandra, Merriman adds in a huge hint that may pay off in the long run.

The first nine pages of “The Otherknown” focuses on its characters and easing the reader into its world, so don’t go in expecting epic space battles. But that’s perfectly fine, as Merriman’s art is simple, yet effective while having a great ability to showcase emotion. When introducing Ajupris, Merriman paints her in a breathtaking fashion as light spills over her. Mr. Demeck is more in the shade, while portrayed seedyer. Am I judging a character by his appearance? Yes, I totally am!

Although it’s only nine pages in, Merriman is able to showcase much of the world through dialogue moments that double as great character introduction. What’s next? Who knows? But hell, I look forward to learning more about “The Otherknown!”

Things come full circle this week in “Sam & Fuzzy” as ‘Off the Books’ begins in darkness with a confused Fuzzy waking up in a dumpster. While the arc would appear to be yet another of the flashback sequences featuring half of the titular duo it actually sees Fuzzy pursuing a potential lead in the current day.

‘Off the Books’ re-introduces Rikk Estoban, a character from previous iterations of the series and the creator of the “Skull Panda” strips we’ve been seeing peppered throughout the various breaks between stories. There’s clearly a history between Rick and Sam as they recount their last meeting, where Sam apparently stabbed him in the head with a fork.

While Rikk is an amusing character in his pretentious nature we don’t get much of his rival, Litchfield, who has contracted a thief to steal a piece of Rikk’s private art collection. Fuzzy follows him to a roof where the painting and money are being exchanged but when Fuzzy attacks the cat burglar, believing her to be Hazel, we see that it is not his former companion and this mysterious new character chucks him off the building and into the dumpster.

There’s not a ton of meat here as far as humor and poignant moments, which the series is often littered with, but it does drive the story forward introducing new faces and providing a few chuckles in the moments with Devahi, Aaron, and Sam. And, for as much as he is an easy to hate character, Rikk is right about one thing: there is definitely something wrong with Aaron’s fish.

I’m curious to see what direction this will take “Sam & Fuzzy” into as we learn more about the new introduction to the cast and what they mean for Fuzzy and his search for Hazel. And, while I would have loved to have laughed a bit more this week, these installments do leave me intrigued and looking forward to my next entry.

Well, this was certainly different. “Tiger, Tiger” has always been about a tale of discovery, a journey beyond what one knows to be true and logical. As readers follow series protagonist Ludovica as she escapes her family home on a sea-faring adventure, they got to explore the world through her eyes and growing experience.

On this update, the adventure take a backseat to intense exposition about this world’s mythology, but it is handled so well that it feels anything but dull and boring. In classic RPG style, Ludovica stumbles upon a traveling theatre troupe, who in the middle of a town square, tells how the world came to be, and how it’s originating deities fell from grace.

It is gorgeously conveyed. The leader of the troupe is friendly to the point of being creepy, his wide-eyes drawn with just a tint of madness. The actors performing his words are inserted in beautiful costumes that were wonderfully designed. And the crowd’s reaction to the performance, from small children feeling intimated, grown men being scare, is expertly crafted on facial expression and body language alone.

Plot-wise, this update serves to introduce some key concepts that will likely pan-out into a broader storyline later on. The tale of the vengeful gods is a common one, but when handled well it can frame the actions of their human counterparts. The struggle for acceptance, the envy that come from having siblings in better positions, it all connect to the original themes of “Tiger, Tiger.” Finally, it also introduces a new supporting character to the fold, who despite looking a bit like other men on the series, sounds interesting enough.

Another great piece for “Tiger, Tiger.” It keeps adding layers without detracting from its key characters, and always does so in such a nuanced art style.