Webcomics Weekly #112: We’re Older than Bilbo Baggins (11/10/20 Edition)

Welcome back to The Webcomics Weekly!

This week the case is afoot in “Lavender Jack” as Detective Ferrier begins to pull strings and Jack pulls a daring raid. The journey up the “Tower of God” continues. We find out what “Kimi Says.” And check out what it’s like to be in last place with “Last Place Comics”

Let’s be honest, life has been crazy. Well, I know mine has for more personal reasons, plus the world going crazy as well. So, with that in mind, I went searching for a Slice of Life webcomic! One that’s easy, fun, and relaxing to read, hell one I might even be able to relate to. Friends (and soon to be friends), by golly I think I found it! What did I find? A relaxing Slice of Life webcomic – “Kimi Says.”

“Kimi Says” is exactly how I explained it, an easy, fun, and relaxing read; Kimicreative uses each episode to showcase a different aspect of her life. Some of these episodes range from one small page to a multi-page update, yet each holds an amazing amount of relatability. The first episode alone hits home for me with our main character, Kimi working from home; just like me. Then the next episode she is alone from doing her job at home, that’s something I completely relate to. Hell, I can easily say that “Kimi Says” has quite a bit my Fiancée and I can relate to. I know for me that’s pretty awesome, especially since Kimicreative is able to pull it off in one page usually.

To add to the relatability factor, Kimicreative started “Kimi Says” back in October, so a lot of the storylines are quite recent. This makes it easier for each reader to identify with the stories. Hell, I enjoyed Kimicreative’s stories so much that I plan on texting my Fiancée some of the episodes. Each episode is a great relaxing read for all the stress that seems to be going around. On the subject of relaxing, Kimicreative’s art is cute, easy on the eyes, and a blast to read. In some episode’s it’s just Kimi with a bright background to get the words across, yet during others, Kimicreative goes all out and draws other characters and backgrounds. But, it doesn’t matter which she goes with as either will for sure brighten up your day.

The thing I loved about “Kimi Says” was how it just made me feel happy. Between the relatable moments, cute interactions, and bright colors each update will cheer you up. I honestly couldn’t tell you the last time I was hooked on a Slice of Life that made me feel this happy. If you are in need of some serotonin to boost your mood check this one out!

“Last Place Comics” first began in 2004 and ended in 2014, only to resurface with a new site and a new lease on life this year. So, yes, this is an old series by our normal standards but it’s also very new by our other standards.

I also could not pass up the opportunity to talk about ‘Crunchatize Me, Cap’n.’ I took one look at this comic and knew in my heart that “Last Place Comics” needed to be shared.

“Last Place Comics” does what webcomic strips do best: catch you off-guard with a specific brand of dark absurdism. ‘Don’t Go Into the Light!” exemplifies this best while ‘Crunchatize Me, Cap’n’ leans harder into the absurdity of the concept (Akira but Cap’n Crunch.) Not all the strips are dark, with ‘Granmeme’ being a great reversal and ‘Mafia Rat’ reveling in the ridiculousness of its set-up. It’s a microphone with googly eyes and a cardboard arm making the “chef’s hand kiss emoji” motion!

Cranor’s art is simple, with shaky outlines and solid colors, harkening back to the roots of the webcomic strip medium. It’s not polished but that lack of polish is part of the charm of the series and, again, the great strength of the webcomic strip has always been the freedom to deliver jokes no matter the artistic ability of the creator. I know it sounds like I’m dissing Cranor but I’m not.

Cranor clearly gets how to pace and frame the strips to maximize their impacts. The noseless, cartoony style allows for quicker turn-around and the simple style is perfect for expressing the requisite emotions without overly complicating panels. In the most recent five “Last Place Comics” updates, the humor is on point. I’ve been made a fan and I think you will too. At the very least, you’ll get to experience the glory that is ‘Crunchatize Me, Cap’n.’

The adventures of “Lavender Jack” continues Detective Theresa Ferrier now on the case. These three episodes push the plot forward at a brisk pace without ceasing to actually tell a story. Some of the strips in this batch, episodes 4 and 5, were not the best as pure episodes. That minor bit of structural friction is nothing in comparison to what stood out and amazed me all the way through: Dan Schkade’s compositional skill. In this batch of episodes, we have a crime scene procedural, a “Daredevil” esque bit of vigilantism, and the creeping dread of conspiracy. All of these carry with them unique tones and styles, which Schkade achieves while still largely sticking to and presenting the strips in similar manners. The panel composition is the similar throughout, but it is the variety of ways to compose inside that space that stands out as noteworthy.

Schkade’s compositional edge makes itself known in episode four as Detective Ferrier investigates Lavender Jack’s latest crime scene. You’d be surprised how hard it is to compose a good procedural comic, despite the obviously mechanical nature of its structure. Schkade has a good eye for what the valuable visual information should be in a panel and makes that the center piece. Ferrier is there to help nudge things along with the inspector and Mayor, but visually the reader is able to piece things together themselves.

These panels are all pretty much vertical rectangles of various sizes, sometimes cut into panels within panels. The use of the same basic block places an emphasis on composing well done panels, not in terms of sheer style but the ability for it to be a whole narrative unit. It also makes the moments where that flow is broken, such as episode 6 as Jack talks with a prisoner where gutter space is subsumed by an all-encompassing black and panels begin to bleed together, stand out as iconic moments.

As Schkade works through his crime procedural the issue of class is once again emphasized as the help staff is questioned. The fate of the help is used than transition to Ducky and the man who appears to be our titular “Jack” at the start of the next episode. With the difference and expectations of class brought to the foreground the reader is quickly able to see how this duo is different. Ducky sits and reads the paper as her employer works out, they aren’t active and cleaning. They appear to have leisure time!

“Lavender Jack” isn’t the most outwardly stylish comic, but it shows how strong fundamentals do a lot in making a comic feel stylish.

Tower of God
Tower of God: Season 1 Eps. 33-37; Episode 7 – “Lunch & Tag”
Updates: Mondays (Currently on Hiatus in English)
By SIU
Reviewed by Elias Rosner

What do you desire? Money and wealth? Honor and pride? Authority and power? Revenge? Or something that transcends them all? Whatever you desire—it can be yours if you climb the tower.

You’d think that a change as small as what food a character orders wouldn’t have an effect on the story but you would be WRONG. In characterizing Rachel, “Tower of God” takes a more social approach, even as she remains a loner. She is the one who first greets Endorsi in the bathroom. She orders take-out from the lunch counter, having a utilitarian conversation with the chef, and choosing to spend more money to ensure she doesn’t have to eat in the dining hall. She is the first name on the signature list and her photo is happy and smiling, showing her full face.

Tower of God however heavily leans into her aversion of people and emphasizes her dour, mysterious nature. We get a shot of Rachel sitting alone in her room in the dark, eating an apple that’s beginning to turn, as the sounds of friendship play over. We linger on her longing for the table that Bam is sitting at as she purchases another, singular apple from a stand without ever having to talk to the chef; 70% off this time too. Her photo is of her hooded face, sullen and looking down, and her fake name (Michelle Light) is prominent and called attention to.

Statement of Josephine Spooky about strange goings on at the haunted manor

Endorsi has to be the one to strike up the conversation with Rachel, doing so after Endorsi notices her slinking out of the cafeteria. Their conversation is also markedly different. While Endorsi does drive the conversation in both versions, Rachel is more hesitant and worried in “Tower of God,” whereas in Tower of God she is angrier, more insistent that Endorsi not say anything. Her tone is terse whereas the dialog in the comic makes it seem like she’s wary but not deathly afraid of being found out. She all but snaps in the show and it is her actions that end the conversation rather than Endorsi doing so. There is clearly an internal conflict in both, as evidenced by Rachel’s silent contemplation, but it is more sinister and more toxic in Tower of God. The emphasis on secrecy and the utilization of a dark, cagey motif bolsters this reading such that her actions read as suspicious, but why and to what end is unclear.

In “Tower of God,” Rachel reads as embarrassed to be seen with Bam, as if he was a piece of her past she’s trying to excise and move beyond. In Tower of God, there’s a greater sense of jealousy and self-loathing.

This is true of Hoh as well. He is far more unhinged and wounded in the show, sobbing after a long day of training where everyone around him is doing better than he. He feels powerless and when we’re given a glimpse into his past, we see why this feeling hurts him. It’s a humanizing moment that establishes his desperation and the why of his jealousy of Bam. In the comic, this moment achieves similar ends, effectively setting up what he does with the strange note that he receives, but it lacks the same impact, partially because we don’t have to guess as to the contents of the note.

The handling of the note in Tower of God is very different. The show sets up and delivers on mysteries masterfully, withholding information until just the right time while making sure to lay the seeds beforehand. It falters from time to time but “Lunch and Tag” absolutely nails these kinds of moments. “Tower of God,” as is no surprise to anyone who’s read my previous reviews, is not very good at this because it prefers to present information as it’s revealed to the characters. We know Khun is plotting something for the test. We know what is in the note and what Hoh is going to do with it. We know Endorsi suspects something is off with Rachel cause she flat out says it. The show is a far more enjoyable experience because it keeps me guessing without talking down to me or over-explaining.

Other changes between the two are along the same vein as previous episodes. Moment shrunk to save time or excise characters. Lines and shots changed to keep characters consistent and preserve the drama of the show rather than the comedy. Extraneous details like there being 10 great houses or how the rust Shinsu works are left out, as you can spend 10 panels explaining it in a comic to no great loss but if the show took the time to explain Baang, Myun, and Soo, utterly unnecessary knowledge for the narrative at this point, I would have decried it as a waste of 5 minutes. Oh, and changing the game title to Tag from Hide and Seek was a smart move, despite the game remaining convoluted and it making the English title of the episode sound really stupid.

That said, the show does expand some scenes to re-inject some character-based humor, like changing why Laure felt indebted to Bam from just finding his pillow to literally offering to wash it after Serena drooled all over it AND creating a makeshift one from a sack and some beans from the chef. It’s a far more effective scene this way too. Bam comes off as resourceful and considerate while Laure is given a reason to actually feel indebted as Bam went out of his way to accommodate him.

Everything about this shot is pure gold

In fact, this is the same with the signature scenes between Bam, Khun, Hatz, & Shibisu and Endorsi & Anaak. Hatz and Shibisu coming to beg for help is a new scene and both food scenes with the Princesses are expanded and changed to reflect that addition, building on the changes made to the tests back in “Position Selection.” With each episode I look at, it’s clear Tower of God has a fantastic set of directors and scripters who were able to take what worked with “Tower of God” and modify it for motion, modify it for 22 minute units, and modify it based on who the characters become rather than the confused people they are here.

Anaak benefits from this the most, though Hoh and Rachel and honestly everyone benefits as well. Her character feels more consistent and the message of the show, that her mother’s choice was the right one, even if it was tragic, rings truer to the central thesis Tower of God is building, namely that there is something wrong with the Tower system. It is cruel and it is self-serving and the competition is nothing more than pretense. In “Tower of God,” when asked if her mom regretted her decision, Anaak responds maybe. In Tower of God, she replies with a firm no, flashing back to the moment after a fight between her mom and dad.

By portraying the conversation after the fight as a bittersweet one, rather than showing the fight as a comedic “lovers spat” and then following it up with the expected “haha they hate each other” conversation, it emphasizes that Anaak’s mom’s choice was the right one for herself. That she was stifled under Jahad’s onerous and patriarchal rules and that the freedom in hiding was better than the power in servitude.

Shiny rock makes everything better

The fight in the comic reads as her being unsatisfied with her new life whereas she is clearly happy, even with her troubles, in the show. It is more romanticized, certainly, but the message is less muddy and the perspective is preserved. This is how Anaak sees her mom and her life before. Is it objectively true? Perhaps. Perhaps not. All that matters, however, is whether or not it’s true to Anaak.

In two weeks, we begin the second half of the season with episode 8, “Khun’s Strategy.” See you all then.