The final month of the year is here. The winter is almost upon us and that means it’s time to cozy up with blanket, a cat, a dog, a loved one, a different animal, both, neither, all, whatever your preference, and read some webcomics. We’ve got six to get you through this first week of the month, although five are returning instead of the usual three. We know how much you needed some stars and suns. So sit back, relax and enjoy these tales of Bad Machines, Lost Nightmares, Strange Tales, Merciful Stones of Sun, Shattered Light from Stars, and Mo.
Bad Machinery
November 19, 2009 – November 30, 2009
Updates: Completed
By John Allison
Reviewed by Bodhi
Triple negatives! Rainbow beanie-wearing dogs! Jack taking one for the team! Hairy noses! This week’s “Bad Machinery: The Case of the Team Spirit” has it all!
Okay, let’s calm down.
On the story front we have a larger focus on the boys this time where Jack, as mentioned above, has to step up and basically get himself in a dicey situation where he will have to do something pretty brave. And there is a little bit of trouble that starts to brew in the girls’ paradise which we will see ramifications of in later updates.
Even given the daily updated nature of “Bad Machinery” Allison’s art this time seems more rushed and therefore uneven than usual. The expressions on the girls’ faces in the panel where they are being told off for talking in class lack nuance. Especially Mildred’s. I understand the cartoonesque nature of the strip but this seems simplistic even on those terms. That’s not to say the art is not effective, by the way. Coloring is competent as usual.
When we return “Bad Machinery” will have waiting for us a genuine paranormal visitation and some posh nosh. And some rifts in friendships will start to show for our heroes. Oh no!
Lost Nightmare
Pages 3.11 – 3.20
Updates: Completed
By Julia K. (a.k.a. Miyuli)
Reviewed by Gustavo S. Lodi
Reaching the halfway mark of its third chapter, “Lost Nightmare” maintains the focus on Jasper, rather than series protagonist Ink, further expanding who might be the most relevant supporting character in the series. As done with other characters, this development feels an organic evolution of both Jasper himself and the actions he is going through as influenced by the plot.
Julia’s art is a bit more muted on this update, as the series of events do not leave one particular part of the woods dividing the realms of nightmare and dream. Because of that, the color palette remains squarely on darker shadows and deep greens, with Jasper’s bright orange outfit being the sole source of contrast. In a way, it works in favour of the story, highlighting how out-of-place he is on this current setting.
In terms of plot, the most interesting aspect of this update on “Lost Nightmare” is how the series continue to peel the layers from the relationship between the Sandman and the Boogeyman, even without properly showing either of them. Rather, the consequence of their actions, past and present, is felt on the conversations Jasper has with the Hunter entity. Once again, the sharp dissonance across what each entity appears to be and what they actually are and behave, remains a key selling point for the series. In a world of dreams and nightmares, after all, nothing can be taken at face value.
Further character development, consistently strong art and an overall design style that plays in favour of the story and the feel the series is going for, “Lost Nightmare” is an excellent webcomic – rather, an excellent comic, period. Its audience at this stage is certainly engaged with what is coming next and how each member of this cast will utilize their abilities to help one another.
Mo
October 29-November 26
Updates: Mondays
By Ann Telneas
Reviewed by Dexter Buschetelli
“Mo” is a simple strip about the complexities of our daily lives in 2018. Centered around its titular character the last five installments deal with politics, hope, people who sing Christmas carols too early, the president, and insomnia; which feels a perfect encapsulation of how many of us feel at any given moment of late.
Continued belowThe series is charming in its cynicism, finding humor in the horrible through scenes like the bartender furiously juicing an excessive amount of oranges while listening to a press conference. Telneas injects the frustration of not only herself, but many of our fellow Americans, into characters who feel believable and relatable.
It is not, however, a series devoid of positivity or optimism. The most poignant of these recent entries is also the simplest. As Mo passes the Lincoln memorial during mid-term election season she glances toward The Great Emancipator with fingers crossed, a gesture of her hesitant, but still existent belief in the process.
That simplicity, like many of the greatest cartoons, is “Mo’s” strong suit. While the other weekly offerings give more panels and story the series is still delightfully uncomplicated, from its overall narrative and comedic bits to the visuals. The art carries that same easy-to-digest feeling despite the more complex themes it speaks to, keeping “Mo” relevant and insightful without feeling contrived or like a lecture to the reader. It is high-brow, but from a working class perspective.
Creators could do well to learn from Telneas, who does so much here with so little. This simple series says a lot, but doesn’t beat you over the head with it or talk down to you; it merely speaks to you.
Shattered Starlight
Pages 113-118
Updates: Mondays
By Nicole Chartrand
Reviewed by Robbie Pleasant
A new chapter begins in “Shattered Starlight,” and it starts off just the way you’d want a webcomic about a former magical girl to: at her part-time job. Well, technically we’re starting before that with the last page of chapter 3, where we’re reminded about how many people our heroine Farah has driven away or pissed off, but it adds a nice bit of backstory and deepens the world and the characters’ history.
At any rate, Farah’s job at the coffee shop continues, with a bit of wish fulfillment for anyone who’s ever had to work in a job dealing with customers. Have you ever felt like baristas writing incredibly wrong names on coffee cups is their way of getting a small bit of satisfaction at the customer’s expense? Well, “Shattered Starlight” lets Farah play with that, giving customers names like “Bad Goatee” and “Ugh.”
That’s just a bit of light humor before we get to the meat of the story, though, as the characters begin to discuss everything they know and try to put the pieces together. The attacks on Lilly, another team of magical girls getting beaten, and the return of a former arch-adversary are all important details that the readers might need a refresher on, so having a “what do we know?” moment helps both the characters and readers catch up on everything.
It’s the little character details and moments that carry the story, though. Even just giving Farah a bit of French to speak reminds us that the comic is set in Canada and adds a bit of flavor to her character. She’s a crass former magical girl, sure, but she’s got a real personality.
And of course, Nicole Chartrand’s artwork is just superb. It continues to use black and white coloring for most of the comic, save for things like hair or coffee shop manager Fred’s blue eyes to make the actual colors pop. The close-ups give us details for the unique character designs, like fellow former magical girl Aeslinn’s pointed ears and slit-shaped pupils. There’s some great depth to many of the illustrations, and even the little one-page drawings that occasionally appear between the proper comic pages just look great.
Overall, while these past few pages aren’t providing much in the way of progression, they’re a much needed recap with good little character moments and a nice bit of humor too. “Shattered Starlight” continues to be a very entertaining webcomic, albeit not one for the impatient who want to get the entire story read quickly.
The Strange Tales of Oscar Zahn
Chapters 25-29
Updates: Wednesdays
By Tri Vuong
Reviewed by Elias Rosner
‘The Last Soldier of Somme’ comes to a close with these chapters and what a close it is. While the whole of this arc may have lasted longer than anticipated, with a bit too much filler in act 2 and a slow start, it stuck the landing, marrying the multiple tones of the story beautifully and bringing Charlie’s story to an end with bittersweet joy. Vuong’s artwork continues to improve, although it is obvious these last few chapter strained his abilities. The more intensive backgrounds and detailed characters would sometimes lose fidelity, with coloring that didn’t quite color the whole way or shadows that were punctuated by the colors of what would be a fully-lit background/character.
Continued belowHowever, the story never suffers for it and when the emotional beats have to hit, the art is right alongside it, making sure everything goes smoothly. For example: Charlie’s war buddies, huddled in the church, are suitably eerie, what with them reciting melancholic poetry about WWI battlefields and their piercing blue eyes. Or, near the end, the deadpan way Charlie delivers the lines about Oscar being just the pretty face (it was a very solid mustache) while Vuong positions us in a close-up to really sell the humor.
It’s also interesting to note that the final battle between Charlie and the monster has a very “Hellboy-esque” feel to it, from the shot composition down to the way the church is destroyed. It’s one more aspect that helps to strengthen the work. Additionally, Oscar’s creature looks far better now than it did in the last arc, with an iridescent blue glow and a mouth in its head. We learn a bit more about the thing, and about Oscar’s relation to it, giving us more to chew on in the coming adventures.
Sunstone: Mercy
Pages 135-144
Schedule: Variable
By Stjepan Sejic
Reviewed by Michael Mazzacane
One of the major changes between “Sunstone” and “Sunstone: Mercy” has been Sejic’s decision to just format everything into traditional comic pages from the start. This isn’t a strip in the way stuff on Line is or the original “Sunstone” was. Some of the fun more experimental design is gone, but it turns out this shift in production actually results in little meaningful change in the act of reading. The consistent borders to everything is rather nice since it never feels like the gutters are too big and that space isn’t being used.
There is one clear difference in reading, understandably things read in more of a left to right fashion than a purely vertical one. This effect is created both through Sejic’s expressive lettering and use of internal monologue/retrospective narration. The mileage will very on the use of narration, but it has been an overall effective tool. This reading orientation also lets Sejic work through a pretty meaty, and humorous, conversation between Alan and Ally. It also lets the proper amount of tension to build as he cross cuts between Ally getting reading and Alan getting the final piece necessary. For all of Sejic’s ability to craft sumptuous sexy imagery, the thing that makes this work is his character acting and pacing skills as seen in this batch of pages.
Sejic ends this update on a wonderful image and tease, a single page spread of Ally ready to play to sub to Alan’s dom. The wonderfulness of the image is both its artistic quality of Ally in a pinup, without it feeling skeezy, and how it uses that pinup quality for ironic purposes and foreshadows/confirms what “Sunstone” readers already know about what is to come between Alan and Ally, without reading like terrible prequel fait accompli storytelling. In this batch of pages they work through how they currently feel about their physical arrangement, but one of the long term downfalls of that arrangement is both of them wanting to be in charge. Ally try as she might has zero sub energy. Sejic draws her in the right position, saying the right things, it is technically correct with none of the spirit to make the game work. Her voice says “well, then shall we begin, master?” but her eyes tell you she’s the dom.
