The Webcomics Weekly is back in your life. This week we have the number of the BEAST … umm actually scratch that its one too many. What can I say math is hard, which will surely come up in the slice of life comic “6+6+6+6”. Meanwhile things get nostalgic in “Lavender Jack” and down right puny. The epic romance of “Lore Olympus” also continues as the underworld gets its newest intern.
‘24, 18, 12, 6’ – ‘I’m Worried about Ena’
Updates: Thursdays
By Akhts
Reviewed by Elias Rosner
If you’re looking for a new slice-of-life comic, “6+6+6+6” is a good place to start looking. Only seven episodes are out at the moment, with the seventh and beyond requiring coins to unlock, but it’s already got the making of a fun and touching example of the genre. It’s not trying to do too much too fast and manages to balance its five main characters well. Well, four of the five. The fifth has yet to really get much development beyond being “mom” but there are signs we’ll grow to see more of her character as the other four start to see it as well.
The basic premise is there’s a family of five: Mom, Jay, Ray, Ena, and Pat. All four of the kids are six years apart and so they’re each living in different stages of their lives. Jay is your typical late Millennial-early GenZ deadbeat, Ray is studious and crushing on a boy in his class, Ena is struggling with bullying at school and self-esteem issues, while Pat is finding friendship and some hardship in her elementary school classroom. Or whatever the French equivalent of that is. Akhts establishes all this over the course of these six episodes while also giving hints in prior episodes through seemingly innocuous statements or panels which take on greater meaning upon reflection.
The art style is also simple but expressive. It’s cartoony, and is willing to use that to exaggerate for comedic effect, but primarily the simpler, noseless faces help convey a homey atmosphere that can support light antics and heavier troubles. It’s easiest to see this in the contrast between Ena and Jay’s focus episodes. Although as I say this, Jay’s own focus episode sees us getting an idea of both how he is and how his outward actions are far more complex than “chill slacker with a bit of an edge.”
Ahtks has created a family that is neither idealized nor demonized, instead reflecting the complicated hardships of life and the ways good families support each other. The characters are likable even when they’re showing their flaws. I’m invested in seeing them grow and change, or even fall if that’s what’s in store. It’s all great stuff and just from these few episodes, I’m ready to read the whole thing and I think you will be too.
Episodes 98-100
Schedule: Tuesdays
By Dan Schkade(writing and art), Jenn Manley Lee(color)
Reviewed by Michael Mazzacane
Declaring that “the game begins in earnest” in the fifth episode of the second act of your narrative before cutting to a credits sequence is probably one of the latest title cards you’ll find on Webtoon. It also caps off a trio of surprisingly reflexive episodes as Mimley and Ducky reminisce about what they’ve been up to in-between seasons, Schkade pays homages to Alexx Ross’ ‘Batman Scars,’ and reveals in the flirtation and budding emotional vulnerability of queer men. Does a lot really happen that dries the plot forward? Not really, but that’s beside the point. This trio of episodes is an effective mood piece that hangs on the emotional investment by its readers to just spend time with these characters and seeing them be. It also afforded many opportunities for an Zooks to be uttered and that’s never a bad thing.
Jenn Manley Lee’s work on the flashbacks is what makes those sequences in the 98th episode. They turn down the value of the palette a little bit, but more importantly change up the brush style to one that just adds these little random quasi-hash marks to everything. It’s not posterization but a similar sort of pixilated feel. It just gives these images a textured quality and one that doesn’t hang on aesthetics associated with nostalgia. Schkade’s pinup work in these sequences, often limited to a single panel, is well done like you’d expect. Lee also carries over this new interest in texture work out the decayed remains of Bastrop manor which helps to sell the disrepair.
Continued belowLook if all Schkade had written was the puns and double entendre about Mimley and Ducky having a secret sound proof dungeon where they keep all their toys, I would’ve really enjoyed it. On top of this Lee comes in and colors everything in a pink-purlple light, which ok doesn’t make sense due to the power being out but who cares it looks fantastic. Further layered on top of it is this scene suddenly turning into Mimley and Summers being emotionally vulnerable with one another as they try and figure out what they are and mean now that Mimley is a slightly more honest gentleman! It’s all just so playfully soft. And ends on a hilarious pun of Summer’s asking Mimley to be straight with him. Scenes like this are worth not moving the plot forward an iota.
The emotional subtext to that scene too is born out from an earlier scene where Mimley expresses and recognizes the emotional and intellectual connection and honest partnership he has with Ducky. Maybe they don’t umm fit together so well in bed, but that’s besides the point. Schkade does a fantastic job of defining-redefining what they mean to one another in an honest and nuanced way. The kinda relationship work and recognition you don’t really see in these types of stories.
Lore Olympus
Episodes 44-50
Updates: Sundays
By Rachel Smythe
Reviewed by Mel Lake
The Underworld’s newest intern, Persephone, finds herself in the middle of more drama due to the tabloid photo of her and Hades in this batch of episodes leading up to the first midseason break of “Lore Olympus.” She gets chewed out by her “eternal maidenhood” sponsor and even get supposed bff, Artemis, doesn’t trust Persephone’s judgment when it comes to Hades. Which is pretty silly, sinceHades is the one who really seems rattled by having her around. But once again, the sexual double standard is in full display, as Persephone is the one who is the most vulnerable to rumors of a liaison between the two.
Meanwhile, Hades struggles with his crush in panels that are both hilarious and relatable to anyone who has had an inconvenient attraction that won’t go away. He talks to his dogs, who are fluffy menaces and totally adorable bursts of brightness and happy feels in Hades’ apartment. He also lounges about in his underwear and stalks Persephone on Facebook — totally normal behavior for a god. (Facebook in this world is called “Fatesbook” and that’s excellent, I love it, perfect detail.)
Romantic gnashing of teeth aside, this batch of episodes also features Minthe’s side of their story, recalling her nervousness at the idea of being queen of the Underworld and how badly Hera treated her. I doubt most fans care. She’s designed to be the obstacle in the way of our main duo but I have to say, I find Hades stringing her along pretty awful. I don’t love Persephone’s naivete and insistence that she’s going to make her own way in the world while she ignores or doesn’t try to understand how it works. So while I know I’m not supposed to root for Minthe, I can have compassion for her while she’s still a part of the story.
The other thing that nags at the back of my mind in these episodes are the typos. I’m forgiving of typos in webcomics but once you have two credited editors on a title, it seems like they should be less frequent. The art and story ideas have always been the main draw of this series for me, not the writing, and that’s totally fine. But it’s disappointing to come across a typo in an otherwise gorgeous panel.
