by Neal Von Flue
It seems like webcomics are becoming comfortable.
Due to many factors, webcomics are settling into a mold, almost like a
genre
into itself. Webcomics by and large, have become strip-sized in order
to
accommodate the screen (with a few exceptions still holding onto the
dimensions of a print comic page). To reduce production time, most work
is
in black and white, or colored with flat fill layers. But, most
notably,
they've fallen into the serialization mold. Larger, cohesive and
experimental works are few and far between. They've been left to the
side in
favor of weekly, bi-weekly, or even daily installments. This is
probably
most attributed to the shape of the Internet itself. Any site that
updates
regularly or often gets the most attention. No matter the content. For
this
(and I'm sure, other reasons), webcomics have started settling into
this
serialized, strip-based mold.
This makes it difficult in the deafening noise of webcomics vying for
attention, to dig deep enough to find the more aggressive, experimental
work. The works discussed here are just a few of them. They are
experiments
in everything from the incredible qualities of color on the web, to
nonlinear storytelling. They are experiments in education and
absurdity.
If one thing ties them together, it's that they fit in no mold, and
even
now, they stand unchallenged in their individual intentions.
After Days of Passion
Antony Johnston and Ben Templesmith
Free
Made in 2000, After Days of Passion is one of the earliest aggressive takes on the non-linear storytelling that is possible on the web. And, unfortunately, it stands relatively unchallenged in this regard.
Created by two guys who now have successful careers in print comics (Johnston has written such books as "Three Days in Europe" and "Frightening Curves," and Templesmith has gone on to draw books like "30 Days of Night" and "Hellspawn") After Days is a story about 5 days in a relationship, chopped up and stitched back together by the use of an interesting and simple navigation model.
The theory behind After Days is to take a linear story and wrap it all up into something much more like a "ball of narrative" that the reader moves through at their own pace. Upon opening the comic, you're presented with a series of icons that loosely represent portions of the larger story. When you've read a section, you're left with another set of icons to choose from. It is left entirely up to the reader to decide their way through the comic, so each reading experience is different, as you're introduced to the story information differently each time.
Templesmith's art rounds out the tone of the piece in the grungy visually rich style that has come to be almost fashionable in print work but is used too little in webcomics. It's interesting to note that rich imagery like this has come to fruition in print where the cost of production is high, but most people on the web stick to the easiest print production values in a format where the print cost is almost nothing... Why isn't there more visually-stunning art in webcomics? (Hold on, averting tangent...)
Johnston says of his comic, "I'm still very proud of After Days of Passion. Despite my hopes, there really hasn't been much else produced using the non-linear web techniques, which is a shame. Perhaps people just didn't like it, after all. And certainly wouldn't want or expect it to somehow replace traditional, linear storytelling. But I think as an experiment, and as a testament to what can be done with web comics using just a little imagination, it's stood the test of time."
At a time in webcomics evolution where Flash seems to be the only way to experiment, After Days stands as a deceptively simple way to make a story that can only exist on the web.
Read this comic.
48 Vignettes About Everything
Colin White
Free
One of the more powerful possibilities in web storytelling is the ability to connect and juxtapose seemingly unrelated things in a single space, sometimes using nothing more than a mouse click. If the title is considered, this is one of Colin White's goals with his Flash-based comic, 48 Vignettes About Everything.
In his "Artist's Statement," Colin reinforces this idea. "I believe everything is connected; from the coffee cups on our classroom table, to the coffee bean plantations in Peru; from the paper in our sketchbooks to the forests of the Ottawa valley; from the microscopic beings living in our food to the absurdity of our everyday lives - I wanted to explore as much of it as I could."
Created as a school assignment he refers to as the "squares project," 48 Vignettes About Everything is designed quite simply. The reader is presented with four squares representing a person, a place and an object. The final square advances you to the next vignette. When you click on one, you're given a four panel strip on the subject. Once you've read the strip, you're returned to the first four squares to continue. This may sound a bit confusing, but I found after a couple of vignettes that the whole comic seems to fall into a rhythm that is reinforced by the short, sardonic and amusing strips.
White's lyrical drawing style and simplistic, earthy color palette work well in the animated environment. They keep the comic moving forward and the lighthearted tone of the piece in check. Each character is abstracted beautifully and has their own iconic presence, recognizably different from the others.
What's being explored here is the relationship of these things. How each person interacts in their strips. How the objects speak subtly to the person's character. Colin's humor is best displayed in the geographical strips, where he occasionally points out over the top "facts" about each place, jabbing at our cultural ignorance. (For instance, I truly had no idea that the Chinese have already colonized Mars.)
If there's a failing in this comic, it's that it does feel like a school project at times. This isn't really an issue however, as the real goal of this comic is to play with what you can do on the web. And, in doing so, White has found an excellent vehicle to bring across the interconnections between people, places, things, and their environment.
And he gets to make fun of Greece while he's at it.
Read this comic.
Electric Spirit
Chris Watkins
Free
It's common knowledge (at least among comics people) that this medium can be used effectively in education. This idea could be reinforced by the government's use of the infamous Ready.gov visual guides that so many web cartoonists had a ball scrambling and adding fart jokes to. But apart from this lone brush with teaching, webcomics as educational tools (even with the Internet's inherent educational and viral possibilities) remain relatively untapped.
Why, it's entirely possible to make a comic that teaches the reader another language. And that horrible segue brings us to Electric Spirit by Chris Watkins. Here we have educational webcomics taking the first great step. It's very easy to see the potential of this genre when reading this comic.
Started in 2000, Electric Spirit is a manga-inspired comic strip that aims to teach you Japanese as you read along. Right off the bat, it should be said that you should take a minute to read through the instructions if you've never seen the comic. In order for it to be most effective, you need to familiarize yourself with the interface, as well as a bit about the language itself. Luckily, Chris, who spent time in Japan as an English teacher, has spelled it all out for you in a brief opening page. Once you've read through that, you're invited into the comic itself and your exploration of the Japanese language.
Chris has built a simple and easy-to-use interface, complete with built-in references and a side bar to guide you along. Each word balloon rolls over to its Japanese equivalent, with a window to give you an explanation of what you're seeing and reference to what you have learned in previous panels. And the side bar gives you detailed info on each Kanji used, even down to the visual image that inspired it and tricks to remember it.
Chris has crafted an interesting setup for his story in Chapter 1, and his manga-fueled style fits in perfectly. It gives you the feeling of reading real manga, but you can really understand it! It would be great to see it in color if the artwork on the front page is any indication of what it would look like. But, currently, a color version seems unlikely. And this brings us to the down side of Electric Spirit. It's on hiatus.
A while back, Chris took Electric Spirit down, citing a redesign in the works and a new Flash-based interface to replace the JavaScript version, which isn't totally compatible with all browsers. Chapter 1 (and part of 2) has since been made public again and accessible from the front page, as well as a sample of what the second version will look like. With better space economy and a cleaner menu, Version 2.0 should really streamline the reader's experience.
The educational comic is an idea that hasn't been used to its potential. But, by that standard, webcomics as education hasn't even been unearthed yet. I'm certainly hoping Chris returns to this idea and posts more pages soon and inspires others to work toward a goal of education as well as entertainment. (Besides, I'm not fluent yet!)
Read this comic.
