LiarCat recently premiered a new series, and since there are only a few episodes so far, I looked back at earlier work for further enlightenment.
In the new series Justice and Heresy, a young woman named Xeri is actually a powerful hellspawn creature doomed to live in a desolate region called the Severed Lands. The story follows a young female knight named Palladin Priscilla whose mission is to slay Xeri. For her part, Xeri thinks Priscilla has cute freckles and consequently she declines to incinerate her as she has earlier antagonists. We wait to see what will become of this relationship.
An earlier saga, Flowers for the Arsonist, follows a naive young woman named Lucia who is banished to Wheskering Hills because she has been marked as demonspawn; indeed, her left hand has transformed into a claw. The other residents of the town resemble insects, except for a punky blonde counterpart named Paige who wants nothing to do with her. The series is filled with funny, ironic episodes, such as showing the girls go trick-or-treating in Wheskering Hills, or Lucia visiting a hair stylist who is a giant spider; but the central focus is the evolving relationship between Lucia and Paige.
Both stories involve the tender attraction between two women who are opposites; our interest is enlivened by the barriers they must cross to come together. Flowers for the Arsonist is further deepened by the alienation both women feel from the society that has shunned them.
LiarCat has a real flair for minimalist compositions that are well-composed and atmospheric. The writing is also slimmed-down, clever and subtle. There is a striking evolution between the two series– in the most recent series, the art and writing have become more simplified and elemental, the tone less serious. I can’t decide which I like better, but LiarCat is a creator to watch, no question about it.
