#slumbertown

Sun Princess: Love how it progresses like an RPG, where young Zettie "grinds" for money (in order to get into a prestige academy) by tackling low-leveled monsters (called Spites.) Seeing the different beasts was a treat and the artwork in general is incredible, using black, white, and gray colors effortlessly. It also helps that Zettie might be one of the most adorably designed protagonists I've ever seen. I'm rootin' for ya, kid!

The Back O' Beyond: Completed webcomic about oceans and pirates, of course I'd be drawn to it like glue. The artwork admittedly does take time to get used to (it does improve!), but the nugget is in its story and characters. It's got all the hallmarks of a good pirate story: legends that lead into immortality, sea monsters, salty pirates with shady backgrounds, and of course, a gay romance between the two leads. The Back O' Beyond is a breeze to read and enjoyable if you need some piratey thing to scratch a bit of that itch.

The Space Between: The artwork drew me in: the colors pop and the alien designs are fun (I love Feri's starry-eyed pupils.) The interaction of a bored conservationist employee and her flirty, amoral alien buddy make for a great dynamic, further enhanced by her profession keeping track of and maintaining alien species and Vexen's uniqueness as an unknown entity. I can't wait to see what kind of shenanigans the two will get into next.

Saffron Wave: With achingly beautiful artwork that evokes so much of magical girls and shojo of the early 90s, Saffron Wave makes it clear where it got its inspirational from. At five chapters, the comic is mostly still in its beginning stages. Nephele is only just getting used to her powers while the Gods above seem to be undergoing internal conflicts that, as expected of their ilk, deem fit to use mortals to do their dirty work. So far, it feels like they're setting up and establishing the world and character motives, but I'm intrigued on where it'll go, especially with Hecate and Eris' personal relationship with each other.

Sister Claire: I remember reading this comic back when it was still a silly comic about goofy nuns who use the power of God and Anime to fight evil. I was super into the idea of a naive, virginal nun who was pregnant with the Messiah.

Years later, I came back to the comic and found it has altered its course almost 180 and became a serious drama about past mistakes and legacies left behind, along with its consequences.

And the transition was actually really, really well done. I'm always fascinated when webcomics start off with a humble premise only to grow into something fundamentally different than what it started of as. Early Sister Claire is basically a season one pilot that only enhances the further you read.

That said, the comic suffers from an overload of characters with varied spotlights on them, often inserted into the plot with no forewarning. I also feel like there were points in the story where I needed outside lore and worldbuilding I didn't get within the comic, which leads me to wonder how optional the "Missing Moments" materials really are?

I tried to read those, but I admit I didn't get very far, so I don't know if any of them are required reading to understand some of the people in the main plot. If not, then that's one thing, but if so, I think it's a misstep that you have to rely on supplementary materials in order to understand necessary context. Seriously, if someone can confirm if the overall MM stories are required or not, I'd love to know.

Regardless, it is a very solid comic with a great visual style and though it threw me for a loop on what it ultimately ended up as (I admit, I did miss the original premise of Nun Is Pregnant With Divine Baby), I am vastly curious where the story is going and how it will end.

Realm of Owls: Uniquely tells its story through compendium entries explaining the titular realm of owls. Definitely scratched my itch for worldbuilding via guides and lore. It's also very, very funny and clever; every owl is an eccentric and how they managed a society is, frankly, a miracle, given one of their traditions is usurping their leader and replacing themselves to the throne almost every other week.

Novel approach to a constructed world.

In Blood We Rise: I admit, I was motivated to read this comic because I was promised a hot grim reaper. I did get a very hot grim reaper, but he's only in, like, three pages lol.

Still, compelling main protagonist dealing with 19th century nobleman woes of societal intrigue which also ties into his legacy as a magic casting background is my jam. Also has a hot vampire dude who is into him (and vice versa), so bonus!

Slumbertown: A bit slow going, but perfectly appropriate for its purpose in establishing the main characters and their growing interior dilemmas. Having Romy be a therapist dog-in-training is a clever way for the comic to dig into the inner minds of folks trapped in a sleeping city. Love that it lets the creator play with the visuals: the first chapter alone had the main cast surrounded by ghostly hands, Dali's melted clocks, and stargazing in outer space. Also just love the pastel-like color scheme look of the whole thing.

The end of the first chapter revealed a greater conspiracy behind Slumbertown then I was expecting, so I'm just like :O over here. As of this entry, I haven't started Chapter 2 yet, but I will definitely be coming back.

Aster and the Fire: AatF is a classic example of establishing its character and background before shit hits the fan, and it does this very, very well. I felt for Aster getting more and more stressed out as I clicked each page: the expectation she's not living up to her parents (girl, same), her loving relationship with her brother, and the emotional abuse she gets from her employer.

Aster is a woman who has so much potential, but is not recognized by it and often reminded or berated for it; something she is fully aware and likely internally spirals into. Once she discovers she has significant magic, later revealed because she seems to be a "host" for the Goddess, She's forced to runaway with a known, but hot, criminal, and that's currently where the comic is up to. Definitely eager to see how this one will go.