Broken Frontier

Webcomics need room – and time - to grow. After a summer break spent readings a variety of webcomics all over, I’ve returned to the Top Webcomics List to see what’s new – and see what’s changed.

One comic I’m glad to see still up and running is Peter Tarkulich’s enchanting Bardsworth. The story – of average freshman Mike Cosley, who finds he is attending a school for the magically gifted – is certainly a familiar one nowadays, but Tarkulich makes it work with fresh characters and a less-than-serious approach the whole thing.

Speaking of changes, Tarkulich’s handle of color and shading seems to have improved since I last saw them. The characters look better rendered in general, though a few of the backgrounds still look a little generic. Still, the characters look a little better designed now, and in general, Tarkulich has improved as an artist over the three plus months since I’ve read the webcomic.

Of course, I’m not the only one returning from a break. The current storyline finds Mike on winter break, where he introduces his fairy friend Fawn to his family and starts to bond with his pain-in-the-butt older sister Tammy. Tarkulich has definitely done a good job keeping track of time in the webcomic and making sure just enough has eclipsed between strips. The sight of Christmas trees in the background and holiday shoppers is consistent for the webcomic’s continuity, though it is a bit disconcerting to be reading in the middle of August heat.

The pacing is very gentle and very funny – generally indicative of the rest of Bardsworth as a whole. The only problem is there is not much happening on break other than occasion brother/sister bonding and Fawn discovering more and more of the mortal world. There’s very little conflict beyond the surfaces of the two situations. I suppose this is for the best, as that’s generally what storyline breaks (be it winter or summer) are for, but after a while, there doesn’t feel like that much to do or see. The characters are a joy to watch, but unless the story kicks itself back into the intrigue of Bardsworth University soon, I don’t think there will be much reason for readers to keep coming back for more.

Still, if anything, Bardsworth is the little webcomic that could. Seemingly staked among the Top 100 of TWC, Bardsworth hasn’t moved much so far as I could see, and as long as its trademark warm and colorful characters remain, I don’t see that changing any time soon – but a little more action and a little less conversation would be nice.