Broken Frontier

If your taste for the supernatural extends beyond Halloween, you won’t have long to wait: David Rodriguez and Dave Reynolds’ hit webcomicShadowgirls will be returning from hiatus in less than two weeks.

Fortunately, there’s plenty of interesting things up on the Shadowgirls website whether you are a fan of the Lovecraftian action strip or entirely new to the experience. From detailed biographies to crossovers and bonus art, Shadowgirls is definitely one webcomic which doesn’t let hiatuses get in the way of telling a good story.

First off, there’s the story. Shadowgirls is billed as “the Gilmore Girls meets H.P. Lovecraft” but the catchy tag line doesn’t do the webcomic justice. The strip is a gritty but endearing tale of mother and daughter Charon and Rebecca McKay who must struggle with both the monstrous secrets in the eponymous town of Innsmouth as well as Rebecca’s own supernatural heritage – and the changes which come with it. But over the course of the strip, Rodriguez and Reynolds have broadened depth and scope of Shadowgirls to include everything from Bourne Identity-style espionage to Image-style superheroes. There’s even a super-clash crossover with Rodriguez’s first book, Starkweather.

Most recently, Shadowgirls also paid host to Halloween with several of its monstrous cast finding the scary holiday much to their liking. And beyond that, Shadowgirls has even posted short funny hiatus announcements further breaking the ice. While some webcomics treat their content too seriously, Shadowgirls effortlessly graces the fine line between relevance and irreverence with wit and charm.

It is a bit surprising to see the Shadowgirls thrust into such a vibrant and expansive universe when their own struggles in Innsmouth seem desperately unresolved at the end of their pre-hiatus storyline. But there simply isn’t anything else remotely like Shadowgirls, blending professional quality art with breakneck plot twist and story turns into one subtly satisfying package. Bottom line: whether the inclusion of Starkweather and more into Shadowgirls is good or bad, the results with be interesting to watch either way.

Tune in November 10^th on the same Shadow-time, same Shadow-channel as Shadowgirls season 2 heats up – but unlike most hiatuses, Shadowgirls fans will be returning from this vacation with plenty of goodies in between the long break. A good read for Lovecraft fans and newbies alike, Shadowgirls is shaping up to be the premiere supernatural webcomic.