Broken Frontier

It’s my last Read for a while (but not for the rest of the year), so here’s the weekly results of how many top-tier webcomics used their time in what just might be the last week of the year.

A late starter, if executed just right, can be a boon for a webcomics. Least I Could Do is only now really starting a cohesive year-ending storyline. This probably does mean the webcomic will run through the festive season which is something most creators are unwilling to either pause their strips or otherwise interrupt their holidays for. But if it means being one of the only shows in town this time of year it’s worth it. On a larger note, if Brian Michael Bendis is reading this and is looking for a protégé/lapdog, please consider Ryan Sohmer for either position.

A day ago, I was just beginning to think Dominic Deegan is now a little too fond of the drama. Granted, Luna and Dominic’s fight is long overdue, but why does it have to fall right on the holidays? But as I’m writing this Thursday, I have hope the Friday catalyst will hopefully clear much of the doom and gloom of this relationship up . . . at least before Christmas. Overall, it’s been a great year for Dominic Deegan – the story has taken on fuller characters and deeper aspects which have been somewhat lacking in the long-running strip. It’s gone from the webcomic where I kinda-sorta want to see what happens next to one of the most must-see­ webomics on my list.

Arthur King of Time and Space is back to line art once more, and though I didn’t much care for the triangle polygons, I’m glad to see Paul Gadzikowski is not only acknowledging the transition, but also mocking it as well. It’s also good to see several Christmas-themed strips in the AKOTAS, as most webcomics I’ve read largely ignore the festive season, or any December-based holiday for that matter, while bound up mostly by their own individual storylines, acknowledging the holidays only through filler and incentive art.

The Phoenix Requiem is back to the number one spot on Top Webcomics, probably because it’s maintaining semi-consistent updating while Last Blood is on hiatus. That could all change when Last Blood comes back online, and unfortunately, there’s not really that much happening in the first three pages of The Phoenix Requiem. Once again, the Sarah Ellerton webcomic will have to step up its pace if it wants maintain a sharp lead over its flesh-eating counterpart.

Not entirely sure what is going on in Girl Genius, but you know what? That’s okay, because I like it anyway. Unfortunately, the accents of most of the characters involved are pretty perplexing. Still, I’m anxious to see where the story is heading. In particular, we haven’t seen main character Agatha for at least a couple updates, and it doesn’t seem to show any signs of changing in the near future.

Shadowgirls continues to be one of the most provocative and powerful webcomics in the game. While the creators admit the “Gilmore Girls meets H.P. Lovecraft” logline rings true, the truth is there’s just nothing else like it on the Net. Period.

Though it hasn’t updated as much as some of the above webcomics, I really like Paradigm Shift’s police procedural tone. It’s exceptionally rare that you see a webcomic like PS with such a cinematic vision in its exposition. I have yet to pour myself through the entirety of the story, but I’m very anxious to see the whole thing from start to finish. This is one of the few webcomics out there which feels just like reading a good book or watching a great movie.

That’s it for me for a couple of days. Everyone have a safe and happy holiday and check back at this space December 27^th for more year-ending analysis on the world of webcomics...