Broken Frontier

Peter Tarkulich’s Bardsworth  has a little bit of adventure – adventure, intrigue, magic, far-away-places, and of course, cookies. The fantasy webcomic centers on Mike, a typical freshman who finds his college adventures all the more daunting when he is transported to a magical school in a fantasy world.

Surprisingly though, there aren't too many cases of crying "Harry" here. “In the two plus years I've been doing this webcomic, I think the subject of Harry Potter was brought up maybe twice (I believe one of those times was you, Richard),” recalls Tarkulich. “It was definitely something I was worried about, but I think Bardsworth is original enough that any similarities to the aforementioned multi-million dollar franchise are usually glossed over.”

While Tarkulich might not be raking in as much as J.K. Rowling, he is working magic of his own – Bardsworth has been consistently ranked on the first page of Top Webcomics for the last few months.

“Top Webcomics  is one of my top referrers, and I think the people who use it to come to my site know that I update on a regular basis.  If you look at the deeper pages of Top Webcomics, you'll find webcomics that rarely update, or have gone on hiatus, or just mysteriously stop updating altogether,” Tarkulich explained. “So naturally, once someone finds that out, they aren't going to click that link anymore, because what's the point?”

Beyond the premise, it’s the characters of Bardsworth, ranging from the cookie-obsessed Mike to a housecleaning demon, that make the wizard webcomic so refreshing. Tarkulich attributes his character’s realness to a conscious decision to write for characters instead of plot. “My philosophy is that without characters you can't have a plot, so you may as well focus on developing the characters and they'll lead you down the right road,” he explains. “Half the fun of writing Bardsworth has been letting the characters take me through storylines that I never would have thought of when I started.”

Tarkulich also has his own thoughts on finding success and an audience in the world of webcomics. “To achieve any level of success with a webcomic, whether it be to establish a certain number or readers or to make a living off of it, you need to put forth 100%,” he says. “You have to be willing to put your free time on the chopping block and push forward even when you want to call it quits. I wouldn't necessarily say you need to give up your limbs or soul for the webcomic, but you definitely have to give up time, money, and sleep.  But hey, that's what coffee is for, right?”