Broken Frontier

There’s very rarely been a Girl Genius episode which didn’t interest me on at least one level. The final products are always so colorful, so kinetic and so original that you just have to read – one way or the other. And the latest installments of Girl Genius are no different.

In this case, it’s Agatha – the titular Girl Genius – faced with a massive mechanical guard dog. This hulking creation is simply one of the best robots ever seen on webcomics – brimming with as much character as the animated cast of Girl Genius. The way the monster dog snarls at Agatha and company while they are right in front of its nose is classic – and the amount of detail and intricacy which goes into bringing this creature to live on the page is – like most things in Girl Genius – every bit as impressive.

Though it could be the dark, dungeon settings, the art looks a little more striking than my last Girl Genius read several months ago. The shadows seem balanced and even, approached from a specific light source rather than a simple need for shading. Whether the art is actually improved or just well adapted to new settings is anyone’s guess – Girl Genius is one of the most acclaimed webcomics in just about any comic-related award you’d care to mention.

It’s the pacing which really sets the current page apart. The massive machine dog is on the move, and Agatha’s group are scattering at her command. Her reluctant enemy-turned-sidekick Moloch hurriedly and hopefully whispers “Don’t follow me Don’t follow me Don’t follow me..”, only for the dog to make a pounce in his direction, to which Moloch cries “I KNEW IT!” It’s the humor of Girl Genius which really makes every situation so engaging, combined with the professional quality dimensions of the page that make several hooks in one update possible.

Of course, the one page length of the webcomic does have some drawbacks – namely sometimes there’s just too much going on. At times, there’s just an intimidating level of reading involved in page after page, making Girl Genius more comfortably read as an actual graphic novel rather than a three-times-a-week webcomic. Girl Genius could also use a true Archives page, as the pull-down menu is a bit too cumbersome. However, with a Story So Far page as well as one of the biggest Character pages on the Internet, getting caught up in Girl Genius is never a sweat.

One of the best webcomics on the block, Girl Genius just keeps getting better and better. Definitely check it out if you need either your steampunk fix or are just looking for another good webcomic to follow – it fits both bills with exceptional flair.