Comic Book Journal

Here’s the real stuff - today we have several weekly webcomics in addition to all the dailies we cover on Fridays anyway. So without further delay, let’s get this mash-up started.

I’m really excited about Dominic Deegan. My biggest problem with Dominic is, in my estimation, he’s very rarely wrong about people. There are good people in the world, and Dominic knows it, and there are bad people in the world, and yes, Dominic knows it. I can understand if he was really wrong a lot he wouldn’t make a good seer, but all the same, your hero has to be wrong sometimes.

Though its a minor case, one character just might surprise Dominc Deegan - if he lives long enough. Reinholt is a disgraced Knight who crossed paths with Dominic on one of his bad days, his racist tones earning Dominic’s wrath, who cast a pretty depressing forecast for Reinholt. This week, Reinholt disobeys a direct order to return home in order to escort headstrong mage Cassaflinn on a mercy of mission to the orc homelands. Too bad Cassaflinn herself has disobeyed a warning from Dominic Deegan NOT to participate in the food drive, as a nasty clan of orc mages is on the march too. I’m really interested to see what happens in the next two days.

Things are just today getting interesting in Least I Could Do. Rayne’s laziness leads him to be abandoned by his sexy co-worker in organizing a charity event. This unfortunately, gives Rayne full control of the charity funds - and he gives it directly to those in needs. Today the event seems to be giving guests a first hand look at poverty - right in their own streets. Does Rayne know what he’s doing, or is he heading headlong into the unemployment line? The fact that I can asks this question makes this webcomic interesting.

Everything’s pretty much the same on Arthur King of Time and Space. Arthur talks to a troll of the Internet variety. Lancelot gets stuck in a tree, and debates the inherent existentialism of his quest. Just wait to things get really interesting in this strip.

Now for the monthlies.

First one up is from my good friend and Pierced colorist Bryan J. Ibeas. This Is Gravity explores the supernatural through the perspective of a depressed young woman Maggie, her dead best friend’s younger brother Dexter, and his precocious pal Amanda. I think the devil runs a pet store. Figures.

This storyline focuses on Amanda, a relatively new addition to the cast, and the story is skillyfully weaved between Amanda’s conversation with a quirky fortune teller as well as her and Dexter’s investigation of suspicious arson plaguing several condemned buildings. What’s behind it all?

Dexter thinks its a Balrog.

Things are going pretty slowly in my own webcomic “Hector!”, thanks in turn to Pierced (you knew I’d find a way to plug it again). Only one update this month for the prologue to the next story, “The Man-Eating Horse of Cross Pitch”, as several outlaws ride off in for a dangerous bounty mission. Hmmm, I wonder what they’ll find.

Well, I was going to tell you all about another one of my favorite webcomics, the three-a-week Between Two Worlds, but when I clicked on the link, guess what two unfamiliar words graced the image I saw.

THE END

The End? Webcomics end? WHAT?!

But seriously, if you’re looking for a webcomic substitute to “Lost”, with an astonishing array of enjoyable, but not uncountable, characters and a storyline that makes a great deal more sense start to finish than “Lost” does in three freakin’ years . . . be sure to check out “Between Two Worlds”. You can probably read the whole story from start to finish.

Although there is an epilogue still to come. Expect frequent updates on that.

Another webcomic coming to all-too-sudden close is the Talismen series. As with “Between Two Worlds”, there is plenty of enjoyable stuff to read with “Talismen”, whose fantasy I find bold and refreshing. Writer Steven P. Jones is authoring a series of books based on the past days of “Talismen”, but I’m going to miss the excellent illustrations by Barb Jacobs.

Wow. Two of the three webcomics I set out to mash up monthly really did mash up . . . one by closing their doors and the other by way of “The End” (though there’s still more to the story) I hope I have better luck next month. We aren’t off to an auspicious start!