Salamander Dream (2005)
by Hope Larson (Online)
When you’re a kid the forest near were you’re living can hold a world full of magic. In the evening shadow monsters haunt it, in daylight other wonders can be found there. When you’re a kid, the names of foreign countries promises places full of magic. For some people it seems obvious that when you grow up, when you’ll outgrow these childish ideas, the wonder and magic will cease to be.
Salamander Dream makes the case that while things inevitably will change when you grow up, magic can still have a place. Only because you’ll know more about the world and some things turn out to be mere shadows or places not filled with the magic of your youth, doesn’t mean you have to give up to look at the world with open eyes and acknowledge everything around you is full of interesting things that hold worlds, small and big, full of wonder and amazement, even under the more experienced and scientific scrutiny of the eyes of a grownup.
Nice, clean art and a very pacifying atmosphere. At times the narrative is a bit too sparse on details about the characters, but overall this is one well done comic.
Rating: 4/5
Copper
by Kazu Kibuishi (Online)
One of the things I looked up after reading the first Flight anthology was the webcomic Copper by the anthologist of Flight One. There were also two Copper stories in the anthology and they are not much different from the webcomic. To tell the truth, I find the stories okay, a bit bland and not really something where you need to deploy your mind much. They aren’t really funny, or insightful or anything else. But I really dig the art. When it comes to that, the art by Kibuishi really speaks its own language and carries the whole comic. It’s lush and colorful and it makes you want to see more of it.
Rating: 4/5
Minus
by Ryan Armand
I found this little gem through Digital Strips, and their podcast on Minus is nearly as good as reading Minus itself (note the hilarious discussion of the high body count in the strip, which is something I didn’t even noticed until they mentioned it). An omnipotent kid uses its limitless magic powers to follow any urge, or those of other people. The consequences reach from fun to deadly to just strange and weird. The only limit is the imagination, and since Minus (or rather her creator) seems to have enough, it’s always an interesting ride. The art is excellent too.
Rating: 4/5
Dresden Codak
by Aaron Diaz
Finding a new webcomic that is both artistically pleasing and well written is rare, mostly it’s either one or the other, or more often than not it’s disappointing on both accounts. DC is pure excellence. Sure it’s not for everyone, mixing mythology, science, philosophy and general geekery into something that reads like random weirdness will leave some people scratching their head in confusion. But if you get it and you have a soft spot for absurd and strange humor, then DC will make your day.
Rating: 5/5
