Webcomic Review: Wish³

The comic Wish³, by Sylvia T. Leung, is a 400+ page complete webcomic manga. That's right, you could sit down right now and read the book from start to finish! Heck, you can even order the volumes online right now from the same place we sell Greasers, on Lulu.com!

I started reading the book after I graduated high school and it wasn't finished until I had graduated college. I'd check back religiously because there weren't too many cheap sources of entertainment for a student in New York other than Web-comics.

This book starts off with Basil Toback, who is turning 18, eavesdropping on his family. He finds out  the 3rd born of any generation of his lineage is cursed to be the wielder of  three wishes. It is a curse because after the 3rd wish is made the wielder goes insane and dies. Unfortunately, Basil also finds out his family intends to use the wishes themselves with no regards to Basil. Eluding his family he begins a long quest to bring an end to this curse. His journey pulls him through other dimensions and peering back in time to the wishers of ages passed, finding allies, and strange enemies alike.

I really enjoyed Wish³; it captures the feeling of any one who just turns 18. That age brings with it a lot of harsh realities. like the struggle for independence, and finding a purpose. Watching Basil work through these struggles was reflective and cathartic for me. It also encapsulates a lot of interesting aspects of Japanese style and culture.

The supporting cast really stand on there own. Many times the supporting cast become so overshadowed by a lead that they become little more than plot devices, something I like to call "Goku Syndrome." Wish's cast really works, because, while the focus is on breaking Basil's curse, they have their own dilemma's they are facing.

Seeing this work come together before my eyes was really invigorating for my own creativity. I watched the artwork evolve from inks with pencil shading, to grayscale, to full color. It was really remarkable to see Leung's improvement over time, and how the layout and details in her work became more polished. Watching the production and how it comes together is like a bonus form of entertainment for following webcomics.

This style of artwork is a bit underwhelming as it is similar to many other artists who have had manga influences on their work. Even still the story is really beautifully rendered, and action is conveyed creatively. At times, you can get lost in the panels and feel like you need to reread a page to take it all in. Additionally, Sylvia proves herself a master of Prismacolor, her marker brand of choice that is infamous for bleeding a lot. In the age of  the web-comics, most done digitally, it is impressive she crafted this book with analog tools like pen, ink, marker, and watercolor.

Sylvia herself was always quick and open to questions, and sharing her methods. The website is full of concept art and behind the scenes information. She seemed to network very well as we see covers by guest artists like Christopher Berkeley, who worked in the animation departments on the animated Green Lantern, and BATMAN: Under the Red Hood.

I recommend this book to everyone, but especially to fans of anime like Blue Seed, or books like Harry Potter!

Sir Thomas J. Griffin is an artist and anime caricature working for GryphonKnights Comics. He's illustrated books like Greasers in Geese , Hero, and The Only Choice.

For any who enjoyed Wish³ I'd recommend reading GryphonKnights's own coming of age story,  Greasers in GREECE!

Webcomic Review: Calachurras

Jesus and Angel Delgado understatingly summarize their webcomic Calachurras as "a few three-arm guys, a beach and a very strange battle."

You are welcomed into this world in a first person POV through the eyes of a churra. The plot is cleanly laid out by one of the leaders of the clan (or Misters) that their clan's purpose is to battle a rival clan, and defeat them before the great wave comes and destroys them all.

You quickly garner the concepts in this society by their castes and jobs. Following two of the Misters, Mr. Future and Mr. Maker you become drawn into the urgency and the innovation they are trying to execute so that their tribe may survive.

Things aren't easy though as they quickly encounter red tape, and taboos which pepper this culture and makes for amazing parody & commentary on religion & politics. This satire while silly strikes very close to home for anyone who has dealt with a system.

The art captures one's attention right away. It has beautiful simple landscapes and in its simplicity immediately reminds me of the works of Jeff Smith (the creator of Bone) or Lewis Trondheim. The Brothers Delgado allow the time of day to affect their characters, fully immersing them into this world, a detail which many forget to do. The lighting plays off their civilization indicating the passage of time, as well as ticking down to the oncoming battle, and creating a sense of urgency that continues to draw the reader in.

In most webcomics you see the art evolving or improving over time, but this book has a consistent look throughout its first arc, a nice feature (although I do find see the evolution of an artist's style entertaining.)

The pacing in this book is amazing, the art and dialogue work in tandem to create a time bubble that races you through this story, but leave you wishing for another tome in this epic.

I would encourage anyone to step into the... grabbers of these churras, and experience the difficult battle and complex war they are engaged in. 

Sir Thomas J. Griffin is an artist and acloyte of Chaos Magick working for GryphonKnights Comics. He's illustrated books like Greasers in Geese , Hero, and The Only Choice.

For readers who enjoyed Calachurras I'd recommend reading GryphonKnights's Frankenstein Vs. Dracula!

Webcomic Review: Dark River

I used to hate twitter, I didn't understand its purpose at all. However, once I started gryphonknights.com with Sean, & D, it was evident that social media was going to be an extremely important. Since starting our Twitter account (gryphonknights, naturally), I've discovered more and more webcomics.

A couple of months ago, I tripped over digital rock and stumbled across a book called Dark River. Popping open the page, I was met with text. In our image saturated world, the written word has become cheap, and can often alienate visitors. However, these words were bright green,eye-catching, and strewn across a painted starscape; an excellent choice for luring in readers.

The crew of a ship sucked into a Plodt Hole tries to ground themselves and find their way home while navigating misguided scientists and an endangered race of cyborgs. It is a sci-fi adventure similar in tone to Star Trek: Voyager, but peppered with Douglas Adams humor. The panel per page layout, that seems to be becoming more popular with webcomics, makes the story move quickly. It is easy to become immersed, as the layout leads for quick pacing that at times seems like an animated experience.

I can't really criticize the storytelling it, as I along with others helped craft it. In fact, you too could help continue creating this book. Occasionally the book will come to a point where it asks readers how the story should continue. As entertainment becomes more realistic, it still seems to be lacking in interactivity. While the homages and parodies to Star Trek are fun, the humor and ability to make choices keep things entertaining.  I only wish  that the story  branched off into multiple directions like a "Choose Your Own Adventure."

Dark River is a great example where accepting a set of limitations can set you apart and help create a solid work of art. While the artwork seems like it is created on paint and is really rough, the artist makes it work by embracing his limitations and being consistent. His green overlay and color scheme really engages the eye. The pages where you have to choose is the treat, as you are greeted by a panel that almost seems painted, really visually rewarding. I am looking forward to continuing to contribute and seeing how this book evolves over time.

Sir Thomas J. Griffin is an artist and space alien working for GryphonKnights Comics. He's illustrated books like Greasers in Geese , Hero, The Only Choice, Meanwhile, and others.

He wonders if his own crew in The WOW Signal! will ever find their own way home.

The 5th of November & the Birth of Meanwhile

Today is the 5th of November. A day one which not only saw the poorly executed "Gunpowder Plot" but a day when our comic strip "Meanwhile..." was conceived by my brother and I, like Joffrey Baratheon. It all started 2 years ago. We were joking about comics, and film and then at one point we said how ridiculous a comedy on V for Vendetta would be if instead of a Guy Fawkes mask he was wearing a Groucho Marx mask.

Every once in a while, to the bane of my editors, I will have, or hear, an idea that will completely consume me until it is completed; because I have to see it. Case in point, Hippopotomus Prime, or the Greasers as Ninja Turtles, or as Green Lanterns, or sci-fi Tinkerbell... Okay, so I sometimes get distracted. And hearing this idea of "Groucho V," I had to make:

I really would love to see this movie

This parody of an iconic image led to a bunch of other parodies, that originally were just for our own amusement. Then in a couple weeks we had 10 images and decided that this would be an ongoing project as we kept tossing out ideas faster than I could draw them. We spit-balled names back and forth, none of which I remember til we came up with "Meanwhile..." A name which fit perfectly as these short clips acted as interludes in our more serious books. We labeled the panels with the logo and then posted them online for all to see. This back and forth eventually culminated in some of our own favorites like "Hipster Starscream," or "Dr. Reality".

Though none of these has had the same reach as one strip our writer Dimitrios came up with. Jesus Loves George R.R. Martin. Yeah... you're just going to have to read that one for yourselves

Sir Thomas J. Griffin is a poor artist and potato working for GryphonKnights Comics. He's illustrated books like Greasers in Geese , Hero, The Only Choice, Meanwhile, and others.

Webcomic Review: Jesus Christ Comics

Religious webcomics aren't new, and it can be really challenging to stand apart from the mass of artwork that is out there. When Dave contacted me the other day to check out his Jesus Comics (www.jesuschristcomics.com), I thought it was funny because before I did comics I was pretty religious. I attended church regularly, studied Greek, Hebrew, Biblical Archaeology etc... Yes, comics have taken me off the path of righteousness, that or helped me realize that religions can be a little nuts!

I still get a kick dealing with the topic. For example The Book of Genesis illustrated by R. Crumb is one of my favorite things ever. It's page after page of detailed illustrations interpreting passages of Genesis. Its a massive, beautiful book, and contains all 50 chapters.

In this case, however I was confused with Dave's introduction.  "...The subject matter is [too] controversial," he said. referring to the story of the birth of Jesus, one of the most retold stories of all.

But I dove in! It was a pretty quick read; 4 parts, 11 pages each. It's a bare bones retelling of the greatest story of all, but Dave's imagery seems to stand out in certain points, where the pictures end up being accidentally hilarious. For example, there is these gory images of a Rabbi standing over John and Jesus with a pair of sharp, bloody scissors.... post-circumcision. A panel with the caption "King Herod was also upset." has the image of a man clutching at his sliced throat while an interesting combination of Hades from the Disney's Hercules and ZigZag, glares in the foreground.

Herod, actually is my favorite things about this comic; his design and the creepy way he carries himself stands out. He isn't the only character in the book who has a face-lift; the angels look more like the common interpretation of Djinn from Islamic mythology.

Over-saturation of this type of comic makes it tough to compete in the market. Even though it isn't the strongest book I've seen there is a lot of potential and while needing refinement the artwork stands out as stylistically memorable. The coloring is also good for a webcomic made by only one guy. Dave shows some competence in lighting and storyboarding which other neophytes lack.

Jesus Christ Comics has the potential to be something really awesome if he allows more character exaggeration like he does in Herod.

Again thanks to Dave for showing me his book!

Sir Thomas J. Griffin is a poor artist and carpenter working for GryphonKnights Comics. He's illustrated books like Greasers in Geese , Hero, The Only Choice, Meanwhile, and others.

He also wonders if Herod is worse than Emperor Septimus from Greasers in Greece