Naivety Incarnate

Today's comic, Naivety Incarnate, is a beautiful example of what a dramatic comic can be. Touching, culturally relevant, and instantly relatable it raises the genre far beyond the exaggerated teen soap operas often found online. Learning that the comic is written strip by strip only added to my admiration of the writing, there's nothing that suggests the comic is flying by the seat of the creator's pants - likely due to the fact that the comic is based loosely on the author's own childhood.

The archive is by no means insurmountable by this point, I read through them in one sitting, but the story is far enough along to draw you in. The plot unfolds through the eyes of Antonio, a young student in a new school, as he navigates through the uncertain waters of a dysfunctional family and intolerant society. The comic in no way feels heavy, however - touched as it is by Antonio's innocence.

The artwork is realistic, and the expressions carry the emotion of each scene well. Most strips are in full color, though occasionally blue-grey tones are used to create a sense of evening hush. Presented in comic page format, the pacing is controlled nicely in both writing and with panel presentation. We're occasionally reminded that some dialogue is translated from Spanish, but as it's indicated by " < framing > " I don't think such reminders are necessary and seem to pull the reader away from the story a bit. Backgrounds are well integrated and show a good understanding of perspective and depth.

Over all, Naivety Incarnate is one of the best dramatic comics I've come across. I look forward to watching it develop and hope there will be a book in the works

Templar, Arizona

Before we begin, let's just get this out of the way - Templar, Arizona doesn't have anything to do with a particular geographic location. This isn't the story of a town, it's a story of some very interesting characters, location aside. Might as well be Las Vegas, Nevada... only those backgrounds would be a serious bitch to draw. I mean, damn.

Now, on to more substantive things.

There's no question that Templar, Arizona is character driven. Replace any one personality with another and the entire story would fall to bits, instantaneously creating another comic entirely. That the creator has written such a tight tapesty with such dynamic characters is a testament to her skill. Occassionally I find myself thinking "I believe I'm supposed to like this person, but gods help me... I can't stand them". I'm not offering that insight as a criticism, however, but rather as a compliment - the characters are so real that they are liked and disliked according to personal taste, regardless of the creator's intent, or one's personal opinion of the general story line.

The artwork is simply exceptional. Both realistic and recognizably styled, Spike floods each comic with a fluid and eye catching sense of movement and personality. The character designs exhude personality in every aspect - down to not only the clothing they wear, but how they wear it. Facial expressions work with the dialogue in such a manner that you're instantly given a sense of both tone and inflection. So much so that I even imagine the vocal quality of some characters to be grating - something my mind usually prevents against in lesser works. Every portion of the comic blends visually, from the backgrounds to the word bubbles.



Updating three times a week Templar, Arizona is a truely professional work and well worth the read.





Yes - I forgot to post again, and the review for Girls With Slingshots is still being written. Don't worry, I'll figure it all out this weekend.