Earthsong Saga
I've not been in the mood to post recently, but I said I'd talk about Earthsong Saga, and dagnabit, I'm going to. Of course, having Arnold nag you about updating helps (I'm appreciative of it. Really.) ;)
There's nothing terribly ground-breaking about this webcomic. No drunken appliances, no angsty androids, no magical fezzes. No posturing or pretension, either, just the singular satisfaction of good storytelling. And a most lovely lady.
Okay, so I'm a bit dazzled. Let me start from the beginnning.
I was checking out the fanart for another webcomic (Inverloch, which is also worth looking at), when I found a crossover drawing with a curious girl called Willow (that's her up there) from another comic called the Saga of Earthsong.
It would be safe to say that Willow was what drew me to Earthsong. As I read, I found that this lavender-skinned, snow-haired, curly-locked girl with amethyst eyes was more than beautiful to me. She was captivating in the special way that two-dimensional characters can be: as personifications. Oh, she had the tender allure of kind innocence, but there was more. She had grace. Every shadowed hue on her face and neck, every demure gesture, and every fold of her dress screamed out that here was a Lady.
Although Willow is the star, she has quite the supporting cast. Every character drips with personality. More than that, though, each is based off of a legend. Part of the story involves people returning home from the adventure set out in the comic with scattered memories of strange beings. These became our gargoyles, our valkyries, our gorgons. The author (Crystal "Lady" Yates) actually encourages her readers to research the myths that lay behind her characters. Also, every new name in the comic, she has said, will always have a meaning behind it. I find this a refreshing devotion to quality and depth, especially in a webcomic. Not to mention the artist herself, who once stayed up until 4 AM working on a page in order to get it out on time.
As for the story itself, it strikes me as somewhere between Final Fantasy and Disney. The plot involves living planets as the Powers That Be, which immediately harkens to Final Fantasy 7. Excepting, of course, that these planets have minds and personalities. I find Disney in the balance between plot and characterization. Yes, these are people with depth and with tales to tell, but what matters is the plot. Whether the characters are center stage or vehicles for the story, the plot is the focus, and its telling the purpose. That's what gets you in the end. While you're rooting for the characters, you're drawn in by the story.
Speaking of the story, you'll note I've said very little about it. I wanted this post to be primarily an endorsement. You now know how much I like this comic, and if you know me, then you know the weight of that sentiment and can gauge your decision accordingly. Besides, I had to leave you something to find if you decide to read! Aside from the pretty art.
Rich characters.
Detailed plot.
Beautiful art.
Dedication to storytelling.
What more could you ask for?
As for me, I have a pretty girl in a dress and choker, and I'm going to enjoy every minute.
Twilight out.
There's nothing terribly ground-breaking about this webcomic. No drunken appliances, no angsty androids, no magical fezzes. No posturing or pretension, either, just the singular satisfaction of good storytelling. And a most lovely lady.
Okay, so I'm a bit dazzled. Let me start from the beginnning.
I was checking out the fanart for another webcomic (Inverloch, which is also worth looking at), when I found a crossover drawing with a curious girl called Willow (that's her up there) from another comic called the Saga of Earthsong.
It would be safe to say that Willow was what drew me to Earthsong. As I read, I found that this lavender-skinned, snow-haired, curly-locked girl with amethyst eyes was more than beautiful to me. She was captivating in the special way that two-dimensional characters can be: as personifications. Oh, she had the tender allure of kind innocence, but there was more. She had grace. Every shadowed hue on her face and neck, every demure gesture, and every fold of her dress screamed out that here was a Lady.
Although Willow is the star, she has quite the supporting cast. Every character drips with personality. More than that, though, each is based off of a legend. Part of the story involves people returning home from the adventure set out in the comic with scattered memories of strange beings. These became our gargoyles, our valkyries, our gorgons. The author (Crystal "Lady" Yates) actually encourages her readers to research the myths that lay behind her characters. Also, every new name in the comic, she has said, will always have a meaning behind it. I find this a refreshing devotion to quality and depth, especially in a webcomic. Not to mention the artist herself, who once stayed up until 4 AM working on a page in order to get it out on time.
As for the story itself, it strikes me as somewhere between Final Fantasy and Disney. The plot involves living planets as the Powers That Be, which immediately harkens to Final Fantasy 7. Excepting, of course, that these planets have minds and personalities. I find Disney in the balance between plot and characterization. Yes, these are people with depth and with tales to tell, but what matters is the plot. Whether the characters are center stage or vehicles for the story, the plot is the focus, and its telling the purpose. That's what gets you in the end. While you're rooting for the characters, you're drawn in by the story.
Speaking of the story, you'll note I've said very little about it. I wanted this post to be primarily an endorsement. You now know how much I like this comic, and if you know me, then you know the weight of that sentiment and can gauge your decision accordingly. Besides, I had to leave you something to find if you decide to read! Aside from the pretty art.
Rich characters.
Detailed plot.
Beautiful art.
Dedication to storytelling.
What more could you ask for?
As for me, I have a pretty girl in a dress and choker, and I'm going to enjoy every minute.
Twilight out.
posted by Aisyrn | 2:35 PM
2 Comments:
Well, I could ask for interraction between audience and writer, merchandising opportunities, more action-packed panels, ?action figures?, cameos from other web-comics, cutesy animated gifs of the characters, B&W concept art, big money cash prizes for visiting, eBay auctions capitolizing on her artwork style, iconic characterizations of popular archetypes, and ... oh yeah, fifty thousand dollars in unmarked, non-sequential bills.
But for a web-comic, it's pretty good.
She hasn't suffered as much from the sort of pedantic pit-falls of other web peoples. By that, I mean she hasn't exactly launched on the "I hurt and you will never understand how deeply massively unending my pain is you horrible insensitive bastard."
I like her for that. Give the readers the benefit of the doubt when it comes to sympathy. Explain the plot and the story as need be, but don't preach on character motivations.
Artwork's nice. Can't say that I'm as fascinated with it as you are, but it's just a difference of style. I derive beauty in images from grace, and grace of forms comes from movement (implied or otherwise). None of them seem to be more than statues so far. She's good at capturing these characters between movements, but not in motion.
Or again, maybe that's just me. Thanks for introducing it to me. I'll definitely follow it for a while.
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