aa0dc228_Number_12_s_Web_Comics_Picks__Comments
[Link] Avalon [Date] 3/23/00 [Comments] 
This comic has anime based art, anime situations (girl shows up at a party dressed too formally, academics and romance, girl attempts to fight rumors of being a lesbian), and is set in... Canada? Avalon is the name of the Canadian high school that this comic's characters all attend. If you find the setting counfusing at all, he explains it all in his FAQ. My first rave for this comic is the art, which I think is superb. Secondly, the humor is original and unique. Thirdly, I get the impression that the author is in touch with his subjects, which makes it honest, enjoyable reading. And it's nice to know that somebody out there still listens to Rush. The site was really pretty nice looking for a hand-maintained site...it's been moved to one of the big online comics' hosts recently, which gave it banner ads and homogenized the layout and navigation somewhat, but it still has the orginal beautiful blue color and custom-imported font. Update 5/5/02I've been reading this one less and less; for some reason, I have had a hard time following the story line on a day-to-day basis thanks to the tangled relationships between the characters. However, when reading the story from beginning to end the clarity of the writing stands out; it's absolutely brilliant. What may seem like melodrama at first is actually character growth which unfolds with the gradualness of real life. So, my advice is to consider Avalon to be some kind of graphic novel. Any current strip will make no sense unless you've read the first, but it's very satisfying to become familiar with the characters and experience their growth over time, and try to untangle the "web of twistiness" yourself. Also, the guest strips, now a permanent feature of Sundays, add a whole new dimension by deconstructing the Avalon storyline, either through fanfics or original strips with the dialog humorously changed.
Number 12's Web Comics Picks
Comments