roseembolism (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
roseembolism) wrote2009-03-04 04:59 pm
roseembolism) wrote2009-03-04 04:59 pm
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Webcomics to Read: Dovecote Crest
Have you ever thought how close civil war re-enactments are to LARPing? Have you ever thought what it might be like to be a history postgrad, trapped as a civil war performer while the rest of your friends get real jobs? No? Of course not. Neither did I. In fact, I had no interest in the whole "recreate the Civil War" scene at all. But "Dovecoat Crest" is enough to make me reconsider.
The story: Charlie Grant is fresh out of college, and has spent the last year performing with a civil war reenactment troupe at the site of an obscure Civil War battle. She's frustrated, because not only has she "wasted" a year not doing "real" historical work, but the guy she likes is so shy that whenever he gets close to saying something personal, he can only retreat to relating obscure facts about the Civil War to her. Even the pair's friends aren't helping that much, especially when they DO help. And what's going to happen when Charlie gets a chance for a real historian-style job?
Seriously folks, this is a well drawn, extremely well written webcomic, that's worth looking at even if one has no interest in history. The characters and the relationships are all deftly handled, and the humor comes both from the frustrating relationship, and the oddities of modern people pretending to be people from a previous century. In this manner, it's a little bit like Geebas on Parade, with it's detailing of the back scenes of a fantasy game. the art itself is worth noting for the framing of the comic inside a 19th century broadsheet, as well as the portrayal of the characters in the style of old photos. The characters themseles are simply yetexpressively drawn, and the coloring and shading is very subtle.
Charlie herself is a refreshing character; unlike most webcomic females, who pretty much exist only to hang around a male character endlessly, she has her own life she wants to get on with, and is not about to put everything on hold for a guy. As a result, again unlike most webcomics where the author tries to string things along forever, the tensions actually come to a head at a reasonable point in the comic. The result actually gives us the feeling of reading a slice-of-life story that really IS a story, not an interminable sequence of episodes.
Bottom Line: I love the characters, both male and female, and the art is excellent. And best of all, it uses Civil War trivia in an amusing way to actually advance the story.
(Click on picture to go to site)
The story: Charlie Grant is fresh out of college, and has spent the last year performing with a civil war reenactment troupe at the site of an obscure Civil War battle. She's frustrated, because not only has she "wasted" a year not doing "real" historical work, but the guy she likes is so shy that whenever he gets close to saying something personal, he can only retreat to relating obscure facts about the Civil War to her. Even the pair's friends aren't helping that much, especially when they DO help. And what's going to happen when Charlie gets a chance for a real historian-style job?
Seriously folks, this is a well drawn, extremely well written webcomic, that's worth looking at even if one has no interest in history. The characters and the relationships are all deftly handled, and the humor comes both from the frustrating relationship, and the oddities of modern people pretending to be people from a previous century. In this manner, it's a little bit like Geebas on Parade, with it's detailing of the back scenes of a fantasy game. the art itself is worth noting for the framing of the comic inside a 19th century broadsheet, as well as the portrayal of the characters in the style of old photos. The characters themseles are simply yetexpressively drawn, and the coloring and shading is very subtle.
Charlie herself is a refreshing character; unlike most webcomic females, who pretty much exist only to hang around a male character endlessly, she has her own life she wants to get on with, and is not about to put everything on hold for a guy. As a result, again unlike most webcomics where the author tries to string things along forever, the tensions actually come to a head at a reasonable point in the comic. The result actually gives us the feeling of reading a slice-of-life story that really IS a story, not an interminable sequence of episodes.
Bottom Line: I love the characters, both male and female, and the art is excellent. And best of all, it uses Civil War trivia in an amusing way to actually advance the story.
(Click on picture to go to site)
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I try not to think about either, but anyone who disputes the similarity is in denial.
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And I love the art already - seems like something that ought to be in print, not just online.
Thanks for the reference!
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And yes, if the comic market wasn't so bollixed up, this would already be a huge success in print. And maybe they'll yet put into print, which would be nice.