Webcomic Review: Reliquary
Reliquary, by "The Sooz"
Reliquary is a fairly new webcomic that seems to have interesting potential. In a fantasy world that vaguely resembles the Middle East, Alcolla is a 12 year-old acolyte who has apparently been brought back from the dead after a mine accident, and being the first person ever to do so, is now being hailed as a gift from God. She on the other hand wants to be normal, and her new power to take the form of a supernatural being (I'm reluctant to say angel) doesn't excite her as much as it does her friends. And there are also hints that her resurrection may have more to do with the actions of the local abbot and his assistant a talented healer, even as the higher church authorities take in interest in what her power can do to combat a plague of "demonseeds".
Positives:
This comic is very well drawn. The characters look distinctive, seem to have decent centers of balance, and there's nothing particularly awkward about the art. Hakelda in particular looks wonderful: scarred like someone who engages in combat should be, and yet cheerful and open in manner.
Here Hakelda talks to Alcolla after fighting a demonseed:
Placing it in a pseudo-Middle Eastern local is a plus. I shouldn't have to say that merely not making the setting pseudo-medieval Europe is a plus, but well, by doing so right there Reliquary has distinguished itself from 95% of the other fantasy comics out there.
There's obviously a plot going on: there's been no definitive sign that Alcolla's resurrection is man-made rather than heavenly, but there's some subtle indications that people involved have a different knowledge of events than the public. Likewise, we just seem to be starting to get exposure to what seem to be some of the interesting ongoing events.
Negatives:
Honestly, the little jokes and comments the writer puts below the comics aren't nearly as funny as he thinks they are, and distract a bit from the impact of the comic. But that's just me.
The website design, while spare and functional (and the black background adds to the effect) really needs more information on it. While I can understand the artist being terse and wanting to have people focus on the comic, I shouldn't have to look for her name on Facebook of all places. Also some information of the background, or at least inspirations and information on the artist's progress would be nice.
(Edit: Looking for names on Facebook proved to be even more problematic since I got the wrong person)
Conclusion:
Nice artwork, potentially interesting story; I recommend giving it a look.
Reliquary is a fairly new webcomic that seems to have interesting potential. In a fantasy world that vaguely resembles the Middle East, Alcolla is a 12 year-old acolyte who has apparently been brought back from the dead after a mine accident, and being the first person ever to do so, is now being hailed as a gift from God. She on the other hand wants to be normal, and her new power to take the form of a supernatural being (I'm reluctant to say angel) doesn't excite her as much as it does her friends. And there are also hints that her resurrection may have more to do with the actions of the local abbot and his assistant a talented healer, even as the higher church authorities take in interest in what her power can do to combat a plague of "demonseeds".
Positives:
This comic is very well drawn. The characters look distinctive, seem to have decent centers of balance, and there's nothing particularly awkward about the art. Hakelda in particular looks wonderful: scarred like someone who engages in combat should be, and yet cheerful and open in manner.
Here Hakelda talks to Alcolla after fighting a demonseed:
Placing it in a pseudo-Middle Eastern local is a plus. I shouldn't have to say that merely not making the setting pseudo-medieval Europe is a plus, but well, by doing so right there Reliquary has distinguished itself from 95% of the other fantasy comics out there.
There's obviously a plot going on: there's been no definitive sign that Alcolla's resurrection is man-made rather than heavenly, but there's some subtle indications that people involved have a different knowledge of events than the public. Likewise, we just seem to be starting to get exposure to what seem to be some of the interesting ongoing events.
Negatives:
Honestly, the little jokes and comments the writer puts below the comics aren't nearly as funny as he thinks they are, and distract a bit from the impact of the comic. But that's just me.
The website design, while spare and functional (and the black background adds to the effect) really needs more information on it. While I can understand the artist being terse and wanting to have people focus on the comic, I shouldn't have to look for her name on Facebook of all places. Also some information of the background, or at least inspirations and information on the artist's progress would be nice.
(Edit: Looking for names on Facebook proved to be even more problematic since I got the wrong person)
Conclusion:
Nice artwork, potentially interesting story; I recommend giving it a look.