Loose tour guide analogy aside, I’m here because I love comics! So writing this column is a perfect excuse for me to experience even more webcomic goodness. Each fortnight I will be introducing a single webcomic and giving a mini-review of it. Some of my initial choices will show a manga influence, this is because I got into comics through manga. However, I want to show a good balance of different styles of comics here so I would encourage anyone who thinks I’m covering too many manga-style comics to email me at the address below and recommend (or just plain plug) some different styles of comics to me – all are welcome here! Which in fact is the wonderful thing about webcomics, all are welcome as almost anybody can make one, they can be very cheap to produce and require no knowledge of printing. There are also several free hosting sites so creators don’t even need to know how to build their own website. This provides a great opportunity for budding artists and writers to tell their stories, even if they have no money or extra time to spare to sell issues at conventions. However, it has also led to a glut in webcomic production, which makes it difficult for readers to pick out the comics they would really enjoy. And that’s where I come in!

This fortnight I’ll be looking at a comic that is a great example of what this column is all about. It straddles both web and print media and also has both western and manga influenced art and storytelling. The comic is called ‘Shrouded’ and is written and drawn by Vanessa Wells of Studio Withbits. There are three issues currently available which can be read free on the comic’s own website here, or purchased on Forbidden Planet online (a link to this shop is on the comic’s website). The blurb on back cover (or first webpage) of issue one introduces the story like this: "Marle, Alee and Ceea are travelling to the Palace. They stop off for the night along the way, but nowhere is safe to stop in this world" I won’t say too much about the plot as I don’t want to spoil these three issues, but what I can say is the story centres around the three sisters, Marle, Alee and Ceea, who are travelling to the Palace to dance at the King’s birthday celebrations. On the way they are forced to spend the night at an olde-worlde tourist village, where strange things are afoot…This is a fantasy/horror story set in a mysterious world, somewhat different to our own. If you read the first issue and think it might be a bit clichéd then be sure to read issue two as the story changes direction and becomes much more interesting from then on.

The artwork is finished to a standard that would not look out of place on a shelf with professionally produced comics. It’s a black and white comic that uses strong, dark linework with grey tones to denote colour and shadow. Dynamic character poses and camera angles are used to good effect, but not to excess. The artist does not shy away from her backgrounds either: they include some lovely sweeping scenery shots as well as bird’s eye views of towns and buildings. The character designs and linework style show a definite western comic influence, however the page layouts and story pacing are very manga-like, with more open and freeform page layouts.

In each printed issue there is an artist’s blurb and some extra standalone artwork at the back. On the website extras include an ‘About Shrouded’ section and a ‘Character Art’ section, showing some standalone character sketches and paintings by the author, as well as fanart. Apart from a little stilted dialogue at the beginning of issue one, the only disadvantage of getting into this comic is that there is not enough of it! The creator is a professional artist working in the games industry and so obviously does not have a huge amount of free time to work on comics. Issue one of ‘Shrouded’ was released in 2005 and issue three has only just been released this year, but if you can stand the wait or just want a comic to keep you happily satisfied for a little while, then you should definitely check this little gem out!

Vicki Paull (aka. Wikivic) discovered comics in 2004, fell in love with them and started trying to create her own. In the four years since then she has devoured all the UK comics she could get her hands on, taken notes and written several reviews which are available to read freely on her website. She is now poking her head up out of her manga-styled burrow and is digging around like a comic-loving mole trying to find some fantastic western style UK webcomics to inspire her.

Vicki’s webcomic, Cute Loveable Mascot Training Academy, can be found here www.clmtrainingacademy.com
Her portfolio, reviews and other info can be found on her website here www.bumblemoo.com

Feed the comic mole! UK webcomic recommendations, comments or questions can be emailed to Vicki This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it