Mysterious elves and characters with foodie names? It could only be this fortnight’s webcomic - Rainbow Carousel by Chloe Citrine! The comic has the feel of a light, sparkly slice-of-life story, but on top of this it also tackles some real issues that teenagers can face. Romance amongst classmates is covered, as is bullying, and some of the issues around being a gay high school student. There are shonen-ai themes within the comic, but the story doesn’t get bogged down in following just its gay characters like some other series in the genre.

Just in case the shonen-ai genre is new to anyone out there, it’s a sub-genre of girls manga which covers romance between boys (another name of it is ‘Boys Love’). Most shonen-ai stories are based on romantic relationships, however they do not usually include any adult content. What could be seen as a problem with a lot of ‘traditional’ Japanese shonen-ai manga is that the characters don’t often act like actual gay men, rather they are overly romanticised, idealised figures, and they seem less ‘real’ because of it. What’s great about Rainbow Carousel is that the gay characters are a lot more believable. For example, Bubblegum has to face having a long-distance relationship with a boyfriend who wants to keep their relationship under wraps, leaving him unable to mention his boyfriend’s name to anyone else he meets. Rainbow Carousel is both written and drawn by Chloe Citrine (aka. Wyldflowa). It was begun in 2006 and is still running presently. It used to update regularly but updates have unfortunately slowed down this year. Never fear though! There are already three long chapters weighing in at well over 150 pages for potential fans to get their teeth into before relying on updates. Also, plans to release volume one of a printed edition through Sweatdrop Studios (of which Chloe is a member) makes me confident that this comic will continue to a satisfying conclusion in the future.

Future plans aside, at the moment Rainbow Carousel is a comic that has really embraced its web status. Its host, the free site DrunkDuck, allows comments to be made by readers on each page - therefore if a reader has anything to say about the story or the characters (or simply wishes to cheekily poke the artist for more updates) they can do it directly. Complimenting this audience participation is a separate fanart gallery that features readers’ art, each piece receiving a comment from the comics’ author. Additionally to the readers’ art, there is a large gallery of sketches, desktops and icons as well as full-colour standalone images completed by the creator. To help any new (or more curious) readers, there is also a character profile page that holds a portrait and description of each of the comic’s main characters. At the end of chapters one and two, the author has uploaded a tutorial on how she produces the comic. She also comments on each page as she uploads it, giving little asides about the characters, the plot or simply her day-to-day life. These kinds of extras would be much more difficult to provide in a printed edition, especially as the majority of the gallery work is in full-colour.

You might be thinking that this is all very well, but having fantastic extras doesn’t necessarily make it a good comic. Well luckily Rainbow Carousel is also a very enjoyable read (even for a crusty old twenty-something like me who’s not really into shonen-ai). Some people might be turned off by the thought that most of the main cast are teenagers and a lot of the comic is set around their school, however the characters themselves really bring the comic to life. The past history, personality and motivations of each character have obviously been carefully considered by the author before she committed her drawing pen to paper. Because she knows what each of her characters is like, they each have their own way of reacting to different situations. For example, the main character, Bubblegum, is a pretty sullen and whiny young guy (at least at he start of the comic) so he doesn’t show much emotion on his face unless he’s about to cry. Conversely the character who bullies him in chapter one, Turpentine, is hot-headed and emotional, so his emotions show much more on his face. One of the only trip-ups with the art is that the characters’ faces sometimes seem a bit elongated, especially in profile. However this does seem to improve as the story progresses.

Adding to the actions and emotions of the characters is the use of effects and panel layouts. Some imaginative effects are used throughout the comic, a good example being ‘Sherbert Vision’ on page four (the first example page with this column). The panels throughout show a good balance of open space to full detail. A lot of different page layouts are used, but they are never confusing to read. Some layouts show the artist being more experimental, such as the more minimal layout on page 17 (the second example page with this column). Overall, the pages are presented in monochrome, however each chapter is coloured slightly differently – this reflects the ‘Rainbow’ in the title and suits the slightly otherworldly fantasy theme very well. So to finish, if imaginative, emotional characters, slice-of-life drama, fantastical twists, shonen-ai elements, unique art or beautifully varied panel layouts appeal to you, then try this comic on for size! (Hopefully I will be able to briefly return to this comic in the future to announce the publication of its print edition!)

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