It may be interesting to note that I actually have five of these in backlog, but haven’t revised/finished/posted them for oddball reasons. In any case, one more for the month of June, and this one isn’t going to be bitchy either.
I also don’t have a real rant other to say there’s a reason I like what I’m presented more than half the time. The people who submit themselves to the BFLoD (pronounced: B-Flood), are more often than not established, community, and interested in webcomics for either career or general profit (read: serious). Some are just starting out, and that shows. I don’t hold that against anyone if there’s solid progress with a few wrinkles. But often, there’s some pretty good shit I’ve never heard of…
And I actually have a sort of rating system now. And it’s not a thumbs up, thumbs down. It’s not a grade or number.
It’s a question, and an often arbitrary one:
“Would I pay to read this?”
Even for half the glowing reviews I’ve given, the answer would have been no. And for some of the ‘needs improvement’ crowd, the answer mayhap be yes. Basically, it’s that balance of quality and entertainment everyone is shooting for, and even that’s based on my taste.
Here we go: Out There
At around 300 strips, OT has been running six days a week since June 2006. A 5-panel newspaper comic, it’s a B&W road-trip turned relationship story.
Hottie 20-something Miriam embarks on an American west-to-east-coast quest to visit her best friend and her online beau. Just a day into her journey she finds a homeless backpacker in the middle of nowhere. In odd reaction to her drop-dead looks and seeming generosity, he denies her twice until Miriam convinces the traveler, John, to a ride to the next town. Push to shove, the self-centered female protag and philosophical lead male become near-inseparable traveling companions (no, it’s not an overt romance).
This is far more my vein of writing: more mature and modern in context, more social and psychological in commentary. It’s not artsy, it’s adult–even without violence, nudity, or profanity. No real pop culture jokes, no geek humor, it’s a flat-out character story that depicts two sides of the same coin. Miriam is a good person underneath her frivolous boozing demeanor. John is obviously awesome with his straight-man insight. But John is running from something and Miriam is always running towards something.
When the pair finally reach the destination the story actually develops and their dymanic continues to evolve. A love square forms between Miriam, John, the best friend, and the no-longer-online beau. The plot still hasn’t confirmed any romance beyond a kiss, but considering Miriam’s impulsive, sexual nature, it’s difficult to imagine no decisions, zero payoff.
Expert fucking writing. Almost without pretense though it’s more sophisticated than 95% of the stuff I’m used to.
The line art is as tight as it needs to be. I already stated its genre. Characters look different. Girls look pretty. Boys look like boys. Expressions come easy. Good black on white isn’t easy to do by any means, so I hate to understate it, but criticism thereof is non-existent with this project. However, the glimpses of colored art all look like trash. It dates the character designs and seems ultimately insulting to their ‘look.’ I blame it on to color choice and style itself. It just doesn’t translate well. Where the characters normally pop, color looks flat and frumpy on this one.
As for the site, it’s super-functional, but I’d really enjoy more blogging and an in-depth ‘about’ page. It always feels self-indulgent, but some of us are honestly interested in the reasons and foundation behind top-tier storytelling. Worst-case scenario: no one reads it. Best: you connect the reader into the conditions behind and purpose of the story.
Out There really was worth it, start to finish. 300~ish strips take a while.
Would I pay to read it? Yup. Fuck, I’d damn near pay you to read it.
This review was originally published on Aarin’s Blog.
