O Sarilho

Hello and welcome to the second week of webcomic promotions!!

Today I’m bringing you Wychwood, a sci-fi webcomic created by the kind and talented Varethane. It’s a post-apoc sci-fi comic, so you know it was made in a laboratory for me.

Wychwood is the name of an organization that harvests and attempts to control the “magic” left behind by an invading alien race… Except that threat may not exactly be over with and maybe those guys still have an eye on Earth. Meanwhile, Tiara is a fiery delinquent that got some magic stuck to her and likes to abuse her talent, making her an easy target for Wychwood.

As Tiara and her friend Julian are ‘cordially invited’ into Wychwood (cough they’re captured cough), they learn about the secrets of the organization, the impending war, and make a few friends. And one of them may or may not be a little alien too (and you know ? I’m here for that ?) and maybe a “I’m not a slave of Wychwood!” type. You know ?. I am personally very fond of seeing their personalities clash as they get used to each other, especially these two:

They belong together, they just don’t know it yet.
Also please someone let Felix be free (but first I suppose, he needs to set his mind free. Don’t we all?)

And if you’re wondering “oh is this just another story with superpowered teenagers fighting the end of the world?” YES but also NO because let me tell you they are some very good teenagers and there are some very good themes, especially when it comes to finding your own identity and breaking out of your chains. Figure out who you really are. Learn to be a person without an authority to tell you how you should be.

Ten Earth Shattering Blows is a PUNCH of a comic!
It’s fast-paced, it’s detailed, it’s got so much action! It reads like Mad Max: Fury Road with giant lizards!

The artstyle is simple and clean and copes really well with extremely detailed backgrounds, which Nuclearpasta seems to be particularly fond of and do wonders for this comic. The story follows adorable bratty-noblewoman Landa, who has been cursed to have her face melt from time to time and uhhhhh spawn demons that shout prophecies at her, and Joy, a gladiator gal who talks with her fists, likes axes, and is looking for her missing kid.

And everything keeps on happening so much. There will be booba, there will be leggy, there will be lizard and some of the best characters may last 20 seconds and/or have no nose. It’s desert-punk all over the place and I’m living. I also very much appreciate that this story doesn’t explain its world to you, and the reader must sorta figure things out with the details. It’s very curious! I love nobles always wearing masks in public, I enjoy the tidbits of magic we’re shown and the feeling that may be something bigger beyond the plight of two very confused ladies.

Heirs of the Veil is another of those webcomics that’s been with me since I began my O Sarilho journey, and I still fondly remember being bored on a camping tent and chatting with Phineas about his characters.

Heirs of the Veil is an urban fantasy, and while that’s not exactly my cup of tea, it managed to capture my heart by giving me interesting characters to root for, a lovely mystery, and a story about walking on the thin line between entrusted responsibilities and personal freedom. And also running away from your problems.

It is also a very soft and tender story that does a great job at portraying its trans characters and making their personal narratives part of the big thread in a way that feels really natural and personal.

The story follows the young witch Victoria, who is trying to find her missing mother. She quickly gets the Strayer, Cort (imagine a librarian/magical neighbourhood-watcher who is very nervous all the time), to at least indulge her in this endeavour as she attempts to understand the mysterious disappearance and the actors who may have played a role in it. Slowly, we also get a glimpse of her past and how she feels the pressure of stepping on her mothers shoes, despite never having asked for it and having little training on the required magical arts. This is not a fast-paced, action-filled story. But it is very genuine.

Regardless of your personal opinion on Cort’s shoes, there is such a great attention to detail and lovely render of the backgrounds that you have no option but to consider the city of Port Arbores as a character in its own right.

Honestly Not A Robot is a story about retail. In a premium supermarket. In the UK.

Sometimes, I get the feeling slice-of-life comics don’t get the credit they deserve, and I think HNAR is doing a great job at what it aims to do: show the minutia of daily life of regular people who happen to work in retail jobs, and all the mess that comes with a public-facing job. And all the trouble that comes with being managed, micro-managed, or under-managed. And having to figure out solutions to problems that are not your responsibility, or how to work in a team where some of the players are difficult, and how to navigate all the personal drama that can so easily arise in these situations.

And Honestly Not a Robot does all of this with charm, humour and really funny art. The story begins following Ash Brown, a newcomer to Damson’s premium supermarket who is just looking for a job, and who quickly realises that everything in life requires very well-defined boundaries if you don’t want to be at the mercy of potential exploitation. People will try it.
The cast is full of some impressive personalities, from Kevin, the food service manager – who enjoys a good jog and lively outings – to Damian, the overworked team leader trainee who is surviving on coffee and despair. All their personalities shine really quickly as they get to know and welcome Ash into his new environment and give him a time. Everyone has different opinions on why they work retail and what they expect of the job, and what are their goals for it/after it. I find this personally very refreshing and humane, and it’s good to see a bunch of diverse people not being judged for the personal life stories and choices that lead them to working at the local supermarket.

For some reason, I get the feeling I can’t trust him. But I want to.

Honestly not a Robot IS a slice-of-life, so don’t expect a lot of fast-paced action or over-the-top drama. You can, however, expect to see workers trying to snatch some time off, hiding behind the bread and fleeing from customers. And you may even learn how to fillet a fish in the meanwhile!

I don’t know how to convey my feelings about it exactly – and in a community where it seems to be worse and worse to make statements about your likes and dislikes, I feel like I must add this preliminary note for you to understand those feelings of mine: I am not a fan of DnD inspired stories. They are prone to falling to the same narrative shortcomings and often feel quite uninspired. I obviously do not intend to say that they are not entertaining to those who like them, but it just isn’t the case for me, and I’ve read way too many stories of a genre I don’t like to feel like I can say it out loud.

That being said, Court of Roses is a DnD-inspired story that hits differently. Because it doesn’t read like you’re being told about someone else’s inspiring roleplay, but instead like it’s something that was built from the ground up with the purpose of being a comic story, and therefore doesn’t need to spend narrative time explaining mechanics or ensuring each turn gets narrated. Because while DnD is certainly an inspiration here, this story is not following anyone’s campaign, and the setting has been modified sufficiently to be new and inspiring.

And now, for the important stuff.

Court of Roses is a murder-mystery!! In which all the main characters are BARDS! There is so much love and passion for music in this world, and the comedic timing of everything just hits so well. The characters are quite distinct and have amazing chemistry, and their struggles all come together quite nicely to form a coherent story. And a very heart-warming one too, as our main character Merlow, a jolly bard who wants nothing but to love and be loved and find a troupe that helps him heal his wounds, meets several other artists at a music festival and is unexpectedly tasked with helping solving a murder that takes place during said festival. It’s a really heart-warming story that focuses on the characters’ journeys and takes its time to explore their relationships, which absolutely develop at different paces in a quite charming way. All of this while being clever, cute, original and unbelievably funny. And while it does take its time to explore the background stories of the different members of the crew, this is not the kind of comic in which background stories work as a replacement for personality: by the time you become familiar with their pasts, every character is already perfectly defined and lovable in their own right. And I personally think of that as good writing.

If you like DnD-inspired stories, you’re gonna love this one: if anything, for the boldness of having a party in which everyone is a bard. And if you’re a stuck-up like me who doesn’t like certain things, there’s something for you too in Court of Roses. It’s a very nicely told story about love, self-acceptance and grief and music. Give it a try, you may end up liking it too.