 Cartoonists stick together, when we're not being massively antisocial (comes with the job, I suppose). In that attitude I want to point out a cartoon that YOU SHOULD HAVE BEEN READING ALREADY if you aren't If you're well versed in webcomics, there is a good chance you've heard of Minna Sundberg's Stand Still Stay Silent. It's a post-apocalyptic world set in the Scandinavian countries (Nordic countries? I forget which is which). A team of people enter the "Silent World", which has been devastated by disease and the freakish demons that the disease causes, to find books. Apparently books are worth mucho dinero in this world.
A description like that might be enough to convince you to read, but if it isn't, let me show some of the things I like about it. 1. While a lot of this screams "ZOMBIE COMIC?!!" it really REALLY doesn't feel like one. Maybe it's the fact that some people have natural immunity , or maybe because some are effected in different ways by the disease while some just die of it. I'll let you be the judge, but it's the furthest thing from "The Walking Dead" that I could think of, which is just fine to me. 2. The artwork is amazing and unique. Holy. Freaking. Crap. The little image I put up there is an early one from her and not from the comic itself, just promotional. I don't know if I can describe it in any way that would do it justice. It's deep and able to express both seriousness while still hinting at humor when it needs to be. It's picturesque and adorable, but also horrifying and grotesque, when need be. The expressions are easily readable and the characters easy to differentiate. I should give up now knowing this exists and I'll probably never achieve anything like unto it. 3. The writing is good. She can create tension well, certainly, but what I love about the pairing of her writing and art is the general ambiance she creates. Whether it's the attack of some oogy-boogy or simple traveling, there's not any moment where I felt like I was trekking on in hopes of something better. I will say that the first 20 pages or so (and as of now she's done about 750) it's tough to keep track of what's going on, because a lot is going on, but looking back, it all makes sense. Also warning: heartbreak. 4. She updates with 5 fully colored and beautiful pages a week. 5. A. Week. Minna, if you need to get outside to get some fresh air because of art overload, I'll gladly volunteer to go for a walk with you or something. She does take a few week breaks between chapters, but honestly it's not a bother because she updates 4 times a week with a page length comic. Oh wait, sorry, 5 times a week. That kind of dedication is incredible. Long story short, go read Stand Still Stay Silent. Right now!
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