Webcomics - Reviews of Stonebreaker, The Hues, and Run Freak Run - a podcast by Stergios Botzakis & Derek Royal

Sean and Derek are back with their monthly pickings of webcomics goodness, and for November they have some great recommendations lined up. They begin by focusing on Peter Wartman's Stonebreaker, a fantasy adventure narrative with a strong potential for world-building. This is the sequel to the artist's earlier work, Over the Wall, which was also published in hardcopy by Uncivilized Books in 2013. The guys marvel at Wartman's handling of his narrative premise -- this webcomic is only in its second chapter -- and his abilities to subtly allude without confusing or distancing his readers. They're also blown away by his art, which is some of the best they've seen in recent webcomics. Next, the Two Guys move on to The Hues, Alex Heberling's post-apocalyptic tale of teenage adventure. Her protagonists are a diverse band of girls who discover that they each have a special power or magical ability. The complication, however, is that they make their discoveries right around the time that an alien force invades Earth. Sean likens this to a mashup of superpower stories and manga, while Derek can't help but think of the X-Men. Both The Hues and Stonebreaker are currently ongoing, each of which seems what it will be around for the long haul. An already-completed webcomic is the third in the guys' lineup. Silver Saaremaeel and Kaija Rudkiewicz's Run Freak Run is, as its website describes, a "gothic alternative history comic with dark subject matters and romantic undertones. It includes swearing, slight nudity, violence, and lots of sarcasm." That basically sums it up. When the guys aren't fumbling over the creators' names -- and a special apology goes out to Kaija Rudkiewicz, whose name takes the worse beating -- they are highlighting the evolution of this webcomic. What begins in its first chapters as an episode narrative turns into a more interconnected long-form work. And both Derek and Sean are particularly drawn to Rudkiewicz's art, which is perfect for its dark tone and reminds them somewhat of Mike Mignola's work. If you're not already doing so, be sure to check out this month's webcomics recommendations, and then report back here next month for another dose.

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