Story: Miles Greb Art: Garrett Richert Publisher: Self-Published
Because this is only a single issue, and not the trade paperback length I typically review, details are minimal. Especially as an introduction to a greater story arc, it’s difficult to judge the story overall.
WHAT IS IT?
An ongoing webcomic by some talented creators with some experience making independent comics.
Imagine Kingdom Hearts, but instead of a key, the character arms himself with art supplies, and instead of characters and worlds you know, it’s new, fresh ones.
WHAT'S IT ABOUT? (Minor Spoilers)
To save his characters, an artist grabs a giant paintbrush and jumps into his art. He’s taken on an adventure through a world of fantasy that’s as beautiful as it is dangerous.
WHAT WORKS?
The writing feels like it’s coming from a fan of JRPGs (or “Japanese Role Playing Games,” for readers unfamiliar with this video game genre) and sets up his story similar to classics
Greb also knows when not to use dialogue at all, and when it’s good just to let the action carry the story, which is something you don’t often see even in mainstream comics
The art is beautiful and stylish, and it fits the tone and genre of the story very well
The line art and shading is confident and works well for the comic in the absence of col-or
Greb & Richert’s world-building is fascinating, inspired and makes us want to see more
It’s free, which is actually really good for a comic I’d gladly pay for!
WHAT DOESN'T WORK?
This is an independent, self-published work created by people who are still developing their craft, so the quality isn’t as polished as the other titles I post about on this site
In the same vein as the previous bullet, the below page shows some of these issues:
“Then” used when “than” is the correct word (this happens again on another page in the comic)
Lettering leaves us unsure of word balloon order
There were moments throughout where I got lost in the dialogue and action – establish-ing shots for location or a little more dialogue guidance could probably alleviate this confusion
If you have trouble reading comics without color, this might not be the best comic for you
You have to wait for each new installment to be added to the story, instead of buying it and reading it all at once
If you Google “Puc, The Artist,” each website comes up with new or different pages, which can be confusing for readers wanting one single location to keep up with the title
WHY SHOULD YOU READ IT?
It’s free, so if you have the time, you should check it out!
If you don’t have the time, I get it. I’ll say what I said for Vengeance, Nevada: If you’re interested in self-published comics, want to support budding creators, or are just curious, give this one a read. If you’re looking for more colorful, polished works by folks who have been in the industry awhile, you may want to check out some of my other blogs and recommendations.
WHAT DO I READ NEXT?
If you like the writing:
Espers by Miles Greb & Chris Lewis Lee
Monstress, Vol. 1 by Marjorie Liu & Sana Takeda
Angelic, Vol. 1 by Simon “Si” Spurrier & Caspar Wijngaard
If you like the art:
Camp Weedonwantcha by Katie Rice
Flavor by Joseph Keatinge & Wook Jin Clark
ABOUT THE CREATORS
Miles Greb – Writer
New Face: He’s been writing awhile, and he’s still breaking into the comics industry
On The Rise: He’s been able to crowdfund some of his comics, so you know he’s got a good audience of readers
He’s a writer, folk singer and “science advocate” who likes his stories to have an opti-mistic focus
Also, he’s a really nice guy!
Garrett Richert – Art (and Colors?)
Graduated from San Francisco’s Academy of Art
Typically works in pen and ink, then colors digitally
Also has experience with storyboarding
Jamie Me – Letters
Dream Team: Also worked with Miles Greb on his comic, After the Gold Rush
Outlander: Lives in the United Kingdom
Multitalented: Has also written a few successfully crowdfunded comics
HOW DO I BUY IT?
Free (updated irregularly) at Garrett Richert’s Website.
The image(s) used in this article are from a comic strip, webcomic or the cover or interior of a comic book. The copyright for this image(s) is likely owned by either the publisher of the comic, the writer(s) and/or artist(s) who produced the comic. It is believed that the use of this image(s) qualifies as fair use under the United States copyright law. The image is used in a limited fashion in an educational manner in order to illustrate the points of the author and not for the purpose of entertainment or substituting the original work. It is believed the use of this image has had no impact on the market value of the original work.
All Miles Greb & Garrett Richert characters and the distinctive likeness(es) thereof are trademarks of and copyright Miles Greb & Garrett Richert or their respective owners. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.