for a little over a year. I thought I might as well place the review here as well. I hope that you all enjoy them.
With the advent of the internet, many modes of entertainment went on
the web. Comics were no different. The Land of Interwebs is teeming
with copious amounts of comics waiting for people to read them. I am one
of those people who gets their comic fix from the click of a mouse. I
want to share with the rest of you what I have found and hope you enjoy
them too. So let's dive into Click Here For Comics with my first
webcomic review. This webcomic was the one that started it all for me. Looking For Group.
Looking for Group www.lfgcomic.com
Written by Ryan Sohmer
Art by Lar DeSouza
Updates Mondays and Thursdays at 12 am EST
This
fantasy comic is centered around an elf named Cale A'non and his
offbeat band of friends: Richard the warlock with more inventive ways to
kill than anyone could imagine, Benny the healer who can only be
described as green and stacked, Krunch the hammer swinging intellectual
who is probably the most even keel of the whole group, and Pella the axe
swinging bard who...well, let's just say she is pretty special.
From
the beginning, Cale and crew have been on one adventure after another
while the world around them gears up for war. Looking For Group is the
perfect story of someone just wanting to do what is right, the hard
decisions that come with wanting to do what is right, and the slow build
to great destiny that lies in wait.
What do I like about this strip?
Ryan Sohmer
does a very good job of bringing in not only the fantasy crowd, but the
gamer crowd as well. Specifically those who play MMORPGs like World of
Warcraft. While the strip is not based on any game in particular, the
similarities are very striking and thus makes for a very sturdy fan
base. The character types are something familiar while the characters
themselves are novel. The writing in this strip balances drama, action
and comedy. And there are even splashes of sultry romance in the more
recent issues. Sohmer does a fantastic job of
storytelling, with well thought out characters, plot lines, punch lines,
and continual development of the world that he has created for his
story.
Sohmer also has ways of surprising the
readers with plot twists and outcomes that seem to come out of nowhere,
which is extremely fun. There is nothing I like more than trying to
guess what will happen next and not being certain if I can. Though the
readers may believe they know what is going on, Sohmer has a way of pulling the rug out from underneath all of us and showing us something we never expected. Sohmer's
foreshadowing and attention to detail is second to none. There is never
anything that is said or shown that doesn't have some type of meaning
or use later on in the story. And characters are never forgotten, no
matter how long it has been since you have seen them last.
The art has grown right along with the writing. Lar DeSouza has been the artistic half of this strip ever since its conception. Some of the things that DeSouza
is able to do, though subtle, is quite amazing. For instance, Richard
is always wearing a cowl over his face, making the only thing you see
his yellow eyes and green eyebrows. However, Richard is one of the most
animated characters in the strip. This is a testament to this man's
ability with a brush/stylus. I also like how there is just enough
realism to the art that it is not hard for the reader to be serious when
the story gets serious. Some cartoony strips are not able to pull that
off.
What do I not like about this strip?
There
is very little to dislike about this strip. I just wish it would update
more than twice a week. The story arcs are so good, I want to be able
to read more. Twice a week is only enough to whet my appetite. Most of
the time the story feels like it is crawling along, but only because I
am crazy giddy to see what is going to happen next.
This
strip scores high marks from me. The writing is excellent. The story is
unique and reads just like any fantasy novel. Looking for Group is full
of wit and cleverness. I highly recommend this anyone. My only
reservation is for younger children. There is violence and alluding to
adult situations. I would put a PG-13 rating on it.
Internet extras!
Sohmer and DeSouza
both have Twitter accounts, so if you are ever wondering what is on
their minds, you can read their tweets at @sohmer and @lartist.
Lar
has drawn quite a number of LFG wallpapers. His latest ones are pretty
interesting. They can be found on the LFG website under Extras.
Because
Lar loves his fans and we (the fans) love nothing more than to watch
him draw, Lar allows us to do just that via the internet. Every Friday
night at 8pm EST (barring something else being scheduled) you can catch
Lar on Ustream TV on Lartist at Work. He turns on his webcam and gets to
work drawing while fielding questions from the chat room, listening to
some of the best music out there, and telling us some great stories.
Some times, he even takes requests from the audience or gives art
lessons. It is good times with Unca Lar at http://www.ustream.tv/channel/lartist-at-work And don't worry if you can't see him live, he records all of his sessions. You may also want to check out Lar's art on his Tumblr and if you feel so inclined, check out his Shopify and make some his art your own.
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