Notes on Unsounded/ Ava's Demon

Webcomics are something I particularly enjoy versus printed comics. When I was in middle school, I began collecting a vast library of manga, most of it comprising of Naruto books, shoujo, and vampire comics. I had a huge variety,  but it was expensive! Each book cost $8.00-$10.00, so I was burning a huge hole in my wallet just trying to keep up to date with each story. Eventually, my mom told me I had to stop buying them, and placed a (temporary) ban on bought books. However, this came at a good time, since by then I had discovered webcomics.

The first comic I remember reading was The Phoenix Requiem: http://requiem.seraph-inn.com/ It was my first time reading a comic that wasn't Japanese, but instead was an independent print done by a girl in Australia. I was thrilled to finally have the best of both worlds--I could still read comics, and I didn't have to buy the books!

Finally, that comic ended and I expanded my taste in webcomics. Now, the two that I tend to follow closely are Unsounded by Ashley Cope (http://www.casualvillain.com/Unsounded/), and Ava's Demon by Michelle Czajkowski (http://www.avasdemon.com/). Both are webcomics that I think do something that printed comics can't do--they end up having a level of interactivity as you read.

With Unsounded, it may not be obvious at first--at first, it reads like a typical comic, with a high level of cinematography. However, when you reach the second chapter, the literal dashboard of the comic begins to change. At one point, the dashboard itself literally begins to burn, going up in flames until the second chapter is left in ashes. After that, the author continues to experiment with the dash, adding thematic items, full-color rendered paintings, and even animation. By far, it is one of the best comics to read on the web. The print is good, too, but the web version is such an experience.

Now, with Ava's Demon, there is also another level of interactivity. The comic panels are done in small squares (much like most comics, who tend to take up a whole, rectangular spread). Each one is in full color, and reads more like a series of storyboards. Each one is a full-color, rendered painting with gorgeous control over the color palette. The artist herself interned at Pixar and worked at Dreamworks, eventually working on Ava's Demon full-time. Something else that is incredible about the comic is it's use of motion graphics. In between chapters, there is a link to a video that is a part of the main story. Each video contains gorgeous paintings, but put to motion--in a sense, a full-color animatic. All of them have a lot of work put into them--they are gorgeous works of art.

There are other comics I could recommend, but these are my favorites so far. I hope you enjoy them, too.