Web Comic Review: Kamikaze
I’m reviewing a comic from the other side of the pond today. Kamikaze is a sci-fi webcomic co-created by Carrie Tupper, Alan Tupper and Havana Nguyen, and you can read more about them on their website. Alan and Carrie also run the friendly Comics.Town Mastodon server, where I have my own account.
I read the first chapters of the story in their printed volumes, which I ordered a few months ago but only got time to read in the moments when I wasn’t busy at the London Film & Comic Con a couple of weeks back.
The first thing people tend to mention when they speak about a story with beautiful art is that, well… it’s a story with beautiful art. However, for this one, the masterful writing and the lettering design shine as much as the drawings, and it’s unfair to mention any one of them without relating it to the others.
From the first few pages, I was transported to the world in the book, where two societies co-exist almost in opposition: the rich people inside a walled utopian city and those who aspire to get in but can’t and live in poverty for various reasons. The society inside the wall controls food production, after all.
But you don’t learn all these things in one go. The story makes you fight for it and feeds you information in small but satisfying bites.
I only read it after drawing the second volume of my comic, but I found it interesting how they came up with screens similar to mine, or actually, I came up with screens similar to theirs! Although mine, I have to say, are a bit on the rough side. I don’t have Alan and Carrie’s technical proficiency, but huh, perhaps one day. 😅
I also felt an immediate connection to the characters, especially the protagonist, who is working a dangerous job so she can help her dad follow his dreams. This sounds intriguing initially, but as we progress through the story, we learn more and more about her motives and why she feels responsible for her dad. The character arcs of this family are really, really well done.
This adventure is connected to family indeed, and we learn that as we leaf through the pages. But it also packs a lot of action, colour and satisfying character progression. I couldn’t put the thing down and may have lost a few customers, as I wasn’t paying attention to people who came by my table!
I haven’t reached the last pages yet because I only purchased the first and second volumes, but I look forward to reading the next part on their website! It’s still ongoing; they’ve been at it for nine years, which shows proper dedication. You know that, from this lot, you’ll only get excellent storytelling.
You can find links to their website and shop below if this piqued your interest.
Website: https://www.kamikazeanimated.com/
Store: https://movingink.storenvy.com/
Mastodon Profile https://comics.town/@kamikaze
Thank you for reading! For more frequent updates, you can also find me on the following socials:
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