El Goonish Shive
Dan Shive
Pg-13
Fantasy
I’m reviewing another Keenspot comic this week, and then I will move on to another domain.
I picked out El Goonish Shive because the name sounded interesting. Boy, was I right when I thought of the word “interesting.” I have read some strange comics, but this one almost takes the cake.
I’m unsure if I can even describe the comic without giving a lot of the plot away. Elliot, Tedd, Nanase, Susan, Sara and Justin (and eventually Ellen and Grace) are a group of high school students who live in a universe filled with magic, aliens, elves, shape-shifters, government conspiracies and angst. The angst isn’t as bad as I’ve seen in other comics of a similar vein (I’m thinking It’s Walky here, a comic I will review soon) but it is a group of high school students who are the main characters. Somehow angst follows when high school students are involved.
Now here are the interesting parts. The furry-frenzy of the internet is very visible in this comic. There is a lot of shape-shifting into animal forms. Sexuality is played with. There are a few gay or bi characters. Gender shifting (transgender-ing?) is also played with. One of the characters enjoys shifting from boy to girl, and one storyline had all of the characters switching gender for an evening. If you have problems with any of this, don’t read the comic. But I think it is fun. Shive has made anything possible in his comic.
The story itself is a bit contrived. The storylines can last a long time, but actual lead-ins to what is and is not possible in the comic universe are sometimes nonexistent. People and powers pop out of nowhere. There is a lot of “and by the way, I just happen to be an incredible sorcerer” and “you didn’t know that I had the power of flight? Gee, I’m sure I told you.” This was especially true in the past, but Shive has gotten a lot better at writing his comic. He takes more time developing his characters.
Really, this is a high school fantasy/drama. It reminds me of Buffy the Vampire Slayer, the way the characters are going through adolescence while being bombarded by the supernatural. It isn’t high literature, but it really works as a comic. I may not put it in my favorites list, but I’ll admit that I couldn’t stop reading it. It is a fun read, if only to see what else Shive will put his characters through.
Dan Shive
Pg-13
Fantasy
I’m reviewing another Keenspot comic this week, and then I will move on to another domain.
I picked out El Goonish Shive because the name sounded interesting. Boy, was I right when I thought of the word “interesting.” I have read some strange comics, but this one almost takes the cake.
I’m unsure if I can even describe the comic without giving a lot of the plot away. Elliot, Tedd, Nanase, Susan, Sara and Justin (and eventually Ellen and Grace) are a group of high school students who live in a universe filled with magic, aliens, elves, shape-shifters, government conspiracies and angst. The angst isn’t as bad as I’ve seen in other comics of a similar vein (I’m thinking It’s Walky here, a comic I will review soon) but it is a group of high school students who are the main characters. Somehow angst follows when high school students are involved.
Now here are the interesting parts. The furry-frenzy of the internet is very visible in this comic. There is a lot of shape-shifting into animal forms. Sexuality is played with. There are a few gay or bi characters. Gender shifting (transgender-ing?) is also played with. One of the characters enjoys shifting from boy to girl, and one storyline had all of the characters switching gender for an evening. If you have problems with any of this, don’t read the comic. But I think it is fun. Shive has made anything possible in his comic.
The story itself is a bit contrived. The storylines can last a long time, but actual lead-ins to what is and is not possible in the comic universe are sometimes nonexistent. People and powers pop out of nowhere. There is a lot of “and by the way, I just happen to be an incredible sorcerer” and “you didn’t know that I had the power of flight? Gee, I’m sure I told you.” This was especially true in the past, but Shive has gotten a lot better at writing his comic. He takes more time developing his characters.
Really, this is a high school fantasy/drama. It reminds me of Buffy the Vampire Slayer, the way the characters are going through adolescence while being bombarded by the supernatural. It isn’t high literature, but it really works as a comic. I may not put it in my favorites list, but I’ll admit that I couldn’t stop reading it. It is a fun read, if only to see what else Shive will put his characters through.
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