Templar, Arizona

http://www.webcomicsnation.com/spike/Templar/series.php

Genre-  Comedy, long-form, online graphic novel, slice-of-life

Creator-  Spike

Other Info-  Sepia-toned, updates 3 times weekly

 

Introduction

 

          Templar, Arizona is a long-form comic that has been around for a little over two years, as of the time of this writing.  It has been nominated for several awards and recognitions, and has won a few of those as well.  The recognition is certainly well-deserved.  Not only is this comic very professionally done, it is one of the most unique comics you will ever have the chance to read.

 

Synopsis

 

          The town of Templar, Arizona exists in an alternate universe than our own.  This does not mean that the comic is a science fiction story, but it is important to note that the town does not exist, and the author is in no way trying to set the comic in our reality, despite the name.  There are many aspects to this world that do not coincide with our own.

 

          The story begins with Benjamin Kowalski waking to a very rude phone call from his editor.  He is apparently a writer for a newspaper, and has just been promoted.  We follow Ben throughout his day, as he interacts with his neighbors.  One of his neighbors, Reagan, learns that Ben hasn't hardly left the house since moving to Templar, and forcibly takes him out to explore the town.  They go a few places and meet a few people, most notably Scipio, a large but gentle man, and talk.  A lot.  Later, Ben has an encounter with a man who has just been part of a riot.  The next day, Ben meets up with Reagan and Scipio again, and they talk about his encounter with the man from the riot.  And then they go to a hockey game, but it was cancelled.

 

          It sounds boring to sum up that way, but it really isn't.  What the characters are doing is not really the focus of the comic so far, the true beauty of this comic is in the characterization.

 

First Impression

 

          Reaching the website, I am greeted by a simple layout with the comic in the middle and some navigation buttons below it.  Simple and easy.  The comic itself is unique, sepia-toned with a lot of black filled in areas and a ton of line variation.  The style is semi-realistic but very expressive.  I immediately like it.  Clicking the "first" button, I get to reading.

 

          From this first impression, I am already enjoying the comic.  I really wish more comics would use a simple site design rather than throwing links all over the place with complex menus, banners, ads, and splash pages.  While such things can be done well, they seldom are.  Templar's website is simple and easy to navigate, giving me the comic immediately and making it simple for me to read it.  And upon further examination, there are plenty of other options available if the reader really wants to look for them.  There's fan art, several other comics that the author has created, a cast page, etc.  But the comic itself takes priority and the majority of the focus, as it should be.

 

The Art

 

          The art in this comic is amazingly clean, expressive, and unique.  The artist's choice to use sepia-tones rather than black and white or full color adds to this unique feel, and gives the comic an almost rustic feel.  In the comic, it is explained that there is a lot of dust in the air in this town, so much that during the summer you have to wear a mask to avoid lung damage.  The sepia really adds to that dusty feeling.  I feel the color scheme was a good choice.

 

          The line art itself is also amazing.  The first few pages do seem somewhat awkward, with Ben appearing just a little too slender and childlike.  But this slight awkwardness is quickly resolved, and by about the tenth page we see the style that stays pretty consistent throughout.  The artist is clearly a professional, or at least professional level, and has no trouble whatsoever with any angle, expression, or setting.  Expressions seem to be her forte, and this comic contains some of the most expressive characters I have ever seen in a comic.

 

          There are a few weak points to the art.  While the expressions are generally excellent, they do occasionally get out of hand and go a little further than perhaps they should to be effective.  In some panels, the character's expressions distort their faces to a ridiculous degree, and could perhaps be pulled back just a notch for the greatest effect.  This is most commonly seen in the character Reagan, who is often pictured with her lips pursed off to one side.  Occasionally the lips move just bit too far off to the side and ruin the expression.

 

          Another weak point is the artist's handling of buildings and scenery.  Occasionally, the comic will show an aerial view of a section of town or a skyline.  These scenes tend to lack the amazing shading given to the characters and appear somewhat flat in comparison.

 

The Writing

 

          The writing is where this comic truly shines.  So far, in over two years of comics, the plot has hardly inched forward.  We still know nothing about the "plot" of this story.  The writer has focused almost entirely on character development and world building.  She has done this so well, however, that it's very easy to just get into the dialog and characterization and forget that not much is really happening.  The humor is spot-on and at times laugh-out-loud hilarious.  Though it is quite vulgar at times, and chalk full of cursing, which may be a turn-off to some, it certainly adds a lot to the character's personalities.  These people act like people do.  And these people are interesting.

 

          I do have to say, however, that it does eventually run thin.  I read the entire comic in the span of a few hours, and by the end found myself itching for the meat of the story to unfold.  It seemed like things were starting to get exciting toward the end of the first chapter, but then it was back to the same crawling pace in chapter two.  While the characters and dialog are able to support a lot of non-action, I'm afraid that, for me at least, action is eventually necessary.  And I don't mean fight scenes and explosions, I mean plot advancement.  While I highly suspect that the plot has been advanced somewhat, that plot is still invisible to the reader.  We literally have no idea what this story is about, other than the life of Benjamin.  Character development and world-building is very important, but can be continued (in some cases more easily) while advancing the story along.  At this point, I almost feel like the writer is using this comic as an experiment to see how long she can go without anything really happening.  And for me, that got old about page #140.

 

Summary

 

          Templar, Arizona is a truly unique and amazing comic.  It's a slice-of-life comic in an alternate universe, which immediately sets it apart.  It also manages to somehow stay riveting despite not much happening.  In over two years, the story has not even encompassed two days.  It is a testament to the skill of the writer that this comic has gained popularity and acclaim, and she should certainly be applauded for her amazing characterization and world-building (not to mention the fascinating world she is building).  The artistic ability displayed in this comic is also astounding.  There is nothing stiff or unbelievable about the art, and Spike has made many excellent choices throughout the creation of this comic, from color scheme to the angles shown in each panel.

 

          The biggest weak point of the comic is its lack of forward momentum.  While the creator has gone to great pains to display the amazing detail of her characters and the world in which they exist, she has now done so at the expense of the plot.  While what is there is fascinating and enjoyable, it could be even more enjoyable with a bit of forward movement.

 

Rating and Explanation of Rating

 

90%

 

          There's not really much to improve upon in this comic.  The web design is superbly simple, the art is catchy and iconic, and the writing is beyond amazing.  I had to mark the art down just slightly for its weak depiction of cityscapes and its occasional over-the-top expressions.  But the biggest drawback of this comic, for me, was the lack of forward plot progression.  Still, I would have to say this comic is one of the best on the internet.