Broken Frontier

At a glance, the premise of Sheldon Vella’s SuperTron bears a superficial resemblance to Pixar blockbuster Wall-E – the world is effectively trashed, humans are all gone and the robots walk the Earth. But that’s basically where the similarities end, in this hyper-kinetic and hyper-creative world.

Every aspect of SuperTron is creatively enriched to the fullest degree. From the techy-style lettering to the gorgeous artwork and unpredictable pacing, SuperTron is gorgeously realized in every single element. Unfortunately, this is one comic I’d rather read in print than online.

The main reason is this is one comic Zuda’s webcomic browser just doesn’t do justice. Vella’s unconventional lettering choice adds a lot to the comic, but thanks to Zuda’s navigation, you’re constantly zooming in and out just to read the dialogue. Also, SuperTron runs at a fast, almost anime-style pace. Given the pace of this webcomic, you don’t want to be zooming in and out constantly. You want to follow the story, and Zuda's navigation system is a bit of roadblock.

Until a better alternative emerges, however, I seriously recommend SuperTron for its over-the-top characters and original execution.

From one apocalyptic future to the next, Eddie Sharam’s Road is a philosophical journey into mystery taken at breakneck curves. The enigmatic main character is Brother Felix, part of an organization of Pilgrims dedicated to following the mysteries of “the Road” – but never alone. Brother Felix seeks to strike out on his own with enhanced reflexes and a high-tech car, and in so doing, brings the wrath of his order, which dispatches forces both conventional and unconventional at every turn.

Though more traditional, Road is no less engaging, with powerful, detailed black and white art as well as a thoroughly deep world. Sharam keeps the pacing moving just fierce enough to temper the story’s sizeable exposition, establishing a perfect balance between both. This is yet another webcomic I had to zoom in to read with Zuda, but Sharam’s world is so detailed and immersive, I didn’t mind doing it as much as I did at SuperTron’s out-of-this-world pace. Certainly a winner by any means, Road is recommended to anyone looking for a next-gen Road Warrior.

Finally, High Moon by David Gallaher, Steve Ellis and Scott O. Brown moves from the future to the past of the Weird West. The gorgeous desert colorings and Wild Wild West feel practically shrieks of Jonah Hex, right down to its enigmatic main character, ex-Pinkerton MacGregor. Once again, this is one webcomic I don’t mind zooming in on, because the artwork is simply so lush and beautiful, with caramel tones straight out of a classic Western. Still, this is also one webcomic I wouldn’t mind buying in print form – the art is so good you don’t mind owning the print even if it’s free on the web.

Exceptionally well-realized, High Moon is certainly one of the most prolific winners of the Zuda contest, and it’s easy to see why. While there’s clearly an abundance of the supernatural around every corner, the creators never let it overburden the mystery at hand to find a lost little girl. Every character is so fantastically realized from concept to design to execution, that’s its hard not to get lost in the pages. The story does grow a bit too convoluted in the final act, it still packs an awesome twist in the end. Like all the webcomics reviewed so far, High Moon is highly recommended.

That’s it for this week. Next week we’ll finish rounding Zuda’s winner circle of high-quality webcomics.