The Meek
Welcome to the seventh edition of Under the Net.
I will be rating the elements of the book on a scale of one through five.
One is poor, two is mediocre, three is fair, four is good, and five is excellent.
This week’s web comic is The Meek. It is a comic created by Der-shing Helmer. The book has this odd Ferngully vibe to it. It is done in a cartoony style, but at the same time almost feels like it is a live action cartoon on the printed page.
Let me get to the breakdown of the book and its elements. The Art
The art reminds me of the cartoon Ferngully. It has this vibe to it, and the creator has done all his art digitally over Photoshop, so he drew right into the program. It is very cartoony with the big eyes on the characters, and it has this very young feel to it. It is nice to look at and it is drawn and colored nicely.
ART: 4 STARS
The Writing
The story is pretty much about a teenage girl that was running in the forest naked. She lived in the jungle and was put out by her “grandfather” to find the center. She is forced to learn about civilization and become an adult much faster. Her name is Angora, and she runs into Pinter who in the first book saves her life from a group of guys that want to talk to her after they spot her running around in the nude. Angora also has control of the forest. It appears she could be considered the daughter of Swamp Thing since her hair is green, and she runs around in the nude. She has this odd sense about her, and she talks to her grandfather who is a huge flying dolphin-like creature that has leaves for hair. The story is odd; it throws me for a loop. It feels like a child’s story, but the nudity would make it adult and the language as well. So, it’s not for children, but adults instead. There is no problem with that, yet it threw me for a loop. I see where the creator is going with the story, but it feels hammy.
WRITING: 3 STARS
Originality
The creator has to have been influenced by Ferngully meets Avatar-type movie or cartoon. Not that it is a bad thing, but when I first read the story that is what I felt. It had a flavor of Lambada with the naked girl running around trying to get Pinter to help her out and do the forbidden dance. This is a book that dabbled in a lot of different ideas when it came to a girl running in the woods. I felt odd and the story with the girl with swamp thing like powers told me that we were in a strange setting to say the least. ORIGINALITY: 3 STARS.
Grand Total: 3.3 Stars
The Pros
The art is nice. It has a great flare to it. You can tell the creator loves anime/manga art and that is what it feels like. The art is fluid, and it is done nicely especially considering the entire comic is drawn in digital art style. So, there is no paper as it is an entire digital production, and it is very nice. The colors are vibrant and very rich.
The Cons
This is my personal opinion and nothing else, but I was bothered by it feeling like a Ferngullysequel. I do feel if you are going to make a comic that feels almost juvenile, and you are going to make it with that sort of appeal; you have to make sure you put on the comic somewhere that it is not for children at all. Readers think it’s a child’s comic, and then they see nudity and some harsh language. I am not a prude, but that is my opinion.
My Final Word
If you like anime/manga-styled artwork with adult themes, then this is the comic for you.
The comic updates regularly twice a week at:
Enjoy folks!
Jake Estrada
Email me at estradajake@yahoo.com for website suggestions. Thanks.
Jake Estrada is a published author who holds degrees in Multimedia Design and Criminal Justice. He is a father to three wonderful children and married to his beautiful wife, Beth. You can find his comics at http://graphicly.com/estrada-mediaand other fine online stores.
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