Girl Genius

Written by Kaja and Phil Foglio, drawn by Phil Foglio and coloured by Cheyenne Wright.

Girl Genius Volume 6
Agatha Heterodyne And The Golden Trilobite

Rating: Young adult upwards. Would let children read, they just might not understand it.
Genre / themes: Mad science, alternate histories (Europe, Queen Victoria mentioned), steampunk and politics.
Art level: Colour, consistently good art if you like the style.
Number of Books: Ongoing series, unfinished. Currently nine published books.
Other notes: Husband and wife team. Webcomic.

A long-running and entertaining webcomic, the story of young Agatha Heterodyne's journey to rescue herself, discover who she really is, and take over the known world (mostly by accident so far), while making loyal friends, engaging in hilarious exchanges, becoming the minion of a cat and finding minions of her own and of course, constantly inventing various mechanisms of Mad Science, is one of the most popular webcomics online. The black and white first book has finally been republished with a better quality publisher and I can now happily send people to buy the series!

Agatha Heterodyne is a student at Transylvania Polygnostic University in Beetlesburg when she gets caught up in her professor's attempt to control hivers (slave wasp-type creatures, a weapon left over from wars with the Other). Her pent-up sparkiness causes her to create a clank in her sleep and she gets swept up in a case of mistaken identity, by the terrifying and mostly all powerful Baron Wulfenbach. After escaping from his airship, she is adopted by a circus, has many adventures and starts uncovering her true identity. All around her, politics and power games erupt and continue, and mad science bursts out of every cranny! Matters only get funnier when she meets the Jagermonsters - who swear loyalty to her as a Heterodyne heir.

A very practical, stubborn heroine with a lot of pent-up Sparkiness (i.e. Mad Science), Agatha is an entertaining protagonist who wins friends and hearts as she goes. The Foglios, a husband and wife team, also publish less... family friendly works, such as the XXXenophile comics and this shows in the style of the female characters - but it's a family friendly comic, very colourful and unique.


Award winning

Girl Genius has now won a Hugo Award. for the third year running. Runners up were the previously reviewed Fables and Schlock Mercenary.

Volume 10, Agatha Heterodyne and the Guardian Muse won Best Graphic Story in 2011, following in the footsteps of Volume 9: Agatha Heterodyne and the Heirs of the Storm and Volume 8: Agatha Heterodyne and the Chapel of Bones.




Buying the books
The first edition of Girl Genius has finally been republished in colour as Girl Genius, Vol. 1: Agatha Heterodyne and The Beetleburg Clank - and more importantly, with a better printer! The last version (titled Girl Genius: Omnibus Edition #1) fell apart at the binding after a single reading, and as it was my father's christmas present I wasn't too happy about that... It was also a tiny a5 book, which was very hard to read considering how small the black and white illustrations were. The first part of Girl Genius was drawn in black and white, and then the colour part at the end was printed in greyscale, of all things! Be very careful buying second-hand books, if you're getting the first volume!

However, the second book onwards (and now the new first book) were much higher quality hardbacks, twice the size (although thinner obviously) and in lovely colour.

Digger

A story of wombats and gods

By Ursula Vernon

Digger, Vol. 1 by Ursula Vernon

Rating: Young adult-adult

Genre / themes: Gods, demons, wombats, saving the world. Culture clash. Anthromorphic animals.

Art level: Very good. Black and white.

Star Rating:  5/5

Number of Books: Three so far, still ongoing.

Other notes: Webcomic, but moves too slowly page by page to follow as it updates. Artist creates fascinating art and has also published children's books. Definitely a series that Pratchett lovers will enjoy (the author is a fan and it shows).




My Review
Ursula Vernon is an artist who takes the unusual out the other site - her quirky illustrations (such as the 'lolwut' biting pear of Salamanca) are famous on the internet. Digger is her Discworld-esque, thoughtful, dark webcomic about a wombat who ends up roped into a quest to destroy a living god, and is very practical about it.

Much, much better in book format, as its pages move too slowly for a webcomic, this book is entirely black and white inside.

Three books published so far...

Gunnerkrigg Court

Gunnerkrigg Court, Vol. 1: Orientation

The greatest webcomic ever published. I recommend this to everyone!

by Tom Siddell

Rating: Any age. Technically young adult, but I really would give this to almost anyone.

Genre / themes: magic, science, boarding school, orphans, spiritual and mythological themes

Art level: Very high, improves dramatically over time and went from 'good' to amazing. Unique, both manga and western. Books in colour.

Star Rating:  5/5

Number of Books: Two published so far, ongoing series. Book number three, Reason, is now available for pre-order on Amazon.

Other notes: webcomic, won several awards, and I wrote a complete lens about it. Books are hardbacks and very high quality printing.

My Review
Gunnerkrigg Court is the book I would give to almost anyone. The story of self-possessed Antimony Carver, who arrives at the mysterious school of Gunnerkrigg Court after her mother dies, you could tentatively compare it to Harry Potter (and fans of Harry Potter books would definitely enjoy it). But Gunnerkrigg Court is unique, and mysterious, and keeps you guessing constantly without ever frustrating you entirely.

Gunnerkrigg Court, Vol. 2: Research

It was also the winner of a bunch of webcomic awards in 2008 and 2009, and was listed as one of the 2010 Top Ten Graphic Novels for Teens by the ALA.

While I'd happily give it to children, it's definitely intelligent and complicated enough to be an story for adults. And the art is beautiful - it starts off good, then evolves to mindblowing. The book is also very high quality - a small, heavy hardback in full colour. This is one of the books that I buy, and will buy, automatically as each book is released.

There are two books out so far, and I own both of them.
 The second book came out at the start of 2010, and was titled 'Research'. It was even better than the first book - Tom Siddell's art started off good, and becomes incredible. I've already read everything online so far, but I'm still definitely buying the third book when  it comes out - this is a story that is worth re-reading in physical form.

Schlock Mercenary

Space-going mercenaries tough it out with teraporting, aliens, guns and lots of humour

by Howard Tayler

Schlock Mercenary (6):
Resident Mad Scientist 

Rating: Young adult-adult

Genre / themes: Science fiction, mercenaries, spaceships, traveling the galazy, crdue and advanced humour, AIs, robots, aliens, BIG guns

Art level: Terrible, but functional. The drawing style does actually suit the story and the characters - one of the only webcomics where the art doesn't impede the enjoyment of the strips. All in colour.

Star Rating: 4.5/5

Number of Books: Six so far (ongoing).
  Books are not numbered in the title, the order is :
* The Tub of Happiness
* Teraport Wars
* Under New Management
* The Blackness Between
* The Scrapyard of Insufferable Arrogance
* Resident Mad Scientist


Other notes: Also a webcomic that updates daily, self-published.

Schlock Mercenary: The Tub of Happiness: Amazon Blurb
Welcome to Tagon's Toughs, a mercenary company whose newest recruit is almost as much trouble as the new owners. They want to revolutionize space travel. Schlock just wants to hurt people and break things. This 240-page volume takes the reader back to the very start of Schlock Mercenary, and then some. It opens with nine pages of all-new strips telling the story of how Schlock came to enlist, and then forges onward chronologically from the very first strip. It also includes concept sketches, commentary, excellent guest art, deck plans for the Kitesfear. If you've been waiting to devour this Schlock Mercenary from the very beginning, the wait is over: grab your big spoon and dig into the Tub of Happiness.


My Review

Schlock Mercenary has terrible art, but it gets the job done - this is one of the best webcomics around. You should buy this for anyone who likes scifi, mercenaries, humour, big guns, stealing, time travel, and aliens who not only look like a pile of poop, but would eat it too. Full color illustrations that grow strangely in your affections as you read and very ...unique characters.

Schlock , the title character of Schlock Mercenary, is a rather unique alien - a carbosilicate amorph - that looks... well, like a toilet joke, and is basically indestructible. He has an almost religious love for plasma cannons. He signs up to a crew of tough space-going mercenaries and havok and politics ensues as they fly around the galaxy embroiled in politics, one step behind their last paycheck and always looking for bigger guns to play with. It is satirical, sarcastic and punny.

The stories range from little sideplots (often amusing) involving the jobs the crew takes on, and galaxy-spanning politics and machinations that they step into, break and run away from (such as the gatekeepers and their sinister behind the scenes cloning and control over galactic travel). Some of the science fiction gets a little wordy but Howard Tayler manages to explain what a teraport is (for example), while lightly glossing over the more boring details, so this shouldn't impede enjoyment.

All the books published so far, in order

A Distant Soil

A very pretty black and white series of telepathy and aliens
by Colleen Doran

A Distant Soil: Coda (Book 4)

Rating: Young adult.

Genre / themes: Fantasy, science fiction, some yaoi, rebellion

Art level: Good. Detailed inking - all black and white, Western comics style.

Star Rating: 4/5
Best Other Work in the Gaylactic Spectrum Awards 2001


Number of Books: Four, completed.

Other notes: Being released as a webcomic by the author.


Distant Soil Vol. 1: Amazon Blurb
The story of a young girl who is born the heir to an alien religious dynasty, is one of comics most lavish and romantic sagas, listed as one of the five best books for teenage girls by Sassy Magazine. A never-before-published A Distant Soil short story and the first 11 chapters of the science/fantasy series are collected in this 240 page trade.


My Review
A Distant Soil is the story of two children with telepathic powers who are rescued/recruited by aliens, in a complicated and desperate game of politics. It will probably appeal more to girls initially, unless you are buying it for the art - and the art is very pretty, so if you're artistically inclined I do recommend it. It's a little old-fashioned in style, particularly the way Liana is drawn (and by old-fashioned, I mean '80-90's comics). You can actually check it out here on Colleen Doran's site, as she's uploading it slowly as a webcomic. Of course, like almost all such stories, it's much easier to read in print. Colleen Doran has also illustrated for Marvel and DC.

It starts with two children - Liana and Jason - running away from an institute, who are mysteriously rescued by a pair of aliens (who basically look like humans... ). turns out their father wasn't human, Liana is an Avatar, and the current Avatar is trying desperately to both protect her, and use her to help break the hold of the current selfish, cruel and hedonistic Hiercracy, who intend to kill her - because she's preventing their Avatar using his power by existing. The children (well, young adults) get separated and Jason is enlisted into a rebellion, while Liana and and some hand-picked humans are taken back and snuck into the top level of government. among these humans is a random knight - the Arthurian Sir Galahad, plucked by chance and magic into the modern world.

The people and the backgrounds are beautifully drawn, and the book feels like a real work of love (I say 'book', rather than 'books' because only the first one ever made it into a library in New Zealand near me - there are four volumes. But I think they would all be similar). Recommended for readers of Mercedes Lackey and Marion Zimmer Bradley.

The complete series of A Distant Soil

Freakangels

A steam-punk webcomic of psychic teenagers after Armageddon 

by Warren Elli and Paul Duffield

Freakangels Volume 1 Hardcover
by Warren Ellis & Paul Duffield

Rating: Young adult-adult (violence, nudity)

Genre / themes: Steampunk, science fiction, post-apocalyptic, telepathy

Art level: Good! Full colour, although the colours are generally muted this suits the story

Star Rating: 4.5/5

Number of Books: Ongoing series. Five books published to date.

Other notes: From a webcomic. Won "Favourite Web-Based Comic" Eagle Award and Nominated for "Best Comic/Graphic Novel" British Fantasy Award in 2010. Available in paperback and hardback.

See this series on Amazon
See this series at The Book Depository

"23 years ago, twelve strange children were born in England at exactly the same moment. Six years ago, the world ended. This is the story of what happened next."

Freakangels Volume 1
My Review 
Freakangels is a published webcomic, however it was designed for the graphic novel format from the start. A mature story that contains violence, guns, nudity and promiscuity (in the case of one or two characters), Freakangels is amazingly drawn and very well written.

It is the story of the Freakangels - a group of children born with unusual powers, that they used to change the world, and are now trying to cope and make amends by helping hold together a small community after what was effectively the apocalypse. Each of them has their own problems, each is a very distinct personality, and none of them really have any idea of what their powers mean or where they'll end up.

There are books being released regularly, in both hardback and paperback.

The available Freakangels books to date

Paperbacks
 

~$12-14

Hardcovers

~$20

$48 for signed editions