Warren Ellis' “FreakAngel's” Is Not Only Hands Down the Best Web-comic To Date, It is Almost Certainly Potentially ...the Future of the Industry

There is no doubt that the Internet is one of greatest inventions to date for humanity.  The ways in which it has changed life on planet Earth are as yet immeasurable.  Yet for the comic book industry the Internet has not yet quite caught on.  Marvel is the only major publisher to date that has an option to legally view comics in a digital format, but only from a small selection of their collection. The biggest change to the industry from the perspective of the Internet is from the illegal copying of paper serials into digital format.   Then the comics can be downloaded digitally, usually by the use of the torrent network or directly viewed online ...this is known as pirate scanning.  This practice is generally frowned on by the magazine industry.  In an attempt to stem the practice the Marvel legal team forced the shut down the server of Z-Cult.Com, the biggest comic scan website back in 2007, with a lawsuit.  Undeterred, illegal have flourished. The other revolution within the comic industry has been with the concept of webcomics.  This is the posting off free comic serializations on the Internet, mostly in .jpeg format. To date most works have been posted by amateurs; showcasing their work in the hopes that it will lead to future paid commissions, or to create hype to incite future sales of their publication.  Some on the other hand post work just for personal enjoyment.  As the once niche market matures, there are now a handful of professional web-comic artists and writers, making their income solely off the profits from web advertising and selling print copies of their serials.

 

Some webcomics have achieved minor acclaim from critics for their originality and creativity, and in 2005 the prestigious Eisner Awards have even added an on-line comic category.  Previously none of the industry leaders in terms of publishers or artists/writers made any attempts to move into this new and ever developing industry;  The exception being the team of Warren Ellis and Paul Duffield, who plunged into webcomics with”FreakAngels” in February of 2008.  

Ellis is best known for writing the groundbreaking comic serial “Transmetropolitian” published under the Vertigo DC label.  He is recognized as one of the top five writers in the comic/graphic novel field, especially known for his use of technological themes in his work and the use of modern technology to keep in contact with his fan base.   His website, warrenellis.com,  is probably one of the most elaborate and well designed websites from a writer of any genre.

The quality that “FreakAngels” brings to webcomics is to date unsurpassed. In a nutshell the story is of twelve young adults with extraordinary abilities who find themselves the gods (and goddesses) of a  flooded post – apocalyptic London.  Ellis himself calls the genre steampunk.  I like to think of Freak Angels as the story of what happens if you took twelve moshers out of the pit at a Joy Division cover concert and gave them an array of abilities like telepathy and telekineses.

The plot line in “FreakAngels” is highly subjective to each character.  A common literary device is to give the reader subjective perspectives of the same events through the eyes of different characters;  this brings an immense amount of background detail and character development.   There are no heroes here.  Each character is human and sometimes inhuman in their own way, allowing Ellis to explore his usual themes of sociological order and disorder, and control.  Character dissemination is one of the more frequent topics on Ellis' forum for the webcomic “WhiteChapel.”

This serial was aimed for mature audiences, it is highly analytical and brooding and full of realistic violence.  There are no “Bond” style rescues and when a character dies, they stay dead.  It is a great example of how the industry and the sci-fi genre is in general maturing.

Duffield's  artwork style has clear Japanese Manga influences; with a mix of long full page portraits with meticulous detail and shorter two or four panel action panels. Duffield gives an unusual high amount of background detail, perfect for the ambiance of the book, and the reader truly gets the impression he is in chaotic post-apocolyplatic London.  This is especially impressive since this is just the beginning of Duffield's professional career. While writing this article Mr. Ellis thankfully informed me, through his Bad Signal mailing group that the latest issue number 72 has just been posted on the “FreakAngel" website.  Each episode contains 6 pages of standard comic serial panels.  

Avatar press is releasesing the third volume of the printed serials of  “FreakAngels” this November  (Avatar.Com)  and yes they are selling!  I know of two local venues in the San Fransisco area who have had to re-order the printed version because the vendors themselves underestimated the real demand. It also seems that many of the individuals who are buying the serial have already read the web – based version. (Comments by readers) “I don't mind buying the printed copy.  I prefer reading print anyway and like the paper version quality.  I still read scans, however if I really like a (comic) book and I have already read the scan, I will usually buy it anyway.” Scott Williams, London.

“What I want is to have every comic on the web with an option to buy it and have it sent to your house.  I would never leave my house.  Or perhaps that is not a good thing?”  Scobie Ryder, San Fransisco. The state of the declining record industry is showing us that you can not stop progress no matter how many law suits you throw at the problem.  With comics it would be harder still to try and impose regulations on scans, if only because you are dealing with a group that is on average more technologically aware.  

However one should understand the comic community is also in the mainstream fiercely loyal and supportive.  One need only visit any local or national ComicCon to understand that.  “FreakAngels” could be the start of a new paradigm in comics in general.  The bigger question now is who will be the next major digital players to follow in its footsteps?