So, Sean’s not dead, folks. I’ve just lost some time due to the intense rigors of school and some exhuastion. That doesn’t mean I don’t have any time for Way of the Geek, and as the webcomics guru I’ve got to show some love to the Webcomic Idol castaways. Seven of the top ten comics have been eliminated so far, and I’m going to cover them all within the next few days.

First up is Gun Baby, by Matt and Gabe White. The brothers have crafted an interesting war comic in a reimagined earth - the atmosphere is somewhat World War II given the designs of the fighter planes that show up in the first few pages, but the time seems more contemporary. Weaponry is more modern, and the map seesm carved up into small warring nations. The conflict in the story - the war - seems to revolve around regular humans and “gears”; it’s not yet clear what gears are - perhaps some kind of cyborg, or even androids? The art reminds one of Alpha Shade, yet it ceratainly appears that Matt is much more dedicated and caring with his art. He’s currently revamping a number of pages, reworking panels and cleaning things up; the boys want to publish this as a book and want to do it up right.

The central protagonist is Hailey, who’s father just happens to be a major player in the war; Hailey is forced to go on the run when her father is sold out by his comrades, and the gears begin hunting them down. Her uncle owns a gun shop, and given the name of the comic, it seems iminent that Hailey becomes quite the gunslinger in time. This comic is young, but it’s got a lot going for it.

Art is great, and will give readers tablet-envy; there are some occasional anatomy issues, but with Matt reworking the pages, I don’t think they’ll be around too long. Having seen some before and after shots of the improved pages, I can confirm that they are much better than before. The writing is very solid; dialogue runs smoothly and the story seems held together quite well given the number of storylines in the strip. The characterization is spot-on - Hailey’s two best friends want to get their hands on some weaponry and go to a dangerous region to become whalers. They’re dropping out of school, and screw around with some guns in the shop. It doesn’t take more than a page to realize that these are immature, stupid kids without any kind of plan thinking they can take on the world. While that’s been done before, you feel sympathy for the pair since, even though they come off as arrogant, they’re really quite pathetic.

Worth a look, I honestly thought this comic finished much lower in the voting than it deserved to. It’s a great product with two very dedicated creators behind it.

If you liked that, try...

1. Review: Instrument of War by Robert Deas
2. Gears of War 2, Ninja Gaiden 2 dated
3. Manga Beat 04: Whats new in the manga Pile? Dramacon By Svetlana Chmakova!
4. Comic Rundown: Hitman, Aquaman and News Man
5. Hero by Night

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