Ben's thing: Sakana

SO. There is this webcomic called Sakana. This is a wonderful thing for a few reasons, namely, three. First, it has some of the most incredible characters of any comic. Second, the art style is lovable, unique, iconic, and expressive. The third reason, and why it deserves the first post on this blog, is because it has done an incredible job rising above the struggles and stigma that bog down web comics.

Great plot aside, the characters make the comic worth reading in and of themselves. In conjunction with the pacing of the story, the characters experience real development and change as a believable part of their lives, as opposed to a manufactured or strong-armed plot. While there are tropes throughout the comic, no character can be reduced only a trope. The characters are interesting people dealing with real problems, that range from the mundane,

to, well, less mundane.

Second. The art style. Scott McCloud's defining work, Understanding Comics talks a lot about what goes into making a style. Mad Rupert's art style does develop a great deal throughout the comic, and the characters, to a certain extent, grow with it. Mad has an understanding of each apex of McCloud's three facets of depiction, reality, expression and form. Her characters, their actions, everything depicts with precision not only the reality, but also the subtext, the pieces of information that go beyond literal illustration. She seamlessly integrates the intent of the depiction and the reality of the image, all the while making her panels flow visually, making her, in my opinion, a real, top tier comic artist.

Third and finally, there is the simple fact that Mad, the author of the comic, has done all this through a webcomic, a medium traditionally viewed as unprofessional, unfinished, or juvenile. Perhaps because the comic was never something she forced out, but let it sit while other responsibilities came up, it remained something she was passionate about. Truly though, the largest hurdle Sakana has overcome as a webcomic is the issue of pacing. Sakana can be read either as a serialized comic, or binge read as a graphic novel, but in either path, the pacing of the comic works with the plot. Each panel has a balance of text and visual interest, as well as a steady plot development across several stories that keeps the reader engaged. Or if you are catching up from the beginning, the plot moves along a good enough clip to keep from dragging, but does not fly by so fast that the comic doesn't feel rewarding.

SO. Basically, Sakana is a story about a few guys who work in a fish market, and it's written and illustrated super well. You should all read it.