Welcome to this week's Fresh Friday Features, cast a spotlight on eerie and enigmatic towns. These comics guide readers through the twisted streets of strange and unsettling communities, where mysteries linger around every corner. With tales of the paranormal, dark secrets, and chilling encounters, these stories offer a captivating exploration of the unexplained and the unsettling in the most unconventional of settings.
This week, ArtCrumbs picked four titles that'll give you a peek into the ordinary lives that maybe aren't so ordinary anymore!
- Comic - Wynd: Wynd lives a quiet life in Pipetown -- working at the local tavern, out of sight in the secret rooms beneath the floorboards, but Wynd also has a secret… magical blood betrayed by his pointed ears, forbidden within the city limits.
- Graphic Novel - Siege Town: Two travelers crossing rural Russia in the 1950s awake to find their inn surrounded by an angry mob intent on vengeance.
- Manga - The Vampires Next Door: What would happen if three Vampire sisters started living in your neighborhood to learn more about human society?
- Webcomic - Song for Cantalagua: In a small town surrounded by 2 rivers called Cantalagua, lives Nila who works as a delivery girl and helps her mother out at The Lighthouse guesthouse.
Wynd Volumes, 508 pages - Published by BOOM! Studios, (cc/ @GCpartnerships)
Wynd lives a quiet life in Pipetown -- working at the local tavern, out of sight in the secret rooms beneath the floorboards, often stealing away to catch glimpses of the son of the castle’s groundskeeper as he works. But Wynd also has a secret… magical blood betrayed by his pointed ears, forbidden within the city limits. Joined by his best friend Oakley and Thorn, the groundskeeper’s son, Wynd’s strange dreams and an encounter with the city guard send him on the most dangerous adv...
Story and Art by James Tynion IV and Michael Dialynas
Comments from @ArtCrumbs:
Living in the shadows underneath a tavern is no way to be. A town with laws against your very existence cannot be easy. The kingdom needs a proper leader, and with a dying king, it'll soon be turned upside down. Stunning atmospheric art and backgrounds set the stage for a dramatic story. I can see why this work was awarded so well.
One of the things I liked the most reading this was the paneling. There's a clear change in the paneling with the mood or type of narrative going on. There are times it uses non-paneled pages with a strong visual hierarchy to guide readers through the pages. Interesting arrangement of overlapping panels, intricate splash pages and two-page spreads, it's a feast for the eyes... As long as the town doesn't devour Wynd alive first!
Siege Town, 85 pages - Published by Witching Hour Comics, (cc/ @WithingHourComics)
Two travelers crossing rural Russia in the 1950s awake to find their inn surrounded by an angry mob intent on vengeance. Without fully understanding their predicament, they find themselves battling for their lives against a bloodthirsty crowd of armed aggressors.
Story and Art by Witching Hour Comics
Comments from @ArtCrumbs:
Wild and brutal from cover to cover, nothing is what it looks like until the final chips fall... or bodies hit the floor. I had a strange suspicion that something wasn't quite right. Maybe it was the lack of pants on the mysterious man who greeted the protagonists at the door, but maybe he's just eccentric? This escalated, including the artwork, it gets rougher, messier, redder, it's fun to see the art evolve with the realization of our heroes that something is clearly wrong in this town. It was a fun book from beginning to end and watching the mystery unfold was a delightful guilty pleasure!
The Vampires Next Door, 289 pages - Published by MediBang Inc., (cc/ @MediBang)
What would happen if three Vampire sisters started living in your neighborhood? Ella, the beautiful and conservative eldest sister, Angelica, the air-headed and girly middle child, and Rinden, the quiet and cool youngest daughter. They have to stay in Koharu's apartment to learn more about human society. From experiencing human romance, the thrill of chasing dreams, to the endless struggle of a tight budget, their fun adventure is brought to you in full-color!
Story and Art by MediBang Inc.
Comments from @ArtCrumbs:
I've been wanting to read this for a while and it is easily one of my favorite vampire comics on the platform now! While we all relate to the struggle of bills, food, rent, and more, our Vampire girls here are brand new to the human experience! What a delightful twist on an "entering a new world" and "coming of age" story, exploring the human world through the eyes of 3 young vampires. Well, 'young' I suppose is relative.
Seeing a color manga is also nice. The style is fun and incredibly different from most other manga most people are familiar with, so it's a real breath of fresh air. It's adorable and relatable. I can't wait to read Volume 2 over the weekend!
Song for Cantalagua, 57 pages - Published by Cantalagua Comic, (cc/ @CantalaguaComic)
In a small town surrounded by 2 rivers called Cantalagua, lives Nila who works as a delivery girl and helps her mother out at The Lighthouse guesthouse. One day, strange debris appears and the rivers start rising. Life that seemed so uneventful fills with mysterious plants and suspicious people that begin to change the way Nila sees her hometown.
Story and Art by Cantalagua Comic
Comments from @ArtCrumbs:
Like Wynd, Song of Cantalagua has stunning environmental shots, a whimsical art style, bright colors, and fun and quirky lead character. In just the first few releases, we get a real feel for how immersive and encompassing this world is. We still need to explore it more, based on the description, so I'm curious to see more about these rivers and mysterious objects. Plants are clearly a big theme, and as a plant lover and caretaker myself, I'm definitely part of the target audience!
I still have some releases to catch up on, but I've added it to my weekend reading list. Keep up the great work!
That's all for now, but we'll have another set of Fresh Friday reading recommendations next week. If you're looking for more recommendations, make sure to opt-in for our weekly reading list email! You can find that in your User Profile Notification settings. You can also browse through our Featured Comics news section!
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