What Did I Learn?

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Gordian Algebra
by Austen Andrews

Getting to know Gordian Algebra is easy. The lead character has no name (easy to remember,) no neck and no memories (no backstory.) He (usually) is joined by a doctor named Singh and an unnamed nurse. There are a few others that appear from time to time, but the unnamed lead really needs their help - most of the time.

There is a recurring injury theme, although the art allows the author to potray it as an abstraction. That's a good thing, because some of the injuries are what you and I layman, non medical types would call torturously lethal.

It's okay, though. The injuries are meant to visualize the abstract, emotional pain that we endure as part of daily life. But that's pretty deep, isn't it? Don't worry, it's not like that all the time.

Gordian Algebra is often intellectually amusing and funny too. Sometimes the joke depends on you getting the deeper part so you can then see the irony or conlficting implications. Another way to describe it might be to say that these are not exactly unexpected jokes, but veering off in total other direction than you might first expect. That's a pretty respectable and unique endeavor.

It also pokes fun at the medium itself, breaking that pesky fourth wall at will. There's a span of comics that deal very specifically with this concept and I really appreciated them.

The best part is that Gordian Algebra is a true story, according to the author. You really have to read the about page for the explanation.

What did I learn?
Make sure you know what your recurring themes are. Use abstraction to your benefit. Play up what makes your work unique. Break that fourth wall. Write a true story. Gordian Algebra updates Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays.

Previous Reviews

Battlegate| Butterfly| Good Ship Chronicles| Evil, Inc.| Madscott| Jefbot| Chronicle| Sheldon| Stardrop| Theater Hopper| Knave| Lullaby| High Moon| Metadawn| Dead Days| PC Weenies| Ask Maridee | Tiny Folk | Gordian Algebra | Starslip Crisis | The Front | Coffee Time Comics | Patches | Little Creature | The Horrible Pirates | Serenity Tales | Crashlander | Girl Genius | This Is Me | Handle With Care | SuperFogeys | Copper | Eskimo Dave | Real Life | Chateau Wonderful | Count Your Sheep | Breakpoint City | Eeekeemo | Boxcar Astronaut | Zip and Li'l Bit | Wally & Osborne | Jump Leads | Dr. Sheep and the Aardvark | Station V3 | Dresden Codak | Lab Ratz | Toyzville | The Boids | Cow and Buffalo | Casey and Scotty | Just Outside | The Pretentious History of Everything | Tia's World | Quirks | Patrick Grey | For What It's Worth | The Sixth Dimension | Max and the Gorilla Goon Squad | Rainbow Orchid | Neko and Neko | Lions, Tigers and Bears | Spacequint | Lessons In Fire Safety | Corrupt Hardware | Enker's Tale | The Surreal Adventures of Edgar Allan Poo | A Rusty Life | You'll Have That | From the Margin | Jitterati

About These Reviews

I love comics and I'm always looking at how I can improve my own work by examining other creators' works. It's such a wildly diverse field that it's not advisable to make sweeping generalizations and ignore special circumstances and subjects.

There's a lot we can learn from one another. And while there are many forums where you might discuss this, I haven't found any lengthy discussion on what we can do to make our comics more successful. There are a few good books on the subject but the aspiring webcomic creator is forced to learn by sheer brute force practice how to adapt his/her personal style to the medium. This is not as efficient as it could be.

Also, there are literally thousands of webcomics but only a handful of places where you can find decent, regular reviews. The focus of my reviews will be on trying to determine what is positive, successful and worth emulating about each comic. You might even get hooked on a given comic you read about here.

You may also wonder where the 'criticism' is and where the negative things about the comics are pointed out. As a matter of fact, I did mention some dissappointing issues with layout and such in my initial reviews. I quickly came to the realization that it's easy for any viewer to know what they like and what they don't. I don't need to call extra attention to the negative. I have, on a few occasions, emailed a webcomic author with a few ideas for improvements but there's no need to make that information public.

I'm not trying to sugarcoat anything, mind you. I just wish to have an open discussion about what good comics do. Hopefully, more voices will join in.