Scabbards & Gods, by Dan
Littlefield and company, is one of those internet comics you see me
go on and on about every once in a while. I'm always amazed at the
great comics I find online. I'm amazed by this particular saga,
because I think it should be a monthly publication sitting on the
shelves of our favorite comic shop. All of Scabbards & Gods'
chapters are available on their web site and I think you'll see what
I mean when I say it's a progression of talent and skill leading to
something beyond what I expected.
When I first read Scabbards & Gods,
I noticed that chapter one was a little shaky in the art department.
What I saw distracted me from really getting into the story, but I
wasn't about to let it keep me down. Chapter two was a huge
improvement, and it made me consider something. Dan Littlefield,
John Doudican, David Nguyen, and Daniel Dussault use their web site
to help their creation grow. Not just to continue, but to grow.
They ask their readers to leave criticism and praise and they take
into consideration everything the fans mention. They'd never get
away with something like that in printed comics. If you pick up a
comic book and don't like it, you don't pick it up again. Plain and
simple. In Scabbards & Gods, if you don't care for the art,
politely tell them why, and they might try to improve it. Freaking
awesome. It almost makes you feel like you're part of the process.
Scabbards & Gods is brilliant.
The epic tale of traveling swordsmen is going into it's fourth
chapter with all the flair and fantasy of a copy of Lone Wolf and
Cub. The story is clever and fun, the art is really nice, and I like
it so much that I've recommended it to everyone I know. Praise goes
out to the entire team for what they've done. To the writer for
making an epic that really does feel like something Akira Kurosawa
might put on the screen, to the art team for not overdoing it with
muscles upon muscles that can so easily overpower super-buffed
characters (the artists' use of shading rather than lined detail
makes all the difference in the world); and to all of them for their
incredible work as a team and taking the advice of the people who
visit their website (the people who matter) to help create an amazing
piece of art.
Now let's get into the story behind
Scabbards & Gods. As I mentioned, the main characters of the
title are a band of swords-for-hire. Chapter two and three introduce
us to the twins, a brother and sister duo who become sheriffs in a
little village that plans to host a large violin recital by one of
the world's most famous violinists. The twins' job is to make sure
nothing bad happens before or during this recital, as the village’s
finances depend on them bringing in a large crowd. The story shoots
back to see what our swords-for-hire friends are up to, but really,
this part of the tale is about the brother and sister. It's a nice
shift and as we get to know the duo and learn to like them, we also
get a bad feeling that their job in this small quiet village probably
isn't going to be trouble free. But who is going to bring the
trouble? Is it the swordsmen, is it the troupe accompanying the
violinist, or is it someone in the crowd waiting to strike while the
village is focused on such a fabulous show? I'll leave finding those
answers up to you, but please do check it out. You won't be sorry
and you'll most likely be surprised. Oh, and since Scabbards &
Gods is an online comic, it's all free of charge. Just do me a
favor and tell them Eblison sent
you.
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