9th Elsewhere
(All pictures from 9th Elsewhere by Caroline "Carmen" Curtis. Click on the pictures to see them within the context of the website.)9th Elsewhere is a comic that I found right near the beginning of my exposure to webcomics. I've always liked comics with stories and unique scenery, and this one delivers on that. What I like most about the comic is the whimsical nature of the story-telling, and while Carmen has gotten away from that a bit, making the story a little more serious, it's still there lurking in the background.
The comic is set in the dream world of a girl named Carmen. Carmen is an orphan who has spent most of her life being shuffled from parent to parent, which has made her quite depressed. Carmen is an aspiring writer, but has no confidence in her works. Enter Eiji, a muse set on helping her overcome her problems. They enter the dream world and then almost immediately get trapped there.
One of the strong points of 9th Elsewhere is the imagery, and the almost random nature
of the environment. Since the begining of the comic, Carmen has moved through multiple contrasting scenes, and each place has certain images which sort of ingrain themselves. It's very interesting.Because this comic is really just about one person, there's sort of a paucity of characters. Many minor roles come in for a few comics, but the main characters are basically Carmen, Eiji, and Dorian, another muse that entered Carmen's dreamscape. Despite this the story is rather complex, with lots of little details, any of which can be important. The fact that Ms. Curtis, the author seems to be having trouble upd
ating is making it harder for me to keep up. The story's still worth reading, though, because it is a nice mix of humor and drama, it just makes it a little frustrating when you're waiting so long to see what happens next.If any of this interests you, go ahead and read the comic. I don't think I'd classify 9th Elsewhere as a "must read," but it's very well done.
(Adventurers review probably coming two months from now. You know how it is)
posted by Andrew Araki at 9:45 PM
2 Comments:
I think I noticed 9th Elsewhere about 3 or 4 months ago, I'd agree with your definition of not quite 'must read' as it can be kind of prolix and the very artificial nature of the dreamscape can defeat any narrative certainties.
That said, as an experiment it certainly succeeds, the artwork is a featherlike mangaesque that you don't typically see online.
Yeah, I love the intricacy in 9th Elsewhere. The complexity of the tale is good, and it is bad, too, in ways. I've put my reading of it on hold until I have a chance to go back through the archives, as it is all too easy to lose track of important details, and miss out on a lot of what is going on without them.
Post a Comment
<< Home