Series: Kagerou

Warning: This comic is, once again, most definitely not for children. It contains sex nudity, and graphic torture, none of which is censored.

The series

"This sounds like the plot of a really bad anime, but what the hell, right? I'll try anything once."

Stop me if you've heard this one before: A bizarrely effeminate guy gets picked up off the street and whisked off to a world of magic, where it is revealed that he has just been chosen to serve as the champion for a goddess. In order to fulfill this role, he must find a magic sword, rescue a princess, and defeat a demon king.

As far as plots go, this one's been... done. A lot. And that's the plot that Kagerou has... At first.

But it quickly becomes apparent that things are not as cliche simple as they seem. For starters, the guy chosen to be champion was picked up right after he escaped from an insane asylum. Also, he manages to last about five minutes before one of the demons kills him.

Trust me, it's rarely this silly.
Disturbingly so.

Fortunately for our hero, some elf types find him and bring him back to life, insisting that he continue the quest. It's only when he goes for the magic sword that he discovers that the goddess selected another champion while he was dead -- and the goddess who did the choosing wants him to go back to being so.

And of course, the demons haven't stopped wanting him dead either. And on top of that, he still has to deal with his hallucinations and alternate personalities -- one of whom is a rapist and serial killer who wants the main personality destroyed, and has Sylar-esque telekinetic powers. Oh, and the hallucinations may or may not actually be our hero astrally projecting himself into other dimensions, the personalities may or may not be ghosts trapped in his body, and the entire series may or may not be a head-trauma induced hallucination.

Still sound simple?

The reason I chose Kagerou for this review is because it's much like the last review I did: It's a dark and graphic but well-written story that is also incredibly obscure and under-rated. Its draws are different from Mortifer, however.

A major point about this comic is the portrayal of the main character's insanity. Despite the surreality of it, it's actually fairly realistic, as the author spent quite some time in an insane asylum himself, and is quite familiar with the disorders he portrays.

Another point in its favor is the dialogue. The author has an amazing sense of humor, which in spite of the comic's dark nature tends to shine through in conversation.

That said, the biggest draw of this series is how it takes a completely played out concept and turns it into something completely unexpected.

Kagerou isn't for everyone, though. the series as a whole is intended to be very disturbing. The warning at the start of this post is only a part of it, albeit a large one. It can also be a bit confusing, as there are entire sequences that take place in "the zones," which seem to be symbolic or... something.

On another note, like many webcomics Kagerou has a problem with early art. In this case however, this is due to the original art files for the early chapters being lost, with poor quality jpegs being the only available replacements. It's readily apparent that the early artwork would actually be pretty good if it weren't blurry. The first three chapters have already been redrawn in any case.

Lastly, the author is rather slow with updating -- rather understandable, considering his circumstances. Fortunately, there is a rather sizable archive to peruse.

Overall Verdict: Kagerou is a good series, but quite definitely not for everyone. If you are easily put off by the presence of rape, violence, and gruesome imagery in a work, you probably shouldn't go for this one.

Series: Mortifer

The series

Alright, before we get started on this review, there's one thing you should definitely know. This series is not for children. It is much darker than my usual fare, having themes of violence, insanity, and (occasionally) sex. If you don't like that sort of thing, gtfo skip right on past this one.

While I'm at it, I may as well provide some background information before we get started on the review proper. Mortifer can be found on SmackJeeves.com, a webcomic hosting site. It's one of the longest comics on there, at 1326 pages. It completed its run in July of 2011. Like many webcomics, the art style is a bit sloppy at first, but it improves.

Now on with the review!

Ladies and gentlemen, our protagonists!

Initially, the story stars a trio of mercenaries: Matthew Leftway, a vampire who really enjoys bloodshed; Valentine Leftway, another vampire who moonlights as a male prostitute of all things; and Joey Von Krause, a rather unsettling little man with an eyepatch who almost never stops smiling. They work for a mercenary company named SinTec... whose boss has just announced his retirement. After the mysterious deaths of all of his competitors for the position, Joey is named as the new leader of SinTec. Rather then announce this promotion however, the employees are told that the new head is a mysterious (And fictitious) man named "Mortifer." That accomplished, Joey brings his teammates to his office and informs them that he has grand plans for the company's future...

Meanwhile, an assassination carried out in the first chapter becomes complicated as a key piece of evidence is left behind, leading to a police officer named Samantha investigating Joey. And then there's Joey's past, which becomes more and more mysterious the more we know about it, as well as certain tensions amongst the team that will lead to something more...

And even with all of that, things are even more complex then they seem -- and at the same time, more simple. Joey's plan is merely the header for a massive web of intrigue. And that brings us to the best part of this series: Its twisty plot.

This image has been uploaded in place of any actual twists
so as to avoid major spoilers. : )

It takes skill to do a good plot twist, and Mortifer's author has that in spades. Every plot twist is flawlessly executed (With one notable exception, though that could just be personal preference). And there are a lot of them -- only a few at first, but the frequency increases as the series continues. And most of them are the sort where it makes perfect sense in retrospect -- the best kind.

It's not all doom and gloom, however (Though that is the overarching tone). While the series is chiefly a thriller, there's plenty of humor too, some black, some not.

Overall Verdict: While a bit rough around the edges at first, Mortifer is one of the best-written and under-rated webcomics I have read in a long time.