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 (From No Rest For The Wicked. Click on image to see it full-sized.)
THE STORY:
One day, the Moon up and disappeared; where it went, or why, none can
say. Without the Moon's light to keep them in check at night,
monsters, crawling horrors, and other creatures of the dark run
rampant throughout the land. But Princess November has much more
pressing matters to worry about: she hasn't had a decent sleep in
ages.
"No Rest for the Wicked", written and drawn by Andrea L. Peterson, is
a fairy tale in the vein of "The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen"
and "Fables". Mixing several fairy tales, ranging from such mainstays
as "Little Red Riding Hood" and "Hansel & Gretel" to lesser known fare
like "The Girl with No Hands", Peterson blends her fodder in an
imaginative way. While "Shriek" parodies fairy tale conventions and
"Wicked" re-imagine the Wicked Witch of the West as a counter-culture
rebel, "No Rest for the Wicked" is singularly devoid of self-awareness
and irony. To the people of its world, getting cursed by an old woman
on the side of the road for not sharing your bread with her is the
equivalent to driving over a bad pot hole; it's just something that
happens to you when you're not careful. Rest assured, you can read
this webcomic with no worries about being winked at.
One aspect where Peterson really excels is with her characters. Her
main trio is interesting and her supporting & minor characters are
colorful. For conciseness, we'll limit ourselves to the main three:
PRINCESS NOVEMBER: "What's in the grave?"
The insomniac protagonist of the story, Princess November is a girl in
search of a good night's rest. The fact that the search also involves
evading her marriage to a commoner is totally inconsequential.
November is an interesting character in that while she's smart enough
to notice things others miss she's unable to get herself out of the
trouble she finds herself in. Physically, she's quite delicate (peas
under beds and all that). An errant leaf in the face is enough to give
her a sizable bruise. While not worldly, she does possess a moral
center, something that puts her at odds with Perrault at times.
RED: "Such a clever little beast. I HATE clever beasts."
The girl of Riding Hood fame is back, and is by far the most magnetic
of the leads. Demonstrating both sociopath outbursts and a wry sense
of humor, Red is a darkly humorous character. No naive little girl,
Red is an ax-brandishing hunter who skins wolves for... well, not
exactly a living, but more because she enjoys it. Red is also popular
with the comic's fan base, judging from the sheer amount of fanart
alone that centers on her. She despises Perrault for being what he is.
Her reason for leaving the forest to help November is currently
unknown, though the two seem to be friends (or just friendly?).
PERRAULT: "A cat has no duty but to do exactly as he pleases.
A lesser known fairy tale, Perrault (Puss, of Puss in Boots) is a
Machiavellian schemer who is five steps ahead of everyone else. Drawn
as a Catboy, Perrault is most definitely a cat. His personality
reflects the nature of his breed; he's adventuring with November
simply because he has grown bored with the machinations of the court.
A charmer and a rogue, his silver tongue is perhaps the most valuable
of the trio's tools. He is terrified of Red.
For a story rooted in European fairy tales, its art is decidedly in
the manga style. Princess November in particular sports some big
peepers. It works though, and it gives November the impression of
being a little strung out from her lack of sleep. Background details
are sparse in the first chapter, but the subsequent one features
complex environments and dynamic perspectives (even if not always 100%
correct, as Peterson admits in her commentary). The current chapter,
"A Modest Proposal", is dark and moody, capturing the feel of being
trapped in the woods at nighttime with a monster, with its extensive
use of hatching and solid tones. Character design is consistent
throughout but it does become more expressive emotionally as
Peterson's style matures. Overall, each page is interesting to look at
with lots of details to enjoy, an important point in a weekly serial.
The comic's presentation is done well, with the option of advancing
through the archive by clicking on the "page" itself. While you have
to click on a link on the main page to view the comic itself it is
justified by the richness of the website itself. In addition to the
standard Cast and FAQ sections, Peterson gives links to the original
source stories for the material she uses in the comic. Author
commentary is also available for chapters one and two. Most
importantly, however, is the Fanwork section. While many comics sport
a simple Fanart section, "No Rest for the Wicked" sports extensive
fanworks such as fanfiction, cosplay, avatars, wallpapers, pixel
dolls, and lots of fanart; all of which is cleanly presented and
labeled for ease of browsing. Of note is that "No Rest" has inspired
its own fanCOMIC, "Nightfall Yonder Bremen" by JZ. Unfortunately, as
of this review, that comic's URL does not function. "No Rest" was also
recently adapted as a stage play by a middle school near Toronto,
Canada.
"No Rest for the Wicked" is a weekly fantasy webcomic, updated each
weekend (give or take a day). It's a serious story grounded in fairy
tale lore but does possess a strong sense of humor. Currently in the
third chapter of a projected ten, it has over 160 pages completed. A
charming story with interesting characters, its originality and
execution make it a strong recommendation for you to read religiously.
If you dislike bookmarks, a mailing list for updates is made available
on the main page.
Doublemint
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