Rasvaar

EDIT: The archives have been recently restored. First, I'd like to point out this comic for its injection of color. In rereading the archives I found a few more hokey points in the story-line than were brought up, though nothing that detracts from it being a fun strip. With the current movement in the story, my premise here may be wrong. Time will tell.

Rasvaar by Skets seems like a good choice for this week. (Just in case you're looking, it isn't on the list yet. It was in the Drunk Duck Demise and is currently sorting out the archives. It would probably be catagorized as Anthro Characters (4) no X content). To put it simply, Rasvaar is different.

There are many comics with a similar premise to Rasvaar: a homosexual character going through school or college (or just life in general). I can name a half dozen of these off the top of my head. What makes Rasvaar special, is it doesn't make the exact same mistakes that the others do. It is far from perfect--the beginning, for example, is kind of contrived--but there are many redeeming qualities to this comic.

Many comics with a homosexual main character tend to introduce more and more characters with unorthodox sexuality. Often it gets to the point where you wonder if there's anyone left in the comic's world that fits the norm (And what about asexuals for that matter? Why does no one represent the "Not interested" group? Plug for Equidna since Zoo City probably doesn't qualify as an obscure webcomic). So far, Rasvaar has not been surrounded by an host of like-minded cookie-cutter characters.

Centering entirly on the character's sexual orientation is another common problem--especially when that becomes nothing more than a political rant. Skets's other characters provide a healthy background to the comic. To the left is one of the humorous interjections to the story line (if you pay attention to Scott Adams, the Recognisable attribute of humor shows up brilliantly here). Wait a little bit for the archives to be restored and Leanne creates many more amusing incidents.

The artwork of Rasvaar is also of note. Many webcomics are pencil with outlines traced via pen or computer software, some are created using only the graphics software. A few times marker or colored pencil show up. Rasvaar is the only time I have ever seen a simple blue pen. And the killer is I've seen work with pen & ink or plain pencil that doesn't look half as good. Shading, highlights, textures, all there. (Occasionally the comic does appear in color)

Rasvaar is no preachy gay rights comic, not trying stereotypes, nor an author putting a relationship-filled fantasy life to paper. This is one place where "Gay adj 1: Merry 2: Bright, Lively" (Merriam-Webster) still holds. It's a fun read, not an angry rant.