11-01-06

New Age Flakery

Are you a Wiccan?  Are you tired of being mocked by such "uninitiated" webcomics as Something*Positive?  Would you like to be mocked by a fellow Wiccan?  Then you should read The Many Moons of Astra by Glen Goldentree.  Okay, not really.  In reality Astra is a well-thought comic that tries to cast modern Wicca an Paganism in a good light with lighthearted humor and a small amount of silliness.  There is very little mocking involved. 
          Unless you're a Barbie Wiccan. 
          Or a Wiccan of a sect based on more ancient faiths who somehow ignores hitorical fact for your own agenda. 
          Or a whiney goth who bemoans "the burning times" because it gets up your parents' noses. 
          Or a D&D "wizard" who speaks in terms of ranks and levels and honestly believes Nyarlehotep is an actual god and not the invention of a moderately-talented author who wasted thousands of words describing how indescribable things are.
          So, yeah, if you're one of those, expect to be mocked as you deserve.  You should be used to it, by now, considering how often you get mocked by Christians, Atheists, and New Age Flakes alike.  I honestly wish more religions would take it on themselves to mock the crazier segments of their populations.  Seriously, Phelps and Robertson would be much less annoying if the Bishop of the American Lutheran Church spent an hour each day correcting them in a "Mr Rodgers" voice, and Osama bin Laden and Ahmedinejad would both be much less fearsome if they were regularly given noogies by the various moderate imams in the UAE.
          But none of that is to the point.  I'm supposed to be reviewing Astra.  Of course, it's nearly impossible to properly review a niche comic without examining the niche at which it is aimed.  So forgive me if I digress.
          Astra is a niche comic, there's no denying that.  There are fewer than a million people worldwide that identify themselves as Wiccan or other neo-Pagan, so the likelihood of Astra ever being mainstream is pretty low.  There is some general interest in the comic.  Goldentree has a talent for identifying human foibles and exposing them in a gentle but humorous manner.  The main thrust of the comic, however, is toward Wiccans and other Pagans, so there will be jokes that not everyone will get.  There are comics that aren't particularly funny but illuminate some aspect of Paganism.  On the whole, it's well-done, but it is not, by any measure, a general-interest comic.
          I'd be lying, however, if I said the art was excellent.  It's nice.  It's not bad.  But it's not good, either.  Goldentree has improved at least a little since he started, but he has some way to go before he's in the same class as Milholland or Krahulik.  He is, however, improving.  His current art quality is at least as good as mine, probably better, and his rate of improvement, as he becomes more comfortable with the task of maintaining a weekly comic is growing exponentially.
          So, over all, what should be said?  Hmmm....  If you're a Wiccan or a Pagan, or your curious about those paths, then you should go see Astra.  It will be well worth you time.  Otherwise, go and see, but don't be surprised if you don't get it.

The Many Moons of Astra by Glen Goldentree
Updates: Daily
Caveats:  niche-focused, unholy heathen cults treated fairly and without condemnation, mocking
Rating:

NOTE:  The reference to "New Age Flakery" in the title is not meant as an insult.  When I was adrift spiritually and had not yet determined my path, I referred to myself as "a New Age Flake".  I still do, at times.