12-30-08

The Sun Also Rises

You know how Shadow Run stories and campaigns always take part at night in the seedy parts of ancient decrepit cities (or their ultra-corrupt, ultra-modern business districts)?  How the characters are always semi-shady and on the run from (the mob/corrupt government/corrupt mega-corporations that are owned by the mob)?  Did you ever wonder how these worlds supported themselves?  I mean, sure they have magic and high technology, but you can no more drink a fireball (tequila-based shooters notwithstanding) than you can eat a GPS system.  And where do these mega-corporations get all the middle-management drones to serve as cannon-fodder?  It stands to reason that these worlds must, of necessity, have rural areas and small towns, and a middle class and suburbs.  Although it's possible that reason has nothing to do with it.

Welcome to the world of Flaky Pastry, by Felix Lavallée.  FP takes place in one of those Shadow Run worlds filled with high magic and high technology.  The main heroines, Marelle (a knowledge-seeking cat girl who may or may not be the only one of her kind), Nitrine (a spunky, ambisexual goblin rogue with more influence and tinkering ability than she often lets on), and Zintiel (a high-elf chaos warrior with animated hair) spend their days planning, and their nights in a variety of capers and adventures trying to bring down the corrupt mega-corporations that rule the world of this dark and dismal place.  Or, at least they would if this were any other Shadow Run comic.  Flaky Pastry, however, takes place on the edges of such subterfuges.  The three Lovely Ladies of Flake live in a college-centered suburb where the dungeons are amusement park attractions, the middle management drones are home with their families, and the streets are mostly clear of unnecessary bloodshed. 

I say "mostly" because Lavallée recognizes that sleepy college towns and suburbs are mostly boring.  Nothing happens in those places unless the residents make them happen.  Luckily, Marelle, Nitrine, and Zintiel are more than capable, in their own ways, of making things happen.  Most of the action of the comic is the direct result of the various idiosyncrasies expressed by the ladies (Marelle's insatiable curiosity, Nitrine's caustic behavior, or Zintiel's insanity and bizarre taste for violence).  To be fair, most of the action in the comic is almost always the direct or indirect result of something Nitrine said or Zintiel did.  This makes for exciting times on the edges of the big scary city.

The art is fantastic.  It's cartoony without the oversimplification that mars so many comics and cartoons with flowing lines and frenetic action that almost hurt.  From the bold, yet subtle line work to the distinctive, yet consistent character design to the imaginative, yet believable use of color, there is almost nothing negative that can be said about the art (at least by me, but, as has been noted before, I'm a Philistine).  It is this fantastic artwork that probably gained Flaky Pastry a place in the Sage Comics Collective.  I'll eventually get around to a more full examination of the Sage Collective, but, just for now, I'll point out that if you like your comics pretty and well-drawn, that's the place to go.

Sadly, the characters are a tad two-dimensional.  Marelle is always repressed, bookish, and intellectual.  Nitrine is always caustic, sexually precocious, and geeky.  Zintiel is always random, unpredictable, and violent.  The Neighbor is always a day late and a dollar short with unneeded assistance.  You see where this is going.  Of course, two-dimensional is not such a bad thing, especially in light-hearted comedy.  The Simpsons characters are all two-dimensional, and that show has been on and reasonably popular for over twenty years.  Indeed, trying to force the third dimension into the undeniably two-dimensional world of episodic comedy can have disastrous results:  by the end of its run, Cheers had become less a sitcom, and more like a half-hour misery play, watching the addicts in the neighborhood bar remember but never learn from their oh-so-many mistakes.

Flaky Pastry has avoided this pitfall, so far, by keeping the characters simple, and yes, a little two-dimensional.  You won't find a lot of deep meaning here, but you will find a lot of fun.

Flaky Pastry by Felix Lavallée
Updates:  Friday
Caveats:  Sexual Ambiguity, Random acts of violence, Frivolity
Rating: