Webcomic Review: "Vattu"!

#kryptodies' @ashleighmayes

I have found the most BEAUTIFUL webcomic since I reviewed The Abominable Charles Christopher! I actually stumbled upon this website in hopes of reading "The Rice Boy", but "Vattu" immediately caught my attention! The site is the pet project of Evan Dahm. The webcomic follows a tribe of alien-looking, egg-headed creatures (referred to as "The Nomads"). They live on the plains and are very obviously dependent on hunting as a means of survival. 

To the Nomads, a child is born. This child's birth is of some inconvenience (it occurs right as The Nomads are about to move), but it's nothing compared to the chaos that will surround this child. The tribe members each have their own opinions about if the move should progress as planned or if it should be delayed with consideration to Vattu's health. The tribe is very mindful of their higher power, Ata, and the power's will to have them move. Seri, a member of the tribe, finds an odd box by the river and keeps it a secret from the tribe. In the middle of the night, The Dead come and kidnap Vattu. The child is the future of the tribe and this fact is well known. Part of the tribe goes out to meet The Dead to negotiate. The Dead ask for their box, but, because the tribe do not know that Seri is hiding it, they demand the child back and blood is shed. The tribe retrieve Vattu, but at the cost of Hunter. It is discovered that Seri is the reason for the kidnap, bloodshed, and death. The Priestess takes Seri to the river and washes away the markings that specifically distinguish the members of the tribe. Seri is mark-less and alone. It is at this point that Vattu becomes "Vattu". She receives her marks and is officially part of the tribe. Below the story of Vattu, there are subplots, I won't ruin the end (well...the latter of the 99 pages) or the subplots, but trust me, "Vattu" is a webcomic that you WANT to read.

I've talked enough about what happens. Now let's get on to the most important thing, my opinion. Ok, ok. I'm not really that conceited. But hey, this IS a review website, isn't it? 

Creativity of Writing: 5/5 I love that someone completely new to webcomics or comics in general can easily get into the plot and not feel intimidated by "Vattu". The comic is very well written. I don't feel like it is too complicated and I don't feel like it's boring at all. It's got a nice balance. Though the looks of the characters are uniform (besides their markings), I feel like I know each of them individually because their personalities come through in the writing and dialogue of the webcomic. The creation of this world and these conflicts and characters is beautiful to me. I know that the concept of "a child to save us all" has been done before, but I feel like there's really something special about Vattu. I cannot wait to see what happens next! The comic is a fast read and, on top of that, it's INTERESTING. I just read 99 pages of the comic and I don't feel like it was drawn out, boring, or time-consuming. It's a very quick read (just remember to take in the GORGEOUS artwork!).

Creativity of Art: 5/5 The artwork for this comic is GORGEOUS. The lighting and shadows were done very beautifully. This gives each scene depth. I feel like each page has value as more than a part of a comic. The style is exactly what I like to see in a webcomic: sketchy, but polished. The color scheme is very muted and natural, as you would expect to see on the plains. The character design is odd, that's for sure, but it works. The characters are interestingly put together and the mind can't really associate them with a figure or animal that already exists. When you come up with something that's new and refreshing, people naturally LIKE to look at it. It looks like TIME was SPENT on it. That's something that I don't really see with most webcomics when it comes to the art.

Overall Rating: 5/5 I loved it. I absolutely loved it. Every aspect of it works together successfully. I was entertained, I was caught up in the drama, and I didn't feel like it was a burden to read it all in one sitting. My eyes were entertained as well. I love looking at the artwork. I can't wait to see more pages! 

Note to the Creator(s): Evan, FANTASTIC job! I hope to see more of "Vattu" or a bound coffee-table edition! I would LOVE to interview you/pick your brain and perhaps someday meet you!