Moon Town: A Review
The first thing that struck me when visiting Moon Town was that although this is a new comic, it has a slick look and feel that makes it seem like it’s been here forever. There are veteran comics doing the rounds that don’t have the presentation Steve Ogden has managed in just shy of seven months.
The comic opens with a shot of one of the best-looking spaceships I’ve seen in a long time. Immediately we are presented with richly detailed art that draws you in from the opening page.
The ships look like there’s some depth to them. They look chunky; and I mean that in a good way. It’s the same with the characters: each has just enough detail to make them seem real, but they don’t lose that funky cartoon feel that makes this comic look so good.
The dialogue in Moon Town is as impressive as the artwork
The dialogue only serves to enhance the comic, too. From the docking station worker with his distinctive “Mornin’, luv” greeting (Which I instantly heard in a Lancastrian accent) to the annoying morning television presenter’s over-happy rhyming dialogue, every member of the cast feels not only distinctive, but real enough to take by the hand (or the throat, in the case of vid-jockey Triple Bee. You’d want to punch him too if he was what greeted you at 5.30am).
What’s not to like about this comic? Not a lot, quite frankly. It looks like it just stepped out of one of the post-punk British comics, like the modern issues of 2000AD, and this is no bad thing. There’s good design, snappy dialogue, and even an excellent choice of font (Eurocomic, from Blambot, which only serves to enhance the post-punk underground European comic feel that’s going on here).
If there’s anything to be derisive about, it can only really be the pacing. Each update gives around three panels of story, which usually takes up a second or two of story time. While reading through the archives this is not really a problem (unless you’re on a slow connection, in which case constantly pressing ‘next’ is going to really get on your nerves).
Yes that means the artist has more time to spend on the luscious detail and top-notch colouring but at the same time, it isn’t endearing me to come back every time the comic updates.
Because of the pacing, popping in once a week makes for better reading. Either that or wait for the print version; which it seems will not be long in coming now.
Moon Town is a fantastic new comic that definitely warrants your attention. With a little more comic in each update, this would be perfect but as it stands, it’s still worth visiting even if you’re not a science-fiction fan. The artwork alone is worth the bandwidth, and the well-executed characters will put many more established comics to shame.
Hi, Zoe! I am honored to read your review of Moon Town, and happy to note you “got” it. The things you listed as positives – the post-punk British feel, the distinctive dialog choices, the cartoony-detailed character design and chunky spaceships – are all things that were important to me in creating Moon Town, so it’s thrilling to have them decompress on the reader’s side so completely. And the fact you spotted Eurocomic – that’s doing your homework!
As for the update pace, I hear you. I guess my focus is so much on the print version that I didn’t really think about the frustration of clicking through 70-odd strips to get through Episode One. In an attempt to satisfy the hungry readership, I have upped my release schedule to 3x a week, which is frankly just about too much for me. But hopefully that will help.
I am glad you enjoyed Moon Town, and I am very pleased with your review. Keep up the good work!
Steve Ogden
http://www.moon-town.com
I love the comic.
BUT the most important thing about the comic and the webpage is: it has a full RSS feed with comics included. This is a great thing IMHO.
I have to admit, I love RSS feeds that send you the comic. Yes, I realise it means the website maintainer gets fewer direct hits to the site but in terms of readership, I’ve got to say I like it.
Hi, Steve!
I spotted Eurocomic because I’ve used it myself. It’s a great font and I think it really does work well with the feel of your comic (it didn’t work so well with my comic so I now use Blambot Casual and my own custom one based on my handwriting, but I have it kept on file for some future projects).
With regards to the update pace, if three times a week is going to be too much, don’t feel you have to keep it up. I’d hate to think too much pressure on you would have a knock-on effect on the quality of your comic. It’s a brilliant comic and I’d hate to see it lose some of that greatness because of time constraints and pressure on the artist. Stick with what works best for you.
Kind regards,
Zoë
Great review! I really love Moon Town and read it mostly through the full RSS feed as well. Reading it via RSS really has kept me from having any issues with the pacing. That, and being lucky enough to start reading right when the comic launched. I like that the focus is on a print version; even on the web it gives Moon Town a tangible feel.
I have been reading Moon Town for awhile now. The artwork is amazing and Steve Ogden works hard at the story and the art and he has a pretty decent podcast as well.