http://www.girlgeniusonline.com/
One of my favourite comics, Girl Genius, which was released quarterly, is abandoning periodical releases in favour of the free webcomic + TPB format, as Studio Foglio does not feel the quarterly release schedule brings in enough readers to make up for the economic loss (I suppose they are running it at a loss).
Though I’m wary, I hope this will mean they can continue the story for many a year, since there are so many stories hinted at in the issues released so far (13 in number).
As a comic, it has, to me, everything one could want. Mad scientists, steam punk, an Americas mysteriously lost and a Great Britain mostly sunk, Jägermonsters and the Emperor of All Cats!
It’s the story of Agatha Clay, who lives with her step-parents, after having been left there with them by her uncle Barry, and works at Transylvania Polygnostic University, where she is quite known for being an utter failure as an inventor and scientist. It’s a world dominated by Baron Klaus Wulfenbach, a former compatriot of the famed Heterodyne Boys, Bill and Barry, the great heroes who have been missing for decades. After the Other had left Europe in chaos, he turned up once again, and put all the minor houses under his iron grip, the Great Houses having all been defeated by the Other.
Agatha’s patron at Transylvania Polygnostic is Dr. Beetle, the former mentor of Klaus Wulfenbach and the Heterodyne Boys.
The first issue can be read online here and the Secret Blueprints, with the basic concepts of the story can be read here.
Hooray! I love this comic! It has so much charm, wit, and detail, pretty much like Foglio’s other stuff. I discovered it by thumbing through the first TPB a while back and I promptly bought it and all the current issues from the website. I was bummed when it petered out. Thanks for the good news.
Yow! So this starts with “issue 14”? I like getting the actual books, but this will make it much easier to follow. For one thing, I’m not sure when my subscription ends.
This also reminds me that I need to do something with the great sketch of Krosp I have.
One question: What is Heterodyne? Is it a substance that turns people hetero?
You know… like Superdyne turns people “super” in CoH? :wink:
(edit) I followed the link and read the black-and-white introduction story… I found it quite enjoyable… though I’m a bit turned off by what I perceive as anime-style character illustrations. Am I just a stupid noob?
At some point I realized that I was utterly confused about the plot and characters in Girl Genius. The story is definitely long form, intended to be read in volumes, so its one page every few days schedule kind of works against it. Especially since it’s gotten to be pretty densely plotted and has so many characters.
So I started at the very beginning and re-read the entire series. Years and years worth. It took me quite a while, but it was really well worth the experience. I have a firm grasp on the main plot line(s), plus I’m starting to pick up on some of the hidden clues around mysteries like The Other, Lucrecia, the Heterodyne Boys, Von Pinn, Higgs, etc. A fresh read-through really reveals how good the Foglios are at packing in foreshasowing and clues. It’s good stuff.
This got me thinking, though, that we should have an active thread for the comic. Is anyone else a fan? If so, care to help me figure out if Zola is faking being controlled by Lucrecia in recent strips or if she’s dead and Lucrecia has taken over?
I’m certain Zola is faking it. If Lucrezia was in charge, she’d have mentioned that Zola temporarily suppressed her; instead, she gloats about how easy it was for her to take Zola over. Remember that Zola has already been established as a very good actress, and that fooling people into underestimating her is her standard MO.
An interesting question is whether Zola’s suppressed Lucrezia image is enough to let her issue orders to revenants. If not, then she needs Anevka-Lucrezia in order to control Klaus.
Hm, I dunno. When Lola first wakes up in the hospital, she yells “Curse this wretched, weak body!” which doesn’t sound like something someone would say about her own body. And she’s probably not acting, since she’s alone in the room. And Anevka-Lucrezia comes into the room because she thinks she hears herself.
