The World Wide Web is a larger than the largest city, state, country, or continent, but is smaller then the smallest village. It is full of wonders, bobbles, and gadgets, at every turn and click that are for sale, barter, or in the rare case, absolutely free.It is my humble opinion that the best things spinning about in cyberspace, are of the third category, free. One of the finest examples, that I’ve stumbled upon in recent months, is a new webcomic titled Epic Fail. I’m new to webcomics having favored the more traditional and unfortunately expensive periodical monthlies and bi-monthlies, and more recently the quarterly graphic novel. It is wonderful to find such a high quality comic free in cyberspace.
Epic Fail is the vividly drawn adventures of Martin, a Human Fighter; Amuletts, Sylvan Elf Thief and Cleric; Clodin, Dwarf Fighter; Tinuvielle, Fae Elf Mage; and Dirk, Human Paladin. As the title of the webcomic suggests, these adventures are the humorous blunderings of passionate characters trying to live up to their full potential. As readers, we are witness to their failures, but also to their monstrous courage as they follow their big heart into battle.
Really, you can’t afford to miss out on this one: Epic Fail (www.comicofepicfail.com/).
From her bio page: Amy Letts is a freelance artist, illustrator and web designer. Her work consists mainly of Fantasy, Landscape and Figurative work. She took her first commission in 1998 and began to work professionally in 2003. She has a BA Honours Degree from Oxford Brookes University, England.
Want to know what Amy is up to: http://twitter.com/amuletts
From her bio page: Amy Letts is a freelance artist, illustrator and web designer. Her work consists mainly of Fantasy, Landscape and Figurative work. She took her first commission in 1998 and began to work professionally in 2003. She has a BA Honours Degree from Oxford Brookes University, England.
Want to know what Amy is up to: http://twitter.com/amulettsSMR: If you met me in a coffee joint and had thirty-seconds to sell me on your comic, what would you tell me?
AL: Like epic fantasy? Then you’ll love Epic Fail, the fantasy flavoured webcomic with an extra helping of FAIL!
Imagine a universe; a universe with magic; so much magic that it’s unstable, hanging onto existence by the skin of its teeth, capable of winking out in the blink of an eye. That’s the Universe of Epic Fail.
It’s got heroes. Admittedly, not very good heroes, but they try their best. They’re the people who go up to trouble and poke it with a big stick. Then set fire to the stick, because one of them is a pyromaniac. And sometimes, just sometimes, when the universe overbalances, they tilt it back. Along the way, they die quite a bit; fortunately magic patches that up real good. And one Dwarf will be pushing it to its limits….
AL: Like epic fantasy? Then you’ll love Epic Fail, the fantasy flavoured webcomic with an extra helping of FAIL!
Imagine a universe; a universe with magic; so much magic that it’s unstable, hanging onto existence by the skin of its teeth, capable of winking out in the blink of an eye. That’s the Universe of Epic Fail.
It’s got heroes. Admittedly, not very good heroes, but they try their best. They’re the people who go up to trouble and poke it with a big stick. Then set fire to the stick, because one of them is a pyromaniac. And sometimes, just sometimes, when the universe overbalances, they tilt it back. Along the way, they die quite a bit; fortunately magic patches that up real good. And one Dwarf will be pushing it to its limits….
SMR: I see more characters in your banner than are listed with bios on your Cast of Characters page. Who are they?
AL: You see one character on my banner that doesn’t have a bio (and a few who have changed outfits). I won’t be revealing any information about him until he’s been introduced in the story, but here’s a clue: his name has already been mentioned.
AL: You see one character on my banner that doesn’t have a bio (and a few who have changed outfits). I won’t be revealing any information about him until he’s been introduced in the story, but here’s a clue: his name has already been mentioned.
SMR: Do you have a favorite role playing game? What is it? Why do your prefer it? What type of character do you like to play?
AL: My favourite RPG is 2nd Edition Dungeons & Dragons, although I have to admit the version I play has several home-brew modifications, including the Assassin character class from 1st Ed and a unique deities system. I prefer it because it has a beautifully crafted fantasy setting and a rules system that keeps you on your toes. One of the complaints I often hear is that it is unbalanced. It is. It’s not fair and there are no guarantees that a challenge will be within your abilities to overcome. It’s risky, it’s unpredictable, and it’s damn fun!
I like to play all sorts of characters, although the majority are chaotic-good. Half are human, a quarter are Elves the rest Halflings. I seem to play Fighters marginally more often than the other character classes, with an equal chance of them being male or female.
AL: My favourite RPG is 2nd Edition Dungeons & Dragons, although I have to admit the version I play has several home-brew modifications, including the Assassin character class from 1st Ed and a unique deities system. I prefer it because it has a beautifully crafted fantasy setting and a rules system that keeps you on your toes. One of the complaints I often hear is that it is unbalanced. It is. It’s not fair and there are no guarantees that a challenge will be within your abilities to overcome. It’s risky, it’s unpredictable, and it’s damn fun!
I like to play all sorts of characters, although the majority are chaotic-good. Half are human, a quarter are Elves the rest Halflings. I seem to play Fighters marginally more often than the other character classes, with an equal chance of them being male or female.
SMR: I see that you have several heroes and heroines, who are the villains?
AL: Have you noticed a peculiar trend in magic-users to live too long, gain too much power and go insane? No?
AL: Have you noticed a peculiar trend in magic-users to live too long, gain too much power and go insane? No?
SMR: Why mix a Thief with a Cleric in the character of Amuletts?
AL: At the beginning of her adventuring career, Amuletts was a mere thief. At that time, the party consisted of Wil, Minerva, Jira and Raisin, with Martin and Amuletts as recent recruits. A Harlequin tricked them and they entered a portal leading to the domain of Loki, where they appeared naked. After much fire and strife, they encountered the God himself, who offered to grant freedom to anyone who would serve him. Amuletts has never regretted her answer (which happened to be “What else do you have to offer?”) and that, as they say, is history.
AL: At the beginning of her adventuring career, Amuletts was a mere thief. At that time, the party consisted of Wil, Minerva, Jira and Raisin, with Martin and Amuletts as recent recruits. A Harlequin tricked them and they entered a portal leading to the domain of Loki, where they appeared naked. After much fire and strife, they encountered the God himself, who offered to grant freedom to anyone who would serve him. Amuletts has never regretted her answer (which happened to be “What else do you have to offer?”) and that, as they say, is history.
SMR: You have an amazing art style. The colors are so vibrant. How do you create your art? In what medium?
AL: Thank you. I start by drawing a rough sketch of the page using stick figures, working out the layout, dialogue and getting everything straight in my head. Then it’s all drawn out in detail and inked by hand. I scan the line work into Photoshop, clean it up, and bucket-fill the main areas of colour. Most of the shading is done using the dodge and burn tools, with ‘select’ and ‘magic wand’ protecting my nice, clean edges.
It’s all rather an adventure for me. I’m far more used to traditional media. It still seems weird making a picture without getting covered in paint! But I know from experience that paintings never look as good in print or on screen as the real thing. Since I’m showing the comic to readers online I chose I medium that would look best viewed by that means.
AL: Thank you. I start by drawing a rough sketch of the page using stick figures, working out the layout, dialogue and getting everything straight in my head. Then it’s all drawn out in detail and inked by hand. I scan the line work into Photoshop, clean it up, and bucket-fill the main areas of colour. Most of the shading is done using the dodge and burn tools, with ‘select’ and ‘magic wand’ protecting my nice, clean edges.
It’s all rather an adventure for me. I’m far more used to traditional media. It still seems weird making a picture without getting covered in paint! But I know from experience that paintings never look as good in print or on screen as the real thing. Since I’m showing the comic to readers online I chose I medium that would look best viewed by that means.
SMR: Not only do you post your comic, but you also maintain a blog with a summary of action. Why both?
AL: I’ve been reading webcomics for many years and personally prefer those that keep a blog. Part of the appeal of webcomics is that the reader gets more insight and involvement with the creative process. I enjoy being able to communicate with my readers and find their feedback useful. It lets me know what’s working and what I need to improve. This, in my opinion, is an enormous advantage.
Another reason is to make my site friendly for search engines, which work using text, not pictures. At the moment, they send me around 10% of my visitors, and as my archives grow it will make it easier for them to look back and find specific pages.
AL: I’ve been reading webcomics for many years and personally prefer those that keep a blog. Part of the appeal of webcomics is that the reader gets more insight and involvement with the creative process. I enjoy being able to communicate with my readers and find their feedback useful. It lets me know what’s working and what I need to improve. This, in my opinion, is an enormous advantage.
Another reason is to make my site friendly for search engines, which work using text, not pictures. At the moment, they send me around 10% of my visitors, and as my archives grow it will make it easier for them to look back and find specific pages.
SMR: If someone likes your comic, what can they do to help support you?
AL: They can donate via my website. Anyone who donates can promote their name and website, along with some comments on my Recognition Wall. For every £50 ($70) raised, I will create a new wallpaper, and every £100 ($140), I will post an additional comic page.
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