Anything But

I mentioned Home on the Strange last week (which is already moving in directions that I, at least, certainly didn't see coming), and I mentioned The Ferrett, the writer of the strip.

In addition to scripting out each installment of the feature, he has a rather entertaining blog of his own - which happens to feature weekly webcomic reviews. His goal, primarily, is to focus on some of the strips that aren't directly in the spotlight, and which deserve some solid attention. Unsurprisingly, that's a goal I can easily agree with.

Especially as this introduced me to Yet Another Fantasy Gamer Comic, which really is anything but.

The Ferrett's review does a good job of covering what makes the strip stand out - the vibrancy of the art, the unrepentant fun that manifests throughout, the skill with which a world full of characters and plot is interwoven without ever leaving readers lost or confused.

But that isn't really why I wanted to talk about the comic today.

It is, hands-down, definitely a good strip, for all the reasons mentioned above and probably a few more. But what really impressed me was the resolution to the latest little round of plot. (Spoilers ahead, so now would be a good time to go and read through from the beginning.)

The comic began following the tale of Bob the Beholder and Gren Razortooth, a beholder and a goblin who happened to fall in life. Antics ensued, and the strip went from there, developing an immense and fascinating cast. Some characters have popped in and out, and some have had more focus given to them then others... and then along came Glon, just over a hundred strips down the road.

And from that point on, Glon became the star of the show. Oh, the other characters were there, but he was the central figure. He had his quest, even though it wasn't what he thought it was. He lost family and he gained family, and it was his actions, however indirectly, that led to the massive fight that took center-stage these past few weeks, with nearly the entirety of the cast involved in a epic battle. Other characters had their time in the spotlight, sure, but it was almost all revolving around him.

And then he died. After being the primary character for more than half of the strip's run, his show is over. Characters grieved... and moved on.

We're back with Bob and Gren in their underground home sweet home. The strip has come full circle. We have had, essentially, the entire story of this one character's life, and how that life changed those close to him, and affected countless others far and wide.

And Rich Morris, the strip's creator, is somehow able to have the intensity and impact of all that sit side by side with the same silly humor, day after day, and somehow make it all work perfectly.

That's why Yet Another Fantasy Gamer Comic is such a damn good comic.