Webcomics Wednesday: The Elements

Hello, and welcome to Webcomics Wednesday! It might interest fans of the Fantastic Four to realize that each of the four is based on one of the four elements: earth, air, fire, and water. With that fact in mind, take a look at the following webcomics that take a more explicit approach to the elements.

For those of you new to Webcomics Wednesday, it’s a weekly tradition where we showcase five webcomics centered around a certain theme. They are chosen and presented in no particular order based on art, story and appeal. This week, we’re taking a look at the role of the elements in webcomics.

Comic: Earth Tones

Creator: Craig Tinsley

In his words: Earth Tones is a webcomic series originally conceived in the winter of 2007 as a way for me to wrap all of my talents into a neat, lit-tle-pack-aaaage (©Homer Simpson). Inspired by Hip-Hop culture and the black struggle, the series has limitless potential and material to draw from. It should be noted that just because it displays lines and colors on a page, that doesn’t make it for KIDS, per se. Earth Tones is a portrayal of high school life in an urban environment, and such a setting should be taken into account before plopping kids down in front of it for a chuckle. It’s pretty harmless so far, but I plan to get into some things as the series progresses. It’s hard to share my entire vision for Earth Tones with you all at once, but I definitely have huge goals and plans for the strip, and if you find it remotely interesting…just stick around, because It Gets Better! Trust me.

In our words: This comic is filled with rap and urban spirit, capturing teen life and the pulse of the city perfectly in one go. Artfully drawn and written, it maintains a balance of true-to-life humor and friendship without losing the rhythm and flow of a good song. And it really does get better.

Comic: In The Air

Creator: Brenda Hickey

In her own words: “In the Air” is a fantasy/drama following the life and events of shy schoolgirl Sandra Tansin. With the arrival of Phaidros (Frederick) Chalepás, a new neighbour from Greece, Sandra discovers that she has the ability to manipulate Air as one part of the four persons holding possession of the power of the elements. However, as Sandra struggles to scratch the surface of her newfound abilities, a mysterious group – Hepta Sophoi – arrives to hunt down those who possess the power of the elements!

In our words: Though In The Air has only been around for a couple weeks at its current location, it’s been a project of the author since 2007, and it shows some serious promise. Three times a week a new page is added to this beautiful fantasy featuring the element of air, with a hero as charming and beautiful as anyone could wish.

Comic: TAOFEWA—Born of Fire

Creator: Secret Casino Club

In our words: You can read it. You can play it. You can color it. You can collect it. If you’re looking for a webcomic that’s much more than a webcomic, then TAOFEWA is worth a look. It’s designed as a universe featuring beautiful manga characters and all four elements. The site, in addition to a series of online comics, features several games that can be played for free, in addition to coloring pages and trading cards. It’s a comic to engage in, to play a role in, and it’s growing constantly.

Comic: Tribute Waters

Creator: Stacie

In our words: For anyone out there currently working on a novel for NaNoWriMo, National Novel Writing Month, let this be an encouragement to you. Tribute Waters is a nautical fantasy webcomic that was originally a rough novel for the well known intensive. After leaving it on its own for a while, abandoned for its roughness, creator Stacie decided to stick with some of the ideas she had and turn it into a different medium, a webcomic. The story is beautiful and unique, with lots of ingenious moments and fun twists to immerse yourself in.

Comic: Elemental Crisis

Creator: Richard Rudge

In his own words: Humanity has left Earth. Devastated by war, pollution and disasters of unimaginable damage it was decided a new start was better than to slowly march towards extinction. Thus on March 23rd 2001 a coalition of over 150 countries began a mass exodus of Earth that was 30 years in the making. Their destination, a small cluster of planets with a similar geography and atmosphere to Earth. One hundred years later and humanity has come back from the brink of destruction and renewed itself in a new solar system light years away from Earth. They have sacrificed everything to save their species, but a regard for the world around them has been left behind as a survival instinct took over. On the eve of a 100 year celebration a mysterious alien travels to the fourth planet of the new solar system, Kaino, in a hope to make a difference.

In our words: This webcomic features all of the elements at their fiercest. It’s a part of a much broader series called Abandon Earth Comics, a series of fantasy and science fiction adventures.

I hope you’ve enjoyed this week’s study of the elements in the webcomic medium, and please come back next week for another edition of Webcomics Wednesday. In the meantime, tell us if we missed anything in this week’s selection. What webcomics do you read? Is there something that we haven’t featured yet that we should? Let us know! We love getting feedback and suggestions for future material! Also feel free to share this page with anyone you know who’d love it. The buttons on the side are there for just that purpose! It’s always fun for people to find a new favorite!