So here’s something rad; a couple months ago I got an email from Laura Loolaid. She’s from Estonia and writes for a website called Reaktor and she wanted to write an article about my comic! I thought that was pretty awesome. You can check it out HERE. If you don’t read Estonian, here’s a crudely translated version. Thanks again for the kind words Laura, I really appreciate the help and support!
-Love Nick
“Mixed-blooded cartoon world: Life the Necropolis
Laura Loolaid
In this series of posts, we look at science fictional side-by-side comics – both web and print. The selection of material presented is deeply biased and is based on the principle of “we read, enjoyed, shared”. In the November issue, we take a look at the one-man web comic strip, Life the Necropolis.
It will be published more than a week from 2015, and I would suggest “Elu Nekropolis” or “Mercenary named Elu” for the title in the language version. The introduction on the website says, “This is a science-fiction adventure cartoon about a traveling mercenary. By Nick Klie. Life is the main character. We haven’t reached the Necropolis yet. “
In essence, a straightforward, expression-like Moebius-like comic follows a lone mercenary (called Life). It travels in foreign lands, takes casual jobs, and sends out alien and bad guys in the process. Now, when it seemed as if the story had already been read out last month, that’s how it was – I chose the November issue of the November comic as a thoughtful continuation, supplement, and contrast. Because, indeed, on the one hand, Life continues to be a migrant fighter and a supernatural-violence line.
On the other hand, the theme of “the character moves from place to place and fights for pay” is solved here, and the mood palette is much more laconic and grim. The cartoon text is scanty and angular, with stylized visuals hiding behind a suave world, and both success and destruction are presented in short replies in the background of exotic planetary views.
At the front, the pages of Life are filled with tiny episodes and colorful vignettes from a variety of work ends. These kinds of stories are simple: somebody hires you to do the mission of Life, he does the task, you get better or worse, something flies in the air, somebody can kill, the end.
However, after toning and characterizing little stories, longer adventures begin to unfold before the reader. Despite the scanty size of the comics, you can get to the jungle, the cave and the top of the mountain, the deserts, and the creeks.
Although the cartoon storytelling style will continue to be as laconic as it is, there will be additional layers to the story and the world over time, and there will be several longer one-page stories. Random jobs and petty crushes turn out to be eternal enemies and the deeds ever done return in the ring. Of course, things go awry in many ways, get into more hassle, and you have to hide, dig, climb, sniff – and shoot, of course.
The first long story, “A Journey to Madness,” includes, for example, conspiracies with cultists and tentacles. In another longer story, “The Key,” we find ourselves behind a pirate underground doorway, where an ancient energy creature, who “accidentally” guided the characters, is hidden. Of course, in the basement there is a hideous bog, who is killed without much mud.
Life the Necropolis might be well suited for the reader who is looking for a hard-boiled concentrate to consume faster during working hours rather than a rampant word-of-mouth arc. However, I recommend that you take the time to enter the pictures, as verbal minimalism is balanced by detailed locations and despite the meager style, acts of violence portrayed with care and love. (Spaghetti western and American dark folk can be heard in the background of the reading.)
While reading “Nekropolis,” I received, besides some minimalism, an unexpected nostalgia: there was a recognition and arbitrary connection to the science-fiction illustrations that were once immersed in the middle school age, from the Young and the Nails.
Links too. The cartoon is starting to get out of here. Current updates (including ink-October sketches) and author thoughts can be followed on his FB page.
Finally, a picture that beautifully sums up the minimalist approach to Life.
P.S .: I’ll add something domestic in the end. The Paepealse Library in Tallinn works hard to sustain and grow the local comic culture by encouraging reading and lending, organizing exhibitions and exhibitions, and setting up workshops. While such events are not narrowly focused on fictional content, we find some of the songs of interest in the waves of comic promotion. So, for example, the Paepealse exhibit will feature the Cold Folg stories, of which we wrote a little review in this year’s June issue. In November, the Paepealse Library hosted a comic book discussion forum for young people (read more about the event in advance). The event can be viewed later via video.”
