Given my role as a journalist, maybe it’s no surprise that of ArtCrumbs’ (aka Jackson) two free comics on GlobalComix I enjoyed Untitled Diary of a Mangaka a little more than Godsbane…the daily life of a comics creators is something I can related to a lot, so I found it all too familiar in many places.
ArtCrumbs/Jackson is a Colorado-based artist making manga-style comics. Untitled Diary is just that – a daily record of highs, lows and in-betweens. Among the topics covered are the confusion over what to call manga by non-Japanese artists, a controversy that rages so white hot that for now we’re just going to call it…manga. Every other topic – struggling with celiac disease, working with editors, setting goals, thinking about stories – is covered as well. It’s all very alarmingly revealing in the way that so much of our social media is now, but endearing and thought provoking as well.
It doesn’t hurt that Jackson is an incredible artist, and I do mean incredible. They are also an accomplished journaler, with imaginative page layouts but easy to follow lists of tasks and ideas. I wish I could journal 1/8th this good…instead messy sticky notes that I can never find. (I don’t like to plan.)
Jackson’s lush art style comes to the fore in Godsbane, a mythological tale of Aros, who serves both The Gods of Death and the Gods of Life all while pursuing his own secret goal of reviving someone close to him. The story is full of epic battles, wise animals, harsh confrontations and drama. Like I said the art is what will keep you studying this – Jackson is a natural at beautiful page designs and linework.
I will say that as an old occidental comics expert, I found the story a little hard to follow, despite intro captions every time a new character hits the page. I’m not sure if veteran manga readers will have the same problem, but with a story this lovely, it’s worth the work to get into.
A word about the platform for Godsbane and Untitled Diary. They are both housed on GlobalComix, one of the heirs apparent to Comixology as a digital comix platform. GlobalComix has a very robust original comics interface, with creators uploading their work and directly getting revenue from it. Jackson also works for Global as a Community Manager, but I’ve noted many times that creators always seem very happy with the platform, something that stands out in a world where griping is the norm. I read this on the GlobalComix browser platform, and it was super easy to navigate using my arrow keys..pretty seamless.
Here’s a few more art samples. Jackson also has a drawing tutorial channel on YouTube, and you can follow them on Twitter here.
