Arktoons Roundup Sept 7, 2022
Welcome to the Arkhaven Roundup, a regular feature at the Arkhaven Blog on usually on Mondays but this week was kind of special. It’s where I take a look at stuff that is new and interesting in the world of Arkhaven’s webtoons.
If you aren’t familiar with Arktoons, this is meant more for you. I am the Dark Herald, I do the blogging here at Arkhaven. This blog is mostly pop culture news, reviews, and opinion, in short, the usual.
But you aren’t here for the blog. You’re here for the webtoons. Arkhaven is different from other webtoon publishers. While we have the kind of toons you would expect, like Chateau Grief we also have webtoons that are more like traditional comics, if you grew up reading comic books in pamphlet format it, you’ll feel more at home here than you would at say Tapas.io for example.
According to Screenrant Arktoons is:///https://screenrant.com/best-websites-for-free-comics/amp/
“An up-and-comer in comparison to Webtoon and Archive of Our Own, Arkhaven boasts nearly 8 million views to the website since it was launched, a respectable number that will no doubt continue to grow as long as the site remains active with compelling creators.
View counts vary between tens and thousands, depending on the comic, but lack of popularity isn’t always a marker of lower quality. Like most other user/creator-oriented comics websites, it’s built around engagement with the material. There are also preview images of each comic or comic installment that give viewers an excellent glimpse into what the style, and often the tone, of the comic involves.”
So, if you are new here, be welcome. Stay a day. Stay a month. Stay a year. You’ve found a new home.
The thing that is currently dominating the entertainment news cycle is The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power. I have been covering that myself quite a bit. So long as J.R.R. Tolkien the father of epic fantasy is on everyone’s mind, and Arkhaven has quite a bit of epic fantasy to choose from, that is what we will be looking at this week.
We’ll be starting with the criminally under-appreciated John C. Wright. Unlike certain internet billionaires, if I was going to hire someone to take on the task of writing original fiction in the world of Tolkien, Wright would be my first choice.
Swan Knight Saga — Gilberic Parzival Moth is a strange and lonely boy who has grown up without a father, raised by a single mother who moves from town to town in fear of something she will not name. His only friends are animals, with whom he has always been able to speak. But when he awakens one night at the Thirteenth Hour, and sees for the first time the cruel reality of the secret rule of Elf over Man, he begins to learn about his true heritage, the heritage of Twilight. And when his mother finally tells him the terrible truth of her past, he must choose whether to continue running with her in fear, or learning how to fight against ancient powers that are ageless, soulless, and ultimately damned. Based on the 2017 Dragon Award Finalist for Best YA Novel by science fiction grandmaster John C. Wright. Adapted by Chuck Dixon. Illustrated by Richard Bonk.
“I expect bears will tell the truth because no bear fears a disagreement.” A line worthy of J.R.R Tolkien.
If you haven’t read John C. Wright’s work, do your brain a favor and start reading him.
Tolkien’s seminal work has influenced the entire field of fantasy and not just in the English-speaking world. The Japanese in particular fell in love with the Peter Jackson films. The LOTR trilogy wasn’t too big in Nippon before then. While the writer of our next entry is not Japanese the style of this webtoon is heavily influenced by Manga.
The Legend of Boya — More than 300 years ago, the people of the Mother Forest lived in the 27th Age of Mortals. However, The Order of Elders always said that ‘Times of peace bring negligence’ and ‘Carelessness always ends in pain’. Peace blinded them. An attack on the Holy City cursed them all. All… except the small and antisocial Boya. Boya, and his inseparable best friend Kugo the golden lion tamarin, are the last hope of his people.
It doesn’t look that horrible to me but you never know. I’ve been wrong before.
Finally, we reach this week’s Arktoons spotlight. Vox Day’s Throne of Bones. Would you like to read a Game of Thrones book but NOT feel dirty afterward? Have I got a treat for you.
A Throne of Bones — In Selenoth, the race of Man is on the ascendant. The ancient dragons sleep. The ghastly Witchkings are no more; their evil power destroyed by the courage of Men and the fearsome magic of the Elves. The Dwarves have retreated to the kingdoms of the Underdeep, the trolls hide in their mountains, and even the savage orc tribes have learned to dread the iron discipline of Amorr’s mighty legions. But after four hundred years of mutual suspicion, the rivalry between two of the Houses Martial that rule the Amorran Senate threatens to turn violent, and unrest sparks rebellion throughout the imperial provinces. And in the distant east, the war drums echo throughout the mountains as orcs and goblins gather in vast numbers, summoned by their bestial gods. Based on books from the epic fantasy series ARTS OF DARK AND LIGHT.
That’s it for this week’s Arktoons Roundup.
See you next week.
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