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Alien
DiceAlien Dice is the story of a game gone wrong. A dice game originally made with the idea of playing and hunting game pieces that took on the form of modified local wildlife by temporarily bonding with them. But not content with easy challenges, the game was eventually pushed to a darker level. Orphans, unwanteds, anyone without place or home and considered a drain on society were drafted into schools to be educated and trained in order to be eventually forced into the game themselves. People became pieces in the game. If they lose a duel, they become the property and pawn of the player they lost against without any choice otherwise. Their only chance is to play the original game through three times. During these runs they are challenged by rich players of the new game who have access to the original sets of dice, and dice made from people. If they capture an entire set of dice ,without losing to a player, three times they are free. Thus far, none have managed the feat.
Lexx: Lexx is the one of two main characters in the story. He is a dice in the game, desperately seeking freedom. He brought the game to Earth for his third time through hoping that being on a backwater planet would buy him time and let him go less noticed. He is closer to succeeding than any dice before him. Lexx is dark, lonely, almost cruel at times. He has a scarred past that haunts him and his thoughts on a daily basis. Throughout the story we see him transform, in more ways than one.
Chel: Chel is an earth native who's cat becomes one of Lexx's dice. Protective of her pet, and not understanding all the intricacies of the game, she demands to accompany Lexx after catching him trying to retrieve the cat. Chel is college age, but sometimes acts slightly younger. She is mostly innocent and very idealistic. These traits quickly begin to both grate against and rub off on Lexx.
Alien Dice has been updating since May 2001. So first and foremost what started out as decent art style has had a lot of time to improve and work towards perfection. Though the comic itself may never be known for lush artwork, it is still good. Anatomy is correct. Character concepts are believable, in when they are by their very nature unbelievable. One of the most telling facts about the art of Alien Dice is that it is easy to accept the idea of a cat with wings and six tails, or a duck that has talons beneath its wings. These very out of place features are drawn in such a way that no second thought is given, they are taken in and accepted easily. Lexx himself goes through several changes as he progresses in the game, yet despite hair style changing, growing wings, the wings changing, at times losing limb or wing, he always remains recognizable.
There are occasions when the positioning of a person's stance, head, limb, so on may seem uncomfortable at best and unnatural at worst. But as time has gone by and the art has improved this problem has occurred less and less.
Alien Dice is the second webcomic I ever found. And it has been one I have kept with even as many others have caught my attention and been forgotten. The graphic novel in progress's (as the creator calls it) greatest strength is in its captivating storytelling. In fact, every page is accompanied by a written version of the novelization. And while the graphical portion itself can stand out on its own, reading through the text always adds a greater glimpse of detail into the story that could not be covered so quickly in pages of picture alone. There are many characters to keep track of. But it never becomes hard or difficult. Each dice has a distinct personality that matches the animal it has bonded with well. The psychological trauma that Lexx deals with is very well depicted and truly believable. Chel does a good job in asking the questions that present us the information we need to know to understand the technology and rules of a very alien universe. Even the rules to the game are spelled out. It is never explained from rule A to Z, but enough information is explained that it is easy to follow what is going on without the need for expository pages, or even to reference those rules again. They are easy to remember. This story has characters that are easy to get attached to. When one is threatened with death, the reader may find themselves quickly trying to get to the next page to find out what happens. This is the sign of an excellent story.