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Updates: Bi-Weekly; Wednesdays
Genre: Fantasy
Website: http://jaadrih.comicgenesis.com/
Story:
The Prime of Ambition (referred to as PoA from here on out) is an interesting story filled with nuances that might only be caught on a second or third reading. The story itself is narrated in a frame story wherein one of the main characters (Audriel) explains to two people he has captured how he ended up in what they believe is a despicable position in life.
The main story follows a small group of would be adventurers as they journey to a nearby city to escort a decoy of a princess to safety.
Jerome, a noble and happy human priest.
Kevlin, a dwarf who might seem like a body guard to Jerome but I would surmise is merely a very close friend.
Eloise, a human jack of all trades, someone the narrator describes as a tag-along.
And Audriel, former member of a militia, who narrates the story.
They are quickly joined by Thanatos, or Than, who is a drow (in most fantasy, a dark skinned and usually evil elf. Not necessarily true for this webcomic in the case of evil).
The story centers more on Than, mostly because Audriel is telling the story and he has a racial hate for Than and all drow. Than has many skills, apparently picked up from a lot of traveling. He's intelligent, and it's very hard to tell how much of what he presents is just an act.
PoA is one of the best looking webcomics found on the internet. The partnership for PoA is for both writing and art. The Sly Eagle and Luth'rai: write, edit, draft, draw, ink, and even color together. The impressive thing is it is not in the least bit obvious that this is the work of two people and not one.
The art is usually done in full color. Some pages have just line art or flat shading, due to time constraints, but these will be eventually finished. The coloring itself is very well done. It is neither too pale, causing a pastel effect that in the wrong setting can be detracting, nor filled with (and often abused by other webcomics) photoshop glowy effects to the brink of needing to dim the screen to see detail. Colored hair is one of the best attributes of the art portion of the webcomic. Between the shading and use of natural hues hair often looks almost real..
Backgrounds are very consistent. Whether foliage or city, there is a level of detail seldom reached in the realm of webcomicness, and each nuance successfully adds, not detracts, to the story. It is, though, somewhat flat feeling at times compared to the characters themselves. This tends to be more true in city type settings than jungle or wilderness.
People themselves are impeccably detailed as well. Folds in clothing can be seen, and each character has a distinct look that makes them easily recognizable. Outfits, while stylized, are believable and not falling into the common trap of 'more belts than could be wearable' or so forth. Proportions of bodies are natural and realistic, and hands are drawn well enough which can be a feat in itself. Lighting falls in natural and believable ways, on both people and in environments.
If there is a complaint with people it would be that human males tend to look somewhat effeminate. To the point where a quick glance could have them confused for females. This is fine with elven and drowish males, as the races are supposed to be androgynous, and it is easily said that the stout bearded dwarf looks very male yet this is because he is a stout bearded male. It may just be that the stereotype for a manly looking man involves bulkier frames, larger muscles, and maybe a sign of ever having facial hair (baby faced would describe Jerome very well) that causes this though.
All in all, the art of PoA is top-tier, among the very best to be found on the internet.
The art of this new series has improved visibly since the first pages, not dramatically so but steadily so. With a greater archive it would not be surprising to see it become a dramatic improvement in art, despite starting at a high quality. The story itself is fledgling, and has for quite some time focused on just two characters. Great conflict has been found in these two characters (Audriel and Than) and the psychological games, the back and forth, are compelling and interesting. And interaction between with the other characters is well written enough that it is missed in the chapter they were not featured. More can be found here than a simple story that requires little to no thought to catch all going on, so that in itself makes it a webcomic well worth watching as it develops.