All throughout May, I'll spotlight a different webcomic. Like with the month of independent comics and the month of LGBT comics, I figure I will let you webcomic creators out there suggest your comic for spotlight during this month. So if you want me to spotlight your comic, drop me a line at bcronin@comicbookresources.com!
Today we look at Lee Leslie's Rigby the Barbarian, a offbeat, yet epic tale of an archaeologist from the present sent to a fantasy world via a magical sword. It is written and drawn by Leslie, with colors by Kevin Gritzke (who also occasionally does some fill-in strips).
Frances Rigby is a young archaelogist who doesn't feel like she's getting a fair shake because of her gender. While on a dig (where she is being given mostly busy work to do), she discovers a hidden cavern. In it, she finds a sword. As it turns out, it is a magical sword...
Leslie has a great art style, and his sequentials are dynamite. There is a strong flow to his work.
In any event, when she leaves the tomb, Rigby discovers that she isn't in Kansas any more...
Directly following that page, Leslie breaks out a really strong storytelling technique. Check this out...
Pretty neat, huh? Give some depth to the character while moving the plot along - strong work there.
One of the most fun aspects of Rigby is the sense of humor and offbeat nature of what is otherwise a fairly straightforward tale of a "chosen one" given a magical sword to defend the innocent against some super-powerful bad guy. Based on a suggestion by Gritzke, Leslie turns the beginning of the story up on its head a bit...
Isn't that a funny twist?
The offbeat stuff continues when Leslie tries to share her culture with the people of the village (watching her try to explain MacBeth is a real hoot). Next she connects to them through the Beatles (making it clear where her name originates)...
Rigby becomes close with the princess of the people...
Good stuff. A very enjoyable comic book with great art (Gritzke does a very nice job on the colors).
Click here to read Rigby the Barbarian (roughly 40 or so pages are up so far).
Rigby is currently on a bit of a hiatus, as Leslie is drawing a mini-series for Image called Screamland. The first issue is due out in June. You can read more about Screamland here. He'll be catching up with Rigby soon. Although, right now Kevin Gritzke is doing a short story for the series about Rigby as a kid.