Line #32 Webcomic/Westward


1	[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/WestwardResized_109.jpg]]
2	[[caption-width-right:350:Meet [[HauntedHeroine Dr. Wells]], [[MyBrainIsBig Phobos]], [[TheCaptain Captain Carter]], [[NumberTwo XO Santana]], and [[IntrepidReporter Lamont]].]]
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4	A [[SciFiWebcomics Science Fiction webcomic]] by Elliot Toman, ''Westward'' is an old-fashioned SpaceOpera and {{Adventure}} story about humanity's first [[FasterThanLightTravel faster-than-light]] starship, the brave colonists it carries, the mysterious Martian scientist who guides it, and a cynical IntrepidReporter who discovers a mystery of cosmic proportions at the heart of their mission.
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6	Set in an AlternateHistory where the UsefulNotes/ColdWar never ended and humanity reached {{UsefulNotes/Mars}} by [[TheSeventies the 1970s]], ''Westward'' has a unique visual style, a wide cast of engaging characters, and a plot that takes its readers from dead alien worlds to mysterious spaceborne artefacts to a seemingly unremarkable Western town all without losing its impact, its sense of adventure, or its ability to keep everyone guessing and glued to the screen with every page.
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8	Read it [[http://westwardcomic.com/ here]], start from the beginning [[http://westwardcomic.com/strips/0001/ here]], or view the entire first episode (caution -- may take a bit of time to load!) [[http://westwardcomic.com/archive/episode-one/ here]].
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10	!!'''This webcomic contains examples of:'''
11	* AlternateHistory: UsefulNotes/WorldWarII ended when a (presumed) Soviet superweapon destroyed Berlin and ignited the Earth's atmosphere, devastating much of Europe; the Cold War continues into the 21st century; a manned mission to Mars happens in 1974, and attempts to colonize it are made by the 1980s; FasterThanLightTravel is possible in 1999 (though no-one entirely ''understands'' it).
12	* ArtEvolution: The [[http://westwardcomic.com/strips/0009/ earlier pages]] have a simpler and rougher appearance than [[http://westwardcomic.com/strips/0549/ later ones]].
13	* BlackBox: [[FasterThanLightTravel Escherspace]]. Publicly, the government claims that "only a few scientists" know how it works; in reality, it may be just Phobos, and he must personally work the controls when the Westward makes an interstellar jump. One Phobos, one starship -- it can't work without him, it seems.
14	* ClarkesThirdLaw: [[http://westwardcomic.com/strips/0013/ Evoked by Rex and Captain Carter]] early on in the strip.
15	* CoolStarship: The Westward itself is humanity's first starship, a giant colony-ship that can leap across the galaxy in a second under the guidance of a [[MyBrainIsBig big-brained]] Martian scientist. And it packs enough power to shift the orbits of planets or create a mini super-nova if you aren't careful with the controls...
16	* DreamingTheTruth: Mr. Townsend's dreams aren't always consistent with his conscious memories of his traumatic past...
17	* FasterThanLightTravel: Escherspace, which functions as a variety of Jump Drive.
18	** An interesting detail is that while the jump itself is instantaneous, many weeks of space travel using conventional engines are still required as part of every trip, to ensure that the ship is at a safe distance from any massive astronomical body before and after the jump.
19	** Everyone aboard must take shelter in special "normalization booths" during the jump; the author has stated that this "creates a good separation between travel that's normal — adhering to the laws of physics — and travel that's abnormal, unnatural, and dangerous."
20	* [[EnergyWeapon Frickin' Laser Beams]]: Spratt's "Ruby Ray" -- it seems he's ''invented'' Frickin' Laser Beams in this timeline.
21	* GoingCritical: The starship Westward is driven by the most powerful nuclear reactor ever built, so it's only natural for this trope to make an appearance sooner or later.
22	--> Nuclear reactors don't blow up on account of the safeguards, which [were] ''disabled'', so it makes sense, see? It's just like if somebody went and disabled all the safeguards on your, uh, toaster. ''Boom''.
23	--->-- Elliot Toman responds to reader questions about the potential explosive meltdown.
24	* InsufferableGenius: Spratt, the brilliant engineer, is not a people person.
25	* IntrepidReporter: Lamont Townsend is an unusually cynical example.
26	* TheMultiverse: It may be possible to view parallel universes, with the right technology. "We're always so close to the end..."
27	** The concept of parallel worlds starts to play an increasingly important -- but still mysterious -- role in the story as the comic goes on.
28	* MyBrainIsBig: Phobos is a traditional big-brained Martian, which fits the comic's old-fashioned SpaceOpera feel.
29	* MysteriousPast: We gradually learn about Lamont Townsend's mysterious past; Phobos' past and Captain Carter's past are also unknown so far, especially when it comes to their relationship, and how they really first met. It seems clear that all this was very carefully plotted beforehand, however.
30	* NoWarpingZone: As noted under "FasterThanLightTravel," it is dangerous to use Escherspace within a star system, and generally anywhere near a sufficiently massive object, so months of travel using conventional rockets are required before an interstellar jump becomes possible.
31	* OneWordTitle: Also a {{Portmantitle}}.
32	* {{Portmantitle}}: Also a OneWordTitle.
33	* SpaceElevator: The Westward carries its own portable space elevator, which can be deployed from the ship's orbit to the planet's surface for the transport of landing parties and colonists. It can also be pulled up and later re-deployed. The author has stated that he wanted an alternative to the {{Teleportation}} that other sci-fi works use for this purpose, something with more of an "analog" feel -- and a bit more plausible. However, while it's a unique approach, the elevator doesn't quite work in a realistic manner. It also seems to be the Westward's ''only'' way of accessing a planet's surface, which may lead to problems later on in the story.
34	* SpinOff: Westward's 3rd episode moved the focus away from the ship and its crew back to earth, where we get to follow the story of a teenage girl cooping with the death of her mother and a useless father. Eventually her adventures were continued in [[http://westwardcomic.com/arizona-introduction/ Arizona]]
35	* StarshipLuxurious: The Westward contains Frontier Town, an entire little community for space colonists. This is fairly justified, since the ship must sustain a fairly large population of civilians for months and years before a planet suitable for colonization is found, all while keeping them happy and stable. However, even purely utilitarian parts of the ship, like the engine room, are quite spacious.
36	* TimeStandsStill: One character seems to be able to play tricks with time.
37	* TraumaInducedAmnesia: Lamont suffered plenty of trauma while locked up in a Communist prison, and it seems to have taken its toll.
38	* VehicleTitle: ''Westward'' is the name of humanity's first starship, and also fits the comic as a whole, with its themes of frontier exploration and adventure.
39	* WagonTrainToTheStars

Context Webcomic / Westward