It was interesting to find Avalon on this site, to go back and revisit the comic after having finished with it years ago and re-read it, the memories not tinged by nostalgia. And, in my humble opinion, the comic is still worth going back and taking a look at at least once.
The positive aspects of the comic are easy to spot. The story is well-written, with believable twists, turns and developments like something that could really happen. Aside from a minor Y2K reference, it avoids the webcomic cliche of relying on pop-culture jokes, which helps keep it from feeling dated. The characters, likewise, feel much like real people and change in realistic ways, although one or two of the alterations might have done with a little more explaining. Art-wise, the comic works well with an appropriate amount of detail and the requisite Art Evolution that comes with the territory.
The comic does, of course, have a few faults, only one of which is truly serious. The first is the guest comics, which are all over the place in terms of quality with only a few standout ones. This is a relatively minor issue, as they can be easily skipped. The second is what ultimately damned the strip. The bane of cartoonists everywhere, Schedule Slip. It's a testament to how just horrible it got when you can review the strip in a weekly format even after it's finished and feel the pain of it. Sadly, this also diminishes the effect of the ending, as while it still wraps up all the loose endings and feels satisfying, the text sum-up feels a little like "the heck with it, let's just get it done".
All in all, though, Avalon still feels like a solid slice-of-life dramaedy. The ending is a little weak, but the strength of the start should be enough to carry one with the dedication to see how the story ends.
Webcomic It holds up well.
It was interesting to find Avalon on this site, to go back and revisit the comic after having finished with it years ago and re-read it, the memories not tinged by nostalgia. And, in my humble opinion, the comic is still worth going back and taking a look at at least once.
The positive aspects of the comic are easy to spot. The story is well-written, with believable twists, turns and developments like something that could really happen. Aside from a minor Y2K reference, it avoids the webcomic cliche of relying on pop-culture jokes, which helps keep it from feeling dated. The characters, likewise, feel much like real people and change in realistic ways, although one or two of the alterations might have done with a little more explaining. Art-wise, the comic works well with an appropriate amount of detail and the requisite Art Evolution that comes with the territory.
The comic does, of course, have a few faults, only one of which is truly serious. The first is the guest comics, which are all over the place in terms of quality with only a few standout ones. This is a relatively minor issue, as they can be easily skipped. The second is what ultimately damned the strip. The bane of cartoonists everywhere, Schedule Slip. It's a testament to how just horrible it got when you can review the strip in a weekly format even after it's finished and feel the pain of it. Sadly, this also diminishes the effect of the ending, as while it still wraps up all the loose endings and feels satisfying, the text sum-up feels a little like "the heck with it, let's just get it done".
All in all, though, Avalon still feels like a solid slice-of-life dramaedy. The ending is a little weak, but the strength of the start should be enough to carry one with the dedication to see how the story ends.