The Art Of Running Away
is an on-going fantasy adventure webcomic created by Swordheart. It began posting on Webtoons on January 12, 2018 and has since been made available on Tapas, Globalcomix and Comicfury. It updates at the end of every other month.
The Art of Running Away tells the story of Mud and Mihku, siblings from a remote village in the continent of Sunbarrow. When their village is destroyed at the hands of an unidentified army, the two are forced to flee and later left to decide what to do in a dangerous and unfamiliar world - heal and attempt to rebuild their lost home or seek vengeance for the destruction of it? Things only complicate further when Mud reunites with a childhood sweetheart who convinces him to take off with him to find his revenge, resulting in Mihku being left behind to fend for themself.
With Mud's plans immediately derailing, he finds himself requesting help from an unexpected ally only to once again end up at odds with fate. Meanwhile, Mihku happens upon compassion and guidance from two strange travelers who help them return to what remains of their home. There they find that the truth of what happened to their village, while within their reach, carries with it a steep price.
Tropes that show up in this comic:
- Animorphism: The Bifurcated in the series can all seemingly transform into human/animal hybrids. Sunee's design is influenced by that of a centipede, Mud's by a wolf.
- Arrow Catch:
- Dire successfully catches an arrow in her maw in time to protect Wind from being hit.
- Inverted when both Titus and Ronan fail to catch arrows and are instead struck through their arms.
- Back from the Dead:
- It is implied Tatum is somehow communicating from beyond the grave with intentions to soon return to the mortal plane.
- Titus survives the arrow shot through his head as he had unintentionally ingested Abner's blood and begun his Bifurcation prior to being struck.
- Battle Couple:
- Mud and Titus often team up to take on any threats to their safety, though they are largely unsuccessful.
- It is implied that Tatum and Tae once stood side-by-side as both lovers and comrades-in-arms.
- Though Vivi appears to be the most battle-hardened of the polycule, both Lyari and Maiele can hold their own in a fight.
- Doomed Hometown: Mud and Mihku's home village is destroyed at the hands of unknown attackers.
- Eye Scream: Titus loses an eye when Sunee first attacks them. Later during the same fight, Abner jams his finger into Titus' injured eye while wrestling to get him off of him.
- Happily Adopted: Mud is taken in by Tantoo and Adilahi as a child and raised as one of their own alongside Mihku.
- Healing Hands: Manami can use her magic to heal others as is evidenced by her saving Mihku from the Bifurcation when they were children.
- Oblivious to Love: Ronan is completely unaware that Angus is romantically attracted to him.
- The Only One Allowed to Defeat You: Due to their seemingly one-sided rivalry, Vivi is enraged to learn that Titus has been killed by Sunee's party and vows to avenge him.
- Only One Name: None of the characters named so far seem to have surnames.
- Parental Abandonment: Upon meeting her, Mihku accuses Tae of abandoning Mud.
- Red Eyes, Take Warning: The Bifurcated all have red eyes. Though not all are necessarily evil, all prove to be dangerous in one way or another.
- Revenge Before Reason: Mud prioritizes revenge to the extent of abandoning his remaining family in pursuit of it.
- Unreliable Narrator: Tatum, Junji, Nanook and Tae all use Mihku's consciousness to tell the story of years past. However, the contradicting perspectives makes it difficult to make sense of much of anything they're being told.
