WEBCOMIC WEDNESDAY REVIEW: Heroes of Thantopolis

Ladies and Gentlemen, I’m back again to bring you your next favorite webcomic! (hopefully) Please, if you have any feedback, leave it here in the comments or contact me on Twitter (@Sully_Writes). And as always, if you have or know of a webcomic that you’d like to see reviewed, reach out and let me know!

Creator: Izzy Hall
Webcomic: Heroes of Thantopolis

Summary: Heroes of Thantopolis is a story about a young boy named Cyrus who is transported to the The City of the Dead, the city of Thantopolis; a place for ghosts who wish to further consider their life and death before passing on. In this strange land, with no memories of his time before, the living Cyrus becomes the champion of the Queen of the Dead, Helene. Helene informs Cyrus that there are several enemies currently attempting to topple her kingdom and return it to the void, the Orinthope. With his help, however, she believes that she can succeed in defending the order that she has established, or so she claims.

Story:Â Heroes of Thantopolis is an all-ages fantasy story that fills precisely the same niche that many of today’s most popular cartoons do. It’s very easy to draw parallels, while reading Cyrus’ tale, to Adventure Time, Stephen Universe, or any other myriad of similar shows. This is said not to imply that Heroes of Thantopolis is in some way derivative, a copy of other successful things, but to point out that it has been created at an excellent time. The audience for this story and its blend of imagination and innocence is firmly established. Readers want to see comics like this, and especially reader of webcomics.

The plot, while leaving some room for mystery still, is simple enough that anyone could enjoy it. I myself am twenty-five, and I found it delightful. However, I also wouldn’t shirk at the chance to suggest it to anyone old enough to read. The pacing is excellent and retains the reader’s attention with a blend of cartoonish action and light-hearted comedy. While the characters themselves could use a bit more fleshing out, I suspect that development will come with time.

Art:Â As was already mentioned in regards to the story, the art of Heroes of Thantopolis is very similar to popular day-time cartoons. The characters are simple, but expressive. The designs vary enough to make each individual very recognizable, even from their silhouette alone. Page construction is far from experimental, but avoids stagnation with unique panel combinations that maintain a consistent flow while reading.

There are places where the art fails to “wow.” Specifically, it is not an exceptionally dynamic style. It’s also lacking somewhat when it comes to action sequences. However, that is almost to be expected with a story presented in this way. The reader is rarely looking for anatomically correct musculature and compellingly realistic brawling when they begin in on a story such as Heroes of Thantopolis.

One area in which Heroes of Thantopolis really shines is in its colors. In the earliest pages, like what is seen above, the colors are somewhat standard. The art style is not exceptional and is the creator still feels as though they’re finding their footing. However, by the end of what constitutes the most recent chapter, the colors have become explosive. Scenes are marginally more dynamic, lines are cleaner, and the art is easily on par with professional counterparts of the same style.

Conclusion:Â I’ve said it multiple times throughout this review, so I won’t bother reiterating. You know what crowd this is suitable for and who it is best recommended to. Sit down and enjoy what Heroes of Thantopolis has to offer. It’s a great, enjoyable read, and you’ll be caught up before you even realize what has happened.

[yasr_overall_rating size=”large”]