Rice Boy

This Friday I wanted to share another great comic on these great interwebs. Evan Kahn has two gems in his stable. The first was an epic story he created called Rice Boy. Rice Boy began in 2006 and was finished up in May of this year and spans 439 pages! That’s 439 beautiful pages, mind you. Evan has a really unique style which I find very appealing. And his writing is wonderful.

Rice Boy is the story of, well, Rice Boy – an armless and legless little fellow who lives in Matchwood in the world of Overside growing plants and watching sunsets, but may play a part in a prophecy to repair the world. A world, by the way, which is lush in its creation, inhabited by all sorts of strange and wondrous beings. There’s no wasting time, either in the story. Soon after the beginning there is plenty of action and intrigue, and it lasts until the end. I found myself almost rushing through the story to see what would happen next.

Evan has created a world with depth and character that places it above most comic creations out there today. His wonderful drawings and great coloring style really immerse you in Rice Boy’s world and his plight. Although it is long, I never found myself bored and I enjoyed every page. Do yourself a favor and give it a read it online, or alternately you can order the book.

Order of Tales

But Evan has not abandoned us with the conclusion of Rice Boy! Indeed, he has taken us back to the world of Overside, but this time it takes place hundreds of years before Rice Boy, in an age lost in lore. It builds upon the world and characters developed in Rice Boy but is a completely independent work.

As you can see, this work is in black and white, not color. Evan’s decision to not use color on this one was based on his desire not to use color as a “crutch” for effects and he also felt that black and white helped set the mood of the story he is telling. I do think I agree, the work he has done so far on Order of Tales has been great. Although I loved the color on Rice Boy, I am enjoying Order of Tales just as much in black and white.

Order of Tales is 150 pages in already, but like Rice Boy, the story is paced well and moves along nicely. I was able to catch up with the whole story in a couple of readings. Already we have lots of mystery and suspense, just like in Rice Boy. And we even have the appearance of one of my favorite comic characters from Rice Boy, The One Electronic, as well.

I’m sitting in for the long haul on this one, and you should too. Head over and read Rice Boy, then get yourself started on Order of Tales. You won’t be sorry you did.