Nature of Nature's Art II: Emancipation

[Anarchic Fox]

Nature of Nature's Art:

Also, may I ask why this is your favourite webcomic?

...I'll make a more serious attempt to answer the question.

I do not know another artist who can draw animals so well and so quickly. We get two pages a week -- which, by the way, are two to three times the size of a normal comics-book page -- with interesting layouts, expressive characters, vivid colors and well-developed symbolism. Not only that, the anatomy of these animals surpasses most artists who draw from references -- which Mr. Braun, I think, does not. Most animal artists end up specializing in one kind of animal, with their others noticeably worse, but in this case the mustelids, canids, felids, and rodents all look good. (Okay, when humans and ungulates show up they tend to look wonky.) My single favorite drawing of a fox occurs in the print version of Wild Style, which was not an arc, but rather him doing joke-a-day gag humor for a month.

The stories sound simple when summarized, but most of the arcs are every bit as detailed and involuted as the plot of Watchmen. The characterization is the best I've found in comics, web or print. When an arc starts, you may think you know what cliche or archetype a character fulfills, but by the time the story ends that character will have changed drastically, sometimes for the better, sometimes for the worse. In the early days, the comic billed itself as a series of Kung Fu stories involving animals, and that held true up until arcs four and five. But if it were compared to Kung Fu movies, this would be one of the more esoteric ones, like Master Killer or Hero. The animals possess their own version of augmented reality, and the most powerful martial artists have the powers you'd expect to see from a classic D&D illusionist.

The visual pacing of each story is occasionally broken by magnificent, oversized pages. The most ridiculous of these is page 292 of Solar System, which is about 12000x8000 pixels (no, I did not include an extra zero) and whose original has been replaced by a Java applet a fan made for just that one page. These oversized pages are a rare treat, and usually represent a moment of profound victory or decision for the protagonists. As for the narrative tone...

...I can say more, but this is already enough for a nice encomium.

To add to the above, here are brief descriptions of the completed arcs:

10%+: A young maned wolf develops a technique that enhances his abilities, but risks brain damage... and must apply this technique against his own mentor.

Lycosa: A parable about not letting the future supplant the past, in which a wolf spider confronts a society of charismatic futurists.

Solar System: A crew consisting of a human, an ape, a dog, a mouse and a gerbil have finished rehabilitating a space shuttle, only to find it must serve a larger purpose than first intended. The solar system is a large place, and has not yet yielded all its secrets.

Wild Style: A hundred gag comics. The product of a successful Kickstarter, the author repudiated this style of humor entirely in the afterword of the print edition, and made a resolution to never do it again.

Secretary: This arc is special, departing from all the others in tone and theme. It contains the most powerful use of infinite canvas that I know.

Syconium: An exploration of art, sexuality and their interrelated power, this arc caused utter havoc among the NofNA fanbase. I disagree with this arc's stated thesis, and yet I have never identified with a character as much as I identified with this arc's heroine.

The latest arc is called Emancipation. I'll let a recent comic page explain its themes:

[TaiLiu]

Oh, I've heard of this comic! I've never read it, but I do read comics by an artist inspired by him.

[Anarchic Fox]

Oh, I've heard of this comic! I've never read it, but I do read comics by an artist inspired by him.

Oh, neat! Which comic is that? The only one I know of that's connected to NofNA is a Nuzlocke, called Alterity.

[TaiLiu]

Oh, neat! Which comic is that? The only one I know of that's connected to NofNA is a Nuzlocke, called Alterity.

I've read some of Alterity before, but never knew it was connected to NofNA! I thought NofNA was a super niche comic but here it is influencing like three comics across the web.

Drop-Out is the comic I was thinking about—the author explicitly mentions that they are/were a fan of NofNA. They've also done other comics, and all of them seem to use the pixelated no-antialiasing art style that NofNA seems to use.

[Anarchic Fox]

I've read some of Alterity before, but never knew it was connected to NofNA! I thought NofNA was a super niche comic but here it is influencing like three comics across the web.

Just about everything's niche compared to OotS.

Drop-Out is the comic I was thinking about—the author explicitly mentions that they are/were a fan of NofNA. They've also done other comics, and all of them seem to use the pixelated no-antialiasing art style that NofNA seems to use.

Well that was a harrowing read. Worth it though. I'll be keeping up with this creator going forward.

[TaiLiu]

Just about everything's niche compared to OotS.

That’s very true!

Well that was a harrowing read. Worth it though. I'll be keeping up with this creator going forward.

Yeah, they just finished a second comic. Pretty excited to see what their next project’s gonna be.

You said Alterity was influenced by NofNA, right? I read through it and I’m surprised the artist never mentions it anywhere in their comics comments.

[Anarchic Fox]

Yeah, they just finished a second comic. Pretty excited to see what their next project’s gonna be.

"Fresh Meat" has been a very slow read so far. It brings up too many bad memories.

You said Alterity was influenced by NofNA, right? I read through it and I’m surprised the artist never mentions it anywhere in their comics comments.

Both artists got started in the PaintBBS scene, and Alterity's creator is a regular commentor on NofNA, but "influenced" would be a stretch.

[TaiLiu]

"Fresh Meat" has been a very slow read so far. It brings up too many bad memories.

I get that—it's definitely a rough read! I know parts of it were based on the author's own experiences with psychiatric violence, which can certainly be very triggering. It's a very different kind of intensity from Drop-Out.

Both artists got started in the PaintBBS scene, and Alterity's creator is a regular commentor on NofNA, but "influenced" would be a stretch.

Oh, wow, see, I didn't know that shared history! Very cool.

[Anarchic Fox]

I get that—it's definitely a rough read! I know parts of it were based on the author's own experiences with psychiatric violence, which can certainly be very triggering. It's a very different kind of intensity from Drop-Out.

I've been physically assaulted by both technicians and patients in mental hospitals. So, I dread every next page. I've only made it to 20 so far. I feel like Fresh Meat is important, groundbreaking work though, so I'll tough it out.

[TaiLiu]

I've been physically assaulted by both technicians and patients in mental hospitals. So, I dread every next page. I've only made it to 20 so far. I feel like Fresh Meat is important, groundbreaking work though, so I'll tough it out.

That must've been horrifically traumatizing. I'm sorry to hear that you were forced to endure that, and that you're still dealing with the post-traumatic aftereffects.

Without spoilers: Fresh Meat is an important work, or at least I think it is, but it doesn't hold any special secret insights about psychiatric violence or what to do about it. (One of the reasons that I like it.) Obviously I'm not telling you not to read it, but just wanted to give you a heads up so you can make a more informed decision about whether to tough it out or not.

[Anarchic Fox]

No, the violence occurred late enough in life that it was not traumatic, though it was harrowing. The first time was a fellow patient and would-be rapper, who got on my nerves so much that I taunted him repeatedly. He tried to strangle me. I went limp and waited for a tech to pull him off. The second time was a tech in a very ****ty unit. After I stole a TV remote and tossed it in the toilet, he kneed me in the ribs when I knelt to retrieve it. I ran to the front, demanded to be sent to a hospital, and filed a police report upon my return. The third time was a tech whom I repeatedly called a bitch, who put me in a joint lock, and then hit me in the breast and throat; thankfully, there were witnesses.

I suffer from severe bipolar disorder, and I am quarrelsome when manic. I am also very good at arousing anger.

These two comics might not hold special insights, but simply describing the horror is already vanishingly rare. The closest comparison I know is Kesey's One Flew over the Cuckoo's Nest, which is/was inaccurate to the point of farce. In the US, the only people who have good experiences with psychiatric units are the ones who go to expensive ones.

[TaiLiu]

No, the violence occurred late enough in life that it was not traumatic, though it was harrowing. The first time was a fellow patient and would-be rapper, who got on my nerves so much that I taunted him repeatedly. He tried to strangle me. I went limp and waited for a tech to pull him off. The second time was a tech in a very ****ty unit. After I stole a TV remote and tossed it in the toilet, he kneed me in the ribs when I knelt to retrieve it. I ran to the front, demanded to be sent to a hospital, and filed a police report upon my return. The third time was a tech whom I repeatedly called a bitch, who put me in a joint lock, and then hit me in the breast and throat; thankfully, there were witnesses.

I suffer from severe bipolar disorder, and I am quarrelsome when manic. I am also very good at arousing anger.

These two comics might not hold special insights, but simply describing the horror is already vanishingly rare. The closest comparison I know is Kesey's One Flew over the Cuckoo's Nest, which is/was inaccurate to the point of farce. In the US, the only people who have good experiences with psychiatric units are the ones who go to expensive ones.

Aw, geez. That's rough. Very sorry to hear you go through that, regardless of whether it was traumatic or not.

And yeah, agreed! Generally the stories that come out are sympathetic to those who work in psychiatry—Fresh Meat especially focuses on their violence and complicity. There's an interesting transition from Drop-Out to Fresh Meat as the author transitions in their opinions about psychiatric diagnoses.

(Incidentally, very sorry to have moved us away from a discussion of NOFNA! My bad.)

[Anarchic Fox]

There's an interesting transition from Drop-Out to Fresh Meat as the author transitions in their opinions about psychiatric diagnoses.

I noticed! "There's nothing wrong with your brain, it's your personality that's broken." A correct diagnosis delivered with all the grace of a barnyard animal.

Don't worry about not discussing NofNA, this thread's already twice as long as the first.

[TaiLiu]

I noticed! "There's nothing wrong with your brain, it's your personality that's broken." A correct diagnosis delivered with all the grace of a barnyard animal.

Oh, that's striking. I interpreted that scene as an incorrect diagnosis. I'm guessing you see Kim as exhibiting the symptoms of BPD?

Don't worry about not discussing NofNA, this thread's already twice as long as the first.

I guess NOFNA just isn't popular on these boards!