Harkovast

In the world of Harkovast, magical races battle for survival against the Nameless armies of the West. Betrayals, intrigue, warfare and unrelenting bloodshed will determine the fate of all nations.

Most comic reviews that aren't entirely positive somehow come off sounding entirely negative, so I'll say it up front: Harkovast is worth a look. It's not Shakespeare; in fact, it's kind of a guilty pleasure on my part. But you may enjoy it, and even if you don't, it's short.

In fact, the current archive of Harkovast is quite short: thirty-four pages. The story is striving to be an epic fantasy story on the lines of The Lord of the Rings, meaning it's hard to judge on just the first two chapters, but I'll do the best I can with what there is.

The Art

Pro: The colors are worth the price of admission alone. Every page is covered with rich and vibrant colors that really draw the reader in. The artwork isn't perfect, but each panel is lovely to look at, and the backgrounds often have details that show a real devotion and dedication to the work.

Harkovast is populated by many different races, each resembling a different kind of animal - possibly bringing back memories of Disney's Robin Hood. While this may turn some people off, it makes each race immediately distinguishable from each other, while at the same time giving them a charming familiarity. A lot of effort has also been put into the costume design for each race, and it shows; even fully armored and helmeted characters can be easily told apart from each other.

Con: The art has a lot of the same technical problems that plague most beginning artists. Perspective, the bane of artists everywhere, is often wrong. Some of the earlier action scenes are stiff and awkward, although the artist has improved, as demonstrated by a later scene with a fight between two knights in a church. The anatomy of the characters is also a little off. The breasts on female characters and abdominal muscles on the males can look odd, especially in the case of the latter, where they often look like they've been drawn on the character with a felt tipped pen.

While none of these flaws are grievous enough to detract from the enjoyment of the comic, they do contribute to making the art look less than polished.

The Story

The story of Harkovast is mostly told by an almost-omniscient narrator type character who has an agenda of his own, but talks about what else is going on in the great war while he's at it. To anyone with an English major, this is a seriously egregious violation of "show, don't tell", but as a narrative device he does his job well enough.

Pro: Right from the get-go, it's clear that a lot of effort has been put into the story of Harkovast. The narrator is constantly dropping references to other places, races, or characters, and a quick jaunt onto the forums will show you a ton of background information, maps, and other details about the setting of the comic. The newness of the setting and the abundance of background details are certainly enough to keep you coming back to read, in hopes of learning more.

Con: Unfortunately, Harkovast is weakest in its story department. Part of that is the length of the comic; how are you supposed to judge an entire story on the first thirty-four pages of it? Part of it is also pacing problems. Harkovast only updates once a week, usually with two pages, so having one page devoted to a knight picking himself up off the ground and opening the door can make the comic feel very slow to progress. The narrative also jumps around quite a bit, which can be jarring at times.

But the real weakness of Harkovast is its characters. All the characters introduced so far certainly have potential. There's an old cat knight. There's an awesome samurai cat who cuts things up with a magic sword. There's an assassin bird with a bad attitude, there's some shamanistic fox people... and that's it. That's basically all we know about them. Their dialogue doesn't go beyond anything summed up in that one sentence description.

Maybe it's just my own preferences, but I find myself wishing the narrative would stick around in one place for a little longer so we could find out a little more about these people. Right now the person I relate the most to is the sour-faced cat priestess who tried to smash a chair over an enemy knight's head, so unless she becomes the main character of the comic I don't have much of a stake in the story. The new chapter looks promising, and curiosity keeps me coming back, but that can only carry the comic so far.

In Conclusion: Harkovast has a promising start and a lot going for it, but it remains to see whether it can keep its momentum and the readers' interest.

First review, so sorry if the qualities not up to scratch.

I read this comic myself, but I'll try to review it from an unbiased view point.

Art
The colouring in Harkvast is wonderful to look at, and it seems like a lot of love has gone into the look and atmosphere the comic is trying to create. The line art occasionally lets it down with some strange perspectives and slightly stiff poses, but it's still early on in the comics development.

I have a problem with the occasional digital-background panel, I understand that the use of a single colour is meant for dramatic effect but it does seem like a disservice to the attention spent on the backgrounds.

Most of the panels are quite still- that is to say, although the characters are moving around and doing whatever, they're drawn in a manner so that each panel could be a seperate piece of art. Now, I like this as it reminds me of old fantasy stories and makes it seem more like a tale of old then a comic. My only criticism of it is that it makes the fight sequences seem like still frames rather than the violent confrontations they are, and makes them seem slower.

Plot

The narrator being seemingly omnipresent allows readers to look into a range of different characters and races, while gaining additional information from him about the world and it's inhabitants, adding to the comics aim of an epic style fantasy tale.

The omnipresence of the narrator does mean that the majority of characters don't get much dialogue as the situation has already been explained by him, limiting their development.

More of a personal thing, but when do the readers see more than the back of the narrator? It's up to the third chapter and I thought he was a badger for the majority of it, so I'm a little confused if he's meant to be the main character or not.

Misc

I like the attention to detail this comic has. The world the creator has made has had a lot of thought put into it right down to the insults the different races use against one another and I like the option of being able to read additional material in the forums with information that an avid reader would be interested in.


This review sounds really picky doesn't it? Honestly, though, Harkovast feels like it has a lot of potential in terms of an epic fantasy comic, and it's good to finally read a cat-anthro comic where they do more than have sex.

I've always meant to read Harkovast, but the huge amounts of text on the first few pages have always scared me off. However now that I've read all of it I've found the plot to be very interesting. I love the battle scenes, they feel energetic and simply awesome.
The art work is pretty good when it is in perspective, but sometimes arms and things just look funny, in particular this one;
http://www.drunkduck.com/Harkovast/index.php?p=494121
When I read that I was thinking, "Oh my, a giant, he is in some serious trouble."
But no giant, just a dude on a horse sized monster, I was a little disapointed actually. Things like this can be worked on and aside from that the artwork is awesome.
I'm going to mention again how much I love the battle scenes, they are the most awesome battle scenes I have come across on drunk duck. I have favourited harkovast and will make sure to keep up with it.

Harkovast is a highly promising comic, there are a few things that let it down, but right now it is an entertaining and engrossing high fantasy.

The artwork is the strongest thing in the comic, it completely helps suck you in to the world of Harkovast. Although the drawing itself is at times stiff and unexpressive, unrefined, this is completely over ridden by the fantastic vibrant and detailed colouring. There is so much detail in the artwork, it works very well in supporting the obviously very vivid and real fantasy world. So much attention and emotion is taken into the line and colour, the comic is visual treat for the eye.
Equally, the character designs are very detailed. Like all good fantasies, the various cultures and lands in Harkovast have been inspired from real life. There are traces of Medieval, Feudal Japan and Native American culture in the rituals, religions ande costumes mentioned throughout the comic.
The page layouts is also something I am impressed with. Much thought is taken into pacing and impact, particulary in the dramatic action scenes. When characters talk, rather then having speech bubbles, the text is placed in approproiet areas. Sometimes this is confusing, but over all it compliments the artwork and panel layouts suprisingly well!

The over all story is promising. At the beginnning you get a clear idea of what the situation is in this world, and then the story delves into various places and characters. Its nice to see the various cultures and lands Harkovast ahs to offer. However, the narrative is definatly the biggest problem with the comic. Whilst it is clear what is happening from page to page...the narrative, the story as an entirity, seems jumbled and confusing. The story takes us through various events and places, but over all it seems unclear right now how all of these different scenes add up, and if they are not meant to. Just as one story seems to start, it is quickly cut short and another story in a different place starts. Each story in itself is perfectly clear, but over all it is difficult to see how they can work together to form an engaging narrative.

Overall, this comic is worth a read! Being a fantasy comic, detail is vital, and this comic has detail both in ideas and visuals! The overall narrative seems slightly mixed up right now, but the ideas, artwork and world are clear and detailed, giving the comic a great advantage to weigh out the small story telling problems.

God, all my reviews end up hideously long.

---Plot

Thus far I cannot summarize the plot much more adequately than "war amongst many nations and races," as currently it is a fledgling epic. But that is not to say that it can't be remarked upon.

Harkovast's greatest plot strength is the degree to which the story and races of characters appear fleshed out beforehand. It is clear that a great deal of work and planning have gone into this pursuit; every race has a history and every history is intertwined with others. There are different religions and abilities as well. The forums provide further information about the races and their interaction, which is a good thing because the avid reader can easily lose track of names and histories in a story that updates weekly.

To this end, it might be a good idea to include a separate "character" page where species/races and religions were described as the story progressed, provided it could be spoiler-free; it would also be useful reference material for readers who may have forgotten bits along the way. Epic stories can become confusing over time.

---Art

I will write two bits dealing with the lineart and coloring separately, as the art is a joint effort.

Coloring:

The coloring starts well and gets better. A good example of the contrast is between this early battle page and this recent battle page ; the armor is very defined in the latter, and the gradients appear more blended. The early pages have their impressive points as well, such as the rain during the Darsai/Nameless Army battle. Indeed, the strongest point of the art is the coloration, done entirely with Prismacolor pencils (which, at such high saturation, must be labor-intensive even with colorless blender).

I understand the solid colors during action scenes, but am nevertheless thrown off by them on occasion, especially when they are bright (as the comic itself features many earth tones). This is especially true of the knights' battle in the church, in which this page begins with bright yellow.

Art:

The characters are always easy to differentiate; their designs are consistent and each race has a specific look that makes it recognizable. The lack of speech bubbles draws the eye to the surrounding art rather than solely to the text, which is great, and the dialogue is too well-placed to be confusing.

Depictions of crowds become better as battles progress, as does posing in battle scenes. Perspective that is at first strange in panels (mostly in the town of Napla) evens out over time, and new angles are experimented with as well. There are still some curious shots here and there, such as in this page's second panel, where the trees appear small. The current page , however, features nice perspective in the final two panels; these things will probably solidify over time and become very consistent as the comic continues.

---Summary

Harkovast is always improving, and so long as the interplay of races and battles is understandable and the characters memorable, it should remain just as readable for a very long time. It's currently long enough to get into and short enough to catch up with easily, making it perfect for new readers to jump into. Harkovast has been on my favorites list for a while and is definitely worth a read.

Harkovast

While Harkovast hasn’t been on drunkduck for very long I still must say that I came to the party fairly late, like last week. Imagine my surprise when I was sucked into this world and powered through it in one reading. To be fair Harkovast is not the best comic on drunkduck, who is to say what is, but if you aren’t reading it then you are a fool.

The first thing I noticed about Harkovast, and all comics, was the art. The art while not the best works, pretty rough in fact, works really well in fact. The opening pages of the comic bring the reader into a battlefield. It is here I began to notice something. Each panel has purpose. This seems like a very basic statement but while comics all use art to tell a story very few of them use art to show a story. Looking at pages like Conflict, a page that shows the forces interlocked in battle, we see much more than a fight. We see teamwork, we see a desperate struggle and even beyond basic things like that we see small details that while more than likely overlooked, help show even more of the story. Details like having more good guys dead than bad guys. All of the art is well thought out and none of it is wasted or unnecessary, however not all of it is good. Whenever action is not part of the story, and that is not often, the art seems to be a little off. Not bad but not good either. The last thing I will say about the art is that in a very short about of pages it has improved, a lot.

If the art is about show not telling, then the story is about telling not showing. While this is a serious no-no it is completely forgivable because Harkovast has just begun. You can’t fault a fantasy story for telling to help create world building, hey if Lord of the Rings does it, then Harkovast can do it to. Right off we are thrust into a world ravage by war and over the next 30 or so pages we are shown a world that is fully alive and breathing. We are given a very classic enemy in the Nameless. But more importantly when we look at the cast of this story we see something different. None of them are that good. We have more recently and old Knight who adds a certain Quixotic element to the story but we as of now know little about him. But the characters we do know about, Quinn-Tain, Ki, Lon-Pa, none of these are good people. And I find that very interesting. Sure it has been done before but not enough and that is different enough to draw me in. To be honest there isn’t much of a story right now, but for only having around 30 pages Harkovast has more world building than most comics do their entire run.

I am not going to lie I get a kick out of Harkovast. It has all the potential to be one of those classic stories that we all know and love. Sure the art and the story lack polish, but the story has just begun. If you can over look some flaws you will see the beginning of a fantastic story.

4 out 5

I haven't been a DDer for long but ever since joining and visiting the forums here, Harkovast has stood out to me. Perhaps it's the uniqueness of the style, the fantasy story, or maybe both, but this tale stands above a lot of the webcomics here on DD.

ART

The art in Harkovast is incredibly unique to both DD and webcomics in general. Where many of the more serious titles have a strong manga influence, Harkovast succeeds in setting itself apart from other serious titles with a style all its own. While the art is well done I find it feels more like an illustrated story than that of dynamic sequential storytelling. It fits the storyline perfectly, in my opinion. There are, of course, some issues with perspective and proportion, however, in the context of the style, it is easy to forgive these errors. I can't say enough about the coloring. While most comics on the web go the digital route for coloring, Harkovast relies primarily on the use of colored pencils for the details and backgrounds. This form of coloring works perfectly with the line art to create a pleasing design. While not perfect, the style is fluid and the character designs are fantastic. Also, it is easy to see that the art is improving as the comic unfolds.

STORY

Mr. Stribley has done a wonderful job of bringing his world to life both visually and with the storyline. Right away you can tell that this is going to be a deep and epic story. The world of Harkovast is populated with animal creatures living in their own societies with their own cultures all facing a dark enemy sweeping across the entire world. While no "main character" has really stood out, it is still very early on into the series. The first two chapters serve to help introduce readers to the world of Harkovast and the people and creatures who bring it to life. While the early parts of the story are heavy on exposition, this approach works within the storytelling narrative.

The creators of Harkovast have also managed to engage with their fans through the use of their forums. Inside you'll find a wealth of information including maps of the world, insight into the creative process that brings the comic to life, and fan art (of which I look forward to contributing). This interaction with the readers makes the comic all the more appealing.

SUMMARY

Harkovast is a high fantasy epic adventure comic with a unique artistic style and a very imaginative story. The creators have managed to bring the world of Harkovast to life with an engaging plot and a style all their own. This is a comic that is well worth your time to add to your favorites and read. So, what are you still doing here? Go read this comic!

I've been a victim of my own success with regard to getting reviewed!
I've been moved off the sticky section in under a week due to a massive response to the opportunity to review Harkovast.
Thankyou to everyone who has taken the time to review it so far.
A lot of points relating to the plot, story line and characters will become clearer as the story progresses. It is still early days, but more character interraction and more linking up of all the plot points is on its way (in the comic we just saw how The Heretic fits in with Ki and Quinn-Tain).
I've taken on board all the points and suggestions, and as I said, I'm very greatful for this amount of feedback and massive response.

Opening: I am a sucker for anthropomorphic stuff. Animal Warriors, War, Action…I am happy. Great writing plus really colorful and well drawn art leaves this reader very satisfied. Sure this comic will remind you of Lord of the Rings, or the Mossflower book series. And yes maybe you will recognize some design or style of its characters and settings from your favorite Magic or collectible fantasy card games…but, there’s a reason you love that stuff. It may be because we can’t get enough of a good fantasy story, and Harkovast just serves you with more of what you love.

Big Picture: At first glance, I was fearful of some really corny writing which is a common pitfall to stories with this kind of setting. Fantasy writing has been done so much and so well that it is easy to sound cheesy if not done with originality. The writing in Harkovast never made me feel I was reading anything amateur. The story telling is actually its greatest strength and it should be commended. The world of Harkovast can become pretty confusing with all the interesting names and races. There appears to be a very rich history of the different animals and characters and it takes awhile for the reader to understand and remember all the names and terms of this world, but once it clicks, it is very rewarding. The authors and artists do a wonderful job revealing to its readers a vast and epic world. After you finish the latest page, you can’t help but realize what a successful job the writers have done to SHOW the readers just how big this world is. The art suffers a bit with more of a basic 2D feel, but the colors and details more than make up for it. I did sense some awkwardness on some perspectives, and perhaps the angle of some panels, but as you continue reading, this becomes a style that you hope the artist doesn’t lose.

Small Picture: The color and richness of this comic is truly awesome. I was not sure if the artist uses color pencils, oil pastels or anything like that, but it was very unique. Each panel is filled with such depth and vibrancy. The trouble with perspective or angles described earlier is forgotten when you notice how much detail comes out of the images. Each blade of grass and each piece of armor is drawn uniquely with such shading and color that will just has to be admired. I do have a complaint with the font used to tell the story. It gives off an amateur feel and I wished the creators would have used a better looking font to tell their great story. I found the details placed on the fur and feathers of the characters to be quite inspiring. I am often criticized for my own work of having issues with perspective and angles, but from Harkovast, I really find inspiration in this comic finding its own unique style.

Conclusion: Two thumbs up from this reviewer, I will definitely be coming back to read the ongoing story lines and marvel at the art. Usually readers of webcomics will browse through a comic in a minute or so, but artists and writers will often stay in a panel and just look at the time the creator must have spent. I did that with this comic and was very satisfied. A beautifully drawn and written story.

Harkovast, an epic fantasy adventure set in an intricately structured universe.

Art.

The first thing that stuck me about Harkovast was the art style. Not only was the hand coloring beautiful, but the figures really stood out. The art style invokes a mysterious nostalgia. The animals and their poses are over exaggerated and it makes for some classic story telling. It's a technique, that if intentional, is a hard thing to pull off.

The action is exciting and hard-hitting. While it may not be dynamic, the intensity and power are represented with confidence.

This is a quick example of what I'm talking about:
http://www.drunkduck.com/Harkovast/index.php?p=474851

Story.

This is where Harkovast really shines. Right from the beginning, Harkovast hurls you into a curious world with a strong introduction. The plot is planned with care, and you can tell, as new elements of the story are introduced throughout. This narrative stays consistently powerful so reaching the latest page will leave you wanting more.

The way the different cultures are represented is the meat of why the story is compelling. Seeing the different creatures and how they act is interesting in itself!

Overall.

I think the choice of animals for this tale was a great one. It aids the reader keep track of who is who and helps the overall presentation.

On some pages and panels, the figuring can be a little week, but that was only noticeable because I went back and studied the pages thoroughly so I could give an accurate review.

As of right now, I give Harkovast a solid 8/10

It only can get better from here!

Harkovast is an interesting comic for many reasons and a title that really stands out in the crowd. In a sea of manga, and other bland titles, it's nice to see a comic that tries its best at doing it's own thing.

I'm going to focus on the look and design of the comic rather than the story as other reviewers have gone into great lengths about it already.

Now i must say that when i started reading i DID have a little problem with the animal characters, but that is more a personal preference than anything else. Talking critters are generally associated with "disney" and kiddie stuff so it's refreshing, although shocking, to read a comic that goes in a more brutal direction and staring animal types.

Moving on, the artwork has a almost children's storybook look to it, not because it is badly drawn or childish, but more the way the coloring is done. It is the biggest thing that makes Harkovast different, the look of the comic, and something they should keep no matter what. It really makes the pages stand out and breath with life.

This page is for example just beautiful in it's storybook visuals:
## http://www.drunkduck.com/Harkovast/index.php?p=512665

The artist tries his best to make dramatic panels and background with perspective and although it doesn't always work perfectly i really respect the ambition and passion to try to improve. I love the perspective on this page:
## http://www.drunkduck.com/Harkovast/index.php?p=491334

The thing that annoys me however are the speech ballons, or the lack of them. The text always seem to make the pages too busy and crowded. And the line that shows who is speaking never feels to fit with the page. On these pages for example it totally ruins the page and layout:
## http://www.drunkduck.com/Harkovast/index.php?p=501364
## http://www.drunkduck.com/Harkovast/index.php?p=506966
I would suggest the artist makes more room onto the pages to fit the text in and make it less claustrophobic and crowded.

Overall Harkovast is a solid title that is bound to improve even more as time goes by. I can only hope the artist keeps on pushing his limits and making every new page into a challenge.

Overall 7/10

A finely-crafted story presented in a unique form, Harkovast draws people in with simple, striking artwork and a story that hints of something lying ahead.

Somewhat reminiscent of Redwall, the story deals exclusively in anthropomorphic races, each with their peculiarities, abilities, and ways. At their guidance are unique animals and a plethora of gods.

Art and Design: The artwork is strangely reminiscent of a child's work, though much more refined. At times, save for blood and gore, you almost feel a page should be mounted on your fridge door; and yet there's a sophistication to the artwork, and it improves a bit later on. It doesn't make the story seem childish in the least, and at times the artwork guides the complexities and the action.

http://www.drunkduck.com/Harkovast/index.php?p=473705 Love the color effects on this page.

http://www.drunkduck.com/Harkovast/index.php?p=474851 Striking middle panel and page overall.

http://www.drunkduck.com/Harkovast/index.php?p=481389 Cool slicing effects...and the progression of the right panels. The last panel just cracks me up though. Raw passion turns kind of goofy.

There's a real lack of dynamism in the action (and much else), and that gives each panel a kind of classic storybook look and feel (again, going back to my child-drawn sense). Better flow and more natural shapes would help this comic.
In some places, Harkovast may make a better written novel than comic or illustrated story, but it does well enough visually, getting its point across without being convoluted or confusing.

Overall I like the designs of characters like Ki or the race of Ano-Chee, but the color choices for some of them (such as Shogun) seem a little strange to me.

Writing and Typography: Good writing is the glue that holds this comic together. If it were poorly written, it would be harder to follow and not nearly as entertaining, catching, or effective; and it's obviously got a crafted world, solid and easy to respect. The dialogue of characters like Ki and the Knight are delightful and insightful. I usually tend not to like comics that use a whole lot of narration, but in this one it's very well appropriate.

On pages like the very first, one could be asked if the typography could be made better, to flow and ebb almost like poetry, or at the least normal human speech. It's one of those instances where an uncommon (but readable) font or even handwriting, combined with thoughtful placement of each line, could improve it tenfold and make it all the more natural; a unity of type and page.
Another example: http://www.drunkduck.com/Harkovast/index.php?p=486375 This could be improved with strategic placement of text to better reflect sapient thought - especially when he realizes he is being revived. (This is one of my favorite scenes.) A personal beef of mine in general is when text is simply slapped on the page, which would actually make for most of Harkovast's text. A lack of technical skill can be made up for on the drawn page, and I'd recommend it rather than having these digital strips of words plastered onto the page.

Pages like those could be paced better so it doesn't seem so wall-of-texty. You could split the text up to be depicted over several panels or even a couple of pages; a good way to work with style.

Parts of the narrative I enjoy most are certain scene changes where a connection between the meaning of the two can immediately be made (there's one in the beginning of chapter 3). They were the most movie-like of all the scenes so far (if only for artistic limitations in the first few scenes).


tl;dr well-written, finely-tuned, kind of stiff artwork, needs better flow and maybe handwritten type. *thumbs up*

Harvokast is a darkly-narrated fantasy story.

Story:

Ominously told story with dark characters fighting and struggling for power. I loved the way the story opens ups, I like the gruesome gritty feel, and the animal like characters who are apart of that world. I just feel as if we don't know enough about them as the story is hardly told from any of their perspectives or insight. We need to get to know the characters more personally to feel their plight or relate to them. I like the storybook style narration but a few speech bubbles here and there I think would greatly benefit the story.

Art:

First off I would like to say there is just something about the coloring in this story that just pulls me in. I really like it a lot, and it really adds to the dark tone of the story, the shading and the scenes with the rain are all beautifully rendered. The use of simple color pencils in this story is inspiring, they are used carefully and effectively. With that being said, I feel as though the artwork itself does not live up to the quality of the coloring. Characters seem very stiff and disjointed at times and there is not enough dynamic movement in the art during battle scenes. There are some perspective issues as well with the buildings and things in the background compared to characters in the foreground.

Over-all the characters designs themselves are nice, and the "lone wolf" cat with the unique blade was pretty cool.

I enjoyed the feel and mood of this story and although characters need to be developed I feel its budding potential will be heading in the right place. 7.5/10

Thanks to everyone who did a review of Harkovast.
I'm happy because of lot of people that bothered to review it are now avid readers, which is perhaps the best review of all.

Harkovast promises an epic story through its vivid narration, large scale conflicts (wars) and quieter but no less powerful silent conflicts (ideals and perspectives). Harkovast is a traditional fantasy world of strife and chaos, with a dominating evil presence threatening to sweep over the land (VERY Lord of the Rings style, minus the ring, and changing the traditional elves, humans and orcs to anthro style races). This evil--aptly named the Nameless--and its Masters seem to have the world almost within their grasp, but as can be expected of any fantasy work, heroes re-emerge (and in one case, is literally ressurrected) to face this evil.

So far the story unfolds through the events occurring around, and the resulting thoughts of prominent individuals, who somewhat conform to typical expectations of 'heroes', but also show a promise of something different. No rambling backstory is given for any of them (thank the gods) that might detract from the advancement of the plot, but instead their characters and backgrounds are shown/implied through their actions and inner monologues. For instance Ki (http://www.drunkduck.com/Harkovast/index.php?p=512853) scorns traditional 'virtues' with some down-to-earth logic, suggesting a greater depth to his character than 'just another assassin', while the rather goofy Sir Muir in contrast conforms to the stereotype of knights. (http://www.drunkduck.com/Harkovast/index.php?p=523032)

The writing is top-notch, and not confusing at all to follow (a big thumbs-up there), and dialogue is equally comprehensive and suited for the tone (slightly grim, but what did you expect? it's war!) The pacing of the story is good, with suitable changes from scene to scene, with a definite indication of a convergence sometime soon.

Now... artwork is not exactly my forte, but I can definitely see quite a bit to comment in the negative about it (anatomy of character tends to be somewhat off, perspective blah blah...) but I can see that a lot of effort has been put into the drawings.

For the moment one of the major selling points of the comic is the superb colouring (tips hat), especially http://www.drunkduck.com/Harkovast/index.php?p=491334 . Although at times the colouring seems somewhat cheery when a more sombre mood might be appropriate, it is generally well done with all the effects one might expect from an adept colourer/software manipulator team.

To sum it all up, Harkovast promises an epic story, and it delivers. If you appreciate classic tales of good vs evil in fantasy settings with a great deal of depth and detail to it, read Harkovast. And not to discredit the hard work of the author in creating this setting, check out the Harkovast forum too for more background info and tidbits.

Disclaimer: All of the above (especially the dialogue bits) are my own opinion.

Harkovast is a comic that truly defines what a comic should be!

It deals with the epic war, between the nameless, and the Heroes.

Truly, Harkovast is a comic that truly deserved to get featured!

It's like a mix of every good anthropomorphic cartoon from the 90's, and Lord of the Rings. The story is epic like Lord of the Rings, and well, it has anthros!

Now, I'll talk about the art, then I'll go more in depth for the story.

Art:
Ah, the art of Harkovast. I love the traditional style that's going on. Most comics nowadays seem to have gone the digital route (not that it's bad or anything), it's just nice to see a traditional comic, and one that's done right! Harkovast features some of the most beautiful, crisp colors I have EVER seen in a comic, including print. The colors seem to flow well together, and bring each page to life. I love the different races in Harkovast as well. My only complaint is that sometimes, their faces/heads look a little weird. But that's not even too bad, because there's so many different kinds of races in Harkovast, I'm sure it would be really tough to get used to drawing each one. To be completely honest here, I LOVE it! The word bubbles could use some work though, I understand it could be tough to do word bubbles on it. But I think if you looked up a tutorial on it, you could pull it off. Like, for the evil guys, you could have the word bubble be black, and kind of wavy, with red text. I think that's basically the only thing you can improve on. Besides that, bravo man, great work!

Story:
The story of Harkovast is so epic, and amazing that it SHOULD be turned into a movie. Reading through each page is like watching Lord of the Rings. Now, at the beginning, the one nameless guy, the really big one, reminds me way too much of Sauron (I think that's his name), which isn't really a problem, but actually kind of cool. The story-telling here is just so...so...wow. I'm truly blown away. Your comic is one that could make people not hate the whole anthro/furry art style. Considering we both have one, I know how it is.

Overall: Harkovast is a beautifully done, traditionally made, epic story that I think everyone would enjoy.

Story:

The biggest draw I have with Harkovast is the effort, research, and love put into creating the world for the story. Each race has specific mannerisms and legends and superstitions, and they are easily identified. Parallels to cultures of our own world are present, and it's interesting to see how the two worlds compare. Each character has a unique personality and set of quirks which results in a delicious variety of individuals that are working towards (or against, as the case may be) the same goal. The interactions between the characters are fresh and interesting, compelling and realistic, and on certain occasions, quite funny. I love the spanning and epic storyline, and I must say the Nameless make for a freakin' scary enemy - especially the Speaker Man.


Art:
The drawing is improving constantly, but even at the very beginning, each character had individuality. I like that you can automatically tell where a character is from based on specific clothing items or fabrics. The costume design is elaborate and interesting. The settings are always lush and beautiful with lots of effort put into each panel (except the ones where there is no background for effect - which is always striking). The colorwork is AWESOME being both vibrant and vital. I like the traditional style of this comic - working with paper and colored pencils is something seldom seen these days and thus demands respect and appreciation (when done well, of course - which is the case for Harkovast). The panels/layouts are always interesting, easily guiding the eyes through the action or dialogue with no confusion.

I have no suggestions for improvements that won't come naturally with time from the husband and wife team of Harkovast. Harkovast is a great comic and well worth the read.

It's hard to find anything to say about Harkovast that hasn't already been said. Suffice to say, all I can do is say it again in my own words; this comic is pretty damn cool.

Story: If you like fantasy universes, animal people or just good old fashioned medieval armies going at it and free-for-all bloodletting then you'll enjoy the plot of this comic. It opens medias res, letting you catch just a glimpse of peace before you're shown how much peril the world is truly in. It's like the beginning to many an RPG where the sequence is Title-Fade to black- "In the land of XX, so and so befell the land," and it's done well. The plot then focuses around an old knight wandering the kingdom who's got more stories to tell than people to tell them to, and you can't help but wonder what exactly he has seen and what are the conjured memories based on other things he actually has. It's an epic tale, and we're in Scene 2 of the first act, and it's set up to allow so much more to come. There's so much going on in this world if you gave Harkovast enough time it might rival Tolkien's works as far as complexity, and I for one enjoy a bit of anthropological depth to a fantasy universe.

Art: The art style is perhaps the most interesting thing about the comic. Sure, we've seen knights, dragons, cat people and what have you, but you haven't seen them like this. Each page is hand drawn by Harkovast himself and then colored by his wife, resulting in an unusually lifelike feel despite it's semi-cartoonish style. I mean, look at this . The detail applied to the characters and backgrounds is phenomenal. In fact, that picture is worth any thousand words I might conjure up, but in case they weren't enough, check THIS out. Uh-huh. Nuff said.

The only drawback is the speech. The speech is glow accented text without bubbles, but on the same token, if there were speech bubbles everywhere you would miss out on a lot of the hard work put into the backgrounds, because some of these people, narrator included do have a lot to say. So it's both a fault and a plus, depending on how you'd look at it.

In closing, I would recommend this story to anyone who's ever played any RPG, anyone who's ever read a fantasy novel, or anyone who ever once dreamed of being a knight in shining armor riding forth to battle evil. You wont be disappointed.

I admit, when I first saw Harkovast, I thought, “ah, a furry comic. *Pause* Next.” But I’m glad I gave it a chance, because it is shaping up to have a pretty great story so far.

Story:
I have trouble finding things to critique story-wise of Harkovast, as I think it’s one of the best-written comics on DD. The characters are recognizably different, and most of them are likeable.

Sir Muir provides a lot of comic relief (which is excellent in such a generally dark comic) and is also incredibly reminiscent of Don Quijote, which automatically makes him my favorite character of the bunch. A bumbling, too-old, deluded character in the middle of a war against a mysterious enemy? That always spells out the best kind of tragedy.

Ki, the assassin-warrior that was brought back from the dead, adds to the mix by being morally ambivalent (or shall I even say ‘a bad guy’?) but he’s on the good guys’ side.

Shogun obviously carries emotional scars, but hides them away. Even the different ‘races’ have distinct traits; the Darsai (cat-like creatures) live by an exaggerated code of honor, the Tsung-Dao seem a bit like Yogis… And there’s tension between the races, too; a little bit of xenophobia here and there, to add even more realism to this world.

I read for characters, not for plot, and so because the characters in Harkovast are developed and sympathetic, I honestly find it difficult to find negative things to say about this comic’s story. Other reviewers’ comments about things being unclear, I think, were issues remedied by time and new pages.

Art/design:

The biggest problem I have with this comic is the weird speech bubbles. I can get used to the funky font (though I’d prefer something more classic-looking, so as not to detract from the artist’s work) but not the fuzzy balloons. All comic artists—even the amazing ones—have to sacrifice some of their space to speech bubbles. As is, the text is far bigger than on most comics, probably because at a smaller size it would be illegible, with the background slightly visible and all. Perhaps because a lot of sprite comics do speech bubbles this way, it bothers me, and makes the comic look much less professional. (And plus… smaller text=smaller speech bubbles=more background showing…)

Of course, the art in Harkovast is quite good. I might suggest that the artist use less black in her shading, as on this page because it flattens some objects, most notably the road. Also, sometimes being able to see the scribble-lines can take away from the pictures, as in the shield on this page. Also on that page, a nitpick: the cylindrical helmet looks a bit flat, and could use some more contrast, since it is made out of metal (which is shiny.)
In close-ups, the artist seems to be in her element, especially detailing the fur on a character’s face, however, some figures lose depth when the ‘camera’ is at further distance (for an example, the Darsai on the last-linked page—not too much in terms of shadows on his face, and it’s all the same color, save his white V-shaped patch of fur.)

Also, one aspect that seems a little ‘off’ is the style of drawing the eyes. They seem very anime-styled, and also quite angular. This is odd to me, since the rest of the art is very organic looking and original, and rather curvy rather than boxy. I would suggest phasing in more cat-like Darsai eyes, perhaps a little slanted.

Sometimes the panels’ backgrounds are one flat color (added in photoshop apparently) for example, the bottom panel on this page . While my mind is blown at how well those doors are drawn, the tan part just looks weird. This happens as backgrounds for a lot of the action panels as well. I think this technique ‘sticks out’ too much.

I have to end saying that the scene where Ki is resurrected reminded me of my favorite childhood video game, King’s Quest IV, and for that I have to congratulate you.

Overall an excellent comic.

Thankyou to everyone who has taken the time to do a review and voice an opinion.
I think Harkovast is really improving as it goes along, so thank you for all suggestions so far!

The creator of this story is a buddy, and i say. He's better than me and thats all i can say! :)

But not only that, his art is more details and more story like.
the story so far is great and meaningful.

The characters are cool and nice! Even the battle scenes are great too.
It's a long story, but worth trying to keep up reading this comic book.

and the color add more details and design on whats going on in the story or panel.
I can say to my friend that keep on doing this story so i can see what happens. :)

Wow! You can't get much higher praise then that!

The Evil Hare wrote this review but put it under the wrong section, so I copied and pasted it for him.

Review of Harkovast:

The Story:

Ok, at first, I was thinking 'Oh no, not another Lord of the Rings ripoff,' but then the story takes a turn for the original that was a relief. Apparently, all the characters of anthropomorphic creatures of various species, each with its own unique culture, customs, and personalities. There's a badger who's a wizard, a nigh-omniscient narrator who is mysterious, but in a loud kind of way with his fancy red cloak. Then there's the Darsai, big scary cats with armor and some kind of spirit-weapons, a samurai named Shogun, who's a Darsai but has his own ways, and a host of other 'animals.' The story seems to revolve around an all-consuming War started by 'the Enemy,' who controls vast legions of undead/demonic forces. I found myself hoping that this Dark Lord didn't have a tower or a ring…
But seriously, the story is compelling, with several subplots, the most intriguing of which to me seems to be the hunt for a charismatic leader known only as 'the heretic,' who seems to be throwing a major wet blanket on everyone else's religion, so true to life, the good guys are going to kill him. This brings in the assassin Ki, who is a badass indeed if his fighting is on par with his smartass mouth.

There are some genuine personality moments, like on the page titled "Impressing the Ladies," where the two female Darsai are discussing the knight's character as he fades into the distance. I really wish the author would number those pages...

The Art:
Well, the artist has some pretty bad anatomy at times, but he still manages to convey the action well enough to make you keep looking, and his facial expressions are really good. In the first 10 or so pages, the arms and legs of charactes seem kind of stiff, but by the time he's 40 or so pages in, there seems to be significant improvement in this regard. His characters are distinct, however, which is a breath of fresh air… His drawing improves as the story goes on, and the backgrounds as well get a lot better. He's gonna hate this, but the best part of the art is the color… Mrs. Vast is AWESOME with those color pencils! She has a keen ability to give depth and texture to backgrounds, characters, and their clothing (or plumage as the case may be). She also improves as the story progresses, putting together some really impressive work by the latest dozen or so pages.

The lettering is sometimes hard to read, but has a storybook feel to it that contributes to the personality of this comic.

Overall, I think Harkovast could very well be a classic epic in the making, and I thick we will continue to see the authors grow in the craft and the characters will gain more depth as the tale progresses. It's definitely an entertaining read, with more detail and distinctions in the culture of characters than is usually found in anthropomorphics. Harkovast will keep you reading, and looking forward to the next update.

Did you say evil HATE on purpose? :P

I'm not gonna review because well...I'm too lazy, but Harkovast has always been *cough* a favorite of mine since Harkovast himself went and gave me some advice. The coloring is good, the story is good. And everything else...

VegaX
"disney"

No just kidding. It all is pretty good in general.

1337 Master, ooops! just fixed it to evil Hare!
My subconcious must be slipping out again!

Oh and glad you liked it.
And thanks again to everyone who reviewed it.
It is weird to go back now and read the old reviews from when the comic barely had any pages. How times change!

Unfortunately, my friend has not read the comic yet and I'm not going to keep on harassing him to do so, so I'll just do my short little review of "Harkovast":

Art: I really enjoy the art. I like how the comic doesn't use "word balloons" and instead uses this sort of "ethereal" effect for the text. I also like how different fonts are used for each character so that we know who's talking in a dialogue. The characters are nice and detailed, and the world is incredibly colorful with quite a few different animals representing different races. The only drawback I really see in the art is that the coloring looks really good for the fur of the characters, but doesn't really fit as much for things like armor, weapons, and the like. Metallic objects like that sometimes come across as fuzzy. However, that's only a very minor thing, and it doesn't detract from the art that badly.

Writing: To be honest, the writing is a lot better than I thought. Because of the furry characters, I almost expected something dealing with how the characters are all certain animals and such. Instead, the different animal races are barely commented on, and the story is more focused on something similar to "Lord of the Rings". I also enjoy the dichotomy between Shogun and Sir Muir. Shogun acts all serious and level-headed, while Sir Muir is basically a cat version of Don Quixote. It gets really entertaining when these two very different characters are involved in conversation.

Overall: All in all, I enjoyed this comic. I only wish it updated a little more often so I can keep track of the story easier, but we can't have everything. If you enjoy reading adventure stories, this comic is for you. HARK to your friends about it today (those damn bad puns are rubbing off on me, aren't they?)

Art 8/10: Harkovast has such a beautiful coloring style, to me personally I believe that's what makes the art seem much more catching and nice to look at. As far as the line work is concerned it could use a bit improvement, but it's still better then most. Honestly, I'm not sure how it would look if it were any different. I think the style itself works best for such a story as this. Also, Anthropomorphic Animals are a plus for me!

Story 10/10: What can I say? I'm some what of a stickler for Medieval settings, and Harkovast takes the cake on that for me. The whole idea behind the different racial animal cultures and their beliefs are amazing. I also love the main characters, my two favorites are the "hard-headed" Shogun and the "lazy-eyed" Sir-Muir! As far as dislike is concerned, I can't say there is anything I don't like at all!

Overall 9/10: I love it, and will continue to read it. It's one of the only comics I ever keep up with anymore. If you love beautiful coloring and a medieval type storyline this is for you! Though the only thing bad I can say about it over all is that it's a bit hard waiting to see what happens next!

Hark, you know exactly how I feel about your comic. Here is the Public, Coles-notes, version.

Art:
Something unique and nostalgic about the art. Some of the vista's and special effects (like blurs and impact flashy backgrounds) are really great. They really get senses of motion and impact across to the reader. I also think that Hark has a great eye for creative use of space (like the scene with the speaker taking up the entire half of the comic while the conversation occurs on the other half, neat stuff.

Story:
Large and thoughtful without becoming too overbearing and overly complex. Hark has put an enormous amount of time into his story background, no detail is too small. It is a true testament to his story writing ability. Once you sit down and read the strip, all this care and detail becomes manifest.

Everything Else:
So many great things about this strip. I never thought I would read a "storied" comic strip on DD. I was more into comic strips that have a gag-a-day feel to them. Unfortunately, I think many people will glance over Hark's great comic strip simply because they think it's too much reading. I'm pretty happy that I gave it a chance, I could have easily skipped over it as well...but if I did, I would have made a great friend on DD with Hark and I wouldn't have become enthralled in the great story he has laid before us to enjoy.

Well done Hark,

Here's to getting your entire opus fully written, drawn, and disseminated amongst your currant and future fans!

It has taken me a while to plough through this animal fantasy epic in progress but now that I have I shall share may thoughts.

It is well thought out and put together, the story while not massively complex or original has a nice feel to it. There has clearly been a large amount of care gone into it.

The art is a thing of two halves, the layouts and line art are okay and have improved throughout. anatomical errors, stiff figures and funny angles are the main culprits. That said there are moments of brilliance as well, I feel overly critical saying that because for all the technical faults it the art is still charming and has a lot of character. The colouring has always been stunning and has improved throughout as well.

Overall
7/10
it requires a bit of perseverence but is worth the time.

I must say that now that I am up to date with it and just reading updates as they come, well I have really been enjoying the last few pages, make it 8/10