The Meek
| The Meek | |
|---|---|
| Author(s) | Der-shing Helmer |
| Website | www |
| Launch date | December 27, 2008[1] |
The Meek is a fantasy webcomic written and illustrated by Der-shing Helmer since 2008. Taking place in a fantasy world, The Meek focuses on protagonist Angora, a young girl with a magical ability to control plants, as she is trying to reach a place she refers to as "the center".[2] However, The Meek follows multiple narratives with several different characters from across the world. Each chapter separately follows one of these narratives.
Development
Der-shing Helmer is a trained biologist and educator,[3] writing The Meek in her spare time.[4] In a 2009 interview, Helmer stated she draws inspiration from biology when designing the world of The Meek.[5] Helmer created the first draft of her webcomic entirely with a mechanical pencil and marker, but quickly switched to Photoshop CS2 for the final version. She uses a Wacom Intuos tablet to create the comic, and her creation process has become more streamlined since she built a template for her pages.[6]
Plot
The Meek follows multiple narratives with several different characters from across the world. Each chapter separately follows one of these narratives. The main characters are:
- Angora – The protagonist, an enthusiastic 15-year-old girl living alone in a jungle, aided by her plant manipulation powers, until she embarks on her quest to save the world. She has little use for clothes, and will at most wear a pair of cut-off shorts.
- Luca – An emperor and leader of a group of people called the Pasori. Murder drives him to switch from peaceful negotiation to war against another country.
- Soli – A bandit who is searching for her ex-boyfriend, so she can kill him.[7]
- Pinter – Angora's companion, a wandering, alcoholic cartographer who meets Angora and, out of concern for her safety, travels with her.
- Rana, Suda and Hyla – Luca's children.
- Alamand – Soli's companion, a skilled young boy.
The plot of The Meek concerns a war that is brewing between several of the world's nations, notably the Carissi and the Pasori people.[4]
Reception
Caitlin Rosberg of The A.V. Club recommended The Meek as one of the best comics of 2016.[8]
In 2017, The Meek won an Ignatz Award in the "Outstanding Online Comic" category.[9]
References
- ^ Helmer, Der-shing (2008-12-27). "Chapter 1: Lost and Found". The Meek.
- ^ El Santo (2009-05-11). "The Webcomic Overlook #99: The Meek". Comix Talk. Archived from the original on 2010-02-04.
- ^ Helmer, Der-shing. "About". Shingworks.com.
- ^ a b Helmer, Der-shing. "FAQ". The meek.
- ^ "Web Comics Questionnaire". IN Magazine. [dead link]
- ^ Ahačič, Matic (2009-11-17). "Interview: Der-shing Helmer, The Meek". Reflektor.si.
- ^ Davis, Lauren (2011-11-12). "In The Meek, only a naked green-haired girl can save the world". io9.
- ^ Shea Hennum; Oliver Sava; Caitlin Rosberg; Tegan O'Neil (2016-12-14). "The best comics of 2016". The A.V. Club.
- ^ MacDonald, Heidi (2017-09-16). "The 2017 Ignatz Awards: MONSTERS and Ferris win two". ComicsBeat.