» Review - Inner Edge

Introduction
Inner Edge is a manga-style full-page comic drawn by Tacto. In it exists the alien, technologically advanced world of Ilandor. The story opens with the announcement and celebration of a wedding, in which two large factions hope to stop an old war between their Knights. We follow a young Lord by the name of Axel, who is invited to what appears to be an engagement party. He's accompanied by his grandfather, who seems to act as Axel's mentor figure, and he's followed by a friend named Leo (who acts as the comic relief) after the festivities begin. When things heat up between several party guests regarding the war and old emotional sores, Axel steps in and decides to add to the chaos by adding a few drunken comments.

The Positive Aspects
This comic's artwork is beautiful. Tacto delivers page after page of well-inked scenes, with exotic atmospheres perfect for this foreign world of Ilandor. Her buildings, characters, and designs all mesh well with this place, and it allows the reader to immerse themselves into what feels like an epic story.

Tacto draws from manga as a style and definitely works it to her advantage. Her inking skills are good; the lines have varying weight that keep the reader's interest, and for the most part they're smooth and professionally drawn. Her strong sense of style keeps the fluidity of the artwork going so that the readers keep a steady pace. Her panel layout is complex yet comprehensible, allowing the story the right transitions and flow that keep the reader interested. Each character is designed with unique, exotic features, which allow the reader to further appreciate Tacto's work. This combination produces a very pretty, interesting read.

The Criticisms
Overall, Inner Edge produces a dynamite product; however, it's still not up to professional grade. It still needs some improvement.

The issues that I notice in this comic mostly are the artist's English and dialogue. In some places, the dialogue gets rough, and I find myself reading over the page several times so I can make sure I know what's going on. The English is a little stiff; I see few if any contractions (It is = it's, is not = isn't, etc.) in the dialogue between characters. Also, words are missing that complete sentences, and as is the case with any comic, there's an occasional typo. What Tacto can do to remedy this is share the comic's script prior to publishing it on a page. There are many readers on SmackJeeves alone that proofread or "beta" her writing, so that her English-speaking audiences can better appreciate her work. Also, while the reader can fall into the world easily through Tacto's art and design, the setting is still hard to follow. The back story needs more description so that we as readers can better understand this world and its history. Lastly, the artist could work harder to place her color tones more neatly. Her background tones are fine, however, now and then white marks are visible on the foreground/characters' clothes and hair.

The Conclusion
I found Inner Edges interesting, and I really do like the style Tacto uses. If she works on the dialogue and English of her work, this comic has true potential.

- Minaa