If you’ve been reading webcomics for any length of time, then you should have come across the genre of the Japanese Style Fantasy Role Playing Game (JRPG) adapted to a comic format, usually lampooning the silly logic of said games with injuries being represented by numbers and bizarre weapons and armor. In this respect, Videowizard2007’s Dragon Kingdoms is a familiar sight and has proven as such, setting itself apart with a few uncommon elements such as giants, but conventional nonetheless. It has been a few years since Videowizard2007 had initialized his webcomic career, and he has learned a few tricks to improve the quality of his art, and naturally has turned back to the beginning of his story to retell it with more clarity and quality. This is a desire most artists have once they reach a satisfactory level of skill, but it comes at the cost of delaying the progress of the story and testing the patience of loyal readers. There is also a more subtle trap of taking for granted the advantages of having an established story and cast. How does Dragon Kingdoms fare?

Dragon Kingdoms: Dawn of a New Era has an established storyline that precedes the events of Version 2, so it is partially a reboot and partially a sequel, if that makes any sense.  As far as I can tell, the original tale, which explained things like how the main cast met, has been deemed unnecessary, as it is not mentioned or linked anywhere on the Web site; thus, I am forced to ignore it for this review.  DK:DNE takes place on a temperate underdeveloped planet full of a diverse array of fantastical creatures and humanoid species. Things are peaceful until the year 988, marking the beginning of a new era in which the forces of evil traditionally rise up to do what evil forces do best. Of course, there is a hero of destiny to combat these forces, a five-year-old king named Joshua and his giant friend, William. That is as far as the story has gone, the bulk of it being explained in text on a sub-section of the site and the rest coming from the main archive. DK:DNE has a total of 14 other comics in the main archive, but they are all seasonal specials and guest comics.

In my intro I mentioned the advantages of having an established plot and cast, and seasonal comics and guest spots is one of the big ones. Only when the audience becomes familiar with the personalities of the characters and the situations they are in can they appreciate the fourth wall being broken to place them in relatable circumstances and understand why they would respond the way they do. Similarly, the appreciation of cameos depends on the ability to understand what the characters have in common in order to justify their presence. Of course, with only two pages establishing any story, these crucial elements are all absent, making these comics confusing and uninteresting. Now, please do not take this as an attack on the work done in these comics. DK:DNE does show a great appreciation of the webcomic community and the cameo list is pretty high, and since appreciation of the webcomic community is what most of the specials are about, it makes a lot of sense. It's just that DK:DNE is not ready for it yet. The foundation of the house needs to be laid down and finished before you consider the wiring.

Videowizard2007 is still pretty new to cartooning, and as such his art suffers from some common issues, but he shows plenty of effort to improve. DK:DNE suffers from the common issue of a lack of cranium diversity, as in if you remove the hair everyone looks the same from the neck up. The problem is, most characters are drawn from the shoulders up, so things can become confusing, especially with Joshua and William who have very similar hair styles and clothing… though one is a giant, so that helps a bit. Another issue that’s pretty common is that everyone is drawn pretty stiff, standing straight up with their hands at their sides. It begs for a bit of variation, at least in a few panels. In most of the comics there isn’t much action, so this can be accomplished by exaggeration of expressions, drawing characters in the act of walking, or something more banal like eating, drinking, or leaning. Finally, I give this tip to almost everyone: Videowizard2007 needs to attempt some line variation. It makes most art pop out a lot more. This can be accomplished naturally with a brush, calligraphy pen, or brush pen, or a more simple way with a typical pen like me, making the sides away from the light source thicker.

Now, Dragon Kingdoms has made some improvements since its launch. Namely, it’s a lot cleaner than it used to be and easier to follow, though there are some moments where things are jumbled (I think line variation can help that). I can see that there has been a lot of practice in William, as his face tends to be a bit more proportional and symmetrical than some of the other characters. There is improvement, but plenty of room for more. Namely, I believe DNE hasn’t quite discovered its style. This, however, will come with time and practice. If you are looking for top-of -the-line art, you won’t find it at Dawn of a New Era, but if you want to track an artist gradually improve and discover a unique niche in the webcomic arena you may want to keep an eye on Videowizard2007.

The website is clean and simple, with several categories that look promising. The thing is, not much is up right now, but you can find several due dates scattered about. I think the fan art in the main archive should be moved to the fan art section, but aside from that, it's all good.

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