Rival Comics

Rival Rating (5/5)

Anatta page 1

Anatta is a rare gem in the webcomic world.  It is a complex, sci-fi thriller that will keep you on the edge of your seat through every page.  The level of quality, both writing and art, is superb and is rarely found in this type of media.

The story takes you for a mind-bending ride through a near-future world where people are able to transfer their minds into the bodies of others.  The main character, Alex, is introduced to someone who does this for contracts found through the black market and managed by her friend Chad.

gettin' gutted by the mob.

While there might be some benefits to being able to place your mind in someone else’s body, there are obviously going to negative consequences.  The beginning of this story has our main character taking a contract to switch minds with a seemingly “fat” guy.  Things aren’t as they seem, though, as she discovers that the fat guy is actually a Chinese woman on the run from the mob.  From here things start to get pretty intense as Alex takes a brutal beating from the mob guys even know they scanned her mind pattern and are aware that she/he is not actually the person they are looking for.  Alex and the woman switch back just in time for the mob members to finish their job, which sends Alex into a federal investigation regarding the murder.

The story is written well and works symbiotically with the art to form one cohesive piece of work that will immerse the reader into the world of Anatta.  As complex as the story is, and is sure to become, it is paced well and very easy to follow, but does well to add hints in dialogue that remind the reader that there is much more to this story than what has been seen or read so far.

mind-swapping has never looked more cool!

The art is equally compelling, with beautiful inks, digital effects, and wonderful colors.  The inking varies in some panels, adding extra crosshatching, which might take some readers out of the moment as it seems to be done randomly, but I personally think that it adds a certain flair and keeps things interesting.  While the changes in inks are random, they fit well with the art and story and never took me out of the moment.  Panels and pages that depict the actual mind transfers are also very well done with cool blue hues covering faces of people who are being mind swapped, giving the reader the sense of this unreal dimension not seen by the average person.  The style and layouts of this comic are also magnificent, with screams and dialogue perfectly integrated with the art.  Sometimes the creators focus on the artwork and tell the story with nearly no dialogue or text, while others are almost devoid of artwork but instead littered with long strings of text bubbles.  Both work perfectly, and it is hard for the reader to differentiate between the two as they are reading because the story and art work so well together.

I actually found it hard to stop and leave comments or ratings at the bottoms of pages because I was eager to hit the “next” button and continue the story.  This is not something I frequently have a problem with as I browse through a comic’s archives, and it definitely says a lot about this story.  Other than leaving ratings, the only other time that I was distracted or taken out of the story of Anatta was when the creators randomly placed a three-page teaser for another comic they are working on based on little red riding hood.  The teaser was very interesting, creepy, and presented very well, but I was more eager to see what was going on with the story I was reading.  Bottom line, this is a great webcomic with a fantastic story and equally impressive artwork.  Any DD reader looking for something fun, fresh, and exciting to read should start here.  You won’t be disappointed.

Rival Rating (5/5)

click here to read Anatta!

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