Order of Tales

Story and art by Evan Dahm
A completed webcomic at:
http://www.rice-boy.com/order/

Order of Tales is one of several remarkable webcomics produced by Evan Dahm since 2006: first Rice Boy, a fascinating exercise in surreal adventure that was completed in 2008; then the comic that is the subject of this review, which hewed more closely to the forms of classic fantasy, and drew to a close in 2010; and finally Vattu, an intricately woven story of social and political intrigue, which is currently under way. He has also created a number of webcomic short stories, illustrated new editions of Moby-Dick and The Wizard of Oz, and his latest effort, the graphic novel Island Book, has just been released.

Order of Tales is, in its essence, a story set in the timeless form of a hero's journey. And as is often the case with such stories, it opens with a terrible calamity. Young Koark has been helping to prepare for the arrival of guests of his father, Duke Themb, who is an eminent Teller of stories; but when the “guests” arrive, they prove to be murderous attackers, who kill the Duke and burn his library. Koark manages to escape on his steed Potok, but only after the Duke has passed on to his son the title of Teller, along with a great book of tales, and a mission to find a story called “The Ascent of the Bone Ziggurat”, which, for reasons that are not completely clear, is of crucial importance.

Thus do the adventures of Koark commence.  He eventually crosses paths with a strange machine man, “The One Electronic”, who becomes an enigmatic and not entirely congenial companion.  He also frees an odd being, made of glass, from captivity – the “Bottle Woman”, who, he is informed, must not be allowed to be “taken east”.

Koark and the Bottle Woman immediately become the objects of a vicious and relentless pursuit. During the flight of the pair they come upon a wounded little warrior, and accompany him back to his city, where they find that its library has been burned, much like that of Duke Themb. Soon after, it is also learned that the Bottle Woman is being sought for some dire purpose by an immensely powerful tyrant named Rog, who has taken on the identity of an ancient warlord of the same name. The One Electronic decides that the best idea would be to take the Bottle Woman to a distant place of safety, and is displeased to find that Koark is becoming attached to the glass being – he warns him not to love her. In fact, he attempts to separate the two by sending Koark away (to no avail, of course).

There follows a story of high adventure, as Koark, the One Electronic, and the Bottle woman travel across the land, encountering its exotic inhabitants and dealing with its many formidable challenges.  Eventually, the young Teller finds the Bone Ziggurat and confronts Rog himself, who has been burning libraries to keep a terrible secret: at which point all the obscure threads of the story finally come together in a devastating climax. And in the end, though a sort of victory is achieved, a tragic destiny cannot be avoided.

Such is the Order of Tales.  Its story is fascinating, and its artwork excellent, but beyond that, its element of tragedy – genuine tragedy, in the sense of its inevitability – is quite extraordinary in the universe of webcomics.

In short: with this work, Evan Dahm has created a truly impressive, and moving, saga of heroism and fate.

♦   ♦   ♦

It should be mentioned that in addition to the webcomic, editions of Order of Tales as a softcover or hardcover book, as well as an e-book, are available through Evan Dahm’s website.  His webcomics Rice Boy and Vattu, along with  other books he has authored or illustrated, can be found there also:

http://www.rice-boy.com/

 

Review by R. Walter Dutton
June 2019

 

Return to Reviews