One Indie Comic Jem #000 - Rice Boy

As you would probably know if you ever happen to flip through my blog, I'm a fan of the free and/or open source content in all its forms. I truly believe that the so called (often inaccurately) open movement can represent a more evolute state of the market - a glimpse of future. There are fields were independent content excell in such a way that is not possible to distinguish an indie product from a professional high budget work, for what that quality matters. 

For this and other reasons I want to start a series of post to present the best web comics that can be found online, at least from my geeky perspective.

The One Electronic
(Aka Terrin Oculon)

I want to start this series with a web comic that represented to me a true inspiration. From this comic I elicted my nickname and my avatar. This work of art is called Rice Boy created by Evan Dahm. Rice Boy is a fantasy story that takes place in Overside, a complete world shaped as a disk accurately described and populated by Evan of several species of creatures that dwells the three big continents of Arica, Wusterim and Grenth. Rice Boy is all about an epic and somewhat saint struggle between good and evil forces. But apart from the theme which traces out the most ancient archetypes of human civilizations, Evan creates its own cosmology, mithology, bestiary, geography and civilizations with accurate history. All this it's a genuine work that cast the base for different sagas and short stories that take root and develop from Overside. 
So much work has been done by Evan that a wiki is also available here to explore and keep reference of the various aspects of the comics.
Evan graphic style is also really intriguing. With its strong and net colors and the somewhat naives shapes, the drawings boost the sense of visionary and out of the world sensation conveyed by the comic as a whole. So does the narration which reminds me, at certain times, of the classic Greek poems I used to read at school; a flavor which enforce the epic journey of the character toward their fate and the fate of the Overside.

Map of Overside

Right now Evan web site http://www.rice-boy.com/ contains, apart from Rice Boy, also Order  of Tales that takes place hundreads of years before Rice Boy, and a bunch of short stories that explores the same world. 
Evan has published a volume containing the Rice Boy saga, two books for the Order of Tales story. All these books, plus other items like sketchbooks and posters can be found at the store. 
I invite you to read Rice Boy and the other Evan Dahm's works. At the beginning of this post I called Rice Boy a work of art. Read it and I'm sure you'll understand I was right.

One page from Book 2 of Rice Boy