Flatwood

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Flatwood is a webcomic written and drawn by Zachary Parker. It began on January 1, 2004, and updates once a week.

Flatwood tells the story of a young man who wakes up in a fragmented world: The spirits of the dead walk the earth, strange creatures lurk in the shadows, and all the questions to all the answers lie in the flat wood. Flatwood is a horror/fantasy comic done entirely in greyscale. From time to time, it includes animated pages.

Visuals

The comic is done in black-and-white/greyscale, with a combination of detailed pencil shading and Photoshop editing to enhance the gloomy atmosphere. To add to the surreal, dreamlike impression, there are no traditional panel borders or speech balloons. Some of the pages contain simple animation effects.

Plot

A young man wakes up in a room which seems to be his own, although he has no actual memory of how he got there or even who he is. He quickly realizes that things are not all right in the world, as he encounters various cryptic figures and nightmarish creatures.

Characters

Alex

The protagonist. He has no memory of his past or how he came to be in Flatwood; he didn't even know his own name until one of the Fallen (Jon) told him[1].

Bolo

A small winged gargoyle-like creature who Alex finds lurking in his room, Bolo is the first denizen of Flatwood we meet[2]. He seems friendly towards Alex, even fiercely protective[3] [4]; Alex consequently feels quite attached to him, and calls him "little buddy". However, Beatrice is wary of Bolo, and warns Alex that there is more to the little creature than meets the eye.

The Fallen

Strange, malevolent winged creatures who were apparently normal people at one time, but who now serve the Prince of the Air. The first of these who Alex encounters is Jon, who is revealed to have been Alex's friend in the past[5], though of course Alex has no memory of him.

Beatrice

A woman who Alex first sees in a memorial portrait [6] before meeting her face-to-face [7] in a graveyard. She is apparently dead. Like Alex, she does not know her own name at first; Alex tells her the name he read on her portrait.

The Easter Sisters

Mysterious sisters who seem to be the only creatures to actually know what is going on in Flatwood. One sister has gouged out her own eyes. The other sister has personally removed her own ears. Both have sent Alex on a quest through the Flat Wood.

The Prince of the Air

Sometimes referred to by readers as "Creepy Hat Guy". A giant, glowing-eyed, Hobo-looking wraith. He leads the Fallen Hordes.

The Man on the White Horse

A mysterious white rider who once ruled over the people of the Flatwood but, for some reason, left. Mr. Milk may be an incarnation of this man.

Mr. Milk

A mysterious figure with a bag over his head, who appears in Alex's dreams. He addresses Alex as "my son".

Miriam

A creepy little girl who, until this point, has only appeared to Alex in his dreams. Mr. Milk has introduced her as Alex's "sister".

Aenemo

A wise guide who leads Alex through the Flat Wood. He seems inspired by the Native American people. He was once a "light-bringer". He taught Beatrice this art before he gave it up. He feels betrayed by the Man on the White Horse and no longer follows him.

[edit] External links

• Flatwood
• "ZacharyParker.com"
• "Review at Webcomic Finds"
• "Another Review"
• "Review by Silver Bullet Press"
• "Review at Suizcomix.com"

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