I often scan online comic websites, such as Webcomics Nation or Online Comics , in search of comics that stand out against the typical manga style, teenage-angst stories or the ’seen it before’ super hero themes and lycanthrope/vampire strips . One comic series that stands out is Sunrise by John W. Allie, an adventure strip set in the the airship age we never had.

John’s comic is a breath of fresh in the current quagmire of online comic strip clutter. It steers away from the typical aggressive/biffo/no brainer style cartoon and focuses more on character interplay and plot development. John has his own style of drawing and has rendered his artwork in a different style for each episode, although I believe he is looking to formalise the style at some stage. Sunrise, which is nearing the end of its third episode, is an adventure comic which runs at least once a week.  Its storyline is divided into separate “issues” which are 20 plus pages long.

The comic follows the adventures of the crew of the airship RAS Akhenaten. John’s strip has been running since February 2008 and in John’s words ‘It draws inspiration from sources as diverse as Herge’s Adventures of Tintin and Star Trek.’ On reading Sunrise it becomes evident that John spends a lot of time researching before he puts pen to paper.

The artwork for Sunrise covers are all in full colour and each of the pages is drawn in high quality black and white. Below are some sample pages of John’s fantastic black and white art. Each of the first three issues of Sunrise was accomplished with a different style of rendering - testimony to John’s versatility and creative abilities. Issue 1 rendering is on the right, issue 2 on the left and issue 3 in the centre.

John promotes and welcomes feedback on his comics which are also available for purchase in harcopy at Lulu. He also provides informative accompanying material on his site such as the a Dramatis Personae, a Behind The Scenes page and more.

Sunrise is a great read for those who prefer an intelligent adventure comic which minimises the  hundrum biffo and puts plenty of energy back into the character development.

Paul J Duffield.