Most things (especially those linked to entertainment) are subject to various trends.  Art style, setting, genre…like planets, they revolve around central trends, drifting in and out of fashion depending on the time of year, area of the world, or simple whims of reader popularity.

It sounds like simply catering to your audience, but it doesn’t always work that way.  Rather than being a reflection of what readers want to see (or popular lists are looking for), the web comic is what it is; which just happens to fall in some category slot somewhere.  Hell, let’s face it; it would be pretty hard not to.  

Some things are just staples, with a waiting audience somewhere out there.  Romance, action, comedy, horror…rather hard to imagine any of those just vanishing, isn’t it?  Yet there’s another genre that is just as big, possibly bigger.  One that can span any genre, borrow any style, and walks the line between trendy and obscure like a veteran tightrope performer.  Owner of several names, (that again, vary depending on trends and whimsy) I prefer to call it life observation or life commentary.

LC stories can dabble in almost anything, ranging from the lightest comedies to the darkest thrillers.  Some fall in the slice-of-life category, but as whole, LC is a very different animal.  A word of warning; for those that read to escape their lives, LC might not be the best choice for reading.  On the other hand, if you’re searching for a new view on a familiar world, the right kind of LC story might just fit the bill. (It just takes a bit of effort to find the right type…but that holds true for any genre.)



Life is a mess.  Actually, life is a bunch of small, messy events thrown into order by time.  If people were vending machines, those events would be the various items on display, ready and waiting to be chosen.  Some are good, some are bad; many have expired, while others are fresh and new, just waiting for their shot.  Pay your coins, pick a number, and take your chances.  (Just remember to choose wisely; life, like those vending machines, isn’t so hot in the refund department.)

So it goes for Renton Hicks, a young man that seems to be trapped in the mire that is life, his past and future equally bleak.  Others slog through their own lives, some crossing paths with him along the way, others not.  And so it goes for everyone.

Hmm…doesn’t tell you much, does it?  That’s just how Vendable is; Renton lives his life, deals with events, and continues on.  The story as a whole doesn’t really fit into a neat description, but then neither does life.  There are violent times, reflective times…moments that don’t really make sense until after the fact, awkward conversations with friends and co-workers.  It all strings together, but hardly fits into a neat little description.

Vendable is (to me, at any rate) a bleak, somewhat bitter, realistic LC web comic.  Unfortunately, that is both a good and a bad thing.  

Now, I admit that I grew up in a major city.  I remember many of the problems around me.  Violence, race issues, apathy…things you saw but made damn sure you didn’t appear to, words you heard but forced yourself to ignore.  Courage was one of those mythical things that other people did, people that usually didn’t stick around long. (At least if they valued their hide.)  It was a society of glass-eyed hypocrites, reflecting images expected by those around them, only acting if the deck was stacked heavily in their favor.

People had life, but they certainly never lived it.  Everyone wrapped up in their own little ramblings, their safety net of familiarity, obligations, and blank gazes.  To those that thought, that wanted more…well, you learn to tolerate, give in, or move out.  It’s a depressing mess, one that wears down most and breaks some. Dull and empty, it’s almost easier to pass the days on auto-pilot, while others try reaching out to each other without knowing how, all mumbled words and random babbling.

I see a lot of that in Vendable.  There’s a world around Renton; it’s messy, depressing, and harsh, but that’s how it is.  Caught in the midst of it are average people like Renton and Fatima, outsiders swept along with the current of daily life.  For those that can relate, Vendable is an echo of their own lives, making it easy to relate in some way to at least one member of the cast. (or just the world in general)

Yet those very qualities are a drawback as well.  If Vendable is a good look at one aspect of life, that aspect is, in many ways, rather grim.  Like a gloomy day, it can be wearying; something to escape from rather than embrace.  

It’s also pretty unorganized.  Conversations can be hard to follow, even from one sentence to the next.  Some comments need the inflection that speaking brings, if only to shed some light on things.  The story also jumps around a bit, flashing between different characters, places, and times, in order to show the larger world.  Certain things are said or shown without any real explanation…but as with life, the future might shed more light on the matter.

So just where does that leave Vendable?  It’s a good example of a bleak look at real life, a genre that has been in favor recently.  Unfortunately, that also means it walks a fine line between interesting and depressing.  While I’m fine with a dim outlook, after a while the gloom just wears on you.  It’s almost the kind of tale best read in pieces (or chapters), with a decent break in-between.  The upshot of that is the story; if read in chapters, the story as a whole strings together better.

I like what Vendable is trying to do, but I’m hoping some areas will still get a bit of fine-tuning down the road.  The web comic is still pretty new, so there’s a lot of time to refine the rough edges.  It will certainly be interesting to see where the future takes it…but hasn’t that always been one of the major draws in life?

Put a coin in the slot, pick your number, and let’s see how lucky you are.

Lisa Anderson