As many of you may have noticed from the banner that perpetually hovers above this site, Twilight Lady has been a proud member of the webcomic collective SpiderForest since 2009.

One of the unique things about this collective is that each comic that applies to join goes through a voting process involving every member who chooses to take part. Each voter assesses the quality of the work at hand and makes a decision whether or not to admit the comic.

These decisions are not made lightly. Having observed (and participated in) quite a view voting cycles now, it never ceases to amaze and impress me how much painstaking deliberation goes on, how much time and effort these folks put into reviewing each applicant. Lengthy debates are not uncommon, even the occasional fistfight (metaphorically speaking… thankfully these discussions largely take place online, as SF creators hail from all over the known universe).

Each voting round I take part in makes me grow ever more appreciative that Twilight Lady made the cut, all those cycles ago.

Without further ado, these are the latest inductees to SpiderForest:

Dark White – Caught in the middle of a kingdom and marriage divided, a prince discovers he could be the key to preventing civil war. A fantasy comic with a dark edge.

Footloose – Keti Jones, a half-human (plus quarter-nymph and quarter-werewolf) joins a dojo at the insistence of her faerie godmother. Not an easy premise to pull off, but creators Ally and Em possess genuine wit and a sharp imagination.

Gods of the Game – A DnD-type roleplaying game comes to life. Set in the year 1987, Jody Susskind infuses realistic period details and charming character nuances into this sword & sorcery fantasy.

LaSalle’s Legacy – A young ship captain follows in his father’s footsteps and discovers that, even in the cut-throat high seas, loyalty and camaraderie exist. A fun swashbuckler and moving coming-of-age tale.

LeyLines – Palace intrigue in a fantasy world setting. Robin Dempsey captures well the looming danger and dread that comes with political power, along with the fragility of emotional ties in such an environment. And she draws cool masks.

Silent Pirate – A shy kid is slingshotted by a bully onto a pirate ship. He ends up joining the pirates (natch). Like its protagonist, this comic doesn’t laugh out loud. Instead, it charms with gentle, surreal humor.

Spine – Espionage in a post-apocalyptic world. Violent and trippy, with cinematic artwork and a delightfully over-the-top battle sequence that’s interrupted by a rhino whale. Yes, a rhino whale.

Most of these comics are relatively new, with still-manageable archives. No better time to jump in…