THE AWLERS

August 5, 2022

"I love the long history of myths we've told through animals since time immemorial. I wanted to weave them together with some of my own."

- Syn-Cypher

This review is reposted from Webcomic Recc Week on my tumblr blog.

This week’s webcomic is The Awlers by Syn-Cypher, a mythological furry tale about a group of rabbits on a mysterious, magical quest into the woodlands.

The story throws you right in to the rabbits’ pilgrimage through the cursed forest. It is like a fever dream. Poor Bawler is bit by a spider and, surprisingly, this causes a lot of trouble for the group right off. One would expect such a tale to shrug off seemingly minor wounds and get on with the adventure, but what follows is a desperate struggle to make sure Bawler doesn’t succumb to poisoning. From there, it gets weird. Delightfully weird.

Syn is a dear friend of mine and his work is so special. He weaves a sense of love, mystery, fascination, and rainbowy magic into every panel of his work, which often strays off the beaten path with animations and glowing effects. Sometimes the comic feels like walking into a night club, it just carries you with the beat and you get lost in it. His colors are bold, shimmering and wild–utterly unlike anything I have ever seen, like a kaleidoscope on the page. The layouts are delightedly avante-garde. Swirling lines and overlapping panels sweep you along with a rhythm that routinely smooths, then churns itself jagged.

Syn also has a knack for designing old-school manuscripts. Hares canted like one would see in a medieval painting, hugged by musical verses that tell legends and riddles. Borders adorned with symbols and celtic knots. Somehow, the gold-foiling on some of the manuscripts looks like it’s reflecting at you even through the screen!

And the foliage--humming in and out of view--oh, it is so alive. Syn makes sure to add in every single goddamn leaf! As someone who used to do the same thing, it’s a lot of work. :V Fantastical though his world may be, the exquisite detail transports you there and swallows you whole. If anything, you gotta check out Syn's illustration work. The guy really is something else.

Fans of animal fantasy tales Redwall, Mouse Guard, and Silverwing, and lovers of mythical fables in general will adore the colorful, dreamlike world and epic legends of The Awlers.

Relevant Links:

• The Awlers Webcomic Site (The link goes to the first page of The Awlers, but both The Awlers and Munchkin & the Goon share the same site.)
• The Awlers Tapas Mirror Site
• The Munchkin and the Goon Webcomic Site
  
• Syn-Cypher @ Patreon
  
• Syn-Cypher @ Twitter
• Syn-Cypher @ Youtube
• Syn-Cypher @ DeviantART