The Chapel Chronicles - Mobile Edition

Digital Comics
The Chapel Chronicles
By Hervé St-Louis
September 27, 2011 - 20:15

Emma T. Capps
Writer(s): Emma T. Capps
Penciller(s): Emma T. Capps
Colourist(s): Emma T. Capps
Letterer(s): Emma T. Capps

Hi. The Chapel Chronicles is a Web comics series created and drawn by 14-year-old cartoonist Emma T. Capps. It features a witch-like eleven year-old girl called Chapel trying to cope with the modern life of a tween, as seen through the eyes of a teenager. Capps has been writing stories and making goods out of her illustrations for a few years now and this Web comic is a natural extension of her work in sequential form.

At a first glance, I thought I was looking at the typical scribbles of a kid and was expecting some pain to read through the material. There was none of that. Upon closer inspection, you’ll notice that the scrawny lines drawn by Capps are closer in style to the chicken patch style of cartoonists like Joan Sfar and Kerascoet. There is actually order to Capps’ madness. For example a stylistic touch of hers is to put a curved line of text without any bubble above the very curvy head of Chapel. Background colours are patches of colours fading into a greater white background. This artist knows what’s she’s doing.

As for the stories, they are one page gags and very simple but you get the point. There is certainly more merit in Capps’s work than Rebecca Black.

As for Capps’ Website, ChapelChronicles.com, it’s extremely well-polished. And you can tell she’s either working with a literary agent and a team of designers or that she’s hit the jackpot with her close family and friends who have helped build a very professional Web comics destination many adult cartoonists could learn lessons from.

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