ÄGA AND THE WYRM

Cartoonist: Annemarie Rogers

Publisher: Self-Published

Äga And The Wyrm, cover, self-published, Annemarie Rogers

WHAT IS IT?

A story of the burdens our parents pass onto us, and how we can map out our own futures.

The story brought forth in Äga And The Wyrm is a classic one of revenge, role in a clan/village/society, and the problems our parents/ancestors pass down.

WHAT’S IT ABOUT?

(Minor Spoilers)

Äga sets out from her village to slay the beast that killed her mother. But, once this task is complete she will take over her mother's duty as the hunter of the clan. Once she makes her way to the beast's den she must ask her clan's gods for their blessing.

Come face-to-face with said gods, they smell the fear that adorns her scent. Yet, it's not the monster that killed her mother that she fears (The Wyrm). Nay, it's the fear of returning to a village she feels isn't home anymore. The fear of living the life of a pawn, never having a choice of her actions. Yet the gods tell her she does have a choice. And so Äga must make a decision.

But what will it be?

WHAT WORKS?

• At times, Äga And The Wyrm doesn't contain much story or dialogue, but this helps drive the story, with Rogers only focusing on words that push the story forward, never wasting dialogue.

• It has a great message of mapping out your own future. Take the path you want in your hands and grasp it!

• Rogers's art is simple and vastly easy to follow. (I say this in the most respectful manner.) It's simple, yet elegantly beautiful in its execution.

• Rogers doesn't use any color, instead sticking with black and white. For the story being told, it works visually well.

• The dialogue fonts are legible! That may sound like an odd thing to read, but when reading a comic on your phone/tablet/PC, if the fonts or bubbles are smaller, it can be much harder to read. In Äga And The Wyrm, Rogers makes the font for dialogue bigger than usual. Yay being able to read stuff clearly!

• Endings like this one are so fun, making you reread the story, hyper-analyzing everything that has transpired.

• Memorable Quote: "You make your own future. It lies not in the hands of the old women of your clan, or in the grasping claws of the wyrm, or controlled by our divine whims. You make your own future." – The Gods

WHAT DOESN’T WORK?

• As much as I love endings like the one in this comic, I also hate them! Crazy huh? Without spoiling anything, we'll just say I know endings like these can be polarizing in one-and-done stories.

• It seems Äga And The Wyrm takes its worldbuilding inspiration from Norse Mythology. Sadly, it never delves into much of the lore, which would've been nice. This doesn't take away from how great the comic is, but could've added to the amazing read.

• There are a few panels that have a bit too many dialogue boxes that end up covering or taking away impact from the art and making the page feel cluttered.

Äga And The Wyrm, page 6, self-published, Annemarie Rogers

WHY SHOULD I READ IT?

Äga And The Wyrm is a quick, 30-page read that makes you think about how you, yourself, control your destiny. Instead of being an ongoing story, it's one you can easily pick up, read, reread, then reread again!

Plus, it's always fun directly supporting a self-published creator!

WHAT SHOULD I READ NEXT?

If you like the writing:

• Head Lopper by Andrew MacLean

• Eternal by Ryan K. Lindsay & Eric Zawadzki

• The Last Scarecrow by Aaron Losty, Becca Carey

If you like the art:

• Lumberjanes 57-64 by Kat Leyh, Shannon Watters, Annemarie Rogers, Maarta Laiho

• Lumberjanes, Vol. 1 by Noelle Stevenson, Grace Ellis, Brooke Allen

• Brave Chef Brianna by Sam Sykes, Selina Espiritu

ABOUT THE CREATOR

Annemarie Rogers – Cartoonist

• Multitalented: Did every aspect of the book herself

• Drew 8 issues of Lumberjanes

• New Face: It seems Lumberjanes was some of Rogers' only other comic book related work. As most of her work is illustrations/posters

HOW DO I BUY IT?

Click one of these:

• Rogers's Website

The image(s) used in this article are from a comic strip, webcomic or the cover or interior of a comic book. The copyright for this image(s) is likely owned by either the publisher of the comic, the writer(s) and/or artist(s) who produced the comic. It is believed that the use of this image(s) qualifies as fair use under the United States copyright law. The image is used in a limited fashion in an educational manner in order to illustrate the points of the author and not for the purpose of entertainment or substituting the original work. It is believed the use of this image has had no impact on the market value of the original work.

All Annemarie Rogers characters and the distinctive likeness(es) thereof are trademarks of and copyright Anemarie Rogers or their respective owners. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED

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