Great art & compelling storytelling in this coming-of-age comic
5 stars
DPS Only is a fun comic about following a passion even if your social surroundings are not supportive. Vicky, a teen girl, lives in the shadow of her older brother Virgil who is a star in the E-Sports scene – one of the best players of Xenith Orion, a popular multiplayer shooter. Unbeknownst to him, Vicky loves the game too and practices in secret. When friends ask her to become part of their team for an upcoming tournament, things get out of hand. Velinxi tells a straightforward story with gorgeous art, pointing out gendered dynamics in gaming while focusing on very human joys and troubles. The interpersonal tensions and bonds are handled well. DPS Only was first published online, and the page layout often keeps the breezy vertical flow of the webcomic. But it is nonetheless well adapted to the print format without being squeezed into rigid panel grids. Reading …
DPS Only is a fun comic about following a passion even if your social surroundings are not supportive. Vicky, a teen girl, lives in the shadow of her older brother Virgil who is a star in the E-Sports scene – one of the best players of Xenith Orion, a popular multiplayer shooter. Unbeknownst to him, Vicky loves the game too and practices in secret. When friends ask her to become part of their team for an upcoming tournament, things get out of hand. Velinxi tells a straightforward story with gorgeous art, pointing out gendered dynamics in gaming while focusing on very human joys and troubles. The interpersonal tensions and bonds are handled well. DPS Only was first published online, and the page layout often keeps the breezy vertical flow of the webcomic. But it is nonetheless well adapted to the print format without being squeezed into rigid panel grids. Reading sequence was never an issue for me, the arrangement of elements was always easy to follow. I enjoyed the friendships depicted. Kudos for not shoehorning an unnecessary hetero love story into this, btw!