Comic:Unfamiliar Reflection
From CGWiki
| Unfamiliar Reflection | |
|---|---|
| |
| Artist: | Jim Whaley |
| Writer: | Jim Whaley |
| Characters: | Emri, Kouen, Shiro, Souzoku |
| Updates: | Weekdays |
| Began: | August 21, 2006 |
| Ended: | July 30, 2007 |
| Art style: | Comic book/Manga |
| Rating: | Web-14 |
| Website | Website |
Unfamiliar Reflection is a thirteen-issue comic series consisting of twelve regular issues (#1-#12) and one out-of-continuity special (#2K2). Emri Arrojado, a high school student weeks from graduation, lands herself in trouble thanks to her boiling temper. She takes a chance on a mysterious talisman to change herself into a different person. Unfortunately for her, the talisman takes her wish literally, completely altering her identity, possibly forever. Reeling from the unexpected transformation, Emri runs away from home, followed by her best friends Kouen and Shiro. Together, the three journey across their world in search of a way to return Emri to her original body.
Update Schedule
The web version of Unfamiliar Reflection is separated according to the issues each story was originally made to be. Pages were uploaded almost every weekday for a period of one year. Toward the end of its run, week-long breaks occurred between some issues.
Issues (or Stories)
"I Wish I May, I Wish I Might, Forget the Wish I Made Tonight"
27 Pages
Emri lands in trouble at school for mouthing off to a hall monitor. She is suspended and her prospects for graduating are hopeless. She finds a strange item that grants minor wishes to her friends. Emri wishes she could be a different person, but is shocked when the talisman transforms her literally into a new identity. She runs away from home, scared to face her old life in a new body.
"My New Friend in Orange City"
14 Pages
Emri and her friends spend time in nearby Orange City, where Emri meets a homeless girl named Paapuru and realizes that her situation could be much worse.
"A Little Bit Lost"
13 Pages
Emri despairs over their endless trek through unknown wilderness. Kouen is able to cheer her up and the gang is able to continue with their journey.
"Brilliant Number Four"
15 Pages
The group visits Blue Springs, a popular tourist destination, and encounters several costumed high school hot-shots on missions of justice, extortion and revenge. (This issue was primarily a shout-out to all of the author's friends and his high school, which he had recently graduated from at the time it was made.)
"Hello, Goodbye"
14 Pages
After months of living in Yellow Village, Shiro is dying of boredom. Kouen takes sword lessons, and Emri slaves away at a tavern to make some money. Shiro runs into Hisu, a local boy and his dog Ploo. They become fast friends, but unfortunately it is once again time for the trio to move on and leave Hisu behind.
"The Abolition of Certainty" Part One
14 Pages
The gang expects to get their fortunes read, but the strange gypsy they find instead expresses interest in Emri's powers and orders Kouen to do something unthinkable.
"Demutatio Semper Potius Est"
14 Pages
This midway intermission takes Emri out of continuity, where she has a heart-to-heart talk with her creator. This comic does not fall into the normal storyline.
"The Abolition of Certainty" Part Two
15 Pages
Kouen confesses to Emri that he helped cause serious injury to her in a second-grade prank. Later, a man named Souzoku reveals that he has been tracking Emri for some time because of her powers. Emri finally realizes the dangerous nature of her powers and sets off with Kouen and Shiro to find a being who may be able to help her.
"Out from the Nightmare"
20 Pages
After years of nightmares about her father abandoning her, Shiro finds him in the Port of Grey. Her father runs into serious trouble with a criminal organization he once belonged to. After discussing the reason he left their family behind, they are both ready to put their pasts behind them when another tragedy ends the dream for good.
"Recognition"
14 pages
An old friend helps Emri realize that she still remains what she once was on the inside.
"The Strongest Flame"
15 pages
Shiro is reunited with Hisu and makes a difficult decision whether to continue traveling with her friends or return home and stay close to the boy she is falling in love with. Meanwhile, Souzoku helps Kouen realize the reason he wishes to protect Emri from the danger they are about to face.
"Last Night"
14 pages
In uncharted wilderness, a discarded photograph alerts the travelers that the man who can return Emri's original body is drawing closer. Souzoku's looming betrayal is unnoticed by Emri and Kouen, and Emri is soon taken captive by the man himself.
"Will You Still Be With Me At the End of the World?"
26 pages
Kouen battles Souzoku as Emri battles an image of her former self. The final fate of her existence, and the world's, is decided in a battle of willpower between Emri Arrojado and the powerful stranger named Kaijin.
Character Arcs
Each character has their own arc, advanced across multiple issues.
Emri's character arc is addressed in issues 1, 2, 3, 6, 7, 9, 11 and 12.
Kouen's character arc is addressed in issues 3, 6, 7, 10, 11 and 12.
Shiro's character arc is addressed in issues 5, 8 and 10.
Souzoku has a minor character arc, but is never the focus of a story. In issues 7, 10, 11 and 12 he functions primarily as a supporting character for Emri's and Kouen's arcs.
Pre-Web History
Unfamiliar Reflection's first publication was between May 2001 and March 2004 in single-issue printed form. It ran as an on-line webcomic between August 21, 2006 and July 30, 2007. This run was immediately succeeded by <http://urgentcrisis.comicgenesis.com">"Urgent Transformation Crisis,"</a> its spiritual successor. The first tagline for this new series was "Change is Still for the Better," a callback to "Unfamiliar Reflection"'s tagline, "Change is Always for the Better."
Alterations
The comic was updated and improved during its transition to the digital realm. Several art and continuity mistakes were corrected, however even more drastic changes were met with mixed results. The most significant of which was the name of the boy Shiro meets in issue 5. His name was originally Midoriiro, but in the on-line version, it is Hisu. The creator justified this change by saying he never cared for the name "Midoriiro" in the first place.
All issues received minor touch-ups. Cosmetic changes include:
- proper shading on pages where some areas were erroneously left pure white
- typos
- adding Shiro's ring in the many instances where it was never drawn
- solid black lineart on the previously poorly-scanned pages 12 and 13 of issue 3
- the removal of dust and smudges
- properly inked and better-detailed establishing shots
Additions were made to the seventh and tenth issues. New pages were created consisting of sections of the script that were deleted before the original issues were produced. Issue seven received a new sixth page that foreshadowed Shiro's nightmares and father issues, which would be dealt with in the next story. Issue ten saw page one expanded into two pages with an extended version of the sparring sequence.
Obscure References and In-Jokes
Reflection is choc full of minor details that either go unnoticed or seem glaringly out of place. These are usually throwaway gimmicks purely to amuse the artist. The major elements are as follows:
- Pat and Matt, two close friends of the creator, were highly influential in the development of Unfamiliar Reflection. As such, they appear in several areas in the series. First in issue 2, then 4. Matt's alter ego, the Crimson Christian, even has speaking lines in issue 4 and an additional cameo in issue 10. They would both later appear in the other Catomix series; Seven to Seven and Evil Jim.
- The Hoopla booth was a set element the artist worked on in a high school production of the musical State Fair. It is seen in issues 2 and 6.
- Several anime characters pop up from time to time in the backgrounds.
- Some of the Japanese text seen on signs are actually titles of anime series. Others are basic words that may or may not have relevance to what they are supposed to represent. Still others are meaningless doodles that were completely made up.
Categories: Comic Book | Drama | Greyscale | Rated Web-14 | Travel
