layla | Plug plug plug!

vogelein, a.k.a. Jane Irwin, has a new comic, and it's lovely to behold! I've been fortunate enough to be privy to the early stages of the project, and now it's live: Clockwork Game: The Illustrious Career of a Chess-Playing Automaton. It's based on the true story of a clockwork chess-playing machine that was built in the late 18th century. 17th/18th century Europe really isn't very interesting to me, let alone a story about chess -- so take my recommendation with that in mind: I loved the script when I first read it, could not put it down, and couldn't wait to see it in graphic form. Now Jane's brought it to life with luscious, detailed black-and-white art in a bold style that's slightly reminiscent of woodcuts. It's a very different look from Vogelein, and the story itself is meticulously researched (holy moley, when Jane does research, she doesn't mess around; she puts my paltry efforts to shame) and gorgeously rendered. Go check it out!