Webcomic / Avania

Yes, this is the first issue of a webcomic.

Avania is a webcomic created by Tristan Cobb featuring an Ensemble Cast of anthropomorphic avian and equine characters in a military setting, spanning both Diesel Punk and Magitek worlds.

The comic follows several characters (and their friends, allies, and rivals) on different sides of a rising conflict. Much of the story takes place in the titular country of Avania, and centers on a crumbling fort known as Frontier HQ. Despite being home to the Avanian Army's less than motivated troops, the base's reluctant commander Captain Hans Schmutzesser winds up playing host to a number of guests, including a company of prideful Royal Engineers under orders to renovate the base's unused airfield, a scrappy squadron of mercenary Hequevar pilots searching for work after the occupation of their homeland, and an elite squadron of the Avanian Royal Navy—the famed White Knights. They aren't the only new faces on the Frontier, as two magical agents from the foreign world of Demonus carry out orders of their own.

Avania went live July 8, 2018 and ran weekly until October 25, 2020. Since then it has run chapters in weekly installments until conclusion, with a hiatus until the next chapter is ready.

---

Avania contains examples of:

• Ace Pilot: The pilots of the ARN White Knights would presumably all qualify, though Daniel Kruger is particularly noteworthy. Of the Black Lanners, Una Pennrose and Isla Moorsley certainly want to be aces.
• Action Girl: Una Pennrose and Charlotte Burns can hold their own in a brawl just as well as their male crewmates.
• Aerial Canyon Chase: One occurs in chapter 3, introducing the Black Lanners.
• Agent Peacock: Agent Valenvarius Narscio is an intelligence officer sporting long eyelashes, even longer flowing golden locks, and an exquisitely hilted rapier. Despite his fabulous affect, and regularly providing snobbish commentary and disparaging remarks for those he finds lacking in class, he is demonstrably capable at his job, and proves himself a powerful adversary in combat.
• Airborne Aircraft Carrier: The Avanian Royal Navy possess at least one of these—The Lord Standish, as well as a number of airborne battleships and other craft seen around their naval HQ.
• Amazonian Beauty: Technical Sergeant Rolena Rissitia is taller and more muscular than all her Hequevar crewmates save for Major MacIntyre, making her significantly larger than any of the Avian men at Frontier HQ.
• Army of Thieves and Whores: Frontier HQ's garrison has a bad reputation among the Avanian armed forces, and many of the soldiers stationed at the fort demonstrate lax discipline and morals.
• Art Evolution: The comic starts with rougher line art, limited grey tones, and simple hard shading in the first three chapters. The hard shading is dropped starting in chapter four, but the artwork becomes more polished with clean linework and detailed greyscale rendering of light and shadow as the comic goes on.
• Bad Ass Longcoat: Captain Abernathy frequently wears a greatcoat draped over her shoulders. Inspector Griffin wears a leather trenchcoat befitting his occupation.
• Barefoot Cartoon Animal: Avian, Equine, and Hequevar characters generally wear lower leg coverings of some kind such as canvas spats or leather gaiters, which leave the soles of their feet exposed. Full shoes do also exist in the setting, however, as Viktoria Lanius is seen wearing high heels while dressed in civilian clothing. Valenvarius also laments not having his farrier fit him for full shoes appropriate for a rocky environment. Note that both types of ankle and footwear are Truth in Television for Equine characters, as real life horses are often given bell boots to protect against injury or accidentally pulling off their horseshoes.
• Belly-Scraping Flight: Una Pennrose and Charlotte Burns kick up a dust cloud with their aircraft's props while recovering from an aborted emergency landing. Also, while not the belly of the aircraft, Una also scrapes the antenna mast on top her Lancer during the Aerial Canyon Chase in chapter 3, resulting in a bend which persists through subsequent chapters.
• Bespectacled Cutie: Junior Warrant Officer Rhys O'Shaughnassy at your serv—er, is as excitable and talkative as her glasses are large.
• Bling of War: The Napoleonic-inspired service uniforms of the Demonian characters are typically quite blingy, featuring bold colors, ample gold braid, embroidery, and fancy epaulettes. Of the Avian uniforms, only the Avanian Royal Navy's comes close, in particular Admiral Von Strackte's uniform.
• Casual Danger Dialogue: Una and Charlotte's running banter during bouts of aerial action.
• Cigar Chomper: Captain Eraclare (...except when she drops it mid-sentence). Major MacIntyre, though his cigar is usually seen in his hand.
• Clean Cut: The results of Eiserne's swordwork on the hapless Avanian investigators.
• Cool Shades: Rick Detleff is often seen rocking a pair of aviator sunglasses.
• Coming in Hot: Una tells Charlotte to "brace for impact" after their Lancer's displacement arrays fail, leaving them unable to sustain flight.
• Commanding Coolness: Wing Commander Blanche Von Strauss (her initial reaction to hearing her squadron's new assignment is at least somewhat warm though).
• Custom Uniform:
  • Lieutenant Schmitt always wears a black turtleneck sweater that may or may not be regulation, but is implied to be unusual given the local temperature.
  • Corporal Detleff has so far always worn a (presumably army-issue) t-shirt while everyone else wears collared fatigue blouses He tends to wear aviator sunglasses, either on his face or hooked in the collar of his shirt.
  • Being a mercenary company, the Black Lanners have a much more loosely defined uniform with most of their personnel wear various pieces of uniform clothing from their former military. The officers generally avert this as they appear to wear full pre-mercenary uniforms. Olivia Mayfaire and Bart Karabyrn are the only junior personnel who don't wear a different blouse, trousers, or non-standard accessories.
  • Una and Charlotte are the least standard of the Black Lanners, with the former only wearing cut-off shorts made from uniform trousers and canvas spats, and the latter wearing only the fur-trimmed bomber jacket or tied-up fatigue blouse.
• Custom Uniform of Sexy:
  • Lieutenant Viktoria Lanius' black leather flight suit is as noticeably form-fitting as the rest of her wardrobe.
  • Captain Fontania Eraclare's combo of corset and open cropped jacket stands out from the ornate, but far more buttoned up jackets of other (male) Demonian officers.
  • Una and Charlotte's usual outfits may be sexy, but they are composed more of civilian clothing than uniform.
• Ear Notch: Una Pennrose has one on her right ear and two on her left. Major MacIntyre has several, and is even missing a substantial portion of his left ear.
• Ensemble Cast: The first issue introduces three main viewpoints: The Demonian agents: Valenvarius Narscio and Eiserne Maggunus, Una Pennrose and the Black Lanners squadron, and Captain Hans Schmutzesser and the men of Frontier HQ. Events are later seen from other characters' perspectives as well, including a chapter with Wing Commander Blanche Von Strauss, and smaller scenes often with Lieutenant Gustav Schmitt or Lieutenant Harry Heathridge.
• Everybody Smokes: Much of the cast smoke, be it cigarettes, pipes, or cigars. Not that surprising considering the comic is based in a 1940s-ish setting full of military personnel.
• Evil Duo: The inseparable intelligence agents Valenvarius Narscio and Eiserne Maggunus.
• Fantastic Slurs: An incensed Una Pennrose calls Osprian soldiers "streaky" several times during a tense encounter, and Major Beckinridge's colonel, as well as Sergeant Hemlock both refer to "the stripes." Both cases seem to refer to the dark eyestripe markings commonly seen on Osprans, though the later may be more a case of Nicknaming the Enemy. Osprans are also several times referred to as "fish-eaters" or with other remarks concerning their presumably fish-based diet (which would make sense if they are inspired by Real Life osprey. Also, some of them just really like fish).
  • Fontania Eraclare speaks of making the "fowls" know their place, while also dissing Valenvarius' clandestine ways.
• Fantastic Racism:
  • Many Avian and Hequevar characters would appear to be racist against Osprans, at least owing to the context of war (particularly Hequevars, as their homeland was conquered and occupied by Osprian troops).
  • Major Beckinridge says some not nice things to say about Hequevars, seemingly holding their culture in low regard.
  • Valenvarius Narscio seems to revel in his elitism in general, but is particularly disdainful of the Avian races, describing them as "barbarians."
• Form-Fitting Wardrobe: Both Viktoria's uniform and civilian clothing tend to be very well-tailored. Rolena's coveralls are also remarkably snug for a normally loose-fitting garment (though she's large enough to fill out basically anything she wears).
• Geodesic Cast: Avania has a huge cast of named characters, spread across various factions. Owing to several of the main characters belonging to completely different military units, each has their own supporting cast and background crew.
• Guy in Back: The Lancer aircraft operated by the Black Lanners are all seen to have a pilot and a navigator. Charlotte Burns sits behind Una Pennrose (sometimes to the former's consternation), Olivia Mayfaire sits behind Isla Moorsley, and Erwin Longmeadow sits behind Harry Heathridge.
• Hat of Authority: Admiral Von Strackte sports an ornate bicorn hat on the cover of issue 6. To a lesser extent, Major Beckinridge and Sergeant Hartwin are both often seen wearing caps befitting their ranks.
• I Kiss Your Hand: Squadron Lieutenant Daniel Kruger kisses the hand of Airwoman Charlotte Burns upon their mutual introduction at the end of chapter 16. Judging by her expression, Una is not impressed.
• Immigrant Patriotism: Junior Warrant Officer Rhys O'Shaughnassy is very proud to be Avanian.
• Improbable Piloting Skills: During the first chapter she appears in, Una Pennrose flies her Lancer into a canyon in pursuit of a much smaller aircraft, narrowly avoiding a fatal crash in the process. Later, while engaging in a mock battle with the White Knights squadron's ace pilots, she pulls off a fancy stunt with the help of Charlotte Burns' manipulation of the flight systems only for it to be predicted and lead to an uncontrolled dive, saved at the last minute by a high-G pull-up.
• Long-Haired Pretty Boy: The fabulous Agent Valenvarius Narscio and his flowing golden locks.
• Mind Probe: Agent Valenvarius Narscio uses his magical abilities to obtain information from the memories of a stupefied Major Beckinridge.
• Nerd Glasses: Junior Warrant Officer Rhys O'Shaughnassy wears large, round-lensed glasses with bulky frames. Major Beckinridge of the Royal Corps of Engineers, and Lieutenant Ingwin Iverness of the Black Lanners both wear oversized round hornrim glasses. Ministry Secretary Jane Darcy wears half-moon spectacles.
• Nicknaming the Enemy: Avanian soldiers often refer to Osprian soldiers / Ospran individuals as "stripes" due to their characteristic eyestripe markings.
• Non-Uniform Uniform:
  • Captain Schmutzesser's typical garrison uniform includes a number of decorative pins affixed to the collar. Averted when he dresses up for special occasions.
  • Averted with Sergeant Hartwin, who, perhaps most appropriately, wears standard garrison fatigues with no modifications; he even remembers to wear his cover while outside most of the time.
  • Of the White Knights, only Daniel Kruger appears to typically forgo a tie, instead wearing his aviator's scarf under the open collar of his shirt.
• Officer and a Gentleman: Squadron Lieutenant Daniel Kruger of the White Knights squadron, and Agent Valenvarius Narscio of the Demonian Ministry of Intelligence both seem to espouse good upper class manners of their respective cultures.
• Portal Door: The forces of Demonus make use of a large portal to travel between worlds. The entrance to the Chief Minister's office also appears to be some form of portal.
• Power Crystal: Seemingly the energy source for Demonian Magitek equipment such as their portal door. Dialogue implies that the crystals function similarly to electrical capacitors. Valenvarius is also seen to wear a small crystal pendent.
• Ring-Ring-CRUNCH!: Captain Schmutzesser wakes up and shoots his alarm clock.
• Shadowed Face, Glowing Eyes: Valenvarius and Eiserne are initially cloaked in opaque shadow during their introduction in the first chapter.
• Smoking Is Cool: Captain Schmutzesser in particular is seen lighting one or more cigarettes per chapter, and early on lights a cigarette from the stub of his last cigarette. Lieutenant Schmitt is seen to smoke unusual dark-colored cigarettes. Captain Abernathy and Admiral Von Strackte smoke pipes. Captain Eraclare is a Cigar Chomper, and Major MacIntyre is also seldom seen without a big cigar. Averted when Corporal Detleff tries to light his cigarette while riding his motorcycle.
• Tank-Top Tomboy: Scrappy ladette Una Pennrose is nearly always seen wearing a ragged white ribbed tank top. Charlotte Burns is usually seen wearing a black tank top, though she has a more typically feminine affect than her friend Una.
• The One Who Wears Shoes: Lieutenant Viktoria Lanius's civilian outfit in chapter 3 features fully-enclosed patent leather high heels.
• The Rival: Black Lanners squadron's junior pilots Isla Moorsley and Una Pennrose have a rivalry when it comes to who is the better flyer, who can become an ace first, who is faster in a foot race, and pretty much anything else they can find to compete over.
• The Captain: Captain Hans Schmutzesser is the commander of Frontier HQ (though he is apparently not thrilled about this). While scruffy and sarcastic at times, he is still a skilled soldier and wants to improve the men under his command.
• The Engineer: Major Albert Beckinridge commands the unit of Avanian Royal Engineers ordered to Frontier HQ. While his leadership style can be abrasive, he is clearly dedicated to his job and does get things done.
• Transformation Sequence: Agent Valenvarius performs a magical transformation, disguising himself as an avian to infiltrate Frontier HQ. However, he does have to manually undress first.
• Vitriolic Best Buds: Una and Charlotte often direct snarky remarks at one another as part of their running banter, but when faced with real danger, they show a deep concern for each other. Hans and Rick also hint at this relationship dynamic, though it is tempered by the former being an officer and the latter being an enlisted man. In both cases, the "Avania Mail" Q&A side-comics shed light on the pairs' histories.
• Wing Man: Lots; In the Black Lanners, Una Pennrose is seen flying wingman (or "wingmate") to Isla Moorsley and Bart Karabyrn flies wingman to Harry Heathridge. In the White Knights, Luke Winters is wingman to Daniel Kruger.