The planet of Nem is a troubled one, torn by brutal wars between its three nations for as long as anyone can remember. As technology continues to advance and the battlefronts become ever more deadly, mysterious events have begun to occur. Entire cities drop from the sky without warning, sinking into the lethal storms of the Underclouds. Crystalline monsters called Lightstriders have begun to emerge from these storms, attacking and eating unsuspecting people at night. No weapons can harm them, and no one knows their intentions. Some believe the war may be the cause, while others believe it’s the fault of “Evus,” a mysterious, illegal, and supposedly lethal art.
In the midst of this chaos, an adventurous, idealistic boy named Wester comes face-to-face with the reality of the world’s crisis. Fearing the eventual fall of his beloved hometown, he sets off on a journey to his capital city. Little does he know, his adventure will quickly become far different and far greater than he could have ever imagined…
Evus is written and illustrated by Kirsten Mackey and can no longer be found online. It is part of the SpiderForest webcomic community.
This webcomic provides examples of:
- Action Girl: Caswin's older sister, Lira. Maisy's friend Laine thinks Lira "totally [kicks] butt"
, and Caswin is very much afraid of what she'll do to him if he reveals her Dark and Troubled Past. Lira wanted to be a pteroplane fighter, but had to settle for piloting a cargo ship due to gender roles. She is determined to do everything in her power to kill the Lord President of Accipiter. - Art Evolution: Kirsten's art for Evus was great from the start, but the quality has increased considerably even just over the course of a year.
- Brother–Sister Team: Wester and Maisy
- Color Motif:
- Pandion, Nem’s western nation, is associated with gold and yellow. This, our protagonist's homeland, is a sunny, low-lying country comprised of chains of grassy islands. The people here live peaceful lives, focused on farming, mining, and serving their nation in times of war.
- Accipiter is associated with red. The eastern nation is by far the largest, strongest, and most influential of them all. Its people devote much of their time to manufacturing, metalworking, and providing all manner of supplies to support the country’s massive military armada. War, honor, and victory are concepts deeply ingrained in the Accipitrans’ mindsets.
- Elanus is associated with blue. Lying in the far northern reaches and resting high in the clouds, the islands of Elanus are bitterly cold and windy year-round. Its people adapted well to their environment, building cities into mountains and the bases of islands to conserve heat. Elanusians live strongly based on tradition and culture .
- Cool Bike: Caswin has one, no question, and it's Steampunk too!
- Cool Planes: The pteroplanes. Wester's particular pteroplane is called the Kite.
- Crocodile Tears: Maisy uses this to get Caswin to talk about Lira.
- Dark and Troubled Past: Lira's is the cause of her grudge against the Lord President of Accipiter, the man with the mechanical arm.
- During the War: Fought primarily between Pandion and Accipiter.
- Forbidden Zone: The Undercloud Layer
- No OSHA Compliance: Wester's workplace
- Opening Monologue: Wester's narration in his journal introduces us to Nem, the three nations, and the war.
- The Sky Is an Ocean: Since the setting is a World in the Sky, ships and pteroplanes fly through the Midcloud Layer. The Undercloud Layer compares to the dark, unexplored depths of the ocean.
- Sliding Scale of Gender Inequality: Based on Lira's appointment as a cargo pilot for the Pandese military being the best she could get as a woman, and even that was allowed only because of her father's importance, Pandion seems to be in the "Men Are More Equal" mindset.
- Steampunk: The comic is influenced by the steampunk style.
- War Is Hell: Wester espouses this belief quite strongly.
- World in the Sky: Nem.
