SOMBA K'E/YELLOWKNIFE - Part of what I love about webcomics is the fact that there is always something I haven’t seen yet, a new work that will surprise or impress me. Today I’m going to be talking about a webcomic I recently learnt of, Romantically Apocalyptic by Vitaly S. Alexius.

The Captain is a highly fashionable post-apocalyptic protagonist. He is sublimely rendered by artist Vitaly S. Alexius. Visit it at www.rom.ac. - photo courtesy of Romantically Apocalyptic

Romantically Apocalyptic was brought to my attention by a friend in the United States, and I was floored by its miraculous visuals, its marvellous concept, and its delightfully dark, whimsical, and twisted humour. Truly this was a promised land of warped comedy, I had come home.

The webcomic is not exactly child-friendly, but at the same time, it doesn't go out of its way to be obscene. There have been maybe one or two inappropriate words, and yes the landscape is littered with skeletons, horrible wreckage, and monsters.

The comic is set in the year is two thousand and something, the day is unknown, and the world as we know it is over. Our highly fashionable gas-masked hero is known only as "The Captain." We follow him and the remains of his squad -- Sniper, Pilot, and Engineer -- through their day-to-day lives in what is left of the world. They are not entirely alone, but other survivors and inhabitants are few and far between, and aren't always too friendly.

The Captain isn't the most typical guy. He talks to dead bodies; he plays with bombs; he drinks a pit of death dry; and he uses cake to kill alien invaders. Yes, even delicious cake is a weapon in his gloved hands.

Somehow he always manages to carry around a pristine coffee mug with a heart on it filled with hot tea in the waste land. He truly is a force to be reckoned with.

This brings me to the jaw-dropping, gorgeous, and meticulous art. Everything from the characters to the backgrounds to the sky is painstakingly rendered. You dwell on the images, and can easily get lost in them. The amount of detail, research, and time put into each panel is evident. The fact that at that level of work it updates every four to six days is amazing.

If you traverse the Internet, there is a decent chance you may have seen some of Vitaly S. Alexius' work. He is not only a brilliant digital artist, but incredible photographer as well. I highly recommend checking out both at his deviant art account; his user name is alexiuss. Or you can simply go to his website, vs.darkfolio.com. Romantically Apocalyptic is also being made into a live action series, and a few teasers are up on its website. I highly suggest giving it a look, at www.rom.ac.