You All Need To Meet Pigeondove~ In Which I Explain How I Was Introduced To The Silver Eye And Something Akin To Madness Ensued

Greetings, lovely people!

Do you remember the end of 2020/start of 2021 when I, who was a perfect stranger to graphic novels of any kind and perfectly content to be so, accidentally discovered manga?

That was a time.

I got all inspired with the idea that good stories really do come in all shapes and sizes. Formatting might not be what you expect (or even prefer), but an excellent story can shine through whatever medium it happens to be in, and isn’t that just a grand thought??

Yes, it is.

Anyway, up until quite recently, there was a specific type of story that I was extremely hesitant to try.

Namely, the webcomic.

I had seen bloggers recommend webcomics here and there, but I had never seriously considered reading one, because I’m still getting used to liking graphic novels (words+pictures at the same time can be overwhelming, guys), and also reading on the computer tends to fry the eyeballs and generally overstimulate the brain.

So…words+pictures+computer screen=WHAT IS THIS TORTURE?!

Or…so I thought.

But one day I read this fateful post by Sarah Seele about how much she loved a webcomic called The Silver Eye, and, well…said post made said webcomic sound extremely appealing (mostly due to mentions of tragic backstory and trauma).

Me: Okay, so maybe SOMEDAY I will try that one, despite it being a webcomic.

Me: [three hours later] Maybe I’ll just go to the website, you know, check it out for a second…

…

Somehow I ended up consuming the whole thing. In three days.

And now I am slightly obsessed.

The following is sort of a review, but mostly just me flailing. So, without further ado…

Random first impressions (emphasis on ‘random’):

• …why does this not make the sense to my brain?! WHAT IS GOING ON?
• Oh
• Wait
• Left to right, son, LEFT to RIGHT
• (It’s not manga)
• Left to right…like a regular book
• Got it
• Hm, this is actually kinda interesting now that I’m reading it like a normal person…
• Ooh, pretty pictures 🙂
• “The Flowers cost money, sir” Hehe…
• Mysterious rugged man attacks child(?) with sword. Awkward
• Such GREAT JUDGMENT all these kids be having, though
• Lovely siblings! YES
• CONFUSION??
• Child is TALL now
• Good grief
• Oh, the trauma! SON I AM SO SORRY
• backstory. Yes. *weeping*
• Oof
• I jUst FeEL SO BaD foR BOth oF tHEm
• Why am I so confused…? WHAT IS HAPPENING?
• This is hilarious, though
• HOW
• DARE
• YOU
• NOT
• HUG
• AVIDAN
• ?????!!!!!
• Hehe, limes
• What secrets pray are these??
• PAIN
• GLORIOUS PAIN
• CAN I GIVE ALL OF YOU HUGS NOW
• Bacon
• Such relatable humor
• HA
• *incoherent sounds of weeping*

Is everything clear to you?

Okay, let’s get a little bit more organized here.

The Specs:

The Silver Eye is a fantasy/adventure webcomic created by Laura Hollingsworth. It began in 2009 and is currently in progress.

The story revolves mainly around a Severely Traumatized (former) child-king after a series of devastating events has taken place as a result of a rivalry with a neighboring kingdom…among other things. He basically takes it upon himself to Fix All the Things. WHICH IS SO HEALTHY, SON. (But of course we love him for this.)

(If you want a more lucid explanation of the plot, you can go to The Silver Eye website, where Laura gives a description that is better than mine.)

Things I’m geeking out about:

First of all,

The Characters

Because what is story without lovely, wholesome, ridiculous and/or traumatized bean-children?? (The answer is nothing, obviously.)

A few characters to scream about:

Apen: Takes responsibility for All the Things. Memorizes genealogies (for…fun?). Former child-king of Cedulan. Has a traumatic association with libraries. Would win Trauma Wars if it was a competition. Is fond of chocolate. Will risk his life to save his puppy. Is good at keeping secrets (perhaps too good?). Usually polite, but can get short-tempered around incompetent fools. Isn’t always as careful with his telescope as he should be. Just wants to Do the Right Thing. Has been known to go berserk at the sight of a redhead reading a book. Desperately needs hugs and therapy, but thinks he can heroically push through without them (NO, SON. GO TO THERAPY).

Enel: Is prone to excessive clumsiness and obnoxious silliness. Adores candy canes. Is aggressively happy-go-lucky. Velvare’s favorite orphan(?). Seems to have an allergy to responsibility and change. Is kind of a wimp. Can be kind of a brat. Can also be a sweetheart. Definitely does not have abandonment issues, don’t know why you’d bring that up. Can’t lie to save his life (or anyone else’s). Lives in total Denial of his Trauma (Trauma?! What trauma?! I’ve never seen that before IN MY LIFE! Must belong to SOMEBODY ELSE…*madly sprints in the opposite direction*). Has no clue how much he needs therapy (hint: it’s a lot).

Noah: Is a grump, first of all. Owner of Pigeondove (who is thankfully Noah-proof or she probably wouldn’t still be with us). Loves bacon and keeping secrets from people. Wants to protect people (specifically his sister Idony and his cousin Avidan), but maybe doesn’t always go about it in the best way. Makes some morally very-dark-gray-okay-it’s-actually-probably-just-black decisions. Has Mommy-Issues. Seems to enjoy inventing new ways of hurting himself (should we be concerned about this man? The answer is yes). Needs therapy, but wouldn’t admit it (IDIOT).

Idony: Loves taking care of people. Is nurturing and wholesome. Defends children from rock-throwing jerks. Loves giving other people her food, (to a point of Unhealth?). Is blind (possibly due to lack of bread??). Has been known to force her brother to read a book aloud to her that she doesn’t like because she knows he hates it more. Carries an umbrella. Disapproves of facial hair. Master of sibling banter. Would be too busy helping other people to go to therapy, but actually needs it (trust me, darling).

Avidan: Looks up to older cousin Noah, which is clearly going to turn out well. Is grumpy (you need a better role model, son). Crown Prince of Gallitan. Adopted son of Velvare. Likes fishing. Wins the Most-Neglected-Child Award sixteen years in a row. Is habitually underappreciated by Everyone. Has Severe Daddy-Issues (perhaps related to neglect??). Bitter and resentful because Enel gets more attention than him. Is kind of a bully. Actually just wants a little recognition. Have I mentioned the neglect, though? Needs many hugs. Is actually a good listener and good at keeping secrets. Also needs therapy (SO BADLY).

Joe: Wins Most Wholesome Dad Award. Has been designated “High-Jump Dad” by my sister and me. Father of Berlyne and Chara. Honorary Father of Apen (…or perhaps father-in-law?). Is fiercely protective of his kids. Basically a Texan rancher. Quite possibly the healthiest person in the comic. Has more sense than most of the other characters combined. Giver of hugs and good advice. Is therapy (but also probably needs therapy because who doesn’t?).

Velvare: Wins Worst Dad Ever Award for All the Reasons. Has been designated “Limbo Dad” by my sister and me (it even has a double meaning). Adopted father of Avidan. Has various and imaginative ways of destroying children’s lives- but always for some good cause, naturally. Master of rationalizing Horrendous Behavior. Is very good at keeping secrets and lying about everything. Is unfailingly polite and liked by nearly everyone. Is the primary reason half the characters need therapy (and yes, also needs therapy).

There are so many engaging characters, honestly? I’m not even going to get to Berlyne and Chara and Marcus and Melete and Gudrun and Ruya and…yeah, there are a lot of them.

Politics/World-building

The different kingdoms and power struggles and the way the characters get caught in the middle of it all is quite engaging. I love the way the history is interwoven with the main plot. There is so much going on and so many consequences of past decisions that directly or indirectly effect the present and it’s just so satisfying to see it all starting to come together. (Not that there isn’t still a lot of Confusion, because there certainly is, but it is starting to make some sense.)

Also the geography of the world is cool? The way you have these two main populated areas separated by dragon-infested lands/seas creates such a good dynamic for the story. Not to mention that the dragons are called weavers and just super cool as far as dragons go.

Curses!

Speaking of consequences and past decisions, one of the things that makes this story deliciously angsty is the curse situation. While the curses are a mite confusing and I was terribly lost at first, I just kind of love them? Almost everyone is suffering in some capacity or other from one or both of the main curses and it’s kind of great. So much opportunity for moral quandary and of course TRAUMA.

The general…vibe of the thing

I am not quite sure how to describe what I mean here, but the fact that so much of the humor is just my kind of humor and the character interactions feel so familiar and everything is so quotable and the angst is my jam…I guess it just feels like it fits me…like a glove.

Artwork

There is so much really stunning artwork, guys. It boggles my mind sometimes that people can draw. So much story being told without words. How do you show such glorious expression in the face and the subtle nuances of the body language and give me so many feelings over one stinkin’ picture?? I’m just so impressed.

You might recall I said that it started in 2009, so it’s been going for over ten years, and you can see the artwork improve with time. I just think it’s interesting to note that she revamped the first three chapters semi-recently, so there’s a marked shift in quality when you jump to chapter four, but after that you get to watch it gradually get better and better and it’s honestly so fascinating to me getting to see that process.

Trauma and Tragic backstories and Trauma

So I guess this really goes with characters, but it’s so important to me I just thought I’d give it a heading of its own…yeah.

There is a lot of tragic backstory going on, which leads to much trauma. And I love how everyone deals with their trauma in such contrasting ways?? They all have various coping mechanisms and defenses. Such varying levels of Unhealth! Such angst! And there are layers of trauma, layers; it has depth and texture and everyone responds differently and there is so much PAIN for everyone involved. Isn’t that just…lovely?

Extras

These honestly remind me intensely of manga side-scenes and things and I love it. Some of it is 100% canon and some of it is sheer ridiculousness, but all of it’s kind of great.

Q and A comics: the author and your favorite characters answer questions about bread and hugs and all the things and it’s kind of hilarious most of the time.

Timeline: A nice streamlined version of the story with its own mini illustrations. Honestly a work of art in it of itself.

Character Quiz: Find out which of the lovely traumatized characters you most resemble! (I got Avidan the first time I took it…yes, I’ve take in more than once.)

Hover-text: “Good, he brought his speech notes. OR DID HE.” (14×26)

It’s…kind of addicting.

Character Playlists: So Laura made character playlists on Spotify and character playlists are my jam. I don’t 100% agree with every song on any given playlist (as far as fitting for the character, that is), but for the most part they are amazing.

Patreon stuff: Including Meyer’s-Briggs personality types for the characters, Gudrun’s peculiar fondness for bread, and the deleted old people scene, which is a thing to behold (why is it SO FUNNY?).

(But mostly Noah’s sketchbook.)

(Mostly the Avidan page of Noah’s sketchbook.)

(MY HEART IS BREAKING.)

Epilogue

So. That is a thing that happened.

After I read The Silver Eye, I got my sister Elizabeth Hyde to read it, and since then she’s been trying to get our two younger sisters to read it by showing them pictures of Pigeondove (hence the title of this post…in case you were confused).

(I’m sure it makes perfect sense now. Besides, you DO need to meet Pigeondove.)

I’m just really glad that I pushed past my trepidation and tried this webcomic, because it’s honestly so good. If you have never read a webcomic don’t let that stop you from trying The Silver Eye! You may be pleasantly surprised.

Shout-out to Sarah Seele for introducing me to this glorious thing. 🙂 (Also you should check out her post too because it actually has pictures.)

Have you read The Silver Eye? Have you read any webcomics? Do you have any recommendations for me? What is a story format that you are hesitant to try? What is a story format that you generally don’t like? Does it thrill you to think of stories transcending the bonds of the medium in which they are told? Do you like reading stories about characters who need therapy??