Octopus Pie has been on my radar since a class I took Fall 2010 my Junior year. I took a class about interactivity in print and its transition into the digital world. We discussed comics and graphic narratives on tablet and digital devices. Web comics was a part of this and I was able to check Octopus Pie out then. Unfortunately, I have not looked at it since until this posting. It was refreshing to go back to comic strips and quick reads after looking at graphic novels and longer stories.
The first thing I notice about this is that even though I am viewing this comic in a web browser, the experience is very much like that of a print comic strip. Though there are seemingly endless possibilities for interaction in the digital realm, you read this strip panel by panel. Meredith Gran only shows the reader a little at a time and doesn't overwhelm you with the possibilities. I also get a similar feeling to a print strip from the fact that even though there is a continuing storyline, each strip has a gag setup the ends it nicely. The visual style is flexible, curvy lines that create excellent movement so the reader is kept interested even though it is only black and white. Octopus Pie is entertaining with fun art and amusing characters. I look forward to see what will happen and how it will adapt in more interactive realms.
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