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A Change of Constancy
 (From Seasons of Constancy. Click on image to see full-sized image.)
I first learned of Seasons of Constancy back in the 2002 San Diego ComicCon, when I met this nice chap who was selling posters for his comic, with a picture of (I believe) Seji. Because it was the last day, he had cut prices to $1 each, and I picked up two, one for my former roommate, and a second for me.
Soon after, I started reading SoC, and quickly fell in love with it. The comic was quirky and amusing and for some reason I always felt like there was a certain innocence to it. It's kind of silly of me to look at SoC that way; Bryan Wong states in the site's logo that reader discretion is advised. But outside of some innuendo and some low-key swearing, SoC has always seemed a lot purer than quite a few of the PG-13 comics out there.
Part of this has to do with the content. SoC is about family, and friends so close they are as good as family. Whether we watch Don and Seji with their family, or Pikhe squabbling with Seji (who's his sister) and his folks as he enters adulthood himself, there is this quality to the comic that has kept me a regular fan for years.
Still, things aren't all smooth sailing within the world of Constancy. Don was laid off from his job and forced to get a new job in a bad part of the city. After a police raid in that area, where we were introduced to another character (Ama) who apparently had a history with Don and Seji in the past, Seji herself started work and insisted that Don quit. And he's feeling... I'm not sure, powerless? He's definitely not happy with the turns his life has taken.
There's much more going on as well. It would be impossible to mention it all, or all of the characters involved. In fact, there's a banner at the bottom of the comic with a list of each character in question, and stats about them. We currently have 16 characters mentioned here, of which 10 are related or so close as to be related.
*sigh* I'm not doing this comic justice. It's just that you truly have to read it to understand. Sometimes you won't even understand right off; SoC sometimes requires some thought, and it can be confusing from time to time figuring out which character is talking (which has more to do with word balloon placement than an over-convoluted plot).
But once you start reading, it's surprising how involved you can get. I lost myself in it earlier today, reminding myself of what SoC was about... and then realized that it's 8 p.m. and I still have a review to write on the comic.
Why Keenspot has never "Spotted" this comic, I'll never know. It's a shame, because it has long been a superb weekly comic. But then, that might also be part of the problem; SoC is a weekly comic, and I'm unsure of how many of Keenspot's coterie are weekly. Still, that shouldn't be held against a superb comic with a fantastic storyline and a rich background.
So definitely give Seasons of Constancy a try. It's got a strong sense of family and of the conflicts, trials, and outright silliness that affect families... and also a varied and rich background that transforms this comic into something remarkable.
Robert A. Howard
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