''Cottonstar'' is an ongoing South African

webcomic Webcomics (also known as online comics or Internet comics) are comics published on a website or mobile app. While many are published exclusively on the web, others are also published in magazines, newspapers, or comic books. Webcomics can be c ...

, written, drawn and

self published Self-publishing is the publication of media by its author at their own cost, without the involvement of a publisher. The term usually refers to written media, such as books and magazines, either as an ebook or as a physical copy using POD (pri ...

by Danelle Malan and Ben Geldenhuys. It was created in 2008, but only launched in 2011. In 2012, it was self-published in print as a

comic book A comic book, also called comicbook, comic magazine or (in the United Kingdom and Ireland) simply comic, is a publication that consists of comics art in the form of sequential juxtaposed panels that represent individual scenes. Panels are of ...

for the first time.brainwavez.org: Comics: South African Roundup
/ref> ''Cottonstar'' forms part of the post-2007 independent comics boom in

South Africa South Africa, officially the Republic of South Africa (RSA), is the Southern Africa, southernmost country in Africa. It is bounded to the south by of coastline that stretch along the Atlantic Ocean, South Atlantic and Indian Oceans; to the ...

, in which several independent publishers have begun to produce work that significantly improves the diversity and mainstream presence of comics available in the country.

Plot

The

dystopian fiction Utopian and dystopian fiction are genres of speculative fiction that explore social and political structures. Utopian fiction portrays a setting that agrees with the author's ethos, having various attributes of another reality intended to appeal t ...

story is set in an alternate future

Cape Town Cape Town ( af, Kaapstad; , xh, iKapa) is one of South Africa's three capital cities, serving as the seat of the Parliament of South Africa. It is the legislative capital of the country, the oldest city in the country, and the second largest ...

in which most of the present day land masses of the world are covered with water, as a result of

global warming In common usage, climate change describes global warming—the ongoing increase in global average temperature—and its effects on Earth's climate system. Climate change in a broader sense also includes previous long-term changes to E ...

.Lost At E Minor: Cottonstar: Pirates vs. ninjas in a weekly web-comic
/ref>Design Indaba: Girl Power
/ref> The story follows the protagonist, Renier du Preez, as he experiences life aboard the ship ''Cottonstar'', on which he holds the position of ship's boy.
/ref> Fleeing from 'the Corporation', Renier du Preez, a former Corporation ninja, joins the crew of a small sailing ship, the ''Cottonstar'', captained by Domino Hartwick. Later, the ship sails to the Dragon’s Teeth, where they pick up another crew member, Ford Visagie, Vuis' cousin, and Domino is told of the Corporation’s expansion plans. However, an attack on Renier by 'vipers' (Corporation ninjas) leads to an explosion, meaning the crew have to leave abruptly. Later, Noah tells Renier his early life as an assassin, and how he came to know Reka (then a surgeon), and how he came to be recruited. The crew heads to the Brandwag Buttress (now partially submerged) where Noah is assaulted by Mara, a sabre-cat assassin.

Characters

Main protagonists include: *Domino Hartwick: Captain of the ''Cottonstar''."The Dynamic Duo of Danelle & Ben." (April, 2013). ''Creative Freedom™'', p. 9. *Noah: a sabre-cat, a former assassin, and the ship's ballistics expert. *Reka: The ship's cook, in love with Renier. *Renier du Preez: The ship's boy, and a skilled fighter with a broom. *Vuis Visagie: The ship's mechanic. The main antagonist party is an organisation known as "the Corporation."

External links

Official website

References

{{reflist South African comics

Plot

Characters

See also

External links

References