Ben Saint Artist Spotlight: Obscurity on the Weekly #1

About the Writer William Whelchel, Staff Writer|September 27, 2017

Ben Saint logo

Photo: Ben Saint, Saintcomix.com

Ben Saint logo

The Works of Ben Saint

Ben Saint is a digital comic artist from Boston, who published his first one-shot web comic in 2013 and has since published one more one-shot and started two on-going series on his website saintcomix.com
Ben Saint’s first notable work is “The White Lion“, published in 2013, which tells a short autobiographical story about a night out in Berlin. The comic mainly focuses on Saint’s brief interactions with an interesting man he encountered outside the club he was visiting.
Saint’s second work “The Vapors“ had its first chapter published in 2015 and is still ongoing. “The Vapors“, as described by Saint himself is a “Low-stakes dark dramedy about two disgusting nerds.” Mainly focused on the arrogant and pretentious Vincent, “The Vapors” centers around the anxieties and social problems faced by nerdy college students everywhere.
Saint next published the short “Brunswick” in 2016, about his favorite Pokémon, from the iconic video game franchise of the same name, a Mamoswine named Brunswick. This is the shortest of his comics, being only 26 pages with very little text.
Also in 2016, Saint published half of the first chapter of “The Champion“, with the other half still in production. “The Champion“ features a world in which prisoners compete in staged gladiatorial battles for public amusement. The protagonist, Sophia, despite not being a prisoner, competes in these battles as the champion, appointed by the government, to be faced by anyone who can reach her. Despite this prestigious position, Sophia is very dissatisfied with her place in life, and longs for a more creative position.  This comic focuses much more on action than Saint’s other works.

You’re reading obscurity on the weekly, a home for obscure things retro to modern. This week, the spotlight’s on Ben Saint, a digital artist whose primary focus lies on his excellent library of web comics.

Saint’s work can be found chiefly on his website saintcomix.com, although he also has a YouTube channel, and a Twitter page @itsallsougly. Additionally, he often appears on the Pro Crastinators Podcast and has a secondary YouTube channel he shares with his girlfriend Jackie.

“The White Lion”, although not bad by any means, is unquestionably my least favorite of Ben Saint’s comic library. While entertaining in its own right, “The White Lion” showcases neither the emotional potency, nor the thought provoking nature of his later works. In this way, its brevity is both a blessing and a curse, getting it out of the way quickly, yet failing to inspire any emotion, barring mirth.

“The Vapors”, however, is an entirely different story.

I have a categorical attraction toward arrogant or pretentious characters, and Vincent of “The Vapors“ does not disappoint on that front. While the condescending jerk is far from a brand new idea, Vincent stands out due to the focus put on the anxieties and hang-ups beneath the facade. He may come off as insufferable to some, but Vincent gets a pass from me.

Vincent may be my favorite character from “The Vapors”, but my favorite aspect overall is how the sullen tone interacts with the comedy. “The Vapors” consistently causes me to flip from a smile to a sigh in a single panel. Saint’s ability to communicate an emotion so quickly and effectively is the highlight of his work, and it never gets better than in “The Vapors.”

Photo by Ben Saint, Saintcomix.com
The Champion’s first panel

Or at least that’s what I thought until I read “Brunswick.”

“Brunswick” is an experience. A fantastic experience at that. Being the second short, published in 2016, it’s amazing how much Saint can pack into just 26 pages. “Brunswick” is certainly not for everyone, but if the concept interests you at all, it’s something that must be viewed firsthand. The nature of the story prevents me from elaborating much here, but “Brunswick” is Saint’s magnum opus in my eyes.

Last but not least, we have “The Champion”, which as of yet, has only half a chapter out. “The Champion” certainly looks promising, but as the half currently available ends just before the climax of the first chapter, it’s hard to make a clear judgement. For an action comic, the art style has a very distinct wide-eyed style of character designs, contrasting the more serious designs of most action focused works.

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Ben Saint, as usual, uses strong facial expressions, which work surprisingly well for the story. The highlight of “The Champion” for me is the striking framing and composition of frames, beautifully exemplified by the very first panel. I eagerly await the release of more.

That covers everything Saint has released so far. What did you think about Saint’s comics? Which was your favorite?

Be on the lookout for more Obscurity on the Weekly.