The Meek Explained

The Meek is a fantasy webcomic written and illustrated by Der-shing Helmer since 2008. Taking place in a fantasy world, The Meek focuses on protagonist Angora, a young girl with a magical ability to control plants, as she is trying to reach a place she refers to as "the center".^[2] However, The Meek follows multiple narratives with several different characters from across the world. Each chapter separately follows one of these narratives.

Development

Der-shing Helmer is a trained biologist and educator,^[3] writing The Meek in her spare time. In a 2009 interview, Helmer stated she draws inspiration from biology when designing the world of The Meek.^[4] Helmer created the first draft of her webcomic entirely with a mechanical pencil and marker, but quickly switched to Photoshop CS2 for the final version. She uses a Wacom Intuos tablet to create the comic, and her creation process has become more streamlined since she built a template for her pages.^[5]

Plot

The Meek follows multiple narratives with several different characters from across the world. Each chapter separately follows one of these narratives. The main characters are:

• Angora  - The protagonist, an enthusiastic 15-year-old girl living alone in a jungle, aided by her plant manipulation powers, until she embarks on her quest to save the world. She has little use for clothes, and will at most wear a pair of cut-off shorts.
• Luca  - An emperor and leader of a group of people called the Pasori. Murder drives him to switch from peaceful negotiation to war against another country.
• Soli – A bandit who is searching for her ex-boyfriend, so she can kill him.^[6]
• Pinter  - Angora's companion, a wandering, alcoholic cartographer who meets Angora and, out of concern for her safety, travels with her.
• Rana, Suda and Hyla  - Luca's children.
• Alamand  - Soli's companion, a skilled young boy.

The plot of The Meek concerns a war that is brewing between several of the world's nations, notably the Carissi and the Pasori people.^[7]

Reception

Caitlin Rosberg of The A.V. Club recommended The Meek as one of the best comics of 2016.^[8]

In 2017, The Meek won an Ignatz Award in the "Outstanding Online Comic" category.^[9]

External links

• • Website of Der-shing Helmer

Notes and References

1. Web site: Chapter 1: Lost and Found. The Meek. Helmer. Der-shing. 2008-12-27.
2. Web site: The Webcomic Overlook #99: The Meek. Comix Talk. El Santo. 2009-05-11. https://web.archive.org/web/20100204013312/http://comixtalk.com/node/28535. 2010-02-04.
3. Web site: About. Shingworks.com. Helmer. Der-shing.
4. Web site: Web Comics Questionnaire. IN Magazine.
5. Web site: Interview: Der-shing Helmer, The Meek. Reflektor.si. Ahačič. Matic. 2009-11-17.
6. Web site: Davis. Lauren. In The Meek, only a naked green-haired girl can save the world. io9. 2011-11-12.
7. Web site: FAQ. The meek. Helmer. Der-shing.
8. Web site: Shea Hennum. Oliver Sava. Caitlin Rosberg. Tegan O'Neil. The best comics of 2016. The A.V. Club. 2016-12-14.
9. Web site: MacDonald. Heidi. The 2017 Ignatz Awards: MONSTERS and Ferris win two. ComicsBeat. 2017-09-16.