Niche comics have long dominated the webcomic scene. Indeed, the early college and school-based webcomics could be considered niche comics in their own right, built from a foundation of cartoonist experience and expanded upon with the creativity and whimsy of the cartoonist. Niche comics quickly spread to other genres, and soon comics focusing on topics such as theater, comic and anime conventions, and even network news have appeared. Thus it probably shouldn’t surprise me to see a comic nominally on the independent film field. I say nominally though as Instant Classic creates a whimsical world that uses the independent film field (and a local movie theater) as a backdrop for its own insanity.

Initially I assumed IC was another niche comic focusing on movie theaters and movie goers. It wasn’t until after the comic poked fun at overzealous juvenile fandom and bad movie experiences (along with a brief stint at a movie concession stand that was reminiscent of the bar out of Cassablanca) that we learned the two main protagonists, Author and “Citizen” Kate, were indie film makers, and watched their initial antics with a rival movie maker, Litchfield. As the comic continued, the world was expanded upon further and I was bemused to learn that the FCC ruled with an iron fist while movie pirates performed Mission Impossible-esque invasions of movie theaters to record movies for the common man to watch.

While Brian Carroll pokes fun at the independent film industry through his parody of film and the culture behind it, you fortunately don’t need to know anything about the indie film industry to follow the majority of the jokes. The industry is more a backdrop to focus on the characters and their relations. And if the characters are a bit over-the-top (especially “Citizen” Kate) at times, it only helps to emphasize the surreal aspects of the comic and its story.

Unfortunately, even as Carroll’s artistic talents improves, he likewise succumbs to the siren lure of copy-and-paste. Admittedly enough, some of Carroll’s earlier comics have a fairly static look to them, but when you look closer you realize that these strips were each drawn in turn; rather than copy-and-paste, his early work suffers from “talking head” syndrome. It is only once his artwork takes a significant leap forward that he starts delving into the static artistic entropy of copy-and-paste art. The presence of several uncolored strips can also be jarring, especially when you consider Carroll’s subtle use of coloring to help signify flashbacks and the like. Unfortunately, the comic has been rushed in places and that early work apparently ignored once posted.

Likewise, the story seems to falter from time to time. Some of IC’s best scenes are centered around the movie concession stand and the secondary character of Mágelle, and the best interactions between Author and Kate likewise occur in the movie theater. It is the theater where IC was born, and it is in this familiar environment where the comic truly shines. Fortunately, even when the story does falter, it is still quite enjoyable, and the comic as a whole is well worth adding to your reading list.