One of the biggest advantages webcomics have over their print counterparts is the nature of the medium itself. For some time, webcomics have dabbled in expanding their boundaries compared to the limitations of print comics. Some comics have pushed the boundaries of what cartoonist Scott McCloud calls the “infinite canvas” (with Damonk’s Framed!!! being an excellent example of this, utilizing html coding to alter how readers interact with his comic). Other comics have dabbled with sound effects and limited animation to help their comic stand out.

The apocalyptic zombie comic Dead Winter is no stranger to the use of animation to celebrate benchmarks in the comic’s run. What makes update 300 so special is the presentation of the animation. Rather than constrain himself with a set animation box, S. Dave Shabet mixed the tradition of comic panels with animation (something that the surreal horror comic 5ideways tried, though 5ideways relied on set panel structures with the animation embedded within the frames). Each panel is animated, and runs in turn to show the story as a whole.

This is where Dead Winter stands out from its peers. While other comics have used animation to help their comic stand out, Shabet has used animation as a means of enhancing the storytelling of the comic itself. Nor is this the simplistic animations found in other comics that have dabbled in animated frames; the animation might not be as smooth and elegant as that found in anime and animated features, but it works well in bringing the comic to life, and engaging the readers. Further, with each new animated sequence, Shabet improves his skills as an animator, helping the animation flow and effectively tell its story. While this undoubtedly is a significant investment of time and effort, it also raises the bar for webcomics as a whole.