It may not be apparent from my webcomic reading list, but I’m a huge fan of the science fiction genre. And while new science fiction books can be difficult to find in the large chain bookstores (as publishers are reluctant to publish books that aren’t guaranteed sellers and consider the genre to be a niche market despite science fiction’s influences on both technology and motion picture industries), I disagree with the notion that the genre is in decline. Instead, I believe science fiction has remained true to its roots and embraced some of the new technologies it helped inspire in the form of Internet storytelling.

One recent addition to the ranks of science fiction webcomics (which include such notaries as Schlock Mercenary and Freefall) can be found with Scott Bieser’s Quantum Vibe, a rather well-drawn comic which has a more classic feel to its science fiction, reminiscent of the flying cars and spaceships found in the older science fiction stories from the 50s and 60s. As with most good storytelling, QV doesn’t seem to rely on the technology to drive the story; instead, the tech is part of an ongoing extensive background setting to add atmosphere to the comic as a whole.

It succeeds. Our initial introduction to the comic’s primary protagonist, Nicole Oresme, quickly fleshes her out with such delightful tidbits as not wanting to admit to her mother that she was correct (a sentient most young adults can attest to) and anger at a potential employer, Dr. Seamus O Murchada, for not warning her as to how she would arrive at her job interview, along with less delightful but still quite humanizing moments such as when her boyfriend dumps her for another young woman. I’ll admit the cynic in me considers the latter moment almost over the top, but it also allows for some humor involving a shovel later in the comic (I still look forward to learning why she had a shovel on a space habitat) as well as the incentive to take on the job that will help drive the story along.

I also have to take my hat off to how Bieser managed to sneak in an information dump into the comic that made sense during Nicole’s interview with Dr. O Murchada; it is logical for someone to research a potential employer before going to an interview (even if I always skimped on those details back when I was looking for gainful employment). What made the information dump work was the artwork, and watching the characters’ expressions and reactions during the commentary. Often information dumps are utilized much as they sound: a “dumping” of information. Bieser added another element to it: character reactions, which helps put this information into greater context, and gives weight to it through the characters’ interactions with that knowledge.

While artwork is an integral part of any webcomic, Bieser’s artwork helps Quantum Vibe stand out, and drives home its science fiction setting. Little things such as floating dinner trays, hover-bubbles, and transhuman organisms succeed in driving home the “science fiction” aspect of the comic. While the comic relies on storytelling and character development to draw in readers, it’s the art itself that helps imbue QV with the “vibe” of classic science fiction storytelling. But you don’t need to be a science fiction aficionado to enjoy QV; it is the characters and plot that make it worth reading.