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Knite ##Webcomic
Knite
"The night sky is black, shrouded with a fog of soot and toxins. The gears of China's industrial revolution turn, unceasing, manufacturing the wants of an entire world. The consequences soar upwards until the lights of the heavens have dimmed and vanished altogether…
But there will be stars this night.
The Knites have made it their mission bring the stars back to the night in China, hanging from the tails of kites. Some call it foolishness; others will find hope in the Knites' work. Hope that someday the shroud will lift, and people will see beyond the towering monoliths of industry and gaze upon the true stars once more."
But there will be stars this night.
The Knites have made it their mission bring the stars back to the night in China, hanging from the tails of kites. Some call it foolishness; others will find hope in the Knites' work. Hope that someday the shroud will lift, and people will see beyond the towering monoliths of industry and gaze upon the true stars once more."
ebook
First published January 20, 2010
2 people are currently reading
34 people want to read
About the author
Wenqing Yan
10 books39 followersShe is a Practice of Art major at UC Berkeley with a focus on environmentalism and cyber activism. She specializes in digital art but also enjoys traditional watercolor, sculpting, and origami.
Also known as yuumei.
Also known as yuumei.
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Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews
March 5, 2015
A beautifully told story of polluted China; her night skies devoid of stars, and a young boy who is determined to bring them back.
What I really liked, other than the gorgeous art which I will talk more about below, was the way the messages of the story are brought forward. They're not preachy and they're not an environmental crusade. Yes, taking care of Earth is important and that certainly plays a part in this story, but it is more about life itself and, to a lesser extent, a lost culture than the environment. There is a increase of infertile women and stillbirths due to the pollution, and so many are suffering. Sen's step-mother, so far as I could tell, might have had both a stillborn child and now is also infertile, and the scene where you discover that is at once saddening and slightly disturbing. I did also like reading the author's notes after the chapters, explaining some of her reasons for writing something the way she did, or giving some historical/educational notes.
The art is spectacular, most especially the masterful use of coloring. Some of the panels are gorgeous and I would love some full art posters or something along those lines. Also, the way a few of the panels blended or faded into one another was very neat.
I read this here. Unfortunately, there are only 5 chapters and this story is begging to have more told, so I await the forth-coming chapters anxiously.
What I really liked, other than the gorgeous art which I will talk more about below, was the way the messages of the story are brought forward. They're not preachy and they're not an environmental crusade. Yes, taking care of Earth is important and that certainly plays a part in this story, but it is more about life itself and, to a lesser extent, a lost culture than the environment. There is a increase of infertile women and stillbirths due to the pollution, and so many are suffering. Sen's step-mother, so far as I could tell, might have had both a stillborn child and now is also infertile, and the scene where you discover that is at once saddening and slightly disturbing. I did also like reading the author's notes after the chapters, explaining some of her reasons for writing something the way she did, or giving some historical/educational notes.
The art is spectacular, most especially the masterful use of coloring. Some of the panels are gorgeous and I would love some full art posters or something along those lines. Also, the way a few of the panels blended or faded into one another was very neat.
I read this here. Unfortunately, there are only 5 chapters and this story is begging to have more told, so I await the forth-coming chapters anxiously.
August 10, 2016
Esta es una de las mejores novelas gráficas que he leído (y una de las mejores historias también). Me encantan las protagonistas, las ilustraciones son increíbles, la historia es original e interesante... ¡Este libro es maditamente perfecto! Creo sinceramente que la autora ha hecho un trabajo increíble, y la felicito de corazón.
July 3, 2013
I saw all the chapters on deviantart and LOVED EVERY SINGLE ONE OF THEM!! they are seriously so great!!
Read
August 1, 2020I'm gonna treat this entry as the old run of Knite that was never completed and mark it as read. A reboot of Knite started in 2018 and is not finished yet but will take "a darker turn", apparently, which makes me wonder whether I'll like it because I think the old version was already fairly dark and there's only so much dark stuff I can handle... I don't know, we'll see.
December 30, 2013
The skies of China are full of pollution, but then a lone kite floats upwards, lights dangling from it, flown by a teen boy who longs for a sky filled with stars. His efforts don’t go unnoticed, and other teens join him, flying their own kites. They are the dreamers, the Knites, but most see them as fools. Nothing can fix the damage the Industrial Revolution has done. But is it so wrong to hope?
A most beautiful story, and a wonderful work of art. This is one of my favorite webcomics, and I’ve read it several times before. The comic isn’t finished, and this book is only the first segment, but this introduction of the characters and setting has so much heart and soul put into it, and it has always stuck with me, over the years. When I saw I could order the first book, I didn’t hesitate.
I did wonder how this story would transfer into a book, as it is a flash comic, but the transitions were still beautiful, even without the movement, and the still images allow for those quicker moments to really be appreciated in their artwork.
Yan is an amazing artist, and everything she creates is pure gold. Her stories always have a ton of thought put into them, and the messages she puts into her art/stories don’t overshadow the piece itself.
I know I haven’t talked much about the story itself, but it’s hard to place into words what I think about it. Not much conflict is introduced in this first volume, and instead the reader is immersed into the world through art and through a small conversation among strangers. It seems so simple, but this introduction has stuck with me all of these years, and it has to be one of my favorite works of art.
I highly recommend this book and the rest of the webcomic to everyone. As I said, the comic isn’t finished, but each new release online is stunning, and I can’t wait to see where it goes.
A most beautiful story, and a wonderful work of art. This is one of my favorite webcomics, and I’ve read it several times before. The comic isn’t finished, and this book is only the first segment, but this introduction of the characters and setting has so much heart and soul put into it, and it has always stuck with me, over the years. When I saw I could order the first book, I didn’t hesitate.
I did wonder how this story would transfer into a book, as it is a flash comic, but the transitions were still beautiful, even without the movement, and the still images allow for those quicker moments to really be appreciated in their artwork.
Yan is an amazing artist, and everything she creates is pure gold. Her stories always have a ton of thought put into them, and the messages she puts into her art/stories don’t overshadow the piece itself.
I know I haven’t talked much about the story itself, but it’s hard to place into words what I think about it. Not much conflict is introduced in this first volume, and instead the reader is immersed into the world through art and through a small conversation among strangers. It seems so simple, but this introduction has stuck with me all of these years, and it has to be one of my favorite works of art.
I highly recommend this book and the rest of the webcomic to everyone. As I said, the comic isn’t finished, but each new release online is stunning, and I can’t wait to see where it goes.
February 28, 2014
Quick thoughts by chapter:
Chapter 1 - Not a lot of depth yet, but a neat premise inspired by a real world problem. The art is absolutely gorgeous.
Chapter 2 - Very deliberate in pace (and not a ton going on), but I'm enjoying it. Some nice background given here and we're slowly meeting what appear to be the main cast. Still loving the art, particularly the use of color.
The tone and author's notes at the end of the chapters are making it clear culture is an important theme, and perhaps the point, of this work.
Chapter 3 - WOW. Did not see that coming. Incredibly powerful chapter, and a lot of added context for the story so far. New mysteries too. Some of the "panels" are jaw-droppingly beautiful.
Chapter 4 - Keeps picking up. Getting to the meat of the story and several interesting philosophical questions. Art still gorgeous.
Chapter 5 - Follow up to the last chapter and set up for what's to come. Unfortunate that the story ends here for now. Hope it gets going again sometime...
Overall: the myriad of interesting story elements could be explored deeper, and a bit off in pacing here and there, but overall Knite is quite good. And have I mentioned the wonderful art?
Chapter 1 - Not a lot of depth yet, but a neat premise inspired by a real world problem. The art is absolutely gorgeous.
Chapter 2 - Very deliberate in pace (and not a ton going on), but I'm enjoying it. Some nice background given here and we're slowly meeting what appear to be the main cast. Still loving the art, particularly the use of color.
The tone and author's notes at the end of the chapters are making it clear culture is an important theme, and perhaps the point, of this work.
Chapter 3 - WOW. Did not see that coming. Incredibly powerful chapter, and a lot of added context for the story so far. New mysteries too. Some of the "panels" are jaw-droppingly beautiful.
Chapter 4 - Keeps picking up. Getting to the meat of the story and several interesting philosophical questions. Art still gorgeous.
Chapter 5 - Follow up to the last chapter and set up for what's to come. Unfortunate that the story ends here for now. Hope it gets going again sometime...
Overall: the myriad of interesting story elements could be explored deeper, and a bit off in pacing here and there, but overall Knite is quite good. And have I mentioned the wonderful art?
December 25, 2015
As with 1000 words, also by Yan, I read Knite a few years back online and recently acquired both and reread them. They are terrific books with powerful meanings that make an impact on the reader with amazing illustrations by Yan. Knite touches on a very important issue in today's world, specifically in certain areas, and gives the reader insight into the mind set of what someone living in the same area that the book takes place may feel. Over all a terrific read. I continue to be a huge fan of Wenqing Yan's work.
February 6, 2014
The art in this volume is simply breathtaking. It's more like an art book than a traditional graphic novel or manga. It's like...a visual poem. The feeling it gives is very dreamlike and ambient, but at the same time very grounded in human emotions, fears, and dreams. It's about bringing dreams to life, finding that glimmer of hope hidden in the smog.
October 20, 2015
The artwork is amazing! Pictureas are beautiful and specific. Such a great idea to shine dark night skies with artificial light which resembles beauty and hope. The background of the characters are also quite unique for a manga. Even though im not sure if its a manga or comic haha... Love this so much
April 18, 2016
The web comic is amazing. The art is breathtaking and the story is great as well. Sadly, I heard Yuumei is not finishing this version and is opting for a script overhaul.
Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews