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Aug 07, 2015forbesrachel rated this title 4.5 out of 5 stars
A young girl wakes up in a deserted building with her name inscribed upon a pocket watch, when, all of a sudden, Orderly Margo appears to process her. Oreo follows this no-nonsense puppet, doing as instructed because she is unsure of what is happening. In this way she "chooses" an Odd (a sentient stuffed-animal like creature) named Bauble before being led to the city of Cobble. In this place, she is expected to work, but thanks to Bauble's mischief she has trouble finding a job. Like Oreo, we are getting an introduction to this world full of puppet and clockwork people and creatures. Her dazed reactions, and silent nature, as well as the straight-to-the-point speech of others, reveal little of what is intended for the series, but a few guesses can be made. There is something about this pair that is slightly different from the rest of the towns inhabitants, there are mysterious almost mechanical beings that mean harm, and the watch has some significance. With little to go on, it is hard to judge the story, aside from the fact that it is intriguing. That leaves the art. McClaren's style is more than enough to sate our appetites for the moment. Characters have curved and rounded lines, and big eyes that give them a gentle or cute appearance. Even the demon-cat like Bauble looks rather adorable. Overall, Hinges is made of lovely pale hues; individual scenes have colour themes such as sepias, greys, or blues depending on the mood, and often gradate into one another over a number of pages. Oreo and Bauble's journey starts out rather rough, but by the end of Book One they start to understand one another. If Book Two and beyond can build on this, and further develop the story, this series may turn out to be a winner. You don't even need to wait to find out, Hinges is a webcomic.