Webcomic Book Club Full Reviews of Elf Only Inn by Josh Sortelli

Art: In the beginning, there was custom made clip art. Then, better clip art. And finally, full blown art. The style chage was a little stark between the second and the third, but I got used to it, and eventually loved it. Plot: Ah, the loveable plot. It's based on chat-room roleplaying. Unless you participate in this particular activity, it won't make any sense to you. (Considering this place, I assume you are familier with them.) And if You do, you will immediately connect and laugh at this comic. The characters are kind of shallow, but they are only as developed as they need to be. Each has their own personality, their own way of speaking and acting. This comic was never ment to be serious, and the characters rarely are. If you will laugh, you will laugh hard. Extra: There isn't much extra on the site. Some gift art, some FAQ, and other things. Everything was easy to follow, and there were no glaring problems. Final Grade: C+ Why? Luthore said it himself, unless you actively partake in this stuff, you won't like it. It's like Partially Clips; you either get it or you don't. I get both, but the grade isn't for my sake, it's for others. Review by Taua Boswell Sat Oct 25 2003 11:44 PM

In Elf Only Inn, the art is average, the stories all but non-existent, and the characters as deep as a parking lot puddle, for the most part. However, as others have noted, that's not what Elf Only Inn is about. Elf Only Inn is geared towards a very specific group of people - people who role-play in chat rooms. And, to a lesser extent, it also applies to those of us in the Dream. Goku666's behavior is often far too reminiscent of some roleplayers I've seen out there... At any rate, if you role-play in chat rooms, then this is your webcomic. If you're a part of the Dream or something similar, then it's definitely worth taking a look at. But for those who don't... To my mind, the one true flaw of Elf Only Inn is the narrowness of it's focus. The chances are, though, that if you're reading this, you'll probably enjoy it. So, for those for whom it's intended, it gets a 9/10. For everyone else, it probably comes to 5 or 6/10. Review by Luthorne Sat Oct 25 2003 08:39 AM

Hrm... Well, it started a bit poorly and made me cringe repeatedly, be it with memories of past incidents, or just the banality of the entire piece. However, I did eventually realize that the entire webcomic is intended to be satire, and quite often, the kind with lots of sharp teeth. That, and it grew on me. By the end, I was really getting into it. The characters had become more than just a collection of names and faces. The scenery had become more complex and detailed. The plot was rich, heady, and full of vive. One might almost analyze Elf Only Inn to be an analogy of our online lives with other people. First, there is the bland, nameless meetings, but as we go on, not only do our own online personas take on more life, but other people's personas become deeper and more real to us. We learn to see them as more than a handle. As we do so, the scenery of our camaraderie and relationships becomes richer and more alive! We met, grew, expanded, and we find that we truly live when with others. We learn from them, and from ourselves, the true meaning of what it is to be alive and aware! Or, you could say that it's a fairly decent satirical webcomic that got better over time. Personally, I prefer the former view, if a smidge toned down. I especially liked the 'Megan's Wedding' scene. It was touching in a way that the rest of the comic strived for, and made up for a large number of the smaller flaws. In all, Elf Only Inn is a wonderfully biting comic concerning gaming, role-playing, online relationships, and it ended entirely too soon. Nine out of Ten. Review by Xenix Thu Oct 23 2003 08:10 PM

Considering how much everyone else liked this comic, I almost want to give it a low rating to be contrary. But...I must resist. Art: It takes Elf Only Inn a while to hit its stride, artistically. The comic starts off with a lot of cutting and pasting-the art is original, but there's no movement to it. Eventually, you start to see different poses...and finally, near the end, real backrounds appear. While the artist has some skill, I was annoyed that it took so long to see. Characters; It's hard to say. While there are 'characters', the real humor comes from the chat participants-who may drop character at a moment's notice. They're an interesting bunch, but Lord Elf quickly becomes an annoyance-it's hard to see why anyone would actually stay in his chatroom when he's such a blatant annoyance. Again, the characters begin to actually develop later in the strip, and more consistent. Plot: At first, there isn't much of a plot to Elf Only Inn-it's a gag a day strip. However, it quickly begins to have a continuity-story arcs come later, and rather late in the game. Writing: Like the characters, the writing is hard to say. Almost all of Elf Only Inn seems taken straight out of a chat room. However, it's a very precise selection-we get to see all of the strangeness that can take place, and many of us have probably dealt with these situations before. Here, at least, I can't find any fault with Elf Only Inn. Overall Elf Only Inn was a good comic...near the end of its run. While the writing was high quality throughout, it took time for the rest to catch up. I give it 8 out of 10. Review by Benor Thu Oct 23 2003 03:51 PM

Salen sits down and blinks. "Oooh? Subscription, so I can review stuff? Oh nifty. Oh, well, I guess I should get to my review of Elf Only Inn." "Well, seeing as I hadn't read this comic before, except for 1 or 2 comics, I'd never really gone through and read the comic. When you read as many as I do, you tend to try and limit yourself and the amount of comics you read." "But then I went and finally sat down and read the whole archive of the comic. Needless to say, I was dying with laughter. There's something about the comic that really hits home. Mostly the fact that I've 'Been There, Done That', and yet its so much worst as well. But worst in a GREAT way. The comic is all about roleplaying, chat rooms, and the dregs that are attracted to one in particular." ART: "The Mainstay of all comics, except for those that aren't... In the beginning, the art is all Cut&Pasted, with some minor retouching of faces for different expressions. In one specific comic, all they did was flip the character image over to get him to lean to the left instead of the right, even though its obvious the image was just flipped." "Normally, you'd shoot a comic because of stuff like this. But in Elf Only Inn, it just makes the surreal nature of the Chatroom/Elven Inn all that more rediculious." "Later on, the C&P art is replaced with actual drawings. The art does get better, as well, and at the same time, you still feel like your reading the same comic. And thats good. In all actuality, drawing the characters allow for even more outrageous situations to be portrayed, like NINJAS! *tching!*" PLOT: "There's plot here? Bah. Who needs plot when you have a bunch of horrible roleplayers all hanging out in a chat room, while a few not-so horrible roleplayers try and actually do stuff. Ok, so there is a sort of plot that goes through the comic, but mostly its all just to get to a big joke near the end. And thats good. Comics that can make you laugh at the absurdity of some situations just HAVE to be told. This is one of them." CHARACTERS: "Uh... well, you've never seen such a mixed lot of stereotypical characters that aren't elven hanging out at an Elven Inn that it hurts. Really, some of the characters just hurt the brain. Like goku666. I think the phrase "what is ur pwr lvl?" will send chills through my brain like no other. *twitch* But in some way... the character just FITS the comic way to well, mostly for being that ONE person that just has NO clue whatsoever." "If you learn anything at all kids, its that learning to spell, and learning to roleplay properly is good." WRITING: "It hurts, it stings!" Salen shakes his head, "The only bad thing I have to say about that statement, is its true. Some of the writing is just HORRIBLE. But, in this comic, horrible writing is good, because this is a comic to spoof chatrooms and roleplaying that goes on in them. To say that the writing was horrible, is just a sad nod to the fact that its also very VERY true. And thats why its good. Dook." OVERALL: "Uh... well, if your idea of humor is poking fun at what comes from chatrooms and roleplaying, and bad roleplaying at that, well look no further! This is the comic you've always dreamed about. Its so bad, its GREAT! What are you waiting for? Go read this comic now? Oh, one final passing statistic before I go." Amount Of Time Salen Laughed At The Phrase Homoerotic Disco Werewolf Sex!: 30 Minutes (No I'm not kidding either.) SCORE: 10 Shinies out of 10! Review by Salen Stormwing Tue Oct 21 2003 08:18 AM

A review of Elf Only Inn by Kajamir the Giant Elf Only Inn is one of the few webcomics out there that actually makes me laugh out loud. Despite the seeming simplicity of it, the writing is something most experienced participants on chats and roleplays will come to recognize as true to the subject. Elf Only Inn is a hilarious take on our favored online RP subcultures. There's not really anything I didn't like about Elf Only Inn. The writing is wonderfully satirical, the layout is befitting, and the art which starts as minimalist modified copy/pastes of the author's own pleasant images, later shifts to nicely drawn original cartoons of the characters with scenery. As such, this is a pretty short review for me. I don't have anything particularly critical to say about Elf Only Inn. I feel it's done it's job as a humorous satire of roleplaying rather well. If I must gripe about anything, it's only that Elf Only Inn ended eventually. I would love to continue reading this webcomic. Though it might not be as polished looking as other webcomics we've reviewed, there's a large fun factor here that often goes missing in other online strips, which can make me feel like a backseat reader as opposed to feeling halfway involved. I recommend Elf Only Inn to anyone who can appreciate the foibles and situations that arise from online roleplaying. Heck, it should be mandatory reading. I give Elf Only Inn a 10 of 10 stars. I highly approve. Review by Kajamir the Giant Tue Oct 21 2003 12:59 AM

I usually take a peek at the comics and then move on, but this one is worth a response. I know all of those people and feel personal love for this comic for making fun of them ^_^ It's truth in comics! I fully intend on making this a cult/underground/inside joke with my other gamer friends. It hurts and stings ^_^ Review by Tamar Mon Oct 20 2003 07:53 PM

Visitor Reviews & Comments

I can relate to alot of the stuff in here, I pretty much lived out everything goku666 did. Also my first screenname ever had 666 in it so I figure the artist captured internet behavior quite well. Each character had their own sort of web class, such as lordofdorkness being the annoying spammer and lord elf was like the annoying moderator who ruins everything for everyone else! I give it a B+ because the first half was just cut'n'paste and it took while to see some background. Review by Aquateen989 Sun Aug 21 2005 05:12 PM

Elf Only Inn is MIA. Review by Merkwurdigliebe Tue May 17 2005 11:46 AM

I've spent way too much time in chat rooms, hence my amusement of Elf Only Inn. I guess what really bothers me is the artist's abandonment of his fans with virtually no explanation. "I'll be back" yeah right. At least tell the truth and take a couple of minutes out of your life to post something. *sigh* Review by EveningStar Fri Apr 08 2005 12:31 PM

For anybody who has spent a whit of time in the ever frustrating setting of the RP chatroom world, then this will be the funniest thing you have ever read. You find yourself nodding along and recounting your own similar experiences. If you haven't, then you won't understand 90% of this comic, but the other 10% is still pretty funny. Review by Get out of my room you n00b!!! Sat Feb 05 2005 01:55 AM

Elf Only Inn is good, if you know what it is about. Too bad it has been dead for 3 months now, since it is/was very good... Read it if you can, Woot rules Review by Seth Sat Dec 11 2004 05:00 PM

As an online chat room role player of 6 years, this guy hits the nail on the head when it comes to some of the idiots you see in the game room. From Goku666 to Slave, Josh covers every aspect of online gaming. Keep the comics coming, man! I give it a 10/10, hands down! Review by Gauge-mun Wed Oct 27 2004 11:13 AM

Elf Only Inn started as a cut and paste comic for one reason. My brother, and most of our family, thought it was funnier that way. In a sense I agree with him. The cut `n paste of the earlier postings fit well with the script. As you can see later on, Josh changes his writing style which in turn forces the change of art. A cut and paste figure of Dennis Kucinich would not have been as funny as how he depicted him. As for the punch lines, only a true role player will grab most of the hidden pretext. But Josh also brought in real world incidents.....or SEMI real incidents. I don't think Kucinich ever ran for 'Santa Claus', but if he does I know I'll be protesting with a "Santa Is Hitler!" sign. Review by Lil bro Mon Oct 18 2004 12:57 PM

I have been reading Elf Only Inn for a long time, long enough to have been saddened when the Artist considered giving it up, and long enough to have been joyful at his return. I do agree with other reviewers, the art at first was not the best, but it was the concept behind that art I found interesting. The idea of having the "icon" image be the only appearance these characters ever had struck me as quite intriguing. Yes, it is a comic geared for a specific audience, online chat room RPers, but the humor can bleed over into any online topic. Which makes EOI a comic perfect for what it is, an online comic and thus geared for its market. The artist has shown considerable growth over the years, the plots and characters have become more detailed and involved. It might not be exactly what you're interested in but EOI is worth a second look if you haven't been by lately. Review by Shishi-Osa Fri Jun 11 2004 12:23 AM

This is a *great* RP satire comic, and now that it is back up and running again, it is better than ever! On of the few laugth-out-loud comics that I read. Review by Cloakable Fri May 14 2004 11:20 AM

An excellent comic based on Roleplaying online. The author gets into the mind of the RP player and brings it out in a very comedic style. The only fault is that the lack of upates. Other then that, it is worth reading more then once to check out the brillance of this. Review by Ryohei Thu May 06 2004 06:03 PM

very fun, hilaris, nonstop lafter Review by moto hampalot Thu Apr 29 2004 06:15 PM

Having used net chat rooms over the last 10 years (yes I'm an old fart) Elf Only Inn gave me a real giggle. It nicely parodies a lot of users I have known (especially power mad talker admins). I can imagine a lot of none net geeks would get bored by this but given the depressing amount of time I have spent in such dives online I loved it. Sadly is seams to be running a bit low on steam and isn't quite as biting at the moment. But then again just how many gags can you make about AOL intelligence level users? *grins* Review by Logicus Thu Apr 22 2004 07:18 PM

Elf Only Inn rules ALL. 10000 out of 10 Review by YoHieHaha Tue Mar 02 2004 05:09 PM

Elf Only Inn is the best damn webcomic in the world. 10 out of 10. Review by Who cares? Sun Feb 29 2004 08:40 AM

Elf Only Inn is a wonderful commentary on the dynamic (and often bizarre) online chat community. Despite the fact that the main characters are avatars decked out in an ecclectic mish mash of fantasy and pop culture, the author forces us to consider the people behind the keyboards. While the art may be the main draw for newer readers, the well developed characters (well, most of them anyway... some of them haven't developed past their teens yet irl) and ever twisting storylines have come to be a great hallmark of Josh Sortelli's style. I would highly recommend this comic to anyone who has ever caught themselves wondering why their online character just spent the last 4 hours chatting ooc with someone who uses more numbers than letters and doesn't understand how to turn off the caps lock to save their lives. Review by Eva Schiffer Wed Jan 28 2004 03:46 AM

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