Cupbearers

VibeCheckAug 07, 2026

My favorite part about this webcomic is the central cup weapons. They're an extremely novel concept I haven't seen in any other media and I love all the unique ways they're used. I do wonder if the juice used in them is actually edible though. Cupbearers also has a really strong start. The tone felt authentically Saturday morning cartoony what with the effective jokes, interesting food animal hybrids, and many animatics peppered throughout. I appreciate all the extra sketches and behind the scenes work, the representation in the series is really solid, and The Duke of Grapes is a peak chaotic neutral mascot. The series reminded me a lot of the animated webcomic Fork and Knife, but given its ongoing length it had the potential to really spread its wings and expand more on the plot and world. Sadly that's where my issues start to come up. Chapter 3 did start to lose me with how exaggeratedly controlling Lora acted and the liar revealed plotline taking up space, but Chapter 4 is the main culprit. Chapter 4 has extreme pacing issues that made it really tiring to get through. Conversations last over 30 pages, the central villain is a yapper with as much intrigue as a white wall, and he and his entourage of alpha males don't feel threatening since Kath and Warren act really incompetently. I really think the chapter didn't need to be over 200 pages. It also introduces more ongoing tonal issues the main conflicts of the series center around. I think a fantasy series that deals with political conflicts like cultural erasure and nationalism is a solid concept on its own, but they feel heavy-handed and only add to the overabundant dialog. They are important to teach about, I just feel like they could be condensed and fit better with the series' tone. There's still fun to be had after that chapter. Lotta good jokes, some effective plot twists, and pleasant art, it just fell off a bit for me