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Finally, a 'webcomic' I'm very familiar with.
Art/Animation:
Cute, cartoony, bright and colourful. For being made in flash, the art direction is amazingly clean, slick, and refreshing. The animation is cut-out manipulation, but it's so well done and smooth it's hard to notice. A definitely recognizeable style. The presentation is very noteworthy. Currently, the site has 23 different main page styles, each one a takeoff of a toon. Each button highlighted creates an amusing effect on Homestar, or his environment. They're lovingly done and a joy to play with.
Story:
I don't really 'know' the history of Homestar Runner, but according to toons and some of the sketches onsite, Homestar Runner originally started as a children's book, where Homestar is 'A Great Athlete' and is trying to win a competition. His competitor is a nasty guy called Strong Bad, who frequently collaborates with a yellow spotted furry animal aptly named 'The Cheat' in order to win. (I may be a little fuzzy on the details here, feel free to correct me.) This is the basic premise of the book, and it carries over onto the site. There isn't much continuity between toons; it's basically like a day-by-day take of the whole gang. There's nothing wrong with this; in fact, it's probably one of the reasons why it's so endearing.
Characters:
This is where Homestar Runner really shines. It has great, memorable characters, and they're all hilarious. We have Homestar, our capable but clueless protaganist. We have Strong Bad, who constantly tries to prove his awesomeness. We have The Cheat, who speaks unintelligably but is delightfully amusing as Strong Bad's sidekick. Also, Strong Mad, Strong Bad's less intelligent but incredibly strong brother, and Strong Sad, probably disowned from the Strong Family for being chronically depressed. There are many other characters worth mentioning, and all have their unique personalities.
Extras:
The Homestar Runner Site, aside from having a number of incredibly funny toons, also hosts several unique and inspired games. These are more fun than you'd expect them to be. Many stem from the toon series "Strong Bad E-mail", wherein Strong Bad replies to a weekly e-mail in outrageous and amusing ways. So outrageous, in fact, that Strong Bad is already on his 3rd computer, having managed to destroy his previous two.
In fact, Homestar is responsible for several fad quips (Most well-known of them being 'Trogdor the Burninator'). So popular was Trogdor that it now has two games to it's name (that game 'Trogdor' and Peasant's Quest) and even, if we're lucky, a home-made Peasant's Quest live-action movie.
Adding to the site content are occasional Puppet Shows with Homestar, The Cheat and Strong Bad puppets, amusing fan-related images, and a Quote of the Week. Homestar has even collaborated with Alternative Rock group They Might Be Giants for an animated music video.
I still remember the first line I ever heard when I visited the site for the first time:
"Before I drink a tall glass of Melonade..."
Overall:
No contest. Homestar Runner is a top notch site. One of the funniest I've ever been to, and from the looks of things, it'll stay that way for a long time. From the antics of Strong Bad to the incomprehensible Teen Girl Squad, it is entertainment all the way.
5 out of 5. |
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Sun Mar 27 2005 08:25 PM |
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Ye gads, what do I say...
Art: Life Squared's art is... mediocre. It's as if the artist knew exact and proper anatomy but couldn't be bothered to draw it right. The style appears very rushed and simplistic, as does the lettering, though it does get a little more refined in the later strips. While you can generally tell what's happening in the strip, the work looks very sketchy, not a style I'd like to grate my eyes over.
Plot and Writing: Presumably, Life Squared's story revolves around the writer and artist herself, Elaine Hornby, and her life. There is no real 'story' per se, and the strip is quite like a series of random observations about life. In some ways it resembles an afore-reviewed strip ("As If!") and the way it follows Hunter's and Angela's misadventures, but Life Squared's version is much cruder and poorly executed. In a sense, Life Squared is like a pseudo-Comic Journal that documents the writer/artist's trip through life in what, perhaps, is a funny and/or sensitive way.
Characters: Since the plot is basically about the Writer/Artist's life, the characters involved are herself, her lovers (Steve, and short time acquaintance Tommy), her family, her working colleagues and design course classmates. The strip naturally focuses on Elaine the whole time (with a rare few exceptions), and beyond that there is very little elaboration on the characters. Given the nature of the comic, however, character development doesn't seem to be necessary.
Misc: While the idea behind Life Squared is... interesting, and something I haven't seen before, it's execution could be much better.
On a side note, the archives are incomplete. Some of the navigation buttons don't work. And the strip itself seems to be very sporadically updated. I suppose for a comic on Life this is to be expected, and may very well be a sort of gimmick, but it doesn't appeal to me.
Overall: Life Squared appears to be a self-centred comic strip full of existential angst sprinkled with random super-sensitive 'awww' moments. It's not terribly bad, and I admit I cracked a smile a couple of times while leafing through the archives, but for the most part I felt like saying "I don't care" to many of the strips. If you enjoy following the lives of other people in odd and vaguely amusing comics, Life Squared may be for you, but it's not a comic that I'll bother to read daily, or whenever the artist next updates.
Score: I give Life Squared 4.5/10. |
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Sun Jun 13 2004 07:45 PM |
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Art: Sacred Pie's art is... pretty okay, I suppose, and it improves quite a bit in the later comics. Early on the scenes look extremely two dimensional and the perspectives can be quite out of whack, particularly the action scenes, which I have a beef with. I have to say that I didn't like the execution of the action and dramatic panels. The artist liked to use side-views early on, which doesn't suit a good action shot. Nonetheless, there isn't a lot wrong with the art. I just didn't like the style very much.
Plot and Writing: The story is basically about a bunch of guys obtaining sacred objects and having to save the world, the usual over-dramatized ultimate quest. It's generally technological in nature, though there are some mythical overlays. It's a bit of a mix between a serious drama and a comedy, albeit a rather poorly done one.
Reading through Sacred Pie, I found myself saying 'Huh?' several times. The beginnings of Sacred Pie sometimes make no sense at all, and can be very confusing to comprehend. I'm still not sure how an advanced alien being would know what an oompa loompa is, nor why Lucifer would need mechanical yet sacred aids, nor why Sid, Bob and Roonas would so readily accept the sacred objects. Explanations in the strip itself sound like major cop-outs, as if the writer had just thought up the storyline as he went along. The dialogue sometimes gets extremely cheesy, though to it's credit some of the punchlines are well delivered.
I have to admit that I did not read through the entire Sacred Pie Archives, though I did force myself to read most of it. I simply did not find the story very compelling. While it does appear to pick up in later strips, I was too put off by the earlier chapters that I couldn't be bothered to continue.
Characters: There are... a lot of characters in the strip. But it's quantity without quality. Sid, Bob and Roonas, as far as I can tell, have zero character history aside from what goes on in the strip itself. They don't seem to have parents, or previous engagements on earth, or even siblings and relatives and friends outside the three of them. Not to mention they all have very similar personalities. Not many characters in the strip are very endearing, either, and a majority of them are common stereotypes with little variation.
Misc: On a side note, I felt that Sacred Pie's system of navigation was downright horrible. Nothing but a whole page worth of nearly-bare links. Clearly, a point against them for presentation.
Overall: I didn't find Sacred Pie to be very enjoyable, though there were some rather interesting bits. It's horribly cliche and stereotypical, with very little in the way of original thought. And the use of a religious explanation is bound to offend a couple of Christians. It was like they were trying to emulate Neil Gaiman but didn't do too well. Nonetheless, if you like lots of action and fair science fiction, you'll probably like Sacred Pie.
Score: I give Sacred Pie 4/10. |
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Wed Jun 09 2004 11:59 PM |
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Not bad... not bad at all.
Art: The artwork in As If! is... pleasant. It's rather influenced by Japanese Animation and Manga styles, particularly in the expressions. The artist pays good attention to detail, and from time to time you'll spot certain background events that just add to the overall feel. Defined lines, clear shapes, good perspectives, adequate backgrounds; all a comic strip really needs in the area of artwork. The style has only improved since the start of the strip, and has retained it's stylized properties throughout. There's not much I can say in regards to the artwork since it's already quite expertly done, and if anything else the preference would be a matter of opinion, but if I had something to ask for in the department of illustration, it would be a matter of colouring; that's really all it lacks. There's only one strip in the entire archive that's been coloured (the 300th comic special) and that's already well done, so hopefully more strips will be coloured in future.
Plot: The plot and setting of As If! is very familiar territory: the focus is on a bunch of high school kids and their misadventures, love lives, friendships and family. It's all tried-and-true, if a bit rapid in it's execution (such as the sudden Love Triangle between Peter, Hunter and Angela), but overall very familiar to anyone who has read syndicated 'Family' type strips like Foxtrot and Calvin and Hobbes. It all starts when Hunter, a rather tough-stuff girl meets Angela, a ditzy but amiable blonde. They quickly befriend each other (because, as they say, opposites attract, or maybe it's just because Angela 'amuses' Hunter). Things expand from there, adding new characters to the cast such as the game freak Peter, flirtatious Tony and vain Sandy (not to mention her groupies), and even their wide variety of family members. Though As If! provides little that is new to the scene of comics (precious little does, nowadays), it pulls off the high-school drama efficiently and excellently.
Characters: As If! has a set of quite likeable and identifiable characters. Familiar stereotypes are the excruciatingly vain Sandy, who simply must have a good hairdo, tom-boy Hunter, and console-addict Peter (who just happens to be my favourite character). It also follows the simple rule of 'smaller = meaner', as represented by Angela's demonic younger sister Rosie, who frequently schemes to make Angie's life miserable. Interestingly, As If! manages to deviate from most of these stereotypes: Hunter likes Musicals, Sandy is actually intelligent (though the desire for good lucks frequently trips her up), Peter's handsome older brother Jonathan isn't a major jerk, and so on. The characters have a good amount of depth to them, which is nice for a change.
Humour: While most of the gags in the strip are good, some of them are just downright hilarious. There's a very nice sense of continuity between strips, and the punchlines are delivered with great timing. Of course, it does have a few jokes that I didn't get, but I blame my own lack of exposure to certain topics; Peter's claim to have beaten Warmech in one of the early strips, however, made me laugh out loud, and you probably wouldn't get it if you never were an RPG player.
Midway in As If!, there's a brief interlude of emotional strips, which focuses on the afore-mentioned (and short-lived) Love Triangle between Angie, Hunter and Peter. This just shows that not all comics have to be side-splitters. A good comic knows when to be serious and when to be funny.
Overall: Early on, As If! didn't catch my attention. But after the first 100 or so strips, I found myself wanting to read more. The sudden lapse into serious events only made me even more curious as to what would happen next. The humour is exceptionally enjoyable and recognizeable, part of what makes it so funny. As If! is a fine comic strip with a fairly engrossing storyline.
Score: I give As If! 8.5/10. |
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Tue Jun 01 2004 03:13 AM |
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Well, well. My first review. Here we go.
Graphics: Not much in Matt and Theo is particularly eyecatching. In the early strips, a lot of the characters look 'cut and paste', as if some of the panels have been reused several times. The car doesn't look like a car: it looks more like a blocky house with badly arranged seats. In fact, a lot of the backgrounds look as if they were drawn in MS Paint. There is no love for detail in this comic, and attention to detail is something that I prize highly in any illustration. Expressions aren't even expressive, although you can tell essentially what a certain character is feeling. Overall, rather shoddy artwork, which persists in giving me the feeling that "I could do better than that!"
Plot: Rather short and lacking. Most of it is one-shot gags, although to the writer's credit there is some semblence of continuity. It's really just two guys and a turtle talking about everyday things, and one of them gets it in his head to make a movie, an idea that is ditched quickly in the storyline. It also never explains how the turtle got there, but given it's short and experimental nature, I suppose that can be excused.
Characters: Absolutely depthless. Typical teenage guys, with an unexplained talking turtle, a rather geeky neighbour, and an apparently sentient Jack-o-Lantern. There is near zero character development, and only near zero because of the little 'The Adopted Son' strip which kinda explains why Matt and Theo are living together. And that is pretty much it.
Humour: Okay. I'll admit that I cracked a smile at one or two of these strips, and maybe a short chuckle. I mean, if I can't laugh at even the lowest form of humour (Toilet Humour, for the record) then I really have no sense of it. But most of it is... as has been put, Flat. Bland. Obvious. Overused. It's not... bad, but it's not good, either.
Overall: Matt and Theo was discontinued after a mere 45 strips. This is hardly enough time for any real webcomic to develop properly. I'm pretty sure the writer would, if given the chance, expand on character personalities and improve the graphics (sort of like Elf Only Inn). It has a bit of potential outside it's cliche setting, but beyond that... not much. To be honest, it looks like the work of a teenager anxious to be successful in the webcomic industry. But, granted, it's much better than many other amatuer 'webcomics' out there.
Nonetheless, I admire Jeff for going out and making a comic that he is satisfied with, not something that will cater to mainstream. That's the sort of mindset more people should have.
Score: I give Matt and Theo 3/10. |
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Sun May 30 2004 08:07 AM |
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