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Review of "Atland"
Summary
"Atland" is a comical sword & sorcery comic about an egotistical prince named Barry The Brave who gets resurrected by a priestess named Lila to stop the imminent destruction of the world by some 100-year blight. Along with a barbarian minotaur and an overweight pixie thief, the adventurers go about their quest but are sidetracked by assorted comical diversions. It fits securely into the tradition of D&D-style comedies like "Nodwick", "Tween", "Spells & Whistles", "Pewfell Porfingles", etc.
Artwork
The artwork is very clean and professional looking. A lot of animation from the past several years has this kind of look, but I like it. Piekos manages to pack a lot into a very small space and suggests an entire environment with a selective use of details and color. The line work is pretty good and the compositions are varied in interesting ways (example). A minor gripe is that all of the characters seem to have similar goofy expressions, which I suppose is a stylistic thing.
Characters
Yawn. They are essentially stock characters who don't have a lot of depth or freshness. The visual designs of the characters are mostly fine, but they didn't come to life for me in any memorable way. Even for a comedy, you have to care about the characters or have some marginal interest in what they are trying to accomplish and what worries them. The cast of "Atland" just came off like props to deliver weak gags.
Writing
Humorous drawings do not make an effective comedy. You need good writing. With the notable exception of "Nodwick" (where every strip was a gem) it seems like all the D&D-style comedy webcomics look great but fall short in the writing. Piekos as a comedy writer just doesn't have a lot in his bag to offer. There's one gag that was used three times in only 40 strips: While Barry (or some other character) makes a lofty pre-battle speech, the opponent has already done the job, to shockingly gruesome effect. Another running gag that has already lost steam is having characters violently overreact to a situation. If Piekos wants to draw gore shots, that's fine, but he can't expect the audience to keep getting the same comedic jolt of horror every time that set-up is repeated.
One direction that seems more promising is having fantasy characters say unexpected things that are slightly anachronistic or the blending in of contemporary references, such as a wizard who runs a Starbucks-like tavern for mystical advice.. I'd still prefer comedy that comes more from the intrinsic dynamics between the characters and how they deal with situations, but these types of gags were more effective to me than the "sudden violence" routine.
Overall
"Atland" is very new (only 40 strips as of this review) so it can still grow and improve. But as of right now, it features handsome artwork but needs characters with more depth and sharper comedic writing. |
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Sat Apr 30 2005 11:12 AM |
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Review of "MegaTokyo"
(based on the first 163 pages)
((Note to Bar Gamer: Maybe I misunderstood your comment about there being "no navigable Archives page", but the archives dropdown was there on every page and very easy to use.))
Imagine being a pop music critic in 1978 and doing your best to evaluate the hottest artists. But there's one big problem, the top acts are all doing disco and you just don't dig that music. Are you so "out of it" that you just shouldn't even be reviewing music?
That's how I feel when trying to review a comic like "MegaTokyo", or really any of the enormously popular webcomics that focus on video games. I don't play video games. It ain't my subculture, so gaming jokes do nothing for me. You can make great comics about anything, including video games, if you are able to strike a more universal chord. "Mac Hall" had a similar video game influence, but it also had several sequences with much broader appeal, as well as amazing artwork.
The artwork in "MegaTokyo" (though intentionally sketchy) was often nice, but nothing spectacular. It certainly wasn't as dynamic as actual Japanese manga or striking, like the expressive colors of "Mac Hall". The girls were all anime-style cute, but cute girls aren't enough to hold my interest in a webcomic.
"MegaTokyo" features two aimless twenty-something's who are into manga and video games and wind up stranded in Tokyo. Largo is a beer-obsessed, pure id type and Piro is a sensitive artist type with assorted pretty females intersecting his life.
I only read the first 163 installments of "MegaTokyo" and gave up. Maybe it gets a lot better, but there are more promising things out there to read. These characters just weren't interesting to me. They had little depth, and I didn't get into the juvenile humor. The story was very slow and the tone jerked awkwardly between Largo's over-the-top slapstick (zombies, explosions and robot girls) and Piro's self-conscious meandering.
I fully admit that I am not the intended audience for MegaTokyo and don't consider my review particularly useful. Why is "MegaTokyo" so much more popular than the dozens of other webcomics about aimless, twenty-something gamers? I have no idea. But there's a thriving fan community out there who could give you insight into its distinctive appeal. Reading the "MegaTokyo" archives almost seemed like viewing snapshots of a party that may have been fun if you were there at the time, but does little to interest a current reader. |
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Sun Mar 27 2005 05:07 PM |
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Review of "Broken Saints" (online version)
"Less is more."
-- Adage ignored in overlong review of overlong webcomic
*WARNING: SPOILERS*
Summary
"Broken Saints" is no mere webcomic but (*cue pretentious music*) a piece of "cinematic literature" (according to the site's FAQ) which appeared online from 2001-2003. It's an apocalyptic science fiction tale of four strangers whose paths cross and form an alliance to save the world from a biotech corporation with a mysterious agenda to reconfigure humanity.
I consider the 12+ hours I spent with "Broken Saints" to be more of an endurance test than an entertainment experience. It was poorly written, with mediocre illustrations and overstuffed with the most heavy-handed sermonizing in a story since "The Celestine Prophesy". While lauded as a technical marvel for its use of Flash, I found the presentation to be painfully slow and exhausting.
The FAQ advises viewers who complain that it's too slow to use that extra time to "Read the words again…chances are you missed a hidden meaning or reference." Here's a representative sample of what we are supposed to mull over while waiting for the program to advance:
If that kind of prose strokes your psyche, then "Broken Saints" may be an ideal comic for you, because all the characters speak in a similar over baked manner dripping with angst and cosmic portent.
Layout/Navigation/Animation/Sound
I downloaded the entire program chapter by chapter on to my hard drive to avoid any connectivity issues while watching. I started viewing with my monitor set at my standard 1024x768 resolution, but then switched to 800x600 which maximized the "BS" screen size and centered it nicely on the hosting HTML background.
While it has no formal pause function, by right clicking and deselecting "Play", you can usually freeze the image or at least remain within a sub-section loop of animation within an individual program. So it sometimes seems like it's still continuously playing but it's really only playing with a particular sequence (which is still better than getting blasted back to frame one of the chapter). By doing this, my initial frustration with the technical aspects of "BS" was eliminated. I still didn't like the fact that you couldn't step back or easily go to any specific frame within the program. I guess I've been too spoiled by the convenience of DVD's.
Viewers who get distracted must start again from the beginning. Distractions make you miss the subtle symbolism.
"BS" has been described as "limited animation", but this is a bit misleading, because we are talking really limited animation here. There was little artistry of motion on display. Many of the animation's didn't work well at all and would have been better left alone. When characters moved their limbs or moved across screen, it looked awkward and unconvincing, like paper cutouts being dragged. When the camera moved in or pulled back, the imagery became jittery and unstable looking. Much more effective and impressive were the lighting/atmospheric effects and general transitions between scenes.
I found the use of sound and sound effects to be very effective and the overall score of "BS" was appropriately moody and went a long way to help keep get through the program.
I agree that "BS" deserves some accolades for not being a typical, lame, comedy based Flash cartoon, and breaking free of that Flash mode, but I don't think its own technique really succeeds either. I found the more modest, reader-controlled approach to Flash used in "Vicious Souvenirs" to be more effective. If you don't have voice actors to set the pace of the dialogue, then it's really frustrating to have to read and then wait and wait. If my personal reading speed had set the pace, I could have viewed the program in a fraction of the time. It sounds like this issue was resolved in the DVD where they do have voice actors. So to answer the Furilius question, maybe the DVD is the definitive version, but I can't really say.
The end ain't for another 11 hours yet, so hang in there.
Art
The artwork was just okay, serviceable for this kind of genre tale, but unimpressive. The actual compositions and layout of elements within a shot were fine, it was just the rendering of the elements that were rather weak. There were no memorable images I'd want to save as wallpaper or frame as a poster. Because the nature of the presentation forced the viewer to linger on images far longer than one would in a normal comic, it only made the flaws more apparent. The characters were often stiff and awkward. The faces didn't reveal a lot of nuance of personality. Even if the artist didn't have time to create a new full figure pose for each new word balloon, hey could have done a better job at doing minimal adjustments to the character expressions to match what was being said.
Two of the expressive faces from "Broken Saints"
City backgrounds and interiors were often lacking details. I wouldn't have minded a stylized simplicity, but the choices of what to render and what to leave out just made the scenes look unfinished instead of intentional. Nature scenes were much better. Overall I found the coloring and color schemes to be fairly effective at conveying a mood.
Writing/Story/Characters/Themes
I'm astonished at how many awards "BS" has won, including a Sundance Film Festival Award. I can't imagine anyone familiar with good science fiction (or just basic storytelling) sitting through this entire thing and being impressed. It took forever for the story to get even marginally interesting. The tale didn't start click into gear for me at all until Chapter 16 when two of the main protagonists actually take initiative and start to DO something.
The four main characters were all rather dull and had little nuance or richness beyond their defining character traits. Raimi is the cynical, callow young American hacker genius (think Neo from "The Matrix" without the messiah complex) who occasionally made undercutting wisecracks (brief moments of comedy in an otherwise humorless work). Oran is an intense Iraqi warrior, devoted to Allah. Kamimura is a wandering Shinto priest wrestling with the burden of a past obligation. Shandala is an empath woman raised by native Fiji islanders who fills the goddess/messiah role. All of them would be fine as two-dimensional figures in a shorter work, but as I spent so much time with these character, their lack of depth became increasingly disappointing. I just don't think the writer really cared about them as people; they served as mere vehicles to convey some aspect of the grand philosophical themes.
Don't get me wrong, I love grand philosophical themes in science fiction and consider it almost an essential component of the genre. Most all the great works of sci fi ("Dune", "Childhood's End", etc.) are also about religious/philosophical discovery. But you want to discover the insights along with the characters and actually feel the sense of transcendence (think Jodi Foster in "Contact", Richard Dreyfus in "Close Encounters", Paul Atreides in the novel "Dune", Dave Bowman in "2001", etc). In "BS", the viewer is hammered constantly frame after frame with New Age truisms, so by the time you get to the supposed "big truths" at the end, the wad has been shot, and the viewer is already exhausted from insight overload.
In "Broken Saints" no character is too minor to deliver a sermon. Pearls of wisdom from a newsstand vendor.
You know how in the climax of films with supervillains (like James Bond movies), the villain will go into his gleeful monologue about how no one appreciates his mad genius and how his nefarious scheme is justified from his own warped perspective. Those speeches can be a lot of fun in a twisted kind of way (think Syndrome in "The Incredibles" or Ozymandias in "Watchmen"). But imagine a speech like that going on for like a half hour! At that length, it's no longer fun; it becomes a goddamn insufferable lecture. And in "BS" it's delivered in two parts, first by the villain as hologram and then by the flesh and blood version. Twice the fun!
"Pop's layin' down the straight dope, so listen up you wanna-be heroes."
Learn of everything that ails the modern world in the full-length lecture.
But that's just the most extreme example of the kind of over-the-top sermonizing that "BS" engaged in constantly. The writer seemed more in love with his agenda of ideas than in telling an effective story. He should have just written a theological treatise first, gotten the sh*t out of his system and then used the choice bits to infuse the story. Every symbol was underlined in "BS" from the ship named "Revelation" to the island named "Heaven". The overstuffed tale attempted to address every theme man has ever contemplated, but 'subtlety' was the one missing element in the world "Broken Saints".
WAKE UP you lazy dreamers! Something significant is happening in every damn frame of "Broken Saints!
In the entire epic, there was but one chapter (Chp 18, Act 1) that I really enjoyed. It was a tarot reading scene, and finally, I got some of the intended cosmic buzz. It involved a street-smart albino psychic who, in her brief scene, seemed more alive than any of the other characters. Her tarot card reading was creepy, humorous, mystical, deep and most importantly, it made me actually want to know what happens next. Hurray for effective storytelling!
Allusions To Better Works
Sorry folks, this rant ain't over yet. After sucking up twelve precious hours of my life, I'm entitled to some payback. I think what annoyed me most of all about "BS" was its constant (and I do mean constant) allusions to vastly superior works.
Only 12 precious hours of my life, Jesus.
In an all to obvious nod to Alan Moore's "Watchmen", "BS" bookends each chapter with a pair of theme-setting quotes from literature, music, film, history, etc. In "Watchmen" it was a brilliant extra accent to already ground-breaking work. Here it felt forced, more hammering of themes in a work already theme-heavy and story-light.
Images and concepts liberally borrowed from "Twin Peaks", "The Matrix", "The Wizard of Oz", "Brazil" only made me long to return to those genuinely imaginative worlds. Every time I saw a background poster or homage bumper, I kept thinking that I could be watching "A Clockwork Orange" right now or "Eraserhead" or "Fight Club" or "Monty Python", or even all of them if I were using my 12 hours more wisely.
Oh, is it ever painful. But at least the needle is quicker.
My irritation reached its peak when a character started singing the Roy Orbison song "In Dreams" during a horrific scene. Now this song never had a specific horror association until David Lynch famously used it to such unforgettable effect in "Blue Velvet". To see it used here in such a similar context just cheapened the whole experience and really annoyed me. I know that movies borrow from each other all the time, but I guess there's a way to do it where it's fun or clever and then there's the "BS" groan-inducing variety.
Even more offensive from a human perspective was the extensive use of famous photographs of horrors from the 20th century that get streamed at the viewer in a climactic montage. Combined with the villain's monologue they attempted to tackle EVERYTHING: Hiroshima, pharmaceutical companies, Tiananmen Square, mad cow disease, Holocaust victims, Vietnam War executions, Gandhi, JFK, nuclear weapons, starving children in Africa, you name it. This went beyond mere pretentiousness. It totally cheapened these real world tragedies to have them framed in such a cheesy fashion within this cornball comic.
After endless hours and so many false finales, could this possibly be the final final climax?
Overall
Despite everything I've said, I'm glad the creators had the hubris to attempt and tenacity to complete such an ambitious work as "Broken Saints" (and it does deserve an "A" for ambition). As a critic, I'm glad I've seen it, because I think it really helped me understand just how wrong a graphic novel can go in a particular direction. I don't feel guilty that my review was too harsh, because a steaming review will actually make some readers more curious to check it out than a tepid negative reaction would. If you are interested in exploring "BS", I'd say give the first couple chapters a shot, and if you're not into it, don't give up yet. Jump to Chapter 16 and start from there and give a few more chapters a try. I suppose under the proper circumstances of sleep deprivation or mind-altering drugs, each droplet of profundity might strike the viewer with the intended revelatory 'oohs' and 'ahhs'. But for me, it lacked the compelling characters and drama needed to allow the themes to actually resonate as they did in the many superior works that "Broken Saints" was constantly quoting and alluding to.
"Work smarter, not harder."
-- Adage for aspiring writers of epic graphic novels |
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Sun Mar 20 2005 12:48 PM |
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Review of "JibJab"
I wouldn't consider any of the titles on "JibJab" to be webcomics, primarily because they are not a reading experience. Comics are read. If the presentation is timed for you, I'd consider that to be an animated cartoon, even if it may have subtitles that you read.
Still, having said that, I can see why it might be useful to review along with webcomics, because "JibJab" succeeds in an area where 99% of webcomics fail. It has (to a certain degree) reached a mass audience. I can walk around my office floor and no one there will have heard of "Penny Arcade" or "Sluggy Freelance" but nearly everyone will have not only heard of, but actually seen a "JibJab" cartoon. Now that doesn't make "JibJab" better as a work of art, but the Spiridellis brothers are obviously doing something right to reach such a huge audience using just the Internet. What webcartoonist wouldn't love to have their strips being e-mailed around the globe as fervently as last year's "JibJab" cartoons?
On to the cartoons themselves...
"DJ Fred & McGinger"
More novelty game than cartoon. This is one of the three interactive mixer programs where there is a stage with figures, props, and connected sound effects. You cursor over or click on various images to mix a live video of sounds and animations. It's moderately funny and fun to play. But it's also instantly forgettable.
"It Bit My Ass"
Unfunny. This one is typical of the numerous amateurishly awful Flash films that are out there. It stars the grumpy old men characters, Cicero & Leo, and is not worth the download time.
"Cooking With Clinton"
Weak. The facial animations for Clinton are surprisingly comical at moments, but the comedy doesn't last the length of the brief program. It just keeps wallowing in the Clinton goofiness without really going anywhere.
"Bush Vs. Gore"
Another interactive Flash mixer, but more effective than "DJ Fred", as it combines the mixer board with political figures. This may be the first "JibJab" program link that someone e-mailed to me way back in 2000. It's fun interactive stuff that I spent way more time playing with than I'd like to admit. But again, it's less a webcomic (a reading experience) and more a novelty game.
"Funny Foreign Names"
Pretty funny cartoon mocking Bush, but not as good as it could be. The little elf character was cute.
"Geezers: The Musician"
Another awful outing with the two horribly-voiced, stereotyped old folks Cicero & Leo. Truly an arduous experience to sit through. I hope the Spiridellis brothers are smart enough to abandon these terrible characters and stick with the political caricatures.
"Raps: Founding Fathers"
This third Flash mixer was the weakest of the three, with mediocre lyrics about the Founding Fathers of the USA (Franklin, Washington, etc.) done in a rap style. On a technical level, I couldn't even get all the rapping fathers to function, and I didn't really care.
"Ahnuld for Governor"
Less a satire than a full on campaign commercial for Arnold Schwarzenegger from when he was running for California Governor. Ahnuld comically uses his movie roles to justify why he deserves to hold the office. But these movie allusions are exactly what Arnold does all the time (so did Reagan), so there was nothing actually critical of Arnold, just a friendly exaggerated homage. Nonetheless, as a cartoon it was still fast paced and rather funny.
"Good To Be In DC"
One of the two best "JibJab" cartoons and a link that got e-mailed around a lot. It's fast, catchy and has lots of cameos and secondary gags (the Clinton slap) that make the whole experience fun.
"This Land"
The most widely seen and best "JibJab" cartoon. It summarized all of the negative candidate cliches being tossed around during that time (2004 US presidential election) and blended them into a fast paced and catchy musical cartoon. It really captured the moment and was almost a cathartic release from all the campaign negativity to see all the figures from the nightly news lampooned in such a fun way. Further successful mileage was gained from the Clinton slap.
"Second Term"
No one e-mailed me this one and I watched it for the first time to write this review. I can see why this cartoon didn't quite catch fire like the previous two. It was still a generally successful entertainment and drew a smile from me, but it felt like more of the same old same old. I don't think any of the Bush gags felt like they were filling a cultural gap in quite the same way "This Land" did. Alas, in it's third outing, the gag of the Clinton slap had lost all comical mileage.
Overall
The biggest drawback with these cartoons (even the two best) is that there is no real edge to them. They are designed to get laughs without really offending anybody and just riffing on and exaggerating the traits of the politicians that we are already familiar with. That approach struck lightning with "This Land," but doesn't suggest an actual satirical perspective worth returning to. The timing and the gags work well enough on the better ones to be funny, but there aren't a lot of layers of artistry to appreciate beyond that. The photo-caricaturing is not nearly as satisfying as a good hand drawn caricature by Jack Davis or Mort Drucker (of Mad Magazine fame). Come to think of it, the song lyric rewrites aren't nearly as clever as the ones that used to appear in Mad (the "sung to the tune of" feature). One good thing about "JibJab" is you don't have to check back on their website. It they come up with another popular gem, chances are someone will e-mail it to you. |
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Mon Mar 14 2005 09:30 PM |
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"Astounding Space Thrills" is an updated Buck Rogers-style sci fi adventure with an emphasis on humor. It stars a handsome, wisecracking genius named Argosy Smith who manages to neatly save the universe from one peril after another without ever really breaking a sweat.
Artwork
I first read "AST" several years ago in 1999 and thought it was the sharpest looking comic on the web. Reading the archives for this review, I'm still impressed by both the presentation (the archives really zip along thanks to the compact file sizes) and the rich quality of the artwork. The ships, the backgrounds, the characters--everything is very elegantly designed. I disagree that the art feels too cramped. I think it looks dazzling and just right on for each panel. I've never seen anyone make the GIF palette look so full and uncompromised.
I also thought the use of limited animation was very nice--giving things just enough of an added kick without overwhelming the material.
Writing and Characters
"AST" suffers from some of the same problems I had with "TWEEN" and "The Japanese Beetle". It has stunning art and compositions, but needs much stronger writing for it to really blast off.
The real drawback with "AST" is that despite the fast pace and sharp visuals, it's just not as involving as it should be. Argosy is essentially lacking in any sort of human flaws or unresolved issues that make reading stories about characters interesting. He zips along and uses his genius to resolve the next crisis, but none of these events have any real impact on him or anyone else.
Humor vs. Adventure
The humor was very hit and miss for me in this strip. Some of the gags and puns worked nicely (Examples: 1 | 2 | 3), but others were just lame ("Gill" Example). The strip has fun riffing on the usual array of gee-whiz science topics like quantum mechanics, string theory, consciousness and time travel. But it never explores any of them in a fascinating way like serious science fiction does (or even first rate comedic sci fi like Douglas Adams). I felt like it needed to either be more "Futurama" (lots of funny) or more old "Star Wars" (riveting adventure).
I'll give you an example: One sequence involves a gag with a marginally funny premise about the clones of William F. Buckley, Jr. and Garrison Keiller having a conversation that threatens to stop time itself! (Steve Conley apparently feels that both authors are very long-winded). Now a sci fi comedy like "Futurama" would drop the clone gag and then move on. Or if it kept going with it, there would be additional nuances tossed in to get more laughs out of it. But "AST" drops the gag and just keeps going with it as a plot premise, long after there is any comedic mileage left. But when you have a gag like that as the basis of your adventure threat, it undercuts any real sense of peril in the enterprise.
Overall
I'd recommend reading the 100-strip adventure called Space Quakes which is probably the best and most representative "AST" story, and it features most of the main characters. A reader could probably polish it off in under 30 minutes. If it makes you want to read more, explore further. There's a lot of great eye candy and some intermittent humor, but don't expect to be astounded. |
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Wed Sep 01 2004 07:47 AM |
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Review of "Journey Into History"
This one looked short, so I thought I'd try to slide in a quick review this week. I didn't chose the best week to return on.
Navigation
I admit that navigation is a big issue for me. I want simple. I don't want to go through a new learning curve, mastering some convoluted navigation system, every time I read a new comic. I don't read comics to be impressed with fancy navigation systems. Sadly, this was "Journey Into History's" first and foremost problem which frustrated me in new and exciting ways on each page.
You could use the navigation arrows a couple of ways. Both bad. One approach is to single click-click-click the arrows and very s l o w l y nudge the page forward a few pixels at a time. The other strategy is to hold the arrows down and run the risk of rapidly shooting the image too far past the frame. It was like trying to catch a slippery eel that kept sliding this way and that.
I gave up on the arrows and tried an alternate navigation method (there were a handful). I switched to trying to use the "cursor grab and move" method on the page and would literally find my cursor stuck to the image and unable to get it unstuck. I was sitting there shaking the page around with my cursor like a sticky piece of flypaper. This "flypaper effect" did not happen on all browsers (I wised up and switched browsers midway through).
Additionally, some panels were missed entirely on my first reading because there was no indication that you had to click other panels to make them appear. Some panels were too tiny to read, so I wound up exploring further navigation options and got to play around with blowing-up the image. Then, when the next page appeared looking elephantine, I got to play with the shrinky button and shrink the page back down again. Whoopie!
The whole experience was so bad, that part of me hopes Stevenson never fixes it, so I can point to this as the quintessential example of how not to design a navigation system for your webcomic.
Writing
The writing was weak. Sorry "gags" about Publishers Clearing House Sweepstakes winners (nay, Cleaning House) and overpriced airport gift shops really smelled moldy.
I'm not sure what the point of this story was (which, in all fairness, was far from complete as of the time of this review). The situations came off rather random and disjointed. There was no situation or conflict to hold my interest and the characters were unappealing and dull. The pot-shot banter between the demons felt particularly painful and forced.
When, near the end, Stevenson descended into 4th wall breaking, I figured that the author must have really been losing interest in the story he was telling. While having the author to talk to the audience directly can be done brilliantly, nine times out of ten it is merely a sign of writing desperation. And boy did this feel desperate.
Artwork
The one shining light in this webcomic reading experience was the terrific artwork. Stevenson employed a very appealing drawing style that was simple, but the lines were fun and vibrant. I liked the coloring and character designs as well.
I'd love to see this artwork in service of a good story.
Overall
Excellent artwork, lame humor, weak story, dull characters and god-awful navigation. |
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Sat Jun 26 2004 10:41 PM |
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Quote:
Kajamir the Giant said:
Also, if you replace everytime I write 'but' in this review with 'butt', and it gives you a chuckle, you might want to check it out then.
*Reads only the last line of Kajamir's post and chuckles.*
You know, I was preparing my own rather hot, detailed reply to Cobra, but I may not need to.
*Crumples up post.*
It's comforting to know that there are still giants in these parts.
*Mood cools in midst of giant.* |
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Tue May 11 2004 02:37 PM |
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Review of "The Jerk"
"The Jerk" seemed very much like one of Cat Garza's "Magic Inkwell" strips, complete with the flying heart, infinite canvas and pretentious musings on the webcomics medium. Maybe they both attended the same Scott McCloud seminars.
"The Jerk" looked nice enough. If was kind of fun to click through but didn't really do much for me. At least it was short. Yeah, I'm sure if I had to write an essay on it, I could make up some B.S. about how it's an exploration of art and its relation to the artist and blah, blah, blah.
But you know, I like to be seduced, lulled into a comic through characters, storytelling or humor. I find myself less and less receptive to the whole "illustrated themes" genre of webcomics. But I guess it's like anything else, I'd like it if it were done really well. |
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Wed Apr 21 2004 03:54 PM |
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"YOU DESTROYED MY WORLD!" – Kid Radd
"Man, you're whiney" – Captain QB
"Yeah, he gets that way after the apocalypse" – Bogey
It's been a loooong time since we've reviewed a webcomic that's really excited me—one of substantial length that I would have kept reading until the end even it I weren't reviewing it. "Kid Radd" is terrific--funny, fast-paced, brilliantly designed and philosophical in a playful way that really works with the premise. I've read less than a year's worth of strips but I already consider it one of the best webcomics we've covered yet. Just hoping it maintains the quality through the end.
I will post a fuller review when I finish the archives, but wanted to spread my enthusiasm early. |
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Mon Mar 29 2004 08:30 AM |
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"Nearly Forgotten" is a series of sequential photographs with text, and thus I suppose, loosely qualifies as a webcomic that somehow wound up on our roster to review. I haven't quite decided whether this "comic" is intended as a parody of bad artsy websites or is actually meant to be taken seriously. But with pretentious lines like "The concept of dressing intrigues me. The need for clothes makes me curious," I can't help but find it a bit of a hoot. I kept picturing the guy who does the Jack Handley "Deep Thoughts" quotes on "Saturday Night Live" narrating this thing.
It turns out we aren't just eavesdropping on some liberal arts college student goofing off, but God Himself, who apparently has a passion for bad infinite canvas layouts and pop-up ads for rapper albums.
The use of sequential photographs for a narrative, artistic presentation is perfectly valid, but the psuedo-deep observations of daily life presented here were just too facile to be moving or thought-provoking. The photography itself was okay, but nothing special. Of course, I can't comment on the photography in the handful of broken links on page 10.
[EDIT: Broken links fixed on last viewing] |
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Mon Mar 22 2004 03:15 PM |
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I've come to realize that a really important aspect of reading and reviewing webcomics is the "time spent/entertainment received ratio". It's not so much an issue with reviewing movies (another passion of mine). Most movies are roughly the same length (or at least within a standard 90-180 minute range), so the issue is all about the quality of the experience much more so than the time investment factor.
With webcomics, I've spent anywhere from 20 minutes on a stand-alone title to 20 hours reading several years worth of archives.
I bring this up as a prelude to my review of "When I Am King" because it delivered a lot of entertainent for the relatively modest time commitment. Was this the kind of strip that would ever be a personal favorite of mine? No. Would I give it my highest recommendation? No, but for 30-odd minutes I was in Demain.5's universe and found the trip to be a satisfying ride
"When I Am King" was extremely well designed and executed. There wasn't a line, shape or color that felt out of place or haphazard. The design was simple but sophisticated and often beautiful. There was no dialogue and the tale unfolded like a silent cartoon done with hieroglyphic-like characters. I've complained in other reviews about how pointless the "infinite canvas" scrolling was. Here the use of the canvas was completely effective. Most of the strips involved long horizontal scrolls, but the few times the strip scrolled vertically, it made perfect sense given the content, and also looked amazing. The use of 3D art to represent a transcendent experience was also terrific.
The story was very simplistic and served more as a framework to explore elemental emotions and drives like love, jealousy, passion, anger, humiliation, determination and transcendence. If you must know the story specifics, it will come off fairly ridiculous in synopsis form, but here goes:
*SPOILERS* An Egyptian king has his loincloth eaten by a camel and the camel falls in love with him. The king tries to buy new clothes from an Elvis-salesman (another "king"), but gets beaten up by a gang of kids who laugh at his missing pants (like a scene from a really bad nightmare everyone's had a variation of). The king later eats a cactus and has a mystical experience but returns to reality and vomits. In a key sub-plot, one of the king's two guards, who happens to be well-endowed, frolics in the flowers with two sexy babes until the giant bees return home. The less-gifted of the two guards is depressed and jealous, being left out of the party with the babes. But all ends well when the king retrieves his loincloth from the camel's ass and learns to appreciate the beauty of a simple flower. The depressed guard learns to appreciate the oral skills of the camel.
You really can't go wrong with this strip. You may not love it or you may find it a tad too vulgar (in a silly way), but I can't imagine anyone feeling that it was a waste of time. The presentation glides along smoothly and if you allow yourself to get into the spirit of things, it's kind of a kick. |
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Fri Mar 19 2004 07:31 PM |
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"Catharsis" Review
Summary
"Catharsis" is a "newspaper funnies"-style comic strip concerning the day-to-day exploits of a 20-something woman Gwen and her pet dragon Rremly . Most of the humor seems intended to stem from Gwen's eye-rolling frustrations with the difficulties of living with a goofy hyperactive dragon who does stupid things.
After about 50 strips, there was an odd switch and Gwen transformed into her "inner child" and it's the dragon who was frustrated by the dumb things she said. An irate squirrel named Baxter showed up occasionally to add a little spark to the proceedings but was usually in hibernation.
At around strip 100, Gwen interacted more with other characters and worried about work and dating issues. But this marginally interesting path was soon abandoned for surreal adventures under the coach in the realm of the dust bunnies (with Gwen as an adolescent).
At the time of this review, there were 473 strips but I stopped reading at strip #225.
Writing / Characters
Not a whole lot happens story-wise in "Catharsis." All there really is to this strip is the claustrophobic daily dynamics between the characters who aren't particularly charismatic or fresh. No one had an interesting or humorous take on life to make their company worth investing time in. Here's a fairly representative early strip
http://www.catharsiscomic.com/strips/111402-225533.jpg
On a technical level, the strips were often very wordy. If there was a clear comedic point to the strips then it would be more apparent where to trim for efficiency. But I think there is so much talk because the strips really don't have a point other than the intended charm of the characters chattering back and forth.
Art
The artwork improved marginally over the course of the strip with a more consistent use of color and stronger line work, but even at its best, it was never particularly accomplished. I enjoyed the sequence involving photographs of clay versions of the characters, just because it was different.
http://catharsiscomic.com/archive.php?strip=052203-174753.jpg
Overall
While there is a certain sweetness of tone that comes through in "Catharsis", there's not much else to recommend it. If it's any consolation, my reaction to the vast majority of published newspaper strips would likely be similar, so I may just not be the target audience for this kind of comic. |
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Thu Feb 26 2004 11:06 AM |
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"Unicorn Jelly" Review
Summary
I would seem to be the ideal audience for "Unicorn Jelly", being a fan of Sci Fi/Fantasy stories and enjoying philosophy enough to have majored in the subject in college. "Flatland", Lewis Carroll's "Alice" books and Douglas Adams' "Hitchhiker" books are all personal favorites that combine philosophy and fantasy in fun and ingenious ways. I heard good things about "Unicorn Jelly" and was really looking forward to this philosophical fantasy. Unfortunately, I just didn't connect with "Unicorn Jelly" at all. While on one hand I respect the intelligence and care that went into crafting the meticulously detailed universe, I found the actual reading experience to be quite tedious. I didn't really care much for the characters and the plot was rather convoluted and uninvolving.
"Unicorn Jelly" is a science fiction epic involving a witch Lupiko, her adopted daughter, a logically minded hybrid crystal-human named Chou, and Uni, the cute unicorn jelly of the title. We follow these characters through low-key initial adventures that expand to cosmic proportions as they become involved in a Noah's Arc-like exodus from their doomed planet and re-establish civilization living in conjunction with jelly beings on a new world.
Art
The strip had a bitmap-style, pixelated look, having been crafted by a mouse directly onto the computer. What was so odd about the artwork though, is that unlike nearly every other webcomic we've reviewed, in "Unicorn Jelly" the buildings and backgrounds came off far more impressive than the characters. The various ships, devices, landscapes and diagrams often looked amazing, despite the limitations of the pixelated mouse style. Examples:
Strips 390, 426, 435, 602, 615
Unfortunately, the figures and faces of the characters were very weak and unappealing. The jelly beings were cute though.
"Unicorn Jelly" occasionally used limited animation in a very effective way. A couple of good examples (among many):
Strips 54, 358
There were also several very imaginatively designed elements, such as the Shatterel Storm and the Bellwalker Vehicles that moved via the production of sounds.
Characters
The main weakness for me in "Unicorn Jelly" was the lack of well-rounded or appealing characters. Reitz includes on her site very detailed character pages with lengthy personality descriptions, but within the actual story, the characters didn't come off convincingly as living breathing personalites, but more as story props. Though superficially distinctive, they all shared an overall blandness and just didn't always react to situations or to each other like real people would. They seemed to mostly operate in two gears, melodramatic emotionalism or professorial exposition.
My favorite character (and is some ways the main character), Chou, was an ultra-rational Mr. Spock-type figure who said things like "I observe great agitation in you." Although her dialogue was often cornball along those lines, at least she felt more genuine for who she was supposed to be.
Story/Writing
Like most science fiction, "Unicorn Jelly" introduces a lot of faux-scientific concepts and history. This is something I have no objection to if it helps add a sense of background reality to a fantastic world. But this material often impeded what little narrative momentum existed. I'm just more interested in becoming involved in a riveting story than in learning about all this background stuff. Reitz includes an almost encyclopedic amount of supplementary material for the diehard fans, so she really could have freed up the main story from much of this.
After about strip 250 or so, I had great difficulty keeping track of whom exactly was doing what and why, and kind of surfed through the rest of the story in a stupor of marginal interest. Even during a sequence that should have thrilling--when the world was coming to an end--my degree of plot comprehension and emotional involvement was lacking. All of these characters I really didn't care about were running around frantically, scrambling toward ships, engaged in combats and talking about alliances, conspiracies and betrayals that just washed over me like random noise.
One persistent note of irritation was the constant use of the pseudo-curse word "Farg" by nearly every character. "What the farg?", "farging this", "farging that" really got on my nerves by the end.
The only part of the entire lengthy epic that really engaged me was the young witch Lupiko's brief retelling of the creation of her incantation-free, more efficient broom based of rational design.
http://unicornjelly.com/uni085.html
This was the only sequence that seemed to really integrate the much touted theme and struck a universal psychological chord. Here was a smart kid wanting to impress her elders and trumpet her own genius by showing off a new way to do things. There was probably more of the real Jennifer Diane Reitz in that one very human sequence than all of the other cosmic baloney.
Themes
This is the area where "Unicorn Jelly" really should have shinned. I was slightly offput at the start by some of the introductory remarks made by the author. I guess I'd rather discover the themes of a work myself than be told bluntly that it's about "the meaning of Ideals, and the curious and sometimes conflicting mental tools of Rationalism and Mysticism". Also, being informed that "Every event in the story is important, and has meaning, even if it may not seem so initially" smacked of extreme pretentiousness. It should go without saying that any good author/artist has carefully selected every element in their work for a reason.
In Strip 42, the mysticism vs. rationalism theme is brought up explicitly. Can mysticism be reduced to chemicals or, by its very nature, is it something irreducible and "mysterious"? This is a fascinating topic, but I wasn't able to glean much on it from the comic. Though much is made plotwise about the conflict between the Alchemists (the scientific/rationalist approach) and the Witches (the intuitive/mystical approach), I didn't find a whole lot of meaty exploration of the core differences between their respective approaches to reality.
For thick readers like myself who just didn't "get it", author Reitz generously includes an "Understanding Unicorn Jelly" section, which details the hierarchical levels of complexity at which the webcomic can be appreciated (conveniently fruit-coded). But if an author needs a separate section to explain to readers how to appreciate her work, then it's likely failing on some basic level of communication.
Overall
It required an enormous amount of "sisu" (determination) on my part to get through the archives. But don't get me wrong; "Unicorn Jelly" is no juvenile dud like "Shifters". Reitz is obviously extremely intelligent and well read (she includes lots of literary quotes, puns and references beneath the strips); I just didn't find her to be a very engaging or effective storyteller. As fully detailed as the jelly-history and crystal-cosmology may be, as brilliant as everything may tie together thematically and structurally on every level of cosmic fruit, if you don't care about the characters, none of it matters. |
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Mon Feb 16 2004 02:51 PM |
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"The Morning Improv" Review
Scott McCloud is probably the biggest "name" creator we've reviewed so far. His book "Understanding Comics" is certainly the best examination of the comic strip medium (or "sequential art" to use the posh term) that I've ever seen. And appropriately enough, it was written in the form of a comic. His follow-up, "Reinventing Comics", though no classic, was still a great read, but might have worked better as a webcomic since its primary theme was that the future of comics lies on the Internet.
Summary
As the title implies, these are "improvisational" strips inspired by reader-suggested titles. Freed from the analysis and argumentation of his earlier work, this is more like McCloud just goofing off--which is fine. Some of the best art comes from artists just playing around. The strips reminded me a great deal of the "Magic Inkwell" comics in terms of layout and potpourri of subject matter. This shouldn't be too surprising as Inkwell's creator, Cat Garza, acknowledges McCloud as a major influence.
Writing
Despite the wide variety in artistic styles and subject matter, there was a surprising consistency in that the Morning Improv strips were never less than interesting. McCloud may just be one of those people that has so many ideas buzzing about his brain that any random title can trigger an interesting tale. Some of the strips were just too slight for my tastes, but they were always short enough that I never felt like I had wasted my time. Many were quite good. I particularly enjoyed those that offered interesting philosophical nuggets to chew on.
Art
The cartooning style varied from strip to strip and was always serviceable, but none of the artwork really excited me--except for Monkey Town which offered the kind of fun comic book style art that I really have a fondness for. Oh, and I loved the moody artwork of Somnivore as well.
Navigation & Layout
The navigation was not ideal for full archive reading as there were no links from one Improv to the next. You have to keep going back to the archive page. I was expecting a lot of annoying "infinite canvas" scrolling all around on these strips (as McCloud is most associated with the concept) but surprisingly the comics (mostly long horizontals) flowed very nicely.
Personal Favorites
Flap those Flagella Like You Mean It! -- From the microscopic to the cosmic, things eat and get eaten.
Meadow of the Damned 1, 2, 3 -- Loved it! The perfect eternity for lame sinners.
Inertia Man -- Brief, dumb and funny.
Parallelogram's Revenge -- This one reminded me the most of things suggested in his books--using images at their most abstract to suggest emotions and tell a complete story.
Monkey Town -- My personal favorite. I loved the art and fun character designs. It had a nice thesis-antithesis-synthesis dynamic to it as well.
Junk Bar -- Despite the horrible layout (this was one of the few multi-scroll strips), it was pretty funny, though a bit longer than necessary.
Somnivore -- This was the most suggestive and mysterious of all the pieces. Something about the loss of childhood magic and adult conformity, at least that was my take. I'd like to see Scott do more pieces along these lines.
Overall
"The Morning Improv" is a great webcomic appetizer--assorted small snacks, some tastier than others, that make you hungry for more. Now I'm interested in checking out some of the other material on his site such as "I Can't Stop Thinking", "Zot! Online" and "The Right Number" which appear to be more substantial pieces. |
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Sun Feb 15 2004 09:59 AM |
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Superman has been parodied at least as far back as "Mad" comics from the 1950's and you'd think Superman-spoofs would have been done to death by this point, but nonetheless, I found the teaser opening of "The Japanese Beetle" a hilarious riff on the Man of Steel's origin.
If only the rest of the comic had been as funny. "The Japanese Beetle" is a superhero parody somewhat reminiscent of "The Tick" in tone and genre.
The Japanese Beetle himself (Ken) is a self-centered, callow young man who is rather unlikable. He's not particularly sharp, or even devious enough in his self-interested pursuits to be all that entertaining (compare with a Bruno the Bandit whose selfishness really is engaging). I'm not sure exactly what the appeal of Ken's personality was for the creator to base a strip around.
But he sure looks great. Everything in "The Japanese Beetle" looked great—characters, props, vehicles, backgrounds—you name it. It was a slick, professional looking B&W webcomic that wasn't too slick either. There was a buoyancy and looseness to the characters and their expressions that generated a real sense of fun. I enjoyed the comic as much as I did primarily because of the art. Even the pacing of the panels had a nice comedic rhythm.
But the writing either needed a lot more absurd humor thrown in (that actually worked), or it needed to take itself seriously enough to be enjoyed as a comedic adventure. The over-the-top super-villains arrived on the scene and were dispatched rather rapidly with no genuine sense of threat. This would be fine if the comedy from the encounters actually paid off. There was one climax invloving Joe McCarthy's secret weapon to defeat a communist super-villain that was truly hilarious, but every encounter should have had material on that level for the strip to really work. When he wasn't superhero-ing, Ken's exploits resembled a rather tepid twenty-something sitcom revolving around roommates and romance. Neither the girlfriend nor the roommate had particularly memorable personalities.
I really wish I could be more enthusiastic about this one, because when the comedy occasionally worked, it really worked and the strip always looked great. Maybe part of my problem is that I'm just burnt out on the whole concept of superhero spoofs. I already know how ridiculous the tropes of superhero comics are, and skewering those conventions has now become its own convention. I enjoyed the strip more when it satirized things like the city employee bureaucracy, and I would hope that future strips would go more in that direction—commenting on real life things with superheroes rather than just riffing on superhero silliness. |
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Mon Feb 02 2004 03:29 PM |
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"Flipside" is a somewhat meandering fantasy yarn, focusing primarily on a mischievous female jester named Maytag.
Artwork
Maytag is certainly a cutie, and I enjoyed most of the drawings of her, but overall, the artwork was sub-par American sytle Manga. The anatomy of the figures often didn't look quite right. I could see that effort went into the props and background details, but the final images lacked a certain grace. Maybe I was seeing too much effort, because the compositions just didn't always come together very artfully. The artwork did improve greatly over the course of the archives and my opinion may change if the artist keeps on improving.
Characters
Like a few other webcomics we've reviewed, the interactions between the characters seemed very childlike. It didn't come off like a world of adults interacting but more like a bunch of teenagers flirting or trying to one-up each other.
The friendship between Maytag and Regina was certainly the highlight, and introduced some genuine human elements that I could relate to on an emotional level.
Story
I really struggled through the first 8 chapters. Regina confiding in Maytag was the only portion I really got into. But by chapter 9, the plot felt like it was finally kicking into high gear and an actual nemesis began to threaten the heroes in an interesting way. By Chapter 14 things got even more interesting. By Chapter 22, the major story arc came to a moderately satisfying conclusion and then the main group of characters got kind of dispersed. I still have some interest in following them, but I'm not exactly riveted at this point.
Extras
The extras were awesome! I don't mean that to come off as a backhanded compliment. I really found the creator commentaries at the bottom of the page most endearing. He admits to continuity errors, weak artwork, or how he has illustrated things differently over time. These brief editotial snippets were enlightening and as entertaining as the strip itself. Plus they you could read them while the art was downloading.
There was also an extra sorcery lesson strip that was adorable. I wanted more informational comic strips like that detailing aspects of the world.
Overall
Right now, I can't say that "Flipside" is a must read, but if the story and artwork continue their steady improvement, I can see it eventually growing into something special. I think the author has a very detailed world and magic system in his head that we get glimmers of, but the actual narrative and character psychology demand a higher level of sophistication. |
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Fri Jan 30 2004 08:36 PM |
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Summary
This is one of those webcomics I feel we are reviewing way too early in its development. Not enough has happened yet to really comment on it effectively. The best thing I can compare it to is a French New Wave movie from the 1960's...but with monsters. It's mostly interested in exploring the nuances of the quirky relationship between a young male copy editor (Often) and his zany free-spirit female friend (Colette). The plot may be a supernatural mystery/thriller, but thus far it is hasn't really come into any kind of coherent focus. I don't want to describe too much about what happens, as the strange surprises are part of the appeal.
Artwork
Though a bit sketchy, the artwork was distinctive and assured. It may not be the kind of style I get particularly excited about but it was pleasant and suitable for the story. Colette was very nicely designed and just watching her array of her expressions and poses was a great pleasure. The backgrounds had an appropriate amount of detail to be effective. The compositions and blue shading all worked well for me. It's definitely a good example of visual storytelling.
Story
The story moved along swiftly with minimal dialogue and each panel propelling it forward. Though it has piqued my interest, none of the random fantastic events really tied together yet and it runs the risk of losing me in a sea of disjointed randomness.
Characters
The look of the characters and the visual depiction of their relationship was far more effective than the actual dialogue, which wasn't particularly sharp. I was actually rather confused by the relationship between Often and Colette. I didn't quite "get it". Maybe I wasn't supposed to. They were friends that had some sort of a past (perhaps romantic?). But some of the over-the-top stuff in their fighting didn't ring true to me--like Often tying and gagging Colette and leaving her bound up. Maybe I'm just not appreciating the incident with the right sense of humor or sexual open-mindedness. I think one difficulty I had connecting with the characters is that they didn't react to the fantastic events in any way similar to how I would or anyone I know would. So they came off a bit alien to me.
Overall
I'd really like to revisit this comic in about a year when there's more material. It has a nice look, intriguing elements, and really tells its story visually, but it has yet to come into narrative focus. |
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Tue Jan 20 2004 11:06 AM |
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Summary
"Jack's" title character is the reaper from Hell who collects souls when it's their time to depart the earth. He's portrayed as a bit of a tragic figure who doesn't really enjoy his task and struggles with his often cruel duty as well as the forgotten memories of his wicked past which landed him in Hell. He looks after an innocent in Hell, Fnar, who died as an "unborn". Jack also sometimes expresses a certain degree of affection toward an angel with torn off wings, Farrago. Rather cute Disney-esque furries (plus an assortment of hellish monstrosities and furs in various states of decay) populate "Jack's" universe of earth and the afterworlds. But the furs on earth act and live essentially like humans (living in houses, driving cars, etc.).
Sex and Gore
"Jack" revels in the grotesque and features a great deal of graphic sex and violence, but it also sports a strong moralistic streak, which balances this out somewhat (depending on your tolerance for such material).
Having read a lot of underground comix, the graphic material didn't overly bother me, but it's still not really my preference, and I tend to feel that more is less. Giggly porno stuff, like being raped by smiling dolphins, is more of a yawn to me at this stage in my life. There was a bit too much glee that came across in the constant depictions of rape in its various forms. Yes, one could argue that "rape is hell" and it would be sugarcoating the strip not to depict it in all of its demonic variations. But "Jack" often wasn't mature enough to effectively convey the emotional pain of the situations so graphically displayed.
Writing
I liked the rhythm of "Jack", which featured longer meatier story arcs broken up by shorter, often humorous 1-2 pagers. Like an anthology drama, "Jack's" longer story arcs introduced new, often everyday characters living their lives only to have them shattered by death and, subsequently, Hell. Usually the stories focused more on the earth action but some of them were set primarily in the afterworlds.
The stories held my interest and often involved me emotionally. This was no easy feat, considering the author usually did this with brand new characters in a matter of a page or two. Each story also contained one or two surprising twists or turns which would set it off in an unexpected direction (and painfully reminded me that the strip was indeed about Hell). I also liked how characters form earlier strips would sometimes resurface.
Text
On a technical level, the strips were rife with spelling errors. The early strips had some horribly scrawled text that was very difficult to read. It still amazes me that with all the work that goes into a webcomic, so many creators ultimately undercut their efforts with something as basic as illegible text.
Art
The art was rather rough, but not inappropriate for the subject matter. There is an obvious affection the artist has for drawing furs, gore and genitalia. Backgrounds, vehicles and props were slapped in as needed, but looked fairly crude compared to the figures.
Overall
There's an enormous amount of storytelling talent and genuine understanding of character in "Jack"--more than many of the webcomics we've reviewed that may offer more surface polish. But I really think "Jack" could benefit from a good editor. Less of the grotesque could actually go further and hit the reader with a much more powerful punch if used more selectively. |
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Sat Jan 17 2004 08:09 PM |
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Review of "Wish3"
Navigation
Originally, I couldn't navigate through this webcomic at all. Every link was busted so I just gave up. I did return and though the main problem was fixed, it still has a couple of inconvenient features. There's no Next button to take you from the end of one chapter to the beginning of the next. So you have to keep going back to the archive page at the end of each chapter. I tried just keeping a copy of the archive page open but that was problematic as well. The site doesn't allow you to open the comic links in a new window nor copy and paste the comic links. Every time you try to right click on a link, an annoying (and superfluous) copyright notice pops up and blocks your ability to right click.
I know this is all minor stuff that has little to do with the comic itself, but it's still worth mentioning. If a reader gets frustrated by basic navigation issues, it can't help but impact the overall experience.
Summary
Manga-esque fantasy adventure about Basil Toback, who learns on his 18th birthday the evil nature of his family and that he is heir to three wishes that carry a curse. Along with his girlfriend Paige, he travels to another dimension where a kitsune guide reveals how his ancestors have dealt with the same curse throughout the ages.
Artwork
The compositions were solid with nicely varied camera angles that progressed the story effectively, but the actual execution of the figures and props often seemed kind of sloppy and crude. I generally don't like comics with a loose unfinished look, unless there is really an exceptional energy or zing to the rough drawings. It's a shame, because a lot of the props and background details (such as kitsune Himitsu's lair and the decor of the suburban homes) would have been real impressive had more time been spent on rendering them more fully. Some of the battle scenes had a nice energy, but again, I felt like the art only took me halfway there with its sketchiness.
With the exception of Paige, who had a fun array of expressions, I really didn't like how the artist rendered faces. Basil's look was bland and the kitsune Himitsu's face often looked misshapen. Basil's mother looked so young, I first thought she was his sister.
The quality of the art did improve significantly as the strip went on. And in the very latest chapter, "Sasayaki (Whisper)", the artist introduced a new wash-like technique that I felt to be the most effective look yet for the strip. The style was such a departure, it almost felt like a brand new artist. I don't know whether this look is just for this one chapter or if it will be the style going forward, but I hope it stays.
Writing & Characters
The story concept was intriguing but the execution was often overly drawn-out. Paige and Basil spent an awful lot of time just churning over the basic premise instead of moving forward. The author is big on melodramatic pauses where the characters stew in their gut-wrenching angst for several silent panels. It was a bit over-the-top for me. The leads often didn't behave in a way that felt very naturalistic. They would switch gears and get suddenly sassy for a few panels. This was probably intended to be comical, but it came off as jarring given their circumstances.
But more troublesome was the fact that I just didn't care all that much about the principle characters. The main four (Basil, Paige, Himitsu, and Gabe) all came off rather dull. I was more interested in following the perky college girl in Gabe's dorm than in seeing Gabe reunite with his brother. The characters in the historical flashbacks were more involving to me, perhaps because they had real life problems and conflicts that I could relate to. I'm not sure I even follow exactly what Basil's real nuts & bolts immediate problem is. It's all kind of abstract about what to do with his wish-destiny.
Overall
Thus far, "Wish3" hasn't exactly won me over, but there's still enough of interest in the comic that I'd be willing to read more and see if the main characters' personalities come off better once they are more directly involved in conflict situations. The new direction of the artwork is particularly promising. |
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Sun Jan 11 2004 11:26 PM |
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"Dominic Deegan" concerns the comical exploits of a magical seer in a D&D-type fantasy realm. It's structured as a combination gag strip/serial adventure. The comedic aspects of the strip weren't all that funny to me, but the main characters and the adventures held my interest enough to finish the archives. It certainly improved over time, though isn't a particularly noteworthy strip.
Artwork
The manga-esque artwork gets the job done and shows what's required to tell the story, but there isn't a whole lot of flare or refinement on display. If it were purely a gag strip, the art would be more than adequate, but for a fantasy adventure comic, I really prefer something a bit more magic in the visuals.
Writing
The early gag strips were pretty awful, but thankfully it switched gears into a storytelling mode fairly early on. While the story arcs were successful enough to hold my interest, the whole enterprise had a very juvenile sensibility about it. Like a couple other webcomics we reviewed, the adult characters here speak and interact more like petty junior high school kids. Dialogue passages such as "Hey Bro!" and "Get away from my brother, you big bully!" are indicative of this tendency. An awkward conjunction of graphic violence with a light tone also seems to suggest a certain immaturity.
There was a pattern to the conflicts that repeated itself a little too often. Some opponent (or opponents) would show up with powers that would either injure or kill the heroes and then the villain would swagger and brag over his victory. However, one of the heroes then pulls out some previously unrevealed surprise spell or power that restores everyone and defeats the villain who now has to eat crow. This kind of one-upmanship happened time and again. But as the reader has no real sense of what everyone can do, the combats and their "surprise" resolutions were less than satisfying.
Humor
By far, my biggest issue with the writing was the lame humor. The light comedic tone was fine, but the actual gag attempts fell flat. Running gags about a curse where a fish keep dropping out of the sky on Dominic or an ugly madam who thinks she's beautiful, just didn't tickle my funny bone, especially when used again and again. And having every character take turns at making bad puns (I mean really bad ones, not clever ones) served only to undercut the distinctiveness of the characters. Maybe I've just been too spoiled by the spot on fantasy humor of "Nodwick", but nothing in this strip really made me laugh. The funniest bits came from Spark the cat engaging in Garfield-like antics (always wanting to eat or sleep and the like). It was familiar cat humor territory, but better than the other shtick.
Characters
I do like Dominic Deegan. I like the fact that he doesn't enjoy the grind of his daily job prognosticating for idiot townsfolk. I like how his seeing abilities are tied in to and drive the storylines. As would be expected, Dominic comes off more believable, better rounded than most of the supporting cast. His girlfriend with the tusks, Luna, and his cat Spark also come off fairly well. The fact that I like these characters did a lot to keep me reading the archives, despite my problems with the humor.
Overall
The strip really did improve over time and the Vilrath storyline was fairly suspenseful with some interesting twists. I'd personally like to see less gags and more focus on suspenseful storytelling. Maybe I'm asking the strip to be something it's not. But I feel that if the strip focused more on suspense, the humor would still naturally come through and be funnier than trying to shoehorn in specific "gags". |
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Sun Jan 04 2004 10:39 PM |
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I want to know what happens next. That's about the best compliment I can give to any story.
Summary
"Sketchbook" is about a boy named Abe who recently lost his father and has moved into a new town with his Mom. He befriends a female classmate named Mavis and the two of them enter a strange fantasy realm named K'Ozmana which may or may not be of Abe's own creation, somehow tied to the drawings in his sketchbook.
Like many fantasy epics, "Sketchbook" follows the formula involving a great evil that has beset the land, which may only be vanquished by the deeds of an unlikely hero.
Artwork
The artwork is refreshingly distinctive and a joy to behold. The colors are vibrant and the linework has an energetic bold quality that brings vitality to the pictures. The settings and character designs are imaginative and the artist exaggerates things with a quirky flair, which the reader quickly gets used to.
I found myself occasionally reading panels in the wrong order as the arrangement often was counter to standard left-right layout. But following the black panel-connector lines allowed me to discern the intended order.
Characters
I think the characters could be developed a bit stronger. I do like them (which itself is no easy accomplishment in writing), but they feel just a bit generic. They lack some distinctive details to really make them pop out. For example, similar school scenes from "American Born Chinese" (teacher introduces new kid, bullying from peers) contained the kind of specific details that made the scenes feel actually lived. The scenes with Abe at school had more of a generic everyboy quality to them.
Even in K'Ozmana, the characters seemed to continually speak and act in a way to merely reinforce their type ("noble knight", "reluctant sidekick"). Some of the aggravation banter between Abe and Phistus could have been a bit sharper. I'd like to see the K'Ozmana denizens grow as three-dimensional characters beyond the initial role they may perform. But the story is still young and there is still time for that.
Story
I'm ready for the adventure to really get rolling in K'Ozmana. Having the characters be able to go back to the human world and hang out for a while kind of dampened the sense of urgency over the dire mission in K'Ozmana. While it is still an interesting choice to see the hero back in the real world mid-adventure, I just don't want the narrative momentum derailed.
Like I mentioned at the top, I look forward to what happens next. |
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Sat Dec 20 2003 11:29 AM |
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Bryant Paul Johnson strikes me as someone who would make a charming dinner guest, full of intriguing little anecdotes and dubious factoids of history. My feelings regarding the comics are a bit mixed. I started out disliking them, but the writing and artwork improved enormously over the span of the archives and I warmed to them by the end.
The earlier strips offered tepid jabs at fast food ingredients, pro-wrestling, parking restrictions, door-to-door evangelists, the NRA, Fox news etc. They really didn't get at the absurdity of these things so much as parade them out like a list of things to be scorned.
A few managed to generate a mild grin but most just weren't that funny or insightful. Thankfully however, the strip shifted gears to stake out a more distinctive motif that seems closer to the cartoonist's heart. The mid to later strips offer brief snippets from quirky moments in history--embellished with some absurdity or often totally fabricated. This material was still kind of hit and miss for me, but at least it was fresher. Some of them reminded me a bit of Carol Lay's "Story Minutes" in structure and tone.
I liked the style and line work of the art, but the early compositions were kind of drab. I kept hoping the artist would cut loose a little more. Every other strip seemed to open with a medium shot of some scruffy guy with bad posture standing in front of a row of generic buildings the same distance back on the horizon line. But the artwork did improve a great deal and I enjoyed the use of color and the overall look of the later strips very much.
I think my biggest problem with the writing was that most every strip was a let down in some way. They always started out great with some intriguing premise that hooked me through the first few panels but then, more often than not, they just fizzled. A perfect example is "Canis Ex Terra". Great start (even a funny dog pic) that ultimately didn't build to anything satisfying. Same issue with "That Is So 1880's", and many others. The endings are there and I see the gags, but they just don't compare to the great build ups.
I'll offer my handful of favorites that I thought were noteworthy from the early to mid period. After about chapter 32, all are fairly consistent.
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I wouldn't recommend reading too many at a time. These strips do not form a cohesive story, so they are best digested in sample doses. |
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Sun Dec 14 2003 05:25 PM |
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This is another strip with such a paltry offering of material, I feel it's way too early to give it an adequate review (this review covers material up to Chapter 2, Strip 2).
"Tween" is a humorous sword & sorcery strip with a bit of an underground comix edge. It was reminiscent to me in both tone and appearance of Ralph Bakshi's film "Wizards" as well as Vaughn Bode's comic strip "Cheech Wizard".
Artwork
Let's start with the artwork, which was absolutely terrific. I love this kind of style. The designs, the compositions, the color were just perfectly suited for comedic fantasy art. When I reviewed the webcomic "Nodwick" (which I loved) the only quibble in my critique was with the artwork. Though the "Nodwick" art was good, it just did not quite have the magical zing that I yearn for in fantasy art. "Tween" has that zing in spades.
Writing
Alas, if only I could be as enthusiastic about the writing. Whereas the writing in "Nodwick" had a professional comedian's sense of ease and timing, the humor in "Tween" often felt forced, like it was trying too hard to be hipper than its own material (the Narrator was particularly guilty of this). I don't want to be overly harsh because some stuff was quite amusing. I loved Eelbone's reaction to Bad Mojo's "Blanket the world in darkness scheme". But more often than not, sequences of schtick went on for panels and panels, long after the comedic concept had been delivered.
Characters
The characters were more "types" than three-dimensional people, which is fine for this sort of genre. But so far, the heroes have failed to exhibit the necessary charm that would make their negative traits seem endearing. The panicky elf Pheebus displayed the bumbling initiate qualities and underdeveloped charisma of a Jar Jar Binks. The Wizard Ehron's drunken, laid back manner was fine for a start, but I'm hoping either a little more depth or a lot more comedy will be forthcoming from him. The sexy Bijou Bleu grated on my nerves a bit with her Valley Girl-like speak ("what-EVAH") and her impatient, jaded attitude toward everything. I was definitely getting that this is the type of character she's supposed to be--but getting it too much so. Again, I sensed the writer trying too hard to make sure we "got it" rather than letting the character breathe and respond a tad more naturalistically.
Maybe this trio will grow on me. The story is still very young. A lot depends on the situations they are put it, the opponents they face, how their relationships develop, etc.
Overall
I guess the one interesting aspect of webcomic reviewing that is so totally unlike films or novels is that you're often dealing with works-in-progress, and perhaps a critic's comments might even filter back to the creator and have a positive impact. I really do want to love this comic and would probably follow this artwork down almost any path. It's got all the story elements I enjoy except the forced writing. Perhaps A.P. Furtado should lighten up, kick back, smoke some banja beans and just let the characters speak for themselves. |
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Mon Dec 01 2003 11:28 PM |
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I enjoyed this comic very much! My only gripe is that there wasn't enough material (as of 11/30/2003 it was at the 4th segment of Chapter 5)
"ABC" tells three separate tales that explore the blending of American and Chinese cultures on three levels: The mythological, the personal, and the level of caricature.
The retelling of the Monkey King (a classic figure of Chinese mythology) infuses Christian elements into in an engaging parable of hubris and destiny.
The recollections of the young Chinese immigrant Jin, learning to assimilate to American culture offers nice observations and anecdotes from childhood.
The briefest and most surprising storyline is presented like an episode from some awful TV sitcom about an overbearing Chinese cousin named "Chin-kee" who visits an average white American teenage boy. Chin-kee speaks with the worse Hollywood-stereotyped accent (something like Mickey Rooney's wretched Mr. Yunioshi in "Breakfast At Tiffany's"). I never saw Spike Lee's "Bamboozled", but it seems like this segment will tackle the same issue of how to present an outdated and offensive stereotype without making it appealing/funny enough to resurrect the very same stereotypes it's attempting to critique.
Other reviewers have complained that the three stories don't really tie together. I couldn't disagree more. For me, the journey that Monkey King goes through had elements that reflect those of every assimilating immigrant. Even if you master the system and wear all the right shoes, the dominate culture may never see you as anything but a monkey--unless you get tough and force respect. But that path ultimately leads to destruction. Maybe I'm reading too much into the tales, but I found these stories very rich and thought provoking.
On a technical level, the artwork was simple but elegant and beautiful. The linework was especially lovely. Every panel, every image felt like it is there for a reason, advancing the story, enhancing a character, accentuating a theme, or offering some worthwhile detail. It's so refreshing to see a webcomic that really treasure's the reader's attention and makes every moment worthwhile.
The whole segment where Monkey King escapes the space-time reality and reaches the five pillars was my personal highlight. The "breaking the panel" thing has been done numerous times in comics, yet here it was no tired gimmick but an extremely effective means of communicating a sequence of events. Every image in that sequence was great. I would feel "Whoa, that's really neat" followed by "But of course, it could rightly be depicted no other way".
There was also great comic timing throughout. In the Jin stories, the punchlines were subtle, but most definitely there and very carefully developed. "ABC" offered genuine comedy about human nature, not cheap punchlines about pop culture figures. Jin's reactions to people and surroundings were somewhat minimalist but very effective. The narrator didn't drone on about how he was feeling this way or that way. He narrated the essentials and let the comic tell the bulk of the story.
I'd have to rank "American Born Chinese" up there as one of the best webcomics I've come across and look forward to reading the rest. |
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Sat Nov 29 2003 11:08 PM |
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Review of "Clan of the Cats" by Jamie Robertson
"Clan of the Cats" was one of the first webcomics I got into several years ago. At the time, every webcomic I explored seemed like some 13-year old's lame-ass idea of comedy, so CotC was refreshing for its depth and sophistication. I still consider it a standout today (Nov 2003), even in a much more crowded field of high caliber talent.
CotC convincingly portrays down-to-earth characters in a fantastic scenario. It explores aspects of modern day witchcraft and presents parallel cultures of vampires, werewolves and other occult brethren. Events in the personal lives of the characters (divorce, affairs, illness, etc.) pack as much of a wallop as the supernatural threats.
It's a difficult balancing act that Jamie attempts, because the outlandishness of some of the epic magic confrontations would seem to undercut the more mundane soap opera affairs of the characters. But more often than not, the balance felt right. I tended to enjoy the smaller scale story arcs over the epics involving ancient feuds, secret societies and cosmic destinies. The smaller scale stories were a bit more convincing and allowed for more interesting character interplay.
The one type of story I really didn't enjoy was the goofy crossover. The ones that maintained the CotC tone were fine, such as the engrossing "A Cat in the Shadows" and "Ghost of the Forest". But many of the crossovers involved over-the-top humor that seemed too narrowly targeted to an in-crowd.
Probably CotC's greatest strength is its cast of characters. Chelsea the panther-shifter witch and her extended family all felt real to me and had convincing emotional lives. Sister Mel (a leopard morph), the comical blue cat Sebastian and the wizard Jacob were particular favorites. But really, no minor character was a throw away. They all seemed to have some genuine inner life that came to the surface. And events that impacted the characters (major and minor) were not forgotten, but lingered on, and continued to affect them hundreds of strips later. Sometimes the melodramatic soliloquies were a little thick for my tastes, but I generally enjoyed these people laying out their emotional issues.
Jamie's artwork has improved greatly over the years. There's still some occasional uncertainty going on with the anatomy and facial expressions, but this is usually more than made up for by the nice mood-evoking use of color, pleasant line work, and sense of locale. Jamie's wolves are particularly appealing.
If you want a good blend of soap opera, the supernatural and rich emotional characters, "Clan of the Cats" is recommended. |
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Thu Nov 20 2003 02:23 PM |
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After "Hutch Owen", "The New Adventures of Death", now makes two comics in a row that are broadcasting on some alien-humor wavelength that I just don't channel. I've created a new bald spot from all of my head-scratching on this one. Perhaps the creator is going for an obtuse sophistication to impress New Yorker magazine submissions editors.
The concept involves a milquetoast version of Death (in the form of a sad sack skeleton) shuffling about in assorted contemporary, historical and surreal scenarios. The comics consist of loose (very loose) story premises involving non-sequiters and abstract characters with an occasional semblance of narrative and perhaps a rare punchline (when Death feels like throwing the reader a bone).
Some of the strips contained brief moments of amusement. In "Blind Date", Death goes out on a date with a type-font (Helvetica) and the couple is then visited by her ex-husband.
"Research Mode" had a punchline that was actually mildly amusing. Though much of my joy probably came from my exuberance over finally comprehending a joke ("I got one! I got one!").
In "24 Hours of Death", Neil Armstrong delivers a line about academic requirements that was comical, given the set-up.
But even with these few examples, I'm really stretching to find something positive to say. The drawings were simple, clean and pleasant, but not exciting enough to make up for the writing. Comics, though an art form, are also, at a more basic level, a form of communication. And "The New Adventures of Death" just failed for me at that basic level. |
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Sun Nov 16 2003 08:31 PM |
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It was probably unwise to review this week's title, as it is still so early in its story. This review is based solely on the first 79 pages of "Hutch Owen- Public Relations!" and not any other Hutch Owen comics.
In "Public Relations!", the disenfranchised protagonist (a 'bum' in non-PC speak), Hutch Owen, is reluctantly participating in a corporate scheme to uplift the homeless by having authentic homeless people as part of some big PR campaign. Hutch's insecure buddy, Blumer, is gung ho for the project, because it makes him feel valued. But Hutch is disgusted with it, and rants to the organizer Jules about everything that's wrong with the concept. Jules' sister Martha, who initiated the project, appears to have abandoned it for more one-on-one philanthropy. There's also golf balls and ghosts flying around whose significance have yet to be fully revealed. Maybe this all will tie together in an impressive way. It's too early to judge, but the 79 pages thus far provided little in the way of entertainment or insights (certainly no laughs), so I doubt I'll be around for the conclusion.
I'm not sure if this comic is meant to be funny or not. Hutch spouts his anti-commercialism philosophy (as much of a trope for independent comics as superheroes are to mainstream), and I think he's intended to be seen as the angry young man who tells it like it is. Hutch's speeches certainly come off didactic. But I may be reading them wrong. Perhaps Hutch's views are meant to be seen as trite, and we should laugh at his naiveté. Unfortunately, whatever we're meant to think of Hutch's views, there was no ambiguity about the blandness of the character.
I don't mind the anti-system philosophizing, as long as the protagonist is funny or has something fresh to offer with his or her observations. When Peter Bagge's Buddy or Crumb's alter-ego grumble about yuppies, it's usually funny, because they have targeted some interesting trait that caught their attention and proceed to skewer it. And the specificity of the observation reminds us again about the broader absurdities of American life. Voi lŕ -- comedy! But Hutch Owen's speeches are all generalities about generalities. Maybe the premise alone of a company enlisting bums for PR is supposed to be such a wicked absurdity that no further laughs are required.
The creator is an award-winning cartoonist who has apparently been selling Hutch Owen comics for ten years, so this material must be connecting to someone out there. I'm hoping one of the other reviewers actually liked this strip so they can explain to me what I'm missing. Maybe I just didn't take the right comic strip theory classes or something. |
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Sat Nov 15 2003 01:58 PM |
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Review of "Vicious Souvenirs" by John Barber
"Vicious Souvenirs" sort of falls into the post-"Watchmen" genre of revisionist superhero comics. If you enjoy stuff like Brian Michael Bendis's "The Powers" (or really, any superhero comics), you'll probably like this.
Story
The opening scene was great; it really hooked me in from the get go. The natural flow of the dialogue with interruptions and dropped subjects worked very well to make the super-powered premise seem believable. It was like Samuel Jackson and John Travolta shooting the [censored] between hits in "Pulp Fiction". I felt like a fly on the roof. And the whole way their conversation would be interrupted by stuff happening off screen was terrific. It was more involving to see them react to the activities than actually be shown the action.
The story follows Wikkid and Diesel, two super-powered types who get drafted into the organization of a genius megalomaniac visionary who wants to reorganize the world in order to save it. For the most part, I really believed in this world. But I often got confused during some of the scenes over which groups were spying on other groups. Some of the cat-and-mouse power play conversations also went over my head. I'm sure a reread would clear it all up, but I just kind of let it wash over me.
By the second half (2.1), something happened beyond a font change. I felt utterly lost. This was mostly intentional due to a mind job done to the narrator, Wikkid. But I also had trouble maintaining my interest after that point. The story kept layering on new characters, new factions, new topical references and I felt increasingly detached from the jumpy, convoluted proceedings.
But the story is far from over, so it may just be at a particularly complex point and not the best moment to make an overall evaluation. The story has enough going for it that I can easily be drawn back in.
Themes & Tone
There was a definite panache to the storytelling, which was refreshing. It was hip in a good way, tossing in a variety of narrative approaches that kept the reader on his or her toes.
While the story was big on tossing curve balls at the reader, I really would have like to have had more jolts of humor and less narrative complexity. An example of great humor I wanted more of: The throwaway line when Wikkid and Diesel have a "long talk" about whether to join Mr. Closer. Some of the more obvious attempts at humor, like the news broadcasts, felt too underlined and have been overused at least since "Robocop".
The story also felt a bit overstuffed with political references, like it was trying to cram in nearly every item on the global left wing agenda. Initially this was great, and added to the background realism. But more and more the conspiracy theory dog pile felt like listening to an Art Bell sampler on fast forward. The political references and connections just didn't have any real political punch to them.
Not that "Vicious Souvenirs" is trying to make a profound political statement any more than a James Bond film. Still, when you bring up issues like Sept. 11th that continue to have a very powerful emotional resonance, it's difficult to have it presented as mere fodder for a super-villain scheme.
But blending contemporary politics with fantasy can be done in an effective, thought-provoking way without diminishing the seriousness of the subject matter, as Patrick Farley's "The Spiders" proved.
Characters
While the various snatches of dialogue were often excellent (the big dinner party where the global bigwigs hobnob was a highlight), somehow, it didn't all seem to build into characters that I actually felt for or cared about. They were well-rendered in many ways, as superhero comics go, but just didn't make that emotional connection for me. None of these characters lived and breathed for me like Chelsea from "Clan of the Cats" (still need to finish that review).
Artwork
The colors, compositions and layouts were all nice and effective. This is John Barber's real strength. But the actual drawings themselves weren't rendered all that well. They had too much of a loose sketchy look that seemed to get worse in the later chapters. At times the comic looked like poorly posterized photographs. It may have been dangerous to include the Brendan Cahill's artwork on the Vegas interlude strip (which Iooked awesome). Cahill's drawing style is much more appealing to my personal tastes, and it made me wonder how much more I would enjoy "VS" if he had drawn the whole thing.
Flash Navigation
I'll start with a minor issue, which I notice on a lot of Flash sites. Occasionally Flash seems to have an issue where certain elements have a slightly off-color box around them, so you know which pieces are going to wind up moving. It was most noticeable here with white on white elements (like the credits, which had kind of greenish white boxes.).
Now the bigger issue...
In the first chapter, I thought the Flash transitions were brilliant. Things like the characters leaping down the building made full use of the medium. But as the story progressed, I became less and less enamored with the animations and felt they detracted from my enjoyment of the story. I don't know what it was exactly, but I think the fact that each click had a different kind of unexpected movement eventually became exhausting on some subconscious level. Seeing panels slide around and bump one another was a very busy visual activity that really called attention to itself, and overshadowed or hampered my ability to be drawn into the content on some level. Other readers probably feel the exact opposite way. But I would have preferred a fairly consistent and motionless transition method, saving the fancy stuff for key sequences where it would really have the most impact.
Overall
Although I expressed a lot of specific critiques, overall I think "Vicious Souvenirs" is a very fine webcomic and would recommend it to anyone who enjoys the superhero or spy genres. It might be a bit confusing for the general reader, as it was for me at times, but I look forward to the conclusion and reading future John Barber projects. |
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Sun Nov 09 2003 08:24 PM |
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I remember that it was some time in the early 1990's that a funny thing happened at the movies. Characters began having conversations similar to the ones my friends and I had been having for years. On the screen were drifting 20-something's who spent their time obsessively analyzing their own lives and relationships through conversations littered with film and pop culture references. Adrift young adults were nothing new to the movies, but the pop-culture speak was a new wrinkle; it was like the movies had finally caught up to the reality that was familiar to me.
I think the first film where this phenomenon really struck me was "Reservoir Dogs" which wasn't about drifting 20-something's at all, but gangsters. Here were these hardcore professional criminals arguing about Madonna lyrics and the ethics of tipping just like my buddy's and I might do at Denny's on any given day.
There were a slew of these films that came out, focusing on young adults caught between college and "real life", raised with an overabundance of television and psychoanalytic terminology, spending most of their time "slacking" and attempting to make witty observations on life. I remember quite liking a film called "Kicking And Screaming" and there was at least one hilarious series of comic books in the genre, Peter Bagge's "Hate".
Unfortunately, all things fresh and innovative get copied and regurgitated through every level of pop culture like so much "Matrix"-choreography. By the late-1990's, many of the so-called Gen-X films were awful--self-indulgent American Independent cinema at its worse. So now in 2003, "Slacker" stories have been corralled into their own genre. And though flannel shirts and grunge attire may be antiquated, tales still abound (especially in webcomics) of slackers slinging their pop culture references as if they were fresh gems of wit.
I begin this week's critique with such a lengthy intro for a reason. In some ways, one might superficially classify "Same Difference" as a slacker webcomic, in that it covers the checklist of items so often associated with that genre. But "Same Difference" so transcends the genre and is such a fine piece of storytelling, that it made all of the genuine emotional issues I associate with being at that "slacker stage of life" feel fresh and alive again.
*SPOILERS*
I'm in my late 30's now and my slacker days are a good dozen years in the past, but "Same Difference" had the profound effect of putting me back into that era of my life, and even earlier into my high school years. It made me realize that I'm still grappling with some of the issues as the characters in the story. Maybe you never really resolve the emotional issues from any stage of life; you just get new ones to replace them. Mortgage payments, investment portfolios and office politics perhaps just keep me from having to wrestle with all the shitty things I did to people back in high school. I read "Same Difference" and also found myself asking, am I the guy the with the wife and the stroller or am I the guy still drawing Woody Woodpecker in the sand for no one but God to see?
This is a great webcomic.
It's marvelous how so many elements in the characters' lives do not exist solely in the here and now but can only be experienced though contrast with the past: Little things like peeking into Nancy's yearbook to the big things like the high school flashbacks and revisiting hometown Pacifica. Every element in the story is like a satellite that shoots off in one direction or another but can never escape the gravitational pull of the past. Derek Kirk Kim as author keeps all the elements in orbit and brings them circling back when least expected for maximum impact.
There's a security in the past, whether it's painful memories or dopey movies you shared with friends. Sure, you were stuck in high school or stuck in college, but despite being "stuck", you were at least on a track that set the broad directional pull of your life. But without school, a "real job" or a family to set the broad directional outline, there's this giant overhanging cloud that's constantly asking, "where am I going?" To me, that's the core emotional theme of the "slacker" genre, but to make that simple concept feel fresh, you need good characters and a good story.
Thankfully, Derek Kirk Kim provides both.
The characters in the story, 20-something friends Simon and Nancy, don't just talk in the restaurant all day (though I would certainly enjoy listening to them), but they create a mini-adventure for themselves. They go on a quest to track down a stranger, a stranger who has a passionate focus in life (a warped and possibly psychotic focus, but a focus nonetheless). I felt that same buzz I've gotten from "Nancy Drew" to "Blue Velvet", that mixture of excitement and apprehension for young protagonists about to embark on a journey into the darker regions of human experience. It may be deadly and foolish, and you sure as hell wouldn't do it, but you just can't wait to see them go. This stranger happens to live in Simon's home town which further stirs up all sorts of bug-a-boo's from Simon's past. Through "Same Difference" is by no means a "thriller", there is a surprising amount of suspense generated by the simple premise. Even during the flashbacks within the main story, I was eager to get to the next panel to learn more about what happens next. Such a basic requirement for any story, but so rarely achieved.
I didn't even notice the artwork. And I mean that as a compliment, like in a film with really good CGI that sucks you in so well you don't even think about except what's happening. I'm only just considering the artwork now, for this review. Everything looks as it should: The cars, the suburban houses, the store fronts, the high school kids--all filtered nicely through Derek Kirk Kim's consistent degree of stylization. His manipulation of time is wonderful too, dragging some scenes out by repeating panels or letting the camera drift to reflect a daydreaming state of mind. Because the scenes are generally so low-key and naturalistic, when there is a bit of action, like a sudden jaunt across the aisles at a supermarket, it impacts with excitement and hilarity.
I really could go on and on raving about the joys and insights I found in each chapter, but too much praise can kill the work and rob the pleasures from new readers. I doubt everyone will enjoy this comic as much as I did, but "Same Difference" felt like an authentic portrait of me and my generation--or at least what I felt and still do feel. No, I'm not Korean-American, I don't live in Northern California, and I'm probably a dozen years older than the protagonists, but those are mere superficials.
The climax is a tender mix of the cosmic and the trivial. Simon may not have found any new breakthrough direction in his life (do we ever really?), but damn it, he finally remembered the girl's name in that "Real Genius" movie. And for some of us, that's a helluva start. |
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Thu Sep 18 2003 08:54 PM |
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The yearning for true love and the pain of lost love.
Romanticizing the dream state, while in real life, scrounging to eke out an existence.
The quest to touch something deep in all readers--to create something new, something magical with the webcomics medium!!
But am I even an artist? And if so, am I good?
Or am I great? Dare I even ask such questions?
These are some of the recurring themes that swirl about in Mr. Garza's "Magic Inkwell Comic Strip Theatre"—a webcomic less about any particular cartoon character (though a certain Dingbat the cat serves as the beard) or telling any particular story, but more a series of cartoon reflections of the emotional and thematic concerns of the creator, Mr. Cayetano Garza.
This is one of the toughest webcomic reviews I've had to write because, while most of the individual "Inkwell" comic strips I wasn't crazy about (details forthcoming), for the few that worked, I really felt that I'd made a connection with the creator and have been given a private ticket into his soul.
Navigation & Technical Issues
Starting with the mundane but important issue of site navigation, I really hated the fact that there were no Next Buttons to navigate through the strips. Making matters worse, there was no numbering on the actual strip pages to indicate which cartoon I was currently on. Making matters still worse, there was no "visited link" color change on the archive spine to indicate which ones I'd read. So I wasted time constantly re-clicking on a strip I'd already read or accidentally skipping strips. Eventually I tried to keep track in my head of exactly which strip number I was on, but some added navigational buttons would make this a much smoother sailing experience for future readers.
Another annoying navigational issue involved an aesthetic conceit, presumably influenced by Scott McCloud's "infinite canvas" boosterism, that somehow it's better, more chichi, to scroll up and down, all around, and off the sides of the standard screen dimensions to read a webcomic. Most of the time this extra scrolling served no aesthetic purpose, and the content could easily have been displayed within a standard window or a single scrolling direction. On the occasional strip when the technique actually did seem to serve a purpose, the impact had already been diluted by using the effect too often as a cheap novelty device.
Also, external links need to be overhauled as several of the songs didn't load for me at all and some of the strips appeared to have missing images.
Art
The artwork was very uneven. With so much experimentation going on, it's really difficult to make any kind of general statement about the art. The early strips were a mish-mash of styles (some too sketchy for my tastes), but by the final strips, it seemed like Mr. Gaza had developed some very nice line work and used colors to good effect.
There were a couple of strips that were specific homages to George Herriman's "Krazy Kat", but really, the whole look seemed like a pastiche of homages to Krazy Kat, Max Fleisher, Rene Magritte, Underground Comix, and assorted head shop stickers. There's nothing wrong with that; I love those too, but sometimes it felt like Mr. Garza was too much under the influence of his idols.
There was also an over-reliance on easily crafted GIF animations and Photoshop filter effects to represent the concept of "imagination". Those things can be fun to look at and are wonderful if used to enhance the story (a lá "Argon Zark!"), but in "Magic Inkwell" I felt I was often getting all candy sprinkles and no meal.
Writing
There was a lot of sappy, greeting card-style verse decorated with cute cartoon characters. While these sentiments can be beautiful if crafted as a gift for a specific individual, for a general reader like myself, I think a bit more is expected from a webcomic. I need more details in order to really feel that love Mr. Garza wants to express. I'd rather see Dingbat and the cat woman acting out real events (or fictionalized events) from Mr. Garza's own life, as opposed to some iconic representation of love.
I was even less enthused by the philosophical pieces regarding the medium itself. I realize that Scott McCloud was a big influence on Mr. Garza and all, but Garza doesn't really have the knack like McCloud does of linking idea to idea and tying things all together in a satisfying intellectual way. Instead, the "Inkwell" pieces came off as obvious, tiresome, and/or preachy.
Despite all my griping, there were several strips that hit the mark for me. They either made that necessary emotional connection or used visuals in clever way that actually complimented the piece. I'm Sorry, Red Rocket, As I Watch You Sleep, I Cant' Draw, and The Burning Question all captured for me some of the intended inkwell "magic". "The Burning Question" in particular stood out as a more epic, fully realized piece. It captured many of the recurring themes and took me on a journey inside the realms of Mr. Garza's fictional and real life in a truly satisfying way. It seemed to have just the right balance of surrealism, autobiography and emotional truth (and it had a nice narrative arc).
If I were to recommend the "Magic Inkwell" to someone, I'd say start with the strips listed above, and if you dig them, you may wish to sample the rest. |
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Sat Sep 13 2003 11:00 AM |
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If you've read the other club reviews, feel free to skip mine this week, as it's really just a rehash of what's already been said. And unlike the creators of "Ghost Cat", I don't want to waste readers' time.
Let's go back to basics for a moment...a webcomic really needs at least one of the following elements to hold my interest:
1) A story with conflict and narrative progression ("What's gonna happen next?"), or
2) Interesting characters ("I want to know more about these people"), or
3) Interesting ideas ("I'd never thought about that in quite this way before"), or
4) Funny gags ("Ha-ha-ha-ha!") or
5) Great art ("Cool!")
Just one or two of those items can be enough; you really don't really need all five. But "Ghost Cat" fails in all areas and I just couldn't get through it.
In the early strips, I was somewhat amused by the old, crazy, pirate landlord constantly shining the flashlight under his face to look spooky. I thought the story was building up to some kind of enjoyable "Scooby Doo"-type romp with the young trio learning to live in a creepy mansion with an insane landlord and a mysterious ghost cat. But the strip lost its narrative drive almost immediately and became a random assortment of weak "gags" only tenuously connected by the initial premise.
Making matters worse was the utter lack in grounding to any kind of believable reality (fast food customers turning into the Hulk, the characters blowing up a different wall of the house every week, etc.). Now if the gags were actually funny (like in an over-the-top "Simpsons" episode), I wouldn't mind nonsense like people turning into the Hulk, but without the humor, these outrageous occurrences merely generated a head-scratching "Huh?"
The art was middling, but would have been more than adequate if the writing was up to snuff. I don't enjoy being so harsh, but for some reason, failed drama only disappoints me, whereas failed comedy actually irritates me. When the nanobot-zombie-villager story arc fizzled, I could suffer through only one more strip...
http://www.ghostcat.cycomics.com/03132003ghostcat.gif
and it seemed like a fitting note to exit on. |
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Sat Sep 06 2003 12:10 PM |
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Art
Basic drawing skills are lacking here. I sense the struggle to draw things fairly realistically and the effort really shows. It might be better for the artist to go for a simpler more cartoony style. I'm thinking of "Traced", which, though no better rendered than this, at least had an ease and comfort with its simplicity. With "Ciderview Project" I wince at every warped face, gooey prop, and wayward perspective line struggling to find its lost vanishing point.
One page with gray wash achieves a fairly decent look and captures a mood.
http://www.ciderviewproject.com/03/4.html
Going in this direction might be a good strategy, but the pages right after, done in the same style, are fairly weak.
Characters
The dialogue is flat, functional and just doesn't ring true. It's like a story of generic human beings with certain assigned "issues". I don't sense that the author is a real keen observer of human nature yet. Or if he is, he doesn't capture the nuances, the spark of life that makes people interesting (even depressing people with problems). And it's not that I don't like realistic stories about unhappy people. I've been a fan of Harvey Pekar's work since the mid-1980's. But there's humanity in Pekar's pain that is just absent here.
Story
Thus far, this hasn't exactly been a plot-driven narrative. It's about assorted drab people who are either miserable, dying or arguing in a robotic fashion.
Overall
I hate to be such a downer, but I find little in this story of any interest thus far and have no desire to return to this world. The one positive thing I can say is that the author seems very sincere and passionate about the project, and also open to feedback and suggestions. I don't mean to be patronizing with this next suggestion, but in all honesty, my best advise would be for the creator to find a good creative writing class and drawing class and really work out some of the basics of storytelling, characterization and draftsmanship with teachers who can give detailed critiques. I sense a real passion to say something genuine about life, but the skills just aren't there yet. Sometimes an artist has to go backward to go forward. |
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Sun Aug 31 2003 09:22 AM |
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I only had limited to time this week for online activities (a couple hours) and was going to pass on doing a review for "Nodwick" because I knew I wouldn't be able to read all the archives. But the previous reviews have been so stellar, I didn't want to miss out. Anyway, I read the 2003 archives and my review is based on that limited selection of material.
I can see why this strip has received such high praise. It takes me back fondly to my fantasy role-playing days (which for me was the mid-1980's when the strip "Wormy" was the big thing in "Dragon" magazine).
When I used to game, we would generally take the adventures seriously, in the sense that we would have our characters react as if their lives were genuinely at stake and they'd really die if they didn't kill the orcs and trolls assaulting them. But despite the contextual seriousness of the in-play adventure, as players, we would constantly be making fun of gaming cliches, riffing on the inherent silliness of our characters, tossing in alternate joke remarks our characters might say, etc.
There's a point to these reminisces. And the point is that "Nodwick", while presenting stories fully within the adventure, somehow magically manages to capture that goofiness and fourth-wall breaking sense of humor that was always just as vital a part of the "Dungeons and Dragons" experience as the adventure itself. The characters in "Nodwick" act as characters being played by long-time gamer geeks with a great sense of humor and a certain ease and mastery with doing the adventuring gig.
Sometimes when a period comic strip inserts anachronistic pop culture references, it just irritates me. It comes off as a cheap laugh that spoils the illusion of the strip's premise. But in "Nodwick" this didn't bother me. Probably because 1) the jokes were always funny, and 2) the insertions were always clever and enhanced the point of the strip.
"Nodwick" also succeeds on another level. Sure, it's all about fantasy role-playing characters, but the writer manages to have their experiences reflect both contemporary and universal situations. The sequence where a couple of kids want to learn the ways of being a bad ass warriors is rich with humor and truth about the need for that kind of manly initiation and the dangers of too much power in the hands of kids. Here's a representative strip from that sequence
http://www.gamespy.com/comics/nodwick/gamespyarchive/gspynod101.html
As you can see, my analysis comes off boorish and pretentious compared to the simple charm of the comic itself.
I don't really feel like getting into parsing my likes and dislikes over the art. While I personally may prefer a little more sophistication in my fantasy art to truly get excited about it (even for humorous fantasy art), the art here compliments the writing just fine. And the various monsters, locales and magic items are very nicely designed with a perfect understanding of the milieu.
The four main characters' differing personality types ("alignments" in D&D speak) play off each other very nicely and the writer constantly mines fresh surprises form their interactions despite our familiarity with them.
After reading so many webcomics that fail or succeed to varying degrees, it is refreshing to read the work of a real pro. I mean there wasn't a single strip that I would call unsuccessful or even mediocre. Each "Nodwick" strip has been crafted at a consistent level of excellence. |
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Sun Aug 17 2003 10:09 AM |
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"The attorneys are saying don't shoot her, Lieutenant.
...Pistol-whipping's okay though." - U.S. Military command
*WARNING: SPOILERS!*
"The Spiders" is a top-notch webcomic, one of the absolute best, so if you haven't read it, go do so now instead of reading my overlong, two-bit review. A lot of the fun comes from the surprises and revelations in the story, and reading my leaky comments will own lessen the impact. If Stanley Kubrick had written webcomics, he might have created something like "The Spiders". It has a mix of cold detachment, biting black humor, innovative visual choices, transcendent psychological experiences, comical dialogue and a use of science fiction to address absurd contemporary political situations.
REVIEW
Premise
What a great science fiction premise! Numerous mobile audio-visual recording devices have been dropped in Afghanistan disguised as spider-like rocks (the spy-"Spiders") and are monitored by a network of citizens around the world connected via Internet websites and chat rooms.
Writing
But the writer doesn't even lay this premise out like an overly-eager storytelling novice. The reader discovers it slowly in subtle ways and then WHAMMO! With a brilliant visual technique, the images start getting static and the camera pulls back to reveal the full nature of the premise in all of its brilliance.
Taliban members, so often characterized in the media as evil, inhumane religious fanatics, bicker here like characters from a Hollywood mix-matched buddy cop movie (and I mean that as a compliment). No one acts the way you expect them to--not the Afghan women, not the U.S. military, not the main characters you think you've got pegged as types. I was constantly being thrown off guard by little things characters would say and how they would react to their situations. Rich throwaway lines about wanting better coffee, suffering from hemorrhoids and bad guys who don't wear helmets abound throughout, making the writing feel fresh and alive instead of following some tired genre adventure script.
The regional flavor and the military technical jargon, whether accurate or not, felt convincing enough to me and I was hooked into the drama.
The whole mid-section (Section 3.5 which I completely missed somehow when I first visited!) regarding Lieutenant Celicia Miller's evolution is the real core of this story. Her dialogue with Gen. Conchis (conscious?) as spider-cam is hilarious and politically sharp. The visual techniques that draw you into the mountains during Celicia's flashback adventure are amazing on a pure adrenaline-action level. [I can't seem to talk about the writing without slipping into talking about the art--they work that well together]. How the gas exposure and/or encounter with the Afghan sniper triggers Celicia's personal demons and raises her consciousness about humanity is truly profound--as powerful as anything I've read yet in a webcomic. Like all great Sci Fi, it raises great questions: Would an "enlightenment" gas eliminate an enemy's will to kill fellow human beings or, on some level, make the enemy more dangerous than ever?
My favorite scene in the whole story full of great scenes is when the full extent of the Afghan sniper's celebrity status is revealed. The image of hundreds of fluttering spy-bots combined with the "Che Guevara" line hit the reader with a one-two knockout punch! WOW! Now I remember how great comics can be!
Artwork
"The Spiders" often looks like stills from an animated film, with CGI-rendered backgrounds and props and the characters rendered with simpler colors and black lines. But the combo is great and works beautifully. There's often an extra layer of visual effects, such as sand clouds kicking up, and other atmospheric niceties.
Use of animations, computer screens, equipment-view graphics and other frame-busting visuals are all done for a purpose to enhance the story and not just included in a show-offish way. I feel the long horizontal layout works wonderfully and even little things like shifts in background colors help enhance the mood transitions.
Overall
This is just about the perfect webcomic. It takes me places I've never been. It's funny, profound, exciting, clever, contemporary and futuristic all at once. All that and it looks great too. I have no real critical comments to offer except to say that the two "bonus scenes" are good enough (and important enough) to be integrated chronologically into the main story. With a story this good, you know darn well that everyone will want to read the bonus scenes and It was annoying to have to read them afterwards out-of-sequence.
Otherwise, I just can't wait to read the conclusion and I wouldn't be surprised if every major black actress in Hollywood didn't try to scoop up the film rights to this dynamite tale.
*Hmmm. Looks at own bank account. Damn! Too broke.* |
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Sun Aug 10 2003 09:16 AM |
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"Traced" Review
These strips reminded me of Lynda Barry's work or the "Pathetic Geek Stories" on TheOnion.com--Slice of life reminiscences on the pains and ironies of growing up. The artwork is fairly rudimentary but serviceable for this type of strip.
Fieldtrips
This first strip put me in a good mindset toward enjoying these stories. It moved quickly, took me to a certain time and place, established empathy with the narrator and had a great ending. Unfortunately, not all of the strips were this strong.
Kissing
Amusing use of limited animation. Eye movements and timed dialogue work nicely. The piece felt just the right length. This may be one of my favorites.
Fat
The obsession over fat has been done to death in so many sit-coms, movies-of-the-week, "Cathy" cartoons etc. that Tracy adds little new to the subject here. These strips may all be very genuine and sincere expressions of her experiences, but there just wasn't enough humor or new insights to impress me much. One of the weakest pieces.
Virgin
I was very disappointed by this one. It was surprisingly superficial. I was hoping for a lot more insight or cleverness regarding her first sexual experience. It's not that I want a blow-by-blow of the physical details, but basic things like whether it was painful or pleasurable, on some level disappointing or better than expected. She's more interested in the fact that Mike turned out to be good friend later. That's a nice ending to the story but the meat of her myriad reactions to the experience itself seems missing.
Loser
I had technical problems with this one, which frustrated my enjoyment of the reading experience. It was confusing to know where to click. Again, maybe I've been exposed to too much stand-up comedy, but the "guy that never calls back" has just been covered in comedy routines a million times. Here we have the same spiel but with very little humor.
Why
I liked this one. The use of the Cliff's Notes premise and the scientific precision of her memory I found very amusing. I would still like more details--specific things that happened at the party instead of just generalizations.
I Don't Care
One of my favorites. It had a nice arc to it and went in a direction I wasn't expecting. Maybe I'm just a sucker for happy endings.
Pressure
Another so-so entry. Again, the slice of life material here is rather blandly presented without much real insight or interesting details. Not much to note visually either, except the rapid-fire notice of exam subjects.
Grandpa
I feel like such a meanie to even venture a critique on this, like doing so would be to criticize her pain over the loss of her grandfather. If a friend were showing me a photo album of their family, and pointed to a picture of their grandfather and told me the exact same story, I would be quite moved. But I feel that in comic like this, presented in some sense as a work of art, I want more than easy sentimentality. I mean, you could put up a picture of a dying puppy and get an emotional reaction. Art demands more.
Smoking
I liked this one. I felt it worked well, except it should have ended on "We were mortified" to really achieve a punch line. The final panel seemed unnecessary
Drunk
Another one that seemed to lack anything new or interesting. Although the animated version with the voice over and music was a vast improvement. I think all of the strips would benefit from being in that format. Hearing Tracy's actual voice added a lot for me. He narration worked very well with the drawings.
High School Parties
I liked this one because it had some fairly nice details like the crushing comments made by Linda V. and the waiting in the bathroom line.
Overall
These comics were really hit and miss for me. Some had a nice arc and/or punch to them while others just felt like unfinished pieces. Though based on real life incidents, they could still be given a lot more depth, insight, and distinctive details without taking away from their fast pace or their 95% accuracy. She's laid out the meat and bread from her memory but hasn't always added the psychological seasoning that makes the good ones so tasty. |
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Wed Jul 30 2003 04:32 PM |
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"Strings of Fate" review
Two Frustrations
Like I mentioned in the earlier post, the lack of navigation links made reading this strip a HUGE ordeal. I can understand some 11-year old tossing up drawings on the web and not having "Next" buttons, but for a webcomic of this scope and seriousness to be lacking in such basic functionality is unacceptable. If this comic weren't featured for the club I would have given up after a few pages. Typing in URL's page after page is no way to enjoy a webcomic. I'm sure there's got to be some "Strings of Fate" fan out there who can do basic web design that can whip something up for Jen. The good news is that this frustration is easily fixed with just a little effort.
My other frustration is a little trickier to explain. It has to do with my sense of utter confusion while reading this story. Despite being written in clear English, I felt like I was watching a foreign film with no subtitles. Since the story seemed to make perfect sense to the rest of the club members, I can only assume that I have some kind of weird mental block in grasping what the heck was going on here.
Story
I only understood this story in the broadest sense that it has something to do with the 12 gods of the zodiac wanting Tony to realize (or not realize?) that he is really the zodiac Rat God, Meishuu and the girl Mao (who is really a cat goddess) wants to kill him (due to an ancient cat-rat feud) but really loves him(?). And all these assorted gods are doing assorted odd things to follow through with ancient unclear agendas.
There was very little convincing "reality" to grab on to here. I wasn't drawn into the drama because I didn't understand the motivations of almost any character in "Strings of Fate". I thought Tony would be the guy I could relate to, but none of his actions made a whole lot of sense to me. I was just flipping through the images (nay, typing through) and appreciating some of the imagery with very little involvement in the proceedings that unfolded.
It was very talky in the first six or so chapters. I wanted to see characters involved in situations where things are happening and decisions are being made and actions are attempted, not just one scene after another of some god strutting onto the scene and coyly mincing over "what is really going on."
Flashbacks – For some reason I was a little slow on the uptake and often didn't realize I was in a flashback until I was already several pages into it.
Beginnings of Chapter 5 and Chapter 8 – While reading I found myself jotting down my moments of peak confusion. The early parts of these two chapters ranked high on my befuddlement index. Part of the problem came from not knowing which characters I was even watching. So many of the men look like clones of Tony, distinguished by only some minor design detail. Thank God for the Character index!. I kept that thing open at all times like a Bible. But I shouldn't have to keep using a reference guide to identify the characters. I did eventually sort of figure out what was happening in these sequences, but I wasn't able to appreciate them on initial read.
Chapter 9 finally clicked for me and things started happening that I could somewhat comprehend. Two guys are fighting, but what are their powers what do they each want? Again, though having some mystery in a story is important, there needs to be enough info to know what's at stake in a conflict for it to rivet me. Do I want Tony to remain Tony or for Meishuu to emerge? I have no idea because I'm still in this haze of confusion about the whole thing.
Another problem I had was following who was speaking. I don't read much Japanese manga and maybe the world balloon conventions are different from American comics. But there were a lot of floating word balloons with no pointers making me have to take a time out to try and figure out who was speaking.
Grammar
The English usage had several rough spots (wrong or dropped words, typos, etc.) that really should be fixed-up, particularly in the early text-heavy chapters.
Text Heavy Opening
I think, in general, it is a really bad idea to begin a webcomic with two chapters of text-heavy material like this. I don't like being walloped with so many pages of text so early on. If you must, maybe shift into text sequences once the story is underway, but not at the start. One good thing to say about the text pages—they at least had Next buttons.
Characters
Though I liked the look of nearly all the characters (see Artwork below), for the most part, the personalities and motivations of the characters were a mystery to me; I couldn't relate to them at all. Had it not been for the Character guide, I would have been truly clueless. I think the only character that really made sense to me (from her actions within the comic, not relying on the guide) was Li. I liked Li's dialogue a great deal and I felt drawn into the story whenever she appeared (which was only in the more recent material).
Artwork
I really loved Mao's face. Every expression and tilt of her head I found appealing and enticing. I think I could have read 400 pages of Mao sketches in various poses and have been a happy clam (I'm such a shameless drooling fanboy at heart). It was Jen's obvious love of drawing her characters that really kept me reading "Strings of Fate" more than anything. Tony looked great too. The only thing that bugged me, as mentioned earlier, was that so many characters seemed to look like Tony that I would often experience initial confusion regarding who was who and have to run to Character reference page. Maybe I should borrow Benor's glases; he saw all the characters as totally distinctive
As beautiful as the figures were, overall, the art was wildly inconsistent, going from rather finished looking to very sketchy to pages with arrows saying "Art goes here later".
Jen also needs to work on her props and backgrounds. Minor things like the phone came off sloppy and major things like the Shen Ju restaurant were way too sketchy looking. I don't want a narration blurb telling me that the restaurant is "a beauty", is "lush" and made of "the finest wood", I want to actually SEE IT!
I really liked the color version of the characters on the Character reference page. I would love it if Jen had time to do even more color. While the color in Chapter 10 was also very good, it wasn't nearly as good as the coloring technique used on the Character page.
My favorite sequence was the finale of Act I.
http://stringsoffate.com/comic/10_12.jpg
through
http://stringsoffate.com/comic/10_18.jpg
Very moving (and oddly erotic). I just wish I had understood the preceding events enough so that it would have impacted me as much emotionally as it did viscerally.
Overall
This review came off harsher than I intended, but I think it's because I see so much potential here that I want my frustrations resolved so I can enjoy all the "String of Fate" goodness without distractions. I want to see the beautiful renderings of Mao and Tony in stronger backgrounds involved in a story that also involves me. Not that Jen should water down her vision just to appeal to clueless boobs like me, but I tried to be as specific a possible as to where I was having trouble relating to the story and characters. Maybe other readers were too, maybe not. |
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Fri Jul 25 2003 09:03 PM |
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"You ignorant old fart – There weren't no cavemen back in dinosaur times." – Red
"Are you sayin' the movies lied?" – Digger
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Review of "Gravedigger: The Scavengers"
Story
A gripping, gritty, tight little film noir-inspired tale featuring a Lee Marvin look-alike who delivers hardboiled narration that rivals the best Bogart films. A classic "one last heist" yarn where everyone is secretly scheming against everyone else and, of course, everything goes wrong. (I actually just saw two of these tales at the movie theater: "The Hard Word" and "The Italian Job", both quite entertaining, but I digress)
Art
Every panel is a joy to behold. This is some of the best art I've seen yet in a webcomic. It is really, really high quality stuff. I mean we are talking Jack Davis/Wally Wood level here. Like those EC Comics greats, "Gravedigger" has that same rich detail combined with spot-on caricature and fun, humorous stylizations. I disagree with an earlier reviewer who said that the quality of the art varies at times. The degree of exaggeration may vary but it all looks extremely well-intentioned to me.
Characters
The characters are essentially archetypes of the genre, but well-rendered archetypes. You aren't going to have the kind of nuances of personality of a dramatic character study, but the writer achieves exactly what he intends with his intentionally limited palette.
Overall
This strip was one of the (now-defunct) AdventureStrips.com titles and perhaps my personal favorite of that group. The 28-page length is the perfect amount for a weekly read, but one strip per week was perhaps just too tiny of a morsel to attract paying customers. It's a shame, because if there were a series of stand-alone comics of this length and quality available each week, I think it would be very habit-forming. I'm all for reading more "Gravedigger" episodes! |
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Fri Jul 04 2003 07:39 PM |
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Review of "Exile from Kiirs"
I really enjoyed the artist's interesting and distinctive drawing style. The costumes and hair styles and monster designs are all very carefully crafted and detailed. The compositions are dynamic and varied. The attacks are depicted with flare. Some of the anatomy is a little questionable and background elements sometimes get a little sketchy for my tastes, but I'm fussy; overall, the art appealed to me very much.
The concept, setting and simple story were all fine, but the main character Raed was such a zero in the personality department, it was hard to care. He can be the last of the Geist's or the last of the Mohicans, but give me some personality. Having him be essentially silent throughout may have been an interesting creative challenge for the artist, but for the audience, it left him inscrutable. Personality is what I'm really interested in. Not the external events that happen to the characters but how they react and deal with the plot cards they are dealt. I just wasn't able to connect with this guy. Was he just a ball of rage with noble insticts? What did he want? I have no idea and didn't really care whether he was defeated by the Bio monster.
I know the author can write a good character. The king leapt right off the page for me. I was ready to follow him back to the kingdom, but then the story ended.
If you have characters you care about, you'll follow them even through a lame story and lousy art. But great art can't make up for a weak central character. |
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Sat Jun 28 2003 11:08 PM |
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Review of "Soul Chaser Betty"
Art
Nice clean and consistent art. I liked the anime-influenced style and Betty is cute looking. The artist obviously gets a kick drawing her in teensy-weensy panties, writhing and yawning in bed, learning over at the fridge, yanking at her Hello Kitty undies...but I'm not complaining. If the artist is enjoying it, I get a buzz off it too.
Some of the faces of the other six heroes seem a little less assured, though.
The layouts are varied, the backgrounds are nicely detailed and some of the set pieces I particularly liked, such as the chamber with the chronicle:
http://www.twilighttangents.com/images/art/betty03_web_03.gif
and this ruins:
http://www.twilighttangents.com/images/art/betty04_web_08.gif
Story
The exposition is a bit awkward and the premise could be introduced with greater cleverness. I felt I was often being explained the premise rather then discovering it bit by bit along with the hero. There's a lot of "We must do this...we must do that...your role is this...we must stop the evil so-and-so for the fate of mankind!"
Things picked up for me in the second and third chapters. I liked the pair of teenage sidekicks, and with them, I felt I was with the heroes in the midst of the drama, rather than attending a lecture. There also seemed to be more humor introduced after that pair showed up.
But just as the story was improving, things really went downhill in Chapter 4 with a tedious history lesson on some ancient evil that has manifest itself through all the world's religions, blah, blah, blah. A little of that stuff goes a long way.
I mean, movies like "Lord Of The Rings", "The Matrix" etc. all have that "fate of the world hangs in the balance" premise and toss in some that big epic history, but those stories make their crises seem fresh and alive. I don't think "Soul Chaser Betty" quite passes the "just make me believe this sh*t is really happening" test.
The story is diverting, but not yet fully convincing or engaging.
Characters
Betty is cute and likable, the grandma offers a little humor, and the teenage friends are fine, but the rest of the cast is just a little too earnest for my taste. The villain, in particular, is a god-awful bore. The dialogue could use more jolts of tongue and cheek humor, especially in the villain's camp.
The conflict for Betty isn't very well defined yet. What exactly is she struggling with? This whole "soul chaser" destiny is kind of just a lark to her and she's more interested in her studly co-chaser. She's a teenager, so maybe that's okay, but I want to be drawn in more to her personal issues and obstacles. What matters to her?
Overall
I hope the story continues because the art is very appealing and if the author can stick with involving the reader in the midst of the drama, avoid the epic lectures, and be a little more playful with the dialogue, "Soul Chaser Betty" could be a lot of fun to follow. |
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Sat Jun 14 2003 10:34 PM |
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"Argon Zark!" Review
"Argon Zark!" is the first webcomic I ever read. And you know what, it may still be my favorite. Does it have the most sophisticated story? No. The richest characters? No. The biggest laughs? No. The most regular updates? Hell no!
So what does it have? More than any other webcomic that I can think of, it captures the sheer joy of reading a comic on the web and how rich the experience can be. Although it's been printed in book form, to me, any print version is a pale imitation. The brilliant colors, the "traveling through the Internet" plot, the web screen gags, the clever animations, and the numerous Easter eggs all demand a web viewing.
If I were to point to any webcomic to introduce to a webcomics skeptic, it would be "Argon Zark!"
The Story
Book One (no longer available online) is about a trio of characters: Programmer/inventor Argon Zark, his robot with bad voice recognition software, Cybert, and sexy delivery woman, Zeta Fairlight, who inadvertently get sucked into the Internet when Argon first tests his "Personal Transit Protocol." The trio fumble their way through the Internet while pursuing and being pursued by a creature called "Big Nasty Jump Jump". This premise allows for a number of extremely imaginative set pieces that really show off the possibilities of the webcomics medium while commenting upon the very act of surfing the web. The techniques used to fight and evade the BNJJ are all based in computer technology (such as a graphics software toolbox icons used as weapons). And the nature of the BNJJ monster is a cleverly Internet-based as well.
Book Two (incomplete) involves the trio's encounter with a cabal of power brokers (Greedco) who secretly run the Internet and send Cancelbots of Doom against the heroes. Digs at Microsoft abound.
The Art
Argon Zark! consists of comic strips that use animation without every crossing that line into becoming a pale imitation of an animated cartoon. I don't need to include any links to pages because any page you choose at random will feature some dazzling display of the creative possibilities of a webcomic. It is almost a "greatest hits" anthology of different ways to use animation to enhance a strip online (with GIFs and Flash). And the drawings themselves are wonderfully alive. The whole thing just has such a sense of fun about it that leaps off the monitor. There is a slew of little visual gags and throwaway Sci Fi references that add to the fun. However, some of the Easter egg links are broken and need updating.
Updates
The only really negative comment I can make is that it updates so infrequently that I almost never visit it anymore. I think it's been like six months to a year since the last update. It's a shame, because if Charley Parker had the resources to update even every week, it could really be a top draw webcomic. I also wish the first chapter was still available online.
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Sat May 31 2003 09:29 PM |
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"Rapid Eye Movement" Review
The Medium
As Benor and Kajamir noted, REM isn't really a webcomic in that the images weren't really integrated with the text, and seemed perhaps optional. It describes itself as a "graphic novel" which is odd since I thought graphic novels were comic books packaged to be sold in book form like novel. But it doesn't really matter what you call it; I'm here to share my reactions.
The Story itself
It really kept me reading. The plot itself was fairly tight and intriguing. Each chapter introduced just enough of some new suspenseful element at the end and teased me into wanting to go on and find out more. Chapter 6 was particularly enticing and really hooked me into mystery.
I've tried reading online stories before, and even with fairly good material, I find the process can be tedious. The structure and chapter length seemed ideal in REM, with each one being just long enough to be substantive without being tedious. Having images interspersed on each page added just enough extra eye candy to break up the text even further.
The Writing
As much as I enjoyed the story, the writing itself seemed weak and underdeveloped. It might have worked as a script where the actors could breathe some life into the characters, but as written, the characters were just rather bland and the dialogue was stiff. There were no interesting, peculiar character traits or little details that a good writer would use to make the characters seem real and distinctive. They all seemed generic, existing purely to drive the plot. For a story focused on psychology, there was surprisingly little interest in actual human nature.
Also, the descriptions were often tedious. She did this, then she did that and then she did this. It read more like dry stage directions, overly obsessed with articulating the mechanics of physical actions. Most of them could have been eliminated completely. Readers are very willing to fill in the gaps of things left unsaid.
The Story in Conjunction with the Images
Like most illustrated books, the story could have stood alone without the pictures (though some, like "Alice In Wonderland" are almost unthinkable now without the pictures). But as I said earlier, the pictures made the reading experience on the web much more enjoyable. A lot of people would just never read a big text story on the Internet that didn't have something extra like this (heck, this group wouldn't have).
It was disappointing that the pictures often contradicted the text, especially given that the author and artist are the same (at least that's what I assume). For example, in the first pic in Chapter One, Steve is supposed to be carrying two brooms at that moment, not one. In Chapter 6, the text clearly describes Kathy as looking out her window with the lights off, but in the pic, her room is glaringly the only light on in the entire building.
It would have been nice if the text and images worked in greater conjunction and relied on each other, each giving us details that the other didn't without repeating information unnecessarily.
The Images Themselves
There was one absolutely terrific dream image that I stared at for a long time because I though it was just such a cool visual concept and well executed:
http://amazingmontage.tripod.com/trespassers/rem3a1.jpg
But for the most part, I didn't care for the imagery. While it was better than most of the Poser work I've seen, the characters still looked like mannequins with painfully awkward and unconvincing expressions. As is often the case with CGI imagery, the backgrounds were far more effective.
Theme
I love the topic of cults and how they operate and why people join them and greater psychological themes associated with them. REM was more of a suspense thriller, so it didn't delve too deeply into these issues, but was still an interesting take on the subject. This story had a particularly nice twist that prompted the most speculation.
Perhaps the stiffness in the characters (both as written and visualized) was all completely intentional to emphasize certain thematic or narrative aspects (which I don't wish to spoil) but the critic in me is not prepared to be quite that generous.
Overall
I think if Mr. Zabel summarized his plot in the form of a 1-2 page treatment and had the right connections, he could sell this as a Hollywood movie. It really is a terrific premise, but REM in its current form needs descriptive refinement, more fleshed-out characters and better text/image integration.
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Sun Apr 13 2003 11:36 AM |
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Xenix,
Thanks for pointing that the numbers were expanded footnotes (I put crossouts in my original review).
You know, I also feel I should emphasize something that didn't really come across in my review. Although I was very critical, at the same time, I'm really glad "A Drug War Carol" exists. It conveys a lot of important information that people might not get in any other way. So I do want to applaud the creators for even tackling a project like this. Sometimes when picking on the aesthetic details, I miss the bigger picture. |
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Mon Mar 31 2003 11:06 AM |
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"A Drug War Carol" review
Premise
This strip was recommended to me by a friend who felt I might be receptive to its agenda. I submitted it as my club selection, feeling it might be interesting for the club to review a strip that was designed primarily as propaganda rather than straight entertainment.
"A Drug War Carol" parodies Charles Dickens' "A Christmas Carol", featuring a "Scrooge McCzar" (American drug czar) who gets visited by the ghost of his old colleague and three other ghosts who take him on a learning journey that uncovers the history and evils of American anti-drug policies.
As Storytelling
While I am very sympathetic to the agenda (to legalize pot for at least medicinal purposes, if not outright), I don't feel that this comic is particularly effective as storytelling, history, parody or propaganda.
The characters in the original Dickens story were three dimensional (a couple of the film versions are so powerful that they move me to tears) whereas the characters in this comic are badly rendered props, slotted in to elicit either simplistic sympathy or derision.
As Parody
The "parody" aspect actually seems to break down as the comic focuses almost entirely on the "Ghost of Christmas Past", detailing the lengthy history of American anti-drug policy. By the time we get through that epic, there is little space (and little interest) left for the ghosts of present and future who merely impact the 2-dimensional characters in the story, which aren't the real point of this exercise anyway.
As History
The "history" aspect taken by itself, is the real reason to read this. If you know nothing about the history of American anti-drug policies, this comic will give you a somewhat decent overview. Though even as history, it isn't as clear and effective as it could be. I had trouble keeping track of the various anti-drug historical figures and it seemed to keep bouncing back and forth in time, which added to the confusion.
Also, sometimes the presentation of facts is a little confused. Len Bias was a University of Maryland basketball superstar who tragically died of a cocaine overdose two days after being drafted by had The Boston Celtics. And his death did have a huge impact on the "drug war" like the comic indicates. But identifying "Len Bias of the Boston Celtics" seems like the kind of not-quite-accurate description that only someone unfamiliar with the actual details of that event would make. Maybe I'm just being nitpicky (I attended Univ of Maryland in 1986, so it's a big personal memory), but it makes me skeptical about other potential simplifications.
For a more detailed history, there is a PBS Frontline documentary on this subject which I would highly recommend to anyone who wants a more thorough take on this subject
http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/shows/drugs/
As Propaganda
It's difficult for me to judge how persuasive the arguments are, as the comic is "preaching to the choir" with me. But I don't see how someone totally against drug legalization would be moved by the mawkish sentimentality and historical anecdotes arrayed in this comic. Perhaps its best to look at the comic as just a first step to get someone to question and research further the supposed truisms that the government spouts about marijuana. I think one would need more details regarding scientific studies on marijuana's addictiveness (or lack thereof), danger to health, history as a "gateway drug", etc. before being convinced one way or the other.
I also found the tone to be a little too earnest for my tastes as effective propaganda. I would have preferred a little more wit and mockery (a la George Carlin). It's not enough to just caricature drug war policy promoters like simplistic, moustache-twirling villains from a vaudeville melodrama.
Artwork
The drawings are competent and have a conventional realism—tables look like tables, people look like people and the perspective seems accurate. It resembles the style of an unremarkable silver age superhero comic book, but there's rarely any real pizzazz. You can recognize the presidential caricatures for who they're supposed to be but there is no Jack Davis/Mort Drucker sense of fun to the renderings.
http://adrugwarcarol.com/ADWC.php?next=104
Sometimes the visuals do nicely capture things in a way straight text couldn't. I really like how they depicted "Civil Asset Forfeiture" (a truly horrendous abuse of the law)
http://adrugwarcarol.com/ADWC.php?next=110
http://adrugwarcarol.com/ADWC.php?next=111
I thought The Ghost Of Christmas Future looked pretty kick ass. Heh. I just happen to dig that kind of supervillain look.
http://adrugwarcarol.com/ADWC.php?next=151
There are numbers that would show up on assorted panels like the "22" here that seemed to make no sense. Maybe they are leftovers from some print version.
http://adrugwarcarol.com/ADWC.php?next=94
[EDIT]These numbers are expanded footnotes[/EDIT]
A Final Personal Note
One final issue I have with the comic is that it seems to almost exclusively push the medicinal benefits of marijuana without emphasizing the impact pot has on broadening consciousness. I believe that to be the real reason that pot is so hated by the powers that be. Pot makes it very easy to see through the artificiality of current power structures. While the effects of pot are usually characterized in movies in a "Cheech & Chong"/stupid stoner dude way, what's missed is how pot (unlike alcohol) encourages peace and gives people a glimpse of the bigger picture and our shared humanity. It reduces fear and that is the last thing that that government wants—for how can you control a populace that doesn't live in fear? |
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Sun Mar 30 2003 07:34 PM |
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Ozy & Millie Review
Premise
As others mentioned, this is a webcomic very much in the tradition of daily newspaper strips ("Pogo", "Bloom County" and "Calvin and Hobbes" appear to be the most obvious influences). It tackles politics, philosophy, American pop culture, parent-child issues, and schoolyard social dynamics. Ozy and Millie are a pair of anthro-fox grade school kids--Ozy being low key and contemplative while Millie is outrageous and seeks attention. They age from 8-years old to 11(?) during the current span of the strip. However, their actual level of maturity varies greatly. Sometimes the gags are of the "Gee Mom, why do I have to clean up my room?" variety. But often the characters act more like high school kids obsessing over popularity, coolness and their status in the school hierarchy. And sometimes they are more like college students, engaging in a dorm room-like philosophy discussions on Immanual Kant and the nature of existence. But these maturity shifts somehow still work. You accept the fact that they serve (to a certain degree) as mouthpieces for the writer's own views.
Cast
"Ozy and Millie" has a terrific cast of characters. Simpson constantly finds new ways to explore their archetypal natures without seeming stale. My favorite two are Ozy's "seen it all", wise and caring dragon father (a really ideal dad) and the eager raccoon, Avery, who never tires of new schemes to make himself cool. The characters always seem to shine even when some of the material is a bit weak.
Art
The inking/line work for the first couple of years is a little scraggly and/or poorly scanned. But by mid-2000 the lines really have a nice, smooth appealing look that continues through today. You're not likely to see any knock-your-socks-off visuals, but the character designs are all solid, appealing and professionally executed. The colored pieces are especially nice.
Timeliness vs. Being Dated
Generally, my least favorite strips are those that deal with politics or pop culture references.
While on the one hand there is a certain amount of fun revisiting key events from the past four years as filtered through the comic (Monica Lewinsky, the dot-com frenzy, hanging chads, 9-11, war in Afghanistan, reality TV, etc.), as others have noted, it makes the strips feel a little dated. The references that can make a strip like this extremely hip on a given day, also makes it far less appealing for someone like me coming along years later, absorbing the massive archives over a few days. I guess as a come-lately reviewer, I will always have a preference for longer form stories vs. strips that veer into the editorial cartoon genre.
The pop culture reference humor usually didn't work for me, and not just because it was dated. Unfortunately, the strips seemed to rely on the mere mention of some derided celebrity's name (Regis Philbin, 'N Sync, Michael Bolton, Kathy Lee Gifford) to be the source of humor in and of itself. (Example)
A Persistent Pet Peeve
Time and again, Simpson undercuts the humor of his strips with added verbiage or an unnecessary final panel, over-explaining the point rather than just letting the punch lines actually punch.
(Examples: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9)
And then, in case a few readers still didn't get the point, there are strip descriptions at the bottom which often further underline and deaden the impact. It's not that I disliked the above strips, I just wanted them to be tighter.
Favorite Strips
Despite my criticisms, the strips I liked, I really liked. Here is a rough smattering of my "Ozy & Millie" greatest hits selection:
International diplomacy
http://www.ozyandmillie.org/1998/om19980119.html
http://www.ozyandmillie.org/1998/om19980120.html
Millie's ethically sound company
http://www.ozyandmillie.org/1998/om19980911.html
Millie's theatrics
http://www.ozyandmillie.org/2001/om20011105.html
Getting older
http://www.ozyandmillie.org/2002/om20021127.html
The dot com age (these may be dated, but they still worked for me)
http://www.ozyandmillie.org/1998/om19980113.html
http://www.ozyandmillie.org/1999/om19990802.html
Practical applications of philosophy
http://www.ozyandmillie.org/1999/om19991020.html
http://www.ozyandmillie.org/2000/om20000809.html
Other philosophical goodies
http://www.ozyandmillie.org/2000/om20000903.html
http://www.ozyandmillie.org/2001/om20010618.html
http://www.ozyandmillie.org/2002/om20020502.html
http://www.ozyandmillie.org/2002/om20020504.html
http://www.ozyandmillie.org/2003/om20030320.html
The punchline of this strip could apply to comics in general and I think serves as a splendid way to close this review:
http://www.ozyandmillie.org/2000/om20000818.html
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Sun Mar 30 2003 02:28 PM |
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Review of "Stubble"
Story
Whew. I couldn't make it through the archives on this one. I read all of the year-2000 strips and they're just written at far too juvenile a level for me to appreciate. It's a high school comedy/serial with bland dialogue and unconvincing characters. There's no real sense that the writer has any kind of interesting take or insight on human nature here, so there's nothing at the core to fuel the character's interactions.
The "gag" aspect of the strips packs little humor or punch. For example:
http://www.stubblecomics.com/comics/20001031.gif
http://www.stubblecomics.com/comics/20001220.gif
If you find these strips funny, then you'll probably like "Stubble". Maybe I'm just an old fogy now and I'm not on the same wavelength as this type of humor. Heck, I don't like most newspaper strips either.
I figured "Stubble" might have made vast leaps in quality over it's run, so I jumped ahead to the late 2002 strips, planning to read up to the present. I still couldn't finish it. I'm not saying that the cartoonist doesn't have any talent or won't eventually blossom, but this is one of those strips that just isn't ready yet for prime time (at least on this reader's monitor).
Art
The artwork is acceptable, though not particularly inspired. If the cartoonist hooked up with a good writer who really had a clever take on life, I could see how some of the humorous character expressions could enliven some well-written material. And some of the women in "Stubble" look pretty cute. But that's about as much generosity as I can muster.
Overall
I really don't enjoy coming off so negative, because I still have enormous respect for anyone who's produced over 340+ full-color comics. Obviously someone's reading and enjoying "Stubble", so power to the artist and audience. A fan's comments would be much more valuable than mine because they can express what they are enjoying and how it contrasts with where they feel the strip falls short. And I really hope that some of the other club members can illuminate the virtues. I love when someone points what I've totally been missing in a work of art and I get that sudden rush of discovery. But as of now, I can't find much of value in "Stubble".
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Fri Mar 14 2003 01:21 AM |
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First, a general announcement / tip to all webcartoonists who use a date-based archive:
Clean out the clutter!
When I'm reading an archive, I don't want to be constantly tripping over "No strip today" strips and filler pages of fan art. A webcomics archive should be smooth sailing for the new visitor who doesn't want to sift through all that outdated bonus crap. It's supplemental material and should be in a separate section.
ROMB only had a couple of these pages, but other archives have really been a pain in this area.
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Rules Of Make Believe Review
Story
I almost wish we hadn't reviewed this strip for another six months or a year. It feels like it's only just ramping up and there wasn't enough story yet to evaluate fairly.
"Rules of Make Believe" is set in a futuristic urban setting, and I suppose it could be classified as cyberpunk, in that virtual reality and punkish youths are prominent elements.
The story concerns assorted young characters who work, frequent, or find themselves at an arcade known as The Harlot, which specializes in a complex form of virtual reality combat known as Gorge Fusion.
I was a little lost and confused during the first chapter. For example, when Jemima's vac case and card got stolen, it was very unclear to me exactly what was happening and which characters were involved. But there was vast improvement by the second chapter and all of the elements fell into place and I got hooked on the story. In fact, I can isolate the exact page when the story really kicked into high gear for me and I actually wanted to keep reading more.
Characters
The main character, Aida, confused me. She was set up as being rather sad and seemingly meek in the first couple pages, but then she reacts with over-the-top ultra-violence to a dirty old man on the subway and later kicks the crap out of her brother. I guess the violence was intended as comedic, but it just seemed peculiar and off-putting to me. Also, I thought at first that Aida was intended to be sort of an audience surrogate who would enter a strange new world via Jemima, but then the author awkwardly shifts gears and has Aida be the more experienced one and Jemima the explorer. There may be a reason for this (the story is still young) but the effect was a bit disorienting.
There was a shrillness to these characters (reminiscent of "Space Opera"), as they always seemed to be hurling insults and yelling and screaming at each other. But with further development and more sides of their personalities revealed, they still have potential to win my affection. The character I liked best was Madam Kwan, maybe because she had a coolness and gravitas that the others lacked.
Art
I didn't care too much for the art, though the second and third chapters improved greatly. It has potential, but the anatomy, line work, and use of gray tones all seemed somewhat loose and sloppy for my tastes. Even the lettering and word balloons seemed very inconsistent. The compositions were okay (she can obviously tell a story with images, which is what's most important) but it needs a lot more refinement in my opinion.
The main characters usually looked okay but then there were figures like the old man and the kids on this page that were very amateurishly rendered.
The battle scenes feature the strongest artwork, but even those have a sketchy, unfinished quality to them. As nicely detailed as this page is, it still seems to need a final ink and polish.
Overall
I like the concept and setting, and the story will keep me reading. I think the character development, dialogue and artwork need more work. But based on the progression so far, the future looks very promising.
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Thu Mar 06 2003 11:06 PM |
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Sorry I'm a little late on this...
Review of
Nowhere Girl by Justine Shaw
Story
I enjoyed the first two chapters of this slices-of-life story very much. We're introduced to a bitter young one at two stages in her life—at 19, suicidal and leaving college (Chap 1) and at 24, working at a tech company during the dot com boom (Chap 2). I'm not sure if this is semi-autobiographical or not, but it feels very authentic. It flows much better than most webcomics, as each chapter is obviously designed to be read as a whole unit, and not as a daily strip. I can see why other readers might find the main character too whiny, but that just makes the second chapter even more effective when we see how she's matured and gotten past some of her earlier self-pity. Obviously, Jamie's sexuality is a major theme of the story, but unlike bad gay fiction, it doesn't feel like the story's all about that one issue.
Art
I must say, Justine Shaw draws some great looking boots. Many of the panels have a watercolor-like effect and the colors set the moods nicely. The compositional choices are also terrific with high angles and close-ups that capture details that nicely augment the dialogue. Everything about the atmosphere and the details feels right on: the look of the campus, the tech lab, the gas station, the cubicle office space, etc. I swear to god, every campus must have an art teacher who looks and dresses like the one in that life-drawing class.
The actual rendering skills are a little lacking here and there on some of the background elements, but nothing too jarring. My only major criticism is that her faces need a lot more work. They are a little flat and bland at times. The dark-haired women also tend to look too much alike. I got confused on several occasions between Jamie and two of the other characters.
Overall
Though light on plot, the dialogue, situations and effective artwork kept my interest and kept me clicking. It appears as if Chapter Three will introduce more of a plot and possibly even a "villain"(?), which should prove interesting. But even if it stays more naturalistic, I'll keep reading. |
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Sun Mar 02 2003 06:33 PM |
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"Mac Hall" Review
Overall
My reaction to "Mac Hall" can be summed up by saying that I absolutely loved the artwork and found the writing to be mostly so-so, with the exception of a handful of truly first rate strips.
Writing & Intended Audience
I think you really have to be a part of the video game subculture to fully appreciate "Mac Hall" (which I am not). There is still much that I enjoyed, but a lot of the intended humor probably flew right over my head. This Strip, "Glowing Means Future" is very representative, encapsulating the attitude and intended audience.
Although gaming may be the shared experience, most of the strips focus on the petty trials and tribulations of college dorm life. Unfortunately, I don't find much freshness in the fairly standard stuff about messy dorm rooms and pulling all-nighters. I guess if this were the first comic strip you ever read about college life, this material might be hilarious.
Characters
None of the characters or relationships are explored with much depth. If pressed, I don't think I could really describe the personalities of any of the characters all that well. For example, there's one guy (Micah) who plays Everquest all the time, but I don't know much about him beyond that or why the one recurring female character in the strip (Helen) would be interested in him.
Exceptional Strips
There are, however, a handful of exceptionally well-written strips that I quite enjoyed:"It Got Feet" is an amusing literal take on the tedium of the work experience.The themed trio of Halloween costumes had me smiling in "Sorry, It's All Pencil This Time""Stock Monkeys" provided a wonderful tour of the Wal-Mart employees caste system.The disconnect between what Moms hear about race relations on campus and day-to-day reality is brilliantly captured in "We'll Call Him Lando"My favorite strip of all is this recent offering about attending a friend's wedding that skillfully blends poignant self-reflection and drunken humor: "The Wedding (5)"
Artwork
If my reaction to the writing was mixed, there is no ambiguity in my love for the artwork. It almost doesn't matter what each strip is about; viewing each page of Ian McConville's slick and appealing creations is a joy. It's not that the illustrations are particularly detailed or sophisticated, but he knows how to communicate a lot with a little. I've never seen fudged, blurry backgrounds used to such great effect to give one a sense of environment while showing almost nothing specific. The line work, character designs and expressions are all first-rate. The coloring is always rich and evokes a sense of mood.
You could almost click on any page to see what I am talking about. Here are a few example of the best of the best:Look here at how he represents the dazed perspective of a morning slumberer: "The Waking Part 2"Or how nicely he does the blizzard effects here: "Not Infact A Tiger"In "The Wedding (6)", he captures the blurry headlight/street lamp feel of a city drive at night more brilliantly than if he had meticulously rendered each building and automobile. Knowing how to cheat effectively is a sign of a good cartoonist.
Overall Part 2
I'll keep reading "Mac Hall", even if just for the art, but I'd personally like longer story arcs, more depth and exploration of the characters, and maybe see them grow beyond the in-jokes of the gamer lifestyle. |
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Sat Feb 22 2003 02:24 PM |
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About My Criticism
When I post as "The Phantom Critic", I don't expect to be liked. I use this avatar specifically so that I can speak bluntly about my personal reaction to creative works. I take my reviews (and the works that I review) seriously and try to be honest and offer useful commentary if I'm able. The stylistic tone of my reviews will vary depending on my current mood and how the work strikes me. I may be gushing, angry, encouraging or sarcastic, but the core content is always genuine, despite the manner in which it's presented.
Any creator who would be deterred from pursuing their vision based on anything I might say (or what any reviewer, teacher, peer or parent might say) should hang it up now. It's called being in the arena. If you can't take the punches, stay on the sidelines and doodle in your notebook.
Now on to substantive matters...
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Review of "Space Opera"
Story
Juvenile in concept and execution, "Space Opera" is about two teenagers who acquire a spaceship and their various misadventures assembling a motley crew and unraveling the mystery of a strange object. It's written in a wisecracking manner, as if it were a hip comedy, but there is little actual humor to be found. More comedic effort seems to have gone into the various clever copyright infringement warnings that appear at the bottom of the earlier strips. I found these warnings particularly ironic since the strip features a hodgepodge of elements lifted from famous Sci Fi stories (e.g., the name "Ford Prefect", a HAL 9000 variant, cameos of famous space ships from "Star Wars" and "Star Trek", "Dragonball Z" and "Streetfighter" characters). But unlike cartoons such as "Futurama" or "Zortic", "Space Opera" doesn't really use these lifted elements to any satiric end—they're just there.
Far more problematic is that it's difficult to believe in the very existence of this space world. The myriad elements just don't hang together in a coherent fashion. The story contains abrupt and jarring narrative transitions. The writers deprive the readers of climax after climax. Story arcs build up to a major incident, but then the incident is passed over and we're on to some new story tangent where the characters merely talk about how the previous episode was resolved (like the theft of the gauntlet or Frome's return from prison). There are also numerous lengthy flashback stories which make the whole thing just seem even more jumbled.
I almost gave up reading on several occasions. By the last fifty pages, I found myself just skimming over the word balloons in a trance-like stupor.
Characters
The concepts and back-stories of the characters are fine (some rather interesting, even), but in action, nearly every character comes off as downright irritating. They remind me of a pack of screaming grade school kids on the playground, trying to shout each other down. None of them seem to have the psychological weight of an adult human being.
Three Exceptional Pages
There are three pages in the strip whose tone is so drastically different from the usual inanity, I feel I have to point them out. Pages 171-173 offer very heavy subject matter which I found effective and engaging. Maybe the real gift of the authors lies in dramatic exposition and not comedy. It was only during these pages that I actually felt involved with the strip and cared about the characters.
Artwork
The quality of the artwork seems to go up and down with a fairly decent looking page followed by numerous rather sloppy pages. Unfortunately, I saw no clear progression in quality. The latest material was some of the weakest, with very tepid linework. The panel layout is often confusing and I frequently would read panels in the wrong order.
But still, the artists do depict figures in a variety of poses and expressions, and they clearly can communicate a story visually. They need to pay more attention to using clean, strong lines and colors. The mechanical objects (ships, robots) need a lot more work, as they currently look rather gooey and sloppy. Good-looking tech is particularly crucial for a Sci Fi story.
Overall
Because of weak comedy, a confusing story and irritating characters, I would recommend that the authors wrap-up or abandon "Space Opera" and try their hand at a more dramatic work. Art-wise, I'd rather see them spend far more time on each page and produce something really well done. I do believe they have a good comic in them, but this ain't it. |
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Mon Feb 10 2003 11:47 PM |
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"Demonology 101" Review
Premise
When other club members were saying how common the plot of "Shifters" was, I didn't really concur, but now, with "Demonology 101", we have yet another high school tale about a heroine who is really a supernatural being and underground groups conducting an ancient feud behind the scenes of straight society. I guess the fantasy/horror high school genre is more common than I realized. Maybe it's the influence and popularity of "Buffy The Vampire Slayer".
In any case, I have no problem with genre stories as long as they are well done.
Load Times
The biggest issue I encountered was the painfully slow load times for Episodes 1 and 4. I actually skipped EP 4 and jumped to EP 5 because the speed was so bad. It's odd, because the pages themselves weren't that huge. My DSL connection usually breezes through webcomic archives fairly well, but I was averaging 2-3 minutes per 100k page!
It must be some kind of slow server issue. I noticed that EP 1 and 4 are housed on http://faith.rydia.net/ whereas the fast loading Episodes (2, 3, and 5) are all housed on http://faith.razornetwork.com/ . The slow chapters should really be moved to the faster server, particularly EP 1. If I wasn't reviewing this comic for the club, I would have given up after the third page of EP 1 because of the speed issue.
Artwork
I didn't care for the artwork in EP 2 at all. But about half way through EP 3, the art gets much better and by EP 5 it is quite strong—an astounding improvement over the early stuff.
The style in EP 1 and 5 is refreshing in that it doesn't look like it is intentionally trying to emulate a popular comic strip or comic book style. It has a rough, loose, but vibrant look. There's a nice variety of line widths and the gray shading is generally effective. I don't think she's quite mastered her technique yet but she's well on her way. I'd like to see the gray shading done with greater sophistication. It balances out the art very nicely now, but it could be used to even greater effect to light the scene and render the characters.
EP 1 was apparently redrawn and it is nearly up to par with the latest stuff. Redrawing it was probably a wise move, because if the quality was at the level of EP 2, a lot of readers would be turned off right away. The layout of the whole sequence at the end of EP 1, where Raven walks back to school, uncertain whether her new friends would accept her, was a particular highlight.
I do agree with Benor that even on the latest stuff, the men had an annoying tendency to look alike. Also, the character John seemed to look different in each episode, which confused me a bit.
Story
The story was just interesting enough to keep me reading, but not quite enough to get me excited. I admire the author for keeping events low-key enough to be believable and naturalistic (considering the fantasy premise). You don't get monsters leaping out of the woodwork every other scene, which is good. Nonetheless, I felt it needed something more, some special reason why this story was being told. Either more suspense, more action, more horror, more soap opera, or some special kick. It seemed to skirt all of those traditions without being particularly strong in any one.
Some other pet peeves...
There were several scenes involving characters who would pause to deliver lengthy exposition on the history of this or that. I would have preferred to have that information more cleverly woven throughout the story than delivered in these expositional bursts.
I got very confused in in EP 2, in the confrontation under the high school as to who was double crossing who for what reason and what Raven should or should not do to resolve it. The fact that the male characters looked alike added to my befuddlement.
Characters
The characters were just okay. None of them had a particularly sparkling or distinctive personality that really made them memorable or beloved. There was also a slight awkwardness in the rendering of some of the personality traits (e.g., Poe's hot-headedness, Mackenzie's cute/obnoxiousness) that were almost too spelled-out rather than written in a way to be discovered by the reader. The dialogue was sufficient to carry along the plot and express what the characters needed to say, but was never particularly sharp or emotionally penetrating.
Raven did have emotional conflicts regarding her dual natural of being a demon (evil) raised by a human (good) but I'd like to see her inner conflicts manifest even more in her actions in present situations, not just in monologues about her past. I didn't see her reacting to and overcoming challenges in ways that made me admire her or bond to her as a character. I do like her, but I want more form her. I want to see her put in really tough situations that require compromise, cleverness, bravery, sacrifice, or something that will show us what she's really made of.
Overall
I was fairly critical in my comments, but I do want to keep reading "Demonology 101" and do believe it will keep improving. A lot of narrative groundwork has been laid and the author is obviously very committed to this world and these characters. The artwork has improved mightily, and I hope that the writing will follow suit. |
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Mon Feb 03 2003 02:24 AM |
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I can't volunteer to be an "official" member of the club, as I can't promise that I'd have time to read an entire webcomic archive each week. But I will pop in every few weeks or so and offer commentary as I am able.
I did read the archives of "Shifters" and think it is an admirable effort for young or first-time creators, but not exactly something I would recommend to a comic aficionado.
LETTERING
Like everyone else has mentioned, the lettering was often illegible (particularly early on).
ART
The art was frustratingly inconsistent. On some pages the figures looked pretty good, never great, but sufficiently cute and humorous for the story line. But there were numerous pages of atrocious artwork throughout as well.
The only consistent artwork was the backgrounds, which were consistently awful. Much more attention needs to be paid to volume and perspective of props, vehicles and buildings. I'd rather see really simplistic, stylized, cartoony backgrounds that look clean, than the sloppy, half-hearted sketches offered here.
CHARACTERS
I wanted a lot more depth and exploration of what it would mean for Ferrah to suddenly discover that she was a part of this whole other world. Like Pendleton and Furilius mentioned, I wanted more "realistic" high school sequences to ground me in a believable world before getting me to swallow the Veil premise. "Clan Of The Cats" comes to mind as a webcomic with a comparable premise, but one that really took the emotional impact on the main character seriously. Even though this is more of a comedy, the characters have to convincingly respond to their circumstances.
STORY
I really did like the premise of the Veil--that there's this parallel culture of creature clans. It may be derivative, but as I'm not familiar with the works it's derivative of, that didn't bother me too much. But the execution of the concept was rather weak. I was often confused as to what exactly was going on as the story jumped from event to event and the tale seemed to shift awkwardly in tone from humor to melodrama.
The occasional use of profanity and excessive gore seemed unnecessary. It was jarring and inconsistent with the tone of the strip.
By far, the best sequence was the rumble between Ferrah and the jealous anthro-fox. The incident that set up the jealousy was well done, there was genuine suspense leading up to the battle, the fight itself had imaginative combat sequences, and it directly involved most of the main characters in an interesting way. Best of all was that it paralleled a believable high school incident but upped the ante to take it to the level of The Veil universe. The whole strip should be constantly playing off those kind of high school/Veil parallels. If the entire strip had been as good as that sequence, I could have forgiven a lot of the poor artwork. |
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Mon Jan 20 2003 02:13 AM |
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