In which I try my hand at reviewing.
The comic geeks among you may have heard of Zuda.com, DC's webcomic contest/experiment. I recently got around to taking a look at some of the work on the site, and am sorely disappointed with some of what I'm seeing. On the other hand, some of these creators show promise.
I read five submissions from last month's competition, as well as four titles from this month's contest. Here's what I've got for the November comics.
November submissions:
Leprenomicon
A story about a man who captures a Leprechaun to escape untimely death, Leprenomicon seems a good read. Visually pleasing art, a neat concept, and good writing and pacing. This was my first Zuda read, and I'd like to see more. I found the character's facial expressions emotive, and the story genuinely funny.
Dead in the Now
This was my second Zuda read. It's a story about a cynical kid, Braz, who finds a "jovial sort" of zombie, and names him Z-Rex. Braz and his friends soon decide that the world sucks, and the zombies should get to eat almost everyone. Disturbing-ish hi-jinks ensue. This one reminded me of the sort of thing Jhonen Vasquez would do. The visual style's a little bit reminiscent of his work, and he's got that "disturbed, destruction-loving" protagonist thing going too. While disorienting, the 8 pages we're presented with are intriguing, though without the synopsis, I'd have dismissed it, as I didn't feel I was presented with enough to engage me. Another comic I'd like to see more of, though it wasn't my favorite November submission by far.
The Enders
About a girl given powers by a huge, weird, really mean being. She's got a year to save the world from... something, but only a month if she wants to save her baby sister too. Otherwise, the big mean thing kills her sister the same way it killed her parents. Art's pretty, and I'm a sucker for female protagonists. Looks like it will be a story about how all our itty bitty actions have big consequences. It's been done, but I'm intrigued nonetheless.
Battlefield Babysitter
Ok, so, normal girl in a superhero world. Not sooo original. Girl pressured to go into the family biz, definitely been done. Brightly colored hair? Passe'. Yet, somehow, I still found this comic fresh. Maybe it's the first page, where the creator either pays homage to, or snubs the publisher it's working with, I couldn't tell. And frankly, I didn't care, because either way, I was amused. Or maybe it was the panel where they poked fun at comic readers' tendency to drool over gratuitous T&A. Or maybe it was just that I think this is plain good writing, with decent art. With DC paying more attention to stories that appeal to teenage girls, I thought this comic would add nicely to their repertoire. I also like the way the protagonist breaks the fourth wall, but stays quite nicely in character. One advantage this submission had over the others was choosing the exactly correct pacing for the 8 pages the creator has to work with. It had a suitable, "Part A ends here" vibe. I was left with "Boy, can't wait to see how THAT goes" anticipation, without the annoyance I feel with the samples that seemed to end mid-thought.
I was actually sad Battlefield Babysitter didn't get November's win, until I read High Moon.
High Moon was the voted winner last month, and rightly so! It's got gritty-yet-beautiful artwork, engaging (if somewhat predictable) characters, and a subject matter we can all get into. Not to mention a punny title! It's a story about werewolves and the supernatural in a struggling Old West Texan town, complete with more-important-than-thou Mayor, sassy, overworked daughter of a dead sheriff, and a mysterious, irreverant stranger out to collect a bounty. Wait, no, he doesn't care about the bounty. Oh, and a guy named Jeb, who has some strange ideas that are actually right. Well, half-right. While I'm not thrilled with the amount of unused space behind the panels on some screens, that decision actually allowed the creators to fit MORE material on each page, which is important when you've only got 8 pages to convince readers this comic is worth their vote. The creators use their visuals fantastically, making dialog secondary in telling the story. Some readers found this a weakness, which I was appalled by. Hey, guys? Uh, comics are, you know, a VISUAL medium. The ability to highlight subtleties without needing the help of text requires intricate composition and a real good dose of talent. Screen 5's flashback? Glorious. Loved it. High Moon far outstripped the competition, and I can't wait to see the rest of it. I'd especially like to see it *gasp* in print.
As for this month's submissions... So far, I'm not impressed. I've only read 40% of them, but so far, I haven't seen anything I'd vote for, and I wish we could choose some of last month's material over anything I'm seeing now. If you think my November reviews weren't critical enough, read my December reviews. They're nice and scathing, for the most part.
I'll save my four December reviews, and my review of Zuda's ongoing title Bayou for another post.
Hume, thoughts?
I read five submissions from last month's competition, as well as four titles from this month's contest. Here's what I've got for the November comics.
November submissions:
Leprenomicon
A story about a man who captures a Leprechaun to escape untimely death, Leprenomicon seems a good read. Visually pleasing art, a neat concept, and good writing and pacing. This was my first Zuda read, and I'd like to see more. I found the character's facial expressions emotive, and the story genuinely funny.
Dead in the Now
This was my second Zuda read. It's a story about a cynical kid, Braz, who finds a "jovial sort" of zombie, and names him Z-Rex. Braz and his friends soon decide that the world sucks, and the zombies should get to eat almost everyone. Disturbing-ish hi-jinks ensue. This one reminded me of the sort of thing Jhonen Vasquez would do. The visual style's a little bit reminiscent of his work, and he's got that "disturbed, destruction-loving" protagonist thing going too. While disorienting, the 8 pages we're presented with are intriguing, though without the synopsis, I'd have dismissed it, as I didn't feel I was presented with enough to engage me. Another comic I'd like to see more of, though it wasn't my favorite November submission by far.
The Enders
About a girl given powers by a huge, weird, really mean being. She's got a year to save the world from... something, but only a month if she wants to save her baby sister too. Otherwise, the big mean thing kills her sister the same way it killed her parents. Art's pretty, and I'm a sucker for female protagonists. Looks like it will be a story about how all our itty bitty actions have big consequences. It's been done, but I'm intrigued nonetheless.
Battlefield Babysitter
Ok, so, normal girl in a superhero world. Not sooo original. Girl pressured to go into the family biz, definitely been done. Brightly colored hair? Passe'. Yet, somehow, I still found this comic fresh. Maybe it's the first page, where the creator either pays homage to, or snubs the publisher it's working with, I couldn't tell. And frankly, I didn't care, because either way, I was amused. Or maybe it was the panel where they poked fun at comic readers' tendency to drool over gratuitous T&A. Or maybe it was just that I think this is plain good writing, with decent art. With DC paying more attention to stories that appeal to teenage girls, I thought this comic would add nicely to their repertoire. I also like the way the protagonist breaks the fourth wall, but stays quite nicely in character. One advantage this submission had over the others was choosing the exactly correct pacing for the 8 pages the creator has to work with. It had a suitable, "Part A ends here" vibe. I was left with "Boy, can't wait to see how THAT goes" anticipation, without the annoyance I feel with the samples that seemed to end mid-thought.
I was actually sad Battlefield Babysitter didn't get November's win, until I read High Moon.
High Moon was the voted winner last month, and rightly so! It's got gritty-yet-beautiful artwork, engaging (if somewhat predictable) characters, and a subject matter we can all get into. Not to mention a punny title! It's a story about werewolves and the supernatural in a struggling Old West Texan town, complete with more-important-than-thou Mayor, sassy, overworked daughter of a dead sheriff, and a mysterious, irreverant stranger out to collect a bounty. Wait, no, he doesn't care about the bounty. Oh, and a guy named Jeb, who has some strange ideas that are actually right. Well, half-right. While I'm not thrilled with the amount of unused space behind the panels on some screens, that decision actually allowed the creators to fit MORE material on each page, which is important when you've only got 8 pages to convince readers this comic is worth their vote. The creators use their visuals fantastically, making dialog secondary in telling the story. Some readers found this a weakness, which I was appalled by. Hey, guys? Uh, comics are, you know, a VISUAL medium. The ability to highlight subtleties without needing the help of text requires intricate composition and a real good dose of talent. Screen 5's flashback? Glorious. Loved it. High Moon far outstripped the competition, and I can't wait to see the rest of it. I'd especially like to see it *gasp* in print.
As for this month's submissions... So far, I'm not impressed. I've only read 40% of them, but so far, I haven't seen anything I'd vote for, and I wish we could choose some of last month's material over anything I'm seeing now. If you think my November reviews weren't critical enough, read my December reviews. They're nice and scathing, for the most part.
I'll save my four December reviews, and my review of Zuda's ongoing title Bayou for another post.
Hume, thoughts?