Comic Challenge Round 2

Fysh

Round 2 being done and dusted, it's time to see whose submission is the favourite.

So, have a look at the entries here and vote to decide the best one!

bombidol

whens round 3?

Fysh

Round 3 starts at the beginning of June, though the topic and format hasn't been decided yet - if you're interested, post up your suggestions in the main thread.

chrisfw

i have to say the standard (excluding my own) is higher this round, i like it! more all round use of story, colour, framing...Stephen walker's is just great to read in that it flows really well and has a good brief take on the vampire mythos. quite a brooding round all together though, i was wondering if some people might take the shadow thing into lighter territory (pun intended). i find elaine's/sgraffito's a good mix of the bizarre and gothic elements of the shadow theme but with a healthy dose of surrealism that i tend to like, so that one does it for me.

DoctorEdgeWild

Kyle Rogers entry is awesome. Excellently drawn and written. Looking forward to seeing more of his work.

Well done to all though, I think alot of effort went into this round and I for one appreciate it! Thanks to all.

Abby D Cody

There's no doubting the purity and innocence of line in Chrisfw's Shadow tale, and the quirky, twisty resolution of recognition to truth is so familiar, so 'that happens to me' that it's tempting to just stop there and give out the prize. But, Chris, forgive me, I had to look on. It's my duty.

The Dark Behind Your eyes immediately resonates with me, but as the stroy goes on, it turns out to be just another revenge tale. I don't think it grabs me, Kyle, sorry.

Sgraffito is stark, dynamic and a little scary, until the end and then it seems to throw away an oportunity to make a really scary point for the sake of a flippant ending. I know there's always a temptation to not seem to be taking yourself too seriously, but the graphical style looks to me to be above that sort of insecurity, it's so definite and confident. Still, this is my second favourite so far.

The vampire chick is a bit familiar - Angel, anyone? - but I suppose for a short story, there isn't a whole lot of space to develop originality. And to be fair, there are hints that the character is probably more than a vampire looking for redemption. The drawing is what makes this story, the way it fits the writing style, the subject matter; and the fact that there are two stories going on, the picture one (super-hero rescues innocent victim) and the narrative one (vampire gets lunch), and each compliments the other. In all, I think Miss Hellhunter has to get my vote.

Brave work, everyone. Exactly what we need around here.

Briony Noh

Can I vote for myself? Or is that considered bad form?

Fysh

Yeah, I don't see why not - I've never really seen a benefit to rules that prevent you from backing your own work in these kind of polls. Besides, if enough people vote the effect of one vote will be negligible anyway

Also - Abby D Cody, great post. While it's nice to have a simple breakdown of what comic people liked most through the poll, posts like yours explaining what you liked & didn't like are useful to everyone taking part.

Earthhorse

Uh oh! I ****ed up! I meant to vote for "Shadow" but I voted for "The Dark Behind Your Eyes". Sorry if that skews the result!

I found myself liking and hating every entry in this round. There's certainly no doubting the talent of all the artists who took part but I wonder if they have taken the best decisions in terms of allowing the work to come to life.

Chris Fite-Wassilak has submitted a smart and succinct entry that definitely draws the reader in, and I wanted this to win. But guess what Chris? You've buried a third of your story under the bridge. I can't read the whole opening of your piece and get involved as I want to. Maybe that was the idea. If so, I think it was a bad one.

Kyle Roger's vigilante cum revenge tail is excellently drawn with some interesting shadowing at play across the panels. The transitions are clever, if a little confusing at times, though perhaps that is my own inexperience in reading comics coming out. Its biggest burden though, is the story, which never really rises above the cliches of an action set piece.

Lillith is the next piece and the clear winner for me. Some of the artwork in here is amazing. Chaotic and energetic, it really brings its characters to life. The sharp contrast between red and black might be an old standby but when it's done this will you really can't complain. If I have one hesitation it is again with the words and story. They seem stuck on, almost as an afterthought and don't do justice to the art. Again, some of them are buried in the shadows, and make the piece more inaccessable than it needs to be. But these are minor complaints at best.

Finally we have Stephen Walker's "Hellhunter", an amazingly drawn piece that is, once again, held back by its story. I don't think there's a poorly drawn panel in this piece. There's not a pixel out of place and a real boldness about the art, whether it's an overhead action panel or a close up of a face, that you have to admire. In particular, the colouring in the panels is striking, and, even if the story prevents it slipping into the first place, at least he has done me the decency of allowing me read it.

That's it for this round! Hat's off to all involved. I appreciate the hard work and the guts involved in preparing and posting your work online. Hope I haven't been too harsh on anyone and my feedback helps people improve their comics.

chrisfw

this is great! thanks to everyone for the feedback keep it coming. (kyle- maybe at the bottom of the page with the entries maybe a link to this thread?)
my own entry i guess i've been thinking about how text in a comic might actually fit in to the world you show visually, so yeah the illegible part is intentional but maybe a little textbooky.
more soon!