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Post by Tiger on Dec 13, 2005 5:51:10 GMT -5
How many parts is it in all, anyway? It's ten parts total. |
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Post by Spot on Dec 13, 2005 9:28:02 GMT -5
Stuck in the Lost Desert by spotthechelsey You manage this Neopets-plot-comics-concept really well!!! The art is very smoothe and easy on the eyes - so Neopets-like, but still original. The only thing that caught my critical eye, was the footprints of the Lennies. They sorta look like blood-prints - but then again... if the sand is very very hot... that might just be your intention? Anyways, it's only a minor detail. The story is very well picked up from the last comic, and even though I can't answer the trivia question, I still find the whole accent-thing very funny. I don't get the mirage-castle though...  Very nicely made Spot  What can I say, with the joy of using one of my other micron pens, I overdid it. XD I used the red one a little too much, me thinks. I'll tone it down next time. The mirage castle thing? ... that would be Sahkmet, as it had vanished in the LD plot. =3 I know, I'm a bit behind in the series of events ... Stuck in the Lost Desert
Wow Neopets style. ^^ I love the design of your comic. it's awsome.
Thank you for the reviews! ^__^ |
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Post by ohmandoh on Dec 13, 2005 11:15:46 GMT -5
Thanks for the answers. And thanks for the topic link. I was looking for that!
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Post by Komori on Dec 13, 2005 15:04:40 GMT -5
Thanks everyone for the reviews! I appreciate them muchly, I do! ;D And Manda, I don't think I'm ranked with Garfield! XDDD But I'll try and work my way to that. :3 Awright! Comic reviews time! Go me for being uber late. Spent all weekend working on my Christmas comic and Christmas crossover comic.... hooray for procrastination and over-ambition. ... But anyway, I'm finally getting around to reviewing the comics. As usual, I'll warn people that I don't pull punches, and also that I'm an art student, so I get rather involved in all the aesthetics of comic art. ... I'm a comic nazi, I s'pose. Why Blue Draik Eggs Ah, an animated comic. I am personally against most animated comics. They are often poorly timed, and they could've easily been static comics with more success. In this case, I think you pulled it off. I still believe this could've been a non-animated comic, and if done right, the non-animated comic would've had more impact. But this still had some nice timing. I liked how you used images rather than words for their thought bubbles. Words in animated comics hardly ever work, because the animator often overestimates the time it takes a viewer to read the text. But you avoided that problem with the recognizable images. At first, though, I didn't recognize the Kad avatar, and I thought it was an image of the sad Kadoatie, and I didn't make the connection. I blame it on the color of your Kad. By making it the same color as the avatar, it caused a small bit of confusion. This could've been avoided by just making it the normal blue color Kad, or some other color. Another thing that could've used a bit more time was the reluctant reaction of the shoyru. He turns away from the Kad because a draik egg is too pricey, but then the Kad mews helplessly, and he feels sorry for it. I think he should've turned around, then the Kad should mew, not both at the same time. It's harder to notice that way. Maybe he turns around. Then the Kad mews. Then just his eye looks back at the Kad. But it's a small thing, and it doesn't take away much from the comic. Oh, and one last small thing. The ending title needed a bit more time, I wasn't able to read all that text before the animation started over. Overall, the comic was quite amusing. One of the better animated comics I've seen. The Happiest Quiggle Oh gosh, all those grinning faces. XDDDD Too... much.... happinesss...... Admittedly, I wondered how long you could maintain a series of jokes centered solely around that quiggle's laughter-inducing face. But you managed another one, and it doesn't feel repetitive at all. XD It's actually an interesting concept, the thought of the pet crying in the store. I'm sure it is quite embarassing. I love the care you took in stocking the shop with enough items for it to not look bare. Just a few simple things in the background is very nice. Some just don't take that much care to have props. Oh, and bravo for including the Secret Rulebook. Heh, I noticed it on the second read.  Ah, and I want to compliment you on the background colors. Those are notoriously hard to choose, and are often too saturated. You picked a good pair of wall/ground colors that only help to emphasize the cheery rainbow colors of your quiggle. I also liked how you maintained that purple petpet ball through the whole comic. It gave readers a greater chance of noticing it, rather than having a new element come out of the blue. Though I have to admit it's hard to believe that the item the quiggle was carrying around would've sold out. I understand it happens when restocking, but seeing him pay for the ball at the store owner's desk, it's harder to believe that somehow the ball just sold out. ... If that makes any sense. The best part of the comic was your little supporting slorg character. His cute little expression nicely echoes the quiggle's, and it's a good reflection of the emotions of your reader from panel to panel. Mootix Madness XDDDD I loved the collaboration between you two! You had said you two were working together, but I didn't understand what you meant until I read both comics. It's great, two different stories to the same event. Wonderful. Though I must admit, I had a bit of trouble following the joke of yours, Leoness. In fact, I didn't get it at all the first time. I didn't realize what scratchcard the mootix was talking about until I noticed that it was a Part 2 comic. Multiple part comics are really difficult to pull off, since the NT only comes out once a week, and it's hard to expect people to remember one particular story for a whole week. The trick is to make a joke that is still understandable even if the reader hadn't read the other comics. Usually that requires a bit of explanitory dialogue in the beginning panel. It seems repetitive because as the artist, you remember your storyline, but you need to remind the viewer of your characters and their situation. Even when I remembered the first part of your comic, I remembered they were going on a trip, but I didn't remember the part about them winning it with a scratchcard. When I finally got it all worked out, though, it was actually an amusing joke. Artwise, you really did some great work. I love the expressiveness of all the pets, especially the whistling Nelly. And I really love your layout. It starts with the shot of the mootix, then a bigger shot of the whole scene, and it isn't difficult to follow the concept that the mootix are on that little warf off to the side of the panel. And I love those almost-splitscreen panels. You didn't disrupt the flow with a big dividing line, and yet it's easy to understand. The viewer understands that these are two separate conversations that aren't interacting with one another. ^^ It was a good comic. I hope you two do another collab very soon! Smelly Nelly I'm deviating a bit from request order, since this one is related to the above comic. XDDD Oh, this one was really cute. That joke was perfectly timed, and the dialogue went quite nicely with it. It's great that you didn't use any sort of dialogue or sound effects on your usul in the last panel. It would've been unneccessary. But that fluffy Nelly... Man, that's just too great. This is one where the art really needed to tell the story, and this does. He's just so rediculously fluffy! He has no eyes.... oh goodness....And his arms outstretched! XD Oh, just awesome. You put so much detail into those backgrounds. An almost extensive amount! *shakes head* I can't believe you have the patience. Oftentimes, the background is left so bare. I don't really know how you do it. So many more colors means a huge filesize, yet you managed to get this very colorful work under 200k without losing color quality or size. ... .... I'm quite impressed. I love how you use the background to help the audience establish where they are. The visual cue of the window really helps. Though a tiny thing. When they're inside, the sky outside is blue, rather than sunset-ish. Was that done on purpose? Gweee, I just really love your comics. X3 ~~~~ Mkay, if I missed anyone, tell me. And if anyone else wants a review, tell me.  |
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Post by Spot on Dec 13, 2005 21:47:05 GMT -5
Mkay, if I missed anyone, tell me. And if anyone else wants a review, tell me. *hopeful look* =3 I like Komori reviews. ^__^ Please? |
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Post by Tam on Dec 13, 2005 23:59:08 GMT -5
Stuck in the Lost Desert
by spotthechelsey
(I finally managed to get onto a computer that displayed it. ^^)
ROFL, I loved this one! ;D What's so great about it isn't the usual "it had nice colours" or "cute creatures"... I was so floored that someone had actually able to make a plot-style comic for the Neopan Times. It was very well done all-around. The art style was my favourite, smooth and simple with great shading. I also liked the dashed outline of Sakhmet in the last panel; you managed to pull off something else that gets a lot of people. It's often hard to make a complex 3-D outline, especially in front of a background. Great job! I was so awed that I found myself moving my mouse onto the frames and off, just to watch them fade in and out. :3
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Post by Komori on Dec 14, 2005 9:01:38 GMT -5
Mkay, if I missed anyone, tell me. And if anyone else wants a review, tell me. *hopeful look* =3 I like Komori reviews. ^__^ Please? Okie Dokie! Stuck in the Lost Desert... Firstly, I never thought I'd say this about any comic ever: I loved the afternotes! XDDD I think it's because they're all nicely hidden in those little pawprints, so they don't distract from the comic. And they're such a nice touch, it's so darn cute! I loved that bit of trivia, too! XD Even though I don't play that particular game. :3 Anyway, the comic itself was pretty cute. I kinda' guessed the punchline before it came, but it was still well executed. The timing was rather nice, though it was a bit odd with the dialogue. Ideally, a question and its answer should be in the same panel whenever possible. It's to aid in flow, I think. My problem (which is only a small issue, mind you) is with the lines "Clasko, see anything?" It doesn't quite fit in the panel it's in, because the lenny is first talking to the lupe, then he changes the target of his dialogue, but the image still remains focused on the lupe on his back. I think it would have been more effective to have put that bit of text in the following panel. You could still have that lenny's other dialogue in there still. ... Although, that would've meant you'd have had to change the layout, since that panel would've been way too small to fit all that dialogue. ... Or you could've managed to put that "Clasko" dialogue bubble in the gutter between the panels, and connect it to the lower bubble with one of those little dialogue connecting lines. ... But like I said, I'm really just splitting hairs here... Artwise, it's gorgeous. Your linework is beautiful and very well controlled. It's nice and varied so it really gives the images a lot of life. The detail is nice too, even down to the hairs on that mole on the Lenny's neck. ... *shudder* Plus, you give plenty of space in the panels for the dialogue, but the panels aren't too empty when the dialogue bubbles aren't there. So that's a very nice balance. Oh, and my other little thing: Sakhmet is gone? I assume this was made before the end of the plot, right? I guess in that way, it's a little bit more confusing, because we must now assume that this story took place a bit in the past, not in the current Neopia. I suppose that's the danger of making comics based on current plots. But still, it's a really fun comic. |
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Post by Spot on Dec 14, 2005 12:55:26 GMT -5
Stuck in the Lost Desert
by spotthechelsey(I finally managed to get onto a computer that displayed it. ^^) ROFL, I loved this one! ;D What's so great about it isn't the usual "it had nice colours" or "cute creatures"... I was so floored that someone had actually able to make a plot-style comic for the Neopan Times. It was very well done all-around. The art style was my favourite, smooth and simple with great shading. I also liked the dashed outline of Sakhmet in the last panel; you managed to pull off something else that gets a lot of people. It's often hard to make a complex 3-D outline, especially in front of a background. Great job! I was so awed that I found myself moving my mouse onto the frames and off, just to watch them fade in and out. :3 Thank you! ^___^ ... are dashed lines really that hard? I just drew the city normally in pencil, then inked over the lines with dashes. Followed up by erasing the pencil lines, and ta-da! Dashed city. =3 And yes, playing with the panels is fun. XD I get my fill of that though while building and testing it. *mouse-on, mouse-off...* Stuck in the Lost Desert... Firstly, I never thought I'd say this about any comic ever: I loved the afternotes! XDDD I think it's because they're all nicely hidden in those little pawprints, so they don't distract from the comic. And they're such a nice touch, it's so darn cute! I loved that bit of trivia, too! XD Even though I don't play that particular game. :3 X3 *tacklehugs Komori* I don't play the game either, I just wanted to say 'wark'. XD But yay, my afternotes are working! ^__^ I want to be able to involve my readers more into the comics, or make them more interactive, so I'm trying to shape my afternotes so that the readers can participate. Or they can hear about my boring life when I've run out of trivia, but they don't actually ever have to see it because it is hidden out of the way. =3 Thank you for touching on the afternote point. I know I'm doing something right now. ^__^ Anyway, the comic itself was pretty cute. I kinda' guessed the punchline before it came, but it was still well executed. The timing was rather nice, though it was a bit odd with the dialogue. Ideally, a question and its answer should be in the same panel whenever possible. It's to aid in flow, I think. My problem (which is only a small issue, mind you) is with the lines "Clasko, see anything?" It doesn't quite fit in the panel it's in, because the lenny is first talking to the lupe, then he changes the target of his dialogue, but the image still remains focused on the lupe on his back. I think it would have been more effective to have put that bit of text in the following panel. You could still have that lenny's other dialogue in there still. ... Although, that would've meant you'd have had to change the layout, since that panel would've been way too small to fit all that dialogue. ... Or you could've managed to put that "Clasko" dialogue bubble in the gutter between the panels, and connect it to the lower bubble with one of those little dialogue connecting lines. ... But like I said, I'm really just splitting hairs here... Or if I went further with the animated option, I could have the lenny's eye glance in the other direction, to show that the target he's talking to has changed. I wouldn't necessarily have to change the layout of the rest of the comic for that.... but it would still break the diologue between the panels. Hmm. Good points, though. *takes notes for future comics* Artwise, it's gorgeous. Your linework is beautiful and very well controlled. It's nice and varied so it really gives the images a lot of life. The detail is nice too, even down to the hairs on that mole on the Lenny's neck. ... *shudder* Plus, you give plenty of space in the panels for the dialogue, but the panels aren't too empty when the dialogue bubbles aren't there. So that's a very nice balance. *purr* ^__^ I'm really happy with the way my lineart has turned out recently. I think I've found my style. ... Of course, that means that now I should break it and try something else, since it's never good to strictly stick to one style. XD Oh, and my other little thing: Sakhmet is gone? I assume this was made before the end of the plot, right? I guess in that way, it's a little bit more confusing, because we must now assume that this story took place a bit in the past, not in the current Neopia. I suppose that's the danger of making comics based on current plots. But still, it's a really fun comic. I had poor timing, I admit. ^^; I actually drew the comic the day after Sakhmet disappeared in the plot, but didn't get around to finishing it until ... much later. Ah, well. Hopefully I can clean that problem up in the next couple of comics. Thank you for the review! =3 |
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Post by Deleted on Dec 14, 2005 15:51:57 GMT -5
Neopian InsanityGreat crayon artwork. Once I understood the order in which I was supposed to read the list (left to right, not columnal), not to mention that I had to read it at all (Naturally want to skip that part. I think it would have been better crayon drawn as well, with parchment backround like below.), I couldn't stop laughing. Neoquest lovers will definitely want to see this one. Oh, and I didn't notice the question marks as question marks. It's not crayon, it's colored pencil. |
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Post by Nut on Dec 14, 2005 18:10:45 GMT -5
The Happiest Quiggle Oh gosh, all those grinning faces. XDDDD Too... much.... happinesss...... Admittedly, I wondered how long you could maintain a series of jokes centered solely around that quiggle's laughter-inducing face. But you managed another one, and it doesn't feel repetitive at all. XD Thank you; that's a compliment! ^^ It's actually an interesting concept, the thought of the pet crying in the store. I'm sure it is quite embarassing. I love the care you took in stocking the shop with enough items for it to not look bare. Just a few simple things in the background is very nice. Some just don't take that much care to have props. Oh, and bravo for including the Secret Rulebook. Heh, I noticed it on the second read. Ah, and I want to compliment you on the background colors. Those are notoriously hard to choose, and are often too saturated. You picked a good pair of wall/ground colors that only help to emphasize the cheery rainbow colors of your quiggle. Thanks! I was trying to put some effort into the background on this comic. I want to get better at drawing backgrounds. I was trying different colors for the wall and floor, and that combination seemed like the best to me. I also liked how you maintained that purple petpet ball through the whole comic. It gave readers a greater chance of noticing it, rather than having a new element come out of the blue. Though I have to admit it's hard to believe that the item the quiggle was carrying around would've sold out. I understand it happens when restocking, but seeing him pay for the ball at the store owner's desk, it's harder to believe that somehow the ball just sold out. ... If that makes any sense. Ohh, I can see how that would look unlikely. I must admit I wasn't really thinking about how it would appear when I had him paying for the ball, especially since there weren't any other customers that the reader could see. So many times when I'm in Neopian shops, the item sells out right when I'm on the haggle page, so I kind of took it for granted even though on a real-world practical level it doesn't make sense.  I shall think about that next time. The best part of the comic was your little supporting slorg character. His cute little expression nicely echoes the quiggle's, and it's a good reflection of the emotions of your reader from panel to panel. I'm glad you like him. ^^ I don't really think about him much when I'm drawing the comics. He kind of has to be there. Quiggler pretty much ignores him most of the time, too, though if the Slorg ever got too close, it would be a different story... (Vague reference to a trait of my Quiggle's personality, which I haven't brought into comics yet.) EDIT: The late reviewer has finally come! So here I am with my methodical panel-by-panel comic reviews. Enjoy. Comic Reviews[glow=blue,2,300] Smelly Nelly[/glow] I think this is one of my favorite comics of yours, if only because the art is so fantastic. ^^ Your colors and arrangements are simply beautiful. I love how you outlined the background almost solely with thick colored lines, saving the bold black lines for the main characters and props. Panel One: Beautiful art, just beautiful! I love the colors. The fact that there are no stark black outlines in the background makes it look very smooth and consistent. With that in mind, though, the thin, straight black outline of the house looks slightly out of place. The flowers are a nice detail, and I like how you can see the candles through the window. I think the sunset sky works well—it just adds to the rainbow of lovely colors in this panel. Nelly’s baby talk seems quite natural as he pets the Warf. Panel Two: The art here is great, too. I love the pink panels on the wall. It’s just a small detail, but it makes the whole scene look better than if you had simply let the wallpaper continue down the wall. I did notice that the sky is blue in this panel, which would indicate that it is the next day. You do say that it is later, though, so I can imagine that Nelly just woke up in the morning and can’t stop scratching. I like how his exclamation “Stupid Warf!” contrasts with the faked-endearment tone he took in the first panel. The next sentence uses the word “something” twice, and while I can see that it’s a natural statement to make since “something” refers to different things, it might have read better without the two “something”s right next to each other. (Of course, I just used the word “something” three times in one sentence, so who am I to talk?) Panel Three: Oh goodness, look at Nelly! His eyes have been swallowed up into his puffy face, and his three hairs have become a dark tassel atop his head. I like how you drew and shaded his eyeless face. Having the arms outstretched is a nice natural pose. To be honest, though, while I knew that his fur had become puffed out, it struck me as looking a bit like lumps or some dreadful form of warts. Though this is clearly a visual gag, I thought that Nelly’s dialogue emphasizes the fact that his eyes have disappeared in the mass of fluff, making it funnier. I also like how Sis is drawn in this panel. It seemed a little odd that Nelly would just pour the shampoo on without water or anything, but I can imagine him doing it. XD Overall: The art is beautiful, and I like the fact that the window and candles mark the smooth transition from outdoors to indoors. I love it! ^^ [glow=blue,2,300] Mootix Madness: We Have a Winner Pt. 2[/glow] Wow, I love the fact that this is connected to another comic in the same issue. I heard that you were doing a comic collab, but I didn’t know what you were going to do. This is great. XD Panel One: I love how it’s drawn, with the two Mootix watching from the edge and the other one dressed in his, erm, new outfit. His expression is perfect. The little suitcase is a nice touch. The cropped-off sign at one side seems a little odd, though; it appears to be a destination sign indicating where the Mootix will be arriving. I didn’t notice it on my first read through the comic, but my first thought when I did see the letters was “Nelly Land”. XD I’m not sure what the words are supposed to be. Still, a lovely opening panel. Panel Two: It’s nice to see Nina’s characters in your style. I like how you drew earmuffs on Sis; when I saw them I thought that Sis was wearing them to muffle the noise of Nelly’s off-key whistling. XD I like the happy-faced flower and the pink worm in the corner. The sea of green grass fills the panel nicely. Panels Three, Four, Five, and Six: I like how these let the white space and the shape of the characters break up the panels. Very nice. Panel Seven: I love the Mootix’s expression here. The characters are very expressive throughout the comic, in fact. I like watching their faces change from panel to panel. Panels Eight and Nine: Very nice art, and the punchline is quite funny. Nelly’s baby talk in the eighth panel mimics his reaction to the Warf in Smelly Nelly. Overall: I enjoyed this comic quite a bit, but mostly because of how it’s linked to this week’s Smelly Nelly. You tell of the same event from different points of view, and they’re both funny! The comic flowed quite well. I am wondering now what’s going to happen to the three Mootix, though. After all, they’ve been scrubbed with a puff-inducing shampoo. In all, a lovely comic! [glow=blue,2,300] Spooky[/glow] XDD Wow, that was hilarious. I always love your comics, Komori. Your drawings are so unique, so expressive, so smooth… and all without any shading! I love it. ^^ Panel One: Storywise, this panel is only setting things up, but artwise, it’s much more interesting. I love how you draw your Korbat. The way that Tombstones is ever so casually wiping down his blade is great. I must mention, though, that his left foot (that is, our left) looked a bit awkward to me. It could be just that I viewed it too quickly, but I didn’t know he was sitting until I looked at it a second time and noted the bend of his knee and the way his robe folded. I think this partly has to do with the fact that the dark maroon color of the Mynci’s robe blends in with the dark gray wall and some of the black lines. I love the way Tombstones is looking so intently at his scythe as he cleans it, though. :3 Panel Two: I like Tombstones’ expression here. I like how he’s shifted the cleaning rag to the dull edge of his weapon in this panel; it’s a small detail, but a nice one. Panel Three: I love the background in this panel! It looks ever so natural and brings out the meaning of the Korbat’s words. The black sky, the imposing Brain Tree, nasty Esophagor, and the floating ghosts of the Kacheek and Aisha set the mood in this panel perfectly. And there, in front of the atmospheric Haunted Woods backdrop, is a brilliant green Korbat with a wonderfully exaggerated anime expression on his face. It’s staged excellently. Panel Four: Wahaha! Hilarious! The expressions on your characters really bring out the joke in this panel. I love it! Overall: This is yet another great, wonderfully drawn and funny episode of Spooky. Excellent work! |
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Post by Star on Dec 16, 2005 14:57:35 GMT -5
Wow I haven't done revviews in ages. *makes mental note to self - must start reviewing again!* I haven't had anything in for ages and Christmas shopping etc but I did one review!
The Unraveling Truth by bookworm01
This was an all right story in my opinion. It was fairly short. I understood what had happened and who he was but I thought it was a bit rushed. If you had made the story a tiny bit longer, I think you could¡¯ve fit in a lot more detail. But I did like the description of Fyora, again it could¡¯ve been better had it been longer. However the general idea was good because I don¡¯t think I¡¯ve ever read a story which explains how the Lab Ray became into existence.
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Post by Deleted on Dec 16, 2005 18:21:56 GMT -5
[glow=blue,2,300] Mootix Madness: We Have a Winner Pt. 2[/glow] Wow, I love the fact that this is connected to another comic in the same issue. I heard that you were doing a comic collab, but I didn’t know what you were going to do. This is great. XD Panel One: I love how it’s drawn, with the two Mootix watching from the edge and the other one dressed in his, erm, new outfit. His expression is perfect. The little suitcase is a nice touch. The cropped-off sign at one side seems a little odd, though; it appears to be a destination sign indicating where the Mootix will be arriving. I didn’t notice it on my first read through the comic, but my first thought when I did see the letters was “Nelly Land”. XD I’m not sure what the words are supposed to be. Still, a lovely opening panel. Panel Two: It’s nice to see Nina’s characters in your style. I like how you drew earmuffs on Sis; when I saw them I thought that Sis was wearing them to muffle the noise of Nelly’s off-key whistling. XD I like the happy-faced flower and the pink worm in the corner. The sea of green grass fills the panel nicely. Panels Three, Four, Five, and Six: I like how these let the white space and the shape of the characters break up the panels. Very nice. Panel Seven: I love the Mootix’s expression here. The characters are very expressive throughout the comic, in fact. I like watching their faces change from panel to panel. Panels Eight and Nine: Very nice art, and the punchline is quite funny. Nelly’s baby talk in the eighth panel mimics his reaction to the Warf in Smelly Nelly. Overall: I enjoyed this comic quite a bit, but mostly because of how it’s linked to this week’s Smelly Nelly. You tell of the same event from different points of view, and they’re both funny! The comic flowed quite well. I am wondering now what’s going to happen to the three Mootix, though. After all, they’ve been scrubbed with a puff-inducing shampoo. In all, a lovely comic! Thank you so much Nut It's always so rewarding to get such thoroughly reviews like this one. The next part should appear in the issue right after newyear (I don't want to clutter up the space for people with newyear related comics ) |
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Very nicely made Spot 
Thanks, Leoness! ^__^
Ah, and I want to compliment you on the background colors. Those are notoriously hard to choose, and are often too saturated. You picked a good pair of wall/ground colors that only help to emphasize the cheery rainbow colors of your quiggle.
I shall think about that next time.
