Issue 237 Reviews

[Tay - Sock Eater]

Wow, Sophie is popular this issue. Sadly, I don't have anything in this one. But that's alright. It gives me more time to give reviews, for I don't have to check if I have any of my own. I will start with NTWFer reviews, with Nikki's article.

ARRANGING A NEOPIAN EXPEDITION - lassie_nikki[/color]

This is an overall good idea. However, it bugged me that you did not mention Potato Counting while describing Meridell. You forgot the main attraction! I also think you should have started out with Mystery Island, and it seems more vacation-y, but that's just me.

I like how you described the Snowager and Kwark Island. Sadly, there seem to be so many descriptions of places that I already know so well. It bored me, a little, and I'm sorry to say this. Through the article, it seemed like it would never end because there was paragraph after paragraph. I know there are so many places in Neopia to over, so it's not your fault. ^^; You helped spice it up a lot with words like "jovial" and "bloodcurdling", both in the same sentence. However, it could be a lot better with some more humor. Of course, I'm glad this is not an article full of sour humor that goes all wrong - great job on that!

And, after I finish reading this, I realize you're forgetting something. What is that? Roo Island! Yes, another island. But I think this one is quite cute, and you could have talked a little about the merry-go-round and the villain, Count Von Roo, residing there. And how he is often sleeping...

All in all, this was an enjoyable article. I'd really love to see you branching out to short stories, though! With all of your wonderful descriptions, great vocabulary, and your knowledge of how to fit these dashing words perfectly together to form a moving sentence, I think you'd be great at writing a short story! Great article, Nikki.

Duckies are so cute. I have on in my sig, you see, thanks to Leoness..

[nikki]

This is an overall good idea. However, it bugged me that you did not mention Potato Counting while describing Meridell. You forgot the main attraction! I also think you should have started out with Mystery Island, and it seems more vacation-y, but that's just me.

I like how you described the Snowager and Kwark Island. Sadly, there seem to be so many descriptions of places that I already know so well. It bored me, a little, and I'm sorry to say this. Through the article, it seemed like it would never end because there was paragraph after paragraph. I know there are so many places in Neopia to over, so it's not your fault. ^^; You helped spice it up a lot with words like "jovial" and "bloodcurdling", both in the same sentence. However, it could be a lot better with some more humor. Of course, I'm glad this is not an article full of sour humor that goes all wrong - great job on that!

And, after I finish reading this, I realize you're forgetting something. What is that? Roo Island! Yes, another island. But I think this one is quite cute, and you could have talked a little about the merry-go-round and the villain, Count Von Roo, residing there. And how he is often sleeping...

All in all, this was an enjoyable article. I'd really love to see you branching out to short stories, though! With all of your wonderful descriptions, great vocabulary, and your knowledge of how to fit these dashing words perfectly together to form a moving sentence, I think you'd be great at writing a short story! Great article, Nikki.

Thanks a bunch for the review It was a bit long with all the back-to-back paragraphs, wasn't it? Speaking of writing short stories, a short story I wrote will be in Issue 238 so keep your eye out for that I'd love reviews for my first short story, Thanks again ^^ And how could I ever forget the potatoes?!

[the_darkjedi]

kaljinyu said:

Shoyru Squadron is back, and Dark Jedi wastes NO TIME picking up from the last chapter!

This Shoyru Squadron mission is my favorite of them all. I personally never looked at NeoQuest as a virtual RPG. I always thought of it as a tabletop, untill I came across this. My pets would definitely play NeoQuest for Mac/PC/WhatevertheNeopianequivalentforcompsare.

Also, introducing a new character too! I can't wait to see how this Robotaine guy turns out.

Thanks very much... glad you liked it! I dunno if it's a record of sorts, but there have been 142 issues of the Times between part 6 and part 7 (uhrm... my fault, completely. ! Fortunately, the next installments shouldn't be too far in the future... I've submitted parts 8 and 9, and am now working on part 10.

[Nina]

I would appreciate any reviews for my comic, Smelly Nelly ^_^. Haven't had one in in months =/. I'm happy to see Shoyru Squadron back! Oh, the excitement!

[Belle]

Comic Review[/u]

I don't usually review comics so this is going to be short. Ehm...anyway...

Smelly Nelly by i_hate_backstabbers

Well, it's about time, Nina! I loved it! Sorry but I'm a fan of your "Smelly Nelly" comics. I can't really give an unbiased opinion. XD I love your art style (the colours just pop and the expressions are priceless) and teh joke made me roffle. ^^

[Nut]

I’m enjoying this issue quite a bit. ^^ I’m going to take a break from reading the articles now and review comics. Yeep, there are a lot of NTWFer comics in this issue. More long reviews from me, then. ^^

Long Comic Reviews

[glow=blue,2,300]Notions and Nonsense: Bug Bite[/glow]
Hah, cute. ^^ Wow, I’m slow—it took me a couple of reads to get the joke, heh. As always, this comic series stays true to its groaner jokes. The art is really cute. QT is just so adorable! I love her expression in the first panel, just looking at the bug bite, hoping to attract Patjade’s attention. Having her eyes directed to it draws attention to it, and as Tashni said, the size of the bite is perfect. That little thought balloon is so cute—I have to grin at the oversized bug latching onto QT’s wing and her shocked expression. :3

The copy-and-paste doesn’t bother me so much with QT, because you change her expression, but I would’ve liked it if the drawing of Patjade had been changed a little more from panel to panel. In particular, I think her expression should have changed. In the last panel, she should meet QT’s gaze rather than having her eyes directed down. And technically, her thighs should be longer so that there’s some space between her waist and her knee. I don’t know if I would’ve added the exclamation point in the word balloon at the end, it kind of… directs attention to the joke, rather than letting the readers figure it out themselves and laugh.

Overall, this was a really cute comic. ^^ Very nice!

[glow=blue,2,300]All Ears[/glow]
Whoot, new All Ears! ^^ Loopy Lupe Convention, eh? Sounds like an interesting mini-series. The joke is classic. XD I find your simple style of art somewhat endearing. :3 I like your details in the background, with the closet full of hangers and the suitcase on the table. I really like the fact that you go to the trouble of adding background details like these even in a comic with such basic art. It adds to the comic’s charm. ^^

Let’s see. I thought it was a cute, nicely done comic in all. My only problem is Moeioe’s word balloon in the last panel. He’s off-panel, and the word balloon has a long tail straining to point to the right side of the panel. I think it would’ve been better to just put Moeioe in the picture. Maybe my real problem with this is that Max’s ears are pointed in the opposite direction of the word balloon, so it doesn’t look like he’s hearing Moeioe. I think I’d’ve been satisfied if his ears were flopped the other way.

In all, though, this is a really cute comic, and I can’t wait to see more. ^^

[glow=blue,2,300]And the Meepits Outgrabe[/glow]
Glee, I love your art! It’s so soft and cute and huggable! Did you copy a real wood pattern onto those cupboards? Whee, I especially love how you draw Kittylin. She’s just so adorable, with the cat ears and fuzzy tail. Her face is so sweet, and with such subtle expressions! And you have to love the adorable Baby Lupe. I like how he’s playing with the pineapple and Meepit toys in the first panel. It’s just so cute and childlike, and you have to wonder what game he’s playing with them. ^^

I love the dialogue. “Somefin broke… and I didn’t do it…” So adorable! It sounds like just the thought that would pop into a child’s head. Evil jelly bean… *grin* I was kind of surprised to see a maniacally giggling jellybean dressed in a devil outfit sitting on the counter, as if I’d expected that the jelly bean was part of Miles’s game of pretend, but I was surprised in a way that made me laugh at the pure absurdity of it. I do think the second word balloon in panel two (“Look what you did! Mom really liked that cookie jar…!”) should have been closer to Miles. At first, I thought his sister was talking from offscreen, and then I thought the cupboard or the cookie jar was somehow talking. Oh, and in the last panel, “bare” should be “bear”. Not a huge error, but still something that we grammar fiends love to pounce on.

In all, a really adorable comic! I love it! ^^

[glow=blue,2,300]Dragona’s Socks[/glow]
Aw, wow, heh. XD I don’t quite get the “Normal Kadoaties eat…?” line (it seems to be highlighting the queerness of the three Kadoaties’ food choices, but the first Kadoatie has a pretty “normal” choice in my opinion), but the three Kadoaties alone are enough to make this comic funny. I find it amusing just to see them compared, beginning with the ordinary Organic Red Apple, moving on to the slightly strange Moldy Potato, and ending with the downright odd, yet ironic, Magic Smelly Socks. XD Dragona’s Socks indeed. The irony is funny.

The art is really cute. This is the first example I’ve seen of your computer art, and I like it. ^^ My favorite is the last green Kadoatie; I like her pose. ^^ This is such a simple comic, and the humor is subtle, but good. You did a very nice job with this. ^^

[glow=blue,2,300]Tomb’d[/glow]
Cheers for NTWF references! *grin* I don’t know if you did that with the title on purpose, but it’s great nevertheless. The art is good—I particularly like how the Shoyru is drawn, especially in the second panel. ^^ Very nice back view of the pets in the first panel, too. And that Ghost Hissi looks pretty terrifying. XD Poor explorers—I’d never really thought about that aspect of the tomb. You always go in the same way, and yet you always manage to find something different… Must be why nobody’s tried to map it. Very funny, and the expressions in the last panel are great, especially the Shoyru! XD

I think the panels got a little crowded at the end. The first time I read through it, I missed the little “click” panel and went right from the word balloon at the bottom of the panel above (“Can’t be”) to the word balloon at the top of the last panel (“This way, hey?!?”). But that could just be me reading the comic in a weird way—lately I’ve been reading certain comics right-to-left for some reason. I would’ve liked to see more of the Ghost Hissi, rather than having most of him blocked up by word balloons and the Zafara, so that I could get the full effect of his spiffily drawn monster-ness. Oh, and you typoed “mysteries” as “myseteries” in the afternote! Gah, you incite the wrath of us grammar fiends!

Overall, though, this was a really nice comic. Hah, and the repetition of the word “way” is funny. Very good. ^^

[glow=blue,2,300]Komik Releef: Juicy Mix-Up[/glow]
Ai, that poor Slorg! XD I really like how you draw the Slorg. I especially love his pose and expression in the last panel! Oh, that poor, poor Slorg! XD That expression alone makes the comic funny! I love the first two panels—especially the second one! The Slorg’s expression is just great, and the patterned background accentuates it. XD Oh, and I spotted the Secret Rulebook on the third read! Glee! I like the little details in the last panel, with the flower on the bookcase and everything. So cute! The Krawk is nicely drawn too, especially in panels two and three.

The grammar fiends settle in again on panel three, however. The Krawk’s dialogue, “I didn’t mean to Nokura, honest!” does not make sense. I’m not sure what you were getting at with that, but I assume it’s something like “I wasn’t mean to Nokura” or “I didn’t mean to [do anything] to Nokura”. Also, I don’t think the “trying to run” bit in the last panel was necessary. As a general rule, avoid writing explanations of things that should be visible in the art. You do such a terrific job of showing the Slorg striving to escape from the cup o’ slime, the reader needs no help knowing what’s going on. ^^

Overall, a very good comic! I liked it. ^^ And that Slorg… *stares at last panel and shakes head, laughing* XD

[glow=blue,2,300]Smelly Nelly[/glow]
Hooray! Another Smelly Nelly! ^^ It’s great to see you in the Times again. ^_^ I love your art. Those cheerful bobbing waves out on the ocean are just so cute, and the colors of the sun and sky are soft and pleasant—a beautiful sunset indeed! And that little sandcastle with its waving red flag… so cute and clean. ^^ I like the Wocky’s little beach shorts and the Shoyru’s cap—their expressions in the second panel are great, as the Shoyru frantically tries to attract Nelly’s attention. But, too late. I love his completely oblivious expression in the next panel as we see the sandcastle getting crushed under his feet. And, he never realizes what he’s done—only we see the beachgoers’ horrified reaction after he’s gone. Their expressions are terrific. XD You have to feel sorry for them.

The last panel was a real surprise to me. I had expected Nelly to come back and notice the ruined sandcastle or something, but that scene of all the frantic Mootix running haphazardly around the crumbling crannies of sand was completely unexpected. The expression of utter panic on the one on the left is just priceless. XD Artwise, that last shot is my favorite panel in the comic. That one Mootix is just too great. And I like the view of the inside of the sandcastle—the hole in the far wall with the sky showing through is a lovely touch. :3 The ending leaves you with kind of mixed feelings—it’s funny, but it also makes you feel a little sorry for the poor Mootix. XD A terrific comic! ^^

[glow=blue,2,300]The Shoyru Squadron: Agents of Faerie[/glow]
Gasp! The legendary Shoyru Squadron is back! I wasn’t around when your comics debuted, but I’ve heard plenty of good about your work. The art in this comic is great. I love the comic book-style format. It fits with the type of comic this is. The text can get kind of small, especially in the opening scroll, but nothing too terrible—and I know that’s the width limit’s fault. This comic doesn’t really have a joke; it’s more of an adventure comic than a funny one. I really enjoyed it just for that reason, as you don’t see many of those comics these days, and it seems you have to be good to get one in—which you certainly are!

I like the shading on your characters. The Brown Shoyru’s casual shrug as he fires the “zasp”ing laser is great, and I like the Starry Shoyru’s expression in the second panel. My one complaint about the art would be in the second-to-last panel, where Fyora’s eyes are directed down—I think she should be looking at the Shoyru that’s speaking to her. Still, though, this is a great comic, and I’m eager to see the next installment! ^^

[glow=blue,2,300]Powered by Coltzan[/glow]
Oh, wow, I’m really slow today. It took me a couple of reads to get the joke. It didn’t take me any length of time to figure out that the art was great, though. ^^ Your use of perspective is terrific here. I love the second panel, where Shad is looking up at that great stone monument and the birds are flying above. Somehow, those birds added a lot for me. Those glowing blue paws were fun to see, and the shot of him with his mouth open was great—the perfect yell of triumph. The next panel, with the reader looking up at Shad, is terrific. It really emphasizes Shad’s moment of power. ^^ I love it! I like how Coltzan is calmly leaning out of the shrine, too. He looks so casual after all the dramatic angles of the other panels. It’s great!

The joke was really funny once I did get it—especially the punchline in the final panel. As I said, it’s so casual compared to the drama of the rest of the comic, and that in itself is funny. ^^ I think what confused me about the joke is Saura’s “Ever think of cutting down on comics?” in the fifth panel. I thought at first that he meant to cut down on the number of Shad and Saura comics he participated in. Even so, the art alone makes this a great comic. ^^ I love it!

Short Comic Reviews

Short reviews of non-NTWFer comics coming up. If you’re on this list and you’re an NTWFer that I didn’t know about, please ask and I’ll write a long review for you. I just don’t want to write a long one if I don’t think you’re going to read it. n:P These short ones are mainly for my own entertainment, as before.

Edna the Witch Crossover
Ooh, crossovers are always fun. I love Dragonite’s artwork. ^^ It’s so smooth and cute. I love the scene where the laughter is rocking the tower—great angle! And the last panel has to be my favorite. XD I love the background, and Edna’s tranquil expression. Her apron is great. Did she order that custom made for herself, I wonder?

Kawaii – Happy Birthday!
Aw, what a nice birthday present. ^^ Well, in spite of the ending and all. XD I thought the sound was a little loud, but the voice acting was quite good. The Aisha really sounded like she was in a total panic, and the other pet sounded perfectly calm. I liked the expressions, as well. ^^

Evil Feepit
Oh, wow! XD Poor Gelert! I like the art, especially in the first panel. I love the Gelert’s expression in the last panel, with his ears drooping and his meek final comment. XD The laughing Feepit is great too.

Poor Hugith
Um, wow. XD The Tuskaninny’s final comment is great. Made me think of a Skeith, actually.

Annoying – Why Hissis are Bad Pets for Newbies
o_0 XD Wow. That’s… um… yikes. XD The poor guy. XDD I love the Hissi’s delighted expression as he goes off. XD He doesn’t even seem to mind how his skin is stretching into that weird shape. XD The grammar fiends have to get at this comic, though, for writing “Anoying” in the pic. *shakes head*

Pnuts
Wow, that makes sense. Nice theory. XD Those pets should get something better to do with their lives than staking out the shrine day in and day out. I like the Korbat’s expression in the last panel.

Petpet Fuss
That’s a really big Breebly. o_0 Cute idea, and the monochrome panel was interesting. Slorg slime has so many uses. XD

Random Storys – Do not play with fire
Hah, the poor Meepit. I love that expression. XD The Chia looks kind of… happy, though. o_0 And it’s “stories”, not “storys”. The grammar fiends are cringing.

Spaz Much?
Meepits! *hugs them* How can you think they’re evil? Aw, the pink adorableness is overwhelming! ^^ I like the art, particularly the staff members. I think it’s the first time I’ve seen Adam drawn in a non-cartoony style. Very nice.

Being Razul
Serves him right, the big fiery bully! The Shoyru is really cute; I particularly like her expression in the last panel. ^^ She doesn’t even think about it, just throws a bucket of water at him like it’s the logical thing to do. And indeed, it is! XD

Slinky Says
Boy, am I slow today. I won’t say how many reads it took me before I figured out that those black things were fleas. I thought he was shaking pepper on the tent or something. It wasn’t until I noticed the “Circus” preview text that I figured it out. What’s he doing with a bottle of fleas, anyway? I like the art, particularly the poor itchy Petpet in the last panel. XD

C’est La Vie
XD This is the best Sketch joke I’ve seen in the Times so far. That poor Blumaroo with all the doodles all over him just makes me grin. I could’ve done without the author’s note, but still. XD

Demon 0
That would be kind of spooky. What is the dark shape near the Invisible pet, though? A shadow? Huh. I wonder how TNT knew that it’s an Invisible Kacheek… *eyes pic*

Curtain Call
Uh? The artist seems to have put a lot of work into this, but I don’t get it. I wish I did.

The Gallion Ranch
I like the art. Clean, bright colors. ^^ The sky is nicely done, too, and I like the ferris wheel in the background. The joke is cute, too. Heh.
I know this comic was on the list, but I’m not sure that the author actually comes to this forum much. I’ve never seen him on a review thread, and for that reason, I’m not going to do a long review unless he asks. (So ask away! ^^)

Petpet Tales
Aw, cute Slorg. ^^ Petpet behavior is so amusing. I like how the Wocky’s expressions progress. ^^ The dialogue in quotes bothers me, though. I didn’t mind it a lot in the first few panels, because the dialogue does get quoted when you talk to a Petpet, but there’s no need for it in the last one.

Starry, Starry Sight
Haha! XD The scary thing is that I can imagine myself or someone else actually doing this. o_0 In a joking way, of course. I thought this comic was funny, but… *inner grammar fiend rises again* It’s “doing well”, not “doing good”!

Grey Story
Wow, that’s a lot of panels. Really cute pantomime comic! I love the expressions; they’re just so cute! Love the Grey Faerie’s face in the first and last panels. XD Funny idea, too, although the pink thing doesn’t look like an umbrella. I thought it was cotton candy at first. It seems to grow after the Grey Faerie takes it. o_0

NeoRiddles
Oh! Groaner puns ahoy! I like the art here, though I wish the lineart on the Grundos was different for each.

Day Old Phish Theater Presents: The Question
Whoa, the art here is something different. Those Neopet sprites are cute, though the photo background kind of detracts attention from them. Is that a forest of asparagus? XD The Brain Tree’s brain creeps me out. o_0

Lab Ray…?
The art here is great! The expressions are really good, and it all has this kind of TV-cartoon feel to it. ^^

Flapdoodle
Roffle! XDD Flapdoodle is now officially one of my favorite comics. The art is really good, and I love the punchline. Terrific. XD

Hagan’s Heroics
XD Hah, I love that letter at the end. “We wish you luck”. It’s great. XD Hagan looks cute, too. I just wish that the animation had a play button, especially since there’s all that text at the top to read first.

[Tashni]

Thanks for the long and honest review, Nut! Allow me to explain the phrase "I didn't mean to Nokura, honest!" Nokura is the Shoyru. (He is facing her.) What he means is "I didn't intend for the Slorg to get like that." This was SUPPOSED to be indicated by the Shoyru saying, "Look what you did!" BEFORE the Krawk's speech. Make sense? Sorry if it didn't.

[Nut]

tashni said:

Thanks for the long and honest review, Nut! Allow me to explain the phrase "I didn't mean to Nokura, honest!" Nokura is the Shoyru. (He is facing her.) What he means is "I didn't intend for the Slorg to get like that." This was SUPPOSED to be indicated by the Shoyru saying, "Look what you did!" BEFORE the Krawk's speech. Make sense? Sorry if it didn't.

Ohh, it makes sense now! ^^; Sorry, I never thought of reading it that way. I would have if it had a comma between "to" and "Nokura", though, so it would read "I didn't mean to, Nokura, honest!" Without that comma, Nokura is the subject of "to", rather than being addressed.
Thanks for clearing that up, anyhow. ^^

[Tashni]

Shoyru Squadron by the_darkjedi - Wow! It's BAAAACK! I didn't read them when they originally came out, but I've read all of "Shoyru Squadron." It's fantastic that you're back! All of your artwork is amazing. You use all sorts of views and poses; you never hold back for lack of skill! Amazing. I'm really exited to see how this series unfolds, because so far it seems like your most creative yet!

Smelly Nelly by i_hate_backstabbers - Aw, those poor Mootix! They're really cute. All of your facial expressions are very nice.

[fipples~]

star said:

Two brief short story reviews:

Hopeless by fip
This was a nice story. I suspected it'd be Fyora, but that may be because I recently submitted a story similar to this. I was expecting the ending but I was still surprised how abruptly it ended! But it was still good.

Thanks for the review! And yeah, the end was a bit abrupt; when I started the idea of the story I was thinking only of the ending and the general idea (there was a young, hopeless, "failure" faerie who ends up being someone successful - I guess I just got the idea from stories of famous people who started out as young and not really good at anything. Too many Chicken Soup for the Soul books. ) so it came a bit too fast.

tashni said:

Hopeless by fip - You gave me a great sense of being trapped, and a guilty loathing of Feona. The only real problem is that you seemed to rush through it. I would have liked more of the Sweet Six, her math test, even Feona herself. And it would have been GREAT to actually see WHY she became faerie queen. As it is, it's just very rushed, and I wanted to see so much more because this was a really good piece!

Thank you for the review! I agree with the rushed part, it really was a bit rushed... I would have made it a series, but that would have been both hard (I've only written a series once in my life, and it was a 3 part one ), especially for me, and it would be really hard for me to hide the fact that the faerie is really Fyora for a long time without giving out too many hints. I mean, even the purple one was too big of a hint IMO.

[Lex Luthor]

tashni said:

Fast Food by undeadfortune - I LOVE THIS! Anyone who's ever had a job should read this. Or anyone who's planning on getting a job, for that matter. From the crazy rush hour to the customer who can't make up his mind, all of this is TOTALLY TRUE! The Techo who wanted his eaten shakes replaced was awesome. (Dude, I could tell you stories I doubt even you would believe. I've worked retail for about five years, and I HATE CHRISTMAS! There, I said it. [/rant]) Kim is SOOO funny. I've worked with girls like her. (Ooh! Story time for me! Completely true story here. I worked with a girl once. We were talking, and this girl who was born and raised and educated in California, and was in college, did NOT know that California was once a part of Mexico. She COULD NOT believe it. Then she was asked, "Haven't you ever noticed that all the cities around here have spanish names?" Then it all made sense to her. Did I mention she was studying to be a lawyer?) Anyway, back to your lovely story. It's zainy, the characters are all great! They're very well done stereotypes of the first job field. Mark is funny! (Why are all managers named Mark, or am I the only one to notice that?)

Aw, what a sweet ending! I like that it's open, and yet fulfilling at the same time. That is my absolute favorite kind of ending. DO A SEQUEL!!!

Haha, I'm actually working in retail now, working at a Men's clothing store, so if I build up enough material to write about, I may try another piece with that in mind. I think you're right that everyone should get some kind of idea of that the worse case job can be, and know how much better they have it with whatever they work in.

[the_darkjedi]

nut said:

[glow=blue,2,300]The Shoyru Squadron: Agents of Faerie[/glow]
Gasp! The legendary Shoyru Squadron is back! I wasn’t around when your comics debuted, but I’ve heard plenty of good about your work. The art in this comic is great. I love the comic book-style format. It fits with the type of comic this is. The text can get kind of small, especially in the opening scroll, but nothing too terrible—and I know that’s the width limit’s fault. This comic doesn’t really have a joke; it’s more of an adventure comic than a funny one. I really enjoyed it just for that reason, as you don’t see many of those comics these days, and it seems you have to be good to get one in—which you certainly are!

I like the shading on your characters. The Brown Shoyru’s casual shrug as he fires the “zasp”ing laser is great, and I like the Starry Shoyru’s expression in the second panel. My one complaint about the art would be in the second-to-last panel, where Fyora’s eyes are directed down—I think she should be looking at the Shoyru that’s speaking to her. Still, though, this is a great comic, and I’m eager to see the next installment! ^^.

tashni said:

Shoyru Squadron by the_darkjedi - Wow! It's BAAAACK! I didn't read them when they originally came out, but I've read all of "Shoyru Squadron." It's fantastic that you're back! All of your artwork is amazing. You use all sorts of views and poses; you never hold back for lack of skill! Amazing. I'm really exited to see how this series unfolds, because so far it seems like your most creative yet!

Thanks for the reviews, guys! I'm glad to be back, and I hope all of you enjoy the next installments as much as I enjoy making them! I can honestly say that taking a short hiatus has definitely helped me improve art-wise, although maybe 2+ years may have been a bit too long...

[Patjade]

I'm glad to see you back. Perhaps your return will inspire some of the other retirees to get out of their rocking chairs, take up quill and brush, and start submitting again.

[Huntress]

As the next issue is done already, I have a feeling that it'll be released on Friday/early Saturday in my case as usually. So I'll just get my reviews done as soon as possible. Or I'll be stuck with promises-promises-promises again >.> And I shall start with comics again. So many this week.... @_@ (And Nut pwns for her indepth reviews :3 *hands you a weewoo-shaped cookie*)

Notions and Nonsense: Bug Bite: hehe, cute =3 The art is really good for Paint and I like the expressions. That exclamation mark in the last panel was kinda redundant though. The comic would've worked out just fine without it.
All Ears: what Tashni said. The species of the other neopets was hard to get. I caught myself pondering that while reading the comic. I like how the comic flows though, with the Lupe going from the closet to the suitcase and back again. And the joke is good ^^
And the Meepits Outgrabe: mh, I don't think I've seen Kittylin post for more than a few times in the NTWF but the comic is good enough to deserve a review :3 The art rocks. *prods the wooden texture of the cupboard* The joke aswell. What did bother me was that both handwritten and computer-typed text. I usually just make the font smaller when it comes to less important speech bubbles.
Dragona's Socks: hehehe x3 We all know that kads have a weird taste, ne? *glares at all the draik eggs* What I didn't get were the crooked lines on the kadoaties. Was it to show that their stomachs were rumbling? *confuzzled blink* Don't think they were really necessary. But the art itself is very good *nodnod*
Tomb'd: the art be awesome. Yus. *firm nod* And the expressions are just precious. Though it would've been nice if the panels had been separated a bit more clearly. And the text is hard to read in the first panels. Too... cramped >.> Maybe I'm just too used to making my speech bubbles on Paintshop... go figure...
The Gallion Ranch: hehe, I like the joke ^^ And the art is good. Nice shading *is obsessed with shading*
Komik Releef: Juicy Mix-up: whoa, nice art. Many details ^___^ And izzat the Secret Rulebook? *prods it* The joke is great too, though that "trying to run" note feels a bit redundant (like most explanatory comic notes, infact). And I understand that the comic would've been hard to understand without it. *headscratch* I probably would've drawn the Slorg huddling on the edge of the table staring at the cup. Still, great work ^^
Smelly Nelly: whoot, another Smelly Nelly :3 These are so rare these days *grim nod* I love the art, those thick smooth lines really make this comic unique. And there are so many details ^^ Not to mention the expressions... Though Nelly's whistling in that second panel was kinda... exaggerated. Methinks that it would've been just as good without those black and white wind lines. Maybe it's just me.
Shoyru Squadron: Agents of Faerie: whoa, now here's something from long before my time. Yesterday I spent half an hour reading all those previous Shoyru Squadron comics and gotta say that I love them. You don't see those comic book series-type comics that often these days. No wonder too, they obviously take a lot of work. The art alone is just amazing... I do hope that there'll be a next comic of the series soon.

Tomorrow is the day when I'll have to sit down and start studying for my highschool English final, so I'll do 'em story reviews while I'm at that. The more practise, the better. And *pokes all potential Shad and Saura: The Old Neolodge readers* I'd love to get all the feedback on all the mistakes you can find. This is pretty much my last chance before the exam to improve.

[Tdyans at work]

All Ears by tdyans - Hah, cute joke. Classic Lupe stuff, there. The only thing I'm not crazy about is the "all ears" art, but I suppose that IS the name of your comic. The biggest problem here is that it takes a while to figure out the species of your characters, which is obviously important to the joke of this comic. I know the one on the right is a Lupe, but is the one on the left a Moehog or an Ogrin?

I guess to some extent I rely on people knowing the characters already, which given how infrequently I get comics in, I probably shouldn't do. On the other hand, I don't know that Moeioe's species (which his name does hint at, at least) really *is* that important to the joke. A wolf could just as easily eat a goat as a pig, right? (And yes, I've just hypocritically committed one of my own pet peeves-- comparing Neopets to real world animals).

All Ears: what Tashni said. The species of the other neopets was hard to get. I caught myself pondering that while reading the comic. I like how the comic flows though, with the Lupe going from the closet to the suitcase and back again. And the joke is good ^^

I'm glad to hear Max's movement back and forth worked for you. On the species issue again, if there was no such thing as an Ogrin, would you still have confusion? TNT's lack of originality in giving the Ogrin a moehawk seems to have hurt me, and of course, Ogrin didn't exist when I started making comics. On the other hand, there is a reason that I spend more time on Max and Achi in these comics than Moeioe and Rooruon-- they're easier to draw and to recognize.

All Ears
Whoot, new All Ears! ^^ Loopy Lupe Convention, eh? Sounds like an interesting mini-series. The joke is classic. XD I find your simple style of art somewhat endearing. :3 I like your details in the background, with the closet full of hangers and the suitcase on the table. I really like the fact that you go to the trouble of adding background details like these even in a comic with such basic art. It adds to the comic’s charm. ^^

Let’s see. I thought it was a cute, nicely done comic in all. My only problem is Moeioe’s word balloon in the last panel. He’s off-panel, and the word balloon has a long tail straining to point to the right side of the panel. I think it would’ve been better to just put Moeioe in the picture. Maybe my real problem with this is that Max’s ears are pointed in the opposite direction of the word balloon, so it doesn’t look like he’s hearing Moeioe. I think I’d’ve been satisfied if his ears were flopped the other way.

In all, though, this is a really cute comic, and I can’t wait to see more. ^^

Thanks, Nut. The second in the series was sent in on Tuesday, so we'll see what happens. As for that last panel, I know what you mean and it bothered me a little bit too, but for whatever reason that's how I saw it happening, so that's what I went with, knowing it would probably prove problematic. As for Max not facing Moeioe, it just felt like one of those comments that you toss over your shoulder as you're walking away, maybe not even meant to be heard by the other person, if that makes any sense. Suffice it to say, that was done on purpose because of how I pictured the interaction in my head, but again, I feared it would be problematic, especially given the "all ears" format where there's nothing else to give any clues as to what's going on.


I've got more such challenges ahead of me as I continue with this mini-series, so hopefully all of your comments will help me to meet them better than I would have. Thank you all.