Saturday, May 23, 2009
Tuesday, May 12, 2009
Tin Man Sketch
I might actually like this one better. I think the next one may be the Wicked Witch... no idea if I'll even bother with the Cowardly Lion, but I wouldn't expect it.
Review: Zuda Roundup May 2009
Cubicles
Life gets dangerous in the far future. Wally is dealing with overbearing mangers, the boss’s daughter, and corporate takeovers. Besides all that there are galactic squids, genetic mutants, and space pirates.
Interesting premise with some entertaining characters, it kinda reminds me of Office Space in outer-space. I don't really feel like it belongs in the "big leagues" on Zuda.
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Flowing Wells
An Ice-Age, Zombies, Aliens, Monsters, The Plague, suburban sprawl…Nothing seems to fazes these folks from Flowing Wells anymore.
Every so often there comes along a webcomic that's just so fucking incredibly bad I wanna beat the shit out of a bus load of Nuns. Whoever gave this son-of-a-bitch a pencil and paper should be ashamed of themselves. "Oh this town is full of zombies, monsters, a plague... some aliens, and whatever the fuck "suburban sprawl" is... but who wants to see that shit when I can give you "DONALD THE FUCKING FREAK SHOVELING SNOW IN HIS GODDAMNED BOXERS FOR EIGHT PAGES?!'"
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Freak City
Carnival freaks, including a fat man with adjustable girth and a bearded lady whose hair needs more than just conditioner to be tamed, are oppressed by a fearful government.
That's one wacky fucking webcomic you've got there, Sir!
I thought this one was a little weird at first, then the fat-man started talking with a lisp and I busted out laughing. I'd love to sit down and read about 100 pages of this webcomic.
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Gone Zombie
A religious cult seeking spiritual communion with the undead ensnares a young mother and her son in its insanity. Her brother must elude militiamen, zombies and religious fanatics to save them.
I really liked the slightly twisted nature of this comic. There are a few really funny moments in it. The characters seem pretty cool too.
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Lily of the Valley
A love story for the over and under medicated, the disenchanted, the excessively violent and the soft-spoken. Welcome to a valley of emotional turbulence!
By far the most twisted comic of the month. The art is solid and the twist was a genuine surprise. If I say I liked this comic, does that make me a bad person?
Monday, May 11, 2009
Review: Sides (Zuda)
An exploration of a new frontier. Walter Grim and Love Morely wrestle with the natural dangers of this new world, while they discover its connection to their own world.
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I loved this story, but every time the hero of the story said anything it left me with the insatiable urge to grab him by the fucking neck and say "That's a little vague Spock!"
Sides features some of the best art in webcomics, period. The character designs are awesome. The deign of the lead character (Mr. Morely) alone was enough to make me like him in spite of his vague explanations (or lack there of)
The panel where he transitions from reality to whatever realm he ends up in (could you be a little more specific about that, Mr. Morely?) felt a little strange and out of place at first, but when you see the end result of the transition it doesn't bother you.
I also liked the costume design and use of colors in the alternate dimension or realm or whatever the hell it is. The change made sense and the choice of colors worked.
The story was good despite the fact you're left with a lot of questions about what's going on... ok maybe it's not as confusing as I make it out to be, but I do it out of love. It's a really good story.
Read More......
Sunday, May 10, 2009
Review: OPSEC (Zuda)
Violent protestors clash on the streets of Britain as the EU debates granting Turkey full membership. Join Tom Carter, deniable operator for MI5, on the trail of a terrorist attack.
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OPSEC is a darker version of James Bond/Jason Bourne. I love spy thrillers and this story doesn't disappoint.
This is another good example of how to do a Zuda entry right. Establish your characters, the situation and the get on with it. At this point, action helps a lot... and like I said, OPSEC doesn't disappoint.
I wanna start with the main character, Tom Carter. From the moment he's introduced we're given an ample amount of information about who he is and what he does. If I didn't like the character at this point, (which I did) the minute I saw him use stealth to subdue his target and subsequently bust into the next room, guns blazing, and take out the rest of his heathen enemies I was sold.
We don't really get a ton of details about the plot aside from the fact it's a spy story about an agent tracking down a terrorist cell. There's some side-story information thrown in early on in the story that helps set the mood for what's to come.
Despite not getting a ton of details, there is enough to build intrigue. You get a clear sense that the writer knows enough about what he's doing to give you an interesting story. I felt this way and I'm really hoping at this point that I'll get to see more of this comic.
The art is wonderful. It's realistic style meshes well with the darker, more realistic idea of what a secret agent really is (as opposed to what you might get from a James Bond movie)
The colorist does a fantastic job of selling this. In fact, it probably plays the biggest role in giving the art that realistic feel.
Overall, the dynamic action scenes and intelligent story-telling are presented here in what I can only call a phenomenal webcomic.
Saturday, May 9, 2009
Review: Clandestino (Zuda)
Clandestino has been haunted since birth, while guided by an old mysterious Gypsy legend. Will he become the next Gypsy King?
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This action-packed story about a sharp-shooting gypsy is pretty hit and miss.
Hit and miss is a constant unintentional theme running throughout the 8 pages. Weather it's the shoddy dialogue or the stylized art... it's there at every turn.
The gritty art looks great at a distance... but not as good up close. There are a few places where the anatomy looks like it takes too many creative choices for the sake of style only to fall flat. It's not so bad that you cringe and have to look away fast before your eyes bleed, but it does make the characters look unattractive for the most part.
There are a few places where it seems to fit perfectly. The design of the main villain is awesome. He kinda looks like Clint Eastwood with a samurai sword, which sounds fucking awesome right? Well it looks fucking awesome too.
On the other hand, there are some character designs that leave you underwhelmed. I can't say "hit and miss" enough about this comic.
What Clandestino does do right is get across it's point in just 8 pages. I've said a thousand times that a lot of Zuda entries don't explain enough in eight pages to let the reade know what the hell is going on and more importantly, what they can expect from the rest of the story.
Clandestino does a fantastic job of telling you pretty much everything you need to know about the story. You get the backstory in narration throughout the non-stop action for 8 pages and in the end you're left with a clear idea of where the story is gonna go while at the same time leaving you wondering how it'll turn out.
Friday, May 8, 2009
Review: Beertown B'hoys (Zuda)
Brooklyn, 1894. A group of waterfront throwaways rise through the ranks of the New York underworld lead by the man destined to become America’s first celebrity gangster.
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This is the first time I've ever seen a gangster webcomic that blended comedy, violence and character in such a well executed story.
There's a lot of over-the-top dialogue that's really funny. A store clerk being held up says "Sins of Moses!" and you can't help but laugh. The only negative is that in webcomic form - without the variations of tone and accent - the different supporting characters tend to lose their individual personalities. The two main characters, however, maintain clearly different personas. Enjoyable personas at that.
Beertown is drawn in a blocky cartoon style that's pretty damn unique. A lot of the caricatures are pretty much what you would expect for both an old school gangster story as well as the time period the story takes place in (1894) and the grayscale colors fit the story perfectly.
If you're looking for a fun, exciting old school gangster comic, look no further than Beertown. It has everything and then some.
Thursday, May 7, 2009
Review: Amber Hale, Supermodel (Zuda)
In the future, Amber Hale embodies fame and glamour. But, lurking behind the limelight, a sinister organization’s pursuit to save humanity may take her soul.
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While I wouldn't call Amber Hale a "super" model, I would call this a pretty good webcomic.
I'll start with the art, because that's what stood out the most about this comic to me. For the most part it's a pretty common art style... a cartoon, western manga or whatever the hell they call it, thats what it is. It's not a bad thing.
The character designs are pretty good, my favorite are the snake-eyes/clone-trooper looking guys (although a little generic) The design of Amber is good, but not my "cup of tea" I guess, while the character Kael was a complete failure to me. He looks kinda like a frontman for an 80s "hair band" and about as intimidating as one.
The story is a little difficult to understand given the lack of plot details. Kael is apparently running a secret operation doing experiments on pretty girls while the "clone army" guys are chasing them around trying to kill them.
I love that the story features a lot of action in the first eight pages, I just wish there were a few more clues to Kael's motivations or a hint as to why these guys in the tech suits are trying to kill them.
One thing about this comic that really struck me was the inverted word balloons. The bubbles are black with white letters. In most comics this would feel out of place but it seems to fit perfectly in this story.
Overall it's a "middle of the road" kind of comic that looks like a lot of fun as long as you're not expecting to read the greatest story ever written.
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