![I’m flattered you enjoy them, Anon!
And I’d be honored to critique/review your webcomic! You can contact me about it on via the Askbox, or on SJ via PM. I also have no problem giving an informal/private critique if that is what you want. Simply tell me when you feel up to it.
Now as for my tastes…. [A shitton of text under the cut]
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In terms of comics I enjoy reading, well there’s a lot, kinda? I tend to have an odd slider on what I’ll forgive or overlook when it comes to enjoying things. Typically the more people involved in a work, the more I can overlook things that are simplified or tropey or Rule of Cool-ing along.
I tend to be harshest on webcomics because (unless specified as being sincerely mindless), authors have the most control over their work in terms of what they produce or what they can potentially fix. The author-audience/critic dynamic is present so problems can ideally be addressed/fixed while the comic is still going to produce a stronger story or something where the growth is evident (art/writing) as the comic goes on.
Not all webcomics strive for this and I understand that, but as a result I tend to be pickier or at least less tolerant if the author pretty much pulls a YOLO about their works, at least in the case of dramatic or long form comics. I tend not to attach much to gag-a-day webcomics simply because most of them are either gamers on the couch or memetic humor.
Some webcomics I enjoy: Whatever the hell’s on my SJ Fave List, Gunnerkrigg Court, FAMIB, Cucumber Quest, TJ and Amal, Lackadaisy, Boxer Hockey, Kagerou, The Meek, Unsounded, Inhuman, Monster Pulse, Ava’s Demon, All Night
In terms of actually published comics, I tend to enjoy/get my mitts on manga more simply because of the variety and how easily accessible it is (cough).
Some notable manga I’ve enjoyed are: Berserk, Eyeshield21, One-Punch Man, Assassination Classroom, Jing: King of Bandits + Twilight Tales, Qwan, Blame! (and most of the rest of those author’s works), Shaman King, Blue Dragon Ral Grad (IDK what that proper title is), Deadman Wonderland, Fullmetal Alchemist, Demon Diary (egads), Petshop of Horrors, Uzumaki (and other works by that author), Azumanga Daioh + Yotsuba&!
I also really enjoy ~VIDEOGAMES~ and actually base some parts of my writing and critique logic processes off of those as well.
Some notable games I’ve enjoyed [that I feel have good handles on some aspect of writing]: Most SMT/Atlus Games, the Ace Attorney Games (that I’ve played), Demon’s/Dark Souls, the FFs typically in Ivalice. Annnnd Umineko no Naku Koro Ni, that’s TOTALLY a video game, right? Right.
Anyway, back to comics, typically when I come across new ones, the art or premise has to catch my eye in some way- whichever I’m exposed to first (a pitch or a promo image). Sadly if something looks generic or really gimmicky, I’ll skip it.
As for keeping up with a comic, I only really note the art when it botches what it’s supposed to be being conveyed. In my opinion, art is easier to improve over time vs writing, since art can almost be seen for what it is “immediately” or at least as time goes on and the artist is looking back, but with writing, it takes far longer for scenarios/arcs to play out in full so the bad writing might not be apparent until much later and by then it’s already done!
That being said, what I ultimately look for in anything I read are interesting worlds and scenarios that arise from different circumstances and possibly different ethics/values of the characters in these different worlds
As a general rule, I tend to like comics where the worlds have rules that mean something and hopefully with a cast where the collective IQ rounds out to about average instead of frustratingly dumb (exception to comedy, and even that is a gamble).
TL;DR: I favor comics with good writing but good or bad-but-improving art is a plus!
Hope that answers your question Anon!
*The list is not thorough, I tend to make recommendations based on what I think the asker would like, the ones listed are things I’ve enjoyed- there are probably flaws in these works but this answer is not really intended for discussing those flaws or what specific reasons I like them, hope that makes sense, thanks for understanding!](http://24.media.tumblr.com/aacf458733a58d128af31257e3d2f8ef/tumblr_mluundWKNs1qewtx2o1_500.jpg)
I’m flattered you enjoy them, Anon!
And I’d be honored to critique/review your webcomic! You can contact me about it on via the Askbox, or on SJ via PM. I also have no problem giving an informal/private critique if that is what you want. Simply tell me when you feel up to it.
Now as for my tastes…. [A shitton of text under the cut]
I honestly don’t know how to respond to this aside from express my condolences that I alone managed to crush your webcomic hopes and dreams, as well as be a little confused as off the top of my head I do not recall reviewing any comics whose genres I had no interest in and even further, failed to provide any help in at least the art or technical categories of your comic (lettering, etc.).
Lastly, I will assume you are not this person:
(source: (x) scroll down to the disqus comments)
If you are, well, I’m glad this is cleared up, on the other, I don’t appreciate how my name was used as part of a fabrication to dislike a website and community and hope your next foray into SJ will go smoother. Or if you come to actually dislike SJ, it will be due to events/interactions that actually happened.
Thanks to anyone who had discussion or defended me in the comments, I really appreciate it. :)
I realized I forgot to share my “official” Fallacy/WhiteKnight Bingo card. This isn’t inspired by anything recent, this is just the bingo card I whip out whenever I have to read/reply to comments that tell me I’m incorrect but don’t really get around to clarifying why. I’m sure others could find use for this card.
Alternatively you can also use this card as a checklist for what not to say when want to reply to someone scrutinizing your favorite works.
(This was actually invented for when I was doing reviews and then it eventually got revised to include non-author reactions as I migrated more to commenting in a non-review format.
Fun fact about the bottom left one, it used to be “Blankd you can’t be a good judge of this since you draw something with homosexuals in it.”)
The content of this post is 100% true and is no way intended to be a humorous embellishment at all.
MYSTERY POLL TIME! Please pick up to 3 from this image-
Which do you think would be most interesting to see in action in a short/sketch comic?
A ~super secret~ side project I’m working on. Every Sunday for the month of February I’ll be posting up the design sketches/progress of this project. This project has no real name aside from FM_Overhaul, so we’ll just leave it at that!
If you have any comments, questions or feedback, feel free to share! Thanks for looking~
![Please full view, the image is freaking huge.
So here’s the finished product from the stream, my version of the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse (Left to Right: Death, Famine, War and Conquest), it’s also been haphazardly formatted into a wallpaper. I did Conquest instead of plague/pestilence as some of you are more used to. More of a concept/practice of coloring since I need it.
Here’s a bonus thing from the stream. Someone asked if War’s Lizard-Horse could fire lasers.
(I forgot what Gyrados’ colors were, oops.)
Anyway, below the cut are some art notes on stuff I did and why.
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Conquest is, funnily enough the least reinterpreted one. I went with a lady because why the fuck not. Garb is very loosely based loosely off medieval since honestly, when I think of crowns I think medieval (or at least the hollywood version of it). Conquest’s dress is vaguely referenced off of the first results for Guinevere. As for why a unicorn was picked, I sort of knew I was going to be doing weird things with everyone else’s horses, so why give her a plain-old horse?
Unicorns mean conquest if the prevalence of MLP is any indication. (I kid, I kid.) Anyway the other reason why is again associated with the medieval classy lady theme, I don’t see a unicorn in this context of ~pure maiden~, but a classy horse with a stabbing implement attached to its head.
War has a fairly typical design, just armor and an anime sword and channeling evil Abe Lincoln or Rider from Fate/Zero, maybe both. Most of his interpretation weight is thrown into his horse which looks like the most jolly/chubby hellspawn ever.
Most of the mass for the lizard-horse comes from how I figure would best show that ~War is heavy~. And because I have an anti-horse agenda, I made it more dragon/lizard looking as those are “typically” opposed in fantasy media. I figured since Conquest and War already have fairly opposing color schemes, why not their steeds as well?
Famine has fairly different interpretations for both rider and horse. I see Famine as being small and underfed but not yet to the point of dying. Famine’s clothing is based off of what I could find for squires. I gave him pants as a mercy because I don’t think squires’ pantyhose-looking things are enough (if I am wrong about that, apologies).
Famine’s horse is some kind of BIRD HORSE as you can see. I choose a bird as crows/ravens are commonly associated with scavenging and impending death and as such, reflected it crudely onto a horselike thing.
Finally, Death and her horse. Death herself is hardly intimidating in presence and I would even go so far as to say she looks harmless/”cute”. I figure that since Death is certain and relatively known, why should it be represented as a generic corpse or a cloaked figure? I also figure at that point of the Apocalypse, Death just arrives, shakes her head and then cleans up the rest of the living while handing out “You tried” stickers to the no-longer-survivors. Because really, Death is almost always victorious, I’d figure she’d be chill as hell.
In terms of her horse, I “pulled back” a little since there is a “green horse” in mythology (Kelpie), I didn’t follow it exactly and put a dash of ~seahorse~ in because puns are hilarious.
Anyway, thanks for reading!](http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v300/blankdeath/4horse.jpg)
Please full view, the image is freaking huge.
So here’s the finished product from the stream, my version of the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse (Left to Right: Death, Famine, War and Conquest), it’s also been haphazardly formatted into a wallpaper. I did Conquest instead of plague/pestilence as some of you are more used to. More of a concept/practice of coloring since I need it.
Here’s a bonus thing from the stream. Someone asked if War’s Lizard-Horse could fire lasers.
(I forgot what Gyrados’ colors were, oops.)
Anyway, below the cut are some art notes on stuff I did and why.
Sequel to the magical girl. Same half an hour. This sort of thing if fun for me to brainfart about. (You can see Adrienne here)
*Jeanne’s ability seems to be able to shoot the will out of people. People turned “Grey” seem to behave like victims to the Motivation Eaters or those who are missing their will-borne weapons. Namely those who turn grey seem to do Jeanne’s bidding, be it getting her food or causing havoc. People seem to be able to recover if certain circumstances are met, usually if the bullet is extracted or if enough time has passed.
*Unlike Fenor, Dajah doesn’t speak very much and is content floating lazily about. Jeanne sometimes punches him out of frustration but the damage doesn’t have any real lasting effect. (Like punching a slime-green marshmallow bunny)
*Jeanne rather likes assigning tasks she doesn’t like to other people. She’s a hard worker when it comes to the things she has obvious passion for. She views Adrienne in a friendly-foe fashion. She bears no real ill will to her but is fiercely competitive (and sometimes this competitive nature leads to ~violence~).
Friend asked me to make a magical girl, so I did. Completely randomized prompt, done in half an hour. ENJOY.
*Her magical power is to pull will-borne weapons from people to fight the “Motivation Eaters”. Will-borne weapons come from people, she has to be sure to return them to the person in question or else they’ll just amble around without purpose or much will of their own. If they break, something AWFUL happens! The weapon’s form, function and strength depends on the person in question.
*Adrienne is currently trying to figure out what food item she can feed Fenor so that he’ll stop talking. Peanut butter seems to work best. She doesn’t have the heart to tell him directly to be quiet.
*Adrienne likes to joke/brush things off, and runs genre-savvy jokes into the ground fairly early on. She’s terrible at art but she’s fine with that. She’s self-conscious of her image with strangers but not her friends- typical stuff. She takes the coffee fortune on the bottom of her cups very seriously.
Fastest way to get on a writer’s bad side
“this twist is so cool!! did you really plan this from the beginning?!!”
Yes, I planned it from the beginning - it’s the premise of my comic.
Not directed at theyoungdoyley specifically (consider this a luck of the draw on what shows up on my dash), but every writer should consider the slight possibility that they may not have dropped enough hints or foreshadowing for a respective twist or development in their story.
If a majority of your readers express surprise in a fashion you deem to be not ideal or as understanding your intent, you should reflect on your execution.
This applies as much to writing as it does to art. The author is more than welcome to of course be the judge of that (they are the ones that ultimately decide what should be changed/revised, if any), but often the creator of a work can be the their own worst critic or their most biased one.
Just like some artists can justify or make excuses for how their art may appear (style being a frequent topic), writers can do the same for how their plot or ideas come about.
For more information, consult resources dedicated to foreshadowing, pacing and delivery of writing. Know the rules so you can bend, break or revolutionize them.
Research, review and reflect when met with criticism (good or bad). Linger on an issue only so long as you intend to do something proactive about it (eg: change, revise, revisit, examine, etc.)
Remember, if you find yourself being met with this sort of reaction on a majority basis, step back, examine the situation and see what you can do about it and determine what has a more lasting impact, content you have full creative control over, or scolding individuals on an individual basis.
Also consider how you react as well, you may find yourself regretting your public reactions in the future, god knows it’s the Internet, and the Internet never forgets.
[Once again a reminder that this is not directed at theyoungdolyey specifically, this is merely what showed up on my dash.]
Questions, feedback, discussion? Go for it.
Alrighty here’s a sketchdump for some of the ideas for a “proper” Modern AU sketchcomic that will be coming TO YOUR INCENTIVES/BONUS ART SECTION soon!
Things you might be excited for: Mags can actually talk/isn’t emotionally crippled by depression or incumbered by stab wounds. Raz doesn’t have anywhere close to the same amount of baggage and dickish behavior as in the comic (or maybe that’s a bad thing???). I’m sure someone wants to know how he would behave as a functional member of society. And lastly, homoromo.
I figure I might toss some of the more homoromo inclined fans some cheesecake fanservice honest romance/relationship content for once and I need practice drawing romantic interaction and writing talking Mags.
Premise: HoboMags tells BartenderRaz he’s going to be killed and he wants to prevent this because it would be terrible if this stranger was killed. Wow, that sounds like a fucking trainwreck. Uh, tune in anyway?
Oh and don’t worry about spoilers, while some things kinda-sorta parallel proper dS it really veers off in others, primarily anything vaguely attached to the setting and its effect on all the characters. Another is because the sketchcomic is much, much shorter and even more focused on just Mags and Raz. An unofficial goal I have is to have all the characters properly cameo in this sketchcomic as well.
Also, some fakeshirt designs for the main trio since I just felt like doing some and I’m not making a separate post just for them.
Got any feedback or feelings on all this?
Whoooo the article that features these has been posted so that means I finally get to post these up! (You’ll probably have to view image to be able to read them.)
Anyway this was part of a collaboration and creative exercise that I had the great fortune of being able to participate in. You can read the article in full here as well as see the rest of the wonderful contributions made by other people and their takes!
The premise, if you’re curious:
“I gave all three of them the same excerpt from Haruki Murakami’s Hard-Boiled Wonderland and The End Of The World, and told them to have fun with it. That’s it.
A newcomer to ‘the End of the World’, a strange, isolated walled Town. The narrator is in the process of being accepted into the Town. The narrator is assigned quarters and a job as the current “Dreamreader”: a process intended to remove the traces of mind from the Town. He goes to the Library every evening where, assisted by the Librarian, he learns to read dreams from the skulls of unicorns.” -cheezhayama (be sure to check out her tumblr and her webomic, It’s a Dead Man’s Party)
Either way, hope you enjoyed it~
Request on how to draw them (sorta) and some other misc. notes. I guess it’s a quasi look into how I think about their forms? I could do the others that have appeared in comic, would you like to see em? (If so, which ones in particular?)
Characters are from my webcomic DeSTRESS.
