Webcomic Above You 2012 - Discussion Thread

[RobboAKAscooby]

Okay this is the place for any feedback, questions, rebuttals or just general discussion of the W.A.Y. 2012

For those who are participating for their first time I'd like to offer this advice - if your first review is "bad", post again to get a second opinion.

And now I'm posting the actual W.A.Y. thread *gulp*...

[robotthepirate]

My first reaction was: "Oh no he didn't!" Not entirely sure why.

But I don't want to review or be reviewed just yet.

[VeryCuddlyCornpone]

I'm gonna participate, but I need to do a few things first. I intended to be prepared for this

Lol, I feel like this thread is gonna fill up with people going "I WANT TO BUT I'M NOT YET READY" before there's even a single response in the other thread.

[RobboAKAscooby]

Lol, I feel like this thread is gonna fill up with people going "I WANT TO BUT I'M NOT YET READY" before there's even a single response in the other thread.

That's fine by me, postpones my misery as well ....

[LibertyCabbage]

Cool! I've been looking forward to it. I'll wait for someone else to get Flying Tigers, though, for obvious reasons.

I've owed McDuffies a review of LWK for at least five years, so I think it's fair to call dibs on his first post (assuming he's participating, anyways).

4) Have an archive for us to read, please. If you've got three comics and a title page, guess what? IT'S NOT LONG ENOUGH! Shoot for 25 or so pages, the longer the better. Note that if you only have one active comic, and you post here, it may be reviewed by default. If you have multiple comics please specify which you want reviewed.

I assume this rule's to discourage people from reviewing older projects, but since I have several old webcomics, I figured I'd let the reviewer pick which one they wanna review.

Also, if anyone's confused about it, I obviously don't intend for Red Slime to get reviewed. It's not even my own writing and artwork, although I should get around to actually explaining that on the site...

NO REVENGE REVIEWING - If you don't like the review you get that's what the discussion thread is for, don't give a bad review back.

I actually don't mind at all if someone who I gave a negative review to wants to review one of my comics. Who knows, it might even be cathartic for them.

But I don't want to review or be reviewed just yet.

That's understandable, but just don't be scared off by the mean, nasty reviews I've been doing. Everyone else's reviews tend to be about 400% nicer than mine.

[RobboAKAscooby]

4) Have an archive for us to read, please. If you've got three comics and a title page, guess what? IT'S NOT LONG ENOUGH! Shoot for 25 or so pages, the longer the better. Note that if you only have one active comic, and you post here, it may be reviewed by default. If you have multiple comics please specify which you want reviewed.

I assume this rule's to discourage people from reviewing older projects, but since I have several old webcomics, I figured I'd let the reviewer pick which one they wanna review.

More for if you have a comic you've abandoned or it's a work-in-progress, that kind of thing. Or if you want feedback on only a particular comic.

NO REVENGE REVIEWING - If you don't like the review you get that's what the discussion thread is for, don't give a bad review back.

I actually don't mind at all if someone who I gave a negative review to wants to review one of my comics. Who knows, it might even be cathartic for them.

Personally I see it as a waste - someone else who actually wants to do the review misses out - but I guess it opens them up for that second opinion I suggested.

But I don't want to review or be reviewed just yet.

That's understandable, but just don't be scared off by the mean, nasty reviews I've been doing. Everyone else's reviews tend to be about 400% nicer than mine.

Maybe...hehehe...

[LibertyCabbage]

More for if you have a comic you've abandoned or it's a work-in-progress, that kind of thing. Or if you want feedback on only a particular comic.

'K, that's what I thought.

Personally I see it as a waste - someone else who actually wants to do the review misses out - but I guess it opens them up for that second opinion I suggested.

I didn't really mean it like that. I just meant that people shouldn't feel deterred from reviewing my webcomics out of a fear of being perceived as spiteful or revenge-driven.

But I don't want to review or be reviewed just yet.

That's understandable, but just don't be scared off by the mean, nasty reviews I've been doing. Everyone else's reviews tend to be about 400% nicer than mine.

Maybe...hehehe...

Uh oh...

Run away! Run away! Run away!

[McDuffies]

I've owed McDuffies a review of LWK for at least five years, so I think it's fair to call dibs on his first post (assuming he's participating, anyways).

I'm not sure I will, lwk hasn't updated in years and my new comic still has like four pages.

[VeryCuddlyCornpone]

NO MCDFUFIES YOU HAVE TO PLAY WITH US

[LibertyCabbage]

I'm not sure I will, lwk hasn't updated in years and my new comic still has like four pages.

I guess we'll just have to all review Grumpy, then. Everyone gets to make socioeconomic commentary on the death of newspaper comics!

Nah, I'll just review LWK whenever. I'm kinda in the same boat with the "hasn't updated in years" thing, but I feel like it'd be sort of hypocritical if I dodged the review thread when I'm reviewing other people's comics all the time. But still, it'll be kinda random if someone writes "Freedom Fries has bad art" when I didn't really even start focusing on learning anatomy till around, like, 2008. Possibly more relevant are my scripts and short stories from 2008-2009, or even my jam comics from around then, but I doubt anyone wants to review those, or that they're even on-topic.

I dunno, it's weird.

edit: One idea would be to PM people full issues of Red Slime to review, since I have all 11 issues done already. Would that make any sense? It would be other people's short comics is the thing, but that might be kinda different to review and read about.

edit2: Although, I don't think Deep's ever actually gotten reviewed by anybody, so it might be kinda fun to try that and see what happens. Also, I searched the forums just to double-check, and I accidentally found this cute quote: "I enjoy reviewing comics but I'm too modest to start my own review site." - me, August 2007

[McDuffies]

I went to reread grumpy the other day and I was surprised by how many comics there are... I thought I'd run it for something like a month but I couldn't read it all in one sitting.

[VeryCuddlyCornpone]

NOTE TO ALL NOOBS, REGULARS, AND RETURNING OLDBIES

you should paritcipate in the thread

let's get this shit on tha road

[RobboAKAscooby]

NOTE TO ALL NOOBS, REGULARS, AND RETURNING OLDBIES

you should paritcipate in the thread

let's get this shit on tha road

(sometimes we reallly need a "like" function on here)

[robotthepirate]

But I don't want to review or be reviewed just yet.

That's understandable, but just don't be scared off by the mean, nasty reviews I've been doing. Everyone else's reviews tend to be about 400% nicer than mine.

It occurs to me that we should all scramble to review your comic LC, that's the only way we can be sure you wont be the one reviewing our work. :S

[RobboAKAscooby]

But I don't want to review or be reviewed just yet.

That's understandable, but just don't be scared off by the mean, nasty reviews I've been doing. Everyone else's reviews tend to be about 400% nicer than mine.

It occurs to me that we should all scramble to review your comic LC, that's the only way we can be sure you wont be the one reviewing our work. :S

Oh but you can submit and review as much as you like

And thanks for getting the ball rolling....hope ya don't regret it too much

[robotthepirate]

Oh but you can submit and review as much as you like

And thanks for getting the ball rolling....hope ya don't regret it too much

I know, but he's less likely to review straight after being reviewed..

And I'm done, so I hope you don't regret me starting the ball rolling.

[RobboAKAscooby]

Thanks for the review Robot, pretty good for a first review.

Just a few comments/questions:

Starting out reviewing Flying Tigers by Rob O'Brien, not Harli Dust as the banner might imply. I don't know if anyone's ever made this mistake for real, but I already knew our Scooby wrote it.

Before I started to read through I thought “How long is this?” so I looked for an archive section, and while I like the “...Diary”, “...Yearbook”, “Photo Album”, “...Hangouts” menu it's a little confusing. Putting what they really are in brackets would help, but it's up to you if you think it would spoil the mood. I'll stop reviewing the website rather than the comic now.

Yeah the overall feel I'm going for is that this is Harli's site/story and I'm just the artist (and when I publish the novel someday I might do it in her name).
So I'll probably leave things as are but I might rename the archive as people could mistake it for a blog and ignore it.

First page. The font. I'm dyslexic so “T”s that look like “4”s aren't great, I don't know if that would actually stop anyone else who's dyslexic from continuing on with the comic (especially when they realise its just for the diary/internal monologue) but it might take a little from the enjoyment factor.

I'm actually looking for a better "girly handwriting" font as I have issues with the Ts as well.

Last thought on this page, “I hope they don't wear those trousers often” because they're really crotch-centric.

*snort* HaHa! Don't worry I'm changed/improved my pant drawing a bit since then.

The attempted rape scene. I read this bit when you first started the comic, and honestly that's why I haven't read any more until now. Whatever message you're trying to put across in this bit it's uncomfortable and not handled well. Five seconds later she's fine again, worrying instead about her friend and thankful her food is fine. So is this a regular thing that people have become desensitised to it? Unless you're planning on making a big deal out of this, you're risking belittling it and there are support groups that would happily pummel you for that. I'll read on...

That intro is gonna be the death of me...*sigh*...I know it doesn't fit right and may have to change it someday but for now I'm gonna stick to McD's "steamroller philosophy" and keep moving.

Story wise you're still introducing Harli and her friends so I find it hard to judge what this comic is about. From the title, 'Ric's comments, the picture in the banner and Doc's house, and Harli and 'Ric's apparent martial arts skills it's surmisable that the Flying Tigers are a martial arts group so presumably the comic is about them. All we (the readers) can really do at the moment is presume things, which is fine as long we're not doing that for too much longer.

Yeah this intro is taking far longer than I wanted but I think it's a little better than the rush-jobs I did of earlier comic intros.
Thankfully the story has entered the first arc now so stuff will be happening, I tried to catch up for the W.A.Y. but time got away from me (I suck at finding time).

But yeah the basic background to the story is two rival martial arts groups - Flying Tigers Dojo and Cobra Fighting Arts (BTW stole Cobra from the Cobra Kai in Karate Kid) - and the rest of the story will play off/against that.

Art wise I much prefer FT to SH so you're growing. I'm not the best to review your art but I always feel you need to “loosen up (man)” and add some fluidity to your poses. Have you tried the exercise where you draw someone around you (while waiting for a bus or at a café or something) in just a minute or two, you don't have time to get any details down so all you can aim for is an expression of their movement and form. Actually, comparing you early fight stuff to the boat fight scene (which the forward navigation seems to skip, you should look into that) you've improved a lot with that. Other than that I'm impressed with your colouring and shading they have an appealing organic feel. The difference between the tall and short people is massive, that's not entirely unusual, especially for school age, but it feels a little odd.

Yeah I'm rather stiff with my drawing - my hands are pretty wrecked from my own martial arts day (I broke a few knuckles and let them set naturally rather than seeing a doctor) so I have some difficulty there.
But thanks for the comment about the current fight scene's improvement, I'm trying to loosen up and finding action scenes a bit easier. (what pages is the navigation skipping exactly?)
For perspective Harli is 5'4", Nolan is 6'6" but my style does exaggerate the difference unintentionally. Not to mention my poor anatomy which I'm sure others will touch upon in later reviews.

There's a fair bit in the wave café that's quite obviously C&Ved (and others, this was just the first I noticed), I know it can be boring to draw people sitting talking in pretty much the same pose again and again but you can always flip to another point of view to keep this interesting. You don't get away with it though, it is obvious, and if I bought it in a book I'd feel cheated.

Lazy time-saving effort - no excuse really.

So my thoughts. It's moving slowly. You're still introducing, which is cool, but 60 odd pages in I feel while lots has happened that nothing at all has happened, at the same time. It's not so much a bad thing. Taking your time and setting the scene with lots of minor occasions can give us a nice background to your characters.

My focus for the intro was to try and establish Harli's personality and main relationships - her girlfriend Storm, her best friend Nol - as they're very important to what is coming in the future.


Final words:
That damn intro, I will have to do something eventually - maybe just chop it and use the fight on the ferry as their intro.

As with all good reviews you've given me plenty to think about, thanks dude.

[robotthepirate]

(what pages is the navigation skipping exactly?)

http://flyingtigers.comicgenesis.com/d/20120421.html
The next button skips to the end for some reason.
I have a page near the end of my archive (I realised today, rereading it with the realisation that someone else was going to do so) that tries to link to a page I removed ages ago, not sure how to fix it.

Glad you liked it.

[RobboAKAscooby]

(what pages is the navigation skipping exactly?)

http://flyingtigers.comicgenesis.com/d/20120421.html
The next button skips to the end for some reason.
I have a page near the end of my archive (I realised today, rereading it with the realisation that someone else was going to do so) that tries to link to a page I removed ages ago, not sure how to fix it.

Glad you liked it.

Do a full update, that should fix things up.

[robotthepirate]

Do a full update, that should fix things up.

I did, it didn't.