XD That was perf Hats.
Thank you for all the feedback and taking the time like Hats said to vote and comment. I'm glad I was able to tickle your funny bones. I had a REALLY fun time drawing this comic. GOOD LUCK IN ROUND 2 HATS THANKS FOR THE MATCH

Thank you to EVERYONE who took time to vote and comment on our comics, you have no idea how much it means to me - newspaper strips are also a massive inspiration for me so it means an awful lot, I just hope I don't let ya'll down in round 2!

I promised Iced I'd post the translation of Birb's monologue after the voting, really, I'd like to the monologue to be left to interpretation because that's sort of the joke, but this was my interpretation:

Is this.. Is this how it is meant to be? Since the beginning of time Bird and Cat have fought in a never end of cycle of blood, fur and feathers

What am I? A cog in this eternal death machine? When will the war ever truly end?

I refuse! I refuse to be a part of this circus of madness! I am a sophisticated killer, and this kill has no reason, no point, no reward....

Chirp.

This really was the perfect match-up



Hats           -

             poor birb, he heart too god for this worl.too sweet.toonice.

             It might be super boring to say, but I totally need  to get on board "This reminded me of reading the funnies when I was really little". It was incredibly charming, and Birbs angry little face made me laugh like every time.

            I think you could played around with the colours of everything to heighten the mood in certain spots, like when Birb is about to swing the axe. Like even just pushing everything towards red or more saturation would've helped sell the drama of that scene.


Iced Tea         -

                 The last page was definitely my favorite. That slow cold stare from Birb. WATCHING.

                 I actually think the grey gutters would have worked fine the panels had some kind of black lined border. Right now it just feels a little weird and abrupt.

Also a really great match up which I think I'm too late to really add anything to.

HATS: Perfect. So cute, so sad. Birb I will remember you. The colours are really cute and the panelling & pacing - so great. Some of your lettering is hard to read at times especially when it comes to close to the bubbles, just watch that you have a bit more spacing in your lettering.

ICED: You know that I love man cat ffs haha. I think you might have done better with black borders and white gutters as the grey blocks pull attention from your mostly white panels. The buildup worked well and this was a really nice funny comic. I know you had a lot of trouble cos of the timing, and you've done really well with the time you had.

Hats: So cute, I can hear these characters' voices in my head! Make more old people!! There was something about the third page's climax that left me wanting, like the chirpy chirp language gag was funny, but not enough of a payoff for me for the conclusion. I think it's because the events could have happened a few panels earlier into page 2, to give more space for the end? I'm not sure

Iced Tea: Hehe this was funny and wacky. But no shades or colors makes it feel incomplete

Keep it up folks!

Gosh both of these were equally funny that I'm having a tough time choosing who has the edge!

HATS- I'll definitely echo some of the previous sentiments in the comments below- this looks like something out of the sunday paper. It really does! Even the chuckle worthy ending- this whole comic took me back to my tiny spoon days leafing through the funnies. Its not easy to capture that whimsy, but I think you succeeded. I am utterly flabbergasted how you busted this out in three day s AND completed your big magnum opus Upheaval. YOU ARE NOT HUMAN. If this work ethic continues, you are gonna be one formidable mamma jamma going forward.

ICED- Human pet, HUMAN PET. I died, then I cringed. Talk about unsettling! Cats definitely make it look better than a naked person ever could. Still though, the utterly ass backwards direction this comic went tickled my fancy and had me guffawing. That inky black stare Birb gives poor Nana at the ned just had me almost able to hear the eerie 'doom' music before we fin out that old cats demise.

you two have made this a tough one. I love them both!

Hatsy: So far your comic has the best depiction of death in this tourney. Dude so good!

Iced Tea: haha HUMAN PETS. What great places your mind wanders :>

God bless you Underwood.

(and thank you so so much, and to you too Charlie, it means so much!)

Hats, your work is already setting a standard that comics are not just all action, but they can be introspective and charming. This belongs in a magazine or a newspaper or anything on print, as long as it is not that ugly Daily Mail. Svelte like silk it comes off as one of the endearing comics on the site. Your choice of illustration materials and colour palettes is a wizened move and I commend you for it as it really brings your piece a sense of sensibilities that one scarcely finds nowadays. To be precise, this comic comes on as a welcome friend on a rainy day. Pukka work.

Iced, I would categorize your work as Dadaist meets Wiley Coyote. The artsyle itself is reminiscent of James Thurber from the New Yorker, as illustrated so handsomely with the human cat reference. A fun and delightful read.

Jolly good show to the both of you.

Okay. I laughed a LOT at these.

HATS - Wicked art as per the usual, you have such a good control over your style now. Also the ending killed me, I like how you didn't reach for the low hanging fruit and go "the cat ate the bird" and instead played it like this. It's hilarious, also Birb's sad confession is great haha. Good job!! You know I love your work.

POTATE - I LAUGHED SO HARD WHEN I SAW THE LITTLE HUMAN GUY PET. I legit, audibly just laughed. The art left a bit to be desired I think but the panels were still legible, but holy shit I think that was probably the funniest comic I read this whole round JUST for that first page haha.

GOOD WORK.

Honestly though this is perfect setup for Son of Birb.

Light Speed Critique: Hats, uh ummm... it's... too adorable.. uh. OH. one of the panels has a little line sticking off of it, there. found a thing wrong! Crit success. Iced, Grey paneling ends up looking weird on the void comic viewer, not that it's your problem. But also try some quick shape perspective exercises, it might add some depth to the flatter background objects.

I'll post the translation after the voting

The monologue you did for Birb really made me laugh out loud. Can you post a translation?! 8D

Iced Tea, that's an amazing setup, with the pet human. Love the imagery of that.

MyHatsEatPeople... Oh my gosh this is the best legacy of Birb. Everything is so charming and sweet and squishy, and the DRAMA. The WRITING! And I'm a sucker for happy birb family.

Does this mean, if you win, that Birb isn't dead NOW and can live on (in our hearts)?

Birb is the hero we need.

Hats - the style is super charming, I really like where you've been heading visually for the past while. Birb's monologue really got to me, I  couldn't help but shed a little tear for him. Good stuff.

Iced Tea - The art's nothing exceptional, but it's efficient. Comic's good fun as well, good effort overall.

Omg ICED. I love it - THE HUMAN PET, oh my word

Goddammit, can they both just live? XD Both of these characters (and comics!) are too cute!

This is too good haha

I love this

Ohhhhhh Hats it is ON

Cat eats birb.

The End.

(Good luck, you too. <3)

WELP

OH MY GOD THIS IS GONNA BE SO CUTE

Most adorable match of Round 1!