Armageddon 2020

Armageddon 2020

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Icon for GrayIcon for Hunter49.6%
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This comic has not been rated; viewer discretion advised.

Icon for KleppIcon for MaIcon for KuboIcon for MillerIcon for Chica ChicanaIcon for Talon50.4%
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tags: chica chicana, gray, hunter, kazue l. burns, klepp, kubo, kurt, luz, ma, Miller, talon




Critiques & Comments
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umnokorito
10 comments
# 32   Posted: Aug 5 2022, 12:55 AM
i am in awe.

i am speechless.

like getting mowed down by a monster truck of cool.

all i gotta say is that i preferred the threat's side, found that it had a more... compact and consistent feeling. it read truly beautifully, with so much good art and callbacks and cameos and strong characterisation oh my~

but in both comics, chica was my favourite. simply a delight to read!

ahaha, now i am so excited to see how this year's arma shall go ~

Rikun
Artist
151 comments
# 31   Posted: Sep 29 2020, 09:35 PM
I want to say to everyone here that you all did a phenomenal job. I feel in terms of sheer critique that everyone else had already said everything I could come up with so I'll leave you with this:

The Threat: The both of you put an amazing effort, and I loved the effects for the battle of the mind. I'm glad we got to see your characters go all out and no matter what happens the both of you seemed to have a blast doing this.

The Defenders: The sheer amount of behind the scenes work you put in was great. I know it's difficult to work with so many of you on the same story and while there might've been some hiccups in scene transition, I'm glad that all of your characters got to have an arc and I can't wait to see how that'll affect them all going forward.

Flutterbyes
Artist
299 comments
# 30   Posted: Sep 29 2020, 02:22 PM
OK, I’m sorry for mulling over this for so long. There’s just SO much to digest, and so much to potentially say. Both of these were real emotional roller coasters!

Also, Ben showed up in both of these, which makes me feel important. Thank you!

Threat:
Spoiler: ShowHide

This comic does have de facto “chapters” set apart by visuals. Even when you were forced into a more limited level of polish, you stylized it and it worked in favor of the comic, allowing you to focus your energy on the real show stoppers. That said, for the part that I remember you said almost didn’t get in, it does stand out like it should be a flashback or another dimension or something, but the story is better for having that scene.
The threat side focused (as it should) on the culmination of everything Gray’s stories have been leading up to: Her inevitable reveal and psychoanalysis, Gray having her moment just being evil and getting her chance to kill everyone (and taste them! Woah.) what happens when she finally gets what she’s fantasized about, what happens when her relationship with Hunter is put to the test, whether or not she can be saved, and the closest thing to closure a person like her can get.
And while the story benefits from having Gray and Hunter clash during their murderous honeymoon over the inevitable conflict between what they want out of this and each other, it JUST BARELY misses some fantastic opportunities. The biggest one is that Hunter is only concerned with Gray staying alive until sunrise, and Gray not arguing that this isn’t important because she’s dead. Not only is this a continuation of a major plot point for Gray and something they were always clashing on, but Gray actually accepts that she’s alive at the end, and it’s such a big moment for her to do so that it would have been fantastic to build up to the moment that she tearfully admits it as Hunter is dying with them fighting over this very idea (and while I’m at it, if that second “I know!” had a nice big text to indicate she’s choking it out and this is a “big” statement to give it more oomph).

Another big opportunity is the fact that Hunter is conflicted enough about what he’s doing to have made such a heel turn, but DOES he has access to more information and fate than Gray, who assumes all of hers hers, does.  What does his god have to say about all this? Does his god not care so long as it gets done either way? Is it hard to hear Fate in Void? The story, as I initially read it, seemed to indicate a possibility that maybe he was in denial and was actually misusing his powers and duty, and really was doing it all for Gray and/or as an act of rebellion while telling himself he’s just finishing his mission, and/or that he was running out of life force anyway and decided to go out with a bang (I assumed that every time he looked at his pendant with its little sliver of light in it, he was having an “All Dogs Go to Heaven” moment).

Yes, this story really was about Gray more than him, but I feel like his decision was such a crucial element to this, especially since he decided to die for it. Him making a choice she would regret and her making choices he would regret seem like such a thematic way for this story to end… and it sort of does. As I ponder the ending, I see a few ways of reading it: Hunter finally “saved” Gray, but at the cost of his life, and condemning her to his own fate in the process, Gray cannot be helped without some sort of Faustian arrangement that undoes any good, Gray finally got to be the kind of being she said she was but her eyes are opened now and she cannot enjoy it or use her new knowledge and acceptance to choose her future anymore (or maybe not. Does she really feel remorse, or is she continuing to be her old selfish self, writing more tragedies for herself when she apologizes?).

I don’t like to think I’m the kind of person who needs everything explained and can’t stand any mystery or ambiguity… but I’m not sure if I want to apply the authors’ notes here, and if they really help me understand the story in a way that benefits it. It might just be better to make that information canon-optional, since knowing that Hunter uses up his entire soul being a reaper, that Gray took on the role by accident because he used so much of his blood healing her (which has happened in the past, but not this comic), the fact that Hunter’s job is actually very tragic in a way that has been touched on outside of Void but not in Void comics in a way that would make the fact that Gray loved that side of him significant… Even just saying something like “The characters can just climb out of Hell if we win” kind of spoils the story. What did Hunter give himself up for if that’s the case? Better off saying “You figure out what the canon is for them winning,” you know? Since there won’t be any more chance to touch on this, and we really won’t see it in their backlog, it might just be better off leaving this as the flashy, gory, emotional ride it is without opening up those questions. Heck, even them inexplicably merging (I know) works as an explanation for her suddenly “ascended” personality, which Hunter doesn’t have (ooh, and it’s a way for him to live on, but since that element of him was never explained… I’m going in circles now).

OKAY that sounded really nitpicky, so I’ll close off once again gushing over the art, the colors, your willingness to go BIG, and the big emotional wrap up to a big character we’ve all grown attached to.


Defenders:
Spoiler: ShowHide

Interesting how, in spite of the prologue setting up that Void would be wiped out before sunrise, this comic imagines an extended reign of terror over the ruins of Void. The ticking clock until Hell settles in is not even present here. I’m mixed on this choice. On the one hand, it does create the setting for the complex story you weave, with different things happening on different levels. This needed a slower, more drawn out setting with monarchs reigning over dystopia from a labyrinthine cathedral (that they remade in their own image, so they could be the gods of this world?) who slowly become more corrupt and dysfunctional now that they have their power, a story where it would make sense for someone like Ma to decide he was better off sucking up to the new bosses and getting in on this sweet deal.

As much as I admire the intrigue of the first half, I think everything really came together in the second. The first half kind of feels as disjointed as the characters themselves, which… okay may thematically be a good thing?

 On the other hand, that wasn’t really their plan, was it? It’s what Gray wanted, but not Hunter. But this is the defenders’ side, which is more about them to the point that they’re also the villains of their own story. Granted, pious fervor fuels all sorts of hypocrisy, but it’s a little hard figuring out how a demonic mad scientist laboratory in the basement fits into either of their plans (before I even ask “was that flashback necessary?” I just can’t get “Why do they even have a secret laboratory?” out of my head).

It did crack me up to see Hunter bringing champagne, walking up the stairs like a normal person… or a servant.

Bouncing back and forth in time made things very confusing the first read-through. Even with black or white gutters, I felt like it wasn’t bouncing back and forth between two time periods.

And… WOW did you really keep upping the stakes. First by starting the story long after the merge, having a heroic plan go horribly wrong, CUTTING OFF GRAY’S SKIN HOLY SHIT, making bigger and bigger monsters of the threats and defenders as they’re more corrupted by the powers they take on, GIANT KAIJU AND ROBOT FIIIIIIGHTS, and so on. I like the choice to go so hardcore, but it does seem a little unnecessary if could go into a magic needle without, I don’t know, cooking down or squeezing the skins first to get the ink out of them?

At the end of this, I came out really feeling like I’d gotten to know Chica. While I don’t think her flashback was necessary, actually seeing her at work outside of when her comics up to this point had shown, seeing her fight for and alongside the people she cares about, seeing her become the hero of this story by the end… Not to mention giving her the chance to be grounded enough (albeit in a desire for vengeance) to see past the soft side that Miller and Talon still have for Gray, to know and care nothing for whatever it was that Ma and Miller were fighting over ideologically, and Finish This. That was very satisfying. I’m really ready to see more of Chica in the future. And everyone else. I have to commend you for giving everyone a kind of “to be continued” and making this a major moment for everyone in their storyline that changes them.

Reading a second time through, the tragedy of Miller still wanting to fight for her came through a little more, but I still feel like the rest of the story drowned it out somewhat. I didn’t really get the significance of Gray finally being “Free” just before she died and why all of a sudden everyone was feeling sorry for her. If it’s because she decided she didn’t care anymore, does that mean she still is murderous? Is this moment really that hopeful? In throwing herself off the roof, did she finally realize she was alive and then decide to kill herself?

It’s a long, complicated story, and I suppose that can’t be helped. You did a really great job of unifying your visuals so that the shift from one look to another wasn’t distracting.


Great job, everyone! I'd intended for my critique to be a lot better thought out and more thorough, but, in the end, it came out kind of rambly and stream of consciousness. Talking about these huge, ambitious, amazing comics is such a tall order, though not nearly as big as what you all did.

Heathen
Artist
462 comments
# 29   Posted: Sep 27 2020, 03:38 AM
I nominate Kozi for Best Critique of 2020.

So glad you kept notes and gave this comprehensive rundown on both comics. Reading your commentary was like experiencing the comics all over again, and made me really appreciate both sides all the more.

Kozispoon
Artist
1211 comments
# 28   Posted: Sep 25 2020, 01:27 AM
DEFENDERS

- It took a couple reads to fully understand and appreciate the flashbacks. Some pages had indications of when it was set while others didn't.

- In the first flashback where Miller is with his collective and they offer him a weapon for protection, I wish we’d gotten a reveal of the gun he uses in the cathedral scene. Or context that what they gave him WAS a gun. I know it was explained via junkcast the squads other trinkets were brought by Kubo, but I wish there'd been a set up establishing that outside of Ma, Kubo was a gadgetman too.

- Chica being the one to land the killing blow on Gray. I know this was a controversial choice too where the community is concerned, but I personally thought it was perfect. Chica was the only one who actually had a score to settle killing Gray and it was being done for a valid and selfless reason. It's the response to Gray's flippant mayhem and violence finally come to collect. The comic establishes straight from the beginning, you will not get the things you want (both character and reader wise) and you need to subvert your expectations, so the most unexpected character being the one to end Gray felt very on theme.

- I know there's such a clamor to have the ending mystery conversation (if any) between Gray and Miller be spelled
out, but I personally love you left it up to the reader to decide if there was something there left unsaid or not. Sometimes not knowing is in itself something of a good ending.

- Ma being able to showcase what being a bodyless can of soup really means (the flashback on pg 28) Where Miller and Ma are preparing disguises to infiltrate the threats stronghold and that last panel shows Ma was using another robotic body. SO GOOD

- Gray finally afforded an independent moment of autonomy at the end when Ma has her on the ropes demanding the reaper gem piece. The fact she'd rather go out on her own terms over the side of the building than cow to yet another man I think was a nice moment of clarity for her

- When Kubo yells ENOUGH and blasts Klepp, who was that? Kubo or Luz? =0

- Hunter and Miller were definitely the toxic standouts where Gray was concerned, but I think your side better illustrated where the two diverged. Hunter was too caught up in his dogma and pleasing Gray to call the both of them on their toxicity being together. Hunter watched Gray do all of this horrible shit and thought she was still perfect. And Miller simply isn't complicit in letting Gray continue to self destruct. For good or ill, she is the Joker to his batman. when she falls, he Miller chooses to swing in and save her insteado f solving all their problems and letting her die because he actually thinks she can be redeemed. Whether that's naive or no is anyones guess, but he did say everyone deserves a chance.

- Klepps entire arc was a RIDE. From the backpack to the skinning of Charlotte Gray and his subsequent power trip fighting with the index tats. SO GOOD. The Gollum arc this character had and the steep consequences he paid was wonderfully wicked.

Kozispoon
Artist
1211 comments
# 27   Posted: Sep 25 2020, 01:09 AM
THREAT-

- The establishing shots and environments were lacking. All of the comics scenes are so tight and packed we get very little of the actual background but very much of Hunter and Gray super close to the camera. I think that may be due to the fact Crow is an illustrator first as their influence and comfort zone is featuring figures in a flattering artistic light.

- The dialogue and conversation between characters had a nice flow. It's easy to get too wordy- especially where Gray is concerned, but it felt organic and real. Even Grays odd way of speaking which may be a bit too purpley prose for some was executed well.

- I get wanting to pack in your other OCs in here to involve them in shenaigans, but with six defenders to feature, having to execute your main characters threat aims and character cameos for background elements, I feel featured facetime would've been better served on your main story. There was definitely more that could be had, had there been given time.

- THE FRIGGIN GOLD LEAF. While the illustrator influence hampered comics wise, it definitely sung when it came to your splash pages. Splash pages are meant to be illustrative and the composition lends itself to Crows strengths which was utilized beautifully.

- The mind conversation with Ma had to be my favorite bit. The change of art style and depiction of a mental invasion and the content unearthed was creatively shown. Not to mention it was fun to see a new format and experimental style.

- There doesn't seem to be an ending.All this build up, devastation and sacrifice for Gray to transform into the ultimate final boss form and she just....floats off. Floats off with no repercussions to her actions. Yes, she lost Hunter, but gained so much with his passing. I was waiting for a second act- the fallout and devastation Gray was going to do as a newly made reaper. With the defenders neutralized there was no real response from the city (which I feel should have been considering you featured other characters who were responding to the threat). Miller was afforded such a damming mental speech framing the magnitude of what the two of them had done and their response is 'I'm sorry'.

It left me wanting.

ArtsandGoodies
Artist
566 comments
# 26   Posted: Sep 24 2020, 10:57 PM
This was amazing on both sides. both sides did a great job with this and the level of work produced is similar to that of publishing quality.
I talked about the threats side in the last junkcast and do have stuff to say about the defenders side though I may need to get back to it as i'm struggling to come up with the right words for it.

But either both sides are fantastic and all of you have inspired void as a whole and lit a fire under everyone else which is the best thing a comic can do.

Monday
Artist
964 comments
# 25   Posted: Sep 22 2020, 01:26 AM
So I feel making objective comparisons can wait until we get to the end of the thought train. I also feel it is the least important, anyone who stepped into Arma this year more or less already know what they are doing and both the Threats and the Defenders are always stacked against high odds on what is essentially an Assymetrical Battle of 1-2 vs 6-8. So it should be said that everyone did wonderfully! And we are once again treated to a titanic production that breaks a record with each iteration ! And if it looks easy, it really isn't.

It's as difficult and exciting and wonderful as it looks when you're weaving through a narrative with more than half a dozen characters at stake !

Threat Score Card:
- The Fucking God Art
- The Color Palettes of Hellllll
- Spocy unabashed sex drama :O
- Yo This Bitch is Crazy ! [Gray]
- Ship Confirmed ! But Wait --
Good thoughts: There was a lot of attention to composition and art likely to double down on the Threat Team's visual talent. But for all its visual marvel things were kept simple and the read was easy to follow while not holding back on segments where Stormcrow and Shen can really lean in on their strengths.   Most impressive was how every part of the comic was polished to a mirror sheen while key frames and splashes were allowed to be extremely sharp and well made to coincide with with whatever emotion you were reading that time [so long as that emotion was hotblooded heart feels].

Defender Score Card:
- Vektran level Teamwork
-  Hyper Continuity
-  Three Act STructure !
- THREE ACT STRUCTURE !!
- HOLY SHIT YOU SUMMONED THEM
- Yo This Bitch is Crazy ! [Chica]
- Ship Confirmed ! But alas...
- YO YOU HAD A CONCEPT ARTIST !? FUCK YEAH.
Good Thoughts: There was a plan. It was executed, It  was pulled off wonderfully ! The length and breadth of the read plus the amount of space it was all given to breathe allowed me to savor the really good parts while also shelving impending good times in the back of my mind with masterful scene switches and judicious use of plot points. Most importantly every atom of every panel felt like some part of void touched it and culminated the story up to this point. Everyone performed their roles wonderfully and everyone's fortunes were vastly changed from start to finish. There was something satisfying when characters  walked away from a story far different than when they were started.


After all's said and done, I feel that making objective comparisons here is kind of useless. Whenever an Armageddon happens both sides have their share of difficulties that extremely different from each other in nature.   Threats are obviously outnumbered and are expected to fight multiple opponents and write a cohesive story virtually on their own. On average they will not be able to out-produce half a dozen people but their production will typically be cohesive and high quality.

Meanwhile defenders face the challenge of cohesive teamwork, planning, scripting, and essentially production level organization to pull off what the Threats do by themselves. However in the less than rarer chance that they pull this off, they will start to Do Numbers.

Now here's the rub. Both sides performed exceedingly well.  Shen and Crow did bomb ass production. But the Defenders went into story overdrive and met Goals. Camel and Pyras rocked the writing and all the art leads kept everything consistent across the board.  Either way I'm going to be giving perfect scores across the board +1 for the side that I feel had a more exciting story, got me interested and engaged and felt "more true" to how the characters read.

Thank you for your hard work, everyone.

Fluffsamasprime
Artist
567 comments
# 24   Posted: Sep 19 2020, 04:13 PM
Plenty of people have gone over the critics and I don\'t have much to add there, but I would like to mention my favorite parts.
[spoiler=Defenders][/Oh man, there were quite a few parts that I loved, the biggest one being Klepp skinning Grays tattoos off! Holy crap was that a shocker! I thought for sure someone would show up and stop it before he would finish the deed! Also the kaiju battle was fantastic!!]

[spoiler=Threat][/Oh man, I think the whole thing with Chica all gung ho to save the day and help Klepp was wonderful! Seeing that ending with Chica sitting with all the treasure after Gray tossed the bag into... acid? Fire? What ever it was. The deaths got me and I loved them!]

Hellis
Artist
286 comments
# 23   Posted: Sep 19 2020, 02:23 PM
I'm doing Defenders first, becouse I ended up writing A LOT. Such great work needed a lot of thought. I preface this with the fact that I am still in awe of your efforts and your sheer talent and skill. And you should be absurdly proud of your work. But, I have some thoughts.
Defenders: ShowHide

Writing:

Its been said by others, but the first act take on chronological order didn’t do it for me. There is something to be said for, and I appreciate you taking a stab at it, doing nonlinear storytelling. When done right, it is a boon. However, you have to be too careful when you cut back and forth, and that’s where I feel you guys missed the mark a bit. When you do a jump, I think you have to preface the jump with an ending panel that feels like it’s about to transition into something. I know you guys wanted it to be like with a movie in that regard and if that’s the case there are a bunch of neat tricks to keep people from getting yanked out of the flow of the story that you would have done well to study. I’m gonna mention one common one, that I saw in comics as well: Have an object that is focused upon before the transition. A panel where the thing, it can be a face, a coffee mug, a tapestry. anything really. Then on the next page, have that same object, or something very similar to it as the focus on the next panel. One jump that comes to mind, is the one that jumps to Ma doing the brief. That could have been smoothly done if the focus was on Ma’s head, then a mirror panel showing the same head in a different setting on the next page.


Once we are clear of the 1st act though? It comes into its own in a big way. The action is solid, a lto of the dialogue is good, a lot of emotions are drawn out and laid bare. IT flows really good from 2nd to Ending. The beats are good. Like, really damn good at times. They way you pace, and the way your dialogue is rich but never in the way, its something I strive to achieve and seeing it being so well handles honestly has me wondering why many mainstream comics fail so hard at it.


However. I am gonna have to address the Elephant(s) in the room. You guys did Hunter dirty. I mean, REAL dirty. Compared to everyone else, Hunter is written as a shallow, jealous person without any of the warmth and kindness that runs as a red thread throughout all his comics. You seem you were entirely focused on cool set pieces fighting him and engineering a reason that he and Gray would be apart and not working together for Millar to have one time. As a result, You guys wrote him out more as a generic villain foil towards your superhero team. Their entire lead up was a despairing Hunter being pushed along by Gray and his love for her.

 And it should be mentioned that  Gray was also written out of character a bit, albeit not as badly as Hunter. You laser focus on her apparent obsession with Miller, making it less about the two threats and more about Miller. Thematically, Miller is interesting. But the focus gets repetitive, and it takes it out of the Threat. And when Hunter and Miller meet, there is a page that is basicly just Miller insulting and having what feels like a dick measuring contest between the two, further giving of a strange OOC feeling for Hunter that never shown to be like that. If I am supposed to care about Millers final fate, your expression for him from the point forward was not conveying it. He is often shown smiling in a cruel and arrogant way when dealing with Hunter.  He is secure and he looks like he takes pleasure when he literally weaponizes the memories of Gray cheating on Hunter. That is not in any way, a sympathetic potrayal. Again, if the thematic approach for Miller was to reflect a sickly obssession, yes, good. But its been clarified that was not the case. Miller is not heroic, he driven by his own interestes in Gray (Putting the city at risk doing so.) He has a history, that is made a point by the way he uses said history to attack Hunter, of using his powers to continue an affair with Gray. Again, its not making him seem any more sympathetic.

So when the ending comes, thematically, it would be fitting if it was portrayed as the rightful price of Miller’s past. But its meant to be a sympathetic blow to the reader? Not buying it.

Outside of the Hunter/Gray/Miller dynamic. The writing is solid for the most part. My favorite part was Kubo and Luz dialogue. IT was it flowed so well and Luz was written as such a colorful addition to Kubos parts. But as Cy said, some of the writing outside the trio felt like it had no real direction or proper payoff.  My two favorites shone when you gave them time (Chica and Klepp) but they felt like a side story without proper connection. Chica at least, got her payoff, but Klepp felt like they were going somewhere, then at the end, it’s back to square one? It feels like a cheap ending for that particular thread.  Talons story felt the least developed and I really feel like you guys put to much time into Miller that ended up stealing the time to develop Talons role in the whole thing. And honestly, this sucks becouse as a Necromancer, they should have been front and center for Hunters ire. Its epressed very clearly in the run up. Yet… You chose not to work on this angle, what felt at all. It’s a massive lost opportunity. 120 pages is enough space to have that confrontation in a proper light.


Art: Honestly. I have very little crits for the artside of things. Your monster design? 10+. YOur surroundings? Amazing. Expressions are very emotive and strong. The color is great. The Fightscenes are so good.  The only part that is a little rough is one or two style switches, but that comes with 6 people owrking on thing and everyone having pencils in it. I dont really mind it and i didnt notice it on the re-reads.  Radji? Your grasp of sound effects is prolly the best on the site in my eyes. Fucking teach me, you french lovable bastard.


That was a bit of text. I want to reiterate that i am in absolute gobsmacked awe at this behemoth of work, and i want it in a paperback.

TheCydork
Artist
606 comments
# 22   Posted: Sep 17 2020, 12:17 AM
Okay *cracks knuckles* Defenders, here we go. This took me hours to write, I hope you appreciate it ahah.

Defenders: ShowHide

So from the get go, these pages were clearly designed to generate as much hype as possible because from page one I was like !! HYPE!! Super excited despite the long page count. I love that you opened with a man speared on a spike, a direct nod to Hunter’s shrike form, and even used his colour scheme. Which on its own is cool enough, but damn the gold/black combo make for a dramatic and gorgeous beginning. The architecture was fantastic, I’m so glad you all decided to set a good chunk of this in and around a cathedral. Tbh, when it panned up on Gray and Hunter in the first few pages I was hit with Hunchback of Notre Dame vibes. It had such a great presence, and its interior with the stained glass windows was lovely too. I also LOVED the title pages for each act. The symbols were so stylish, I love the little story they told as they changed through each act and the foreshadowing they provided that I only realised upon rereading, like Klepp’s hand reaching for Gray’s tattoos!

Since Badger and Corn are the concept artists, I’m guessing we have you two to thank for the sick demon designs? Because goddamn, I enjoyed the demons. There were so many unique designs, I applaud you for putting care into them instead of going the easy route of horned, forked tail humans, even though most of them only appear for a few panels! They added greatly to my enjoyment (special shout-out to the eyeless toothy demon that escorts Miller and the elephant skull demon in the graveyard). Also I love the feathered dinosaurs, god bless.

I had no issue following the story and it honestly surprised me to hear that was a problem for a few other people. Some of the cuts were strange, but I was never confused and I quite liked the non-linear structure. I also liked that it wasn’t non-stop action/drama and there were moments of respite, like Chica making a “meat muppet” out of a demon’s severed head, and Talon’s sweet but awkward interactions with the ghosts and Amber. And the Ma twist in Act 1, I LOVED that. I knew something was up since things were going so easily, but the fact that it was Ma betraying them still surprised me! The explanation of him and Miller being psychically incompatible was a very interesting take as well, and totally made sense. I’m glad it had further payoff later on in the story aside from just a handy reason Miller couldn’t see the betrayal coming. Gray getting her tattoos cut out also shook me, really didn’t see that coming.

Moving on to the other two Acts. Like I said earlier, I love that Miller and Ma’s incompatibility came into play later - when their blood and sauce mix, enabling them to communicate (and I’m guessing the reason for his severed ties to the hive mind too?) It was so unexpected, that Miller was effectively trapped but kept alive in this weird soupy mindscape, and it played nicely into the whole fatedead thing too (I saw that Meredith). The idea of using animals to attack Gray’s demons was also cool, although I do wonder how Talon is controlling them if they don’t have souls. Finally, Chica’s moment of pulling Gray’s heart out was so fucking badass, loved that.

Overall, I was super impressed by how cohesive and coherent this was. I haven’t fully read past Armas, but what I’ve seen was very clearly divided into different artists and came off a bit disjointed. The art here all came together well aside from a handful of pages, as did the story. It blows my mind that this was put together by 6 different people. I also love how every character (bar one, we’ll get to that) had very clear and different agendas. Watching them each try to get their own way and inevitably clashing made for some really juicy chaos and story.

And now for the crits.

Something I noticed is that while I found the art for your side similarly amazing... nothing stuck with me after reading it. I can’t bring to mind any particular panel or page that truly wowed me. Meanwhile, I was thinking about the mind invasion scene with Ma and the jellyfish ending for hours after reading the Threat’s side. This isn’t to say the art is less good, not at all - the quality was consistently great and I enjoyed each page as it came. I think it’s because there were no particularly creative shots; the camera moved enough to keep the comic from being static and that’s about it, the lighting was pretty standard throughout, many scenes felt like I’d seen them before elsewhere, etc.

Story-wise, like I said, this was pretty solid and very good for a collaborative story with a large cast, but I feel like part of Gray and Hunter’s characters was sacrificed for spectacle. I really couldn’t see Gray so willingly and gleefully ripping the power from her beloved, and attacking him when he tried to stop her. It was very dramatic, and provided cool imagery, but just wasn’t believable to me. Hunter’s anger towards Gray for cheating, too, surprised me, especially in contrast to his acceptance and forgiveness in the Threat’s side. Not to mention Gray’s militant protectiveness over Miller and outburst towards Hunter at even suggesting the “corpse” be moved. I also don’t understand how she could steal Hunter’s power and leave him unconscious on the floor, but he still has enough power to fight and transform? And he still has his half of the gem What did she take from him then? After waking up, he didn’t seem any weaker than he was before, in fact he seemed stronger.

There was something else that I didn’t notice initially, probably because the Threat’s side did it too, but seeing as this half is longer and has a more complex storyline I think it’s more of a problem - this very much felt like a Miller comic. The story is framed through him - it starts with him being brought to the cathedral, then we have some inner monologue, he’s the one to assemble everyone, even when he’s “dead” his corpse and sister play significant roles in the story, his twisted relationship with Gray is ultimately what brings BOTH threats down - his presence unravels Gray, and by taunting Hunter, showing him the memories of being with Gray, he is stunned long enough to kill. Miller is the only one who has internal monologue, the only one who narrates part of the story, and the only one to really talk with either threat besides Ma. The others.. well tbh, Hunter and Gray kinda use stock phrases at them before attacking and then they fight (Talon, Kubo and Klepp) or get captured (Chica). There’s nothing wrong with having a focus character - it’s hard to give everyone exactly equal time in an ensemble cast - or having a narrator character, but having a disproportionate amount of the key events happen because of him, when he isn’t even a mastermind who did it /intentionally/ like Ma, on top of all this definitely tips the story towards him in the meta sense. I also understand he has a history with Gray, and that definitely SHOULD be utilised, but the way it was done feels like he’s more important than the other Defenders.

On a related note, at first I liked that Chica was the one to kill Gray. It was a very dramatic and surprising moment, and it does make sense for the story as she is the only one who has been directly hurt by Gray. However, it feels cheap after all the time we spent on Miller. People in the chat expressed confusion over why Chica had the most at stake, because although she did voice her reasons, there was hardly any lingering on them. It was a few brief mentions of a life for a life, and I think she was shown Jowee during her torture? But seeing as that single panel was all glitchy and in Spanish, I couldn’t tell. I would have liked to see Chica deal with that pain more, maybe even a flashback of her comforting Jowee after the loss. Just something more, seeing as she commits one of the most important acts in the comic.

Other Defenders could have done with just more too. Kubo gets a decent amount of screentime along with Ma, but Klepp and Chica have barely any speaking lines, and I have no idea about Talon’s motivations to join the group. He just kinda goes “okay” and follows along. Miller is the one rounding them up, Kubo is selfless and wants to save the city, Chica wants revenge, Klepp wants to collect Gray, Ma... it’s complicated but I get his goals. Why is Talon there? What does he want, or what obligation does he feel to these people? Or is it just a selfish desire to stay alive? No explanation is given. Going back to the beginning of the para, all of the Defenders do have little private moments - Chica’s torture, Talon’s talk with the dead, Klepp injecting himself - and I appreciate that very much. But the moments for these characters feel so quick and rushed over compared to the multiple scenes of Kubo helping people out or chatting to Luz, Ma’s monologuing and of course the many scenes that focused on Miller, Hunter and Gray. The former characters have like a page or two at best and then the story marches forward.

Some more nitpicky stuff: while the wordiness didn’t bother me the first read, I definitely noticed on the second. The Threat side had pages with a lot of words, but due to the horizontal format, they were more spread out and didn’t give the same effect. Page 20 for instance, that’s a LOT of words crammed into one page. Sometimes, the reading order wasn’t clear due to a vertically split panel. It happened a couple of times, for example on page 34, the last four panels. For western style comics, the eye naturally wants to go left before it goes down, so I read Chica being hit and THEN her saying Kubo would not approve. Also for the most part your styles flowed together pretty well, but some switches, like between page 23 and 24, were jarring. Having said that, there were 6 of you and it’s honestly amazing how well you worked together, so this really isn’t a big issue for me. Finally, the scene on page 86 was funny instead of dramatic to me because of Miller’s clunky dialogue, “Let me tell you it.” Try saying it aloud, it sounds very awkward. “Let me tell you,” or “let me tell you about it” would have been better.


Whew, done. I just want to say again, congratulations to both sides! This was such a massive undertaking with excellent results, you should all be proud of yourselves. I thoroughly enjoyed both comics. Also, my mum who doesn’t read Void comics saw a page over my shoulder, and now she wants to read both of them. So if that doesn’t say something idk what will.

Rivana
Artist
366 comments
# 21   Posted: Sep 16 2020, 07:37 AM
Wow what an epic journey on both sides. You really outdid yourselves and all deserve a pat on the back. Major kudos all around!

THREATS:
Spoiler: ShowHide

Gorgeous art and visuals all around! Shen and Crow - You two make a really great team and I really hope this is not the last time we see a collaboration between you two. The colors are so vibrant, the monsters, the textures. Yeah I can gush on this all day. Don't be surprised if I go back and pore over the pages again. It's just THAT GOOD.

The story while good on its own feels to me fell flat in depicting the other Defenders outside of Miller. I understand that Hunter-Gray-Miller have more of a history/drama together but the other Defenders just felt a bit left out to me for some reason and not really integrated well with the overall plot. They appeared as  more of an inconvenience that needed to be rid off to the side so we can get to the resolution of the conflict between Hunter/Gray/Miller.  I also felt that Lilyfeather had more spotlight than Talon in that one scene and Miller leaving so suddenly to give her the flute just felt a bit forced. I got the feeling that it was put there so that Miller can conveniently leave the beach area.

But like I said, AMAZING ART, compelling story. But the other Defenders did not get the spotlight they deserved. It is almost like a (BEYOND AMAZING, mind you) BB/Collab between Miller/Gray/Hunter.  As much as I'd LOVE to see this story unfold, there were 5 other main characters  in this year's Arma that I feel were left out. As given the title of Defenders, I was expecting them to actually team up and try to save the world against Gray and Hunter but their appearances were all fragmented and they were depicted as glorified victims of Gray and  Hunter instead.

With that said, I truly think both of you produced a stellar comic that will be one of the best that was ever produced here in Void!
 


DEFENDERS
Spoiler: ShowHide

I am probably one of the few who did not get confused by the jump between flashbacks and present time as I read along and I understand how that could be a point given by others against you. Some parts got a bit  too wordy for me and I have to echo that Kubo's death and resurrection just felt like it was just another Tuesday for him. (Is it? lol)

The entire comic played like a movie while I was reading it. Not many comics (if any at all) had given me this type of experience and I was simply BLOWN AWAY.  Your styles also merged that I wasn't able to tell the difference in the change of artists as I read through unless I really pay attention to the art specifically. The immersion is so seamless I am still in awe on how you're able to pull this off.

Each character has the spotlight and I highly commend you for this. You guys have the upperhand understandably being a 6 person team but  still, it was impressively handled and exceeded my expectations. Each of them have their own issues to overcome, resolve and got some personal/unique life changing events coming out of the story. I LOVE THAT.

Ma, betraying the team took me by surprise and I LOVE surprises because this doesn't happen to me often when I watch or read fictional media. I have the tendency to try to predict how the plot will go and you guys sure did throw me off with that one (Probably helped that I did not know much about Ma aside from his battle vs Cynthia too lol)

I got mixed feelings about the ending but I love the surprise factor of Chica literally ripping Gray's heart out. Again, I am a sucker for surprises.

It is a shame Gray did not get to finish her last words and Hunter died angry. But IRL not all dying people will get that chance at resolution - esp in this case where Gray and Hunter were literally trying to destroy the world despite their 'best intentions'. It's not always a happy ending with a proper closure and I appreciate the bitter reality that this moment brought me.


Final thoughts - AMAZING!! Lives up to the hype and MORE. I almost feel bad for the next threat/defender team trying to top this. You set the bar really high.

Congratulations Shen, Crow, Pyras, Kubo, Camel, Radji, Badger and Corn. I'd buy you all a drink for a toast  if I could!!

TheCydork
Artist
606 comments
# 20   Posted: Sep 15 2020, 11:47 PM
Both sides, just, damn. DAMN. Thoroughly enjoyed both comics. I promised myself I’d finish my battle before commenting, but I literally kept thinking about Arma to the point of distraction. So here I am, another few hours spent on a ponderous re-read, dropping a chonky comment XD

Threat: ShowHide

First off, the art was amazing. I really don’t know what you guys mean when you say it was half coloured bc aside from the one page with a totally white background and another that looked a tad flat, everything looked fully rendered to me. The colour palettes were choice, shout out especially to the red and green graveyard scenes, the dull gold of Klepp’s backpack and the divine white and gold of the end scenes!

The symbolic imagery throughout the comic was just outstanding and done really well imo. There’s so many sequences I love, like the Lily and Talon’s deaths, Ma invading Gray’s mind, the golden threads on pages 40-44, and the jellyfish at the end! Damn!! To go more specific, on page 16 when Hunter just strides off, wings flowing behind him, and he offers a gold cross to Talon in silhouette... chef’s kiss. The sketchy figures in Gray’s mind fading into shards of glass? Chef’s kiss. Honestly all the golden thread pages, but especially page 42 with Miller and Hunter swirling around Gray, and page 44 with that golden light - CHEF’S KISS. And the ending. Holy fuck the ending. Holy SHIT. BIG FUCKING CHEF’S KISS.

Also! Just a mention of some smaller moments I liked: the shot on page 36 of Gray’s back is just great, full of emotion even though we can’t see her face. I like the side by side panels of similarly posed Hunter and Miller on page 37 too.

And with that, it’s time for crits. I’ll start off with a teeny nitpick before deep diving - the art was pretty damn excellent, but one panel stuck out to me as off amongst everything else - the kiss on page 4. Their lips bulge out in an unnatural way, especially Hunter’s, and with the shading it either looked like his lips were on his chin or floating a little aways from his face.

And now for the deep dive. I definitely agree with Footini in that I can find little fault with the art, but the story felt all over the place to me.

CHARACTERS
The connection between the Defenders feels tenuous at best, and makes no sense at worse. From the minute the first ones were introduced, I found myself going “wait, what?”. Why would Chica and Ma pair up, what connection do they have, what reason does she have to listen to him? Why do they just take Klepp along, who to them is just a rando they hit with their car? Talon asks Hunter for help immediately after trying to kill him. Hunter watches Kubo transform, but neither he nor Gray comment on it until several pages later. The delay from Hunter and total lack of reaction from Gray to this demon fox felt strange, especially because Gray immediately starts talking about Miller after she succeeds at pulling the collar off. I also agree that several of the Defenders didn’t have much of a presence.

CONNECTING SCENES
Idk what else to call this section, my bad, but my biggest issue with this comic was how disconnected the scenes felt. For example, on page 7, Ma and co are in the city, having just hit Klepp with the car. On the next page they are already at the beach to greet Miller... and Klepp is still on the hood of the car. It makes it feel as though they’ve teleported, because I find it hard to believe they drove all that way with Klepp still plastered to the hood. Meanwhile, on page 8, the beach appears empty except for those four, but at the end of the page Kubo appears out of nowhere to yell at Klepp. It was very jarring and way too convenient for Kubo to have spotted and identified Klepp from a considerable distance away, and run up to him, all within the space of a few sentences. Pages 14 and 15, I genuinely have no idea what happened. Lily had her flute, is controlling the dead, and then the flute disappears and she gets killed. Where did it go? Why did the dead attack?

Even though your side was told in chronological order and the Defenders’ jumped back and forth, I actually had a far easier time following the events in their half. The jumps between characters and events felt random in this comic, whereas with the Defenders, it felt more clear. For example, they mention Kubo at the end of page 9, then cut to Kubo on the following page.

GENERAL STORYTELLING
The impact of the ending was slightly lessened for me as pretty early on in the comic, Hunter tells Gray she needs to stay alive, and she agrees. A similar exchange happens later on. She’s already shown that she thinks she’s alive, in a throwaway moment. Hunter’s death hit me, but Gray’s admittance did not. Her change of heart also felt too quick for me - I know a hugely impactful thing has happened to her, but the turnaround still felt a bit too immediate. I think even a few panels of her contemplating the Reaper necklace would have helped.

I do have to say though, even if story clarity was off, the clarity in terms of character was VERY good. Though I know OF all of the characters involved in Arma, I’ve only really kept up with Talon. I’ve read any comics that have come out during my time on Void, but didn’t go through character archives before reading this, yet I knew exactly what each character was about and wasn’t confused by the ending. Hell, aside from the prologue, I’d read zero Hunter comics, but his powers and relationship with Gray were very clear to me. And the ending still punched me in the gut even though I hadn’t followed their journey ;;; Gray saying she’ll follow him, damn.


Comment for the defender’s side will be posted later today or tomorrow!

Footini
Artist
359 comments
# 19   Posted: Sep 15 2020, 09:39 PM
Okay so after about 2 months of hype we're here at the big show.


Threat side:  I got to say that the artwork here is immaculate throughout.  Between Shen's colors, Crow's linework, and down to the creative compositions on the horizontal scrolling pages or the 'mindscape', you two were firing on all cylinders and delivered the best looking comic i've seen from both of you.  The pages near the end with all the gold leaf was a treat to see for sure.  

The story however kind of felt rushed.  This side works better, structurally, than the other with everything starting in the middle of the action and just kept going full speed until the end.  But with the exception of Miller, and kinda Ma, most of the defenders were kind of there just to get killed off.  Talon definitely got the shaft here; he showed up and died off pretty quickly.  If you had told me Lily was the defender instead I would have bought that since she has about as much importance as Talon.  It wasn't until the final confrontation with Miller, Hunter, and Gray where the story really got to where it needed to go.  You two tied up their stories together really well and gave the killer couple as well as the vektran a very satisfying emotional conclusion to their shared journey.


Defender side:  Honestly, I was kind of underwhelmed with this side.  Art wise it felt uneven.  Some pages looked alright while others had wonky anatomy, with characters looking off model, and some pages with characters looking stiff and unemotional.  With the exception of Camel's pages, both color and pencils, and Kubo's, pencils and inks, not much of the artwork here really blew me away the way the threat's side did.  Though the action scenes, mostly the miller vs ma teleport gun battle and monster fights, had interesting and dynamic choreography which i *think* was Pyras's pencils.  

The story here was a pretty decent superhero team up comic which really felt like a fun 'avengers' style adventure.  Structurally, the first act has a lot of issues; it jumps back and forth through time, it has tons of dialogue, and ultimately it feels uneven and a slog to get through.  The non-linear storytelling here didn't really pay off for me and mostly just served to throw off the pacing even more if it was told chronologically.  The comic gets better in the second and third acts where things go back to a more traditional style of pacing and keeps its momentum until the end.  Again, this really kind of felt like the Miller vs Gray/Hunter story.  While you did have cool moments and arcs for each character that did a good job of incorporating the various stories of each main player, it kind of felt that many of them were just kind of there just cause.  Ma had an interesting arc playing both sides and did make for an interesting twisty plot that kept it from getting dull.  The other four members, however, really just seemed to be running around without much to do in relation to Gray and Hunter other than just needing to stop them for the sake of it.  Which with Miller being the one member with a previous meaningful connection to Gray made sense.  Despite the rough first third this was an entertaining action comic that gave a great sendoff to two legacy void characters and made for some hopeful setups for each defender for the future.

Good job from both teams.  See you next armageddon.


(Okay now that it's been like a week I think my opinions on the comics have changed a bit)

I'm starting to come around to liking the defender's side more.  Mostly with how much thought was put into the design of the environments, costumes, and monsters.  Even if there's not a bunch of fancy layouts going on like in the threat side the designs really enchance the story and give the comic much more character than i noticed before.  Gray's cathedral was a standout here with how it's deterioration mirrored Gray's mental state throughout the comic.  I still think the first act has problems with structure but there's more meat to the defender's story than I previously thought.
Also considering this comic was made in six weeks some of my problems with the artwork are lessened.  120 pages at this quality is no easy feat.  
To me, while the Threat side has these really intense emotional beats toward the end and has some POWERHOUSE artwork the defender side is likely going to age better with it being a stronger narrative and tying into the overall void "canon" more strongly

Stormcrow
Artist
68 comments
# 18   Posted: Sep 15 2020, 02:23 PM
OH GOOD, THERE IS A WAY TO DO A SPOILER.

To the defenders: man, that was so much fuckin' fun to read. You guys were really hand-selected as some of the best of the best when it comes to this site (and frankly in general), and I was so happy and honored when you chose to sign up and then sacrifice six weeks of your lives to this crazy battle. Thank you so much for all the time and work that you put into drawing Hunter and Gray and the end of their story on Void. I loved the sheer scope and ambition of your story, that many pages had the potential to be a slog but you really did an amazing job writing an ongoing drama from many disparate parts that turned out super engaging. You guys did everything, from a small personal scale to literal kaiju fights (I KNEW IT WOULD HAPPEN, PYRAS) and it was an absolute treat to read.
While of course I'm sad to see Hunter and Gray ripped apart and to see them die hurting and hurt by one another, it's Armageddon and we always knew both the battle and their relationship would end in tragedy. It was a brutal end for their stories and I can absolutely respect that (AND GRUMPILY MAKE COPE-FIXFIC OFF IN MY CORNER IM TAKING MY TOYS AND GOING HOME U GUYS), so it all works out in the end. Thanks for sending them off in such a spectacular way, seeing a full cross-section of the kind of people who cross paths in Void rise up and protect their city felt really good and not so secretly, was what I (and Hunter) both wanted to see despite it all.

Regarding our side, and the process of the comic: working with Shen was as much fun as last time when we fought together for Lovechild, and the past six weeks have been some of the most grueling but also rewarding of my life. I am not a fast artist (my tally was over 500 hours sunk into this) so the idea of taking on a project of this scope was really daunting and the biggest single undertaking of my life thus far when it comes to art. In the end, it was a pleasure and privilege to have such a consistently amazing partner and I had the time of my life. I hope you all enjoy the end result as much as I enjoyed making it.

And finally, regarding Hunter:
Spoiler: ShowHide
 The Reaper canonically has no afterlife; they burn out all they have in service to their god, and there's nothing left for whatever comes next for a mortal soul. I knew going into this that win or lose, it was an annihilation match for Hunter and the end of his time on Void. Part of me regrets that, and the battles that I'd always kind of planned but never got a chance to actually make happen, but there was no way that either I or he would let Gray go into a deathmatch without him by her side.  When Shen told me last December on the way home from a Christmas party that she got selected as threat and did I want to be partners, I knew this was the only way it was gonna be.
Page 42, what I consider the peak page of Hunter's mindscape, is his swan song to Void and all its people (specifically those who had touched his or Gray's life in a major way, and his past opponents as well as those I'd wanted or planned to fight and never gotten the chance to). It was the most emotional page of the comic and meant to be the truth and heart of the tangle that he and Gray and Miller had become, and I wanted it to show interconnectedness. Everyone is more than what they are and a sum of their world and histories and the people whose lives they've touched and made a part of them, and it parallels my feelings about this site and the way that it brings people together to make something collaborative that's more than themselves and their own personal dramas. I'm sure that I'll stay on the site and make new characters, but for my first and dearest character... thank you for the ride, and it's time for him to go.
Thank you so much to you all for caring enough to watch his story come to an end.

Rose
Web Dev
1180 comments
# 17   Posted: Sep 15 2020, 02:15 PM
shencrow: ShowHide
WOW YOU GUYS! This was SO GOOD!!! I have pretty much nothing but praise for your comic; I only have a couple nitpicks really. But first, I gotta list all the things that really stood out to me:

I love that you included not just the defenders on the cover, but also other characters who have played a meaningful role in the lives of the characters involved! I'm also living for this refined southern gentleman accent Ma has. Also, the way you portrayed his mind powers is really cool. I love the way it breaks out of a paneling structure, imitating the way thoughts tend to drift from one to another and blend together in our brains.

I love the sheer number of cameos and references you included; it really makes the threat of Arma feel that much bigger, because it's not just the defenders who die if they lose, but all of us. I also love how you capitalized on Gray's relationship with Miller and how he regrets letting her get away with helping Bayou and Bog previously. I love that you took the time to search for the real Klepp, even if ultimately the whole search was meaningless for them. It kind of just highlighted the despair of people being unable to stop Gray and Hunter.

T also find Gray and Hunter's arguments intriguing; it really shows how manipulative and unstable Gray is, and how Hunter is fighting a losing battle by trying to do his job while also protecting and working with her. You can see how he's been blinded by love, and it's messed with his ability to reason. He even lets himself die because of it. And as much as he's making a mistake, I appreciate that he's accepted all of her sins, including her infidelity. I don't know if that's a good thing or a bad thing among all of Hunter's other mistakes, but it's a different kind of experience compared to what you usually see happening.

And of course, I love that ultimately Gray admitted that she knew she was alive. Her mind was really laid bare in this comic, and it felt like she finally let go of all of her lying to herself. Who knows if that'll stick, but it's still really cool to see it all come together in this comic.

There were a few spots where I felt a bit confused in terms of why people were doing things, but not really anything outside of the usual mild confusion I get when reading comics with lots of characters in them. My only real confusion came from the ending; I'm not clear on how Gray became a reaper. It clearly has something to do with the amulet, and maybe that's something that's come up in past comics that I'm just forgetting, but it threw me off. Her apparent shift into peace and realizing her mistakes is mysterious as well, but in a good way. It makes me want to see more of her ;-;

In the end, all I can really say is that you guys made a SPECTACULAR comic that is visually stunning, takes full advantage of character relationships and cameos to make everything feel real and grounded, and took some really cool risks with visual storytelling that absolutely paid off. I can't legally take sides on this battle, but I'm rooting for you ;)

defenders: ShowHide
God, this comic was a work of art! It felt like watching a full-length movie, complete with twists, infighting, desperate last-minute plans, and reaching from the brink of defeat to obtain victory. The visuals were stunning throughout, and you guys did an amazing job of meshing your styles together to the point that I barely noticed when different people took over the comic. A lot of this is sort of my live reaction, but I'll give my overall impressions at the end.

idk why, but it took me a while to realize that we were hopping back and forth in time between the final confrontation and all the work leading up to it. It might have been easier if you had employed different color schemes for flashbacks, but any sort of indicator that a certain page was part of a flashback would have been helpful. Once I understood what was happening, I loved how you structured this comic! Showing each new character show up or participate and then jumping back to them getting involved in the group effort to stop Gray and Hunter was really cool, and it did a lot to explain how all of these people ended up working together when a lot of them have never met each other.

The way you portrayed Ma's "speech" was awesome. It communicated both the ridiculousness of his existence as fucking SOUP and the fact that he speaks telepathically.

"This is finally over" on page 26. Page count: 120. I'm suspicious.

OKAY PLOT TWIST. Now things are getting interesting! I'm not sure how I feel about Ma sort of stealing the spotlight from the Arma threat, but I'm still only a fraction of the way through this comic, so I'll reserve my judgment. (Update: nope, the threats get plenty of time to shine)

Big OH SHIT to page 39. That's some graphic stuff right there, and I love how Klepp's recent BB really set us up to understand why he's suddenly going to such great lengths. I feel so gross just thinking about it though *shudder*

God Klepp is so fucking badass you guys, I can't even express how great he is. It's about time we saw him make use of all that shit he's been hoarding all this time.

I love how you both brought every character's previous stories into this comic, and furthered everyone's story into the next chapter. Everyone is different because of this event is a solid and tangible sense. I can't say piloting Deus was completely a surprise, but it was still fun to see it happen. I love this relationship between Luz and Kubo that is somewhere between parasitic and symbiotic in a way. I love how high the stakes were throughout, with everyone working towards their own personal goals. Chica ripping out Gray's heart just as Miller saved her from killing herself was a beautifully tragic moment, and gave her a powerful closure to her plotline in this comic. I'm not sure if I like how insecure/unstable Hunter seemed to be in this comic, although it makes sense that he'd be upset over Gray's obsession with Miller. I love that both comics used that relationship, but to very different ends.

I could go on in detail about every single plot point and it wouldn't be enough haha. I loved this whole thing, and would be hard pressed to point to any comic on VOID that's better. It really feels like everyone was able to bring out their characters' potential, and I hope you all had as much fun writing and drawing this comic as I did reading it! I know you all worked hard (probably too hard tbh), and you've earned all the positivity and HOPEFULLY SOME REST TIME.


Now everybody's gotta figure out how to deal with everything being different XD

Energy
Artist
139 comments
# 16   Posted: Sep 15 2020, 09:35 AM
beautiful... simply beautiful...

Hellis
Artist
286 comments
# 15   Posted: Sep 15 2020, 08:47 AM
I am, floored. Both sides did an amazing job. I wont drop my vote and crits down just yet. This is honestly far to much content and nuance and detail to evaluate in a day. I'mma let this one stew. You guys are powerhouses, and each and everyone of you deserve a career doing this for a living, my god.

TheCydork
Artist
606 comments
# 14   Posted: Sep 15 2020, 07:21 AM
I MAY NOT COMMENT PROPERLY TILL LATER BC I AM IN BATTLE BUT I WILL READ NOW *eyes emoji* congrats everyone for getting through this!! You’re all amazing!

PyrasTerran
Artist
1512 comments
# 13   Posted: Sep 15 2020, 12:24 AM
NOTE: Plz excuse if you see a confusion about how long Miller's been dead; it's been 3 years, and any other number you see is a typo

Animeshen
Artist
1490 comments
# 12   Posted: Sep 14 2020, 11:44 PM
There are some decisions we had to make based on time constraints and i hope yall understand we couldnt get all the way through everything we wanted and still finish with any measure of quality. nonetheless, thank you all very much for this opportunity, for liking our characters, for reading our story, for everything~

PyrasTerran
Artist
1512 comments
# 11   Posted: Sep 14 2020, 09:54 PM
UPLOADED

We hope you enjoy this journey

yarnwitch
Artist
303 comments
# 10   Posted: Aug 14 2020, 05:08 PM
Well Heck and Eternal Darnation, This is gonna be quite the ride!

JCee
Artist
423 comments
# 9   Posted: Aug 3 2020, 10:53 PM
CAN'T WAIT CAN'T WAIT
THIS IS GONNA BE AWESOME

kubo
Artist
167 comments
# 8   Posted: Aug 3 2020, 10:40 PM
We need more Hell puns! Come on! Put more fuel on the fire!

Kozispoon
Artist
1211 comments
# 7   Posted: Aug 3 2020, 10:30 PM
I still can't believe its here. I'M SO EXCITED FOR YOU GUYSSSS

Camel
Artist
151 comments
# 6   Posted: Aug 3 2020, 09:54 PM
THIS IS IT

OberGoat
Artist
50 comments
# 5   Posted: Aug 3 2020, 03:34 PM
Give 'em hell guys!

TheCydork
Artist
606 comments
# 4   Posted: Aug 3 2020, 02:24 PM
YES YES YES YES!!

Animeshen
Artist
1490 comments
# 3   Posted: Aug 3 2020, 11:32 AM
Good luck, defenders! ...you'll need it >=D

Stormcrow
Artist
68 comments
# 2   Posted: Aug 3 2020, 08:33 AM
IM SO READY

Good luck everyone! I'm beyond excited, here's to all of us coming through this sane and making something beautiful!

G0ttam
Artist
13 comments
# 1   Posted: Aug 3 2020, 08:28 AM
first

Comic Details -

 
Armageddon
Drawing Time: 6 weeks
Ended: Sep 29th, 2020
Votes Cast: 60
Page Views: 4636
 

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