You both did well on these, keep up the good work!

I think everyone already covered my thoughts on the story, so instead I'll focus on the artwork! Your traditional art looks really good, especially how you did the textures/effects of the smoke. And the spot blacks look really good!! I know you were thinking of adding color but tbh I think it works perfectly fine in b/w, and the b/w even feels like it fits the tone of the comic. Also really good job with the hand-lettering, it's not an easy task to make handwritten text be perfectly legible. also I think it's very funny that you and Dekkard did the Void Hivemind with giving each other's characters eye-adjacent wounds lol

Traditional comics are so fun to see, and I thought yours was very clean and easy to read! There was just one panel that I couldn’t quite figure out… but it didn’t take away from the storytelling!

On another note, many people in this tournament had to use this round not only to tell an interesting story, but also as an introduction to their characters. While I think you picked a very interesting setting overall, I left the comic feeling like I still didn’t know much about her aside from her job. Caleb also felt easily replaceable within the story.

I understand the challenge of balancing character building with keeping the comic short and manageable, so I hope to see more of her as an individual in the future and get a better sense of her personality!

BUGGY COMICS MAKE ME SO HAPPY!!! I think the traditional medium suits you well! I can't believe what a raw deal serenity got, healing that guy only to get pinned down and threatened for it. I want more Serenity!!!

Also the orb acted as a type of recording Caleb forgot to erase. (I don't know how orbs work lol)

Setting this comic AFTER the scar is inflicted on Caleb is an interesting angle! I like the idea behind it a lot, it’s a really creative frame for the story and it makes a lot of sense for Serenity as a healer. I like the massive scene panel on page 3, having it take up almost the entire page adds a lot to the scale of the disaster. I wonder if some of the pacing of the comic could be adjusted to allow Caleb more time on screen. As cool as it is to have a cameo on page 4, for a short comic like this one I’d feel like it might be effective to trim that and the montage on page 5 and instead spend that time and pagecount with Serenity and Caleb, allowing them to have more time on page together.

I like the creativity on display here. Good stuff! (thanks for the August cameo!)

This was really cool, the way you built up the setting was really immersive and interesting, the ending left me wanting to see more! On that note, the ending did feel a bit abrupt, i was expecting at least one more page to get serenity's reaction to that whole situation. But overall it still works this is an enjoyable read. Good stuff!

Cool entry! Your lineart and spots black are really strong here and your art style is so neat to me.

A few things I would point out:

This is a super strong entry, the shorter page count working well in the comic's favor. It feels like it doesn't need to stop and dally anywhere for it to be clear and complete.

I also really enjoy the artwork in general! Your anatomy and traditional inks are super good to look at, and the last panel on page 6 is a real standout to me. Great work!

The moment he went after Serenity was a nail biter, I wasn't expecting a long battle between these two, but you definitely delivered on Caleb's unhinged mind which most likely was worsened by this scar! Fanastic comic, Buggy!

OH SHIT THIS IS GONNA BE INTENSE!