Oh, and on top of all of that...for challenges, it really would help if i could find a quicker way of completing the pages. In all honesty, that's really what made me pull back on a LOT of what i wanted to show. I had to take out a page, and sum up the story in an extremely simple way-- which, i was also unsure of how to do, considering being new and unsure of how everything works yet.

Well then...I think i'll just take the advice, do the comic, and see what's said next, rather than making any commentary myself next time. ^^; On that topic, i'm thinking of doing a comic without a Void-challenge, with a few things that i think would satisfy a lot of the comments made here...Specifically including showing the relationship between Frank and Emmelia, as was mentioned. Thanks for all the advice!

Soda: Doesn't anybody watch horror movies anymore? That's a larger portion of what I watch, you kidding me? That having been said, I like good ones. I'm not saying you need some hacky back story. But it's usually only the most generic slashers that have some flat psychopath murdering people. At that point they're only a threat, not a character. They're really no different from the iceberg in Titanic then, you know? And if all they do is murder, it's going to get super old super fast as far as storytelling goes. Plenty of notable horror movies have well rounded villains. Check out things like The Shining, Devil's Rejects, Near Dark, or American Psycho (though more comedy). I'm not saying there needs to be anything redemptive going on, you just got to get some more depth happening.

And about the horror movies, we do watch them because we like the killers. Why do you think Slasher films were popular in the early 90's? We empathized with their need to kill annoying teenagers. Though I guess it depends on the movie, but if it's the case where the monster is a mindless one (like zombies) then we usually have the protagonists display empathetic qualities.

I don't think Kuro is saying you need to give them a sad backstory that shows how they came to be, or necessarily make them sympathetic. The Joker of the Dark Knight has no redeeming qualities or backstory and he's considered a fantastic menace. To be more specific, even a completely despicable beast can have an endearing quality to it, otherwise iconic horror films about monsters wouldn't create such icons. No matter how inhuman the monster is, from Jason to the xenomorph, there's still an appeal that makes us WANT to see them do awful things again and again without saying 'this is a bore'. To me, in particular, Frank and Emmelia aren't quite there just yet, BUT, as it was already explained, it's fine to let them have a few non-story-heavy hunts for us to get acquainted with their world, and I'm confident that somewhere down the line you'll find the voice for these two that makes them memorable beyond random hunts.

Well I don't think that's what Kuro means by endearing quality. There's some sort of empathy. For example I look at Frank and Emmelia and I think of the movie Natural Born Killers, only with zombies. I really think that what would appeal to the audience would be the relationship between Frank and Emmelia. Scenes where Frank is just an asshole and Emmelia displays affection (even the kind of affection a dog gives) for Frank.

Thanks for the comments, Kuro! I'll take it all in! But i have only one thing to say: Doesn't anybody watch horror movies anymore? You're not supposed to like the killer, you just want to see what awful thing they'll do next and occasionally, you want to find out how they got there, and eventually, what will become of them. I'm not going to give anybody a long, sad-sap story about why Frank hates people so much, or how Emmelia became the monster she is...To me, that REMOVES the appeal, and the horror. You're no longer looking at monsters, but people with problems. I don't want anybody looking at Frank and Emmelia like that. Intrigue is in human nature, even for the most detestable things. I guess in conclusion, Frank and Emmelia aren't for everyone, and that's perfectly okay with me. :)

Not my thing I'm afraid. Both stories seemed to be a certain way only for the sake being of that certain way. By that, I mean that both of you seemed way more concerned about vibe rather than a story that was engaging or appealing. Be it a story that's "random" or a Voltaire-wet dream there really needs to be more substance. Cher, Non Sequiturs & sudden right turns are a storytelling effect, but making them work effectively can be tricky. The audience is yours to lose, a too quick a jolt can end up leaving people behind. I'm not saying coddle, but be clear. Art wise, the figures are looking a bit better. Otherwise, there's a couple of things I'm still seeing that I remember from your Invitational stuff, like weak backgrounds & harsh color choices. Don't afraid to get tonal & not so primary/secondary on everything. And it's hard to learn funny, but if you want to work on humor, you really don't want to be taking your cues from Family Guy. Soda, your title page is nice other than your opponent's character's skull. On the whole though, your character art was strong. Some of the backgrounds didn't feel as up to snuff. The one street shot with the car looks a little sloppy. Also, your layouts either seemed to have a nineties' Image comics pinup vibe where you're basing a whole page around usually one pose, or your panels were laid out on the denser side & it didn't feel like you were leaving yourself enough room. Somewhere in between is a happy medium & with it a better sense of pacing. But there were some nice uses of tight shots. a lot of times, people will zoom in & crop things out to save them some drawing. Here, I think you picked shots wisely & got some nice effects. I wasn't a fan of the font selection either. Your art's got a loose quality to it at times, & even if its grungied up, the fonts you were looking at were looking a little too digital & clashed a bit. In the forums there are links to places like blambot & stuff where you can look for some styles that compliment your art a bit better. No matter how horrible you want your character's to be perceived, you've got to give them some appeal or some endearing trait. Ok, they're freaks, & they're nasty. I get that. But I find myself asking why should I care? And whether it was a matter of timing or intention, the end seemed a little too sudden. Keep plugging away though guys. I want to see more!!

Luniara - Oh me oh my! Honestly, i was beginning to feel like a dope. *bows head* But my worry was based on a few things i didn't know, finally cleared up by Luniara! So thanks!!! I'm a very serious story writer; there honestly isn't a whole lot of humor in anything i create. At the same time, when i'm determined, i go ALL THE WAY. And being that i'm brand new 'n all, i was a little nervous about doing that, not to mention the difficulty of the plot given in the first place, so i left the ending up to the viewer. On the other hand, i had some other things i had prepared to get into, but there was a-eh-personal issue that stunted the development of this comic for about 4 days, in which i lost a lot of the original motivation beforehand. I lost the vision, i guess. After which point, i was just trying to get everything done. I'm still not sure why, but it takes me HOURS just to finish one page. Anyway, that transition you mentioned can be easily explained: I cut out a page. I didn't like the way it looked, and there was too much that needed to be fixed, and i was about 3 days from the due date. Sooooo...i decided to scrap it, and try to make it look like some time had passed before Frank went outside to find them. What i SHOULD have done, somewhere, was show Frank hearing them outside. Buuuuut, i ran out of time, of course. I'm not sure if i'm going to dive into another battle just yet...I'm thinking about doing a personal comic that i will certainly upload here, that will emphasize who, and what, Frank and Emmelia really are. I'd hate to see Emmelia and Frank repeatedly inserted into parodies because nobody knows how to express the characters...Yes, Frank IS a homicidal maniac. Yes, Emmelia IS a flesh-eating monster. But there's more to them than what meets the eye...so i need to show that. Admittedly, i'm glad i don't need to follow this as canon...i think i'd go crazy having to convince myself that Frank gives a shit about children. LOL!!! I also thought the personification of the little boy as an awful demon child was pretty amusing! Cherubas - I'm glad you look up to my art! I wish i could have delivered a better story for you! and everyone else, for that matter. Everyone - BY THE WAY. This story actually isn't as dry as perceived! Nobody's noticed, but in my last battle that i failed to finish, with Le Fred, her Lucy tossed Frank a lighter in her winning comic...........So...yeah. The lighter. There it is. :P

Actually I thought the 6th page was one of the stronger jokes XD I found it quite funny.. But I got it immediately that is was Emmelia's POV of the new kid. But I can see how you could have made it easier to understand by putting at least one normal-boek panel inbetween the demon-boek panels.

Cherubas, Any scoring I do has always been fair. As apart of the community and approval committee, I'll never give an ferlunked vote to you. No worries, I don't think I was TOO harsh or anything. =D It's not rly a matter of explaining a joke, it's knowing how much is TOO much. In regards to me mentioning that your comic became confusing... I'll reiterate, It would relate more to the panel pacing on the page I mentioned. It deserves better transitioning or a better illustration on simply what is going on. I guess that was Emm imagining the child as a little devil or something? I had a hard time even figuring that out. Like I said, it all comes in time and I'm sure you'll improve! Also, Adventure Time and Family guy are CARTOONS so their jokes and random scenes are easily explained and don't require much because it is a TV show. I get what you're saying and I think with time you can manipulate these types of things to work in your favor. I recommend checking out King Pongs and Heimie's battles/comics (especially the older ones). They tend to have random humor that works out and if that is the direction you'd like to take, I strongly suggest checking them out and using them as reference.

Mrnoitaull - Thank you for the kind words, I'm glad you enjoyed it. Salt - --- Pyras - It was kind of an on-a-whim thing. I saw Neth was looking for an opponent and figured there would be fun to be had with such drastically different characters. I knew that not all of the jokes would stick so I just set out to make myself laugh and hoped that a few of them would bring smiles to other readers too. I set out this time to make a story that just let Boek be innocent from start to finish. It's a part of the character that I tend to lose in my effort for a conflict, and yet it's a big part of his personality. Granted, there was a part of me that wanted a big flashy Boek vs. Emmelia showdown, but we play to our strengths, and given my art limitations any attempt at serious action I would have offered would have paled next to Neth's work. Luniara - Ouch. I can tell from the drastic change in score between vote 14 to vote 15 that you have strong opinions about my comic here, so I will take your words to heart. This is one of those gray areas though that I have to consider carefully. Jokes generally aren't as funny if you explain them the whole way through (my blatant 4th wall breakage near the beginning of the story being a good example), plus overexplaining jokes, plot, or even what's happening in a single panel can sometimes alienate your audience by suggesting they're too stupid to figure it out on their own. I haven't spoken to anyone who's told me that the story confused them yet aside from your comment here, but that's not to say it isn't true. I just get inspired by shows like Family Guy and Adventure Time that both get really random at times. I have a strange sense of humor. XD Still, I will take your words to heart and tone the randomness down. Try to keep my plot a bit tighter and all that. Thank you for the advice. :) Neth - I've already gushed to you, but I suppose it's customary to put it here too. I love your art style. A lot. The creator in me feels like you abused my little boy and made me watch, but the artist in me wishes I could have seen Emmelia feast. I'll be watching your future battles closely, ma'am. All - Thanks for commenting, guys and gals!

Yes, keep in mind on Void nothing is canon besides Death and Scar matches.

Cherubas, Alright job on your first comic. The story was extremely confusing for me. I kind of didn't want to make it till the end. It felt like things were bouncing at me from all directions and was simply... way to random. On page 6, I became COMPLETELY lost. In your next comic tone down the random jokes and random scenes because towards the middle of this comic, I felt the quality of the story AND art was lost. It's okay to take a comedic approach to these things, but... not to the point where your readers go "WTF just happened..*mind explodes*". Art wise, I advise you to add more detail into your figures and backgrounds and limit the strong use of highly saturated colors. Half the time your backgrounds were blobs of color behind sloppy lines of figures. Neth, Amazing quality! I expected your inks to look AWESOME and they totally are! Your story was a tad week the first time around as well, but first fights normally ARE until you get right into it! The only time I became confused we on page 7 when he's been poofed outside and Emm is already there to snatch him up. Also... It's fine to have comics with your opponents character dying. If you look back in Voids history, there ARE plenty of maniacs tearing up their opponent, so if this is the route you're going to take before you bust out a consistent storyline, GO for it. Your characters are maniac/murderers, they're doing what they do and you don't need to show them having any repercussions because of it. It's your side of the story, remember. One side could totally parody out your characters story (like this fight for example) and you could have your side as is. Anyone who says otherwise needs to look back further into Void's comics. =) Unless it's a Death Match/Scar Match- what happens isn't canon. ^_~ Overall, all you need to work on is working up more of a story and fixing your panel pacing. =) Look forward to seeing more. Good job to the both of you. Neth totally has this in the bag. Her art was high quality and her story was exactly what you'd expect from a first time fighter with great skills. You have my vote. (Sry if my typing makes no sense, I have a finger cut open and wrapped up so I'm like.. all over the place)

I understand the reasoning for these first comics :) I can't wait to see what happens when you go in depth

Admittedly, i kinda got lost on what to do with the story...polar opposites being the perfect phrase to describe my problem. But i do want Frank and Emmelia to be personified as terrifying before i begin to reveal the depth of their existence. I had some ideas for an EPIC candy store battle, but i kinda lost my direction...not to mention, i was running out of time. Despite being disturbed by the idea of Frank giving a damn about children, awesome comic, Boek! xD Looks like you went above and beyond!

Cherubas, although a couple of the jokes didn't work(the 4th wall stuff particularly), you get points for coming up with a really deranged way of incorporating polar opposite characters together. The twisted charm of the whole situation is what won me over to this comic. Neth you totally rocked in the art department, there's no complaints about that, but as far as story is concerned it was kind of flat compared to Cherubas' effort. It's fine to have the first couple of comics you make simply having Frank and Emmelia being serial killers with no repercussions, but I hope that future comics will be more than just another successful hunt with no impressions left on the characters or world or the story. Although you'd probably have had this in the bag if this were a scar or death match XD

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tikes, both were both hitters in my book! Cherubas, excellent approach in story with these two. Good in and out sequence. Neth, Cherubas would be SO screwed if this were a scar match. Your lines are crispy, I love it! kudos folks

Yup yup! Me too!

Uploaded! FSHEW!

Ahahaha...Trust me, i need the boost. It's been an awful week, but i'm still goin' for the brains!-- er, gold. :D

You sadden me. :(

Go Neth go >:O!

Stranger Danger. D:

Alright, great to see you both fighting again, I hope you both get to do what you want.