So close yet... so far...! Your colors were S++ in this. I really dug the color choices - they were super vibrant but still felt like a dark alley. It was also nice to see Justine drawn cool looking instead of the goofy, placid way I draw her, haha. Good luck in the tourney! If you thought I was tough, it only gets harder from here.

Thank you, everyone, for your kind words and your very helpful critiques! It feels great to be back in action here again, and it really does warm my heart to be so well-welcomed! I'm taking in every critique I received and I'll try my hardest to improve round-by-round if I manage to make it that far! Again, so many thanks for the critiques, I really am set on keeping them in mind next set around. SIXTEM: You were a really scary R1 opponent for me, and your comic did not disappoint! I absolutely loved the way you characterized Gumshoe, I couldn't stop laughing when I first read it and subsequent reads always put a smile to my face. You really are a beaut storyteller, and I still can't believe I was squared off against you straight from the beginning, ahaha. I can't wait to see more of your comics in the future!

Magistelle - Ughgughghghghghg, I really like this. It's just like super clean and professional looking, and that colour choices were just perfect. Like, the whole comic is just really strong and on point. There's some slight white anti-aliasing left over on the corners of the panel borders, but besides that it's absurd how tight this is. Like, I don't really think I can critique the art at all really. Storywise it's good, I don't think it requires that we read the backgrounds on both characters, though that def helps ( and I do think that's kinda on us as readers during something like SDT, esp first round). It's a good moment, but it's definitely more of a moment than a story. More like an introduction to Gumshoe that a self-contained story. Sixtem - Ugh dude, you're such a great storyteller holy crap. If I had attempted this story it would've been wordy and awkward, but you pace everything so nicely, and it's all so clean and competent. Like, the core of " attempted murder and paranoia" moves forward at a great pace, and you still manage to sneak in wonderful incidental character moments in just 3 pages. It's so totally not fair. Art wise it's as clean and in service of the story as most stuff you do. I think you could totally push it a little and do some more interesting stuff, just because I've totally seen that from you before and I know you're most def capable. I'm also not really feeling the super-clean-digital gradients you're using here, but maybe that's just my own preference? Seriously, this tournament has such a high quality level it's mind boggling. You guys're absurd, this is absurd.

Magistelle: Big improvements from last you've been around! Great to see you continuing to grow as an artist! The colors are beautiful but the backgrounds disappear, at least end with one the way you started with one, like even a silhouette of the alley walls would have been nice. Sixtem: I love your gumshoe's shtick in this comic! But I'm not that big a fan of the conclusion given how derivative the gag is of a certain bald hero we all know and love. I hope that isn't the route you want to take with this girl!

Magistelle, my, have you grown. Jolly good comic wot wot! Excellent executed shots and poses. Dark to the point. It could use a few more loving details but all in all, I really have no qualms about it. Sixtem, While it reads as a noir sort of comic, the atmosphere is light hearted. Don't get me wrong, you have executed a brilliant comedy with first class writing. In short, I love it. Jolly good work you two.

Magistelle - Yeah death comic! Nice line about justice on the last page there. Not much to say here, great job! sixtem - Oh god your comic is hilarious. Some serious ONE-PUNCH MAN vibes going on here. A fun read all the way through. I love both of these ahhh

AHHHHHHHH I LOVE BOTH OF THESE SO MUCH. This is one of my favourite battles, I don't even have really anything to crit! MAGISTELLE - I loooooove those colours! You have that noir vibe but with vibrant reds and blues and AHHH it looks so good! I love the dark story. SIXTEM- ONE PUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUNCH!!! I fucking loved this.

MAGISTELLE- Those colors! So creamy, so shiny, and bloody! Definitely missed seeing your work. So glad this tournament brought you back, and back with a vengeance! I ca't take my eyes away from that belly mouth reveal on page two. The look of that is equal parts chilling and rad. Its obvious you had fun with this. My only complaint would be that storywise, we fall into something of a conversation in progress and with context we don't know about- no doubt a plot device to get the rumble going, but its a bit of a bummer there wan't something more SIXTEM- This carried the hijinks of a saturday morning cartoon. Each page had me smiling. Not to mention I rather enjoyed the tongue in cheek Rorsharch-ness you lent to Gumshoe. I knew Justine had an iron fist, but holy hell that punch on the last page! I'll be shaking in my wee boots if we're match up for future rounds.

Light Speed Critique: Mags: Amazing choice of color work, backgrounds drift off after the first page but that's not a biggie considering the visceral intent. Sixtem, double cigs was funny, but because it was half covered by the word bubble, I assumed it was a single trembling cig at first, instead of two out of stress.

I like this battle for the obvious theme of dependence vs independence that Gumshoe seems to be bent on. But at the same time, Sixtem's comedic entry plays well against the super idealistic hemes of his justice counterpart and creates a mundane, relateable justice. Magistelle is strong for the art, Sixtem for his witty line writing and comedic pace.

Magistelle - I was honestly floored when I clicked on this and saw how crazy nice your art's come. Like, wow, I forgot to read the text the first read-through because I was just looking with amazement at how slick it is. I really dig it man. I really do. Sixtem - Good stuff, though I feel you might have let your anatomy slip a tiny bit, with the time limit perhaps. It's a nice silly story story though.

Magistelle: dem beautiful colors, those wonderful sound effects! Sixtem: a great story maaaan! I like how it was from the Gums perspective :P And that punch at the end... A bit onepunchmany, in a good way! :>

I've uploaded my own pages too! I'm glad to hear Gumshoe was fun, Justine was the same, aha!

Uploaded my three pages! Gumshoe was a lot of fun to draw.

Sixtem you're like a death addict. Good luck you guys!

oh wow, what a fantastic match, i cant wait to see what you guys do!!

I AM HYPERVENTILATING I'm gonna try my best but oh god