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.
Armageddon 2020
Critiques & Comments
# 31
Posted:
Sep 29 2020, 09:35 PM
# 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:
Defenders:
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.
Also, Ben showed up in both of these, which makes me feel important. Thank you!
Threat:
Defenders:
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.
# 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.
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.
# 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.
- 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.
# 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.
- 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.
# 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.
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.
# 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.
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.
# 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!]
[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!]
# 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.
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.
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.
# 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.
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.
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.
# 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:
DEFENDERS
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!!
THREATS:
DEFENDERS
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!!
# 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
Comment for the defender’s side will be posted later today or tomorrow!
Comment for the defender’s side will be posted later today or tomorrow!
# 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
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
# 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:
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:
# 16
Posted:
Sep 15 2020, 09:35 AM
beautiful... simply beautiful...
# 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.
# 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!
# 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
# 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~
# 11
Posted:
Sep 14 2020, 09:54 PM
UPLOADED
We hope you enjoy this journey
We hope you enjoy this journey
# 10
Posted:
Aug 14 2020, 05:08 PM
Well Heck and Eternal Darnation, This is gonna be quite the ride!
# 9
Posted:
Aug 3 2020, 10:53 PM
CAN'T WAIT CAN'T WAIT
THIS IS GONNA BE AWESOME
THIS IS GONNA BE AWESOME
# 8
Posted:
Aug 3 2020, 10:40 PM
We need more Hell puns! Come on! Put more fuel on the fire!
# 7
Posted:
Aug 3 2020, 10:30 PM
I still can't believe its here. I'M SO EXCITED FOR YOU GUYSSSS
# 6
Posted:
Aug 3 2020, 09:54 PM
THIS IS IT
# 5
Posted:
Aug 3 2020, 03:34 PM
Give 'em hell guys!
# 4
Posted:
Aug 3 2020, 02:24 PM
YES YES YES YES!!
# 3
Posted:
Aug 3 2020, 11:32 AM
Good luck, defenders! ...you'll need it >=D
# 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!
Good luck everyone! I'm beyond excited, here's to all of us coming through this sane and making something beautiful!
# 1
Posted:
Aug 3 2020, 08:28 AM
first
Armageddon
Drawing Time:
6 weeks
Ended:
Sep 29th, 2020
Votes Cast:
60
Page Views:
4643
Winners:
Camel, Corn Of The Breads, kubo, PyrasTerran, Radji and Badger
Help Needed
Theakon
@ 8:41 AM Mar 28th
Intro Story
King
@ 7:01 AM Mar 28th
Clash of the Chitin 2 Round 2
Myrmidon vs. Husk vs. Spidella Widows vs. Rod Chirpwood vs. Mizz Bonzai
@ 7:31 AM Mar 27th
Monsters of Nature
Dairyu vs. Rickter & Gus
@ 10:00 PM Mar 26th
The End of Extinction
@ 11:35 AM Mar 26th
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Most Online Today: 351.
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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 ~