My initial read was a little confusing. There were odd names, people dressed in furs and mecha all in one big bucket. It evened out for me when I made the connection to Norse mythology. If you aren’t familiar with it, the basic story is that people fight giants but they all die in the end. It’s very tragic. Usually the people are good and the giants bad but this is switched in Edenworld and the story is told from the giant’s perspective.

The Norns are the people at war with the giants, otherwise known as the Jotun. They dress in furry viking style and are armed with hand weapons that have high tech built in. In the first chapter, there seems to be a knife that is able to easily cut into one of the Jotun’s armor and even burns a bit. Mostly, I saw spears but they had all kinds of tech tricks to draw upon.

The Jotun are long lived giant mechs complete with their own high tech gizmos. They look to be at least twenty feet tall and they seem to be mostly machine. In true Viking style, the Jotun raid the Norns for their supplies, including much needed fine metal ores not available anywhere else. The Jotun have tried to avoid injuring the Norn and they’ve tried to sneak around to (more or less) keep the fragile peace.

The story starts off with a Jotun raid and continues with a rescue operation. We see both sides trying to pick up the pieces. The Norns hatch a daring sort of raid of their own and it mostly succeeds, putting the Jotun in a bad place. Then a new sinister threat to both the Norns and Jotun emerges and there is great personal cost to pay by the time you read up to the present.

The art is top notch with great character (and creature) design. It looks like pencil with photoshop tones all used to good effect. In particular, the tones are used to direct your eye toward and highlight the most important part of each panel. The viewing angles and layouts have nice variety. An interesting choice was having very thin gutters.

I also dug the little details and well drawn bits even though some of the lines can be faint or carry a slight sketch look to them. The city downshots really have the sci-fi vibe and the pencils carry just the right amount of detail. Here’s an example of not too much detail. It took me a second to figure out what the object is and it adds something very meaningful to the story. You’ll need to read the story to fully grasp the significance, sorry.

While the action scenes during the spring 2008 run were hard to follow and some of the word balloon placements were a little distracting, I would still have given Edenworld five stars. However, it was difficult to understand what was going on in the comic (in general) without reading every scrap of information on the website and it had the occasional curse word. Aside from these nitpicks, I give Edenworld four stars.Rating:

Edenworld Saga
http://www.edenworldsaga.com
art and story by Chris Crontiris
edited by Jason Lanum
review by Delos
(4 votes, average: 5 out of 5)

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Note: Being that this is my last review for Comic Fencing, I just wanted to say thanks for reading.

Some might think that comics with stick figures must be one dimensional in terms of the art, writing and stories. After all, all of it must match the art, right? The backgrounds need to be empty of detail and everything must be kept simple simple simple. That’s just what you’d expect from a stick figure comic.

Not always. Haven’t we all seen lavishly drafted comics with no real story to hold them together? Aren’t they a bit disappointing? Isn’t this a lot of questions? (That last one was just to see if you’re paying attention.)

My first impression of Amazing Superteam is Lego Star Wars meets Challenge of the Superfriends. It’s pretty rockin’. The humor and basic storylines do match the art and the writing is very clever. They have the kinds of conversations and do the kinds of things that comic fans crack jokes about. I found it hilarious. Of course, I’m not sure I would follow it from week to week and enjoy it as much because I like some bigger chunks of story development in each update. For me, Superteam is a good comic to check back in on every few weeks.

If you’re a comic lover like I am, you can see all the cast on the characters page and they are obviously knock offs on some well known superheroes. Specifically, I think they are well done knock offs.

If you fancy yourself an artist, go ahead and draw a few popular superheroes from DC or Marvel as stick figures. Okay, you probably have some guys with capes but after you do more than a few of them they all begin to look the same. Now try to draw Aquaman or Lex Luthor and then compare yours to the Superteam version. Not as easy as it might seem to make them each unique and recognizable, is it? The point is that even though it looks simple, drawing fun stick figure characters isn’t easy. Give the stick figures some props.

That said, Amazing Superteam is full of cliche hero plots and it is meant to be that way. You will not find stories that are groundbreaking works full of emotion. This comic is a witty parody of all those fun things we enjoy about superhero comics. The storytelling style and the art go hand in hand, complementing each other nicely. What gives it a zing is the subtle twinges in the writing and the snappy dialog.

This is one of the best stick figure and superhero parody comics available, so it gets five stars as an excellent example of its kind(s) of comic. Rating:

Superteam
http://www.drunkduck.com/Amazing_Superteam/index.php?p=243422
by Bongotezz
review by Delos
(2 votes, average: 3 out of 5)

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I’m learning, albeit slowly and in staggering steps. Sometimes we’ve reviewed a comic that I’ve already reviewed somewhere else. I’ve previously chosen not to mention it but that was a mistake. You just end up with half a review just because I’m trying to avoid repeating myself.

Let me take a paragraph or so and summarize that earlier review of Dead Days. There is no set cast but there are two main characters. Storylines are kept short and while many of them revolve around the extremes of the college lifestyle, there are other stories you may enjoy. We get to see the dangers of shopping with your girlfriend and being a tortured artist, among other things.

I also liked about the angular and stylized art. Dead Days is done in toned black and white with suggestions of backgrounds. There are some visual perspective tricks and the art style is very unique in many little ways. I like the chunky fingers, square elbows and the expressive eyes of the characters. Some comics are mainly talking heads but Dead Days offers little details that change from panel to panel. Not every comic artist thinks it is important (or remembers) to include things like one character holding a sandwich and taking a bite while the other one talks. Also, the heavy outline around the joined word balloons also forces you to focus on the text first rather than the characters. That’s a little switchup from the norm, as well.

While I like the art quite a bit and the comic is amusing, I will disclose that I’m not a big fan of the cussing or the latest storyline. I don’t see an obvious lack of technique or quality so I’m chalking it up to my total lack of enthusiasm for college frats and the expected hazing. You could very well find this storyline more enjoyable than I do.

Something I really like about Dead Days is the conversations the characters have. The dialog is always very natural sounding, even when it is about an odd topic. It adds something to the snarky humor and the situations they characters find themselves in. I also can’t recall another comic that refuses to name its main characters. That’s unique, especially with over four hundred comics.

There are a many, many comics about a couple of friends in college - so much so that some consider it to be its own genre or archetype. I found Dead Days to have its own twist on the type in a number of ways and overall it is an amusing read. Rating:

Dead Days
http://www.deaddays.net
by John Rios
review by Delos
(2 votes, average: 4 out of 5)

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That’s Cuddles - the bear with the eyepatch. What’s more, he knows he isn’t real and he has been through some tough times. He used to guard a little girl from all the monsters under her bed, in her closet…everywhere. They were absolutely everywhere. I love the concept of a cuddly teddy bear bodyguard.

But now he’s been forgotten. And he needs to get way from Cottonfluff Hollow. That’s right. He wants to go away, not far away. I love that map - so many interesting places for the comic to take us. Cuddles is a very conflicted bear. He gave his all to protect that little girl so being forgotten is quite a blow to take. Months of rest have not allowed him to heal. Perhaps that is what going away will help him do.

I’ve already mentioned the basic storyline so far, so forgive me for not going into great depth about it. There are a few surprises in there that you should discover for yourself as a reader. I won’t spoil them for you. The story, for me, dragged somewhat during the get-going-away phase. There’s probably a good reason for that as I can see some foreshadowing and hints placed during that span. I just haven’t seen the payoff that makes it all worth the wait yet. It’ll come, I’m sure.

The art is full of large shapes and is fun to look at with some unexpected details. So much so that when something not like the rest appears, it is very unnerving. It’s a great style for this kind of comic. I would probably rank Cottonfluff Hollow higher if the story was further along, but for now it’s three stars.

Rating:
The World of Cottonfluff Hollow
http://www.sapoentertainment.com/comics/cottonfluff/
by Phillipe St. Gerard
review by Delos
(2 votes, average: 3.5 out of 5)

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There are a lot of comics with talking animals. This one takes the idea one step further. Picture today’s world, except that humans left the planet and the animals have taken advantage of our absence. One of the crucial things to know is that the natural predator and prey relationship still exists

Kevin is the six foot tall rabbit and Kell is his wife, a wolf. No, not everyone approves of this taboo marriage but they make it work. And there are a number of other immediate characters including a rabbit-wolf hybrid, a wolf boy and the hedgehog who was raised as a porcupine. You’ll be tickled to know that these are just Kevin and Kell’s children. There are also clones, wolves in sheep’s clothing and even some who have gone through “predator to prey reassignment surgery.” You’ll excuse me if I don’t go into specifics due to the sheer amount of history and interaction these characters have had. Invariably, I would have missed something that should have been metioned and I doubt I could condense the well written About page down to anything less. For those who might enjoy background information about the comic and how it is made, you can also read the unofficial faq.

What I will tell you is that there is a nice mix of topics including family strife, daily living and societal mores. I found all of it well done and interesting to follow. It’s all done in bite sized chunks so despite there being a large archive it was fun to read. I was pretty impatient waiting for each comic to load up, actually.

I am especially fond of comics that follow their own world-rules to their logical conclusions. If, for example, we were divided into predator and prey groups: we would have social rules about who is considered food and what they can do about it. You might expect this to have an obvious solution but it is not quite as simple as that. Interestingly, they all feel it’s cheating to use weapons like guns - that’s why they have fangs or camoflage ability, after all. But then that leads to how society defines crimes like murder? Is a wolf eating deer murder? Sometimes when we switch out the details of real life with other elements we find that our personal views on things need further examination. I find that sort of thing interesting.

But I digress from the overall lighthearted tone of Kevin & Kell. Most strips revolve around the different approaches that animals would take as opposed to humans. If everything in the garden is edible, then the weeds could be likened to snacks or special treats. Then there is also the (unofficially titled) Great Bird Conspiracy, Carnivore University, the Herd Thinning corporation and other animal-twists that I found very amusing as well.

The art has great lines with very dynamic qualities. You really get the sense of movement when a character jumps or drops something. Even the little carnivorous bunny always seems to be chewing on a bone, not just holding it in her mouth. The color adds a lot of visual and emotional depth to the comic as well.

Overall, Kevin & Kell is a well done and very entertaining.

Rating:

Kevin & Kell
http://www.kevinandkell.com
by Bill Holbrook
review by Delos
(No Ratings Yet)

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8-bit has (at this time) over one thousand comics. That can be a bit intimidating to new readers but don’t let it worry you. You can jump in pretty much anywhere and run with it.

Here’s what you should probably know; don’t take this comic seriously. Secondly, the FAQ explains that the essence of the storyline is the standard video game plot: “the good guys go beat the bad guys.” 8-bit more or less follows this easy to grasp concept although I do have a bit of an issue with one little thing. I have a hard time telling exactly who all the good guys are in the cast. Sure, a couple of them are better than the others but I didn’t see any truly good guys.

The four main characters are the predestined Light Warriors, “who are the least-enabled (or inclined) to save the world.” I found that very amusing and it certainly adds a unique spin on the video game comic idea. Who are these four characters? I did not have time to read and digest every comic, so I relied on wikipedia to give me a basic idea about them.

Starting with Black Mage Evilwizardington, who hates everyone on the planet, wields destructive magic and has a split conscience of evil and is atrociously evil. His goals are to acquire more power and kill off his fellow Lightwarriors. Nice, huh? He is so evil and selfish that the description doesn’t really do him justice.

Fighter McWarrior (picture shows two costumes) heals quickly even from lethal injuries and is a very skilled swordsman. He is trained to use more than two swords at once but actually has sword-chucks which he uses to stunning effect. Naturally, he has a sword fixation and a heroic streak which allows him to ignore his “best friend in the world” Black Mage - who specifically likes to use Fighter as a “meat shield” out of pure contempt.

Thief is an kleptomaniac elf who serves as the leader, due to his penchant for trickery and legal contracts. He talked Fighter into signing over the leadership of the Light Warriors to him. He doesn’t usually fight unless it’s an ambush, though his ninja class gives him some martial skills. He tends to rely on his wits, cunning and his ability to steal anything not nailed down or on fire.

Red Mage is a delusional character who acts like he’s a powergaming roleplayer. Adding to that, he is unafraid to modify his character sheet and even ‘forgets to write down’ lethal damage - and thus surviving. He often creates overcomplicated plans which surprisingly do work out sometimes despite obvious flaws. No matter, Red Mage prides himself on being versatile and thinks his plans as always foolproof.

There are other characters and enemies - all of which have a variety of facets to them. The characters are what make this strip. 8-bit is full of wisecracking comments that are pretty hilarious; especially if you used to play eight-bit games with your smack talking friends. Here’s an example where Black Mage tries to get the Dark Warriors (dire enemies of the Light Warriors) to hire him.

Practically every comic was amusing on its own but I had a very hard time piecing an overall storyline together from them. There were short “mission” story arcs, of course, but the main story of “good guys go beat the bad guys” serves as a backdrop more than anything else. This can be a feature or a failure, depending on your preference for story.

Overall, this is a gag comic with a little 8-bit nostalgia, great dialog and a catchy sprite cast. Lack of time and the lack of overall story made it difficult for me to push through the archive, but your opinion may vary.

Rating:

8-bit Theater
http://www.nuklearpower.com/latest.php
by Brian Clevenger
review by Delos
(1 votes, average: 3 out of 5)

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