This week on my Zuda Weekly feature, I’m taking a look at all of the competitors for the month of February. This is a truly exceptional month, as I found myself really enjoying the majority of them and seeing a lot of talent demonstrated throughout. However, there can only be one winner.
See what my take is on the lot of them, along with a synopsis and links to each title after the jump.
Island, Alone by Rich Fuscia and Shawn AldridgeThe storytelling is excellently paced and completely engaging. The art is well done. The concept is superb. Really, this is a home run. Monsterplex or this have to be considered the runaway favorites, and if I were Zuda, I’d make one of them an instant winner just so both can be carried forward. Awesome stuff.
Monsterplex by Brock Heasley, David Schlotterback and Michael DeVitoMy take: This is just superb work. It features excellent design, great character work, a fiercely original concept, a lot of humor, and just everything you could want from a successful webcomic. While it may not have the ability to reach the storytelling heights of others, it will definitely entertain throughout and would be a boon to the Zuda lineup due to its episodic yet serialized feel. Phenomenal work in my book.
Sci-Fi Drive-by by Ryan Estrada
Current Rank: 3
Synopsis: How do we fight an enemy that is hidden among us? When anyone you know could be an alien, who can you trust? A riveting mystery that asks… can YOU tell who is an alien?
My Take: I’m going to be perfectly honest. I have no idea what is going on here. There doesn’t seem to really be any driving story, just a set up (aliens have come to Earth and hiding rather conspicuously on Earth) that seems more fit to a newspaper comics section that a Zuda competition.
But damn if this isn’t funny and original in its complete obviousness. I can’t say I’m not completely sucked in immediately and entertained throughout. If this was in my local paper on a daily basis, I’d read it. I can say that much. I’d love to see more from this title, just because it is awesome.
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Aliens vs. Ninja vs. Samurai by Darrin Stephens & Jorge VegaSynopsis: When a legion of samurai square off against a clan of ninja, nothing on Earth can stop their violent clash. But the greatest danger to both armies isn’t from Earth…
My Take: I’d say this may be my least favorite contender. Absolutely no development, poorly designed art that seems too computer generated, a general lack of clarity, and a very generic storyline that seems to capitalize on people’s general interest in the three character types. No thanks.
Fulcrum by Alexander Diochon
Current Rank: 5
Synopsis: In just about any situation everyone has their own agenda. The trick isn’t deciding who is right or wrong, good or bad, the trick is just deciding whose agenda matches up the best with yours.
My Take: Primary negatives: too many panels, jerky lead character. That’s pretty much it. I really dig the semi-monochrome design with the intermitten color flourishes. The plot seems awesome – a prison community built in a city for them to basically create their own world. Very cool, and the task given to him is intriguing in multiple ways: there is the actual task, and then there is figuring out why he was chosen and who this person who is commanding him is.
A very intriguing candidate.
Gelgun by Lazarus Ray Berry
Current Rank: 6
Synopsis: A mysterious warrior named Gelgun becomes entangled in a web of supernatural conflict as he attempts to free his Queen from Mortram the summoner.
My Take: This is an occasionally beautiful story. The visuals, particularly backgrounds and the big picture stuff (namely screen 8) really stand out. I think it is interesting that they chose to design each character in a different fashion, as the main character Gelgun is given a powerful, sketchy design and his eventual partner is created to have a very anime like look. The visuals are definitely the highlight of the production.
The story is decent, if not a little underdeveloped (of course it is in 8 frames). While we know Gelgun is there to save his Queen from Mortram, and is off on a task at Mortram’s bidding to do that very thing, we don’t really know much about anything else going on around it. I feel fairly confident that they could develop this story more going forward though, and it’s interesting enough to earn it some solid fans. The biggest negative is definitely the lettering though, which is hard to read at full screen and a bit too period specific to be easily legible.
Techno Insecto by Samir Barrett
Current Rank: 7
Synopsis: Eli’s world is turned upside down when he creates Techno Insecto; a robot that gives him amazing power. But everyone wants his tech as a weapon, it’s up to Eli & Techno to stop them.
My Take: I really enjoyed this one. It throws us straight into the action and quickly develops the situation and the main character for us. We know he works for a company who is developing weapons and that the security force for said company is going to be nefarious at the very least. The splash on screen 8 is phenomenal, and overall the art is a real draw. While it starts perhaps a bit silly, the rest of the panels are rendered with a lot of personality and a real sense of storytelling presentation.
Continued belowI’m definitely a fan of this and am looking forward to seeing where it goes.
Divided by Seven by Scott Boyce
Current Rank: 8
Synopsis: Frank just got super powers. A good thing. Frank it seems is also a prisoner of the FBI and constantly dreams of his own death. Everything has a cost.
My Take: While the art in this story is solid, rendered in a very kinetic and intriguing black and white, I really have almost no feel from this one. The plot is completely uneventful and even ambiguous so far, conveying basically nothing in the first 8 frames. We know our main character is very, very fast, has nightmares and is in the employee of the FBI. Besides that, not a whole lot going on there in my book.
New Morning by Louie Chin
Current Rank: 9
Synopsis: A young orphan boy named Dylan, encounters some mishaps and embarks on voyages around the world.
My Take: Alright, I’m not going to lie – I really enjoyed this. Chin has a real artistic gift, as he has significant talent for coloring and design. He can weave in and out of styles with the greatest of ease, but overall it maintains a fairly consistent look. I also loved his use of the Chester Gould style boxes to tell random facts or statements that need to really stand out. The story itself is the beginning of the tale of the boy pirate, and it is very inventive and full of personality.
While it does verge on the zany from time to time, it never submits to that side too much. I think this is the foundation of a really good comic.
Hawkrider by Marco Palombelli
Current Rank: 10
Synopsis: In ancient times hawk-riders used to be legendary figures. Sarnek dreams of being one, but he’s got a kleptomaniac passenger and a proud hawk to handle.
My Take: I think there’s a lot of talent here from Palombelli. The art is stellar at times, with the first and second frames being particularly exceptional in the way the layouts are structured and the actions are engaged. The story itself is intriguing, and something that I think could becomes special over time.
However, the biggest issues it has as a story are that it fails at establishing any interesting characters and that it’s simply told too quickly. It seems as if the story gets too far, too fast. That even affects the art, as while attempting to get more story in, the art gets clouded by panel overkill. It weighs down the effectiveness of the art overall. Throw in a Hawk’s beak that occasionally verges on Toucan Sam esque, and Hawkrider’s merits are equaled by its problems.
