Showing posts with label Zuda competition. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Zuda competition. Show all posts

Wednesday, 2 December 2009

Melody - Web Comic

Melody - Read on line a Zuda.comMelody Web Comic PageStraight from the Zuda Synopsis: Through chance, Mel comes into possession of the melody to “the greatest song in the world”... but not the lyrics. The tune comes straight from the Muse Of Song and it’s of supernatural power, everyone who hears it will love it! Various groups of people (politicians, the church, advertisers), they all want it for their own means. By providing their own lyrics they could shape it to be the ultimate propaganda song. Some try to buy Mel, some to charm her, some to intimidate her. And when ruthless ex-spy, Damien, goes after her she soon finds herself running for her life. She has to stay alive and do the right thing with the divine melody in her head...Now if only she could find out what the right thing is!

The Writing
I originally read the first 8 pages back when this was part of the monthly competition and was not all that impressed, not that my initial opinion mattered as it finished in 1st place winning that month's competition. I revisited this comic recently and found it had been completed. After reading through the 60 pages of well scripted, thoroughly entertaining story I take back my initial unimpressed stance. This is a really good story although i feel it might have ended too soon. We were just really getting to know the characters and their motivations.

The Art
The art is Nice, good solid structure and fantastic colours. Illias Kryriazis has been a pro since 2001 and it shows in this highly polished web comic. Not overly simple and not too detailed the art really lends itself to the Zuda framework. It does have a kind of European feel to it, although this may be because the artist is from Greece, which is a good thing. As with many of the newer Zuda Comics the artist seems to have designed his panels to fit a screen rather than a page and some of the layouts are really innovative. I'll definitely be checking out some of his other stuff.

Updates
Mondays

Links
Melody Online Comic
Illias Kyriazis Deviant Art

Recommended if you like. . .
Sin Titulo, Preacher, Last Warring Angel etc.

Tuesday, 7 July 2009

Celadore - Web Comic

Celadore Webcomic at Zuda.comPages from Celadore WebcomicSticking with Zuda for this one. This was another one I kinda missed. I remember reading the original eight pages and thinking that is was nice but do we really need a Buffy Junior. . . Turns out we do and Celadore is Buffy Junior and a whole lot more.

The Seemingly familiar story of a strong sexy female Vampire hunter begins as it should, with her fighting a couple of vamps, but before you know it the story flips over and gives us the mesmerizing adventures of a prepubescent vampire hunter with a supporting cast that has something for everyone.

Writing
Fast paced adventure that slows down every so often to let you catch your breath. We have vampires, Fairies, Monsters and much more. The first arc introduces us to the main characters and effortlessly presents their personalities, backgrounds and abilities without the usual flashback nonsense(I've been over it a few times and it still surprises me how quickly I became familiar with the cast). Some really interesting twists and turns make this comic one to watch. Writing this I've read about 120 pages and now look forward to reading it on a regular basis.

Art
This is a weird one. At first glance I thought "nah, not for me" then I thought "kinda suits the tone of the story" which lead me on to "this is actually pretty cool" and now I'm all "I should try and draw like this guy". The style of the art has a Saturday morning cartoon feel mixed with a bit of Mike Avon Oeming of "Powers" fame. Bright and colourful but dark and shadowy when needed.

Links
Celadore Webcomic (Flash Plug-in Required)

Recommended if you like. . .
Buffy, Harry Potter, Saturday morning cartoons etc

Monday, 6 July 2009

High Moon - Web Comic

High MoonHigh Moon Comic pagesOk now, where to start with this one. High Moon , was one the first winner of Zuda's monthly competition. I initially never looked twice at as the original 8 pages never looked that good. How wrong was I? I took another look at it the other day and was absolutely blown away. I must be a bit slow on the uptake because i totally missed it.
Now on to my review. .
Werewolves . . . Check. Vampires . . . Check. Cowboys . . . Check. Three of my favourite film genres all wrapped up in a handy little flash webcomic along with Native American spirits/demons and some really strong characterisation and storrytelling make this one of my new fave webcomics. And should, in my opinion, become a new monthly printed comic under the vertigo label as it ould fit perfectly in that line.

The Writing
Really good, Twists and turns around the old wild west in ways remnicent of the Unforgiven movie mixed in with Buffy the Vampire slayer. Throw in a smattering of Steampunk, or a bit of wild wild west. . . . nah, scrap that i dont want to sour your conceptions of this great comic.

The Art
As I've said above I did not dig this when I first saw it but the art rally grows on you and suits the style of the story. Kinda reminds me of Dan Brereton of Nocturnal Fame, but with a smoother finish, not as angular as Brereton. Dark and brooding suits this perfect.

Updates
4 Pages a week on a 15 week schedule, Now also in printed format.

Links
High Moon Online Comic (Flash Plug-in Required)
Creator Blog
Zuda Comics

Recommended if you like. . .
Westerns, Vampire Moves/comics, Blade etc

Friday, 15 May 2009

Sam and Lilah - Web Comic

Sam and LilahPages from Sam and LilahFound this little piece of web wonder while hunting around other webcomic blogs. I initially passed it by as from the impression I got it reminded me of that line of "girl friendly" comics Marvel brought out a few years ago. I was so wrong. This is a really well done love story with vague-ish biblical references. I believe that this came in 4th in the Zuda monthly. Here's how its described over on the Act-i-vate site. " Fate really is a four-letter word. When Lilah meets Sam at a coffee shop, things seem to be headed in the right direction. He's cute, fit, not shy but not cocky. The problem is, Sam is short for Samson and when your name is short for Delilah, that's Trouble."

The Writing
I don't think I'm doing this comic a disservice by saying that the writing is cute. The story is so far is about falling in love and overcoming the unique obstacle the main characters have to face. The interaction between the two main cast members flows well and although more related to the art of this comic the use of little emoticon symbols and sound effects to emphasise the action or lack of it in certain scenes is nothing short of genius. I've seen this kind of stuff used a fair bit in manga based stuff and although this has a manga-esque overtone it is essentially an American style book with a manga influence. The story so far have moved forward at an acceptable pace and has enough pull to keep me coming back.

The Art
The art is brilliant. While not usually a style I like manga-esque feel of the art works well for this story. Like I mentioned above there is a definite "Marvel Romance" feel to the art but don't let this detract from a really good script. From my point of view each page has been expertly designed and works as a stand alone piece of art. I can see various design influence throughout the strip that make me believe that the creative team really have an eye for good design and maximise each page layout getting the most impact possible from each panel. Also this is one of the first things I've read where great care has been taken to incorporate sound effects and symbols to enhance the actual story telling not your usual Thwack, Snikt, Boom! stuff here.

Updates
Weekly

Links
Sam and Lilah Online Comic

Recommended if you like. . .
Strangers in Paradise, Romance Comics, Romeo and Juliet, Questionable Content etc

Tuesday, 17 March 2009

The Fighting Stranger - Web Comic

The Fighting StrangerFighting Stranger Comic PagesSaw the title and was instantly hooked. First read it over at Zuda when it was part of one of the monthly competitions in september 2008. I thought it should have ranked higher than it did. Maybe it was a bit slow to start or maybe the just the first 8 pages were not enough to show people the potential this had, but now that its getting going I think its great. So far the characters seem really good and although we are early in the story, as of this post, I'm with it for the long haul.

The Writing
The pace so far has been steady with not too much in the way of action, although when we did finally get some around page 25 it was worth the wait. I eager to see where this story is going. We have the usual post apocalyptic backdrop as so many other web comics seem to although not much is given away except that breathing outside is not easy.

The Art
Good solid art. Reminds me of some of the art in 200AD over the last few years. Not much else to say about the art as it probably one of the most professionally finished web comics that I've come across.

Updates
Weekly

Links
Fighting Stranger Online Comic
Creator Adam Monetta's Blog

Recommended if you like. . .
Mad-Max, 2000AD, Cyborg(movie with JCVD) etc