58 replies to this topic

[Shadow]

I thought it was high time I'd show you guys here this little comic I been silently working on.If any of you remember Dcaarmus back in the day and his SatAM Season 0 project that sadly never got off the ground, I really wanted to make something of it. I thought that what he had planned was too good to go to waste, so with his permission and guidance I am starting a comic based off what may have been.

First story here is about Robotnik. Marama has been doing all the word bubbles and little touch ups here and there which I am so thankful for...so credit goes to her for helping make this happen.






http://genocyber.dev...ge-01-156984514
http://genocyber.dev...ge-02-156984597
http://genocyber.dev...ge-03-156984677
http://genocyber.dev...ge-04-161661873

[Glitcher]

Oooh, a new comic! I love a good story as much as good art.

The comic is much grittier than what we're used to from Archie or the show. It's a striking atmosphere and one fitting for a war epic. I like the red sky as it sets the mood for the scene, but it clashes somewhat with the lush, green grass. The fire effects are fairly decent and I particularly like the blood splashing on the third page. Mara also deserves some credit for supplying some pretty sound effects to accompany them, but she should really select a proper comic font for the dialogue. A quick glance at the first Sea3on short should give her a clue. (Salamander, I hope you're reading this too.)

The battle scenes on the first two pages fall short, mind. They're all drawn from the easiest possible angle: a mid-range, level point of view. They fail to draw the reader into the action when they offer neither the intensity of a close kill or a sweeping view of the opposing forces. As far as I can tell, there are less than ten people fighting in this 'epic' war. It's really disappointing and I think part of the problem stems from choosing a simple three-panel page format without planning various perspectives to portray the war. Another letdown is that the explosions aren't nearly as destructive as they should be. An explosion has a devastating effect on its surroundings beyond its own outline. It sprays earth and shrapnel, it blankets the view in a blinding light and it shoots jets of smoke and hot ash everywhere. I see absolutely none of that here. One comic I usually turn to when I need a reference for battle scenes is Nausicaä of the Valley of Wind. (Read parts F and G to see what I mean.) Note how sometimes we look up at the action from ground level to emphasize the danger, or how the point of view alternates between close-ups and wide shots, or how explosions and shrapnel can obscure the characters, or how the shape of the panels is designed to fit the content, or how dozens of soldiers can be drawn in panels much smaller than yours. It would be wise to look up such references when planning future pages. Your comic has piqued my curiousity so far, but it could have been drawn so much better.

[Shadow]

Thanks so much for the critique. This first snippet of the battle wasn't meant to be anything huge,just more of an introduction.But I thank you for your 2 cents on what needs to be improved.Bear in mind,their will be more fighting in the story to come and I will be doing more detailed war shots as the story progresses.I actually do use plenty of references I take here and there to help make it more solid.But I am also following what Dcaarmus set down for how he wants certain things to look.

[Glitcher]

What exactly did Dcaarmus tell you?

[Shadow]

What exactly did Dcaarmus tell you?

Just how some of the characters should look that I cant figure out for myself mostly. I based the human soldiers shown off what he put in his flash trailer.

[The Man]

There's so many ways to do this. One idea is to split the panels diagonally in the center and show the Commander slaying Mobians on another front. Maybe Robotropolis?

I'm not sure if the show was intended to be this violent. Good work anyway.

[Shadow]

Here's some new pages. Mara won't be able to help me out anymore due to some health problems she's having so I might have someone else helping me with future pages.Hope you like 'em.




http://genocyber.dev...ge-05-163548967
http://genocyber.dev...ge-06-163549137

[Glitcher]

Looks interesting so far. The blur and glow on the first page are a nice touch. You might want to pick up a proper comic font from Blambot instead of using plain old Arial.

[Shadow]

The font was done by Mara.I think it looks alittle better in these pages.The word bubbles and such are done by a friend of mine who is helping.




http://genocyber.dev...ge-07-163671428
http://genocyber.dev...ge-08-163870419

[Glitcher]

You're kidding me, right? You can draw, ink and colour full comic pages, but you can't do something as simple as add text? It's really just a matter of finding the right font (WildWords is a popular choice for an authentic comic look) and draw in some word bubbles with the Pen tool. I also recommend you read a guide on how to stylize your text properly. Oh, and you should tell your friend he needs to learn how to curve his bubbles' tails.

[Shadow]

You're kidding me, right? You can draw, ink and colour full comic pages, but you can't do something as simple as add text? It's really just a matter of finding the right font (WildWords is a popular choice for an authentic comic look) and draw in some word bubbles with the Pen tool. I also recommend you read a guide on how to stylize your text properly. Oh, and you should tell your friend he needs to learn how to curve his bubbles' tails.

I don't add the text because I don't know how to properly do it. I don't know how to use that chart of font.The only font I know how to use in MS Paint font...which is why I ask for help.

[Glitcher]

Wait a second... you made this comic in MS Paint? Strange, I don't notice any pixelisation. Do yourself a favour and get your hands on Photoshop or, failing that, download Gimp. Then you can use whatever font you like and you won't need to wait on someone else.

[Shadow]

Wait a second... you made this comic in MS Paint? Strange, I don't notice any pixelisation. Do yourself a favour and get your hands on Photoshop or, failing that, download Gimp. Then you can use whatever font you like and you won't need to wait on someone else.

No,no...I meant that on my own,the only access to texts are what MS Paint provides.I have photoshop but I barely know how to use it.I use Opencanvas for coloring.

[Glitcher]

I have photoshop but I barely know how to use it.

What the video fails to mention is that, when you have the Type tool selected, you need to change the anti-aliasing method from None to Sharp in the Type toolbar at the top of the screen, otherwise your text will look pixelated.

[Shadow]

I followed that tutorial and changed the text to Comic Sans MS.I think it works out well..

[furrykef]

Actually, Comic Sans MS is a widely reviled font... ^^;

[Glitcher]

furrykef is good, furrykef is wise. Not only is Comic Sans MS notoriously overused (in fact, it's the font in your comic), but most comics use an all-caps font. Again, try WildWords or one of Blambot's fonts and see how that works for you. If you find the default text settings are too cramped, you can adjust the horizontal and vertical spacing in the Type menu by clicking on the rightmost icon in the Type toolbar.

You may also find this useful for curving your text according to the needs of the panel:

[John Roberts]

Rather fond of the Komika text myself.

Some interesting work you got going here, Shadow. Keep it up mate.

[Shadow]

Thanks John.
Though,there is something I am overlooking I think that I don't quite understand.These graphs of text are nice and all,but since they aren't featured with photoshop...how am I to use these? What your sending me is only images

[John Roberts]

Oh, no. Click on those 'images' and it will direct you to download that style. Just click and drag the file into your Fonts section on Windows, and Bob's your auntie, it will appear in the list of available fonts in Photoshop (or any program for that matter).