Transgressive Adventures Thru The 3am Ether

entropykid

Four years ago in this very forum I posted some of the art/comics I had been working on. I had just began using photoshop, and had switched from a more John Van Fleet/Simon Bisley/Dave Mckean inspired painted graphic novel look to attempting to do "funnies"...the result, of course wasnt pretty.

So four years later, I've decided to once again resume doing regularly updated comics
(for my new site http://www.neoramen.com/ ) while persuing other forms of media.

Anyways, here's a few examples of what I've been working on
(as well as a gamer/anime print zine:
http://www.neoramen.com/gallery/zineprev1.jpg and print comic )


I also have music to accompany my webcomics: http://www.xenocanon.com/ (under mp3)

MagicToaster

Though the art look incredible, I couldn't bring myself to read it.

The text is too much!

The One Dark Knight

I don't know about anyone else, but I had such a hard time figuring out what was going on.

The problem seems to mainly be with the word balloons - they're not easy to follow, and so sometimes the dialogue doesn't flow properly, and I have to backtrack.

Actually, there's a lot of places where the dialogue doesn't flow properly or I just don't get it - the second comic down doesn't make any sense to me. I find myself having to re-read to understand.

In some of the more 'story' oriented panels there's also difficult dialogue- too many ideas in one panel, so it becomes hard to follow.


Maybe I just don't have backstory here?


Anyway, you have pretty good art , typical webcomic style. But too much text/not enough concentration on a single idea in each series of panels. They jump around to much for me to follow.

Mayday

Tofu guy!!!
Welcome back!

The humour is still somewhat incomprehensible to me at times, but the art has definately improved. Good luck!

freek

heh, looking through these I was thinking to myself, "This looks like entropykid's stuff. I wonder where he went." Then I read the OP. uhduhhhh...

Like everyone before me has said, I like the art. It's like a lighthearted Jhonen Vasquez with more colors, but I have no idea of whats going on with the story, or even what game they're playing.

thevo1ta

Is this an actual game or all fiction? Like everyone before me I too do not understand what is going on. The art on the other hand is awesome

Ape2001

If I had a geek-o-meter, it would have just exploded ^^'

Art is cool.
Jokes are as fresh as beef still standing on a meadow and chewing grass. Also sometimes as hard to get.
Like the stuff like "VNV Noodles" and "Illumilatte" ^^

Dr. Dastard

Totally awesome illustrations, dude...

...But not one of those made me laugh. :?

entropykid

freek wrote:

heh, looking through these I was thinking to myself, "This looks like entropykid's stuff. I wonder where he went." Then I read the OP. uhduhhhh...

Like everyone before me has said, I like the art. It's like a lighthearted Jhonen Vasquez with more colors, but I have no idea of whats going on with the story, or even what game they're playing.

Yeah Jhonen Vasquez is definately a big influence on me, Masamune Shirow is as well in some of my other art. The game world, is a fictional game...where its like an all out super smash melee world except with massive ground wars with mech tanks as well, or pocketed guerrilla fighting in random urban map areas. The idea is that its like an MMORPG, where ya earn EXP and money and there is guilds, but theres no turn based; its all action.

Im eventually soon going to bring the comic to a more ensomble cast, so an attempt between the action of the online world and then kind of a "hangout comic" as well when they are offline.

Mayday wrote:

Tofu guy!!!
Welcome back!

The humour is still somewhat incomprehensible to me at times, but the art has definately improved. Good luck!

Thanks. I realize I may be way out of touch with the science of humor or delivery. I don't want to be like Family Guy, wherein its a heavy reliance on just throwing as many pop culture references clumped together. I also dont want to go too much into blue/taboo humor which I tried to do awhile back.

The One Dark Knight wrote:

I don't know about anyone else, but I had such a hard time figuring out what was going on.

The problem seems to mainly be with the word balloons - they're not easy to follow, and so sometimes the dialogue doesn't flow properly, and I have to backtrack.

Actually, there's a lot of places where the dialogue doesn't flow properly or I just don't get it - the second comic down doesn't make any sense to me. I find myself having to re-read to understand.

In some of the more 'story' oriented panels there's also difficult dialogue- too many ideas in one panel, so it becomes hard to follow.


Maybe I just don't have backstory here?


Anyway, you have pretty good art , typical webcomic style. But too much text/not enough concentration on a single idea in each series of panels. They jump around to much for me to follow.

I have think I do have hard time I think making gags/ideas flow in an easy to get manner. As if I am kind of cramming in as many ideas as possible and seeing which ones stick. Art wise I visualize everything as animated, hence trying to make it look kind of cartoonish and vibrant.
But translating a gag or action scene that works in my head to something that flows right is a problem for me. I've found when someone has a good script, I can go off that much better timing wise.

It's a story oriented comic tho, I guess youd kind of have to start from the first panel. Its pretty much a retake on my old story of a guy lost in the retail mall shuffle who is literally almost living in an online gaming world.

Ape2001 wrote:

If I had a geek-o-meter, it would have just exploded ^^'

Art is cool.
Jokes are as fresh as beef still standing on a meadow and chewing grass. Also sometimes as hard to get.
Like the stuff like "VNV Noodles" and "Illumilatte" ^^

Glad ya liked some of the more esoteric stuff.

I may be the only webcomic who decided to spoof the old school arcade game NARC:)

Grifter

I've missed you, mate. Welcome back.

Kuro Hou

Art good, writing confusing.


Sorry, all I got, and even that was all said before.

srsizzy

Wow, the art is great. Very Jhonen Vasquez-esque.

But...as said, I don't really know what's happening overall, or even in each strip.

tynic

Seriously, dude, lay off the sugar.

earthwormadam

I remember your comics from way back. Visually they are striking, but too many other factors bog them down for me. Too much text is a big hurdle for me to jump. I know that sounds lazy but when I see tons of text in comics, I tend to skim them. It can just kill comics for me, before I even really start to dig into them.

Your comics subject matter really haven't changed at all, but I guess the demographic you're aiming at just doesn't include me. The one thing I always did love about your stips though, was the unique character designs. keep plugging away.

MufasaJoe

Mang, I used to read pockybot alla time. I don't know what happend. I think you went on hiatus, and I moved and formatted and lost my bookmarks, but I always loved the art. And the penguin. Can't honestly say I ever read any of em. Great graphics.
The new strip format does not do your work justice. I don't know what updating schedule you're on, but big strips are better suited to what you do. Think I've got a pick of you in some cyberpunk gettup somewhere...
Is there a URL I can go to see the ol pockybot stuff I loved?

entropykid

MufasaJoe wrote:

Mang, I used to read pockybot alla time. I don't know what happend. I think you went on hiatus, and I moved and formatted and lost my bookmarks, but I always loved the art. And the penguin. Can't honestly say I ever read any of em. Great graphics.
The new strip format does not do your work justice. I don't know what updating schedule you're on, but big strips are better suited to what you do. Think I've got a pick of you in some cyberpunk gettup somewhere...
Is there a URL I can go to see the ol pockybot stuff I loved?

Oh man, that woulda been awhile ago. Yeah I've been known to wear some pretty out there outfits at conventions(including a giant tentacle monster outfit)

earthwormadam wrote:

I remember your comics from way back. Visually they are striking, but too many other factors bog them down for me. Too much text is a big hurdle for me to jump. I know that sounds lazy but when I see tons of text in comics, I tend to skim them. It can just kill comics for me, before I even really start to dig into them.

Your comics subject matter really haven't changed at all, but I guess the demographic you're aiming at just doesn't include me. The one thing I always did love about your stips though, was the unique character designs. keep plugging away.

Honestly, I am trying to figure out how to make the dialogue/lettering/text baloons flow better, seem more natural. Sadly, this is what I come up with:

Sir Peechizworth

i'm not even sure what order to read those in...

Ape2001

You probably need some combo-like instructions for these ^^ Like down down right-up down down right-up down down.

An adventure of it's own :^:

MagicToaster

entropykid wrote:

Although I highly aprove of sandwich related humor... I fail to see how this conveys 'power of sandwich'.

Rye

It feels like too many jokes in one comic.

Every speech bubble attempts to contain some cutting humor or overly verbose description of something. If you just slow down, write simpler, and give a character a chance to shine each comic, people will get a grip on them easier. You can mix it up every once in a while, but if you keep trying to work everyone into every comic, it gets crowded.

You have enough writing for comics twice the size of your current ones. Either double up or cut the writing down a bit. This is akin to the reason action films tend to mix high energy with low energy scenes to give the veiwer a breather before the next scene.

entropykid

Here's my latest piece:

Sir Peechizworth wrote:

i'm not even sure what order to read those in...

Well, to make any sense of the continuity ya have to start 20 strips ago:
http://www.neoramen.com/home/archive.php?fl=first

The idea of a couple of disaffected youths lost in a virtual mmorpg action world to escape their lives outside is nothing new, but it was always the setup I thought that'd allow me to both have epic adventures with kooky crazy villians and battles while also managing to spoof things that happen in real life.

Ape2001 wrote:

You probably need some combo-like instructions for these ^^ Like down down right-up down down right-up down down.

An adventure of it's own :^:

Awww, the Justin Bailey/A,B,A,B,A,B/UUDDLRLRBAS codes are for the uninitiated...it's all about switching cartridges mid game on the Sega Genesis! Or as I call it, ghetto game genie.

MagicToaster wrote:

Although I highly aprove of sandwich related humor... I fail to see how this conveys 'power of sandwich'.

Err, it's a subtle kind of power...like the wafting head of a nicely oak barrel terroire aged wine from Tuscano! ^___^;;

Axim

yeah the whole story is way too busy, great art you've got the style and progression down pat but honestly it's the reason i don't attempt something like this, writing a interesting and humourous strip is not easy. and really it's the story people come for. i think achewood is the best example of ridiculously poor art but with brilliant writing and that's really all it needs. (olol opinion)

entropykid

axiumxp wrote:

yeah the whole story is way too busy, great art you've got the style and progression down pat but honestly it's the reason i don't attempt something like this, writing a interesting and humourous strip is not easy. and really it's the story people come for. i think achewood is the best example of ridiculously poor art but with brilliant writing and that's really all it needs. (olol opinion)

Oh some of my favorite comics that always suck me in are some of the simplest ones...or rather, deceptively simple^^

Trying to get the right story/humor combo is quite the challenge, especially when one's focus is more on style than conveying humor more than a few people can get.

I like to focus on trying to push my medium, but it can definately ring hollow if it's all pretty and no substance.

I'm trying the less words is more thing, not sure how to get that down to a science:

entropykid

I have switched gears with my art and comic, toward a much more "less wacky" action/anime style for a story arc. Lemme know what ya think of the newer style:

entropykid

Some of my latest work:

I also have music to accompany my webcomics: http://www.xenocanon.com/ (under mp3)

MagicToaster

You know, your inks are really tight and your backgrounds, too... so why are you being so sloppy with your speech bubbles? The text is crammed so horribly within the speech bubbles that it's actually touching the edge of the bubbles!

TOUCHING IT!!!