Round 3: Public Comment Thread (Everyone else post here please!)

[J. Torres]

What do you think?

[CPWilsonIII]

I think Mr. Reed's pages looks awesome! Can't wait to see everyone else's take on Octoboss.

[davechisholm]

reed's pages have great blacks on them (when i imagine them inked). i really like these.
i am betting that this round will easily be everyone's best thus far--possibly except McDaid.

[Nick Pitarra]

Sweet pages! And the best part is...you finished early enough for me to rip-off some of those sweet shots. Ha! JK...we only have one similar shot. For real though...cool pages...and way to blast the deadline to hell.

~nick

[Nikki_Nixon]

The mad babel fish translate:
The weak one of it is the face, much, but very weak expressions exactly.

<SAP mode on>
O fraco dele são as expressões faciais, muito, mas muito fracas mesmo.
<SAP mode off>

[polystyleneman]

Cool stuff! I'm going to wait to see the rest and finish mine before I take the time to crit though...

[davidbovey]

Nice work Mr Reed. I wish the scan quality was a little better. Seems to be some jpeg compression going on, making the details fuzzy and blurry in spots. Not as crisp as a scan should be.

One thing I don't like is when people crop off arms or legs in a flying pose like you did in the first panel. Takes away the weighlessness effect.

Love the spotted blacks in your work and these pages have a really nice energy to them. In my opinion, the best work you've done so far in this contest.

[Brandon Hanvey]

Nice work Mr Reed. I wish the scan quality was a little better. Seems to be some jpeg compression going on, making the details fuzzy and blurry in spots. Not as crisp as a scan should be.


I tried to darken the shots as much as I could without the jpg artifacts being too noticeable.

[larq2525]

My quick review of Jon Reed's Round 3 pages:

Page 1:
Panel 1 - I agree with what someone else mentioned as far as cutting off Invincible's hands in this panel. It takes away a bit from the whole "soaring through the vastness of the sky" feeling. Also, the anatomy is a bit odd here even for your style. I think the head may be a bit too small.

Panel 4 - Invincible's foot seems to be resting on the border here. It creates a tangent that draws my eye to it. Also, his head looks a bit disjointed from his body in this panel. It makes him look like he's got a bit of a rubberneck.

Page 2:
This page could have used some more cops and squidmen. It looks like there are only maybe three or four police officers on the scene and about as many squidmen. I feel like it should be a bit more hectic.

Page 3:
Panel 1 - This shot of Invincible is a bit bland and flat. If he's catching the manitee, shouldn't he be looking at it instead of staring blankly forward?

Panel 2 - I love this shot. Lots of feeling and a really nice angle.

Panel 4 - This is also a great panel. It really draws your eye to the focal point.

Overall:
I continue to dig your style for the most part aside from a few small anatomical anomalies. I really like the panel layouts and how much space you gave to each particular image. Your blacks are really well done as a few other people have mentioned. Good job, man.

[garth_b]

I quite like this Jon Reed.

My first impression is that there is something wrong with Invincibles' anatomy in Panel 1 Page 3. Also not quite sure about the anatomy of the guards/police.

Octoboss is great along with the Squidmen.

[Muddy Waters]

Jon Reed’s:

Aside some anatomy issues, there isn’t really too much to complain about. Good use of black areas. The pages were well executed and match the script fairly. But at the same time, I think they lack impact. The angles are a bit too predictable.

Overall, a strong effort, but a little too bland IMHO.

[rjdimariamiskovic]

I'm anxiously waiting to see all of the contestants entries for this round. I've just finished looking at Dan McDaids entry and all I can say is; I can't wait to plop down my hard earned money in order to purchase a comic book drawn by this guy. Nice work man!!!

[Goyo]

John Reed - liked the action in your sequence, but I guess there are some anatomy problems with Invincible. Great Octoboss, though!

Dan McDaid - great, great work. I thought your style wouldn't work much in an action-packed comicbook, but was I wrong... great work.

[Goyo]

The mad babel fish translate:
The weak one of it is the face, much, but very weak expressions exactly.

<SAP mode on>
O fraco dele são as expressões faciais, muito, mas muito fracas mesmo.
<SAP mode off>


Nikki's saying Reed's facial expressions are very weak.

[Muddy Waters]

Dan Mcdaid's

Must say I was specially curious about how McDaid would do this round. He has a classical approach, which at first glance doesn’t seem well suited for a title like Invincible.

But Dan managed to make an outstanding work. His artwork here shows clear Jack Kirby’s influence and is totally on spot. Page one is simply perfect, Invincible facial expressions are great.

Some minor complains: I think the page 2 last panel should accommodate the cops and the badies being thrown away by Invincible impact blast. At page 3 last panel, Invincible perspective seems a bit odd, his head maybe too big.

Anyway it’s a terrific submission. I think Dan is professional level and expect to see him working at the industry anytime soon. Congrats!

[joshm]

I've got time for a few comments. John Reed, your pages are cool. Nice action shots and the story flows nicely. Some crits, throughout the pages the poses are static. Nothing seems like it's moving in the panels or going anywhere. 2.1 is really cluttered and it feels like you're squeezing as many as you can get in the panel. Overall your pages are good.

I'll try to find time for more crits.

[Frogze]

Hi everyone!
First I just wanted to say I've been enjoying the first 2 rounds a lot, really a lot of varied talents involved in here.
- Jon Reed : Very good pages, the black areas are well balanced and have an eye catching quality, also like your design of Octoboss a lot. You style is quite oriented towards "realistic" and there are some anatomic issues with your human characters (not on all frames but sometimes, like the cops on page 2) that are a bit disturbing to me as a reader. Nevertheless you're one very talented contestant and 3rd round is my favorite from you so far.
- Then I also have to say I never doubted Dan McDaid would do a wonderful 3rd round. The man is not only a wonderful penciller/inker, he's one hell of a storyteller too. I love the 3 panel sequence, and the VS too, the comedy thing inserts into the story at the perfect time. The panels showing Invicible flying have also all the right classics' influence.

So there's no doubt for me, THIS guy is getting BIG in comics in a short time!

[gelows]

Nothing personal, but imho Reed´s work really sucked this roud.
The anatomy is a mess, dont gimme the "style" routine.

McDaid posted a much better work. As Muddy said, he should be pro already.

McDaid get mey vote right now, but Im still waiting for Caio´s work...

[Nikki_Nixon]

abissal babel fish translate:

Mc Daid dash is stronger, the art-final appreciates the trace of the artist. The monster was excellent, but as well as Reed, he suffers from the syndrome John Byrne, which does not vary the facial expression of character. On the face of the character you do not identify whether it is flying on a garden of Alah or on a field of war, insípito and without life.

<SAP mode on>
Mc Daid tem o traço mais forte, a arte-final valoriza o traço do artista. O monstro ficou excelente, mas assim como o Reed, ele padece da síndrome John Byrne, a qual não se varia a expressão facial do personagem. Pelo rosto do personagem você não identifica se ele está voando sobre um jardim de Alah ou sobre um campo de guerra, insípito e sem vida.
<SAP mode off>

[Phil Clark]

Interesting... usually by this time most of the contestants have posted their art. So far only two of the six have posted. Hmm.... Are the struggling, or are they making sure that the work is that much better than last round?

Can't wait to see the rest of the art.

[davidbovey]

Interesting... usually by this time most of the contestants have posted their art. So far only two of the six have posted. Hmm.... Are the struggling, or are they making sure that the work is that much better than last round?

Can't wait to see the rest of the art.

Yeah, the deadline's been pushed back to 3pm instead of noon so I think the artists are taking advantage of that.

[Goyo]

Jose Holder - very nice first page, we can really see that Invincible is having a good time, which the other contestants till now weren't able to do. Pages 2 and 3 a little disappointing in the overall, though I liked how you opened page 2.

Good job, not enough to convince me, though.

[kalorama]

Nothing personal, but imho Reed´s work really sucked this roud.
The anatomy is a mess, dont gimme the "style" routine.

McDaid posted a much better work. As Muddy said, he should be pro already.

McDaid get mey vote right now, but Im still waiting for Caio´s work...

Couldn't disagree more. I think this is easily Reed's strongest work of the contest. As for McDaid, I liked his first page, but I don't think the rest of it holds up as well. I think he made a misstep with the top tier of page two, which essentially used up 1/3 of the page on a visual gag that doesn't work very well and doesn't really convey any useful story info. He would have been better off using that space to expand the other two panels and give the visuals more room and maybe some additional visual clarity.

[Nick Pitarra]

I sent mine in about an hour ago...I need a mod to load them up for me...they are in my regular gallery though in my signature. I didn't have as much time with these pages as I would have liked...alot of school work came crashing down on me all at once,plus I couldn't get my shifts covered at work this weekend end. But it was a fun assignment all the same!

Man ...all three of you guys did great so far....and I'm really digging Jose's!

Best,
nick

[jasonbaroody]

I sent mine in about an hour ago...I need a mod to load them up for me...they are in my regular gallery though in my signature. I didn't have as much time with these pages as I would have liked...alot of school work came crashing down on me all at once,plus I couldn't get my shifts covered at work this weekend end. But it was a fun assignment all the same!

Man ...all three of you guys did great so far....and I'm really digging Jose's!

Best,
nick

i can't see your 2nd page on CAF.

[jpolacek]

Jon Reed: You've got a unique, fun style, but I'm with the critics who question your anatomy sometimes. The #1 thing that bothers me is the giant crotch gap you put inbetween the legs all your figures. That seems to be one of your trademarks, but it doesn't work (at least not for me).

Jose Holder: My first reaction when I saw Holder's page 1: Wow, he killed it! The best single page I've yet seen in the contest. The 2nd page was also pretty good, but then page 3 left me flat. Maybe it was deadline pressure but the last page lacks the style and cool composition, which was so evident on page 1. What's with Invincible’s boots and feet on panel 2, they are huuuuge! And on panel 4, his head looks like another artist drew it compared to how he was rendered on page1.

Dan McDaid: You are a solid, consistently good artist. Your pages have a lot of personality. The retro style may limit you somewhat in terms of working on mainstream comics, but so what. There's plenty of titles out there you could work on. One thing that I have noticed, is that sometimes you heads are a bit off - like on the last panel of page 3, where the figure seems off overall. Your inks are very loose, probably due to the time constraints. I'd love to see how they look tightened up, but that's probably not going to happen under these timelines.

[Steev]

I sent mine in about an hour ago...I need a mod to load them up for me...they are in my regular gallery though in my signature. I didn't have as much time with these pages as I would have liked...alot of school work came crashing down on me all at once,plus I couldn't get my shifts covered at work this weekend end. But it was a fun assignment all the same!

Man ...all three of you guys did great so far....and I'm really digging Jose's!

Best,
nick

That duck bit is a crack up! (Qwack up? nah.)
Nick you're my hero.

[Nick Pitarra]

i can't see your 2nd page on CAF.

Fixed it!

~nicky poo

[Nick Pitarra]

That duck bit is a crack up! (Qwack up? nah.)
Nick you're my hero.

And your mine. Wait..wait..let me refraise that.

Ditto.

[davidbovey]

Keeping the duck theme going...

Invincible movie starring Ben ...... AFFLACK!!!!!!

[Brandon Hanvey]

All the contestant's art has been uploaded.

The funny thing is all the contestant sent in their work under the "old" deadline of 12 PM EST. But they had until 3 PM EST with this round.

[kalorama]

All the contestant's art has been uploaded.

Really? I don't see a thread for CPW III.

[mightyfineline]

All the contestant's art has been uploaded.

Where's Mister Wilson?

[Brandon Hanvey]

He's posting his thread. When I said uploaded, I meant the art is on CBR's servers.

[mightyfineline]

He's posting his theard. When I said uploaded, I meant the art is on CBR's servers.

In the future please be clear... and what's a 'theard'?

[CPWilsonIII]

Where's Mister Wilson?

I'm right here, man! I'm right here!

And thanks for uploading them, Brandon.

[Brandon Hanvey]

In the future please be clear... and what's a 'theard'?

It's something you type as you are trying to do three things at once.

[gwor]

Dan and Jose's pages are the best by far!

A different level....

[Odinwolf]

Dan, Nick and Caio all had really fantastic pages. Dan really captured the youthful spirit of the book, Nick scored points with me for comedy and style(although I didn't really like the over-the-squid-shoulder, Invinici-rear-end shot in the final panel) and Caio's work, as always, was beautiful.

Reed and WilsonIII both had strong artwork, but for some reason, neither of them realy wow'ed me. Jose included some really good detail, but he made Invincible look like a superman parody. His jaw, hair and muscles were all exaggerated far too much. It looked like Invincible/Apollo/The Tick, instead of the Invincible we all know and love.

[DanielSchenstrom]

Actually I'm a bit underwhelmed. I thought almost everyone did a better job on the first two rounds. I'm going to look through everyone's pages again but I think that my vote's going to someone I never expected to vote for.

[polystyleneman]

Jose included some really good detail, but he made Invincible look like a superman parody. His jaw, hair and muscles were all exaggerated far too much.

I thought Invincible WAS a bit of a Superman parody, mixed with Spider-Man. Of course, I could be entirely wrong. The first I had heard of Invincible was when this assignment was given. (Well that's not entirely true, the character design looked familiar)

[polystyleneman]

Took a look. Seems like switching to superhero world revealed some limitations in these artists, though it also revealed some nice skills that we hadn't seen before.

Really impressed with Mr. Ottley's speed, he's like Insta-Judge!

[Odinwolf]

I thought Invincible WAS a bit of a Superman parody, mixed with Spider-Man. Of course, I could be entirely wrong. The first I had heard of Invincible was when this assignment was given. (Well that's not entirely true, the character design looked familiar)

I guess its a common misconception. Invincible's got super strength, durability, hearing and of course, flight. However, he is half-human son of a super-powered alien from a conquering race of beings and he doesn't have heat-ray vision, freeze breath or a weakness to a particular intergalactic rock. Nothing about his book, except for some side-characters that are obvious homages, says "Superman Parody."

His powers could cause him to be considered a part of the Superman archetype, but his book is more akin to Spiderman or Robin. It's about a young hero who is trying to do the right thing while he deals with being a teenager, dating and college. I don't want to ruin the books for people who might pick up the trades, but there's a lot more that differentiates his character from being a Superman parody. I highly recommend it to those who haven't read the series before.

[BADunn]

I haven't chosen who's going to get my vote this round but I must compliment all the remaining finalists. Choosing this time is going to be hard!

[polystyleneman]

I guess its a common misconception. Invincible's got super strength, durability, hearing and of course, flight. However, he is half-human son of a super-powered alien from a conquering race of beings and he doesn't have heat-ray vision, freeze breath or a weakness to a particular intergalactic rock. Nothing about his book, except for some side-characters that are obvious homages, says "Superman Parody."

His powers could cause him to be considered a part of the Superman archetype, but his book is more akin to Spiderman or Robin. It's about a young hero who is trying to do the right thing while he deals with being a teenager, dating and college. I don't want to ruin the books for people who might pick up the trades, but there's a lot more that differentiates his character from being a Superman parody. I highly recommend it to those who haven't read the series before.

Like I said, I could very well be wrong. You know a lot more about the book than I do. When I researched the character he was described as being a mix of Superman's powers and background with Spider-man's personality. (Not exactly, but the general ideas) And then I read an issue of Invincible and it didn't seem to conflict with that description. And I could tell already that it was far more than simply a Superman parody, which is why I said I thought it was "a bit" of a Superman parody.

[escapegoat]

Actually I'm a bit underwhelmed. I thought almost everyone did a better job on the first two rounds. I'm going to look through everyone's pages again but I think that my vote's going to someone I never expected to vote for.

Underwhelmed is exactly how I felt as well.....No one really hit it out of the park for me this round. I was expecting more to come out from everyone, but maybe it has something to do with the very loose plot. I expected the artists to throw in a little bit of extra stuff to it, but most of them played it too safe.

[rjdimariamiskovic]

Actually I'm a bit underwhelmed. I thought almost everyone did a better job on the first two rounds. I'm going to look through everyone's pages again but I think that my vote's going to someone I never expected to vote for.

Let's just say... "we agree to disagree". I actually like most of them... even Caio. Seriously, I'm not even lying this time. It will be interesting to see how the voting goes despite the friend & family vote.(Ya... I guess I'm calling the kettle black) LOL.;)

[davidbovey]

I don't think it's parody of those characters as much as it's an homage to them.

[polystyleneman]

I like the bird "subplot" in your pages Nick, but what exactly IS Invincible doing to the Manatee in the last panel, LOL?

[Steev]

THIS time I liked what Ciao did. Not enough to vote for him but close.

Nicky Poo was definetly in his element here. Also because Nick drew this, we know what Invincible's doing to the manatee in the last panel. :eek:

CPW3 did a darned fine job too. He continues to live up to the standard he set in the first rounds.

These guys are my top 3.

[Caio Oliveira]

THIS time I liked what Ciao did. Not enough to vote for him but close.

Nicky Poo was definetly in his element here. Also because Nick drew this, we know what Invincible's doing to the manatee in the last panel. :eek:

CPW3 did a darned fine job too. He continues to live up to the standard he set in the first rounds.

These guys are my top 3.

T-thank you, sir! If...if I cry now...would you hug me?:p

[jasonbaroody]

T-thank you, sir! If...if I cry now...would you hug me?:p
be careful,caio! steev just might hug you, and you don't want that!;)

[haybaath]

Underwhelmed is exactly how I felt as well.....

?
I wonder what you expected to see?

I liked almost all of the entries this week; what I liked most was that each artist's style is really beginning to shine through. But Dan McDaid's submission gets my vote again this week - his artwork and storytelling are a cut above.

[Caio Oliveira]

be careful,caio! steev just might hug you, and you don't want that!;)

Oooh man! I was kidding! Somebody take him of me! :eek:

[Yu-mon]

1 question
1 pergunta


era pra ser um leão marinho ou um peixe-boi nos desenhos?

[jpolacek]

Caio nailed it this time. This was his best round yet, because he was consistently good from page to page and panel to panel. Despite being called names by his friends from brasil for daring to vote for anyone else, he's going to get my vote this time around.

[kalorama]

I think Caio Oliveiro turned in the best work (despite some serious storytelling missteps in the last 4 panels of page two). Page one and the "manatee catching" panels on page two really capture the mood of the character. I also liked Jon Reed's work quite a bit (esp. page one), although he also had some problems with the storytelling in spots (on the Invicible/Octoboss collision scene and the last panel on page three). Overall, however, I think they best captured the feel of the character and the scene.


After giving him my vote in the first two rounds, I have to say I'm a bit disappointed in CPW this round. His pages look a bit rushed and don't really sport the drawing and storytelling strenghts of his previous work (esp. Round 2). They seemed to be bland and not well thought out, which is a surprise given his previous work.

One thing that some of the contestants did that I thought was a mistake was to use a sequence of smaller panels to bridge Invincible's sighting of Octobss at the top of page two and the shot of them colliding. This technique is generally used to slow down the passage of time in a scene, and it really seems counterproductive here because, if anything, you want to amp up the sense of speed and impact leading to the crash.

Some pretty good work but, as a whole, it seems like an overall step back from the last round. There's a tendency by some to dismiss the art in superhero comics as "mainstream" and lacking innovation, but I think what we learn here is that it's a hell of a lot hard to pull off than the detractors think.

[Brandon Hanvey]

1 question
1 pergunta


era pra ser um leão marinho ou um peixe-boi nos desenhos?

Babelfish translation

he was pra to be a marine lion or an fish-ox in the drawings?

Is it suppose to be a manatee.

É supõe para ser um manatee.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Manatee

[azubird]

nick's work this round was freakin hilarious- what a fun style. he did a great job. hats off to CPW and Holder as well. Ottley really is super judge- so fast! Interesting to read his perspective on all the contestants...my vote definately goes to nick, his work has so much character i could look at it all day long.

[Steev]

Oooh man! I was kidding! Somebody take him of me! :eek:
Ha ha ha! You have to be careful what you say!
Really great job this time.

[Goyo]

1 question
1 pergunta


era pra ser um leão marinho ou um peixe-boi nos desenhos?

Peixe-boi!

[polystyleneman]

I'm just super-impressed with the amount of detail Nick put into the buildings in the background, still not sure who I'll be voting for though. Need to let them sink in.

[Yu-mon]

Babelfish translation



Is it suppose to be a manatee.

É supõe para ser um manatee.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Manatee


thx brandon

thx goyo

[Nick Pitarra]

Lmao! Yeah that last panels abit weird huh:D ? Nobody picked up on the squidman holding his laser gun like a gangster rapper in that panel too(I thought it was funny)....the way the squidmen are posturing when they are shooting at the cops...and the way a few are beating the cops in the first panel of page 2 is probably my favorite thing that I drew. They just look ridiculous with those cone heads.

Thanks for your support and comments guys!

Best,
nick

[polystyleneman]

Looking at these again, does anyone else think a lot of the contestants missed an opportunity with how visually interesting Octoboss could be? I mean I look at the sample page provided and look at the contestants and I don't see the same dynamic, monstrous character with the dynamic and winding tentacles. I don't know, maybe that's why some of these pages are a little underwhelming to some people.

[mightyfineline]

Now I get to see what it’s like on the other side of this thing. Contestants are scored on a scale of 1 – 10 with 1 being the lowest.

JON REED –

Page One / Panel One Invincible looks way to beefy and some of the perspective on this page overall is a little off but the line work looks great. The city works really well and I love those hands on the last panel.

I don’t really have a huge problem with anything on Pages 2 & 3 – it all looks like good fun. I saw that someone commented on the square crotch gaps on your figures but I think that’s definitely a style thing and I personally like it (works especially well on the squid men) I’d be careful with it on female figures but its not a problem here.

Great spotting on the blacks and again, nice line work.

You Sir score a very respectable - 6.5

DAN McDAID –

Really not too much to criticize here and because of that I’ve decided that I hate you just a little bit… but you can just chalk that up to petty jealousy.

Invincible is one of favorite books and I’m a big fan of both Ryan Ottley and Cory Walker so your interpretation of the character isn’t necessarily my favorite but it does have it’s appeal and there’s no quibbling with the staging or execution on your pieces – I think the biggest thing to note here is that all of the contestants I think you’ve displayed the most consistency from one Round to another, a strong showing overall.

After deducting some ’hate’ points you pull in an - 8

JOSE HOLDER –

I hold Jose up to a higher standard so he’s gonna get brow beaten a little bit here. First off I have to agree with Ryan Ottley, I think the look of the character is off on these pages. I love Page One Panel One but I personally would’ve dinged you on changing direction from one panel to another and considering that the background (which looks great by the way) pretty much flows from one to the other the fact that you didn’t frame the panel almost makes it look like there are two of him in the same panel. The hair is way off, looks like Firestorm.

Page 2 looks awesome. If I had to nitpick anything I’d say that the little cutesy bit with dropping the ‘rookie’ over the one cops head was out of character for your stuff and completely unnecessary as we can plainly see from the guys expression that he’s ready to crap his pants. Page 3 is marred by the return of the “hair” but everything else really works… especially the shots of Octoboss on Panels 2 and 3.

You edge out McDaid by a very small margin – 8.5

NICK PITARRA –

I’ve gotta say man, I’m disappointed. I think you really missed an opportunity to play this one to your strengths and you passed on it. No real tentacle action going on, Octoboss wasn’t featured well and neither were the Squid Men really. It looks like you put a lot of thought into the duck gag which is great but that’s not what this piece was supposed to be about. As far as the draftsmanship, I understand that you were crunched for time but because of that the execution is on the poor side... sorry Dude.

I’m gonna have to give this one a – 4

CAIO OLIVEIRA –

That’s a very cool looking Aquarium.

I won’t be popular with our Brazilian contingent but I give this a – 6.5

CHARLES PAUL WILSON III –

This one falls into much the same category as Nick’s where I was expecting one thing and got a lot less. I think Ryan pretty much nailed most of the major points but I have to admit I’m surprised. Normally your figure work is quite strong and here where it really counted, it’s lacking. Given your following I’m fairly certain you’ll skate into the next round but moving forward you’re going to have to come better than this. I know that came off a bit harsh but I’m just being honest.

Comes in at a 5 for me –

Good Luck Guys!

[Goyo]

Looking at these again, does anyone else think a lot of the contestants missed an opportunity with how visually interesting Octoboss could be? I mean I look at the sample page provided and look at the contestants and I don't see the same dynamic, monstrous character with the dynamic and winding tentacles. I don't know, maybe that's why some of these pages are a little underwhelming to some people.

I felt the same, though I'd give the guys a break due to the short deadline.

Of course, pressure is part of the competition, but I guess we would see better results if they had more time to work.

[psycho_mbb]

Jose Holder. Reminds me Justiniano, great backgroud, but about the main characters it a little bit out of Invencible style.

CPWilson III In some panelss better than the last round (when in some panels your work reminded to me, a cross between Leinil Francis Yu - when he didn't force to much his traces and Mike McKone, or maybe it was just a misunderstood impression, but anyways...), and in other no.
In this one, the faces are defined as independent style, by yourself, wich looks better, at least in my opinion.
In page one, great backgroud, but Invencible looks like having a child's body than a teenager. in the main panel. In the others ok.
Your best moment was page 2.
I really like your design for the villains, but the right part of the bottom panel doesn't seems to fit, and the manatee really doesn't seems right.

Dan McDaid. Kirby style! To be short, I agree with Ryan Ottley's critics.

John Reed. Youy weekest work till now, despite the last page looks good. But the first gives a Bodybuilder looks to the character.

Nick Pitarra. Great work, and fits very well in character's style. I really like the ducks gags. But I miss some storytelling in page 2. Your page 1 was the best of everyone in this round. I really like manatte's face in panel 2, but the panel 1 and in the bottom seems a little bit rush, and not so well defined. Maybe with the panel 1 divided it could be better, and with a little more lines in the bottom of page.
Despite this, the gangsta's pose was good. But again, too small, and maybe that's the reason not so well noticed.
In page 3, only the last panel doesn't looks so good, and it was great the duck soluction. Again, in this page I agree with Ottley's critics.

Caio.In page, one, again I agree with Ottley. It seems a little bit lost, but in the bottom ok. The panel one seems the weekest in all the three pages.
In page 2, in panel 1 you did something that i missed in Nick's Work. Some better definition and with a large point of view.
Your manatte's was the best one, and really seems someone I Know. :)
Really like the soluctions you made in the last panels, includind the ones from the right. The look in the eyes where great.
It was really supposed to be image's logo?
In page 3 i just didn't like the Invencible's face in top=right-panel, despite the manate was again great.
And in the bottom, it's was the best "must-see-what-comes-next" ending.

[azubird]

i think the contestants are working really well under pressure. not only are they drawing like badasses, they are all staying true to their style AND have to deal with the actual voting situation which seems like it's pretty rough! i think we all have preconceived thoughts on routes that the contestants should take when drawing particular panels, and i think that the crits are good for them- constant learning experience and grooming for the future. Good job contestants for taking them so well- keep up the good work.

[Mateus]

Actually I'm a bit underwhelmed. I thought almost everyone did a better job on the first two rounds.
I was also kind of disappointed with everyone. I thought this round would be great, everyone seemed to be good to this assignment but when I looked at them they just felt rushed and a lot of people seemed pretty much lost. It's not that they-re bad, but everyone did such a better work on round 2 I was expecting a lot more now!

Anyway, my favorite is still Caio, for his great storytelling, specially on page 3, though I think the last panel on page 2 shouldn't be so small, since there was all the action.

I don't know what happened to Reed this round, he was never my favorite but I think he was really rushed this time and sadly he will probably be out of here this week, it's the weakest pages this round.

Pitarra was actually the most impressive to me, since I never liked his work and this round for me he was number 2. He was out of my top-4 list but now I really want to see him for one more round at least.

McDaid has the best page 1, but pages 2 and 3 are just not as clear as I'd like about some nice points of the script, specially the ending (in which I think Caio was perfect).

CPW was just way below what I expected. I loved his work on rounds 1 and 2 but this time I'd put it as number 5, which would sadly see him going home... hope this doesn't happen, and it probably won't.

Jose could have done an amazing job this round, but he simply mixed up the character or something, I have no idea who this hairy guy is. And I think that's a pretty serious mistake.

So I would put: 1 - Caio; 2 - Pitarra; 3 - Jose; 4 - McDaid; 5 - Charles; 6 - Reed.

[Mateus]

Really like the soluctions you made in the last panels, includind the ones from the right. The look in the eyes where great.
It was really supposed to be image's logo?
Had to look for this Image logo... it's really there! Amazing! :D

[Patrick_McEvoy]

Once again, this is an incredible field of entries! I think Caio's aquarium design is remarkable, and Jon really nailed the last panel with the ominous FG shading. Also, Dan's decision to go with a Kirby-esque character style really played into his strengths. Dan is an amazing stylist.

However, once again I must go with Jose. Damn, that guy can draw. Obviously, there were some problems staying on-model, but these layouts were the most dynamic, the character drawing was the most consistently solid, and it was just done with a HUGE amount of flair and bravura overall.

Sadly, I'm afraid Jose hasn't garnered enough fans so far in the competition to survive this round, but even if he goes I predict I'll be buying some of his comics off the rack very soon. For my money he's the class of an awesome group of artists.

[Brandon Hanvey]

From the comments of the public about no one being great and "hitting home run" this round, it will be interesting to see how it affects the vote.

[shwa96]

Underwhelmed is exactly how I felt as well.....No one really hit it out of the park for me this round. I was expecting more to come out from everyone, but maybe it has something to do with the very loose plot. I expected the artists to throw in a little bit of extra stuff to it, but most of them played it too safe.

Ditto. I was really expecting to see more, but then I'm hopelessly optimistic.

Pitarra told the best story, though Invincible should have been on the left side on page 3, panel 4. That way you see his triumphant figure first and then read any dialogue from his adversary which would lead you into panel 5. Makes you follow things in the proper sequence.

I just don't think I can give him my vote though, because while this was the best story, his figures still need a lot of work. Particularly in that last panel.

CPW still shows strong skills, but some of his panels were really awkward. I think he needs a tight script. Might have given him too much freedom here.

Jose was the biggest disappointment of the round, not because he had the weakest pages, but because I was really expecting him to blow me away this week.

He breaks the cardinal rule for superheroes. The characters are portrayed completely wrong. You can't take artistic license on a superhero's uniform or how a mutant villain looks. So while his page one looks great and is laid out well, I can't look at it without thinking, "That's NOT Invincible."

The second page starts off strong, but then he has Invincible coming in flat in panel 3 but straight down in panel 4. The real tragedy here is that he didn't even really need to show Invincible in panel 3. It would have been more effective just to have him driving the villain into the ground from out of nowhere.

Page 3 looks good, except the layout draws your eye from panel 1 to panel 3 rather than panel 2.

This should have been so good. This was his week.

*sigh*

Anyway...

I thought for sure my vote this week would be going to CPW or Holder, but I think it's got to go to McDaid again. There was nothing particularly exciting about his pages here, but it was just a solidly done set of pages. His one major mistake is easily fixable. He made the same mistake Jose did with page 2. He's got Invincible coming in from one direction and switching. The difference here, however, is that it's a "left-right" issue rather than a trajectory issue. As a result, you can flip one of these panels in photoshop before sending it to the colorist and it'll be fine. That wouldn't work for Jose's pages.

[joh james]

Thanks, Pat, and everyone for your crits and encouragement for the contestants, including myself. I must say that I had a truly great time on the Invincible stuff. Maybe too much fun! Ha! As I mentioned on other forums, the whole process is about enjoyment for me, and pushing the envelope. The decision to play with the character's look was an obvious one. Hate it or love it. I do it to shake things up and get people talking. Be it good or bad. Generally in a working environment liberties are taken with the approval of higher ups, customary for all artists creating in a team environment, and I'm far too trained to stray from that system. Trust me. For me, this is about having fun, pushing the limits of my skill and hopefully learning more about the process and myself. That, and I love entertaining the fans. Hope I can continue to put on a good show for future rounds. Enjoy.

[kymaera]

My thoughts:

Wilson
+ The poses and rendering of the characters was for the most part very well done.
+ I liked the action on the second page and the expressions of both Invincible and Octoboss in the third page.
- The detailed backgrounds in page 1 and the first panels of pages 2 & 3 make the rest of the panels in page 2&3 seem bare.
- The pose in page 1 and the cop and Octoboss (panel 4) seem off. Invincible has no hips. While I'm sure it's supposed to be her squinting to aim better, the expression on the cop is weird. Octoboss seems more frightened than pissed off.

Oliveira
+ I like the diving pose in the last panel of page 1 and the Invincible/manatee sharing an expression gag in the last page.
- The freaky teeth and pose in page 1, panel 1 makes me think "zombie Invincible". Same for Page 3, panel 2. Makes me think he's going to eat the manatee there.
- Page 2 is really weak. The bg figures are all in wonky poses and very sketchy. Octoboss and the Squidmen blend into each other a bit on panel 2, making it confusing. The boom panel is weakened by the goofy figures.

Pitarra
+ I like the idea of the faint whiskers and the expressions are slightly goofy, but definitely convey a sense of fun.
+/- I liked the duck gag, but wonder if the writer might be irritated at inserting it as it might take attention away from his script.
+/- The collateral damage in page two, panel 1 was nice, but I feel that a bit more work could have been done to make it clear that the generic figures were police officers (hats, uniforms).
- Panel three on page two was pretty bad. It's unclear what has happened from the visual (did he burrow underground, for example?) and not very realistic for the effect.

Holder
+ I love the laid-back (literally) pose in the first page.
+ You make the villains seem very scary and horrifying in the second page.
- The character looks more like the classic Firestorm than Invincible. Very off-model.
- The relative size of characters seem to fluctuate way too much. Octoboss is the worst for this, but the manatee and squidmen also seem to vary a bit.

McDaid
+ The smashing into Octoboss panel was very nice. Really conveyed the impact (pun intended) of the moment.
+ The last panel was great at conveying the "oh crap" moment.
- Invincible's face seemed off to me throughout the whole thing. Also, the poses in page one were a bit too bland and blocky.
- The "vs. sequence" on page two didn't do much for me. I think the space would have been better spent setting up the scene.
- Page 3: the second panel doesn't stand well by itself. It's a bit confusing what's going on. In panel four, you can't tell where Octoboss is or what he's doing.

Reed:
+ The Octoboss and squidmen were very interesting.
+ I liked the scenes in page two quite a bit.
- Invincible was blocky and awkward-looking in most of the panels.
- The poses and expressions in page 1 made it very weak and not very interesting.

I have to agree that no one really hit it out of the park this round. It's a shame that Holder was so far off model because I think he would've easily been my pick. Now, I think Pitarra probably is. Oliveira and McDaid would be the two that I'd be debating to be voted out if it were up to me.

[polystyleneman]

And not one Star Trek IV reference among the lot of 'em! :evilsmile LOL

[sgt pepper]

Ryan Ottley rules.

[Muddy Waters]

I’m lacking the time to review all entries. Basically:

The best: My favorite was Caio Oliveira. Nice and fun pages, very detailed, space left to the color work, good work on expressions. Good job. Dan McDaid scores a very close second place.

The “I-was-expecting-more”: Specially after Holder’s 1st round and CPW3 2nd one, I was unimpressed with their submissions on round 3. Holder style didn’t worked for the story and his Invincible was very different from the “official” version. CPW3’s artwork had some anatomy issues and overall was too bland.

The not so great: Pitarra and Reed. Although very talented I feel both have room for improvement, specially in the anatomy department. Pitarra’s duck joke was very cool though.

[polystyleneman]

Ryan Ottley rules.

I agree, he gave a lot of good advice and responded very quickly.

[Brandon Hanvey]

While there is a public voted prize this round, it will be interesting to see who gets voted off this week.

Will there be more strategic voting due to the lack of a strong front runner?

[polystyleneman]

I'm pretty sure Caio will take the prize. Not being snarky, and I know this topic is dead, but I'm pretty sure his fanbase will push him over the edge.

[Brandon Hanvey]

I'm pretty sure Caio will take the prize. Not being snarky, and I know this topic is dead, but I'm pretty sure his fanbase will push him over the edge.

I'm not talking about the winner of this round. I'm talking about the issue of which two will be eliminated.

[JimmyDee]

This week was a tough call. I'm going to think on this a bit, but I think CPW's pages narrowly beat out Dan McDaid this week. Caio was solid, but showed some weaknesses. Jon Reed's pages were my least favorite this week.

Going to wait to vote this week until right before the voting closes. I'm concerned McDaid may not get the support he needs this round and want to make sure he gets into the final four, so I'll hold my vote for McDaid if it looks like he's lagging. But at the moment CPW has it from me.

[polystyleneman]

I'm not talking about the winner of this round. I'm talking about the issue of which two will be eliminated.

Well since no one is really beloved this week, I'd say the best bellweather would be last week's voting, which would give me the impression that Dan and Jose might be in trouble.

[Brandon Hanvey]

As you can see here, Jose and Dan are able to get more votes than week two. Plus who knows how many Torres and Huerta votes will shift and who to.

http://brainiac.boilingpoint.com/~cbi3/brandoncbi/cbir1r2poll.gif

[mightyfineline]

Plus who knows how many Torres and Huerta votes will shift and who to.

If Wilson, Pitarra and Caio still have the same level of support as they have in past weeks, I don't know that my and Andrews votes would make much of a difference...

[Brandon Hanvey]

If Wilson, Pitarra and Caio still have the same level of support as they have in past weeks, I don't know that my and Andrews votes would make much of a difference...

Maybe not to the top, but to the bottom it could.

4 people go on to the next round. The person in fourth will need every vote they get.

[mightyfineline]

The person in fourth will need every vote they get.

True but if things remain the way they've been as far as the voting breakdown, unless there's a big shake up in as far as who's supporting who, there won't be much point. More than likely Jon Reed and Jose Holder will get eliminated in this round. Dan McDaid and Nick Pitarra will go in the next - it'll come down to Caio and Charles in the final round.

Now that has nothing to do with talent or how well they do from one round to another, it's just Math and much like yourself - I hate Math.

[Brandon Hanvey]

While there are trends in the past rounds of voting, I've seen things in past CBI's that have shown me to never discount anyone.

[joh james]

While there are trends in the past rounds of voting, I've seen things in past CBI's that have shown me to never discount anyone.

Reaaallllyyyyy.....?:p

[Mark Cardwell]

Funnily enough, the three competitors I reckoned would be the most comfortable with this assignment ended up being the ones I was most disappointed with, while the three arguably most idiosyncratic stylists ended up producing the better work, probably because they've superior storytelling chops.

Anyway, as since the start, I'll be voting for Dan McDaid - his pages here have real vim and dynamicism; his classicism suits the subject, reminding me of Cooke, Kirby and Sinnott, with even a bit of Keith Giffen's textures in there; and the gag at the start of page two cracks me up. I'd love to see these pages coloured, too.

[tPOV]

This could be one of the closer rounds. I don't think anyone really pulled off all three pages, so no one really stands out to me. So far, I'm between McDaid and Pitarra right now, and leaning toward McDaid.

[polystyleneman]

Now that has nothing to do with talent or how well they do from one round to another, it's just Math and much like yourself - I hate Math.

From everything I've seen Brandon LOVES math... and charts and graphs and and analytics....

[Brandon Hanvey]

From everything I've seen Brandon LOVES math... and charts and graphs and and analytics....

I neither love or hate math. I just like it as a friend.
I use it when I want to find an answer.

[Mateus]

True but if things remain the way they've been as far as the voting breakdown, unless there's a big shake up in as far as who's supporting who, there won't be much point. More than likely Jon Reed and Jose Holder will get eliminated in this round. Dan McDaid and Nick Pitarra will go in the next - it'll come down to Caio and Charles in the final round.

Now that has nothing to do with talent or how well they do from one round to another, it's just Math and much like yourself - I hate Math.
I think you're just saying this based on Round 2 but there was a big difference between rounds 1 and 2 and I believe there'll be some surprises again. From the consistency of votes from round 1 and round 2 I think there are three contestants who seem to have a large fanbase: Caio, CPW and Pitarra. At the same time, a lot of people are becoming big fans of McDaid and Jose during the competition but I don't think that'll be enough because of the "2nd favorite complex", but maybe this will be the most interesting fight this round, who will be eliminated between those 2. Because I think Reed has no chance, he did well on the first two rounds, but didn't really inspire a following (from what I see in people's comments here). His only shot was doing an amazing work on this assignment, and I think it was actually his weakest.

[mightyfineline]

I think you're just saying this based on Round 2 but there was a big difference between rounds 1 and 2 and I believe there'll be some surprises again.

I don't see where there was that much of a difference really, the only real shifts came from the bottom of the pile. The top three pretty much remained the same. Now when I say this - I'm not saying that there's necessarily anything wrong with having that steadfast support (hell, that's what it's all about) I just hope that the same people out here supporting those contestants would actually go out and buy their books.

You want to talk about surprises? Personally going into this whole thing during the Submissions round I felt that Caio had one of the weakest portfolio's out of the entire group but here he is 3 Rounds in still going strong.

Ultimately people have different likes and dislikes - I'm still pissed that NEXTWAVE didn't go beyond 12 issues but y'know that's me...

Fact of the matter is that only Four will advance and it's a pretty safe bet that right or wrong, we know who three of those guys are gonna be. McDaid'd had a strong showing lately so he'll likely be the fourth but that still leaves Holder who in my opinion is the over-all strongest of the remaining contestants out in the cold.

(*I say "remaining contestants" because I still say I could take him but that's a challenge for another time and place ;) )

[Reed]

Something!!!



I just wanted to say something.

[mightyfineline]

Something!!!

Well spoke Sir!! Huzzah!

For what it's worth Dude, I'd buy your book.

[Brandon Hanvey]

Here is an interesting thought.

Since this is a 1960's Marvel style plot script. I wonder how Kirkman would script the pages, and would he script any differently for each artist depending on how they drew the sequences.

[CPWilsonIII]

(*I say "remaining contestants" because I still say I could take him but that's a challenge for another time and place ;) )

Whoa, we should do a Comic Book Idol Zombie! Random eliminated contestants can pop back into the contest at any given moment!

[mightyfineline]

Whoa, we should do a Comic Book Idol Zombie! Random eliminated contestants can pop back into the contest at any given moment!

Meh' - I think that's called the Play At Home... snarf, snarf.

[polystyleneman]

Meh' - I think that's called the Play At Home... snarf, snarf.

Yes you've now joined the drones of the undead, otherwise known as those of us who are confined to the Play at Home thread, LOL. :evilsmile

[Steev]

Whoa, we should do a Comic Book Idol Zombie! Random eliminated contestants can pop back into the contest at any given moment!
Hoping you can come back in the last round, eh?



OH SMACK! ;)

[Kalyan Pokala]

No one blew me away, I guess it's between Wilson and Pitarra.

[Pól Rua]

I'm really torn between Charles Wilson III, Dan McDaid and Caio Olivera this round.
Charles' art was crisp and very, very nice to look at but I felt that it was a little pedestrian in terms of execution.
Dan's work was lovely. Had a really nice sense of fun and I just love that style. Great riffing on Kirby throughout, great dynamism and energy.
I loved the shot of the manatee going "mro?"
Caio's work was damn sweet. I loved the dynamic sense of movement. The thing I liked most was the little throwaway things. The design of the aquarium was spectacular, but what I loved most was the facial expressions. They really gave a lot to the drama of the situation.
Hrm.
I shall ponder on this.

[the goddamn batman]

Everybody did something I liked, but none of them blew me away and a few just dissapointed me.

I'm going to look at all of them again and really think about it, but if I had to vote right now, I'd vote McDaid. I think so far, he's been the most solid of the group. Aside from going all 50's last round. ;)

[Brandon Hanvey]

I quickly put this together. But it is a nice way to see how everyone did the scene differently.

http://brainiac.boilingpoint.com/~cbi3/brandoncbi/cbir3all.jpg

[R Santos Jr]

Nick, Jose, Dan and Ciao for the win.

Jon, I just didn't feel the magic. :(
CPW3, you draw good and all, but I never felt the magic to begin with. (Although you did do better than I initially thought you would.)

Dan held it down like he's been doing.
You're a LOOSE CANNON, Jose... but you get the job done.
Nick, don't EVER change. XD
Ciao, I wasn't really feeling your work like everybody else does... but you really impress me this round.

Good luck to everyone. It looks like this will be a tight race.

[Kaishounashi]

Caio did a great job, but my favorite this round was Mccaid. I was anxious to see his style on Invencible and he nailed it. He's got my vote.

[Kalyan Pokala]

Caio, what is up with Invincible's teeth? Is he half reptile or something?

There's no need to give him teeth, if you're going to do it, why do it so poorly?

That really stood out to me: besides that, nice work.

[Caio Oliveira]

You guys care that much about super heroes teeth?

Weeeeird! :D

[the goddamn batman]

I quickly put this together. But it is a nice way to see how everyone did the scene differently.


Except it doesn't say who did which... and there's a few I'm not even sure of. Nick's goddamn pages stand out... obviously.


Edited to add some goddamn goddamns, goddamnit.

[Nick Pitarra]

Nick, Jose, Dan and Ciao for the win.

Jon, I just didn't feel the magic. :(
CPW3, you draw good and all, but I never felt the magic to begin with. (Although you did do better than I initially thought you would.)

Dan held it down like he's been doing.
You're a LOOSE CANNON, Jose... but you get the job done.
Nick, don't EVER change. XD
Ciao, I wasn't really feeling your work like everybody else does... but you really impress me this round.

Good luck to everyone. It looks like this will be a tight race.

Thanks man! I'll try not to change anything......although I might stop using my DC Direct Ed Mcguiness Superman Toy for anatomy refrence. But its such a cool toy, maybe just a peak when I get stuck on back muscles or something.;)

~nick

[junbobkim]

Thanks for the compilation, Brandon... It's a hard week to pick... with some weak submissions from some of my favorites during previous weeks.

[Nick Pitarra]

Except it doesn't way who did which... and there's a few I'm not even sure of. nick stands out... obviously.

Ha! Love the pause....and then the obviously. Its all in the timing. But with that screen name it would have been even better if you said....Nick's God-Damn pages stud out....obviously. I probably would have fell on the floor. You got to squeeze that GD in more of your post man! Too freaking funny...or rather...too God-Damn funny.

~nick

[the goddamn batman]

Goddamn, you're right, goddamn... it.

I guess I could Goddamn edit it... obviously. :D

[Brandon Hanvey]

Except it doesn't say who did which... and there's a few I'm not even sure of. Nick's goddamn pages stand out... obviously.


Edited to add some goddamn goddamns, goddamnit.

Added the names.

[cg_maniac]

Amazing work by all the contestants. Thank you for providing us with some entertaining pages, and cheers for all your hard work.

It seems everyone had a bit of trouble with their storytelling or anatomy here and there, but overall I found something good in each entry.

Going to be a tough vote this round.

[kalorama]

I quickly put this together. But it is a nice way to see how everyone did the scene differently.

http://brainiac.boilingpoint.com/~cbi3/brandoncbi/cbir3all.jpg

Visual aids are always good.

Any chance of making this a regular display in future rounds?

[Brandon Hanvey]

Visual aids are always good.

Any chance of making this a regular display in future rounds?

I probably will.

[BADunn]

I'm still not sure. I think I will go with Dan this round as his was the most readable, the least flawed, and had the most faithful and enjoyable depiction of Invincible. But I wonder if maybe he didn't go far enough? Others probably went too far but Dan seemed just a touch flat in his concepts, save for the funny Vs. panels.

Jose actually did what Dan did last round and took too much advantage with the designs. I am not an Invincible reader (and I need to rectify that ASAP) but I know that character does not look like that and I don't think it's acceptable to redesign a character that way if it isn't called for. Otherwise, he did the best Octoboss and, once again, his panels are just ALIVE with motion and dynamics. Anytime this man gets to draw swirls I can truly feel them as an emotion. That's a pretty weird thing to say but its true. Motion is the definition of Jose's artwork.

I didn't feel Nick's pages again but I did enjoy the duck. Would a writer enjoy the duck? Probably not. And yet it's such a fun touch--I can't help but be struck by it as it's something I would add to a story. My problem? Aside from his overdetailing things--and I think he's getting better about this--the man has an allergy to shadows. I despise the overuse of black in comics these days, even in the grim and gritty comics that are supposed to be almost all black, but things have to have shadows. Otherwise they all look flat. The think outlines that turn everything into jigsaw pieces does not rock with me either. I know it's a style but I do not enjoy it, at least not with this.

Caio drew a lovely Aquarium that beat out all of the other ones and his manatee is very cute and cuddly--again, this beats everyone else's. But his Invincible looks really goofy, like Plastic Man. I'm not into that.

Charles was a surprise as, while his pages are very solid and unobjectionable, they seem to lack some passion. Also, while I know Invincible is not Superman, he does look awfully skinny. I think hero comics (really, all comics) suffer from a lack of diversity in body types, especially for heroic characters, but Invincible isn't that' lean. I did enjoy the police officer, especially since Charles added a female officer which some artists might not have done. I also think he added some panels just for speech--very smart. No one else really seemed to factor in dialogue. Marvel style scripts often have dialogue added later so Charles has once again shown that he's the most professional artist in this competition--but is he the best?

Jon has skill and probably turned in his best submission yet for this round but he just isn't standing out. Maybe that will help but I was really hoping he would make a big splash and show that he's larger than life. The one thing he did which makes him stand out is create an emphasis on the vertical rather than on the horizontal. That's good but that's not enough for me. And what scares me is that he didn't do a bad job--actually, he's probably in the upper half of the submissions--but he just seems unwilling to take risks. I think he might survive this round just because some of the other artists are more likely to get the axe, but he has got to do something to get himself noticed. Even if that something gets him kicked out of the competition it might be what he needs to make the publishing world take advantage of him.

[Maxmen Chuen]

Once again, Jose's art grabs me the most. The first panel of the second page - if that doesn't feel PANDEMONIUM-ish, i don't know what does.

Never mind that his artstyle is totally off for Invincible's regular clean lines; never mind that his Invincible looks like he came from Earth-2 or something with the long hair and all (he really is a loose cannon, isn't he?); his art, guys, it just leaps out and grabs you and pulls you back into the page. It's intimate, exciting and exhilarating. It fills up your every senses and there's no breathing room for negative space. It's your best buddy slamming into you during a football game and knocking your breath out and rattling your teeth and you enjoying it.

This guy is Chris Daltrey. He has his own style and does his own thing. And I'm betting even if he doesn't win this contest, he'll get a contract all the same. It'll be best if he came up with his own property and get a writer to do the scripts if he can't write to save his life. Him working on other people's stuff... unless he can rein it in, he's just gonna piss off the other guys and make them tear off their hair. Ryan Ottley implied as much in his critique. And that just has 'Lateness' written all over it.

As for this round's topic, I think Caio 'got it' the most. For me, his pages fit the Invincible style most closely. His manatee looks more like a seal to me, but then so did McDaid's. The last panel is very, very cute!

:cool:

[shwa96]

I noticed something in Chris Ryall's comments to McDaid that I needed to comment on, and since I can't respond in the judges' thread, it's gotta go here.

Page One

Panels two and three seem a bit redundant—one of the two would’ve sufficed, since both together don’t really add much to the page.

That was actually one thing I put down as a positive for McDaid. What I don't think Chris realizes is that redundancy is a common feature of Invincible. Kirkman and Ottley sometimes like to use panel redundancy as a visual reference for the passage of time or to make sure the reader gets a sense of timing in a joke. In fact, you'll sometimes see completely stat panels put in to give you that "wait for it..." feeling as a joke or a horrid realization dawns on a character.

To me, McDaid was using a convention common to the title to portray a double take in a way consistent with the style of the title. If you'll notice, Ottley compliments him on the double take, rather than seeing it as redundant.

Of course, it's still a matter of taste. If you feel it's redundant, you feel it's redundant, but it's the way the creators of the title probably would have done it.

[garth_b]

Thanks for the montage Brandon. It sort of helps and it sort of doesn't, this time.

It helps because I can do my comparisons without having to hop between different tabs. But in this round it doesn't help me pick a winner because I kind of like all the different takes.

I think I might go for a strategic vote this time if someone I like looks like they are going to miss out.

[Jack Flash]

i love Nick Pitarra's stuff! It's so detailed and fun. I really dig on the whimsical riff going on.

Dan Mcdaid's been my consistent second favorite. It's just so retro fun in a Darwyn Cooke-esque sort of way.

Holder's fantastic too, but I am afraid he took a bit too much license with the characters this round.

[Sheldon]

I like Caio's backgrounds, but I think his characters are hamming it up with dorky expressions a bit too much this round.

[Chris Daley]

Another very good round. I know some folks don't think the pages were as strong this week as in past weeks, but given the context (artists drawing this character for the first time, being given an open script, etc), I think these are outstanding. I do feel as if some folks expect a level of professionalism that just isn't possible given the constraints of the contest (but the constraints are what makes it fun to watch!).

Also, huge thanks to Brandon for the all-in one post. It really simplifies making comments.

Looking over these six entries, I'm more reticent than ever to see any of the contestants leave the game. The four I'll be watching in the voting, though, are: Holder, McDaid, Oliveira, and Patarra. I'm a fan of both Wilson's and Reed's, but I was less excited by their submissions this round than the other four.

In short:
Holder - he is like the special guest artist who comes on for an issue to bump up sales and is so artsy that his continuity is a bit off from the rest of the book. However, there is no denying the guy has energy to spare and a whole lot of flair (rhyme not intended).
McDaid - Love it! Just really, really fun, solid storytelling. His final panel on Page 1 is one of my favorites of this round. Like other folks, I worry a bit about how widely marketable Dan's work will be (kind of how you see Grummett not getting the attention that you think he should), but he is the guy in the competition who seems to have the best grasp and most confidence in his own style (even if it is a style that clearly leans on other artists - which never really hurt Jimenez or Hitch so you know I'm not taking a covert dig).
Oliveira - hopefully these pencils will quiet some of the chattering about whether he really has the chops to be here. I think his style is the most marketable of the remaining six and really look forward to reading a book by him. Just the level of detail in page 2 is outstanding and with some more experience composing a page so that detail doesn't become clutter, he'll be rocking the Kasbah in no time.
Pitarra - I think his work is my favorite of the round. It's just so clean, open, and FUN! I would like to see Nick rock out some more traditional superhero pages (kind of like Maguire did on that Cap mini years ago) just to show that he can bring the hard-core action in addition to the funny. The bird gag was definitely inspired!

As always, best of luck to everyone.

Chris

[Steev]

I'm pretty sure I'm going with Pitarra this round. That duck bit really sells it for me. This one is just plain fun and would make a great read. I would buy this comic.

CPW3 and Caio would be next and I have no idea who's I like better. Both have great strengths and several weaknesses.

Holder's didn't live up to the expectation that I had for it. Sorry buddy. Too many inconsistencies.

McDaid's is fun but just doesn't pack the punch that I think it could. This guy can draw that's for sure, I just think this one's not all that strong. I hated the "VS" panel.

Reed can draw really good and I like the stylization in his people and whatnot but I think the storytelling is lacking in this entry. It looks like Invincible just swoops in and snatches the manatee instead of launching it into the air and catching it, cropping his hand in the first panel, etc.

[batmanosaurus]

Another round of fine submissions. Though I have to say kamgates' page 1 (http://forums.comicbookresources.com/showthread.php?p=5715469#post5715469) over in the play-at-home thread is pretty much perfect. As for the contestants...

DAN's got my vote this round. His art has an innocence that lends itself to Invincible and IMO his first 2 pages tell the clearest story. I particularly like: his character designs, perspective, and the double take.

On the other hand I think page 3's storytelling could have been a lot stronger. I think the last panel needs to be pulled back to show Invincible AND the manatee he's holding. A couple other things that I think need improving:
Page 3, Panel 1: The "Mroo" manatee's trajectory should arc to the right, not left, so that it leads my eye to Panel 2.
Page 2, Panels 1-3: Too gimmicky for my tastes. The space could have been better used with some immersive plot-forwarding action. Because the rest of the page is fantastic!!

JOSE
Great tentacles! But overall too off model.

NICK
Good impact when Invincible hits the squid guy.

CHARLES
I really like your choice to show a CU on the cop. This humanizes the extras and raises the stakes by putting her in jeopardy right before Invincible shows up. I also like the little squid guy jumping on the cop in the bg. Again, it's not generic action. Something specific is happening to someone--it's stuff like that that'll help make me care about what's going on.

CAIO
Another good impact when Invincible hits the squid. I like the big establishing shot on the aquarium with Invincible's fists in the foreground. I don't like the Image logo-shaped panels--again too much of a gimmick and it pulls me out of the story.

JON
Great monsters!! Backgrounds are strong too.

[rjdimariamiskovic]

Wow... I just got off of the... let me rephrase that. I just finished looking at the MBB website and have I a splitting headache. Not because of the broken English, but because of the negativity and poor sportsmanship.

Besides the slander to the contestants and in general most Americans, the MBB has figured out that since they are united and the Americans are divided between 6 candidates, Caio is a definite #1.

Kudos to your... stradegy.

I would like to compliment the MBB member named TRON. He stood his ground last round and voted for the candidate he liked best. Unfortunately, he was ridiculed by his fellow MBB members.

Incidentally, it wasn't Caio. It was CPWIII!!!

[azubird]

hopefully more judges will respond this week! always cool to read their opinions. :p

[Leonius]

Even though Jose changed the character's appearance to something I am not use to, I love how he set up his pages and his pencils look great. His 3 page piece is my favourite.

[azubird]

so the MBB forum are feeding off of their nationalism. that's ok. but the fact that they are bashing americans -or anyone else- just shows insecurity. so i say keep on bashing if it makes them feel better...

KUDOS to this forum and the moderators for keeping that type of negativity out and the integrity intact!

[W.Blankenship]

I was hoping someone would steal Dan's vote, but his pages this week are too badass so Dan's getting mine again this week.

[GreatPat]

so the MBB forum are feeding off of their nationalism. that's ok. but the fact that they are bashing americans -or anyone else- just shows insecurity. so i say keep on bashing if it makes them feel better...

KUDOS to this forum and the moderators for keeping that type of negativity out and the integrity intact!

I'm sorry, but that's a lie. If someone said anything about "bashing americans", that's an individual, not the general opinion on MBB. The proof is that we have a lot of people from there discussing other artists' work in a friendly manner - here and there. I can post the links if you want.

Yes, we are an "organized group" voting for Caio. And we made mistakes in the first round. But it doesn't mean that we don't think that the others are great artists - my last post at MBB, BTW, was about the fantastic work LaFrance did on the Play-at-Home post.

So, please, do not transform this in an "us vs. them" competition. We won't.

[Brandon Hanvey]

Please stick to discussing the art.

This us vs them (that goes for everyone) is just counterproductive.

[W.Blankenship]

Can't we all just Smoke a peace pipe together and sing Kumbaya?

3!LL

[GreatPat]

Can't we all just Smoke a peace pipe together and sing Kumbaya?

3!LL

http://blogs.chicagotribune.com/photos/uncategorized/kissmykumbayah.png

Just kidding. Sorry, couldn't resist. :D

[jasonbaroody]

Please stick to discussing the art.

This us vs them (that goes for everyone) is just counterproductive.
so true.
the MBB forum guys are alright in my book,leave 'em be! everyone is just excited over CBI3 and want's to show their support. not everyone does that the same way,so let it go and move on.

[polystyleneman]

Did anybody ever answer the question of what city Invincible is supposed to be in yet? I saw somebody drew some buildings that I recognize from Chicago. Is that where it's supposed to be?

[mightyfineline]

Did anybody ever answer the question of what city Invincible is supposed to be in yet?

I don't think they ever really say - I've been reading the book for a while now and it's not so much of a Metropolis, Gotham City type of deal as it is an Anywhere, U.S.A kind of thing... I could be wrong.

[polystyleneman]

I don't think they ever really say - I've been reading the book for a while now and it's not so much of a Metropolis, Gotham City type of deal as it is an Anywhere, U.S.A kind of thing... I could be wrong.

Just curious, that's kind of the sense I got from the little bit I read of it. I liked what I read though.

[elheffe]

I loved Nick Pitarra's catching of the duck but I'm probably gonna vote for Dan McDaid. Dan's stuff was just solid this round.

[Goyo]

so the MBB forum are feeding off of their nationalism. that's ok. but the fact that they are bashing americans -or anyone else- just shows insecurity. so i say keep on bashing if it makes them feel better...

Brandon, I promise to make it short and I won't touch this subject again.

If anyone read our entire board, you will notice that it's an agressive environment. We bash ourselves daily, so in a sense it wouldn't be strange for us to bash "outsiders" - when I say that I don't mean americans, for instance, other Brazilian comics boards are also some of our favourite issues.

By no way this is something supported by everybody, as you probablty saw reading the thread about CBI3 - though if it was via babelfish or other online translator, you might as well have missed a lot of jokes that are not translated, and a strange text might seem an offensive text.

Anyway, don't take it personally, and don't think everybody there behaves the same way! ;)

Back to our normal programming...

Brandon, please bring back the general display for next rounds, if possible in the first message of the thread, to be easier to locate!

[joh james]

Thanks a million for the top six montage, Brandon! It's really an awesome celebratory snapshot of our work frozen in time. Not so much in competition with each other as more comparison. Reminds me of those comic book jam days when everyone took a stab at the same story and completed a section of their own. I hope you guys(at CBR) do a compilation of the top ten in the future to really show off this contest's diversity. It'll be something to look back on with fondness and pride. Thanks.

[Gonzogoose]

Man, Ryall totally missed Nick's duck gag. Oh well.

Again, some great entries and some very different takes on the great indy superhero. I'm not sure who I'm going to vote for, but I actually like Dan's work this time around. I noticed a lot of people thinking he might have the most trouble this round, but I think his was one of the best. So I don't know...

[haybaath]

I noticed a lot of people thinking he might have the most trouble this round, but I think his was one of the best. So I don't know...

I noticed people saying this too. Completely the wrong idea since the he is obviously superhero crazy:
http://www.danmcdaid.com/Superheroes.html

[polystyleneman]

Man, Ryall totally missed Nick's duck gag. Oh well.

Again, some great entries and some very different takes on the great indy superhero. I'm not sure who I'm going to vote for, but I actually like Dan's work this time around. I noticed a lot of people thinking he might have the most trouble this round, but I think his was one of the best. So I don't know...

Yeah, I don't think Marc got Dan's double take either.

[Brandon Hanvey]

Brandon, please bring back the general display for next rounds, if possible in the first message of the thread, to be easier to locate!

I'll be posting it in the poll and the blog as well.

[cfutino]

I didn't vote in the first 2 rounds because I was unable to decide between McDaid and Oliveira. This time McDaid has my vote. Oliveira may be from my city, but McDaid's Invincible is... well... Invincible (That was painfull, I know).

BTW, what's this MBB Forums some of you are talking about?

[polystyleneman]

I didn't vote in the first 2 rounds because I was unable to decide between McDaid and Oliveira. This time McDaid has my vote. Oliveira may be from my city, but McDaid's Invincible is... well... Invincible (That was painfull, I know).

BTW, what's this MBB Forums some of you are talking about?

Yeah, I asked that a while back and no one wanted to share an answer.

[Brandon Hanvey]

BTW, what's this MBB Forums some of you are talking about?

Yeah, I asked that a while back and no one wanted to share an answer.

Some people don't read the blog.
http://cbi.comicbookresources.com/cbi3/idol-thoughts-1025/

[Goyo]

MBB - the main Brazilian comicbook Discussion Board

http://www.mbbforum.com/mbb

[jpolacek]

If you don't speak the language on there, use google translator or babelfish to view the site. Select Portugese to English.

Here's a link to the CBI3 thread translated to English (http://translate.google.com/translate?u=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.mbbforum.com%2Fmbb%2F viewtopic.php%3Ft%3D11768%26postdays%3D0%26postord er%3Dasc%26start%3D850&langpair=pt%7Cen&hl=en&ie=UTF8).

[Goyo]

If you don't speak the language on there, use google translator or babelfish to view the site. Select Portugese to English.

Here's a link to the CBI3 thread translated to English (http://translate.google.com/translate?u=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.mbbforum.com%2Fmbb%2F viewtopic.php%3Ft%3D11768%26postdays%3D0%26postord er%3Dasc%26start%3D850&langpair=pt%7Cen&hl=en&ie=UTF8).


Be advised: by doing this, at least half of the posts will be impossible to understand! This is because we use many slangs which, of course, are not translated by those tools.

[Gonzogoose]

Yeah, I don't think Marc got Dan's double take either.

You mean Ryall (Chris)? Yeah, I hadn't noticed that before, but he didn't get that either. I guess he doesn't get gags... of course that kind of material isn't what IDW puts out, so...

[cfutino]

Some people don't read the blog.
http://cbi.comicbookresources.com/cbi3/idol-thoughts-1025/

Oops.. Sorry. That'll teach me to do my research

MBB - the main Brazilian comicbook Discussion Board

http://www.mbbforum.com/mbb

Thanks. I didn't even know there were brazilian comic books forums. Cool, maybe I'll join later.

[Brandon Hanvey]

Be advised: by doing this, at least half of the posts will be impossible to understand! This is because we use many slangs which, of course, are not translated by those tools.

Yeah it's funny how the the translation turns out sometimes. I know what the person is trying to say, but the way it translates makes it sound really weird sometimes.

[Steev]

Be advised: by doing this, at least half of the posts will be impossible to understand! This is because we use many slangs which, of course, are not translated by those tools.

Hey! Who are you calling a tool?

Just joking. :D
"Tool" - American slang for male genitalia.

[Goyo]

"Tool" - American slang for male genitalia.

Didn't know that!:eek:

The funniest recurrent mistake of the automatic translators is "cara" for "face".

"Cara" really means face, but it's a slang similar to "guy".

There are many posts over there where we say "this guy draws well", for instance, and it translates "this face draws well", or something like that.

So when you read "face", we're probablçy talking about someone!

[Rilyth]

That's it, is funny read the mesages and see the diferences between English's slangs and ours! but I don't have to much to say to you guys, just my opinion about Caio I mean "Oliveira" Cara eu prefiro mil vezes tratar as pessoas pelos verdadeiros nomes ao invéz dos sobrenomes .
In my opinion his manati is pretty good but almost all contestants did a very good job about that animal, but in relation to the heroe, Invencible I do apreciate even more, maybe I'm just a beginner but I can't see any problem in despite of anatomy... so my vote goes to him!:D
see you guys!

[mightyfineline]

If you don't speak the language on there, use google translator or babelfish to view the site. Select Portugese to English.

Here's a link to the CBI3 thread translated to English (http://translate.google.com/translate?u=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.mbbforum.com%2Fmbb%2F viewtopic.php%3Ft%3D11768%26postdays%3D0%26postord er%3Dasc%26start%3D850&langpair=pt%7Cen&hl=en&ie=UTF8).

Just finished checking out the board and it was... interesting.
To my own surprise it looks like I got a little bit of love on there - at least more than Charles Wilson but I guess I was never considered a threat ;)

[DidCart]

Thanks. I didn't even know there were brazilian comic books forums. Cool, maybe I'll join later.

And it's a big forum!
We have something about 500 users posting daily! And a lot of other users that posts weekly, and we have the ones that only read the forum. Big, isn't it?

My vote goes to Caio Oliveira. I really like his style (not only because he is brazillian). But Dan McDaid did a nice job too!

[Mark Cardwell]

Of course, the Mods over here have been using "face" as a term for a cool guy for decades.

And by "Mod", I don't mean moderator on a message board. So English is pretty tricky, too.

[Brandon Hanvey]

Of course, the Mods over here have been using "face" as a term for a cool guy for decades.

It is also wrestling slang for good guy.

[jeaoure]

Jose Holder is easily my pick this round. The art is simply gorgeous and the Sienkiewicz influence really works. (I know the judges got on his case for deviating from the Invincible character designs, but to me it's similar to criticising Dave McKean for the liberties he took with Batman in Arkham Asylum. He's putting his unique stamp on a character everyone already knows and it looks fantastic.)

On the other end the spectrum, in my mind, is Nick Pitarra, who I doesn't seem to me to be quite ready for this contest. Some great potential as an artist, but I don't think he's quite swinging at the level of the other contestants. Maybe in a year or two, but there are some drawing fundamentals that need to be addressed.

Beautiful stuff overall and everyone seems to have moments of brilliance on each page. This isn't going to get any easier to pick faves.

But go Jose!

[Justin D.]

Jose Holder is easily my pick this round. The art is simply gorgeous and the Sienkiewicz influence really works. (I know the judges got on his case for deviating from the Invincible character designs, but to me it's similar to criticising Dave McKean for the liberties he took with Batman in Arkham Asylum. He's putting his unique stamp on a character everyone already knows and it looks fantastic.)

On the other end the spectrum, in my mind, is Nick Pitarra, who I doesn't seem to me to be quite ready for this contest. Some great potential as an artist, but I don't think he's quite swinging at the level of the other contestants. Maybe in a year or two, but there are some drawing fundamentals that need to be addressed.

Beautiful stuff overall and everyone seems to have moments of brilliance on each page. This isn't going to get any easier to pick faves.

But go Jose!

Jose is weird. Beautiful art, but not following the design of the characters at all. You make an interesting point about how he can change the look of a character to fit his style, but what he changed it too isn't all that great. Besides the Fabio hair, the boots and gloves are completely different without making them better. He definitely has some Walt Simonson influence there, and that's a good thing.


I like Dan and Caio's the best. Totally different interpretations, but both good. Dan really surprised me, and it's going to be a tough call between the two come voting time.

[polystyleneman]

Some people don't read the blog.
http://cbi.comicbookresources.com/cbi3/idol-thoughts-1025/

Actually I do read it, I just missed that it was mentioned there a while back.

[polystyleneman]

You mean Ryall (Chris)? Yeah, I hadn't noticed that before, but he didn't get that either. I guess he doesn't get gags... of course that kind of material isn't what IDW puts out, so...

Yep, you're right. Sorry, I was thinking that was Silvestri's comment.

[joh james]

Jose Holder is easily my pick this round. The art is simply gorgeous and the Sienkiewicz influence really works. (I know the judges got on his case for deviating from the Invincible character designs, but to me it's similar to criticising Dave McKean for the liberties he took with Batman in Arkham Asylum. He's putting his unique stamp on a character everyone already knows and it looks fantastic.)...

...But go Jose!

Long Beach in the house! Thanks, Jeaoure! Just having a little fun with Mr. Kirkman's immortal character. It's all done in the spirit of lightheartedness and showmanship. I do find it odd that some people would confuse style and artistic liberty with incompetence. It's clear that each one of the contestants is immensely talented and more than capable of making choices based on the look, feel, and interpretation of the work. The really questionable stuff for me is the mechanics(light source, anatomy, clothing, body language, perspective, storytelling, etc..). The rest can be tweaked with relative ease. All of the artists good enough to make the top tier of the 200 applicants(not just the top ten) must have decent intuitive skills and work ethics that have gotten them this far. You won't find that many artists with chops like that second-guessing themselves at every turn or we'd have a contest of blank pages to stare at. Kudos to the cats pulling this off with jobs, families, school, and the whole nine yards! Hat's off!

[kalorama]

Man, Ryall totally missed Nick's duck gag. Oh well.

Or he got it and didn't find it all that funny (at least not funny enough to justify bringing the flow of the narrative to a dead halt for an extraneous sight gag, which is really what it did).

[Gonzogoose]

No, I don't think he did get it, because he didn't understand why the duck was falling on the last page. Ottley got it. Regardless, I thought it was humorous.

[Brandon Hanvey]

No, I don't think he did get it, because he didn't understand why the duck was falling on the last page. Ottley got it. Regardless, I thought it was humorous.

Chris got the gag. He didn't think it was necessary or plausible due to the timing of the scene in relation to the bird falling.

Okay, the bit with the bird was totally unnecessary, and a bit nonsensical (how slow did that bird fall?) but also very funny

[kamgates]

I really liked that gag. I'm sure Chris is right about the duck taking way to long to fall, but the comedic timing was perfect. There's just enough time so that you've forgotten about the setup and then the payoff catches you by surprise.

I guess it has to fit your sense of humor though or you just wonder what the duck is still doing up there.

[polystyleneman]

I really liked that gag. I'm sure Chris is right about the duck taking way to long to fall, but the comedic timing was perfect. There's just enough time so that you've forgotten about the setup and then the payoff catches you by surprise.

I guess it has to fit your sense of humor though or you just wonder what the duck is still doing up there.

The amount of time between Invincible smashing Octoboss into the ground and him noticing the falling duck is contained to the amount of time the manatee is launched into the air and arcs. (He doesn't take the time to fall, Invincible catches at him.) At MOST, the bird arrives a few seconds after Invincible, but I would guess that that Manatee isn't in the air for more than a second or two.

It seem to me that a super-powered Invincible propelling himself at great speeds toward the earth would arrive at ground level at least a few seconds before a bird would arrive especially when you consider that birds are physiologically structured for flight meaning that they are lightweight, etc.... Would a bird (even a duck) really be expected to match Invincible's descent in the short time the manatee is in the air? Unless of course manatees are superpowered flyers in Invincible's world and I didn't know or something.

When you think about it, Nick's critics are saying that the manatee would be propelled through the air slower than the duck falls if they expect the duck to arrive sooner especially when the duck has a lot longer distance to travel through the air.

[kamgates]

It seem to me that a super-powered Invincible propelling himself at great speeds toward the earth would arrive at ground level at least a few seconds before a bird would arrive especially when you consider that birds are physiologically structured for flight meaning that they are lightweight, etc.... Would a bird (even a duck) really be expected to match Invincible's descent in the short time the manatee is in the air? Unless of course manatees are superpowered flyers in Invincible's world and I didn't know or something.

Sounds like you've thought about this more than me ;). All I really I meant was that since the joke worked for me I hadn't stopped to question whether the duck was in the air too long.

..the fact that we're talking about the air speed velocities of a manatee versus a duck is pretty entertaining all on it's own.. :p

[Mark Cardwell]

I loved Jose's pages, and didn't give a monkey's that he strayed off-message on Invincible's design - I'd actually see it as an artist's duty to go his own way on these things (but then, I was brought up reading 2000AD, where Judge Dredd could look radically different from week to week depending on who was drawing the strip). But yeah, I could have done without the mullet.

I do, however, have an increasing problem with Nick's work. It's one thing being heavily influenced by the work of your heroes, but it just seems too soon to be appropriating Seth Fisher's style wholesale. But maybe that's just me. I was flicking through BATMAN: SNOW in the library today, and I came over all sentimental.

[polystyleneman]

Sounds like you've thought about this more than me ;). All I really I meant was that since the joke worked for me I hadn't stopped to question whether the duck was in the air too long.

..the fact that we're talking about the air speed velocities of a manatee versus a duck is pretty entertaining all on it's own.. :p

Yeah, it's pretty ridiculous, which is kind of my point, that it's such a silly thing to critique him over, whether or not the duck would arrive when it did. Now, whether or not it works for the story is debatable, though I enjoyed it, the same as I enjoyed some of Mr. McDaid's added humor this time around.

And again, kamgates, nice pages in the Play At Home thread!

[polystyleneman]

I do, however, have an increasing problem with Nick's work. It's one thing being heavily influenced by the work of your heroes, but it just seems too soon to be appropriating Seth Fisher's style wholesale. But maybe that's just me. I was flicking through BATMAN: SNOW in the library today, and I came over all sentimental.

I don't know that their two styles are all that close. What does everyone else think?

[Muddy Waters]

The duck gag was great! If we can accept a flying teenager fighting with some squid monsters over a manatee, we can accept that the duck took any amount of time to fall.:D

Simple like that. ;)

[polystyleneman]

And no matter who's right, that duck's in a bit of a "pickle." :p

[jpolacek]

The duck gag was great! If we can accept a flying teenager fighting with some squid monsters over a manatee, we can accept that the duck took any amount of time to fall.

Maybe the duck was half-alive, struggling to fly, and then resuming freefall, in a valiant struggle for life. Sadly, he succumbed to his fate as a dead duck punchline.

[davidbovey]

Maybe the duck was half-alive, struggling to fly, and then resuming freefall, in a valiant struggle for life. Sadly, he succumbed to his fate as a dead duck punchline.

You win the No-prize.

[polystyleneman]

You win the No-prize.

LOL!!! Now there's a name I've not heard since.... well, before you were born.

[kalorama]

I really liked that gag. I'm sure Chris is right about the duck taking way to long to fall, but the comedic timing was perfect. There's just enough time so that you've forgotten about the setup and then the payoff catches you by surprise.

I guess it has to fit your sense of humor though or you just wonder what the duck is still doing up there.

The bigger question is if the the gag is in keeping with the writer's intended tone of the scene and the character, and if not was it a good idea to "break ranks" with the plot direction and throw in something so far out of left field.

People ripped Holder a new one for changing the setup of the helicopter approach in the round 1 pages. I think this is arguably a bigger and less defensible digression.

[warren_0]

Holder!

You.
Killed.
It.
Dead.

Supermagic comic attaaaaaack!

PS everyone else rocked it hard too. Whatta team!
PPS Ducks are ducking funny.

[elheffe]

The bigger question is if the the gag is in keeping with the writer's intended tone of the scene and the character, and if not was it a good idea to "break ranks" with the plot direction and throw in something so far out of left field.

People ripped Holder a new one for changing the setup of the helicopter approach in the round 1 pages. I think this is arguably a bigger and less defensible digression.

Yeah, but Jose changed something in a full script, not in a 'Marvel Style' plot breakdown. The plot breakdown allows the artist to really fill in the blanks, then the writer comes back in and dialogs the comic. So, to me, what Nick did wasn't so unforgivable.

[mattx110]

Maybe the duck was half-alive, struggling to fly, and then resuming freefall, in a valiant struggle for life. Sadly, he succumbed to his fate as a dead duck punchline.

ummm, what is the terminal velocity of a duck? i mean, it is designed to fly and their light little buggers. and presumably flying downward is faster than falling downward. i think the timing could work out.

[Kalyan Pokala]

ummm, what is the terminal velocity of a duck? i mean, it is designed to fly and their light little buggers. and presumably flying downward is faster than falling downward. i think the timing could work out.

African or European?

[BADunn]

PPS Ducks are ducking funny.

Oh, the agony! The AGONY!!! You horrible man! How dare you punish us this way!

[Nick Pitarra]

Ha!...the duck gag is taking over the message board! Too funny. I love the break down of the whole sequence...I actually did the whole thing myself(and realized it probably didn't work timing wise, but was worth it). My original intent was to have Invincible having a "grand old time"like the script said....i figured if i could fly....I'd go mess with some birds...thats having a grand time. So I did that...Adds humor...and expressions and fun stuff to the page...when it came time for the immediate stop...I figured well...one of those birds have to smash into him...its such a great oppurtunity to do something fun. It made for an easy out with the last panel of that page...b/c i got to draw the duck falling and just boots going down to get my point across. Later ...when he's catching the manitee...I figured...theres no way invincible would let the bird fall...so insert panels for the bird catch....That where the struggle came in. I originally had Invincible full bodied in air catching the manitee...facing the viewer. And then basiclly stat'ed the panel and just repositioned Invincible's leg for the catch. But then I was thinking It was to Immediate...And comedy is all about timing...so i added the looking up panel, and was able to choose a close up of the foot catch. That made for 2 different shots. The whole gag fits into the script and fits invincible's characterization. Where as...I think wolverine might just have let the bird fall.
Thanks for the reactions and replys guys...cool respones all around.
~nick

[joh james]

Holder!

You.
Killed.
It.
Dead.

Supermagic comic attaaaaaack!

PS everyone else rocked it hard too. Whatta team!
PPS Ducks are ducking funny.

Thanks, Warren. I'll kill it twice if it helps!

[Nick Pitarra]

I loved Jose's pages, and didn't give a monkey's that he strayed off-message on Invincible's design - I'd actually see it as an artist's duty to go his own way on these things (but then, I was brought up reading 2000AD, where Judge Dredd could look radically different from week to week depending on who was drawing the strip). But yeah, I could have done without the mullet.

I do, however, have an increasing problem with Nick's work. It's one thing being heavily influenced by the work of your heroes, but it just seems too soon to be appropriating Seth Fisher's style wholesale. But maybe that's just me. I was flicking through BATMAN: SNOW in the library today, and I came over all sentimental.

This is a great topic to hit on. I love Seth's work...I even own two of his original pages. I'm basicly influenced by alot of artists who are influenced by Moebius. It started out with Quitely(my hero), then I fell in love with Darrow, then at a con Mike weiringo told me to check out Seth's work,b/c my work reminded him of Seth's. So I went out and found Seth's work(Doom Patrol at the time). And I loved his stuff too(It has an unmatched childlike charm to it, a great postive humor,and a style that is driven and controlled by detail). The easiest answer in explaining the difference between Seth's work and mine is really basic. I think primarily in circles(very round figures...sometimes round rolling backgrounds)...while Seth thought in squares(straight lines,boxy figures). I think the similarites arise in line quality and detail(his is better than mine), I try to push things with line weight, while Seth let the lines speak for themselves. I've been commissioned to do a big Seth Fisher tribute piece...much like the tribute piece in my gallery for Darrow.Whenever it's done, I'm going to send a copy to Seth's family...I contacted them after his death and let them know how much his work meant to me as a fan...and as an artist. His mom was really awesome,she shared some very cool personal stories about Seth, and was supportive of my art in general. I eventually bought a SNOW page myself from her. Its some of my favorite Fisher work...and some of my favorite batman work ever. I would never want to be looked at as someone who is just ripping off Seth. Thats an insult to his work. The most renowned artist in comics history are the ones who have influenced the most people(Jack Kirby,Neal Adams,Bill Sienkiv,Moebius,Jim Lee). And it makes me happy to remind people of Seth when I draw.

All the best,
nick

[polystyleneman]

The bigger question is if the the gag is in keeping with the writer's intended tone of the scene and the character, and if not was it a good idea to "break ranks" with the plot direction and throw in something so far out of left field.

People ripped Holder a new one for changing the setup of the helicopter approach in the round 1 pages. I think this is arguably a bigger and less defensible digression.

There's a very important difference here, Holder's changes directly conflicted with the script, while Nick's duck gag was an addition that was not in conflict with the script. Whether or not it was a good choice is subjective but a lot of people seem to like it, I know I do and reading the story behind it was actually kind of interesting.

Personally, I may end up voting for Nick just because of the duck gag, I can't find any one piece that jumps out at me this round, and more than a few of the artists dropped teh ball in my opinion. Not because they are bad, but because I believe they can do better. I liked Jose's pages though, his changes to Invincible don't bother me. I think it was obviously a conscious style choice that he pushed perhaps too far. But that's forgivable. But then there's the inconsistencies with scale. Oh, it's so hard to make a choice this time! lol

[kalorama]

There's a very important difference here, Holder's changes directly conflicted with the script, while Nick's duck gag was an addition that was not in conflict with the script.

Holder didn't outright add anything that wasn't already indicated in the script, he reworked existing elements in the script to change the dramatic sequence (for which I criticized him). Pitarra added something to the story that was nowhere indicated in the plot outline and, moreover, it was something that had the effect of significantly altering the tone of the scene.

[polystyleneman]

Holder didn't outright add anything that wasn't already indicated in the script, he reworked existing elements in the script to change the dramatic sequence (for which I criticized him). Pitarra added something to the story that was nowhere indicated in the plot outline and, moreover, it was something that had the effect of significantly altering the tone of the scene.

The difference is that Mr. Hernandez' script explicitly mentioned several details, in the first page alone, that were either missing or replaced with details that Jose chose. In contrast, nowhere did the Invincible script say not to include birds or humor. If you read the comic, I'm sure you're aware of numerous visual gags in the regular comic such as recognizable characters in the background, or designs remniscent of other artists' work or other books. I doubt that they are all explicitly called for by the writer.

But hey, we can respectfully disagree and only the writer can really say what he feels impedes or doesn't impede on his story.

[mightyfineline]

The way I figure it, what's an election without bumper stickers?

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2394/1807741638_28a18b54b5_o.jpg

Nuff Said!

[mightyfineline]

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2155/1807741664_485c84282b_o.jpg

This works too...

[mightyfineline]

Now this one screams 'Victory'...

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2165/1807741666_44855a4999_o.jpg

[shwa96]

Pitarra added something to the story that was nowhere indicated in the plot outline and, moreover, it was something that had the effect of significantly altering the tone of the scene.

A winded duck significantly alters the tone of a scene where a hero has to catch a flying manatee?

Permit me to respectfully disagree.

[shwa96]

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2155/1807741664_485c84282b_o.jpg

This works too...

If I saw that at a convention, I would buy it.

[the goddamn batman]

As I was reading Marc's comments to McDaid, I realised that, reading the script greatly changes how I view the pages.

Dan didn't do a good establishing shot of the Aquarium. But I didn't notice because I already knew that's where they were. It's hard to judge a page properly when you know what SHOULD be taking place, as opposed to reading it blind like we do with every other comic.

I'd like to see a round where (and sorry play at homers) only the contestants get the script. You know?

It's not a perfect idea, someone will do it right, or well enough anyway, that the other pages will be easier to understand, but I dunno... I've overlooked some important elements in everyones story telling because I knew what was supposed to be happening, not because they clearly showed what was happening.

[Dan M]

As I was reading Marc's comments to McDaid, I realised that, reading the script greatly changes how I view the pages.

Dan didn't do a good establishing shot of the Aquarium. But I didn't notice because I already knew that's where they were. It's hard to judge a page properly when you know what SHOULD be taking place, as opposed to reading it blind like we do with every other comic.


Nng. If I was feeling pugnacious, I would say in my defence that the flying fish, manatee and water-covered ground help to communicate the essence of where we are, but... no, you and Marc are both right - it's not clear enough. Bah. This is the sort of thing that would get picked up if there was a thumbnail stage first (that's impractical I know...).

I would be up for doing a secret script!

[Dan M]

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2155/1807741664_485c84282b_o.jpg

This works too...


These are, to misquote Nick Pitarra, TOO awesome.

[Reed]

I like boobies!!!

[GreatPat]

I'd like to see a round where (and sorry play at homers) only the contestants get the script. You know?

Actually, that's a great idea! They could release the script for "the public" after all the contestants had their work published.

And I want a bumper sticker for Caio! :D

[rjdimariamiskovic]

Just finished checking out the board and it was... interesting.
To my own surprise it looks like I got a little bit of love on there - at least more than Charles Wilson but I guess I was never considered a threat ;)

... at least they got Charles' name right.

CPWIII has Posse!!!

[Muddy Waters]

... at least they got Charles' name right.

CPWIII has Posse!!!

Hey, there's a lot of people calling Caio by Ciao and we're not complaining.
:D

[joh james]

The difference is that Mr. Hernandez' script explicitly mentioned several details, in the first page alone, that were either missing or replaced with details that Jose chose. In contrast, nowhere did the Invincible script say not to include birds or humor. If you read the comic, I'm sure you're aware of numerous visual gags in the regular comic such as recognizable characters in the background, or designs remniscent of other artists' work or other books. I doubt that they are all explicitly called for by the writer.

But hey, we can respectfully disagree and only the writer can really say what he feels impedes or doesn't impede on his story.

I think we may have just had a breakthrough in contest critiquing! Well argued and well resolved, gents! Artistic liberty and creativity are one of the cornerstones of this contest and again, all meant in the spirit of good fun and for the sake of entertaining you guys. I think we've succeeded at doing that(good or bad). I personally love the duck gag, and think Nick pulled it off smashingly and in perfect form. As much as I like my second copter in round one. We upped the ante, for whatever it's worth. Both concepts were nowhere to be found and for whatever artistic preferences we opted for a "Hail Mary" in the last minute of the game. Would either off our choices have been approved in a normal working environment? Who knows? This contest is about taking chances, or we wouldn't be in it. Take it for what it is, an expression of who we are. The judges know the difference. Cheers!

[gwor]

Dan, your pages rocked!! If you don't win this thing, something is seriously wrong <g>. Yup, I'm a fan.

Marc's critique is quite thoughtful, brought up flaws that I didn't catch myself (although I agreed the last panel of page 3 was a bit close).

It must be weird to switch off your storyboard instincts when tackling the projects (I find it tricky myself) <g>.

[Goyo]

... at least they got Charles' name right.

CPWIII has Posse!!!


Difficult thing would be to get your name right, without copy+paste!:D

[azubird]

loved nick's duck gag and think it did not alter the story, rather added a lot of character and made me laugh- holder and pitarra definately took some risks. loved all of it.

[rjdimariamiskovic]

Difficult thing would be to get your name right, without copy+paste!:D
Too true. My friends just call me "Jerk-face".;)

[warren_0]

Oh, the agony! The AGONY!!! You horrible man! How dare you punish us this way!

I do it because I love you...:)


I'd like to see a round where (and sorry play at homers) only the contestants get the script. You know?

Well, why not just avoid reading the script next round? That's a great point you brought up, too. I think I'm gonna watch the next round thataway. My wife got kinda confused looking at some of the round submissions, and I was all like 'Well, there's this aquarium, and a manatee...AND A DUCK! BWAHAHAHA!' She dinnae get it. After reading the script, a few of the submissions got clearer. Maybe the best way to determine how to vote is by approaching the next round cold?

Dan, your pages rocked!! It must be weird to switch off your storyboard instincts when tackling the projects (I find it tricky myself) <g>.

DITT-OOOOO, brother. Amen to Big Danny McMROO?!

[sjpress]

Too true. My friends just call me "Jerk-face".;)

Haha! Also true!

Great art by everyone this round!! I am excited for the voting part!

[Nick Pitarra]

The way I figure it, what's an election without bumper stickers?

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2394/1807741638_28a18b54b5_o.jpg

Nuff Said!

How about...

DONT BLAME ME
I VOTED FOR WILFREDO

[joh james]

The way I figure it, what's an election without bumper stickers?

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2394/1807741638_28a18b54b5_o.jpg

Nuff Said!

I love that bumper sticker! It's hilarious! More so if you don't understand the duck reference! I have no doubt my wife is gonna wonder... "Why are they calling you a DUCK?!" Ha! Thanks, Nick!

[mightyfineline]

How about...

DONT BLAME ME
I VOTED FOR WILFREDO

SWEEEEEEET! Can I get that on a t-shirt?

[mightyfineline]

Ha! Thanks, Nick!

Yeah... I was actually the one that did the bumper stickers... that's it!
I'm voting for Jon, he's the only one that appreciates me!!

GO BOOBIES! VOTE REED!

[joh james]

My Bad! I knew you were the maniacal madman behind those slogans! Only a warped mind could come up with something so deviously funny. Ha! FYI, I'm already in the process of turning that slogan into a banner for my drafting table. No one will get it but me! Thanks Mightyman!

[joh james]

Now if I could get my wife to find ducks sexy.... Anyone got a spare duck outfit!!? :)

[polystyleneman]

Actually, that's a great idea! They could release the script for "the public" after all the contestants had their work published.

And I want a bumper sticker for Caio! :D

I don't get the idea of withholding the script. If you don't want to know the script before you see the pages, just don't read it.

[warren_0]

GO BOOBIES! VOTE REED!
BAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAAAAAAAAA! (Wait...Wasn't that Round 1?)

[polystyleneman]

A while back, Brandon asked people to state what they were hoping to see from the artists this round. I thought I might revisit my own words and see how things turned out.

From Jose:
I would like to see his realistic style applied to the almost cartoon world of Invincible. Will his style lean more toward the lighter tone of Invincible, or will he bring a whole new look to Invincible? And which will be the better approach?
Funny, we all know how this turned out, don't we? He went ahead and created a whole new look to Invincible. Looks like he went a bit darker, and he stayed loose with the art but he seemed to stay within the script.

From Dan:
I'd like to see how his style applies to a superhero yarn like this. Can he exceed the limitations of the style he's chosen to work in and interweave the visual world of Invincible with his own style? I'm hoping to see a throwback to the Fantastic Four fighting monsters as drawn by Kirby kind of approach.
Well, I really didn't get the FF fighting monsters feeling I was hoping for, there's something I liked about Dan's work this time, maybe it was the creative flourishes like the Vs. panels but for whatever reason he's making me want to like his stuff.

From Nick:
Screw it, I just want to see him draw those tenacles!
Ok, I was a little disappointed in this department, but the duck gag almost made up for it.

From Jon:
Can he pull out the stops and deliver the proper facial expressions and anatomical tweaks needed to satisfy the judges this round?
Jon's definitely my favorite in this contest, I just don't think his pages worked this round. While I though the skinny legs separated by a wide waist worked on a high school student, I don't know about on a superhero.

From Caio:
He's taken the first two rounds, can he justify it with a really impressive submission this round? Can his fanbase help give him three for three?
I think this guy has chops, but I really didn't feel that he impressed much with this round. There's some good stuff going on, but when he's defending a two-time win I think he really needs to shine above the other contestants to keep it up.

From CPWilsonIII:
He proved he can generate dynamic action shots with Aspen, can he pull it off for a full three pages?
I just wasn't feeling it this time. The storytelling was pretty solid but I found the figures and angles to be rather bland for a fun superhero action story.

Now that I've said my piece... I'm bracing for the impact from the lashes already. :(

[rjdimariamiskovic]

Now that I've said my piece... I'm bracing for the impact from the lashes already. :(

No lashing necessary. We are all allowed to have our own oppinions. Maybe we shouldn't have such high expectations and feel disappointed when these artists don't live up to them.

That being said; "may the best man win".

Sincerely,
"Jerk-face"

[polystyleneman]

No lashing necessary. We are all allowed to have our own oppinions. Maybe we shouldn't have such high expectations and feel disappointed when these artists don't live up to them.

That being said; "may the best man win".

Sincerely,
"Jerk-face"

I'll readily admit that I hold the contestants to a high standard, but I think that's fair since we are supposed to be whittling them down to the best of the best in the highly competitive field of amateurs trying to break in to the biz.

[rienji]

Babelfish translation



Is it suppose to be a manatee.

É supõe para ser um manatee.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Manatee


And... a manatee actually is a "peixe-boi" or "fish-ox" lol... :D

http://pt.wikipedia.org/wiki/Peixe-boi

[Gonzogoose]

Chris got the gag. He didn't think it was necessary or plausible due to the timing of the scene in relation to the bird falling.

I stand corrected, but I still liked it, call me crazy. And I totally got Dan's double-take right away. To each his own.

[Steev]

That being said; "may the best man win".

That eliminates Pitarra right there. Sorry, Duck-Boy.

You can't escape the Ten Ton smack can you? :D

[Gonzogoose]

And... a manatee actually is a "peixe-boi" or "fish-ox" lol... :D

http://pt.wikipedia.org/wiki/Peixe-boi

Hmm. We always called them sea cows. Interesting...

[Mmmmmpig]

That eliminates Pitarra right there. Sorry, Duck-Boy.

You can't escape the Ten Ton smack can you? :D


SMACK! has a way of following you

[decio kbcao]

Caio Oliveira!!!

[rjdimariamiskovic]

Caio Oliveira!!!
Caio Oliveira!!! What? Caio Oliveira stole my Halloween candy? Caio Oliveira has excellent oral hygiene? Caio Oliveira has a secret crush? What is it you're trying to say???:D

[kamgates]

Caio Oliveira totally stole MY Halloween candy... I'm on to you. :)

[joshm]

Really great critiques from Marc Silvestri, I learned a lot. Thank you Marc!

[Dan M]

Really great critiques from Marc Silvestri, I learned a lot. Thank you Marc!

Totally agreed. He really pointed out some elementary mistakes that I made - good advice that I'll definitely take away with me. Cheers Marc!

[the goddamn batman]

- good advice that I'll definitely take away with me. Cheers Marc!

YOu make it sound like you're going away. Still 12 (or so) minutes left.

[gwor]

Does this mean that Nick and Jose don't advance?

Is it just me, or is something extremely wonky here...:confused: