roseembolism (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
roseembolism) wrote2010-04-28 12:53 pm
roseembolism) wrote2010-04-28 12:53 pm
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Webcomic Review: Ever Tomorrow. Imitation....
...is not the sincerest form of flattery.
Ever Tomorrow
By: JL Jones: Writer/Colorist/Cover Artist/Inker; Marlon de Rivera: Penciler/Concepts/Letterer/Webmaster
Let's consider those webcomics where despite whatever other merits they have, one singular flaw overshadows any other merits the comic may have. Let us consider comics that are following in the footsteps of other, more popular comics, a little too closely, shall we say.
For example, if one has a neo-historical (Or well, neo-18th century) steampunk (OK, granted: clockpunk) comic featuring a heroine who is a blond, long-haired, glasses-wearing girl mechanic with an affinity for music and her name ISN'T Agatha Clay, then well...maybe you need to rethink some details because somebody else got there firstest with the mostest.
See what I mean?
Yes, yes, I know the objections the creators may raise, and they don't really matter. You may point out that this comic has magic, a mage's guild, and flying sailing ships, and I will concede that the dour mage and the idealistic noble's sun while themselves rather cliched, are entertaining. In fact I will also note that yes you do indeed seem to be concentrating both more on real-world style politics, and also the difficulties a woman might face in becoming a mechanist in a very sexist world. I will even concede that the dialogue is nicely written, and the artwork is clean and mostly well drawn, though I notice some anatomic peculiarities here and there (why do people always have trouble with arms?). Hell I even admit that the story could be quite interesting to me, as I'm a fan of stories set in that era far more so than Victorian ones.
See, I WANT to like this webcomic. But still, still, still...it doesn't matter.
Look, the bottom line is that in the webcomics biz the 10,000 pound steam-gorilla is Girl Genius. So even if the resemblance is accidental, even if the reaction of the artist and writer is "What? She looks like who again?" The reaction of most readers is going to be that this webcomic is deliberately imitating Girl Genius when it comes to first look, well before they realize it's set in an alternative 1700s, has magic, or well, anything.
So the moral of this story is that indeed, "Look and feel" is important, and one has to be careful to distinguish one's comic from the competition.
Ever Tomorrow
By: JL Jones: Writer/Colorist/Cover Artist/Inker; Marlon de Rivera: Penciler/Concepts/Letterer/Webmaster
Let's consider those webcomics where despite whatever other merits they have, one singular flaw overshadows any other merits the comic may have. Let us consider comics that are following in the footsteps of other, more popular comics, a little too closely, shall we say.
For example, if one has a neo-historical (Or well, neo-18th century) steampunk (OK, granted: clockpunk) comic featuring a heroine who is a blond, long-haired, glasses-wearing girl mechanic with an affinity for music and her name ISN'T Agatha Clay, then well...maybe you need to rethink some details because somebody else got there firstest with the mostest.
See what I mean?
Yes, yes, I know the objections the creators may raise, and they don't really matter. You may point out that this comic has magic, a mage's guild, and flying sailing ships, and I will concede that the dour mage and the idealistic noble's sun while themselves rather cliched, are entertaining. In fact I will also note that yes you do indeed seem to be concentrating both more on real-world style politics, and also the difficulties a woman might face in becoming a mechanist in a very sexist world. I will even concede that the dialogue is nicely written, and the artwork is clean and mostly well drawn, though I notice some anatomic peculiarities here and there (why do people always have trouble with arms?). Hell I even admit that the story could be quite interesting to me, as I'm a fan of stories set in that era far more so than Victorian ones.
See, I WANT to like this webcomic. But still, still, still...it doesn't matter.
Look, the bottom line is that in the webcomics biz the 10,000 pound steam-gorilla is Girl Genius. So even if the resemblance is accidental, even if the reaction of the artist and writer is "What? She looks like who again?" The reaction of most readers is going to be that this webcomic is deliberately imitating Girl Genius when it comes to first look, well before they realize it's set in an alternative 1700s, has magic, or well, anything.
So the moral of this story is that indeed, "Look and feel" is important, and one has to be careful to distinguish one's comic from the competition.
no subject
Hmm. In the first one it appears she has found either a lightsaber or one of the Sonic Screwdriver variants.
I don't see that much similarity. Girl with glasses in steampunk world. Meganekko are big; you want a smart girl hero, nothing says smart girl like glasses. You want main character general appeal, blonde still seems to sell more than the others.
And even if you start from the same basic premise, two authors will go in different directions. Often a writer will end up doing something that other people did, or vice versa, without knowing about it, and that's just the way it is. I certainly won't change what *I* write just because someone else happens to be writing, or have written, something similar. I had some people asking me if I was trying to steal from/riff on "Underworld" or "World of Darkness" when I did Digital Knight; I had to somewhat gently point out to them that much of DK was written before V:TM ever came out, let alone "Underworld".
And the Foglio's art STYLE is THE signature. I didn't have any "Agatha" vibes coming from this girl, because, well, it's a completely different art style. "Look and Feel" doesn't come from "blonde girl with glasses", it comes from the exuberant drawing style, the lush figures (in a world where ultra-slender figures are the norm, even in comics), the rich detailing. Without that it's not much the same.
no subject