Playfur by ArtOfZod

Erotic comic about Milly Hunter, a squirrel bunny living in LA and her adventures through the porn industry, life and beyond! NSFW!

Please be advised: This review is of a NSFW (specifically erotica) comic. This review will be SFW, but I cannot control how you perceive it. Please keep this in mind while reading and discontinue if you determine it as no longer suitable –no need for inappropriate comments. Thank you.

 

Story

This is not my favourite genre. I’ve never written a review for an erotic comic before, so please bear with me, and I apologize if it doesn’t come across the way I mean it to.

That being said, erotica lacks in plot. This is probably agreed upon by nearly everyone. Playfur isn’t an exception to this rule. The plot is exactly as you’d expect it to be, very cliché. The main character is just starting her career in the adult film industry, and what entails is what erotic comics are all about. It’s a basic plot, and it is actually really boring.

You can also expect a lot of nudity from this genre, and ArtOfZod does not disappoint. He adds at least one sex scene per chapter, and many topless scenes throughout. The nudity is so persistent it is actually kind of obnoxious. This is especially true with the first chapter. I found it very odd that even though they worked at an adult film organization, even when not filming they walked around nearly naked.

One thing I did find unique about the plot were the side stories that tied into the main plot. The main character actually has a life outside of work, and we learn a bit about who she is as well as her roommate. I found it refreshing to have some casual conversation thrown in. Also, Zod created a possibility for the characters to have a budding romance outside of work. I thought this was a nice touch as it wasn’t just about moving from one partner to the next. The characters have personalities –and actual lives –something you don’t always see in erotica.

Writing

Even though the overall story seems a bit dull, the writing is actually really good. I can actually read Playfur quite easily. I didn’t notice any major spelling or grammar mistakes, and the font was a good size with clear lettering to make for a quick and easy read.

The one thing I can really say here is that the script is pretty sparse. There really isn’t much to it, and maybe adding a bit more humour or depth to it could spice up the plot.

I really don’t have much to say in the writing department –I was overall pretty impressed.

Art

So for this review, I focused mainly on the art. Again, I just want to mention these reviews are from a reader’s perspective, so I’m picking out the things I like and what I think can be improved upon from that angle.

To start, I think that Zod did a great job with the paneling. They are nice and clean, sharp lines and they make smooth transitions from one panel to another. Easy on the eyes.

The edges around the characters could be cleaner, though. Smoother outlining would be beneficial to improve appearances.

For the most part, the art lacks shading. In my opinion, shading can drastically improve how a scene looks and how it comes across to the readers. Shading can also help capture facial expressions with more accuracy, creating mystery, fear, and anger remarkably well.

Now zooming out away from the face and taking the body in as a whole, everything looks proportionate. Arms and legs look very well put together, not too lanky or stubby (these are just a bunch of beautiful furries). There are some issues, however, that have to do with certain anatomy (if you catch my drift). Females look like they will need back braces just to stand, and the males look like sitting could be a real challenge. I can’t imagine either of them ever running.

This can also be added to the fact that some of the angles are very awkward, which can make some readers *cough* me *cough* a bit uncomfortable. Honestly, I’m not sure why these angles are seen as desirable. They don’t really flatter anyone (but I guess this genre isn’t about flattery).

Now, moving away from characters and looking into the distance, the backgrounds are lacking to say the least. They are either just one solid colour, or very simple block buildings. I understand the focus is on the characters and the moment, but it would be nice to see some personality in the background. Maybe add some posters, some advertisements on buildings, anything really to show off artistic ability (I know you can draw Zod, flaunt it!).

Zod is very good at capturing motion and action scenes. These help improve flow from one panel to the next –probably important for erotica.

Overall, the art isn’t bad. Very simple, but there is a lot of detail where it counts … I suppose. One last thing that I found odd was the fluctuation between art styles. I’m not sure why this occurred, but I personally like the art that was used for most of Chapter 2. Zod used shading there, and like I mentioned before, shading makes a difference.

Conclusion

The content is very graphic. In a right mind, I can’t really recommend this comic to anyone based on content alone. That being said, I can appreciate some of the art and Zod proves that he has a lot of promise.

Everyone has their favourite genre. Some people can appreciate erotica more than others can. Unfortunately it is not for me, but for those of you who are looking for a good comic in this genre, Playfur may be a good choice.

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If you can handle mature themes then go and support ArtOfZod and his comic Playfur on Tapastic!

You can also find ArtOfZod on Facebook, Instagram, and his main website!

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If you would like your own comic reviewed, contact me via email, or leave a comment below! 

Section 9 by Steven Style

This story takes place in the suburbs of Paris where a group is chased by thugs, he enters to the “9.2.3” territory hoping to escape their pursuers…

Story

Section 9 takes off right from the gate. Steven Style does not create an elaborate introduction to the comic. This can be taken as either a good thing or a bad thing, depending on the reader. You figure things out as you go, which allows the plot to progress at a much faster rate.

Unfortunately, in this case I think Steven Style should have included an introduction. In fact, things aren’t really explained until Chapter 3 so you get thoroughly confused before you finally understand some major facts important to the story. After that, things become slightly clearer –although including it right into the plot instead of just as a fact sheet would be more beneficial.

 From what I gather, the idea feels pretty unique but plays alongside a very popular plot of post-apocalyptic mixed with super capabilities. The difference comes down to how the characters get these abilities, with Section 9’s characters gaining strength through powerstones (as described in image above).

Steven Style fills Section 9 to the brim with humour. In my opinion, it feels a bit excessive. The characters seem to have difficulty having serious conversations and getting a point across without some form of humour interrupting them. It can get rather repetitive which inevitably softens the punchline. That being said, I did find myself chuckling at a few of them.

Writing

Understanding a language is important when trying to tell a story. If you don’t know the language’s grammar well enough, there can be some major hiccups between telling and understanding the story. I think Steven Style struggles here and getting someone to edit who is proficient in writing/speaking English could benefit the story.

There are also a fair amount of conversational gaps in which conversations do not transition smoothly into the next. This can irritate the reader by making them feel like something isn’t finished. This may even create some confusion in understanding that the next conversation is not tied in with the previous.

Art

When it comes to making comics, paneling is important. It helps guide the reader from one scene to the next. Steven Style does a nice job of having neat, even panels. This allows for optimal reading. It would be nice to see some more variety in the types of paneling (i.e. size/shape), but overall Section 9 has a nice clean look.

Steven Style also uses facial expressions that are exaggerated to capture humour. It is nicely done, but would be more successful with different angle shots, and less use of just up-close scenes of the characters’ faces. Having a variety of angles and character poses can help improve overall appearance.

As for the overall design, the characters and backgrounds are a bit flat and boring at times. By adding depth via shading, they could be much more visually appealing. Steven Style has shown this in some panels, but it lacks in others.

To tie in with the overall design, some of the character proportions are off. Humans are incredibly difficult to get proportionately right and this will improve over time with practice.

As for what Steven Style excels at, it is without a doubt, actions scenes. These are tricky to create right, but when done properly they can flow from one panel to the next very smoothly. Section 9 is filled with action scenes that are easy to see and they piece together nicely.

Conclusion

My general impression of Section 9 is that the plot needs to be further explained so that the readers can understand it better, and that by adding a little bit of shading and depth Steven Style can drastically improve the artistic quality.

I would recommend Section 9 to anyone who is looking to read a story written by a budding artist and storyteller. Steven Style has a great future ahead of him and I look forward to seeing how he grows.

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You can support Steven Style by reading Section 9 on Tapastic!

Steven Style can also be found on Facebook, Deviantart, and Tumblr.

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If you would like your comic reviewed, leave a comment below or contact me via email! 

 

Heart of Keol by keiiii

A troubled young man from the good ol’ US of A finds himself lost in a strange new world. Adventures, culture shocks, plot twists and drama ensue.

I’m surprised I have not read this comic sooner. It is a beautifully drawn and written comic, with much obvious hard work and care put into it.

So let’s break it down:

Story

Heart of Keol draws the reader in almost immediately. Not simply because of the gorgeous artwork, but because of the massive amount of potential keiiii shoves at you in the first chapter. Keiiii does not waste time getting into the thick of things, quickly glossing over the necessary background for the main character (Ethan) and then kicking him right into the plot.

This plot takes place in a world connected to Earth by a Gate (giant teleporting worm hole …thing). Like most stories that revolve around a world unknown to the readers, there is some lag between continuing the plot and filling the main character/readers in with some background information. This lag in particular actually highlights the lack of information introduced earlier about Ethan’s past and who he is. If keiiii had taken the time to tell us all about Ethan before this, it would probably deter a lot of readers (not to mention the possibility of ruining a big part of the plot). Strategy is key when releasing large quantities of information, and keiiii understands that the majority of people get bored fast when bombarded with background knowledge.

Writing

Oh, how convenient it is that Ethan speaks a language that is used in the world he falls into! To be fair, it would suck to have to read about Ethan sitting around in a village for months on end just so he can understand what the people are lisping at him.

Aside from that, keiiii does a good job of separating the English language from the Korean. By colour coding the speech bubbles, readers can easily decipher which conversational tongue the characters are speaking in. To tie in with the separation of languages, is the intentional spelling and grammar mistakes. Obviously, Ethan is not completely fluent in Korean and the natives don’t speak quite the same version as what he knows. This creates some hiccups in the communication between characters, and offers an oddly refreshing view in the struggles of trying to get a point across in a language and culture you don’t quite understand. Plus, accents!

Aside from intentional spelling errors and grammar mistakes, the writing is very well done. Conversations flow smoothly from page to page, and information is released to the readers with direct purpose.

Heart of Keol also has some great humour thrown in that gets a chuckle out of you once in a while to help carry the heavy plot.

Art

As for the art, I am pleased. Keiiii pays attention to detail in the backgrounds, enhancing the overall impression of the scene at hand.

The attention to detail is also expanded to the use of lighting. It can be difficult to capture the passage of time in a comic without actually writing it out, and lighting is an excellent source to take advantage of when you can. I think it is fair to say that keiiii definitely uses lighting when she can.

Angles also seem to be something keiiii is well-versed in. Some angles can be particularly difficult to create properly, oftentimes making characters look awkward. Heart of Keol utilizes angles in ways that complement movement and size, which has a massive impact if done properly.

An area that I was slightly disappointed in were the facial expressions. They were there, but not always to the extent where they reached the character’s eyes. The eyes are such an important factor when it comes into play with making a reader feel empathy or rage alongside a character. If the eyes are not part of the expression, the feelings can be lost on the reader. Most of the time this was not a problem, but every now and again there would be a scene where the eyes didn’t change enough to have a strong effect.

As for the panels, keiiii portrays them as brushstrokes. It is a classic design that compliments the overall art style. I do love the style used in Heart of Keol, but to be picky, the lines could be cleaner around the characters, especially around the hands.

Aside from the use of paneling, Heart of Keol destroys (in a good way) the Tapastic format. Keiiii takes advantage of the down scroll design by lengthening scenes and melting them into one another to create an epic use of space and movement.

Conclusion

I think it is pretty clear what my opinion is of Heart of Keol. This is a comic that anyone could fall in love with, not just because of the art, but because of the amount of thought keiiii puts into each page, and the plot as a whole.

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Links

You can give Heart of Keol a read on Tapastic, or at keiiii’s main site.

Also check out keiiii’s DeviantArt page (there is a gorgeous background scene there from Heart of Keol).