Prozaic by SandraMJ

“Lisa, a college student, finds herself forced to live with her worst nightmare: a cat. And that’s just the beginning of her problems…”

Story

Prozaic by SandraMJ is a slice-of-life comic revolving around the life of a girl, her hatred of a certain cat, and depression. It’s a unique comic that jumps right into those real-life-feels that many of us can relate to.

I found some of the plot to be a bit confusing to follow along with since it moves at a bit of a choppy pace, hopping around the story and introducing characters at random. However, the overall concept is clear enough and it’s rather enjoyable to see a protagonist that is far from perfect, and not necessarily the most lovable character (and yet, oh-so-relatable).

Writing

The writing is alright.  There were one or two instances where I saw some spelling mistakes, and few more instances with grammar errors. Just make sure you take the time to really read over your work, and it never hurts to have someone else read it over as well, so they may be able to catch something you missed. A good trick to editing written work is by coming back to it after a few days (or longer). Your brain has a habit of filling in missing words when you proofread, making it hard to catch mistakes. By tackling editing a few days later, you (hopefully) don’t remember what you wrote word-for-word anymore, so you are more susceptible to catching those little errors.

Although I found some scenes not the easiest to decipher, all the information is there. There’s little unnecessary fluff and conversations are smooth. One area I’d be a bit careful with in the future is putting so many words on one panel. The main character likes to babble a bit, so it may be beneficial to break it up between panels, or find a way to write in fewer words. The less clutter on a page, the better.

It can be daunting to see so many words on one panel -especially when it occurs often.

SandraMJ threw in some hidden gems in this comic, too. There are some well disguised fourth wall breaks that occur in several pages. It adds a bit of character to the comic that makes it stand out against some other stories.

Art

The art starts off a bit rough. I find the panels are clear to follow from one to the next, but I have to pause every now and then to figure out what is actually happening in each one. It might be beneficial to zoom out a bit on a scene so that there is more background information. Being unable to figure out exactly what is happening in a panel almost immediately slows down the reading speed, and inevitably alters the flow of the comic altogether.

The paneling is smooth and sequencing is well done, but the first three panels make it difficult to tell exactly where the character is. After staring at it for a bit, my best guess is outside an elevator, inside an elevator, and then outside apartment door.

I enjoy the colour that SandraMJ slowly incorporates into Prozaic. It’s a nice touch to the atmosphere of the comic. There are some inconsistencies with colour choices, as well as a mix of mediums. This comic feels a bit like an experiment, something that SandraMJ may be trying to figure out about her art style. Either way, it works just fine for this slice-of-life comic, as it feels as if the readers are growing along with her and her work. However, any future comics that have a more professional feel should definitely be very consistent in style and colouring.

In general, SandraMJ’s art style has definitely improved since the beginning of Prozaic. It is encouraging to see a creator learn from mistakes and countless hours of practice. Since Prozaic is in a very simplistic art style, it’s a bit more difficult to notice some of the growth that an artist has made, but when you look at the first page to the last, there is definitely significant changes in style.

First comic strip

Later comic strip in Entry 2

Conclusion

Overall, my impression is that Prozaic by SandraMJ is a learn-as-you-go comic. My personal opinion of this style is very welcoming. I encourage artists to test what they know, and experiment with what they do not. Every comic creator goes through this at some point, but just a few special artists decide to share that process with their readers. I look forward to seeing SandraMJ continue to grow as an artist, and to see where she decides to take Prozaic from here.

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You can check out Prozaic by SandraMJ on Tapastic.

Robo Hole by Arkie Ring

“Parsnip is a sarcastic, moody teen living in the quiet suburb of Freefar. But when a black hole turns into a boy and lands in her back yard, her life of side-eyeing and snarky comments quickly turns into a life of fighting robots and alternate universes. Can Parsnip and her new friend Geckie save Freefar from total destruction? Probably not. But find out anyway!”

Story

Robo Hole by Arkie Ring is a science fiction story based on a unique idea revolving around a black hole. A concept that isn’t really understood by science to begin with, it offers a multitude of theories and stories that can be told without 100% disbelief.

Ring certainly took advantage of this by twisting theories of black holes and mixing it with a slight Transformers feel. It’s a concept I never would have thought of, and actually works surprisingly well, leaving the reader with a sense of fascination with each page.

So pretty!

Robo Hole also starts strong, with solid introductions of the characters incorporated right into the plot.  The plot also moves along smoothly from page one, which allows for a quick and easy read for any new reader, as well as an easy way to stay with a comic if you follow along update to update.

Writing

One of the reasons why the plot moves so smoothly is because Ring has made sure that only the necessary information is there, and nothing too excessive is added. Too much fluff can clutter a story and make it impossible for the reader to stay focused on the goal of the main characters.

Robo Hole is also dripping with humour, both visually and verbally. It creates a delicate balance between action and comedic relief. At times I found the humour to be repetitive and corny, but for the most part I did catch myself chuckling at absurd comments or actions the characters participated in.

That has got to hurt…

I was most impressed, however, with the level of professionalism when it came to the grammar and spelling in this comic. From what I saw, there was little to no errors here. Well done!

Art

The art in Robo Hole is fairly strong, although there are some slight proportion and angling errors. These do improve over time with the growth of creator and comic alike. It will be interesting to see how much farther this will develop as the comic continues.

The shading has improved dramatically in the new chapters, making for a much more visually appealing comic.

The one thing that really caught my attention in this comic was the incredible sequences between panels. Ring clearly excels in expressing movement and time through close-up shots in a short sequence. Sequences like this allow for a story in and of itself to be told quickly and beautifully.

Not only do these panels capture the passing of time, but it also creates a feeling of urgency.

The final thing I want to touch on for Robo Hole is the colours. Having a comic fully coloured is always a bold move, if not only for the speed of production purposes. Ring chose some interesting colour combinations, with a bold black outline on the characters. It’s a personal preference, but the bold outline just separates the characters too much from the background for me, making it seem as if they are pasted there instead of being immersed in the world.

Conclusion

Overall, however, I was very impressed with Robo Hole by Arkie Ring. There is a lot of potential in this comic with a strong plot and highly professional writing. I look forward to seeing where Ring takes this adventure in the future.

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Check out Robo Hole by Arkie Ring on Smackjeves and Tapastic.