Zuda Review: The Symptoms

What's to Like:
The Symptoms is a September '09 Zuda submission featuring the tale of a band of rockers with unique powers brought together in the face of an ambiguous threat to the entire world. Creators, William Sliney and Dave Hendrick, put together a very attractive package, complete with well-composed, not to mention functional, page layouts and fluid sequentials. The art is rock solid at the start, with anatomy and facial expressions stylistically similar to Ex Machina's Tony Harris - actually, the coloring and effects in the scenes featuring Kinger are all reminiscent of that fine work, and that's no slight, gentlemen. Well done. The character scripting for The Symptoms, heard almost entirely via narration, is smooth and to type. It just feels genuine as it's read, and each character has a unique flavor to his or her personality, even in the brief introductions provided.

What it Lacks:
The art on The Symptoms definitely impresses at points, but it is not consistent throughout and actually seems to deteriorate a little (okay, just slightly) as the screens progress. Whether this is due to rushing, fatigue or simply a purposeful stylistic distinction rests with the creators. Regardless, it's a point of fact worth noting. The primary flaw with this submission is the story presentation. The Symptoms is set up as a series of three vignettes introducing the three bandmates in completely separate situations until their chance, excessively convenient meeting on Screen 7. Despite the really well-scripted scenes within these vignettes, there is almost no dialogue among characters in the entire submission, and the conflict against which they ultimately join forces is ambiguously represented and utterly undefined. Okay, so they hook up, rock out and throw down on some green zombie-dudes called Zenos...AND...? It's nice to get such a quick and convenient understanding of the characters, but that recognizability comes at the price of actual story. There are a ton of possibilities for drama that could dominate this submission and make it absolutely compelling. What leads Kinger to shoot himself in the eye? Where do the Zenos come from and what are they after? What happened to Reap at 16 to make him realize his size was so scary to others? But, alas, none of these angles are exploited in the least to make me want to come back to this tale.

My Zuda Rating:
3 Stars. Interesting concept and characters. Art with great potential to only get better. No hook to get a better rating.

My Vote?
Nope. I know I wouldn't check this one each week to see what's going on.

Zuda Review: WheelJack Union

What's to Like:
Mike Odum's submission to the September '09 Zuda competition is called WheelJack Union, and it is a technically sound piece of comic art. Odum works his black-and-white style to full effect, emphasizing stark contrasts throughout and skillfully shifting his use of black, in both degree and porportion, dependent upon the atmosphere and motion being conveyed. The linework is splendid, clean and consistent throughout, reminiscent of classic giant robot archetypes - Gigantor and The Iron Giant come to mind, but only in terms of the simple geometric shapes that comprise the machine.

Where WheelJack Union really shines is in the sequential aspect of the work. Odum shows off natural aptitudes for page composition and pacing that are truly rare for Zuda competitors. The camera in the tip of his pencil twirls the reader about the French battleground that opens the story, always providing dynamic scenes and evolving perspectives that synergistically craft a larger sense of the visuals than the simple 2-D pictures taken separately. Screen 2 is just a beautiful, exemplary piece of comic art, but it's only one example of Odum's mastery with the visual flow of WheelJack Union. Even when he launches into the oft-obligatory "recap" page that so often bogs down Zuda competitors, the transition is navigated seamlessly amidst a hot firefight and lasts a total of one single screen. And, when it's done, the reader better understands the story history and immediately dissolves back into the battle without a hitch. Impressive work there. One other quick note of praise for the creator's technical prowess: the lettering is truly gorgeous. Boxes and balloons are carefully placed to accent the art and supplement pacing, and the sound effects are expertly executed in terms of both placement and style.

What it Lacks:
All those kind words about the art and storytelling craftsmanship are not, unfortunately, accompanied by high praise for the characterizations within. The overall story itself is interesting as a World War II "What If" sort of tale, and the WheelJack robot has enough visual appeal and action potential to keep the reader interested. However, there is not much appeal to the human characters at the core of the story, and I attribute that to the scripting of the dialogue. It is not very distinctive among the characters, and the interaction between the WheelJack creator and the military officer on Screen 6 is particularly awkward. This is an area in which assistance from a writer or editor might improve the final product and make WheelJack Union a must-read on Zuda.

My Zuda Rating:
4 Stars. SO close to 5 Stars - I just want to like the non-robot characters more.

My Vote?
Possibly. I'm only a few submissions into my review, but WheelJack Union is definitely in the early lead.

Zuda Review: Zamir

What's to Like:
Pablo Zych puts down a quirky and enthralling artistic effort with Zamir in the September '09 Zuda competition. The style is evocative of children's stories dark in tone and memorable. Just browsing the pages, particularly during the forest scenes, the feel is reminiscent of Where the Wild Things Are. And that's a good thing. The creatures are sufficiently strange and ephemeral to make Guillermo del Toro jealous, and they are well-suited to the nightmare tone Zych is trying to establish in his story. I found myself revisiting Zamir a number of times after the first read, just to examine the hypnotic visuals.

What it Lacks:
Unfortunately, as is often the case on Zuda, the story does not rise to the level of the art. The general notion of a quest through a dark forest to find a witch who kidnapped our hero's son absolutely fits with the visual stylings visited upon us by Mr. Zych. However, the pacing is choppy at best, as too much set-up is crammed into the 8-page Zuda submission. I would love to see eight screens packed with Zamir's travels through the forest, rather than endure a contrived device to get him to the witch's house and establish what is to come. This art deserves patience on the part of the creator as much as the readers. Let us savor it! Additionally, the scripting is poor. The tone and content of the characters' speech is not consistent with the setting, particularly during the interactions between Zamir and the witch. This is another classic example of a skilled artist with bottomless potential who will benefit immensely from collaboration with an experienced writer of similar talent and tastes. A writer to pace this story in a suspenseful and mood-inspiring manner in combination with adding true flavor to the personalities of the characters - he or she would make ALL the difference in this submission.

My Zuda Rating:
3 Stars. I initially rated Zamir 2 stars but, upon a few re-reads, it really grew on me, and I think the art alone deserves 3 stars. This work is a good writer away from being 5 stars.

My Vote?
No. While I would love to see another submission from Mr. Zych, I have no interest in following this particular story.