Part 02 – Page 54
And here ends part 02.
Feel free to comment on this whole part if you like. I don’t think this time a postmortem is necessary (or, at least, not a full post just for that), and having the comments here in the page feels more natural, anyway. Among other things, I’m interested in knowing what do you think of the new art style (where it’s just pencil and color, no inks). Also, I’m considering upping the realism level of the visuals for the next one. That means making it slightly more realistic, like the close-up faces of the last two pages. The real downside to that (apart from your hypothetical rejection) is that it takes more time to create a page that way, and that goes against all the measures I’ve taken to reduce the production time so far.
And, talking about the next part, contrary to my original plan the next part (part 03) is going to be the final one. The suppressed part (Pulsar’s story) will be merged into it and, after that, Robomeks will end. It’ll also be a huge one, with a extension close, if not bigger, to that of part 01.
Finally, as I stated several times now, I’m taking a break from publishing Robomeks, starting now. The length of this inactivity period is yet to be determined, but I can assure you it won’t be less than a month. My guess is not more than two, though. Meanwhile, I’ll keep posting from time to time with some updates about the upcoming part and some random eyecandy and, eventually, you’ll get the notice of the return of the publishing schedule. I’d say it’s a good time to subscribe to the RSS feed if you haven’t done so, as that’s the easiest way to keep track of any news related to Robomeks. If you don’t know what an RSS feed is you can read this newspost I wrote a while back where I explain that and the other means of keeping up with this site.
That’s all for now. Thanks for reading Robomeks and, see you soon!
11 Comments
I’m probably just a purist or something, but I kinda liked the less detailed body renditions more than the detaileds. Guess I’m used to smoocher and less busy appearances for comics. Heh.
… SMOOTHER. Bad typist, no biscuit.
Aww, take, here, a full box of virtual biscuits. Making a typo doesn’t make you a bad typist
Thanks for your input. I also like the cartoony style (obviously), but the more detailed one is something I’ve been holding for quite a while now and it’s something I’d like to concentrate on sooner or later. Reader comments will play a large role on the final decision so, keep them coming.
Personally, while I realize it takes a lot more talent to be able to do the “detailed” drawings, I don’t like them. To me, it makes the characters look about 20-30 years older. Instead of facial expressions and emotions, what I see is wrinkles, and old people.
Please understand I’m not trying to be rude. I’ve loved your comic so far. It’s awesome! I continually look forward to reading more from you. However, if I had never seen your comic before, and you were using the “detailed” drawings, I can assure you that I would have had a much more difficult time getting into your comic. It looks more like a soap opera/sit-com, than it does a semi-serious/fun comic.
If you were to change the art style, I most likely would keep reading, but it would take effort for me to adapt to it. In the newspaper (you know, your locally delivered-to-your-door/roof newsprint paper), for the Sunday Comics, those comics which use that art style (or similar) are the ones I never read (ever – though, I have read Spiderman occasionally, which has a similar art style, I suppose), and sometimes make fun of.
If I were to suggest an improvement, I would suggest the avoidance of the “hard” lines, and go for a more gradient type line. That is, instead of black lines (what I see as wrinkles), go for different shades of their faces, so that it “blends” better, rather than being so sharp. Since I’m no artist, I don’t know if this is a good idea. It might look terrible. But, in my mind’s eye, it looks better than the “hard” lines you’re using now.
I hope this doesn’t come across rudely to you. Again, your comic is awesome. I check it every chance I get. Of the few comics I read, this is definitely one of the best. I’m simply speaking up now, because I really don’t find the “detailed” artistic style to be very complimentary.
Obviously, it’s up to you to decide. And, of course, I’m just one voice among millions. Hopefully a “middle ground” can be found, or something, because that art style doesn’t look “realistic” to me. Detailed, yes. And, in certain uses, it can display facial expression better than other styles. But used in excess I find it very distracting.
I hope you’re able to read this as a helpful comment, and that it is useful to you. I really appreciate the comics you’ve made so far. They’ve been great, and I look forward to the final part coming up in a month or 2. Keep up the great work, and good luck. Mouser X over and out.
Thanks a lot for your elaborated comment. I find it most constructive.
I know what you mean with the colored lines for faces and such. Like in the animated films (2D) and TV cartoons, right? That’s something I considered back in part 01, where the first big visual rework happened, but I finally decided not to go that way. The reason being it’s a somewhat time consuming process and I was aiming for a more ink based style there anyway. I’m still not convinced about it, so I doubt it’ll happen in the next part. Oh, by the way, the lines aren’t black, they’re dark brown. Not that it’s noticeable, though
I’m aware of the impact that the change of the art style would have, so your feedback is more than welcomed. One of the reasons I’m considering this change is because of the general good reception of those close-up faces. That said, I’m also aware that they work mostly because they happen infrequently and usually in spots where they fit in the tone of the scene. Probably making it the default style would kill that factor, though. But the next part, while it’s going to have lots of action scenes and occasional humor, is also going to be more serious than usual, with some definitely dramatic and romantic (yep, soap opera like) moments. That’s another reason why I’m considering going for a more visually detailed approach this time. But, as I said, the decision isn’t made yet.
Thanks again for taking the time to write here and for your all your compliments
I was thinking about it, and it occurred to me that http://drmcninja.com uses a “realistic” art style, but doesn’t make its characters look wrinkly. You might have to peruse their archive to see some better examples (the most recent comics don’t show a lot variety in characters right now), but Gordito (the 12 year “side-kick” of Dr. McNinja. He has a handlebar mustache, and carries guns) might be a good example. He can show lots of expression without looking aged.
With a *very* brief perusal myself, I found http://drmcninja.com/archives/comic/13p1 through /13p8 which displays varied people (including Gordito) with various expressions. I don’t know if this is useful (as an example) to you, but I’m hoping it can at least provide inspiration of some form for you.
One thing to note is that Dr. McNinja is not a serious comic (as I’m sure you quickly realized, what with Dinosaurs, Paul Bunyan, a 12 year old with a mustache, etc.), and that might be reflected in its art style. In which case, perhaps it doesn’t succeed in portraying the effect you’re trying to achieve in the next part of your comic. Nonetheless, I figured that it’s the next best thing, that I’m familiar with, that uses an art style similar to the “realistic” one you’re going for.
Thanks again for your comic. And, of course, thanks for the time you put into it, and for your time put into reading my long-winded comments. Good luck with your endeavors, and I look forward to what may come. Though, hopefully it will receive some refinement by the time the future comics come around. Mouser X over and out.
Long-time reader, but I think this is my first time commenting.
I’m sorry to hear you’re ending it after chapter 3! This is one of my favorite webcomics (especially chapter 1), so I hate to see it go. My hope is that maybe when the time comes, you’ll reconsider and indulge your faithful readers with some more robotic goodness.
Anyway, I wanted to let you know that I don’t particularly care for the realistic style all that much either. I love the cartoony style. I think it very much shows off the youth and innocence of the characters, and as Mouser X said, I think the realistic style makes them look very much older. They don’t look like children – they look like people who should be old enough and experienced enough to be able to fix robots. It’s not as much of a stretch.
Anyway, keep up the good work, and I will continue to watch for your return!
I see what some people are saying about the ‘realistic style’, not on this page, but the previous one. I think you can do the realistic style, but just don’t put so many expression lines on their faces, because as been said already, it makes the characters look older. Other than that, I love the art style that you have going on here (sans inks). Its gonna be sad to see you leave, but I know people can’t keep up webcomics forever. Who knows, maybe you’ll start a new webcomic? Can’t wait to see what you do when you come back from your hiatus.
Hey, just wanted to check in and see how the break’s going and how much longer it will be. This is still one of my favorite comics, and I’m very much looking forward to an update.
But, if I may make a request, can you please try to leave it a little open-ended, so if you so choose (we can only hope) you can continue it at a later date?
Still here, and updates will start shortly. There’s still some weeks left before the comic proper begins, though. Once I start for real I’ll go back to the non-stop updating as usual. I’m just taking my time now.
RM will end for good once it’s finished. But there’s ways to continue with the story if I decide to do so, and I’ll intentionally leave a couple doors opened. In any case, any project after RM (if I am able and/or want to keep publishing online) will be different in tone and theme. There’s a ton of projects I’m holding because of Witty &co. and I’d love to see those published eventually.
Cool. Thanks for the update!