Post any comic/novel here and I will give it a shot for ~5 pages (REACT EDITION)

[powerplantanimations]

Regarding when to turn a jokey show to something serious, I don't think I agree with the statement since there's all sorts of ways to go at it? There's a lot of shows that started off with jokes before saying "screw it let's go with drama". You say you like PPG? That's a big one. How would you know my story wouldn't have drama like that? Most people who do want an epic adventure do want build up of how the world works. I would say the elements start kicking in Episode 8. Episode 16 (Arc 2) is where things get weird and Arc 3 is where things get serious.

My tastes on the third statement are also wide and varied, which is why I wouldn't mind a estimation. But for me to understand where people are coming from, I do have to look at the stuff they're into. You mentioned Powerpuff Girls for example? I don't that's far-off from what I'm doing, no? Same with Twilight Zone. The Obsolete Man is a huge inspiration on my story. But yeh, glad you like it.

Okay last bit because so far since supposedly that line is the most divisive in my story. I will say your criticism is interesting since the only negative I've gotten from it is "Ohhh it's so offensive" but like... I feel that argument is tone-deaf in itself since I've MET people like that in friggin' Texas who speak like that. When I'm going to represent people, I'm going to represent the ones that don't understand things no matter how cliche they may seem. :T

Glad you're taking a different route and I respect you for that :v

Anyway, I have an answer as to why I didn't do what you would've liked? (Well... I did, but I'll get to that). 1) It would've wasted the reader's time. I feel like they would've gotten the point with that line alone if I were to do it, I would've worked it in another way... which... 2) I did do that lol. The "Yu-Gi-Mon's and them Jojo's" line. I felt like had I weaved it in another way, then it wouldn't halt the conversation altogether like something you'd see in a Marvel film. I take the Ghostbusters route with how they do dialogue (the original not the.... yeah).

... How is it an unnatural response? In my head the reason I thought it flowed well because it was bringing up something (Vietnamese) and then transitioning to something similar (Japanese). When you're writing dialogue, you have to do something that could naturally transition into other statements otherwise it'd sound choppy. And wouldn't you agree that's a clever way of showing that he's not in Japan anymore without telling the audience? I mean... that is the point. He's not just in another artstyle, but he's in another country with different rules. I feel like when you criticize people regarding dialogue you should have intents in mind. "Why is this conversation three panels long?".

You mentioned you didn't really think much when going into That Stick Figure Isekai because you assumed it's goofy? I was fine with that (part of my writing is to appease people who turn off their brains), but judging by the way you're responding to other stories (and being critical), I think you should probably keep a mindset that everyone's going for something and that no matter what, nobody's trying to be aimless. Even if you are reaching, it's good that a story is motivating you to do so. It also helps with your own writing skills. For writers I feel like they should never turn their brains off. It's like walking into a forest at night.

[DokiDokiTsuna]

You mentioned you didn't really think much when going into That Stick Figure Isekai because you assumed it's goofy? I was fine with that (part of my writing is to appease people who turn off their brains), but judging by the way you're responding to other stories (and being critical), I think you should probably keep a mindset that everyone's going for something and that no matter what, nobody's trying to be aimless.

...I'm not 100% sure where this is coming from, but I think there are a few things you need to keep in mind:

1) When I said "you'd be better off with a first impression from someone else", I meant it. It wasn't just a platitude; when you simply do not like someone's work it's hard to talk about it. I can try to be objective, but if I'm just not interested in what you're doing then there's not a lot I'll have to say. ¯_(ツ)_/¯ Grilling me for more information, and trying to explain to me what I should have appreciated...you do understand that that's pointless, right?? You're not going to gain a fan by 'teaching' them how to like your work; it either appeals to them or it doesn't.

If it makes you feel better, I'm certain that there are aspects of your story that I would like. Even in the little that I read, there were a few things I genuinely enjoyed. But enjoying a certain creative choice isn't the same as enjoying a WHOLE STORY full of different choices. And when a reader, any reader, decides whether or not to invest in your story, they're deciding whether there are enough appealing choices to hold their attention. I'm not saying I saw NONE, I'm just saying I didn't see enough. =/

2) No offense, but this kind of thing is the reason I added this warning:

If you look through my more negative reactions and think "god, I would die if anyone said that about my comic/novel", don't ask me to react! Because no matter how confident you are, next time, it could be you.

Everyone who complains about my criticisms brings up the things I've said about other people's work, and it immediately makes me think, "so...you saw the way I talk about other people's stories, and even though you didn't like it, you still posted to this thread. Because you thought YOUR STORY would be the exception...?"

Don't think this. There is no one on this forum who understands my tastes in media well enough to be that confident. It makes no sense, and it is a gamble that you should be FULLY prepared to lose.

Coming to me after the fact and claiming "that's not how you were supposed to react; if you just considered [insert details I didn't ask for] you would realize you actually DO like my story" just looks...sad and desperate, to be honest. I don't take that behavior seriously.

Furthermore, like I have also said many times, this thread is for me giving my honest FIRST IMPRESSION. First impressions are never totally accurate, but they do matter, and that's what this thread is for. Yes, it's entirely possible that my first impression of your story could turn me off before I get to the "good part", and you should be prepared for that, because that's how first impressions work.

[DokiDokiTsuna]

TWENTY-FIRST UPDATE! (Replies 258-265)

Luma @Zhengo
-I find Setzo’s design really messy...so many values, textures, and different forms all squished together on one humanoid frame. >_< At the very least, I think just making more of them the same color could help; create some kind of focal point to make the design look intentional, and not like you just hit ‘randomize’ on a character creator.
-Following up boring exposition with a character saying “bo-ring!” doesn’t make it...okay. ._. Like, as the reader, we still had to sit through that...and I don’t think it would be difficult to re-format Setzo’s “story” into something that actually felt like a story; something more character-driven and goal-oriented that a kid might find entertaining (which could better portray a connection between the two characters, showing that Setzo, despite being strict, still knows “Leoli” well enough to tell them a tale that captures their interest). The pieces are there, it’s just that the emphasis is on the wrong parts.
=I do remember subbing to the previous version of this comic, although I must admit I didn’t keep up with it very long, and I don’t really remember what I read. ^^; What bugs me a bit is that...well, to be perfectly honest, if THIS version was the one I saw first, I don’t think I would have subbed at all. =/ The art is okay, but the character designs are awkward, and the writing is pretty bland and predictable so far. There are some emotional moments/bits of foreshadowing that I appreciate, but nothing that would convince me to stick around...it’s just odd to think about, seeing as this is supposed to be a revised version of the story. I definitely expected more...

Larvae @Chocolate
-The ‘just normal modern handwriting’ lettering (particularly for the sound fx) is really distracting and immersion breaking. It gives the impression that someone stole your comic pages and wrote random words all over them as a prank; it just does not look good at all. o_O I think changing the font to something more stylish or redrawing the letters to be more evocative would be a HUGE improvement.
-...What did she pull out of the water? o_O Seriously, what is that??
I’m fairly certain this whole intro is a Momotaro reference, but SURELY that isn’t supposed to be a peach. ಠ_ಠ It looks more like a shriveled heart from some kind of alien organism…
=...Is this actually a comic? Why are Episodes 3 and 4 just random images?? Did you put the wrong link in your post or something?? I have no idea what’s going on, and I honestly don’t know how you could expect someone to critique this.

The Herald’s Soul @AlydaB
-...Right out the gate, it’s just line after line of the most generic dialogue I’ve ever seen. ⚆u⚆; I keep waiting for a character to say something unique, something specific to their relationships or their goals in this scene, and instead it’s just “don’t get cocky”, “wait up”, “you’re not getting away!”
It just screams ‘lack of creativity’ so loudly, even the honestly great artwork and movement and usage of space is drowned out. Just...why?? O_O
-The character is just going to...tell us the battle strategy of the mindless monster? She’s just gonna explain its tactics right out loud, as if that’s a normal thing for a person to say…??? o__O
-...I literally predicted the “reckless” line right before I saw it. =_= This is getting frustrating...
=I’m just gonna say it: I think you should work with a writer. Your art is beautiful-- expressive, eye-catching, perfectly designed to work with the scroll format. The character designs are nothing special, but they are good-looking, well-drawn, and fitting for the characters’ personalities. The monsters are adorable, the backgrounds are excellent, the action is easy to follow and looks super cool. Visually, this comic has everything going for it (and tbh, that’s probably enough to gain success).
The writing, though...to be honest, I find it infuriating. It’s not even BAD, it’s just SO predictable, so generic, so devoid of anything intriguing or interesting. And I don’t understand why.
Most amateurs who use this kind of generic dialogue at least pair it up with exposition dumps about the actually interesting things...which is clumsy, yes, but it DOES show that they want you to know what makes their story special, and what makes these characters worth caring about right away. Here, there’s just nothing. :[ Are you hiding it? Saving it for a later episode?? Why?? How long am I supposed to wait for this story to sound like something other than a cheap video game trailer?? Why should I wait, when you’ve already had plenty of chances to make them sound interesting, and passed up every single one???
Now, I know from experience that this kind of stuff won’t matter to most readers, especially since the art is as good as it is. ¯_(ツ)_/¯ But it still matters a lot to me. I see pretty pictures every day; when I read a comic I want a good story to go with them. This is just a disappointment…

A Fresh Friend @bronte448
-Why do I kind of like this… ^^;
=Okay, so I know very very little about Undertale; I just barely understand what’s going on. The writing is kind of clunky; you don’t switch topics very well, BUT...the basic back-and-forth, and even the exposition, is surprisingly good. ‘_’ The dialogue in this comic has a clear, professional-sounding style-- maybe that’s thanks to the game it’s based on, but regardless, it’s very immersive.
It’s kind of like the opposite problem of my previous reaction-- that is to say, it’s the art that drags this experience down. ^^; It’s incredibly amateurish and distracting; making jokes out of it helps (I did laugh at “got tired of drawing the chicken wire”) but it’s not really enough, unfortunately.
With that said, though, I think you could benefit from partnering with a more experienced artist, or even just switching to prose format-- with a little work, your writing could definitely stand on its own.

KITSUNE @Shady_Kuronachi
=In a word: awkward. =/ The writing isn’t really bad-bad, most of it is decent, but a lot of things don’t make sense, the dialogue is unnatural and the pacing is confusingly fast. I think you might just be in a bit of an uncanny valley…
...Also, the art doesn’t even come close to giving the correct impression of what the story is like. ^^; I really think you should change it; there’s probably some free-to-use stockphoto of a fox or a Japanese landscape out there that would actually match the tone...

[powerplantanimations]

I feel like you're getting a hostile vibe from me when that's my not goal here? I'm not grilling you for more information I'd just wanted to know what I could get out to improve. You were giving out reactions, I wanted a little bit more context. When I said "I was fine with that" I meant that I didn't care about you in particular getting into it.

From my point of view, I think all writers should just keep an open mind for themes when doing criticisms for other work. This isn't because you're not into my work (put that in a box, seal it away, we're done talking about that), I just feel like these writers could get something out of this thread or they could... I dunno... have this impact them and you lead them the wrong way?

You seem to be freaking out a little bit. I don't know if my posts came off as a little hostile or whatever, but keep in mind that that's not my intent. I just type like this. Trust me... I wouldn't die if you said these things about my comic because I've heard worse.

Hell, I don't even know your writing style or know if you have a comic or not. I don't know who you are behind that screen either. From here, you're a stranger. Which is why I tend to inspect my critiquers a little more.

Again, not saying "that's how you're supposed to react". This is how I have convos with all people who critique my work since they usually have me guide them through it.

Again, again. We're COOL here. You seem like a COOL person judging by your threads. Last thing I want is a group of potential readers in the promotional section thinking I'm having a pity party because someone wasn't feeling my work. Let's squash it. We good?

[DokiDokiTsuna]

This is how I have convos with all people who critique my work since they usually have me guide them through it.

That's the thing, though: these aren't really full critiques. Just brief reactions. ^^; If you just want to ask for a little clarification on a comment I made, that's one thing, but I can't really have a conversation with you about a comic I looked at for maybe 5 minutes at most. Maybe you think I still have valuable insights to add, but I don't, and I never really intended to say anything more than what I initially did. It's just an awkward situation.

Again, again. We're COOL here. You seem like a COOL person judging by your threads. Last thing I want is a group of potential readers in the promotional section thinking I'm having a pity party because someone wasn't feeling my work. Let's squash it. We good?

I'm sorry if I sound defensive; it's probably because I'm used to these little disagreements going south very quickly-- 9 times out of 10 on this forum, someone who has issue with my criticisms will start off 'just wanting to have a discussion', and then a couple exchanges later it becomes clear that what they really wanted was for me to take back everything I said, and by the time I figure this out and ask to drop the discussion, they're already insulting me. :T Each time things seem to just suddenly escalate at the last second, and I guess over time it's made me more cautious.

Anyway, If you're cool, I'm cool; none of this is a big deal to me. ^^;

[powerplantanimations]

Yeah I dislike those types of people on the forums since they put people on edge. I love this site, but I still do feel like I'm walking on eggshells wherever I go (it doesn't help that I talk in a dry, flat, and sarcastic way in REAL life lmaoooo). Some might say it's best to ignore situations when they get out of hand, but now that my story is getting bigger I HAVE to diffuse it because I know for a fact people who aren't strangers will not want to work with you when they see you make one post and assume you're an aggressor. I stopped replying to certain people here as a result because I can't be assed to calm the person down. It's just a thread on its own honestly.

[llobucervallince]

Okay so I'd rather if you could actually start with the chapter three (the one in the link), mostly because of the art I developed in this chapter, I like it more than in the first and second one
I separate the episodes every ten pages

Read Henry Hare (Eng) | Tapas Web Comics

Read Henry Hare (Eng) :: Chapter 3: The Orc and the bounties (pag. 1-10) | Tapas...

[WildMoon]

Just leaving my novel here, I’m sure you have a lot to go through… I’m currently re-editing vol 1 so would really appreciate some reactions.

Read Echoes Of The Void | Tapas Web Novels

[hanielmea]

any criticisms are welcome, good and bad! I just like hearing any criticisms at all!
+react

Read Galaxies, Magical Girls, and Chaos | Tapas Web Comics

[KAOS]

Ouuuu! I'm totally down for content feedback!

I launched my comic Souls&Fangs last like 10 days ago, so now that feedback can still have a big impact... O.o
Sooo.. +react

Read Souls&Fangs | Tapas Web Comics

[bronte448]

Thanks for the feedback! I have been working on it for over a year now and will never not cringe at my old art, but I accept there's still a lot I need to improve. I've cut down the story a lot from what it originally was, cutting out a lot of arcs that didn't really add much. Again, thanks for pointing out what I need to improve.

[AshAndDorian]

(post withdrawn by author, will be automatically deleted in 24 hours unless flagged)

[CloverWrites]

Been working on this for a few months now, feedbacks would be appreciated

Read Solitary | Tapas Web Novels

[phantasmalart]

Been hoping to get some feedback outside of friends!

Read Fine China and Glass Walls | Tapas Web Comics

[chaiteaaa]

Read CRISPR 8 :: Page 1 | Tapas Comics

Hi!! I’d love for you to react to this! I’m quite passionate about this, so I’m curious to see what others think!

[MelancholicOtaku]

Thanks for the feedback

Read The Lost Forest | Tapas Web Novels

[zenzen]

Read The Deadliest Assassin's Reset | Tapas Web Novels

feedback is greatly appreciated <3

[ueonts]

Would love if you checked out my first ever one shot that I created for a contest! Tell me what you think ya'll!

Read Halftone Rainbow | Tapas Web Comics

[allisoncandraw]

I don't think I've posted here before??

If you'd like, check out my slice of life with a deaf MC! https://m.tapas.io/series/signs-point-to-bobbie/info

[Zhengo]

Thanks for the reply Even though you said you don't remember the old version, I am curious about if you think you would've subbed to the old version today as opposed to back then, or if there were elements in the old version that you preferred more. If I recall, you read it during one of my forum posts asking about the pacing where I was up to about chapter 2, so I'm not sure if you simply read more of it back then as opposed to now, since the old version also started off with a long exposition. Anyways, not saying you have to like the new version or answer my questions, just noting my thoughts.