Todays Review: FUI: Flying Under The Influence

Flying Under The Influence, by Devin Dion, updated on Mondays and Fridays, is the story of Dariel, an angel who has been kicked out of Heaven for his rebellious nature, much like the nature of any teenager. I doubt you would be able to get drunk in heaven, which Dariel does to pass the time, but this is a comic, after all. Dariel must then quest to regain his presence in Heaven, all the while making friends with humans.

There is lots to see here. From traveling to the deepest bowels of Hell to being in High School, it all translates nicely to the page in Devin's style. I enjoyed seeing his drawn image of Hell and it's many components. I liked the art style with it's muppet-esque characters with their huge eyes, and the thick brush/pen strokes evoking many comics I grew up with, as opposed to the perfectly calculated, no line out of place look that is so common in todays wacom tablet-carefully edited webcomic era. The coloring is also well done with great use of shading and blending effects.

This is one time when I have more to say about the writing than the art. I liked the mix of gag style humor with storylines such as an attempt to slay Satan for entrance back into heaven. Devin bridges the gap between situational comedy and action sequences very well. There is lots of metaphysical mumbo jumbo, and it's layed on pretty thickly, but that's not necessarily a bad thing. Who knows, maybe someone will learn something from all of the messages being layed down in the comic. It's very interesting to see his take on Hell and the sorts of things people are punished for.
On a different note, here's one thing I would like to mention. From the moment Dariel finds himself on Earth, he's very confused, like a country hick in the big city for the first time, but more so. He doesn't know what a phone is or how to use it. He doesn't know what a car is for. So why does he know the slang term "chicks" for women? I didn't get that. One small blip on the radar, but not a big deal, I just found it odd. Aside from that, I didn't really find anything to complain about in the writing, but I did take slight offense to a bit of the "artistic license" taken in the way Heaven is portrayed, seeing as how I come from a Christian background, but this is, again, a webcomic, and for entertainment purposes only. I still enjoyed the comic, and even with over a hundred comics in the archive, I breezed through it in one sitting with no problem and my interest kept throughout.

FUI doesn't take a lot of time and energy to read as it is fun, well illustrated, and brightly colored. I'll be honest and tell you that the premise had me a little skittish about reading and reviewing it, but there is no overtly insulting or offensive material here, aside from a couple of slight curse words. One thing I didn't care for was the one shot comics interspersed in the comic that have nothing to do with the story. Perhaps a seperate archive for those would be best, to not distract from the storyline? Something to think about. In closing, Flying Under The Influence is a very good comic and you could do worse than to check it out. I'm going to continue reading it, because I like Dariel as a character and I think you will too. I'm going to go out on a limb here and say you'll have a "Hell" of a time with FUI!

I give Flying Under The Influence:

Mini Review-Pick Of The Week: Crowfeathers...

Hi again everyone, I'm here with a sorta new feature, the pick of the week. Here I'll pick a great comic to mini review and let you all know about, if you don't already, and suggest that you give it a try. And away we go!

Crowfeathers is the story of Chase Corbeau, well, let's let Amy Watson, creator of said comic, tell it in her own words: Crowfeathers is the coming of age story of the legendary 1880's Arizona Territory bounty hunter, Chase Corbeau. A jinku child (half human/half harukulkuun, or nature spirit), he has more than his fair share of challenges in life. Plagued by nightmares, spirits of all kinds, the unpredictability of his genetic inheritance, witches out to destroy him, and slightly more mundane hardships, he is forced into adulthood before his time. However, he is never completely alone on his journey, and finds himself in the company of good friends from both the human and spirit worlds.

If you like very professional and dynamic manga-esque black and white art(I would love to see some color though, although it isn't screaming for it) and intricate well plotted out writing with twists and turns at every corner, then you'll like this comic. I've read a good portion of it, and it's an enjoyable experience with an original story and plenty of archives to pass the time with. Updating on Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Saturdays, and rated for ages 16 and up, you may find yourself eagerly awaiting that next page. This is one comic that is steadily climbing up the popularity charts, so why not get in on the groundfloor? I'm going to give Crowfeathers a chimp ranking of

for a job well done and suggest you check it out when you get the chance. Read more webcomics!

BRAND SPANKIN NEW CONTEST!!!!

Hey everyone, it took me a few days to recover from getting my stomach pumped from too much bird on Thanksgiving, and that stuffing, oh man, that stuffing. Anyway, I have a great new fun contest cooking, and I'm sure you'll want to taste it. Here it is!

I know you all love to draw, so why not draw something and enter it into this contest? Okay, the jist. I want you all to check out the list of titles below. They are simply names of comics that could be. What I want is for you to pick a title, and create a brand new comic out of it! With the title you pick be sure to create brand new original characters and settings, not use the characters from one of your own comics. It can be a three panel gag, four panel, full page, any format you want. The most original, creative,and just plain best will win the contest! Simple, right? The contest starts now and ends on Dec. 24th, with the winner being announced on Christmas Day! That's right, you'll get an extra present that day by finding out if you won! What will you win? Well, a complete art set, which means pens, pencils, rulers, paper, notepads, and whatever else I can think of to throw in there, and if you have a webcomic of your own, you get a permanent banner on the site. Intrigued? Well, here are the titles:

Stick And Moove
Stalemate
PigTales
Buttercup Sunrise
French Tickler
Cram Session
Apples And Oranges
Dawg
Happy Go Lucky
Blood Simple
Chris Mess

There they are! Entries can be any size, for I will shrink them to what I need. By the way, you can enter as many as you want, of as many different titles as you want. Email entries to uncaringmachine@aol.com in Jpeg or Gif format under a subject name like "Contest Submission", and be sure and have the title you worked with in the comic or in the email. Now, get drawing, because I can't wait to see what all you talented people out there come up with!

Webcomic Burnout: Have YOU Experienced It?

I'm the first to admit I've felt the burn quite a few times in my three or four years in the webcomic game. There were(and still are)times when I didn't feel like doing ANYTHING, much less coming up with ideas, writing, and drawing new strips. I even went two weeks once not doing a new review on this site, which I've tried to avoid ever doing again, even though I've felt the hand of laziness gently caressing my shoulder every so often. What causes your burnout? Let's discuss..

Pretty much anything can cause someone to skip updates. Breaking up with a girlfriend, hospital stays or sickness in the family, you ate too much pizza last night, hangover, etc. Running out of ideas is a fairly regular one. Writers block can be devastating. You sit down to write out some ideas and BAM!, blank mind. You might think, "Man, what else can I say about these characters? Should I kill one off? Introduce new ones out of nowhere? Are they even worth continuing? Should I just start a new webcomic? AGGH!" Don't panic! One way to remedy this is to just give it a rest for a day or two, relax, and go about your daily life. This can go a long way toward rejuvenating you, and toward deciding whether this is something you want to continue or if you're writers block was just a small hiccup on the road of your comic. You have a job, right? Everyone needs a vacation from that, so why not from your comic?

After doing GothyMcgee(of which I actually took off around a year of doing it, shamefully), I wanted to get back into webcomics, but wasn't sure in what capacity. Then I started reading review sites, and even the one review I received of Gothy. I didn't care for the layout or ranking style of that site, and was pretty miffed. I decided that I could give my opinion too! It doesn't take much for me to get excited and start something new. I made a Blogger account and slapped up my very first roughshod review. Shaky as it was, it felt good to write and give what I hoped was a good review with constructive critiques of what was right and wrong with it, in my honest opinion. I felt great! I wasn't drawing and writing a comic, but I was still able to do something webcomic related and be a part of the community. That, in part, even got me energized enough that I changed Gothy to Difference Makers(until ComicGenesis malfunctioned, and I stopped again)for a bit, dropping the three panel gag format and making it a superhero storyline format. Since then, I've created TwoHeadsTalking, and just recently, Off Kilter Comics. I'm feeling better than ever writing, drawing, and sharing what I can do with all of you. Sometimes all you need is a change of direction to get your juices pumping again.

Don't get me wrong, I'm not saying you need to change your comic at all to get recharged, those are just suggestions. You can always request guest comics to give you a week, two weeks, or even a month off to regain some sense of why you're doing this. You might read the guest strips and start feeling that need to create your own strip again. Other people can give you perspective on your characters and style of writing. Try it! If anything, it'll give you that break you may need.

If it's just plain laziness that you're feeling, then I don't really have any advice for you except if you really care about your comic, then you should push yourself to update for the fans. They depend on you, and the least you can do if you can't make yourself update is let them know you're taking a day or two off and when the next update will be. Be cordial. The fans are a big part of why we do this, aren't they?

In closing, you're not alone if you feel the burn. We all experience it, you just have to find a way to get past it, for yourself, the fans, the principal of the thing, you name it. Webcomics should be fun, and if you take that out of the equation, you'll definitely lose your spark. Do you have any stories of burnout and how you coped that you would like to share? Please, feel free, we would love to see them. Thanks for reading!

Jack

New OFFICIAL Off Kilter Comics Site!

I know I've been beating you guys over the head with my new comics and what not, but I made a new site for Off Kilter Comics with the help of Myxo, owner of Somewhere In San Francisco, on ComicDish, a great place to put your comic up. It's much better than the other one I had up, so check it out and gimme a shout!

It's interview time once again!

Hey everyone, I've got here one heckuva interview with Kathy Peterson of Kidnapped By Gnomes, so tape open your eyelids and read on!

1. So, in the words of Jerry Seinfeld, what's the deal with these Gnomes? Why not Gremlins?

I suppose they do kind of look like Gremlins don't they? But to me the whole point of fantasy is that it can be anything you want it to be. People forget that before J.R. Tolkien came around there was no one definition of what a dwarf or elf was. He created this fantastic new world and filled it with creatures how he personally saw them to be. Unfortunately, 99% of fantasy since then has simply followed his lead and dwarfs are always beer drinking metal workers and elves are always beautiful, tall, and wise. I'd argue that the only fantasy novels since The Lord of the Rings to have wide stream appeal outside of the core fantasy audience is J.K. Rowling and the Harry Potter books. Not surprisingly, the Harry Potter books have also created
this brand new world with house elves, quidditch, and goblin bankers that no one has ever done before. Now I don't want to compare myself to either Tolkien or Rowling (as they are both way better writers than I will ever be) or criticize all fantasy (I like beer drinking dwarfs as much as anyone), but I wanted my gnomes to be how *I* imagined them to be, not how anyone else told me they should be. What's the point
of fantasy if it can't be anything you want?

2. I noticed many comics and references to politics. Who are you pulling for in the presidential race, and will you be using this as a source of humor in your comic?

I can already tell this is going to get me in trouble :) From my comics it's probably pretty obvious I'm a liberal, but I try to keep my exact support a bit secret. I've never voted for a Republican president, but I actually kind of like McCain on the Republican side. He's one of the few candidates to stand up and say that torture is100% wrong all of the time and I really respect him for that. It's
absolutely unfathomable to me that as a country we are even debating whether or not torture is ok. I don't agree with McCain on everything, but I think he'd be a fine president. As for the rest of the Republicans, I'm seriously worried about what would happen if any of them were to win the election. On the Democratic side, none of the top three (Hillary, Barack, Edwards) have really impressed me all that
much. I kind of like Bill Richardson but he hasn't won me over yet.

As for using the race in the comic, it will definitely show up, but probably nothing specific. I try to keep the political comics somewhat vague because I want them to still be funny several years from now. The one exception to this is the "Pandora's Box of Political Lies" which is when I allow myself to blatantly make fun of the hypocrisy and absurdness of the day.

I am however debating whether or not I want to do a running set of comics where Ed runs for president, but we'll see...

3. What artistic tools do you use to create your comic?

I draw out all the comics by hand with paper and pencil. I then scan them into my computer where I ink and color them digitally using a Wacom tablet and the Gimp. For anyone just started to use a Wacom tablet the trick is to zoom in as far as possible. I then arrange everything and add the panels and text before scaling it down to the
correct size. Note: it's really important to add everything before scaling the image! If you shrink everything down before adding the text and panels, your resolution won't be high enough for printing. As my readers know, I recently had to go back and reformat my first 80+ comics to get them ready for printing. Trust me, it's not something you ever want to do.

Recently, I've also been trying to add backgrounds to every single comic, and those I'll sometimes draw out before hand on pencil and paper, but most of the time I do them purely digitally. After I have everything else positioned on the screen, I'll add a sketching layer and sketch out how I want the background to look. Then I'll add a layer on top of that and use the "Curve" tool to get really nice and smooth lines for the background. Part of the problem with doing backgrounds with say the "Pen" or "Paintbrush" tool, is that if you zoom in to get smooth lines you have to constantly pick up your pen to move the screen over. Then when you try and continue that line, it never quite lines up. Therefore I've found the Curve tool works great
for backgrounds.

4. How and where do you come up with the ideas for KBG?

I listen to NPR way too much, and every time I hear a politician or government figure say something absurd, I try and imagine how Ed and Wilson would view that topic and just let their personalites run wild with it. Other times, I just write comics about what's happening to me in my life. For example I hurt my back awhile ago and did a comic about that. More recently I did a comic about my frustrationswith self-checkout lanes at the grocery store. My third source of inspiration is my Cat. In particular the fact that Ed and Wilson are always waking me up at 3 to 5 in morning or getting into some sort of mischief at my expense.

I'd love to talk to other cartoonist about this, but in my head Ed and Wilson are completely real. Therefore I just try and let them run wild with a basic concept and hopefully it works out.

5. What's the last good movie you've seen?

V for Vendetta. I liked what it had to say about politics and being true to yourself. However, I almost died laughing at SuperBad.

6. Do you let your friends read your comic, and what do they think?

Of course! My friend Sam actually proofs reads them for me so that she can see them 3 weeks before anyone else. As for the rest of my friends, they all know I do the comic but I try not harass them about reading it because I know none of them are really "comic people". However from time to time people will mention a comic they found particularly funny so I know that most of them actually read it. Recently I was surprised when a close friend who I didn't think read the comic mentioned one he liked.

7. If you could do a crossover with any other webcomic, which would it be and why?

Scary-Go-Round. I think Ed and Wilson's lack of commonsense and propensity for mischief would make them eager participants in any of Shelly Winters misadventures.

8. Who are your main influences?

Bloom County and Count Your Sheep. Growing up I loved reading Bloom County, even though I was too young to get most of the political humor. I just liked the zaniness of it all as a kid. Having reread a lot of it, I also like how the political humor is more about the absurdness of politics then about specific events, which is something I try to capture in my strip.

Count Your Sheep, I love it for the simplistic yet beautiful artwork and the sweetness of it. When I started my strip I specifically decided to try and never come off as snarky, bitter, or mean. Politics is too divisive as is, and the last thing anyone needs is another jerk yelling about how everyone else is wrong and they have all the answers. So in the vain of CYS, I wanted it to be light hearted enough that anyone could enjoy it. I realize I may not have always achieved that goal, but that's at least what I'm trying for.

9. Pizza or lasagna?

Pizza. But no olives and no mushrooms.

10.Thanks for answering these soul-wrenching questions! One last thing, tell us why we should check out Kidnapped By Gnomes.

If for nothing else, you should check out Kidnapped by Gnomes because it's aways there and it's always on time. There's nothing worse than an erratic update schedule and I pride myself on the fact that when my readers check in on Mondays and Thursdays there will always be a new comic up.

Great interview, and as always, thanks for reading!

New Review: Tourist Trap U.S.A...

I've stayed in a couple of hotels in my day, but never really had any problems with the staff. I suppose they do tire of people like us that they have to be nice to and clean up after. Tourist Trap U.S.A., by Anthony Hunter, is about the staff of a time share resort/hotel and the tourists they deal with on a daily basis. It comes to you every Monday, Wednesday, Friday, and every other Sunday.

The art for Tourist Trap isn't bad, as the characters are easily distinguishable in their work uniforms and the comic as a whole is drawn neatly and without a blemish. The problem is that it's so sharp and sterile as to be a little bit boring. There isn't anything exciting about the art, as it seems to be somewhat cut and paste, with the only thing different sometimes is a raised eyebrow here and a frown instead of a smile there. The colors are almost always baby blue and white, which grates on the eyes after a while. Liven things up a bit! I don't think I saw a bit of black or shading in all the strips I read. I know it's his style, but a little black goes a long way. I also found that I liked the characters that popped up once and awhile better because they seem to be drawn more cartoon like and with other colors. But maybe that's just me. Anthony does employ some sparse backgrounds, and that's much better than half the comics out there that don't use any. Not bad, but a little extra detail in the artwork would make the visuals stand out more.

Writing-wise there seems to be plenty of source material when talking about bad guests in the hotel, with their constant complaints and needs. The punchlines are in every strip, and many of them are quite good, but the constant, and I do mean CONSTANT references to things such as Star Wars and Heroes got tired after so many reads. I like geekdom as much as the next guy, but it can't seem to decide if it's about tourists or gamers. I suppose they can coexist if the right balance is stricken. Besides that though the writing is solid with the characters having their own identities and the strips being entertaining without beating you over the head with attempted slapstick comedy. I would however like to see the characters step out of the hotel sometimes and show what they like to do outside of their jobs, as everyone has more to them than their 9 to 5.

Tourist Trap U.S.A., to me, had this average feel to it. Not the best, but not the worst. I wanted to like it more than I did, but the bland feel to it, whether it was the boredom that the characters exuded or the two or three color palette used, kept me enjoying it completely. Good for an occasional read, but I don't think I'll be bookmarking it. I guess it wouldn't hurt to check in, but you might have trouble deciding whether you want to stay or check out early.

I give Tourist Trap U.S.A.

(For not bad art and kinda enjoyable jokes)