Illinest, MPD57, and RKB: Our favorite Zuda contestants

What are the folks that review Zuda's comic competition contestants favorite Zuda comics?

I planned to write a post on my favorite winner and non-winner over the months of Zuda contests. Then I decided to ask some of my fellow Zuda reviewers (the usual suspects) out of curiosity what their favorites were as well. It's about what you think the Zuda site missed when a favorite comic didn't get the win, and why it is your favorite? It's also about of your favorite comic to win why did you enjoy those 8 screens so much, and once it started updating did it live up to your expectations, or not? I knew what I looked for in a strip, but I also wanted to know what other people saw in the stories they particularly enjoyed. In the comments section of Zuda its happened more than twice a short critical comment is posted and the creator in question asks "Okay so you don't like x,y, or z -tell me why?" I haven't seen it happen where a comics creator comes back with a challenge to a positive drive-by comment "So x,y, and z sends a tingle up your leg -tell me why?" If people were challenged by the recipients to justify praise just as often as criticism it would be better for everyone the whole way round. Course I understand fawning is easier to take than flogging -unless your one of the lucky artistically creative masochists. Sometimes I get that gut reaction of liking, or not liking something just cause I do, but mostly I have my good enough for me reasons for why I feel the way I do about a comic. Everyone has their own personal favorites/ not all 5/5 starred and a fav comics are created equal. Paul, Mike, and I have different answers for different reasons, but the question of why??? -is one I wanted to at least try to answer.

Illinest says:

The only winning comic that I supported from start to finish is Supertron. I also very much enjoyed Melody which won in the April '08 competition, but Melody was only a strong second favorite for me. More about that later. I have in no way been disappointed by Supertron. It is brilliant insanity. Although it's hard to be certain when viewing 10 new artists every month, I could tell that Sheldon at least was an accomplished artist coming in. Despite the fact that the story seems to be a series of gratuitous set pieces, there's a strong back-bone of good decision making leaking out of every page. The word balloons are clever, the color scheme is perfect, the rendering is consistent, and the ideas are hilarious. Not to mention, it keeps getting better. The comic that I most wanted to win is Brave Ulysses, which lost to Melody and then later to Re-Evolution in the Zuda Invitational. Adam Moore deserved a better fate. That man can DRAW man. I think perhaps the fact that his finished layouts have a messy look probably didn't help him with the Zuda crowd. I'm guessing he inked this in nib-pen but Zuda seems to prefer the brush. Regardless, look at the way the camera moves, the weight of the characters in gravity AND in zero-g, and particularly the technology which looks completely plausible in an 80s kind of style. I am amazed at how well he conveyed the tight confines of a spaceship without making it feel claustrophobic. This entry showed some real skill. There've been quite a few entries that looked better, but only due to taking fewer risks. Sci-Fi isn't easy to draw you know? And hand-lettering! I feel as if Adam Moore was climbing a mountain whereas the rest of his competition was taking an elevator.

MPD57 says:

In regard to Zuda's monthly competition RKB asks me which strip is my favourite from the winners and which strip was my favourite from the losers. He says non-winners, but you know what I mean. You'd think an easy answer to a straight question, but who has asked it or answered it already? Well, many have tried. The thing is it's a more complex question than that and the names of two strips hardly constitute a satisfactory answer.

Comics are by their nature transient entertainment. I know many of them stand up well to the rigours of time and taste but frankly most do not. And neither should they. Comics must 'be' - they are not theoretical. If you know the history of my support (why should you?) you might remember my rabid championing of Maxy J Millionaire by Paul Maybury. He's been busy with other stuff so his baby has gone into suspended animation. My excitement at the prospect of more Maxy therefore has run out. It might be renewed at a moment's notice, but things don't work like that in comics. For me comics are a very immediate artform and a week is a long time. So while I like and admire some strips gone by and some strips current unless I'm getting wow'ed week on week I'm frankly not interested. That interest sometimes transfers to the creators themselves, so I'll follow Paul Maybury's career rather than the adventures of any of his particular characters. It seems to me that the creators are more reliable than their creations.

Back to the question. Taking a quick look through the chips on the 'explore comics' pages I realise that I'm incredibly selfish. I take absolutely for granted the strips that do appear regularly and daydream more about the possibilities offered by those strips that will probably not continue. Anyhow forced into a corner I will say of the winners, the strip that is really delivering more than it ever promised is Melody. It's not an obvious choice as it's not really a genre piece. It strikes me as quite modern, relevant, it persuades me - despite having a musical element to the story – despite being fantastical – that the characters have purpose and meaning and that the story will eventually wrap up as a satisfying whole. It's very well written and very well realised and no way did I expect this to be interesting at all. The nature of the delivery doesn't suit it at all by the way, but that goes for many a strip.

Of the losers, sorry, non-winners then surprisingly maybe, I'll pick out Junk by Justin Jordan and Sami Makkonen. I liked it then and I think it lasts better than a lot of strips because it is an introduction, a prologue, a pre-credit sequence if you will, and a self-contained story with a clear intention to thrill all at the same time. So the sense of it being a complete piece means it's neat and tidy and the idea of more to come is still quite tantalising. I realise that it's strictly a genre piece but I also get an idea of quality thinking and quality design from the creators which make me feel very safe in recommending them to continue. I think it was the invitational that made me realise that simply getting more of a favourite strip is not enough though, it has to be better as well, and some people in that poisoned chalice of an invitational just sabotaged themselves. That's why I say winning and losing are not so far apart. A world beating eight screens might become a sixty screen embarrassment at any moment.

RKB (referring to myself in the third person makes me feel like an out of touch politician) says:

My favorite winner of a contest is my second favorite comic on Zuda -Dual. Michael Walton is the creator. The synopsis: At age ten, Bill Jensen and his “imaginary” friend, Yasu, inadvertently unleash a devastating power that kills three schoolmates. A decade later, Bill wrestles with making his way in the world while dealing with the inner turmoil of determining whether Yasu is devil or delusion. Still haunted by the confusing events of their childhood, Bill and Yasu struggle to recognize their extraordinary power and purpose. Bill’s secret power mysteriously begins to attract the interest of bizarre creatures, including a bulimic werewolf and a man claiming to be an ancient soul-eating dragon. The power’s pull might also be contributing to Bill’s turbulent romance with an unstable witch, named Corina, and luring the attention of a psychotic serial killer. New aspects of the power begin to manifest just in time to help Bill and Yasu deal with escalating threats, which send the companions spiraling toward an uncertain destiny-- heroic salvation or evil oblivion?

Dual also happens to be the first comic my semi-cursed vote was cast for that won. I was a big supporter of Dual from the beginning everything It was looking for in a comic in general not just on Zuda was there. The set-up of Bill and Yasu and how they come together with their powers is an updated horror version of the alive/ghost brothers who made up Captain Triumph.

That's a theme of Dual (conscious, sub conscious, semi-conscious ;) ), updating past concepts with a creepy, horrific, spine tingling twist. The first 8 screens puts a nice twist on the hero with everyday problems and insecurities of Marvel, and DC's hero's learning how to use god like powers. Not to mention what kind of foibles a 4th grade Jesus may have gotten himself into. It's a nice breakdown and overhaul of stereotypical superhero/super villain comic book stories. I hate text box thought balloons with an absolute passion except when they're done well and not too much -mission accomplished with this comic. Michael's version of a werewolf is not the stock image you would conjurer up in your minds eye. It's far more original, and scarier character design which goes well with an old school easy to read layout. The first 8 screens the art/colors made it look like a cross between a Normal Rockwell painting and whoever did the Garbage Pail Kids art. The colors/art/story only got better over time, more than living up to my hopes when I voted for it. It also has witches, demons, and other assorted creatures -what's not to love? It's first week in Zuda their was nothing else that looked like it on the site -it stood out. Recently finishing up it's 60 screen run and waiting on news of renewal, their is still nothing else like it. If you would like to see another 60 screens of this amazing comic do what I did, use that feedback button and let TPTB at Zuda know.

My favorite non-winner/ or loser of a contest twice would of course be The Crooked Man, by Gabriel Hardman and Corinna Sara Bechko. Here is the synopsis: Early April, 1906 - San Francisco's residents have no idea that their world is about to be engulfed in chaos. Vice cop Piter Rassmussen has a comfortable home with a wife and daughter who love him. His beat is Chinatown, a place both uniquely American and very foreign. Amon Pen is a disfigured Veteran just returning from China. More than five years have elapsed since he fought there in the Boxer Rebellion. He and Rassmussen couldn't possibly live more different lives, but now Amon is hunting Piter throughout the young city. Loyalties will be tested and broken as secrets from the past are exposed to the harsh light of day in a city first shaken by the Great Quake, then stripped bare by conflagration. Even when society is reduced to its most basic components, the need for vengeance remains.

I voted for this comic once when it was in the regular contest, and again when it was in the Zuda Invitational. Rob Berry was right, if I could have voted for it ten times to ensure it made it back into the invite I would have. Saying it hit the equivalent of a comic book fanboy g-spot with me, is somewhat of a vulgar understatement. I freaking love this comic!!! There are other 5/5 stars and a fav, and then their is The Crooked Man. The art inspired by Milton Caniff, Noel Sickles, Alex Toth, etc; is the first thing that hits you it could be right out of a 30's/40's newspaper funnies section. The classic look to the strip was a big draw to me. The writing doesn't let you down either, it's dense without excessive wordiness, tightly paced/plotted so everything moves along at a brisk clockwork pace. In both the first 8 screens, and the next 8 screens the cliff hanger you are left with makes you want to read more. MPD57 has a point about the Invitational: some of the favorite comics of yestercontest crashed and burned on the next 8 screens. The Crooked Man had me wondering even more why in the hell it didn't get an instant win??? This comic even makes use of the old rule suspense is more engaging for an audience than surprise. The specter of San Francisco's great earthquake hangs over the story like a doomsday countdown. The two leads show they're not evil or vile, but at the same time you as a reader know something happened and you want to find out what that 'something' is. You know by the time you find out the rich history behind it, the showdown between Amon and Piter is going to be something to see. Suspense, mystery, well crafted characters who you actually care if they live or die, how often do you get that in 16 pages of any work any where? Just as impressive you have a crime and corruption sub-plot going on which leads to a bigger and just as well characterized cast. You even get the flavor of San Fran way back when by 4 different languages being used (text notes tell you this), by screen 2! The story starts off at April 14 1906, the great quake hit on April 18, not that many days for all hell to break loose. I know Caper used the same natural disaster to round out the Man vs. Self, Man vs. Man, and Man vs. Nature triumvirate, but it didn't do it nearly as good. It literally has everything I could ask for, or want in a story. One of the biggest draws for me were the creators were going to break the Zuda mold. Most contestants want a season II of their comic with the extra screens/ paychecks that go along with that. In The Crooked Man's case they stated this story has a beginning, middle and end -so don't look for an extra 60 screens. I would personally love to see a creator jump on board Zuda and say it's a 60 screen story -self contained- and that's it. It would cut down on cliff hanger endings left hanging on by their nails, for sure. You could see The Crooked Man was a compact tightly put together story, and it raised the quality of it. This comic looks like it could have been done 70 years ago in the golden age, it has that kind of appeal and charm. If Zuda does the Invite again and heathen comics is still interested, Crooked Man is going back on my feedback list in the top spot.

I would like to thank Paul and Mike for sharing their views with me, and of course all the folks out in Internet land for reading.

Cancer troop 4/ a tropic of Cancer kind of thing maybe... nah!

They're cute until they shoot you in the Ass with lasers

Cancer Troop 4 is the final review of Zuda April, the creators are Zuda veterans Galvo, and Pon. [With a special thank you for low character count user names and title. ;)] It earned a 3/5 stars from me for being an interesting story, but other comics this month were more to my interests. Here is the Synopsis: Planets of Galaxy Qubart need not worry any longer! CANCER TROOP 4 IS HERE! Have JELLYS eaten your moons? Suns? Harvest worlds? MAYBE EVEN YOUR OWN HOME? Step aside as our fearless team descends into the depths of your planet, to seek out these infamous, parasitic world killers! Dr. Jerod, expert in all things JELLY, heads our valiant group! Following him is his colleague science officer Redd. Always ready for a fight is Chief of Security Berto B, and last but not least their trusted robot C-5000. Tune in as they travel from planet to planet, making new friends as they exterminate the evil, symbiotic, jellacness mecha-bugs known as JELLYS! Fear and danger is around every corner, but hope and victory is seconds away as we follow CANCER TROOP 4. [One of the best written synopsis's ever.]

Be very... very... quiet... we're hunting jelly's

The first thing that hits you is the cute as a button character design. Letters are easy to read, and the colors are very good. The impressive thing on screen one was how well the opening dialogue helped in the characterization of our three main leads. Again the art work is very enjoyable I loved Berto's, expression and comment in panel 5 screen 2. Screen three was MR. Bubble's meets blueberry cotton candy, which is sort of a subconscious reinforcer that this is a light action comic strip. Do you got the good sense God gave a piss ant? Common question in my part of the country for someone you think is acting like a damn fool. I really like Redd more than I thought I would, because he's not cowardly but not gung-ho either. The creators really bring the characterization in all the dialogue. "Bork" on screen 5 reminds me of "Dork" from Judge Dredd, so I liked it. The jelly's funny, but also creepy like that "One by one" girl from Harper's Island. In a previous review for this month I said going the talking heads route would have helped that comic more. In this case speeding things up so we get to the combat action before screen 6 would have improved my rating. It doesn't all depend on the genre/tone every comics different. More action sooner, less taking your time with the suspense building establishing shots, and Dr. Octopus style panel transitions. Around about the end of screen 4 you do start to wonder where the action scenes are???

Smurfs in the 24 and a half century!

When the shit does finally start to go down with the jello mold, it's a fun engaging fight scene to read. Jelly snoting on Doc was equal parts funny and gross. Loved the letters for "Argh" comic staple dialogue if their was ever any. The fight scenes were helped by good panel composition. We got a nice cliff hanger to end on, but the last few panels felt cramped. Building the tension (about to be eaten/ hand reaching for a blaster) when your coming up to a hard break (last screen) , didn't work out as well as it could have. Still a solid 3/5 stars and other comics this month better fit my fav genre's.

It's always the quiet ones

I wouldn't type this if I didn't think their was truth to it. I think Pon and Galvo suffer from not being better known Zuda vet's because their not interacting more with readers on the Zuda site. Pon and Galvo: Commenting on others comics, responding to comments, hell calling somebody a *****-********* ****** **** **** ****-***** on the Zuda message boards would make your name more noticeable. Letting your work speak for itself can sound as loud as a fart in a whirl-wind online. That's not fair in the cosmic karma sense, but I do believe it's accurate. If you don't have a fan friend base to bring, the more people know your name/views (and maybe agree with you), the more of a shot/good will they might give you. 'They' being Zuda voters not related to you by blood, or marriage. You've got to sell your comic, promote it, and that means more interaction with readers than you two guys average. If it's not so much about another 52 screens, but recognition and the love of comics -more interaction would help with that too. I do hope to see both these creators back on Zuda again, because it's easy to see they do quality work.

The kind you don't bring home to mother/ what is it with the loooong titles this month?

You put the word 'the' in front of your title...

The kind you don't bring home to mother is another April Zuda comic from Ryan Estrada. It got 3/5 stars from me good, but not my go to genre especially in light of some of the competition this month. Here is the synopsis: Julia Hobson is smitten, and she's not about to let a little lycanthropy ruin her love life. David Duncan is the man who loves her too much to let little things like his fearful friends, his prejudiced parents, and the fact that Julia might eat him get in the way of their romance. Every month, for one night, the moon is full, and the werewolves roam the Earth. This story is not about that night. It's about the other 29 nights a month when those same werewolves are just ordinary people, leading ordinary lives.

It's like a werewolf comic where you never see the werewolf

Humor comics are not usually my go to genre and their are other comics this month that are more my style, hence my rating. That being said everything about this comic is well done art/ colors/ writing/ letters. It is a humor comic strip you could find in the Sunday funnies, that fits well on Zuda, and with web comics in general. A werewolf comic where you never see the werewolf as a furry has it's own appeal. The script writing with the jokes is pretty sharp -it's a sit-com all the way. The parents worries about their son catching lycanthropy from kissing, and being insulting as hell while trying to cross a cultural divide, was humorous. Here's some raw meat/ don't let the dogs smell you/ I'm sure Ryan has a million of them. Screen 3 panel 1 the creator here has a real grasp of his style, and I loved the expressive looks. Uncomfortable silences aren't the easiest thing to get over in a comic, but it was done well here. The eyebrows and mustache of 'Dad' can't help but remind readers of Groucho Marx. His dead pan delivery of lines was one of the high-lights. The loving look from Mom to Dad in the last panel of screen 3, reminds you to pay real attention to the art.

no yiff's about it

This strip was saved from generic funny web comic Ziggy tribute hell, by the control Ryan has of his own style. Look at the various expressions on Mom's face in screen 5. The dialogue is witty, but you could take all the word balloons away and still follow the story. Ryan wrote this comic the way Rodney Dangerfield used to do his act: joke after joke after joke... The thing is I honestly don't know if this comic could keep my interest over another 52 screens??? It is nice to see another romance on Zuda, but I'd want more dramedy elements to work their way into the story. Silver bullets, puppies, super wolf hearing/ no she's just setting on the other side of the door all funny lines and quasi-sight gags thanks to the art, but it didn't make me fall out of my chair. Which has happened before with other comics.

David's not a furvert right... Right???

I tend to compare all the month's Zuda comics against each other, but try to not compare them to past month's contest -because that would serve no purpose. Sometimes you can't help compare a comic to what has come before in the same genre line -it happens. In either case T.K.Y.D.B.H.T.M (<- that's a bitch to hunt and peck), is good, but not as good as other Zuda comics I have read. With just 8 screens it doesn't rise to the level of other April 09 comics, or what's in the Zuda graveyard for me. If the comic wins and I see some other twists and turns in the story my rating for it could go up. If you like humor comics this title will be a 5/5 and a fav for you no doubt in my mind.

Earthbuilders Zuda review/ plant a tree for your tomorrow

Earthbuilders is another April Zuda comic done by: Cuervoscuro, RGLlarena, Axel, and Sobreiro
most are former Zuda competitors. Here is the synopsis: The Terraformation of Mars was completed more than two centuries ago and since then a new age of humanity has begun: an age where space has been conquered, one planet at a time. The so-called Earthbuilders, elite members of the Terraformation Fleet, have created new – and sometimes better – “Earths” wherever they land. Dead planets are given new life, tailor-made worlds for specific communities or corporations and even places that recreate what life was like on Earth millions of years ago. A glimmer of hope in humanity's quest for finding native alien life-forms appears when a sudden alteration in New Sapmi's weather patterns forces the Earthbuilders to investigate what’s happening in that frozen planet. What starts as a routine investigation soon turns out to be a nightmare. For the first time the Earthbuilders face something not even their knowledge and technology might prevent: an event that will cause the planet’s mass extinction.

The screen 9 test wasn't passed

The screen nine test meaning your so into the story you find yourself clicking for screen 9 when you know it isn't there. You've became so caught up with the story you don't even realize what screen your on, that's what it takes to get a favorite from me. This gets a 3/5 stars from me, because I do like sci-fi but I like more information up front and less action movie side tracks. I'm looking for a greater payoff in the first 8 screens story-wise that I didn't get here. More hints about what makes your colony under attack story different from others that have came before it. Earthbuilders is good but it didn't manage to grab me as a reader considering the other competition this month. The monsters on the last screen weren't scary enough, to be a great cliffhanger. The dialogue set-up to the last screen punch line was fine, I also liked the perspective. The last scene with mutants climbing out of the blood/ooze (I guess), looked like fish stew, or Manhattan clam chowder gone rancid. A little bit disturbing, but you needed the last screen to be a lott'a bit disturbing. I thought the bright colors made the monsters less scary, but improved the look of the landscape and the people. The letters are just big enough to be read in small screen, so no real problems there. The art that doesn't involve monsters, was very well done, and the dialogue was good as well. The 8th screen was a misfire but up until that point the pacing fit fine with Zuda.

One more mention of crapping your pants would have been gratuitous

As it stands it wasn't so much humorous, as showing the awkwardness of the characters, and the situation, which I liked. We got a silhouette on screen 2, great I love those elements used in a story. The most interesting screens of the comic were not the monsters, it was the information we got by way of dialogue on screens 3 and 4. The planet having a sterilizing effect on the populace was a nice twist in the story. The human down loadable man was also a nice touch. The reaction of fear at the thought of a robot/android, among their ranks is a plot point I'm sure the creators will come back to. Screen 4 also had the best screen composition. Art-wise we had cutouts to some monster with a actually scary arm. The last panel here a extreme close-up of the eyes was excellent. The monsters look kind of like rose colored versions of the Thing from Fantastic Four 1. I liked Tor doing the O.M.A.C. Brother Eye thing and seeing what was going on around him. Tor and the Doc shit their pants, I laughed. What Tor was seeing wasn't a "No No NO" more like a "What is that" to me.

Earth Day on Mars

Nothing about this story was bad: art, writing, colors, and letters were all very professional. The problem was nothing about the 8 screens made me go "OMFG I have to find out what's next", or even a "I'm fairly curious as to the eventual outcome". That could change if the creators win, and I read more screens. I was more interested in the anti-android prejudice being explored, or the that old/ but looking so young question being gone into more. I'm guessing the creators didn't want a 'talking heads' comic and decided to spice it up with half the submission being the fight. This could also serve to introduce the threats on this planet and lead up to the extinction event foretold in the synopsis. Unfortunately I would have enjoyed this comic more if it was a talking heads comic. I don't usually feel that way, but after screen 4 it was all down hill in my enjoyment of this story. I was really enjoying the dialogue helped by the art, and finding out more about this world and it's characters that way.

What does the future hold?

I'm sure the pacing was helped along by the Zuda vets being apart of the creative team. Sci-fi is a genre Zuda could and probably will go into more as time goes on. Earthbuilders is a solid 3/5 stars, and if it wins I'll give the updates a read so it could go higher in the star count with me. 8 screens just wasn't enough for this story to earn a favorite from me.

Spy6teen Zuda comic review/ Tell her she hits like a girl, I dare 'ya!

Spy6teen is another April Zuda comic done by CitizenTim, Shushubag, Tinkfan 83 (in her second Zuda comic this month), and gonzogoose. It got a 3/5 stars from me, everything is good, but their were other comics this month more to my interests as a reader. Here is the synopsis: In High School, no one is ever who they seem to be. Everyone holds a secret. Information becomes key to survival. Espionage fills the hallways as secret coded notes are passed back and forth, containing highly classified information that could be devastating if it falls into the wrong hands…It’s a dangerous minefield-- even without the involvement of shadowy government agencies! Cally Calhoon knows this better than anyone. Recruited into a mysterious government agency called the QUAD, she works as an undercover field agent attempting to dismantle a worldwide terrorist organization known as The Chaos Imperious. Cally balances a delicate tightrope of her high school life and her spy world. But as she delves deeper into missions of exotic locales, mysterious agents, and dazzling deathtraps, the startling scope of the Chaos Imperious plot begins to unfold before her; challenging everything she knows about her past, present, and future…oh yeah, and to make matters worse-- no one has asked her to the dance yet!

At least she's not a cheerleader

At first blush Cally looks like a cross between Solo (from Marvel), and Kim Possible (from the mouse house), but empowered teen spy girls kicking butt is a nice little entertaining sub genre. The story is from a genre that's easy to recognize, then it goes off into it's own directions, which is a good thing. It's a pretty common comment from me this month, but I was impressed with how well this stories pace fit the 8 screens, with a neat 'twist' ending to top it off. I'm already a fan of tinkfan's colors from another comic this month, and she continues to impress. The art actually fit's the story very well, it's fluid which it has to be for the action scenes. The writer has a script that starts getting down to business after a screen to set up the characters other life, and a full page establishing shot. I hate text box thought balloons, but CitizenTim didn't go overboard, and they were well written. In small screen they're so many panels on the page and the font is so small, it doesn't read well at all. In full screen though it just gives you the chance to really enjoy the Aztec ruins which are drawn so well, kudos to shushubag. I mean how often are the backgrounds really that awesome in any comic? I also really enjoyed the team of creators came up with a giant spider creature as an opponent for Cally. WHOO-SQHISH was the sound made when said spider met his fate.

That voice inside your head is just a distraction

I thought panels 1, 2, 3, and 4 on screen 5 were drawn out too much just so we could read Calley's deep thoughts. Switching things up with a few less panels here for the layout wouldn't be a bad idea either. The bite sized portion art work here hurt, instead of helped. Not an awful thing, but it could have been done in a different way to earn a higher score from me. That being said it's beyond difficult to make every screen of the 8 screen's kick ass equally. Cally's rival and her had some good dialogue/ villain banter. The colors were great throughout, I'm a fan of Lisa's style and hope to see her back on Zuda. The hey look behind you joke is funny, but it also shows these are teens fighting it out. Nice closing line with her saying tell people you got your black eye from a girl. The way this was used on the last screen was genius.

You don't have to be legal to kick ass

Everything (quite naturally) has been leading up to the last screen. I really enjoyed the ending because it brought things full circle, and of course set up Cally next adventuresome hi jinks. Give credit to the writer for some well written text box thought balloons, that helped along the visual narrative on screen 8. Of course in the last panel we see Cally's last opponent is a student at her school too, setting up some nice conflict. Panel two on this screen reminded me of some old layouts Steve Ditko used to do for Shade and the Odd Man. The artist also draws a mean black eye, good character design the whole way through.

Bring it on

A good comic, but only a 3/5 from me based on it not being a fav kind of story of mine, and the strength of the competition this month. Even if it doesn't get your vote it does deserve a read as a fun story.