#Comicsgate - The Culture Wars Hit The Funny Books!

[FROG]

Hrm. When is Narwhal doing a Cyberfrog book Ethan?



They both do. Whether they do so as effectively is debatable.



The condescending pro appears. Please. Tell us, the lowly comic book buyer what is and isn't good.

Narwhal did a CyberFrog trading card and several sketch cards two years ago. His services are no longer required by me, but he's a terrific artist.

Stop acting like a retarded hillbilly and I'll stop talking to you like you're a retarded hillbilly.

 

[WhimsicalTrolli]

Nothing. I just like Frog.

 

[Analog Devolved]

I mean....

 

[WhimsicalTrolli]

he's a terrific artist.

 

[Captain Manning]

ComicsGate can't even get their art looking right. Are we sure they are not the bad guys here?

I have been wondering that ever since I was told how Tim Lim got tossed out.

Trump-related content? GTFO!
Shitty late art? Welcome aboard!

It doesn't make any sense to me. And I'm not a Trump fanboy.

Mind you, there's certainly people opposed to CG that are faggots. I have just been pondering that CG is simply another form of faggotry, and everybody orbiting it at this point should be laughed at regardless of what "side" they're on.

 

[Miniluv]

Alright, I'll go to bat for Narwhal for a bit. I've spoken at length about shitty books I've received from CG (and I've received A LOT of them). I do not consider Narwhal's books to be among them. In fact, I consider his books to be some of the best I've received. He legitimately understands storytelling, which most writers in CG don't. Now, that being said, I will not begrudge anyone their criticism of his art style. But that's just what I see it as: a style. One that complements his stories. I won't go on too much about that, as I completely understand not liking it. And maybe that really is the best he can do rather than being a strictly stylistic choice. However, his books are truly engaging. I've read through both of them multiple times, where your average CG book can barely hold my interest for a single read. I don't think he's a genius or anything as some people claim, but he definitely has a better understanding of how to craft a story than 99% of CG (not a high bar, I know).

One thing he absolutely excels at is capturing mood and tone. While his art may not be for everyone, his faces are very expressive to the point where you know exactly what emotion they're trying to convey. And there's a distinct humanity in the way he writes his characters. Sorry, I'm not a very good critic and I can't fully explain what fascinates me so much about his work, but it is really is well done if you can deal with the art style. I personally like it. Though I will say that the coloring on 499 looks like shit. I will give him the benefit of the doubt and assume there is a plot or storytelling reason for that. The coloring in Earthbound is solid and works perfectly with his art.

I'll reiterate that I understand the comments about his art. I am much more critical of writing than I am of artwork in comics, though. So take this all with a pile of salt, I suppose.

Proof of purchase:
View attachment 2151777

While I think I've been clear about not liking Narwhal's art on an aesthetic level, I certainly can understand how someone would see something in it. If you enjoyed his books, more power to you. That's what this indie scene is about, finding something you like without the gatekeeping. You can't be expected to apologize for liking something.

Narwhal's work is very...niche. If he was doing stuff for Fantagraphics or some other smaller boutique publisher that had an audience of people already predisposed to liking unconventional art styles with a focus on storytelling, I can see him having moderate success in that area. As it stands, he's making stuff for the CG crowd, an audience that likes tightly rendered superhero books with attractive, well drawn people in well drawn, exotic locations doing crazy looking things. The exact opposite of what Narwhal does. Sure, if he does a Cyberfrog pin up or something, you'll probably get a reaction like "Oh, that's an interesting take" before the reader turns the page. That's about all you can expect.

The backer numbers for all the projects he's been involved with so far reflect that the CG crowd isn't really into it. 499 with less than 1300 backers is by far the most popular project he's worked on (and from what I've seen it is also the ugliest thing he's done) and you can bet that it's due to Zack's involvement and not the artwork. Again, even Frog's promotion couldn't get his last book to 800 backers. The CG crowd isn't too keen on paying CG prices for Narwhal's stuff and that's just a fact.

 

[Rupin]

I think TUG lost his channel.

That’s unfortunate

 

[WhimsicalTrolli]

Maybe having race/gender swapping isn't as bad if 499 is the magnum opus of comicsgate.

 

[jspit2.0]

Nothing. I just like Frog.

Real friends speak honestly.

Narwhal did a CyberFrog trading card and several sketch cards two years ago. His services are no longer required by me, but he's a terrific artist.

But that's not a book. When's he putting that amazing sequential artwork to use alongside EJ Morges?

Stop acting like a retarded hillbilly and I'll stop talking to you like you're a retarded hillbilly.

What's your thing with hillbillies. Every time you want to insult someone you throw that at them. Given your Jersey roots, not sure you should look down on anybody.

I have been wondering that ever since I was told how Tim Lim got tossed out.

Trump-related content? GTFO!
Shitty late art? Welcome aboard!

It doesn't make any sense to me. And I'm not a Trump fanboy.

Mind you, there's certainly people opposed to CG that are faggots. I have just been pondering that CG is simply another form of faggotry, and everybody orbiting it at this point should be laughed at regardless of what "side" they're on.

It's far easier to understand thusly. Everyone involved sucks to some degree.

That’s unfortunate

Please tell me you didn't send him dick picks.

While I think I've been clear about not liking Narwhal's art on an aesthetic level, I certainly can understand how someone would see something in it. If you enjoyed his books, more power to you. That's what this indie scene is about, finding something you like without the gatekeeping. You can't be expected to apologize for liking something.

Narwhal's work is very...niche. If he was doing stuff for Fantagraphics or some other smaller boutique publisher that had an audience of people already predisposed to liking unconventional art styles with a focus on storytelling, I can see him having moderate success in that area. As it stands, he's making stuff for the CG crowd, an audience that likes tightly rendered superhero books with attractive, well drawn people in well drawn, exotic locations doing crazy looking things. The exact opposite of what Narwhal does. Sure, if he does a Cyberfrog pin up or something, you'll probably get a reaction like "Oh, that's an interesting take" before the reader turns the page. That's about all you can expect.

The backer numbers for all the projects he's been involved with so far reflect that the CG crowd isn't really into it. 499 with less than 1300 backers is by far the most popular project he's worked on (and from what I've seen it is also the ugliest thing he's done) and you can bet that it's due to Zack's involvement and not the artwork. Again, even Frog's promotion couldn't get his last book to 800 backers. The CG crowd isn't too keen on paying CG prices for Narwhal's stuff and that's just a fact.

Remember Frog's words. We, the customer, just don't know what's good or not. We need to be 'educated.'

Sounds like people defending Squirrel Girl and Axel Alonso, right?

 

[Newman's Own]

I'll reiterate that I understand the comments about his art. I am much more critical of writing than I am of artwork in comics, though. So take this all with a pile of salt, I suppose.

I think his story telling is amateur hour. I get the impression he's trying to say a lot more than what's coming across. His action sequences are easy enough to follow but his narrative gets lost in ambiguous scenes.

When I crave an exposition dump to explain what's going on it's not good story telling.

Narwhal did a CyberFrog trading card and several sketch cards two years ago. His services are no longer required by me, but he's a terrific artist.

Stop acting like a retarded hillbilly and I'll stop talking to you like you're a retarded hillbilly.

It's lazy pretentious bullshit and you know it.

Doubling down on being a pretentious fucktard yourself is gold though.

This is almost as good as that time you had Mandy on your show for two hours to flog her grade 3 level Wart comic. Keep it up.

 

[Rupin]

Real friends speak honestly.



But that's not a book. When's he putting that amazing sequential artwork to use alongside EJ Morges?



What's your thing with hillbillies. Every time you want to insult someone you throw that at them. Given your Jersey roots, not sure you should look down on anybody.



It's far easier to understand thusly. Everyone involved sucks to some degree.



Please tell me you didn't send him dick picks.



Remember Frog's words. We, the customer, just don't know what's good or not. We need to be 'educated.'

Sounds like people defending Squirrel Girl and Axel Alonso, right?

i was being sarcastic, you retarded hillbilly,

 

[WhimsicalTrolli]

Perhaps we were a little too harsh to Brie Larson and star wars.

 

[jspit2.0]

i was being sarcastic, you retarded hillbilly,

Couldn't tell, you CG faggot.

Perhaps we were a little too harsh to Brie Larson and star wars.

No

 

[Newman's Own]

I think where we're disagreeing is at the fundamentals of storytelling.

It makes you look smart to people who don't understand comics.

No, it makes you look like Gail Simone defending dreck because it comes out of your tribal gene pool.

Your little brother understands story telling better than you do (though you have him beat when it comes to drawing hair and chrome). Your comics suffer from the same multy pin-up pratfalls that the 90's image comics did.

Pseudo-highbrow praise like "dancing lines" and "minimalist drawing style" is ridiculous. Frank Millers DareDevil and early SinCity stuff danced. The Sin City stuff was minimalism done right as well. Narwhals stuff just looks rushed and lazy.

This is minimalist art with story telling that "dances":

Spoiler: Minimalist comic art".

This was just cool.

EDIT:

Spoiler: Narwhal minimalism for comparison.

That's good minimalist art where the lines "dance" and the story telling is clear. Narwhal's is lazy and sloppy.

He couldn't shine the shoes of any of the above artists.

 

[Captain Manning]

Perhaps we were a little too harsh to Brie Larson and star wars.

Again: This isn't a zero-sum game. People should stop treating it as such.

 

[Newman's Own]

If I'm honest I can respect that Meyer is willing to court failure to get his artistic vision out there.

But he is failing.

And it's pretty funny to watch his compatriots pretend he isn't.

 

[TherapyMan]

I haven't really checked in on ComicsGate-related things since Meyer first tried to fund Jawbreakers, but boy-howdy have things changed. One thing I appreciated about Ya Boy Zack all those years ago was the sort of humble nature of his start. Here was a guy who had no production value, giving his off-the-cuff commentary on comics recorded on his phone, often in his car, between shifts at work, while coughing like mad. YBZ was just an ordinary guy who liked comics and felt strongly about the direction they were going. There was something respectable and honest about that, even if it was a little silly.

Having caught up, though, I can't really even recognize YBZ anymore. Seems like the success with Jawbreakers really got to him, and he dissipated into his own pretensions. Creative types tend to do that, but it's still frustrating to see.

 

[Unverified]

I think his story telling is amateur hour. I get the impression he's trying to say a lot more than what's coming across. His action sequences are easy enough to follow but his narrative gets lost in ambiguous scenes.

When I crave an exposition dump to explain what's going on it's not good story telling.

I'd be curious to know which scenes you're referring to or what sort of exposition you wanted. Honest inquiry, as I felt his stories flowed very well and conveyed everything they needed to.

 

[Rupin]

I'd be curious to know which scenes you're referring to or what sort of exposition you wanted. Honest inquiry, as I felt his stories flowed very well and conveyed everything they needed to.

I disagree. I don’t know about Foriegn Agent cuz I didn’t buy it, but Earthbound got pretty annoying awfully quick with it’s jolting scene transitions and disjointed story telling.

 

[MarvinTheParanoidAndroid]

I haven't seen art this bad since the days of Sheezy Art, they put this shit up for sale? Everything about this is horrible. Only the bottom left panel has any good artwork to speak of, and it has no background.