Have patience. It has been less than a day since the deadline passed and I'm not in the same time zone as the other two judges.
It's exactly as he says. We're doing our best to work around that, so consider any extra time you get while we're busy judging as extra time for you to get your ducks in a row so that you're not late for any future deadlines.
I don't know Shiny or DDD2's opinions on it, but I am honestly astonished that anyone fell out of the first round. The whole point of giving you the themes then an extra week, at least in my opinion, was so that you could start working ahead. There's no rule this year saying that your entry has to be made during the time you have to turn them in. Do either of my fellow judges disagree?
I just thought I'd let everyone know that we've pretty much finished the judging. We're now going to be dividing up the issues and providing Comments and Criticism to you all to help you improve.
Denny the Fisher You have clearly put a lot of time and effort into this entry. The template is original. I like the way the text box is a brighter, less opaque version of the background instead of plain white. It make it looks really nice without making the text any harder to read. In the panels where the close-ups are shown, the background is blurred. This reminds me of a tv show and it's nice to see someone go the extra mile and make their issue better with little things like this. You provide your readers with a lot of insight about the characters. I really feel like I know them, which is hard to accomplish in just one issue. I do feel that that lovey-dovey stuff could have been toned down, but that's personal preference. My main complaint is that while the characters have been introduced well, we don't see much sign of a plot. I know you're probably planning to introduce it later, but a lot of people don't give a comic long before judging it. It was a pleasure to read, but it wasn't as gripping as it could have been. I think there's a minor mistake in the first panel when you introduce two characters and say that they're both "to the left". Anyway, this is overall a very impressive entry.
Hmszelda I'm sorry, but this issue looks VERY rushed. There's no real plot until the last panel. I don't have any particular complaints about the template, although it's very simple. The highlight of the issue is that the backgrounds you used, which could have ended up looking awful alongside Pokémon sprites, really worked for you. It just looks compatible with the fifth generation sprites. However, you've provided us with little insight on the plot or the characters. It's just... lacking substance. The text gets you brownie points for originality, but at the end of the day it just looks awkward and hard to read.
neffoneR As we have come to expect from you, the effects are nothing short amazing. I especially liked the Light Screen panel. You have done a decent job at introducing the plot of your story. Not brilliant, but decent. Unfortunately, the same cannot be said for the characters. I have no idea who is who. There's just a bunch of names in the text box and they mean nothing to me. It's great that you have a dazzling, action-packed comic which is why it's such a shame that you couldn't make any of your characters connect with me. The issue is brilliant in terms of aesthetics but it didn't leave me begging for the next one. As for the template, it looks great and it is very original. My only complaint about the template is that the logo is difficult to make out. DDD2's Comments and Criticism:
Rabla - The simplicity in the design of your issue was very much made up for in the dialogue and sense of mystery it gives. I asked myself Who are the "other guys", What is "the topic"? I really like how you used vagueness in a way to make things very mysterious and interesting. The main character Daven has a set attitude, and it can be described with two letters: B.A. The characterization for Daven was pretty detailed. I'd maybe ask that you make sure to expand on other characters, too, if they will appear often in the series. Overall, I though the issue was an excellent start.
Steven - The issue was pretty mediocre with no flaws. I liked the template and the design at the top with the Johto Map. I also liked the alternating colors in the text boxes. However, I thought the dialogue was pretty boring, and a bit cliche, I suppose I could say. Also, the only characters that I could definitely identify are Steven, Jay, Vast, and Mrs. Triforce. I like to be able to identify all characters, because I believe it's very important to a comic that the reader isn't left confused. Overall, it was an average issue and a fair start to a series.
GuitarMan91 - The whole issue was very confusing to me. I really wish that this issue had an actual template, because that would have made it a lot better. Other than the lack of a template, I felt that there was no characterization at all, a confusing plot set-up, and no humor to make up for the weak plot set-up. The effects weren't too bad, but there wasn't anything very special about it. I wish the text had a lot better grammar, as well. Overall, I unfortunately didn't like the issue. w111j's Comments and Criticism:
Albatross - First off, I'd like to congratulate you on putting the animation in. It's not just pointless animation, it adds to the humor of the issue, and the effort is appreciated. Your comic is obviously humor-oriented, and it made me laugh. The only thing is that I'm not completely sure how you intend to continue on your Mini-Series. Will it use the same characters? Or just the same idea of what they do? Anyway, I thought you did a fairly good job, but one last thing I'd like to point out is your Van. You shouldn't have to mark it like that, we should either already be informed that they have a Van for Ho-oh, or we should be able to see it and tell it's a Van.
Kubrick - The first thing that I see is that your template has a nice, big typo on it. You told us the name was Spotlights, but on the template it says Spolights. That's definitely something you should get fixed, because your template looking nice will have a big impact on your readers. Your comic currently lacks very many custom sprites, but since this is only your first issue of the series and everyone is supposed to be paparazi, then that's OK. But the few sprites so far that DO look like Custom sprites don't look very custom, just slight recolors, though your main character does look to have a completely new set of clothes. Your plot doesn't particularly play to my interests, but I am interested enough to want to know "What happens next?".
Congrats Denny the Fisher!! You deserved the win! Those custom sprites were awesome and it was clear that you had put a lot of work into the issue! And also congrats to everyone else who made it to the next round!! Btw ShinyDDD2 and w111j, do you still get anything from being the round's best?
Meh, anyway, since I got past the first round, I have moar issues. These are not to be judged, they are just a way to connect with the round's theme and give you some info. Well, better see for yourself what I mean. I'm not even gonna put them in a spoiler since with the resizing it would be a waste of time. Just follow the links.
This is not my entry, just an episode to help me finish where I left off last comic and lead into an appropriate place to bring in the villain for the theme. Though it's not an entry I still put some solid work into it and most of all, tried to improve on the areas that weren't like in my last comic, mostly the template. This one should be clear to read to everyone, hopefully, while still keeping the abstract panel shapes I enjoy. I also realize that my background is a bit, pixely. But I have been working on this all day long and so I just want to get it up as is. I'll deal with the background issues next episode. Anyway I will just shut up now and post the comic.
Spoiler:Core 2
And third upload, since I kept noticing mistakes every time I previewed it. I think it's good now.