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So as many of you know, I decided to enter the SacAnime Manga Contest this year with "Magical Girl, Inc."
Here's the list of all of the entries for the Manga Contest for the Summer 2015 Manga Contest:
www.sacanime.com/?page_id=1089…
And here are the 1st, 2nd, and 3rd place winners:
www.sacanime.com/?page_id=1089…
While I am certainly happy that I won 1st Place, I really think that there were other entries that were a bit more deserving of 2nd and 3rd place.
My personal favorites for this year were "Alpaca's Friends" by Chibi Fang, "Noun" by Sid Sydelle, and "Nightfall" by Carrol N.
"Alpaca's Friends" had a cute storyline about the importance of valuing friends, and how even people with annoying tendencies can be good friends at their very core. I like that it was set in a kindergarten, the perfect place for kids to learn lessons like that, especially through storybooks.
"Noun" was a post-apocalyptic story with a very interesting and appreciated TWEEST at the end (which I won't spoil). What I really liked about it is that it introduced the concept of artificially intelligent creations called Nouns (hence the title) whose existence was solely to provide their human masters with entertainment and cater to their wishes. Sure, it's a little predictable that robots would revolt and drive humanity off the planet, but again, the TWEEST at the end is what I liked and really brought it together.
"Nightfall" also had an interesting message about inner beauty, though I wish the author would have emphasized it a bit more. A girl doesn't have the courage to speak to her crush because she thinks that she's ugly, so she wishes to be beautiful. A little fairy (who apparently is cursed to dwell in the human world until he does a good deed for a human) grants her exquisite beauty that lasts from "sundown to sunrise". The author goes for a cold-open style intro, which I do not feel did it justice for all the elements it was trying to cover. I truly feel that the first page would have been better utilized as actual panels introducing the story/plot, because it feels that the author only gets a bit of their story off the ground.
These three entries had their weaknesses, yes, but I still found them to be leagues better than what was picked for 2nd and 3rd place.
The 2nd place entry was "Only Human" by Janet R. There's not so much story there, as there is an ongoing rant about the terrible things humans do. The main character isn't so much a character as he is a soapbox. But criticism aside, I like that the main character's goal is ultimately hypocritical... He blames humans for all the terrible things they do to each other, how they're cruel, how they hurt each other endlessly and needlessly, and how he doesn't want to be associated with such a wantonly hateful race. Robots, on the other hand, are perfect beings in his mind; they are not dictated by petty grievances or racism/sexism/etc. He has two goals: to become a robot... And to eliminate every human on earth after he becomes a robot. So really, he's not into fixing the problem of humanity; he's only promulgating it. Interesting premise, I admit, but I think it needs something else to strengthen it.
The 3rd place entry was "Going Out of Style" by Lemonylulu. The artwork is phenomenal to a point; the artist opts for utilizing simplified "restroom marker" people outside of their fantastic artwork for their main character. I found it a little jarring, especially in scenes that are supposed to be full of high-energy dialogue and accusations. At first glance I was intrigued by the story, which seemed to be set up as "after you die, you have to go to a courtroom to prove that you were a good person." But the main character isn't a person... She's a fad. So when a fad goes out of style, it essentially "dies." From a graphic perspective, it's a stylish piece of work. Unfortunately, I think the concept needed some work, perhaps with developing the main character's desperation to prove their worth by mentioning how people had once utilized her to define themselves/express themselves. That, or perhaps the main character could have defended herself by explaining why she'd come into being or why her presence had spread throughout society. But it doesn't really go that deep, and again, this is just my opinion.
Ultimately, I feel that "Noun" should have placed because I thought it had good combination of good artwork and story. But that's just me. If you've got the time to read these other entries, feel free to drop your two cents in here!
Here's the list of all of the entries for the Manga Contest for the Summer 2015 Manga Contest:
www.sacanime.com/?page_id=1089…
And here are the 1st, 2nd, and 3rd place winners:
www.sacanime.com/?page_id=1089…
While I am certainly happy that I won 1st Place, I really think that there were other entries that were a bit more deserving of 2nd and 3rd place.
My personal favorites for this year were "Alpaca's Friends" by Chibi Fang, "Noun" by Sid Sydelle, and "Nightfall" by Carrol N.
"Alpaca's Friends" had a cute storyline about the importance of valuing friends, and how even people with annoying tendencies can be good friends at their very core. I like that it was set in a kindergarten, the perfect place for kids to learn lessons like that, especially through storybooks.
"Noun" was a post-apocalyptic story with a very interesting and appreciated TWEEST at the end (which I won't spoil). What I really liked about it is that it introduced the concept of artificially intelligent creations called Nouns (hence the title) whose existence was solely to provide their human masters with entertainment and cater to their wishes. Sure, it's a little predictable that robots would revolt and drive humanity off the planet, but again, the TWEEST at the end is what I liked and really brought it together.
"Nightfall" also had an interesting message about inner beauty, though I wish the author would have emphasized it a bit more. A girl doesn't have the courage to speak to her crush because she thinks that she's ugly, so she wishes to be beautiful. A little fairy (who apparently is cursed to dwell in the human world until he does a good deed for a human) grants her exquisite beauty that lasts from "sundown to sunrise". The author goes for a cold-open style intro, which I do not feel did it justice for all the elements it was trying to cover. I truly feel that the first page would have been better utilized as actual panels introducing the story/plot, because it feels that the author only gets a bit of their story off the ground.
These three entries had their weaknesses, yes, but I still found them to be leagues better than what was picked for 2nd and 3rd place.
The 2nd place entry was "Only Human" by Janet R. There's not so much story there, as there is an ongoing rant about the terrible things humans do. The main character isn't so much a character as he is a soapbox. But criticism aside, I like that the main character's goal is ultimately hypocritical... He blames humans for all the terrible things they do to each other, how they're cruel, how they hurt each other endlessly and needlessly, and how he doesn't want to be associated with such a wantonly hateful race. Robots, on the other hand, are perfect beings in his mind; they are not dictated by petty grievances or racism/sexism/etc. He has two goals: to become a robot... And to eliminate every human on earth after he becomes a robot. So really, he's not into fixing the problem of humanity; he's only promulgating it. Interesting premise, I admit, but I think it needs something else to strengthen it.
The 3rd place entry was "Going Out of Style" by Lemonylulu. The artwork is phenomenal to a point; the artist opts for utilizing simplified "restroom marker" people outside of their fantastic artwork for their main character. I found it a little jarring, especially in scenes that are supposed to be full of high-energy dialogue and accusations. At first glance I was intrigued by the story, which seemed to be set up as "after you die, you have to go to a courtroom to prove that you were a good person." But the main character isn't a person... She's a fad. So when a fad goes out of style, it essentially "dies." From a graphic perspective, it's a stylish piece of work. Unfortunately, I think the concept needed some work, perhaps with developing the main character's desperation to prove their worth by mentioning how people had once utilized her to define themselves/express themselves. That, or perhaps the main character could have defended herself by explaining why she'd come into being or why her presence had spread throughout society. But it doesn't really go that deep, and again, this is just my opinion.
Ultimately, I feel that "Noun" should have placed because I thought it had good combination of good artwork and story. But that's just me. If you've got the time to read these other entries, feel free to drop your two cents in here!
Short Commissions Now Open!
Welp, I'm opening character commissions again now that Inktober 2020 is over (and was a resounding success this year, too!). Still got the drawing bug, so why not take advantage of it? All art will be done with Faber-Castell ink pens for lineart, and a combination of Prismacolor and Copics for coloring. Prices are as follows: Lineart (bust) : $10 Lineart (full body) : $15 Example: Full color (bust) : $20 Full color (body) : $25 Example: I've got some time to kill during my lunch break, so if you'd like some art and can part with a couple of bucks here and there, I'll hook you up with something nice. You can reply here or shoot me a Note. I can probably handle about 3 at the moment, but I may be open for more depending on the workload.
Sleipnir : Equine Invader from Jupiter is here!
So back in 2016, I started a comic commission for my buddy @ranasan and I can say, with great pride and satisfaction, that it is complete and being posted online as we speak! This is one crazy space romp starring the titular Sleipnir, an 8-legged alien horse from Jupiter, and the lucky (or perhaps unlucky?) Williams family of Austin, TX as their worlds literally intertwine as more alien monsters and crazy military personnel are out for their hides. The Williams family is made up of Clint, a literal rocket scientist (with a *slight* temper problem when it comes to others, especially his father); Jessica, Clint's younger sister, horse expert, and enthusiastic farmhand at the Williams farm; and David, Jessica and Clint's widowed father and owner of the Williams Ranch (also with a *slight* temper problem when it comes to his son). Once Sleipnir lands on Earth, lots of things start to kick off. For one thing, it gets the attention of the bloodthirsty General Kincaid, as well as the
Good Riddance, Nads6969 - A Eulogy From The Heart
Foreword:
For the last 7 or so months, I joined the movement against the notorious Nads6969. If you've been living under a rock, Nads6969 is/was a middle-aged woman who loved Sailor Moon but couldn't draw worth a damn so she traced damn near everything she had in her gallery. When confronted, she would either begrudgingly credit the artists of the work she traced, or ignore entreaties to post credit and block the people asking her to be a decent human being. When faced with the choice of "stop tracing" or "start crediting your shit," she chose the third option of "continue being a talentless C U Next Tuesday, keep tracing, never credit."
A Curious Case of Tracing, Ignorance, and Nepotism
So if you know me, and I know I do, you’ll know that I absolutely abhor tracing almost as much as I abhor art theft. If you want a fun story about my single experience with tracing (as a 7 year old), then I welcome you to go here:
https://www.deviantart.com/envyskort/journal/OH-BOY-SLANDER-490038578
Long story short, I traced a picture of Sonic to give to my Dad for his birthday, he saw immediately that I traced it and chastised me, saying he believed in what I could draw on my own even if it didn’t look perfect. In all of my struggles over the years to draw things, I never resorted to tracing. I believed in myself because my
© 2015 - 2024 EnvySkort
Comments7
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Congrats. I agree, the other two comics I don't really get, and they both seem to have the same topic: humans suck.