First time poster, even though i read the comic several times now.
I HATE the art shift. Sketch-like was way better. Not only in you’re-used-to-it kind of way, but also SEEMED to be more dailed. And looks less artistic.
I’ll make the assumption that it looked less like you’re just trying to make good art, more to the point and free form while it still looked nice. The detailing of the art shift kinda makes it seems like you’re going through a gritty reboot phase but personally I feel it matches perfectly with way King Runt grown from basically an Excalibur reference to real life monarch, while Eddy has grown from wizard straight-man to a royal advisor.
I note that I’m particularly loving the way the new style conveys atmospherics, in a scene like this. I can *feel* the light in the room…and I absolutely love this.
I feel the light in the room, too. But it feels unnatural, like Runt is holding court in a dim room with a spotlight shining on him from the throne room door.
…which makes sense that he’s irritable, I suppose, who would want to be constantly squinting into a spotlight in the face?
I’ve been in rooms with lighting very much like this. Of course, I’m only speculating here, but I’m going to stand by the guess that the "long shadows" effect is deliberate, and part of the narrative. Rich is nothing if not a master of storytelling through set and frame, and I’m going to assume these are deliberate, conscious choices, and let the mood they inspire color my read of the scene.
the old style certainly looked like you put more effort in to the progress of the comic than delivering "ready to print" pages.
It looked like a unique style, while this is very close to "generic monochrome comic".
Sketch comics look like the creator uploaded before they were FINISHED. You see them frequently as the early, first pages of longer running comics that eventually stepped up their art to a professional level.
For webcomics that have run a long time, become more famous, and continue to upload sketch versions, I have been assuming they are posting the lower-quality versions free, to promote the higher quality versions in the print books they’re selling… which is FINE! Artists and their families need to eat and pay rent too.
I’ve never looked at a sketch and thought "that looks like the final product", is my point.
Monochrome comics with clean, sharp lines at least look finished and on purpose… though I can’t say I agree with what more than one such B&W webcomic uploaders have claimed when their readers ask why the comic isn’t in colour: that "colour would be enormously more work and lead to fewer updates". This one I’m looking at above the comments is still using a relatively simple palette of greys, so that claim might be more reasonable at this level, but other comics like Wapsi Square or El Goonish Shive, are already using around 30 different shades of grey each strip (each character with their own, established "shade pallet" for consistency). At *that* point… why not go colour? It’s literally just a different click before the flood-fill tool.
Keep up the good work, Rich. Happy to see the upgrade!
I didn’t like it at first either, the shift was so abrupt it kinda made me nauseous, but now that I’ve gotten used to it I actually like it more. the added level of detail will make differentiating the characters much easier, when there were too many people on the screen at the same time they all started to blend together in the old style, especially when they were all the same species. I could only tell Aracne apart from other drow because she was the angry sassy one, everyone else was either the queen or Wolf.
now I can very clearly tell the difference between Cadugan and Lucas, plus I imagine it’ll be a lot easier to color these in if he ever decides to go back and clean up the older pages. the best art is always the colored pages because he puts so much extra work into them.
frankly, for non-native speakers these puns are a little too difficult to understand, but at least thanks to the comment section now I understand that it is about the sense = cents
To be honest, I didn’t figure out that he was making a pun until I saw the strip title. I thought they were just glaring at him for sympathizing with the motive for murder.
I’m with you on this one. Though I get them most of the times, it happens again and again, that there is one I don’t. Like this one…
Fun thing is, whenever I don’t get a pun, I have to think of my brother:
One day I realised, I can speak and write, read entire books and watch movies in English without any difficulties. Others understand me without any problem too. So I claimed "Now I do speak English." My brother made the same claim once he understood and made puns.
Was the currency of this kingdom ever established/confirmed? I always kind-of assumed they were just running off the Gold/Silver/Copper standard from the roots in D&D.
Due to the jump in time and the jump in cultural advances, all past currencies can be ignored. There is enough room to insert a monetary reform into the intervening years, and incongruities hand-waved away with references to the old money.
Actually, having older currency that is no longer in use can be used in the future as a plot point. In fact, many old television series had this, where a lost treasure turned out to be in worthless paper currency, most often Confederate dollars.
Which is kind of silly really, since old money is often *more* valuable than its face value. And I would expect confederate dollars to be rarer than US dollars from the same period.
Those who look everywhere for puns, even where there was none intended, are those same people who are already obsessed with puns & will *find* them everywhere they do look.
A cent is 1% of a dollar (for countries that use this monetary system), so if the amount of money to be won has been building up for 15 years, that is a lot of money. And it would be 100 times that in cents, so it’d really be a lot of cents.
Cadugan meant that he understood that a lot of money would be a motive for murder, and used the phrase that it made a lot of sense. The others heard it as "a lot of cents"
Hope i explained it clearly instead of confusing you more 🙂
Really tho, with as wealthy as Mama Bloodhand is, do they really think money would be an inCENTive? I think it’s smoke and mirror, or at least incense and mirrors
In all fairness to Cadugan, that’s a lot more of a accidental pun then Eddys was.
Cadugan to the Punalty Box. Could Cadugan please go to the Punalty box for his punitive punishment.
I had to think a long time to figure out the pun. I think I’ve got it. Spoiler warning, I guess.
Does this kingdom have a monetary unit called a "cent"? ("Makes a lot of cents")
Those guys still have puns too much on their minds…no change there.
That pun only works when they have cents.
And I had to read the comments to figure out the joke, since the UK does not have cents.
Dealing with different currencies like the US dollar or the euro can leave one pence-ive, I know.
Without a "decimal" monetary system, it would be cents-less.
(Well, more of a hundreds system, since "cent" comes from the metric naming convention of "hundredth").
First time poster, even though i read the comic several times now.
I HATE the art shift. Sketch-like was way better. Not only in you’re-used-to-it kind of way, but also SEEMED to be more dailed. And looks less artistic.
Okay, thanks. Note taken, though I’m not sure what you mean by "less artistic".
I’ll make the assumption that it looked less like you’re just trying to make good art, more to the point and free form while it still looked nice. The detailing of the art shift kinda makes it seems like you’re going through a gritty reboot phase but personally I feel it matches perfectly with way King Runt grown from basically an Excalibur reference to real life monarch, while Eddy has grown from wizard straight-man to a royal advisor.
I note that I’m particularly loving the way the new style conveys atmospherics, in a scene like this. I can *feel* the light in the room…and I absolutely love this.
I feel the light in the room, too. But it feels unnatural, like Runt is holding court in a dim room with a spotlight shining on him from the throne room door.
…which makes sense that he’s irritable, I suppose, who would want to be constantly squinting into a spotlight in the face?
I’ve been in rooms with lighting very much like this. Of course, I’m only speculating here, but I’m going to stand by the guess that the "long shadows" effect is deliberate, and part of the narrative. Rich is nothing if not a master of storytelling through set and frame, and I’m going to assume these are deliberate, conscious choices, and let the mood they inspire color my read of the scene.
the old style certainly looked like you put more effort in to the progress of the comic than delivering "ready to print" pages.
It looked like a unique style, while this is very close to "generic monochrome comic".
Going to disagree firmly with Ater there.
Sketch comics look like the creator uploaded before they were FINISHED. You see them frequently as the early, first pages of longer running comics that eventually stepped up their art to a professional level.
For webcomics that have run a long time, become more famous, and continue to upload sketch versions, I have been assuming they are posting the lower-quality versions free, to promote the higher quality versions in the print books they’re selling… which is FINE! Artists and their families need to eat and pay rent too.
I’ve never looked at a sketch and thought "that looks like the final product", is my point.
Monochrome comics with clean, sharp lines at least look finished and on purpose… though I can’t say I agree with what more than one such B&W webcomic uploaders have claimed when their readers ask why the comic isn’t in colour: that "colour would be enormously more work and lead to fewer updates". This one I’m looking at above the comments is still using a relatively simple palette of greys, so that claim might be more reasonable at this level, but other comics like Wapsi Square or El Goonish Shive, are already using around 30 different shades of grey each strip (each character with their own, established "shade pallet" for consistency). At *that* point… why not go colour? It’s literally just a different click before the flood-fill tool.
Keep up the good work, Rich. Happy to see the upgrade!
I didn’t like it at first either, the shift was so abrupt it kinda made me nauseous, but now that I’ve gotten used to it I actually like it more. the added level of detail will make differentiating the characters much easier, when there were too many people on the screen at the same time they all started to blend together in the old style, especially when they were all the same species. I could only tell Aracne apart from other drow because she was the angry sassy one, everyone else was either the queen or Wolf.
now I can very clearly tell the difference between Cadugan and Lucas, plus I imagine it’ll be a lot easier to color these in if he ever decides to go back and clean up the older pages. the best art is always the colored pages because he puts so much extra work into them.
Admit it Rich, the delay wasn’t due to work-related issues, you just needed time to search for the worst (best) possible pun. :-p
frankly, for non-native speakers these puns are a little too difficult to understand, but at least thanks to the comment section now I understand that it is about the sense = cents
To be honest, I didn’t figure out that he was making a pun until I saw the strip title. I thought they were just glaring at him for sympathizing with the motive for murder.
I’m with you on this one. Though I get them most of the times, it happens again and again, that there is one I don’t. Like this one…
Fun thing is, whenever I don’t get a pun, I have to think of my brother:
One day I realised, I can speak and write, read entire books and watch movies in English without any difficulties. Others understand me without any problem too. So I claimed "Now I do speak English." My brother made the same claim once he understood and made puns.
Sometimes you just have to ‘pound’ the pun home
Franc-ly, I think you hit the Mark. Though we may need to slow the Peso.
There’s no dinar-ing it that these puns are dollar-ous.
OK I spent ages trying to come up with a pun for dollar and got nothing.
I salute you
Yeah, mine wasn’t very pence-ive. So sou me. Or drachma through the mud, but don’t call me a lira.
Okay, I think I’ve coined enough bad puns for now.
Judging from Cadugan’s expression, he has a "yen" to say something extremely vulgar.
Cadugan pretends that pun was an accident, but I don’t buy his act. He’s just shilling.
Mwah, mwah, mwahhhh…
These guys are really pun aware. How do they get through the day?
Do they?
Do you mean "will they" get through the day?
Or "are they" pun aware?
That moment where you read the comic and don’t get the joke until you read the comment section.
I was completely punaware of this one.
Here’s a fun exercise for everyone. Spot how often Rich uses at least ONE of Wally Woods "22 panels that always work" in his strips
Better get used to dialogue – this is a mystery!
t!
Was the currency of this kingdom ever established/confirmed? I always kind-of assumed they were just running off the Gold/Silver/Copper standard from the roots in D&D.
Due to the jump in time and the jump in cultural advances, all past currencies can be ignored. There is enough room to insert a monetary reform into the intervening years, and incongruities hand-waved away with references to the old money.
Actually, having older currency that is no longer in use can be used in the future as a plot point. In fact, many old television series had this, where a lost treasure turned out to be in worthless paper currency, most often Confederate dollars.
Which is kind of silly really, since old money is often *more* valuable than its face value. And I would expect confederate dollars to be rarer than US dollars from the same period.
To get away from all the pun gags for a moment; Welcome back!
Multiple puns about money should stink: they make scents!
Like the old joke of a frog, a duck and a skunk wanting to go see a performer, where the entry fee was a dollar.
The duck got in, because he had a bill.
The frog got in, because he had a green back.
The skunk was turned away, because all he had was a bad scent.
Pecunia non olet –Vespasian
Those who look everywhere for puns, even where there was none intended, are those same people who are already obsessed with puns & will *find* them everywhere they do look.
This goes true for a *lot* of different things…
I read the comments and still don’t get the pun.
A cent is 1% of a dollar (for countries that use this monetary system), so if the amount of money to be won has been building up for 15 years, that is a lot of money. And it would be 100 times that in cents, so it’d really be a lot of cents.
Cadugan meant that he understood that a lot of money would be a motive for murder, and used the phrase that it made a lot of sense. The others heard it as "a lot of cents"
Hope i explained it clearly instead of confusing you more 🙂
Thank you, I understand it know, but still don’t get the joke. As weird as it sounds.
Really tho, with as wealthy as Mama Bloodhand is, do they really think money would be an inCENTive? I think it’s smoke and mirror, or at least incense and mirrors
Well, Mama Bloodhand may have been eager to win for CENTimental reasons.
Does this mean the YAFCG world has officially entered the Pun Age?