Greetings, friends and neighbors!
I have just become the comics editor for Fantasy Magazine (here: http://www.darkfantasy.org/fantasy/ ). It's an online publication for all things sf/fantasy and it has quite a decent circulation. Many of our stories have made it into best of the year sf/fantasy anthologies and been picked up by audio fiction podcasts.
Which is my way of buttering you up before telling you it doesn't pay. But. It does give good exposure, and you could, for instance, use experience writing for Fantasy to sell to a paying market like Internet Review of Science Fiction.
And who knows? We used to pay crap for fiction, now we pay 5 cents a word, pro industry standard. We could be paying reviewers soon.
Some tips for writing a great review:
• Keep it short. We want them to come in around 1000 words.
• Painful as it is , you will have to spend some of your time recapping the story. Try to break down the events without spending too much time on the intricacies of the conflict, ie:
"Ratchet is told not to go, but he goes anyway, taking Verity, Hunter and Jimmy with him. They're joined by Bumblebee, the cute little VW bug. At the base in Nebraska, they get more than they bargained for when they find Megatron--and catch themselves in the middle of a Decepticon rebellion."
• Be funny and collaquial. When you're actually saying why the comic is good or bad, vent it like you're on Transfans, ie:
"And then Prime stands up. HE JUST STANDS UP. After all that suspense about his death, his injury, how the Autobots will survive without him... he just gets up and gives an inspirational speech and everything's fine."
• (This is one I'm guilty of not always doing) Spend some time on the art. Try to describe it the best you can--finding other, better-known artists to compare it to might work, ie:
"Geoff Senior has the same energy in his pencils that infuses the work of Frank Miller and John Romita Jr., and his massive Autobots and Decepticons leap off the page growling and shouting and blasting, always larger-than-life and always infused with movement."
(I think I might tweak that and actually use it.)
• Include any funny trivia you can think of related to the comic.
"The flame wars over All Hail Megatron got so bad that in one case, one board member who was insulted online tracked down another member, called his house, and got a call back--from the police."
(NO NAMES.)
Yaya is writing our AHM review at the moment and I am writing a "good transformers comics" list, but I can think of a million other comics we would love reviews for--Batman R.I.P., any Dark Reign stuff, RASL, or any underrated classics. PM me with the reviews and questions.
I need comic reviews
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bumblemusprime
- Over Pompous Autobot Commander
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Re: I need comic reviews
But how do you plan to cover the comic that the rest of us read?bumblemusprime wrote:Yaya is writing our AHM review at the moment
Re: I need comic reviews
Did you get my revised review? I'm too lazy to give specific examples of my points.bumblemusprime wrote: Yaya is writing our AHM review at the moment .
Maybe I can post it here, and let others assist in the review?
"But the Costa story featuring Starscream? Fantastic! This guy is "The One", I just know it, just from these few pages. "--Yaya, who is never wrong.
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bumblemusprime
- Over Pompous Autobot Commander
- Posts:2370
- Joined:Mon Jun 27, 2005 11:40 pm
- Location:GoboTron
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bumblemusprime
- Over Pompous Autobot Commander
- Posts:2370
- Joined:Mon Jun 27, 2005 11:40 pm
- Location:GoboTron
Re: I need comic reviews
Heh heh heh... maybe I should have Jack Cade write an expose on the inner workings of IDW.Brendocon wrote:But how do you plan to cover the comic that the rest of us read?bumblemusprime wrote:Yaya is writing our AHM review at the moment
Just kidding.
Would you believe it's been twenty-five years since the first Transformers figure hit toy shelves across the U.S.? Three comic book publishers have held the license since that time, and we currently find the property in the hands of thriving comic book publisher IDW.
IDW's most recent stab at everyone's favorite bots, a 12-issue story written by Shane McCarthy entitled All Hail Megatron, has come to it's conclusion. All Hail Megatron aimed to please both the fan who had been on board from the beginning and the new fan unfamiliar with the storyline IDW had thus far crafted under the helm of Transformers comic legend Simon Furman. Understandably, there was some hesitance on the part of many of the hardcore TF comic fans upon hearing about a change of writer. They were comfortable with what Furman had been producing up to this point. After all, Furman has played an integral part in shaping the Transformers world since the 80's. Why shake things up now?
Shane McCarthy was an unfamiliar name to me, despite his prior experience as a comic book writer, tackling such properties as Batman for D.C in the past. I had some mixed feelings when I heard that someone who had never written a Transformers comic was writing IDW's most ambitious Transformers project to date. It was the same feeling I had when the news was announced that IDW had landed the Transformers property. I remember asking "IDW? Who the heck is IDW?"
However, after three years of carrying the Transformers mantle, IDW has shown it could deliver the goods. So I asked myself, why not their new choice in writer McCarthy? Despite some concern, I was excited by the prospect that some new blood was being mixed into the pool of writers, that we were potentially breaking the Simon Furman mold that, while good in it's own way, was growing stale by some fan's estimation, and purportedly, by sales as well. McCarthy intended to deliver a fresh story that would focus on the journey of the individual, a story that would be more character-driven, and would delve deeper into the inner workings of Decepticon leader Megatron.
So after reading the final issue #12, which hit the stands only weeks ago, how do things pan out? Does All Hail Megatron give us something new, something we haven't seen before? Was the payoff in the end worth the year-long wait?
Unfortunately, All Hail Megatron is a story that promised much but doesn't quite live up to the hype. I was anticipating this story might provide us more of an understanding as to why Megatron is both feared and respected throughout the galaxy, a reason beyond his dictatorial imposition of power over the lesser beings of the universe that we have seen played out in cartoon, comic, and movie format time and time again. You might surmise that, with a title like All Hail Megatron, the story would conclude with the reader garnering more of an appreciation for the Decepticon leader.
Do we get this? Not even close. Instead, we are given a Megatron that changes with almost each issue, going from somewhat aloof to strategically scientific back to rash generic power-hungry bad guy by story's end. The reader is left asking "So....why hail Megatron again?" This becomes even more of a question in the final issue when he is incapacitated by a single shot to the face by a human-constructed weapon of Decepticon origin. It is only the new found grudging respect that his second-in-command Starscream suddenly has for his leader that saves Megatron in the end. All Hail Megatron, indeed. Not the ended I expected for the protagonist of this story.
Other questions. What exactly was Megatron trying to accomplish by invading Earth? What was so special about Earth in this seemingly intergalactic war? If Earth was so important to the Decepticon cause, why did Megatron simply want to give it up in the end? What was the point? The reader is left wondering, after twelve months, why these most basic of questions are left unanswered. In addition, the conclusion holds too many similarities to a story written by Chris Sarracini entitled Prime Directive back when now defunct publisher Dreamwave held the license. This further detracts from any freshness this story might have had to a longtime reader of Transformers comics like myself.
If the unclear motivation of Megatron is the story's most glaring flaw, then certainly a close second is the ridiculously slow pacing the reader has to endure. AHM is six issues too long. This is a story that could easily have fit into the space of six issues, and been better off for it. The story just sort of languishes for the first few issues, going nowhere fast. Transformers fans aren't known for their patience. Apparently, someone forgot to tell McCarthy. In one sequence of events, the Autobots trapped on Cybertron seem to bicker with each other for what seems like an eternity, given much more page time than it should have been.
In fairness to Shane, it's no easy task to bring something new to the Transformers table, a table fans have been rabidly indulging in for twenty-five years. Just ask Eric Holmes, who penned IDW's much maligned Megatron:Origin miniseries. In the early interviews prior to the release of AHM, McCarthy's ideas about where he wanted to take things and how he wanted to handle the license showed promise. I was admittedly excited by the prospect of getting a story that focused on the individual journey Megatron might take, a story that fleshed him out a bit more. However, we all carry ideas with us that might be exciting and intriguing in theory, but can fall flat if not executed into a well-written cohesive story format that others can appreciate. It's all in the delivery.
I found McCarthy's dialogue to be the best part of his writing. He knows how to make each character distinct from the next, infusing varying personalities into the cast. This is something I felt has been lacking from Furman's writing. Some fans might complain Shane follows the toy tech specs too closely, but I personally don't have a problem with this. It's a refreshing departure from Furman's approach, where he can be faulted for making many of the characters sound and act the same.
In terms of character development, there are a few pivotal moments in the story, such as the events involving Sunstreaker, that I feel had some real impact on past and potential future events. Characters like Kup and Starscream are well written. There are some nice humorous moments throughout as the cast interacts with one another. This is one of the story's biggest positives. On the flip side, it does have it's share of woeful character moments too. Take Autobot leader Optimus Prime's return towards the end of the story. It's an example of how, in theory it should really hit home, but in execution the writing here can only be described as annoyingly lazy. Fortunately, these kinds of moments are infrequent, though they do detract from the story.
Also on the plus side, artist Guido Guidi is consistently strong throughout the series. His clean lines make things easily decipherable and crisp. The best thing about AHM, in my opinion, were the lovely abstract Trevor Hutchinson covers. Yummy.
I give it a "C". An average story that is painfully protracted yet interspersed with a few strong character moments and supported by some visually pleasing art that, in the end, might make fans feel it's worth the effort.
IDW's most recent stab at everyone's favorite bots, a 12-issue story written by Shane McCarthy entitled All Hail Megatron, has come to it's conclusion. All Hail Megatron aimed to please both the fan who had been on board from the beginning and the new fan unfamiliar with the storyline IDW had thus far crafted under the helm of Transformers comic legend Simon Furman. Understandably, there was some hesitance on the part of many of the hardcore TF comic fans upon hearing about a change of writer. They were comfortable with what Furman had been producing up to this point. After all, Furman has played an integral part in shaping the Transformers world since the 80's. Why shake things up now?
Shane McCarthy was an unfamiliar name to me, despite his prior experience as a comic book writer, tackling such properties as Batman for D.C in the past. I had some mixed feelings when I heard that someone who had never written a Transformers comic was writing IDW's most ambitious Transformers project to date. It was the same feeling I had when the news was announced that IDW had landed the Transformers property. I remember asking "IDW? Who the heck is IDW?"
However, after three years of carrying the Transformers mantle, IDW has shown it could deliver the goods. So I asked myself, why not their new choice in writer McCarthy? Despite some concern, I was excited by the prospect that some new blood was being mixed into the pool of writers, that we were potentially breaking the Simon Furman mold that, while good in it's own way, was growing stale by some fan's estimation, and purportedly, by sales as well. McCarthy intended to deliver a fresh story that would focus on the journey of the individual, a story that would be more character-driven, and would delve deeper into the inner workings of Decepticon leader Megatron.
So after reading the final issue #12, which hit the stands only weeks ago, how do things pan out? Does All Hail Megatron give us something new, something we haven't seen before? Was the payoff in the end worth the year-long wait?
Unfortunately, All Hail Megatron is a story that promised much but doesn't quite live up to the hype. I was anticipating this story might provide us more of an understanding as to why Megatron is both feared and respected throughout the galaxy, a reason beyond his dictatorial imposition of power over the lesser beings of the universe that we have seen played out in cartoon, comic, and movie format time and time again. You might surmise that, with a title like All Hail Megatron, the story would conclude with the reader garnering more of an appreciation for the Decepticon leader.
Do we get this? Not even close. Instead, we are given a Megatron that changes with almost each issue, going from somewhat aloof to strategically scientific back to rash generic power-hungry bad guy by story's end. The reader is left asking "So....why hail Megatron again?" This becomes even more of a question in the final issue when he is incapacitated by a single shot to the face by a human-constructed weapon of Decepticon origin. It is only the new found grudging respect that his second-in-command Starscream suddenly has for his leader that saves Megatron in the end. All Hail Megatron, indeed. Not the ended I expected for the protagonist of this story.
Other questions. What exactly was Megatron trying to accomplish by invading Earth? What was so special about Earth in this seemingly intergalactic war? If Earth was so important to the Decepticon cause, why did Megatron simply want to give it up in the end? What was the point? The reader is left wondering, after twelve months, why these most basic of questions are left unanswered. In addition, the conclusion holds too many similarities to a story written by Chris Sarracini entitled Prime Directive back when now defunct publisher Dreamwave held the license. This further detracts from any freshness this story might have had to a longtime reader of Transformers comics like myself.
If the unclear motivation of Megatron is the story's most glaring flaw, then certainly a close second is the ridiculously slow pacing the reader has to endure. AHM is six issues too long. This is a story that could easily have fit into the space of six issues, and been better off for it. The story just sort of languishes for the first few issues, going nowhere fast. Transformers fans aren't known for their patience. Apparently, someone forgot to tell McCarthy. In one sequence of events, the Autobots trapped on Cybertron seem to bicker with each other for what seems like an eternity, given much more page time than it should have been.
In fairness to Shane, it's no easy task to bring something new to the Transformers table, a table fans have been rabidly indulging in for twenty-five years. Just ask Eric Holmes, who penned IDW's much maligned Megatron:Origin miniseries. In the early interviews prior to the release of AHM, McCarthy's ideas about where he wanted to take things and how he wanted to handle the license showed promise. I was admittedly excited by the prospect of getting a story that focused on the individual journey Megatron might take, a story that fleshed him out a bit more. However, we all carry ideas with us that might be exciting and intriguing in theory, but can fall flat if not executed into a well-written cohesive story format that others can appreciate. It's all in the delivery.
I found McCarthy's dialogue to be the best part of his writing. He knows how to make each character distinct from the next, infusing varying personalities into the cast. This is something I felt has been lacking from Furman's writing. Some fans might complain Shane follows the toy tech specs too closely, but I personally don't have a problem with this. It's a refreshing departure from Furman's approach, where he can be faulted for making many of the characters sound and act the same.
In terms of character development, there are a few pivotal moments in the story, such as the events involving Sunstreaker, that I feel had some real impact on past and potential future events. Characters like Kup and Starscream are well written. There are some nice humorous moments throughout as the cast interacts with one another. This is one of the story's biggest positives. On the flip side, it does have it's share of woeful character moments too. Take Autobot leader Optimus Prime's return towards the end of the story. It's an example of how, in theory it should really hit home, but in execution the writing here can only be described as annoyingly lazy. Fortunately, these kinds of moments are infrequent, though they do detract from the story.
Also on the plus side, artist Guido Guidi is consistently strong throughout the series. His clean lines make things easily decipherable and crisp. The best thing about AHM, in my opinion, were the lovely abstract Trevor Hutchinson covers. Yummy.
I give it a "C". An average story that is painfully protracted yet interspersed with a few strong character moments and supported by some visually pleasing art that, in the end, might make fans feel it's worth the effort.
"But the Costa story featuring Starscream? Fantastic! This guy is "The One", I just know it, just from these few pages. "--Yaya, who is never wrong.
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Guest
I think that might be the big issue with Yaya's scoring over the years. The majority of TranFans reviewers score with "marks out of 10", where it's clear and unambiguous what a score represents, e.g. 3, 6 or 8, but with the letters system, it only works when you know what the boundaries are.stranger wrote:Yaya, I gotta ask... what does a 'C' mean? What scale does this range from... A-Z, or A-D, or A-E? Without that it doesnt mean much... Your review is good enough to not have a "score" slapped on the bottom.
For example, in an educational context, percentages are used for the actual scoring, and even though students are encouraged to aim for specific letters (defined by specific criteria), there is still a conversion available: e.g. 85-100% is A, 75-85% is B, 50-75% is C, 40-50% is D, 30-40% is E, 0-30% is F/N/X/U, etc. with +'s, -'s and *'s, etc. fitting within the individual letter's ranges where applicable.
Different educational systems weight the particular letters differently, maybe using fewer or more letters in their systems, but they all have a translation to a numerical form.
Perhaps I was being a little flippant, and as you point out Rebis, within reason you can attribute an approximate score with the lettering system, although of all the scoring systems that could be implemented it is arguably the most ambiguous.
I suppose my larger point was that scoring seems a little silly. We have a large detailed review, and then this is distilled into a "value" at the end. I don't think it serves much purpose. For example why is a comic that scored 8/10 better than one that scored 7/10 and not as good as one that scored 9/10? And then once you've dolled out your first 10, or A+, how do you re-adjust when something better than that comes out? I can understand rating hotels out 5... there are defined criteria that need to be met to earn each one of those stars (similar to exams I guess) but when we're talking about a literary piece, or work of art, I don't even know where to begin... It's like saying - "yeah the mona lisa is okay... I give it a 8/10"... what the [composite word including 'f*ck'] does that mean?
I realise I'm pissing into the wind a bit, given that everything needs to be attributed some kind of "score" these days from films to albums, but I live in hope...
Also - Yaya has written a decent review, make people have to read it to find out what its like.
I suppose my larger point was that scoring seems a little silly. We have a large detailed review, and then this is distilled into a "value" at the end. I don't think it serves much purpose. For example why is a comic that scored 8/10 better than one that scored 7/10 and not as good as one that scored 9/10? And then once you've dolled out your first 10, or A+, how do you re-adjust when something better than that comes out? I can understand rating hotels out 5... there are defined criteria that need to be met to earn each one of those stars (similar to exams I guess) but when we're talking about a literary piece, or work of art, I don't even know where to begin... It's like saying - "yeah the mona lisa is okay... I give it a 8/10"... what the [composite word including 'f*ck'] does that mean?
I realise I'm pissing into the wind a bit, given that everything needs to be attributed some kind of "score" these days from films to albums, but I live in hope...
Also - Yaya has written a decent review, make people have to read it to find out what its like.
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Guest
As we have both said above, the scoring is nothing when not defined by specific criteria applied to the subject matter, and just giving an overall score without a breakdown for each criterion does make comparison difficult.
Then again, with Yaya's conclusion, he does, if very informally, give a very rough breakdown of the criteria:
"an average story" could imply 5/10 (C) for story, "painfully protracted" could be 4/10 (D) for length, "a few strong character moments" could be 7/10 (B) for characterisation, and "some visually pleasing art" could be 8/10 (B) for art, which gives 24/40 or 6/10 (C) as an overall score.
Personally, I'd prefer this breakdown to be represented, rather than just being lumped with an overall score, as it would be more beneficial for two seemingly similar pieces that get wildly differing scores, but as you say, given the strength of the descriptive, there is also no real need for scoring.
So, basically, I guess it comes down to either make the scoring meaningful to others or don't use it.
Then again, with Yaya's conclusion, he does, if very informally, give a very rough breakdown of the criteria:
"an average story" could imply 5/10 (C) for story, "painfully protracted" could be 4/10 (D) for length, "a few strong character moments" could be 7/10 (B) for characterisation, and "some visually pleasing art" could be 8/10 (B) for art, which gives 24/40 or 6/10 (C) as an overall score.
Personally, I'd prefer this breakdown to be represented, rather than just being lumped with an overall score, as it would be more beneficial for two seemingly similar pieces that get wildly differing scores, but as you say, given the strength of the descriptive, there is also no real need for scoring.
So, basically, I guess it comes down to either make the scoring meaningful to others or don't use it.
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bumblemusprime
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I see what you guys are saying. I'm assuming too much, which is my problem. In the states, we use an A to F scale, but you Brits might have a system completely different.
I guess a better way to score it would be "Excellent, Good, Average, Below Average, and Awful".
As it is, I give my current review system a "C".
I guess a better way to score it would be "Excellent, Good, Average, Below Average, and Awful".
As it is, I give my current review system a "C".
"But the Costa story featuring Starscream? Fantastic! This guy is "The One", I just know it, just from these few pages. "--Yaya, who is never wrong.
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Guest
Just looked it up on wikipedia, and according to that, you're giving your current review system between 70-79%, whereas, if we'd gone with my guesstimates, it would come out as 50-59%.Yaya wrote:I see what you guys are saying. I'm assuming too much, which is my problem. In the states, we use an A to F scale, but you Brits might have a system completely different.
I guess a better way to score it would be "Excellent, Good, Average, Below Average, and Awful".
As it is, I give my current review system a "C".
Which is an easy of why it is best to use an unambiguous system.
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bumblemusprime
- Over Pompous Autobot Commander
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- Location:GoboTron
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bumblemusprime
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I've done a review for the whole AHM debacle.
It's not my wordiest of reviews but I think it's accuracy is ruddy ruthless.
Anyway, I'll stop talking now and you can read it and see what you think...
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
AHM.
Basically, from start to finish, the whole series was a load of
:):(:):)
:(:):(:)
:(:(:(:)
:):):):(
:):):):(
:):(:):)
:):(:):)
:):(:):)
:):(:):)
:):(:):)
:(:(:(:)
:):):):(
:):):):(
:):):):(
:(:(:(:)
:(:(:(:(
:):):):)
:(:(:(:(
:):):):(
:(:(:(:(
There ya go, HTH
It's not my wordiest of reviews but I think it's accuracy is ruddy ruthless.
Anyway, I'll stop talking now and you can read it and see what you think...
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
AHM.
Basically, from start to finish, the whole series was a load of
:):(:):):(:):(:):(:(:(:):):):):(:):):):(:):(:):):):(:):):):(:):):):(:):):):(:):):(:(:(:):):):):(:):):):(:):):):(:(:(:(:):(:(:(:(:):):):):(:(:(:(:):):):(:(:(:(:(There ya go, HTH
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bumblemusprime
- Over Pompous Autobot Commander
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I don't have them handy because I moved to a new place.bumblemusprime wrote:Yaya, the only problem I really have, other than a few minor quibbles, is the lack of specific references to scenes, or examples of Shane's dialogue. You've got to give snippets from the comic to back up your opinion. Do you have the comics handy to fix this?
In terms of good dialogue, Prowl and Ironhide butting heads with Jazz as peacemaker, all that was well done in terms of setting the tone regarding the Autobots dire situation. The bit between Bumblebee and Wheeljack was humorous, as was Cliffjumper just watching the red button, and I felt these moments of lighthearted humor in the face of utter despair sort of define what the Autobots are all about. Shane did a nice job with this.
"But the Costa story featuring Starscream? Fantastic! This guy is "The One", I just know it, just from these few pages. "--Yaya, who is never wrong.