Spellcross
- Thread starter MangaDex
- Start date
- Joined
- Aug 25, 2020
- Messages
- 4
good writing, interesting characters and environments the art is rough but its correct and it grows on you. for me its 9
Aggregator gang
- Joined
- Aug 25, 2018
- Messages
- 534
Wow, this is really interesting author!
Keep up the good work!
Keep up the good work!
Member
- Joined
- Jul 25, 2018
- Messages
- 29
Don't think I did a review yet, so I'm gonna put one out here.
I really like this comic. It has a refreshing western aesthetic (and not the oily comic artstyle, a crappy artstyle a-la current-DC/Marvel artstyles, cartoony, or otherwise.) mixed with artistic appeal from modern eastern art. I'll call this the "Wakfu Approach." Or French approach, but being that the comic is British, I'm not sure that'd appeal. Heh.
So yea, bit on the rough side, but it adds to it's charm. And I can honestly say every panel is distinguishable from other comics/manga I've read. Could pick it apart from a crowd, etc. The roughness adds to it's charm and the shading definitely helps. Some chapters have better art than others- though sometimes I recognize it's a stylistic approach.
The meat and bones of the comic is quite nice too. The MC is a nice archetype- nerdy alchemist whose weak as balls and trying to get prestige. He does wander around aimless for a fat chunk, but during that chunk he is believably swept up into the plot until he finds his motivations later on. Other characters are nice too. Won't talk much about them, but generally are well rounded. One issue though is the lack of shading in hair colors and the grayscale outfits do not do any favors. While I could pick out the panels from a crowd of panels from other comics/manga, occasionally in some panels themselves I cannot say the same for the characters in their setting. Another issue is the amount and lack of focus per character kinda makes it hard to put names to characters. A few of the staple characters I can pin with a name- they're the important ones, of course, but returning characters of less importance have less... name-age.
Enough bout the characters. Plot is fine. The worldbuilding elevates it to a level better than a fat chunk of it's peers and the stakes usually get set pretty well. I would like to see the comic foreshadow things a bit more and throw around worldbuilding while at it- as of now it feels like the resident lorekeeper dumps it on MC whenever we both feel stupid because its somewhat required to understand the plot. Though, I'm binging One Piece right now so that criticism comes from me riding Oda's wild ride.
Again, it might seem funny that I'm asking for the author to expect the reader to remember more about the setting, just after calling out not being able to name a chunk of the minor characters, but unlike the major character Krynn, a major portion of those side characters are shown once and then maybe a few reaction shots later on. This is helped by Caldwell (I've been calling him MC all this time, heh.) romping about in dungeons with typically a different party each time. Meaning ample time to get to know these side characters. Earlier I said "kinda" about putting names to characters for a reason. The same issue comes up with Boku no Hero Academia, so it seems to be a occasional problem authors hit when faced with larger casts. Potentially keeping the cast down to what's necessary for the plot/arc at the time would help. That is, however, a solution which would rely on proper theming and style, I think.
Overall a surprisingly sweet comic to see update every once in awhile. The writing does get better as it goes on, too, so I'm looking forward to more. It proves it's not just another fantasy story whose author only thought up the premise.
I really like this comic. It has a refreshing western aesthetic (and not the oily comic artstyle, a crappy artstyle a-la current-DC/Marvel artstyles, cartoony, or otherwise.) mixed with artistic appeal from modern eastern art. I'll call this the "Wakfu Approach." Or French approach, but being that the comic is British, I'm not sure that'd appeal. Heh.
So yea, bit on the rough side, but it adds to it's charm. And I can honestly say every panel is distinguishable from other comics/manga I've read. Could pick it apart from a crowd, etc. The roughness adds to it's charm and the shading definitely helps. Some chapters have better art than others- though sometimes I recognize it's a stylistic approach.
The meat and bones of the comic is quite nice too. The MC is a nice archetype- nerdy alchemist whose weak as balls and trying to get prestige. He does wander around aimless for a fat chunk, but during that chunk he is believably swept up into the plot until he finds his motivations later on. Other characters are nice too. Won't talk much about them, but generally are well rounded. One issue though is the lack of shading in hair colors and the grayscale outfits do not do any favors. While I could pick out the panels from a crowd of panels from other comics/manga, occasionally in some panels themselves I cannot say the same for the characters in their setting. Another issue is the amount and lack of focus per character kinda makes it hard to put names to characters. A few of the staple characters I can pin with a name- they're the important ones, of course, but returning characters of less importance have less... name-age.
Enough bout the characters. Plot is fine. The worldbuilding elevates it to a level better than a fat chunk of it's peers and the stakes usually get set pretty well. I would like to see the comic foreshadow things a bit more and throw around worldbuilding while at it- as of now it feels like the resident lorekeeper dumps it on MC whenever we both feel stupid because its somewhat required to understand the plot. Though, I'm binging One Piece right now so that criticism comes from me riding Oda's wild ride.
Again, it might seem funny that I'm asking for the author to expect the reader to remember more about the setting, just after calling out not being able to name a chunk of the minor characters, but unlike the major character Krynn, a major portion of those side characters are shown once and then maybe a few reaction shots later on. This is helped by Caldwell (I've been calling him MC all this time, heh.) romping about in dungeons with typically a different party each time. Meaning ample time to get to know these side characters. Earlier I said "kinda" about putting names to characters for a reason. The same issue comes up with Boku no Hero Academia, so it seems to be a occasional problem authors hit when faced with larger casts. Potentially keeping the cast down to what's necessary for the plot/arc at the time would help. That is, however, a solution which would rely on proper theming and style, I think.
Overall a surprisingly sweet comic to see update every once in awhile. The writing does get better as it goes on, too, so I'm looking forward to more. It proves it's not just another fantasy story whose author only thought up the premise.
Double-page supporter
- Joined
- Oct 6, 2019
- Messages
- 464
Imma support this just for the artist being dedicated to his/her work
Group Leader
- Joined
- Feb 25, 2020
- Messages
- 11
Hello readers, my apologies but I was not able to finish a chapter for today's update. Everything should be back on track for an update at the regular interval on 10/16. It's nothing related to my hand, so please don't worry. Thank you for understanding.
Really nice comic. The world buildings not amazing, but pretty good. The exposition dumps can get boring sometimes, but the system is pretty simple, so you’d probably be fine even if you just skim.
However what really shines in this comic is the characters. They’re all unique, well-written and have great dynamics with each other. The main character is well-written and although in the beginning his low self-esteem can be a little much, you get to watch him grow as he becomes more and more endearing and confident in himself. The side characters are amazing, I almost like them more than the main character. The authors ability to characterize and incorporate new characters in a unique way is amazing. I have never see a side character be reintroduced and been like who’s this again?
The art in the beginning is a bit shaky, but it improves exponentially throughout the comic and the art style grows on you. You can really feel the authors passion and effort put into this comic. Oh yeah, and the comedy is hilarious too, a perfect mix of witty sarcasm from the characters, corny jokes from the author, and relatable moments overall. The chunni had me rolling
9/10 Amazing comic, would recommend 100%
However what really shines in this comic is the characters. They’re all unique, well-written and have great dynamics with each other. The main character is well-written and although in the beginning his low self-esteem can be a little much, you get to watch him grow as he becomes more and more endearing and confident in himself. The side characters are amazing, I almost like them more than the main character. The authors ability to characterize and incorporate new characters in a unique way is amazing. I have never see a side character be reintroduced and been like who’s this again?
The art in the beginning is a bit shaky, but it improves exponentially throughout the comic and the art style grows on you. You can really feel the authors passion and effort put into this comic. Oh yeah, and the comedy is hilarious too, a perfect mix of witty sarcasm from the characters, corny jokes from the author, and relatable moments overall. The chunni had me rolling
9/10 Amazing comic, would recommend 100%
- Joined
- Dec 8, 2019
- Messages
- 99
- Joined
- Mar 1, 2020
- Messages
- 1
What happened to the updates 
@beandiesel he's hoping to have another chapter out before the end of this month. fingers crossed he commits
Fed-Kun's army
- Joined
- Dec 26, 2020
- Messages
- 18
2024 and this is, imo, still one of the best reads on the platform~
Double-page supporter
- Joined
- Sep 17, 2023
- Messages
- 97
There are lots of things to like and I have respect for the effort that went into this. I think I'm a flip from some of the other commentors here in that I much prefer the worldbuilding to the characters. For the world's logic and plot I am simply waiting for more, happy to digest it as it comes.
The characters and dialogue, though. Just speaking for myself but it's exhausting. I'm not necessarily saying that it is 'bad' or should be changed. I don't think every story should have the same stock characters or it'd quickly become not worth reading. Until I read this, though, I never realized the only character more difficult to root for than a reckless hero who just says 'believe it' and gets by on plot armor is the same person but they have next to zero confidence and still get by with... 'luck'.
I would probably be less frustrated but it doubles down on this by having the MC be competent off screen or in flashbacks, but the entire focus is ever on when they are at their most emotionally vulnerable and stricken with self doubt. It's probably not a coincidence then, that all the other characters somehow manage to only show their most emotive and unsure moments as well. I suppose if there is a demand for this sort of thing, then it is well that someone is providing it because I haven't seen much supply elsewhere.
So anyway, this approach is unique enough I felt compelled to put down some thoughts on it:
I don't want this to be outright criticism, mind. But if I could express one frustration with it, my take is that they all behave the way you'd expect from young people in our current culture and economic climate rather than a fantasy setting. I perceive a lot of pent up frustration and angst despite them being able to talk about their feelings to a greater degree than our reality where it remains bottled up because people can't or don't do so. Beyond that, I would also expect the nature of the setting and plot to streamline it - something they have that young people in reality don't is a clear purpose and that should count for a lot. The goal might not be to do social commentary but I can't help but feel that if the main goal is to make the characters relatable that there could be healthier ways than indulging the audience's own existential crises.
Or perhaps my truth here is that I consider myself an introspective person, but I have not seen a world yet that so indulges people who wallow in uncertainty. In both reality and most fiction this state of being is a temporary affliction, a crisis to overcome, for the hero. For a side character they might serve as a contrast to the more determined protagonist. People who live like this all the time are simply never given a chance to do something great, people don't place their bets on that sort of mindset. Being introspective is not a bad thing but being so while perpetually passive and reactive is punished as a matter of course. More likely they become a villain because the world works that way. I'd love to be proven wrong but it wont' be convincing if all the progress and a good ending is the result of plot armor.
The characters and dialogue, though. Just speaking for myself but it's exhausting. I'm not necessarily saying that it is 'bad' or should be changed. I don't think every story should have the same stock characters or it'd quickly become not worth reading. Until I read this, though, I never realized the only character more difficult to root for than a reckless hero who just says 'believe it' and gets by on plot armor is the same person but they have next to zero confidence and still get by with... 'luck'.
I would probably be less frustrated but it doubles down on this by having the MC be competent off screen or in flashbacks, but the entire focus is ever on when they are at their most emotionally vulnerable and stricken with self doubt. It's probably not a coincidence then, that all the other characters somehow manage to only show their most emotive and unsure moments as well. I suppose if there is a demand for this sort of thing, then it is well that someone is providing it because I haven't seen much supply elsewhere.
So anyway, this approach is unique enough I felt compelled to put down some thoughts on it:
I don't want this to be outright criticism, mind. But if I could express one frustration with it, my take is that they all behave the way you'd expect from young people in our current culture and economic climate rather than a fantasy setting. I perceive a lot of pent up frustration and angst despite them being able to talk about their feelings to a greater degree than our reality where it remains bottled up because people can't or don't do so. Beyond that, I would also expect the nature of the setting and plot to streamline it - something they have that young people in reality don't is a clear purpose and that should count for a lot. The goal might not be to do social commentary but I can't help but feel that if the main goal is to make the characters relatable that there could be healthier ways than indulging the audience's own existential crises.
Or perhaps my truth here is that I consider myself an introspective person, but I have not seen a world yet that so indulges people who wallow in uncertainty. In both reality and most fiction this state of being is a temporary affliction, a crisis to overcome, for the hero. For a side character they might serve as a contrast to the more determined protagonist. People who live like this all the time are simply never given a chance to do something great, people don't place their bets on that sort of mindset. Being introspective is not a bad thing but being so while perpetually passive and reactive is punished as a matter of course. More likely they become a villain because the world works that way. I'd love to be proven wrong but it wont' be convincing if all the progress and a good ending is the result of plot armor.
