Open Critique Day

Posted on July 22, 2010 by | Comments Off on Open Critique Day

Someone mentioned that we haven't had an "Open Critique Day" in quite a while, so here you go.

Feel free to post a link to a HeroMachine character (or even just a drawing you've done) that you would like to get a constructive critique about in the comments to this post. Please limit it to one such image per person. I'll do my best to make remarks about each one regarding where it works and where it maybe falls a little short.

The other commenters here should feel free to make their own observations on each one as well, but I do ask that you make your critiques constructive -- don't just say "This sucks", say why specifically you think it isn't working, and if possible how it might be improved. At the end of the day it's not the critic's job to actually figure out how to fix something, but it is the critic's job to make coherent, specific, and constructive observations about a piece's strengths and weaknesses.

I look forward to hopefully helping you out with any illustration you're having trouble getting to the place where you would like it to be.

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Posted in Meta, Open threads, Suggestions & Ideas

RP: The unforunate intersection of history pedantry and adventure

Posted on July 22, 2010 by | Comments Off on RP: The unforunate intersection of history pedantry and adventure

(From "Prize Comics" number 1, 1940.)

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Posted in Daily Random Panel

The Swiss are calling, they want their clothes back

Posted on July 21, 2010 by | Comments Off on The Swiss are calling, they want their clothes back

Marvel has had some "interesting" costume models over the years, but had you told me they could combine the likes of the Shoney's Big Boy:

With German lederhosen:

By way of a super-powered S&M fetish and a glowing, creepy, vaguely obscene mouth-hole in order to give us this:

I'd have said the only thing that's a Living Monolith to is Bad Fashion. Youch!

(Image and character ©Marvel Comics.)

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Posted in Bad Super Costumes

Captain America poster

Posted on July 21, 2010 by | Comments Off on Captain America poster

OK, via the corporate overlords at UGO, this is cool:

If the purpose of promotional posters like this is to give you a raging geek-on, I judge this one a success.

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Posted in Movies and TV

RP: From the department of hapless redundancy department

Posted on July 21, 2010 by | Comments Off on RP: From the department of hapless redundancy department

(From "Prize Comics" Number 1, 1940.)

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Posted in Daily Random Panel

Friday Night Fights grand prize

Posted on July 20, 2010 by | Comments Off on Friday Night Fights grand prize

Kaldath and I have finally finished his prize for the overall Friday Night Fights win:

To make it official, this is the LAST multi-character prize I will do for anyone, in the unlikely event I start doing character portraits as prizes again. No knock on Kaldath, who as always was a pleasure to work with, but it's way, way too much work.

Anyway, I think it came out well in the end. Thanks to him for being so patient.

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Posted in Challenge Prizes, Challenges

Poll Position: Unsuperman

Posted on July 20, 2010 by | Comments Off on Poll Position: Unsuperman

One of the more irritating customs of the comics genre is that nothing is permanent. If your favorite character or supporting cast member dies, just wait a few issues and he or she will be back, one way or another. They play the same trick with powers, taking them away and adding them over and over again, so if you follow a character long enough you end up in a constant fugue state of deja-vu, knowing you've seen that story arc before.

That remains true even for the Big Guy himself, Superman, who's been through the death-no powers-new powers-back to the old powers loop plenty of times, particularly in the recent past. But I got to wondering what it would be like in a fantasy fantasy world where Superman permanently had one of his major powers deleted:

{democracy:143}

Thoughts after the jump!

Continue reading →

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Posted in Versus

SOD.199 – Henchman

Posted on July 20, 2010 by | Comments Off on SOD.199 – Henchman

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Posted in Sketch of the Day

RP: Great moments in vaguely creepy narration

Posted on July 20, 2010 by | Comments Off on RP: Great moments in vaguely creepy narration

(From "Prize Comics" number 1, 1940.)

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Posted in Daily Random Panel

Caption Contest 80

Posted on July 19, 2010 by | Comments Off on Caption Contest 80

A little different direction this week, but if you can come up with the best, funniest dialog in this Archie panel, you'll win your choice of any item or portrait to be included in HeroMachine 3's full release:

The rules are simple:

  • Your entry or entries must be left in a comment (or comments) to this post;
  • Keep it clean, appropriate for late-night broadcast television;
  • Get your entry in by next Monday, when I will pick the finalists for everyone to vote on.

That's it! So put on your Jughead-style thinking cap and let the jokes fly! No limit on entries this week, but please be a good self-editor and don't post everything that crosses your mind -- only put up the good ones!

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Posted in Challenges