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Post by The Wonderful Wachter on Apr 25, 2013 23:02:39 GMT -5
I can understand why you're doing it this way and even a part of me appreciates it since Aquaman isn't really a character we see grow along the same lines of Diana, Clark, and even slightly Bruce (though they purposely gloss over the "growing" part for him usually). But his support isn't the support you gave him, his life isn't that.
To put it in a way that reflects both your titles...
Arthur is the boy born to be king. And in the five issues, I'm not seeing it. I can also make that critique since like me, you're doing 2/3 (or your case, 3/2) combo for your opening arcs which is about establishing your status quo. Your zero was a great setup that the rest hasn't followed through.
The character moments aren't strong enough or at the very least, dynamic enough to come through.
I spoke about it with Buck and even gave him my review that would have been posted had I not gone issue to issue and focused on specifics. In a paragraph, it said all the same things except the good bits were more evident and I wasn't overly critical. So don't think I don't find pieces of your plot interesting. Hell, I like that you're building up the Fearsome Five cause you know that will happen. And I love Arthur's powerset.
Anyways, in that conversation, I came to the conclusion that one of the most important pieces of advice in my review that I gave you was in the name. A name says a lot. And so far you haven't lived up to it. I would have come into this series and given it a different review all together (outside pointing out you have a ways to go to make your characters a little more interesting) because I had different expectations had you not named it Aquaman. Not sure what you could have named it But you certainly could stand to merit from the Volumes treatment that a few of us are doing and have done. Either that or you need to get to the "Aquaman" part quickly (which being able to focus on a single series might let you do). Just remember all the complaints that Smallville had for the time it took on that whole "no flight, no tights" deal.
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Post by Stardrifter on May 30, 2013 21:40:35 GMT -5
#6 is up!
It wasn't a rush job, but I definitely felt the pressure to get this one out. Between finishing up DK, moving this month, and work being nuts I didn't get as much time as I might like, but I think it turned out okay.
Now that the pressure's off, get ready for some big changes to come for Arthur and Aquaman! Let me know what you think.
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Post by Drake on May 30, 2013 23:10:15 GMT -5
This issue was good. The Smallville vibe started out being good and quite entertaining, but at this point, honestly, it's losing its appeal. I can understand Wachter's complaints about Arthur not being "king-like," but I'd have to disagree on the importance of that at this point. He's slowly evolving into that king. However, I do agree that it doesn't really feel like it's an Aquaman title. That's partially why Smallville works well, because while trying to be a story about Superman, it is also a radically different take on the character. It embraces that and took the title "Smallville" instead of "Superman: Smallville" or something of that nature.
My biggest complaint at this point is that all the characters feel very two dimensional. I enjoy them all, but in my opinion, they're a lot like Felicity Smoak in Arrow. They're great, fun, fantastic, but there isn't much to them. Jenna especially is hard to really enjoy. I am not a fan of the Arthur/Jenna relationship you've got going on right now, and that's entirely because I don't care for her character at all. Sorry about that. Brian's cool. My favorite actually.
Sorry that evolved into a review of your series instead of a review of the issue you just posted. I'll just give you the final score. 7.5/10
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Post by Stardrifter on May 31, 2013 0:17:05 GMT -5
I really don't understand the hang up on the title. This is the Ultimate universe. Aquaman is what I make it. Arthur Curry is Aquaman and this is his story so far. Does your enjoyment level really change whether its called Aquaman or Amnesty Bay or some shit?
And if you want to get technical, right there in the subtitle it says "Son of Atlantis." Not King, not Ruler, not Hero. Son. And that will change as time moves on.
As for being tired of the series current focus, sure I can see that. And next issue is when that changes. I personally have enjoyed being able to take time and lay the groundwork for when the series really takes off, but I can't fault anyone for not feeling the same. So all I can say is your wishes will soon be answered if you're tired of college student Arthur.
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Post by adrini on May 31, 2013 19:34:17 GMT -5
Fellow origin author here.
You have a solid pacing, which is something you seem to be quite good at. I like how you are building characters over time. Auther began as a scared kid almost and now is growing up into a solid adult with a committed relationship. That's all in the right direction. Brian was a goof but if he's gone Navy he'll come back stronger, more confident, and more able. Jenna I'm inclined to like, she's a key part of Arthur's development. If I had any concern, not even complaint, it would be that the story presents her as Arthur's <insert here>. This isn't bad but I like to see female characters presented in their own rights as well. I also don't know where you are taking her in future.
It does have a kind of smallville feel to it but really that's what origin stories are like. I don't see this as a bad thing, smallville was a really good show.
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Post by Stardrifter on May 31, 2013 20:21:02 GMT -5
Updated the Secret Files with Jinx. I went with a cross between the Toon Titans and comic version. With my own added bits as well. No prize to the first person to discover the significance of her name.*
*Which really means to the first person to Google it.
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Post by liquidsword34 on Jun 2, 2013 18:47:42 GMT -5
I liked it. My one criticism would be that Ada seems almost too over the top. Within about three sentences from her it's pretty clear what she's going to do. Maybe I'm wrong, which would be kind of funny, but her dialogue in that first scene seemed a bit ham fisted.
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Post by Stardrifter on Jun 2, 2013 18:55:45 GMT -5
I agree, but we all know at least one person like that. Especially teen/college age people. They take on one thing as their own and it's the only thing important to them. Her one thing is activism and, as stated by how it's all she talks about in class, it's an obsession.
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Post by Ultimate Silentking on Jun 10, 2013 13:19:59 GMT -5
NO! MY REVIEW GOT DESTROYED! Damn Kindle had to reset. Anyway, here is what I remember of posting.
Issue 4&5: Nothing new to add. I still enjoyed it although Wachter is right in that series can be improved. 8/10 overall.
Issue 6: It was good until when Arthur boarded the ship which is when I got lost a little over what happened. But since no one else complained about that and I was doing some chores while reading, I most likely just lost my place. 8.25/10
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Post by DiscipleofBob on Jun 10, 2013 15:32:36 GMT -5
Just reread everything, and the series seems to be holding steady.
6 seemed slower than the rest, if only because you only JUST get to the action at the end and spend a lot of time with the dating and clown costume shenanigans. It's not necessarily a bad thing, since you're getting some good character development here, but the final bit of action was a little confusing, due in no small part to the vagueness of the villainess's powers.
I will say that because I didn't know much about comic Jinx you actually surprised me with Ada being her. I figured she was just going to be another side character up until the magic started flying.
The references to Ex Machina tie this into the rest of the universe, and the anti-superpower movement is very interesting if only because I plan to do something similar in Ultimate Wonder Woman.
::thumbsup::
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Post by Stardrifter on Jun 11, 2013 16:37:39 GMT -5
Just waiting to hear back from jackalope before I post #7.
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Post by Stardrifter on Jun 12, 2013 20:30:27 GMT -5
#7 is up!
I'm interested to see what you guys think about the changes revealed this issue and the implications of them. We're about to reach the first turning point in the series.
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Post by liquidsword34 on Jun 13, 2013 19:03:03 GMT -5
I will say that because I didn't know much about comic Jinx you actually surprised me with Ada being her. I figured she was just going to be another side character up until the magic started Having never read Aquaman before, I like that i don't have previous expectations of the villains, and I felt the same way. I liked 7, glad we're moving towards Atlantis while still getting the nice villain of the week stuff.
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Post by Ultimate Silentking on Jun 16, 2013 12:31:06 GMT -5
This issue was great, although the beginning was hard to get through. I had to reread it a couple of times to understand what exactly was happening. There was also some spelling issues. They weren't a lot, but there were still some. I am sure that a lot of people will be happy that we are finally heading to Atlantis. Also, was that Black Manta? 8.5/10
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Post by Stardrifter on Jul 4, 2013 13:23:31 GMT -5
#8 is up!
Since this is the start of a LOT of telepathy, I decided to try leaving it unbolded and just use the < and > to identify it. If anyone finds it hard to read or would rather me go back to bolding it all, let me know.
Let me know what you think!
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Post by DiscipleofBob on Jul 8, 2013 8:42:53 GMT -5
My largest problem with each "chapter" taking two to three "issues" is that while it's difficult to review a single story without its context in the grand scheme of things, reviewing a single issue in this format is even more difficult. It's like reviewing the first 10 minutes of an hour long serial, or the first 10 pages of a 100-page book.
#7 for example I could have reviewed, but it would have remained largely the same as my review for #6 because they were essentially the same issue.
For having so many issues out, we're effectively on episode 4 for Aquaman.
Granted, I have the same problem with Ultimate Wonder Woman.
That's my biggest problem with 8. Not that any of it was bad or uninteresting, but there just doesn't seem to be enough of it. A quick word count puts it in the 3000's range, which is a good length for a chapter, but I don't know. I just wish this had gone a bit longer. It doesn't feel like the first chapter of an arc, it feels like the first part of a chapter, like a month-long commercial break as opposed to a "To Be Continued."
That said, for actual content, it was good. Atlantis (or at least this portion of it) had an appropriate "Under the Sea" type feel. We learn that while other Atlanteans are telepathic as well, Arthur is "special." I'm not generally a fan of the "chosen one" trope (at least not without going through significant trouble to earn that status) but for this overall story it's probably the best way to work Aquaman's story.
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Post by Stardrifter on Jul 8, 2013 20:03:52 GMT -5
I'll just say that I'm not so foolish as to do a straight up Chosen One cliche.
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Post by liquidsword34 on Jul 10, 2013 8:41:10 GMT -5
I liked the Smallville style stuff, but I'm glad we're moving on to Atlantis before it becomes a case of "When are they going to get to the fireworks factory?!" Atlantis felt unique and I'm glad you took the time to describe it.
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Post by Ultimate Silentking on Jul 10, 2013 13:22:50 GMT -5
I enjoyed the issue. Atlantis is great and I didn't mind the changes to the telepathy, barely even noticed. Excited to see how things go with Orm. One last thing to add to the review. I would have groan at the addition of a prophecy, but I trust you to make it unique.
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Post by buck on Aug 4, 2013 17:35:11 GMT -5
Alright so doing some catching up on reading today and wanted to weigh in on a couple of things from the last three issues.
Glad to see the title transitioning to Atlantis. Good job with Garth you did an excellent job of making him come across as a sheltered, naive, spoiled son of royalty. In his introduction you used a cliche simile (cut through the water like a knife through butter) that pulled me right out of the story. Might just be a personal thing for me, but thought I'd mention it.
Overall though for where the series is now. I appreciate the groundwork you set for the surface. I'm looking forward to what you are setting up for Atlantis. Most of all though I am looking forward to you blending the two. I'll be looking forward to the rest of the series.
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