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Comic completed on April 11th 2023

This story ballooned way beyond what I thought it was going to, so I'm breaking it into smaller parts. No content warnings for this bit, but be warned part 2 is going to get ~worse~
Giselle is on loan from Plaid :https://twitter.com/PlaidCushion
If you leave a review, feel free to leave a name for one of the bonfis (the dog/slime things) and I will use it in a later comic. be aware they will probably get exploded.

InkySlime

This was a delightful read and a wonderful introduction to the character! I enjoyed your paneling and the black and white linework was nicely done!

I am looking forward to seeing what Mariette gets up to next!!

Rivana

I can't compete with all these fun names y'all came up with already haha. So I'll abstain cos I love the suggestions so far (and I am terrible with names XD)

Piñata

Oh man, I can't wait to see what doggo names are drummed up after this :D

Molo

I love everything about this! Can't wait for more. My Bonfis name is Wobbles.

Labu

If there's a big Bonfis. Could it be called Gembul?

ParasomniacHatter

Dropped a review! Now to name a doggo:
Lyrae! YEET!

mania

THE DOGS CAN HAVE NAMES??? COULD ONE BE CALLED GOOBER????!!!!

Voting is closed.

Wolkemesser

Before even getting into details I can say this comic is a success because I am SO EXCITED to see more of Mariette from just these few pages. This works impressively well as an origin story for having only two pages of her actual childhood depicted, and the transitions between scenes (3 in 5 pages!!!) have been lined up at a really nice pace. I come away with a terrific sense of your OC, and I really enjoy the glimpses we get of her life.

Art-wise, your range of expressions remains impressive as ever. From concentration to delight to JUSTICE, the emotional range (or lack thereof for the Bonfis ;) ) of the characters is GREAT, and and adds so much fun to the reading experience.

I really liked the theme going on here, how you seem to be conveying here with the character! I feel inspired from just reading it because of the fact many of us struggled with people telling us what we can and cannot do and then there's a few special people saying to follow your dreams, one way or another. This is actually pretty special to me. Many artists struggled with getting somewhere because of others telling them they wouldn't get anywhere with chasing their artistic dreams, but they really can, because many of others are like them, having similar passions and all. We're allowed to pursue our dreams as long as it makes us happy. I like to think that's the whole gist of the comic, or as I interpreted it.

OK! Back to the review; I kind of feel like there's something missing to the ending. I feel like there needs to be a nice little bow to tie up the ending instead of just leaving it at the character getting close to their dream, maybe? Just a honest opinion.

Other than that, I really loved how the whole story was written and related to readers like me and I hope to see more of it, hopefully! Keep up with the good work!

Labu

We've got another lore expander here! We've always seen the whole pirate shenanigans from the pirate captain's perspective. But now, I'm glad that we are finally able to see the narrative perspective from the wealthy pirate hunter! The comic does a great job setting up the hook of Mariette's day job. It also has a good job of telling her motivations in a lighthearted-comedic manner. However, the comic feels way too brief and could focus more on Mariette's next big plan to tease and set up what happens next. The artwork, on the other hand, is inked simply. So I might suggest for you to put colors if you have more time. Overall it's a pretty simple-yet solid beginning for Mariette to be Introduced to Oculama. Great job Pepper!

Piñata

I love once we get onto the first page, we're flung into the deep end with a space chase. Also nice and unique spaceship designs to boot. You set the stakes of the law of tonnage with their quick dispatch. You balance that grim result with a comedic 'JUSTICE' flashback and the play of past tense and progression into Mariette's years seemed like a neat upward climb. I completely get character lore and backstories getting away from you, but thus far, I gotta say Mariette has led quite the storied life! I certainly hope we get to see the tail end of this walk down memory lane.

Rivana

I've been very intrigued by Mariette ever since you submitted her to the site so I was so excited to read this comic. I absolutely adore your clean and crisp lines and Mariette has such a big personality that is fun to see. I love the backstory/flashback on Mariette's childhood though I would've also loved to see how she came about the Bonfis (maybe in the next chapter? hehe). I think as a point for improvement, you can try experimenting more with using different angles/perspectives in your panels and pushing the expressiveness of the characters a bit further (just to add some dramatic flair which I think would suit your style/themes with Mariette).

Mariette's passion to hunt for pirates would sure get her into a lot of shenanigans this side of the Junction and I am here for it. With a big personality such as hers, I can see her taking names and making a mark (for better or worse lol)

furlitz

This is a great start for the intro, Mariette has a strong personality and you're establishing it really tightly here. Her grandiosizing and over-drama is really entertaining and I think you're pushing it in a way that makes her immediately distinct while still giving yourself a lot of directions to work depth into her as you go. You're creating a lot of potential with flashing her backstory so quickly, it's gotten me interested in seeing how those childhood relationships and those little flecks of worldbuilding about pirate wars have developed since then, and what happened between her being a more or less normal kid and her going wacked-out pirate hunter. Your art is great at supporting the tone of the character writing, it hits a satisfying balance between clean and exaggerated that makes characters expressive but still comfortably readable. This is really fun, I'm excited to see part 2!

I think there should be a Bonfi named Rectangle.