Oculama

OOOOOOOOOOH MY GOD PROM. I genuinely didn't know whether to cry or laugh at the end there. Spyke is such an absurd and delightfully funny character, especially when taking the help of a straight-man character like Dada, but you've gotten across a touching dread of death, and given Spyke's last day of life a tremendous amount of weight just by giving him something, no matter how small, that he really wants to do before passing.

Having this pre-post-mortem comic move so smoothly off the end of the R1 comics was both a great idea and really nicely executed here. Obviously not a requirement for quality by any stretch, but as an appreciator of continuity I enjoyed it quite a lot. It was a nice carry-over of not only the events of the previous comic, but also Spyke's personality from that comic, with an added dash of Dada absurdity.

The punchline of the comic is PERFECT. I gut-laughed at Dada's last line, but it felt completely in-line with Spyke's previous portrayals. The punchline even heightened the sadness of Spyke's death, in a way, as Spyke's self-termination underline the single-mindedness and id-over-reason nature of the character.

So long, sweet Dada. Wish we could have gotten more of your story, but really happy to have read the stories we got :)

I'll be honest I REALLY like the effect created by the shifting style from inks to pencils as this comic progresses. There's a dream-like quality that feels appropriate to a pre-death comic, and the growing haziness does a nice job at communicating a fading consciousness.

The sudden shift to a fully inked and colored page at the end hits with a bang. The handoff of the teacup from Spyke to Dada has an interesting visual impact, though I really, really wish I understood more what it was supposed to either be or represent. I feel like I'm inches from getting an additional bit of entertainment from the comic, but falling a little short. That said, Dada seemingly...getting rid off (?) Spyke with an artist's gesture as an abstract, artsy charm that I can't deny.

Overall, I like the art gallery setting for similar reasons.

(An additional note on the art - while I mentioned liking the shift to pencils, I'm a big fan of your ink lines. Rough, but powerfully so, which lends a lot of impact to your compositions, and especially emphasizes the designs of big characters like Spyke).

Obviously the comic has a bit of obtuseness to it re: exactly what Spyke is experiencing. While I feel there may have been some intended meaning to what is happening to Spyke (and Dada) in the mystery space that I didn't quite pick up on, I don't especially mind the ambiguity, and rather enjoy it, actually. I get the impression of a situation that I'm not actually intended to fully understand, which, not to belabor a point, feels fitting to a pre-death comic.

Will miss Spyke a lot; he's inspired some really funny and memorable comics this year!

Oh man this might be one of my favourite comics on Oculama rn. Really diving into that second chance and using it so well. The comedy is so good in this was absolutely losing it when Spyke Ballz had the little Eisel outfit on, everyone who works with DADA just needs a barrette and a little pencil moustache. And there is something about the drawing of Mr. Ballz, the absolute confidence it radiates is mesmerizing, something mama ballz is going to pin up on the fridge later. Really funny stuff here Prom, glad to see you back in the OCT scene, your comics are killer (literally heheehe)

OOOOHH I really love the brush that you used for all of those lines oh my god, when you combined them with the colour at the end it looks soooo good, and my god does it match Dr DADA perfectly, ill eat those up every day of the week. It's a shame you didnt get all the lines down but your pencils are really good still incredibly readable. Really good comic also loved seeing this contemplative existential crisis from Spyke Ballz, love getting a side of a character we dont normally see. Shame that he had to die in double black diamond cause I really love this character. Great job on this!

WHEEZING AT THE S ON SPIKE BAWLZ'S SIGNATURE.

Damn I didn't know he was that kind of doctor. Man of many talents. I like the blue splash.

I wasn't expecting this kinda comic battle at all but DAMN what a framing device you've set up.

Nice texture on that BRUSH sfx.

He looks so happy :)

Mr Bawlz how did you say that with your mouth.

GURISFHIAEHUIAEHRAE HE STILL HAD 12 HOURS LEFT. DAMN DR DADA YOUR ART SKILL SPEEDRUN INFUSION WORKS MAD FAST. ALSO THAT SPLAT.

S TIER I loved this thing. Especially on the fun effects for the onomatopoeia. Did I spell that right. Putting the Dr in Dr Dada.

Can I just say I love the proportions of his head on page 1. Reminds me of a fridge.

Not gonna lie, despite real life getting in the way, the comic going from rough inks to rough thumbs to that big coloured splash at the end works out with the whole liminal afterlife art museum thing. The border measurement thingies add a little something to it too. I liked the scratchy texture of your inks. I don't really get the significance of the teacup at the end though.

Salutes. Goodbye Dr Dada and Spike Bawlz. Fun sendoffs for both characters in this match.

I really enjoyed this one Prom! Just all around really solid comic. I thought your story pacing was really nice and layouts worked well. The hatching and screen tone use was really lovely, with just the splash of blue. Just lovely art overall.

The “I’ll be real with you, Mr.Bawlz” really tickled me, You had some really nice jokes in here.

The only critique that comes to mind, is I think I would have liked to see some more defining details in the backgrounds you did have. For example, in the office shot, I think a few more details (such as maybe a medical poster, some medical examination equipment on the wall) would have really made clear they were in his office. I missed the initial test and I didnt register what the room was right away at first.

you made a really solid comic dude. Well done I had a great time, I can’t wait to read more from you!

Though the comic was just submitted as just pencils/roughs. It was still a total treat to look at.
Your gestures were very expressive and the layout and panel placing was well done and the composition of your shots were spot on I thought.

I thought the concept for the story was neat, though admittedly, I’m not sure I understand the teacup reference.

I liked being an able to get a look at the unfinished/work in progress. it’s nice getting a chance to do that and get a little peek at what an artists process is like.

Thank you for sharing your work and I enjoyed reading! I look forward to more from you!

The page composition on this is so absurdly clean it's beautiful, the black and white blocking keeps the pace of the comedy masterfully. It's simple in its structure but every page feels like a bold step, there's always a little twist popping up and subverting things back and forth between comedy and a little genuine tragedy. Spyke especially is so likable in his horribleness, his macho excesses come off as almost childish and naive. Also the paneling the right thing the right thing does such a good job of leading the eye, it's dynamic and exciting without ever being confusing.

Ohh, this makes Dr Dada feel like such a terrible ghost. It uses his ethereal, mysterious aspects so beautifully. The comic is off kilter and threatening in a really intriguing way, it even makes the unfinished pages look like an intentional slant at times. The character acting is really beautiful, there's so much emotion in how their bodies move without ever really showing much in their face (and then when Spyke does emote, it's so well done on top of that.) I'm so interested in what the final version of this comic could have been, but even this much is intensely fascinating.