Oculama

The neighbor of DESTINY! This is an appropriately charming story, and the page layouts are a stunner, especially 2 and 3 (your style suits the stained-glass look so well, I almost don't even notice the slight shift in style; well done!). Pacing wise this did feel like it was moving at a bit of an accelerated clip by page 4; a bit of spacing on this action might have given the "reveal" of raincoat as a lil' guy more ooomph. Overall I think the real sign of this comic's success is that I am desperately wishing to see these two actually go on some big adventures now~

First off, BIG fan of that shadow beast/ shadow frog design; the purple and black colors were a good choice. And the flow of story here is interesting - there's really not much of a direct showdown as there are a series of magical mishaps and mundane misunderstandings. I do think I would have liked to see the wizard take a bit more direct action, but that's a subjective call, mostly. The style update is working nicely, imho. Your backgrounds, as ever, are beautifully done, and your atmospheric occlusion hits just the right balance of letting us see those backgrounds w/o them distracting from the action at hand.

wowowowow! This is some utterly superb art on display, both in terms of sleek and stylish characters and utterly gorgeous backgrounds, and a surprisingly seamless blend of two quite different styles. While your pages are quite large, I don't think that there's an unfair amount of plot being crammed into then, and it seems more like just an excuse to let the panels breath for, which I think paid off very well.

The plot is short, cute and fun, with some great opportunities for big action and a few sight gags to boot, so you've done extremely well! The ending leaves me immediately wanting more. Fantastic work!

Oh damn this is a fire matchup! Extremely impressed by the level of polish you've put into this comic and I love the kinda faux-medieval 2d scroll look for the early pages. You've got some really nice speech bubble flow and the dialogue is just the right mix of readable and hammily thematic.

This is a really impressively told comic, with a solid setup and punchline that fits extremely snugly in the very limited timeframe these comics provide. I was a big fan of the few environment gags you put into page two, but I think you could have gone even further with it as it's the perfect kind of comp to encourage the reader to just wander around and soak in little hidden details. The wall of barbells and indoor gym is a great gag, but then above and below we just have a very ordinary library and portrait. Both good opportunities to sneak in more quick jokes about what an odd sort of wizard this is. As with arkeis, Fantastic work!

Artwork - Wow. I really love your art. It's gorgeous all around. And you absolutely know how to make impactful events in the comic look epic. First with the dragon getting hit by lightning and that onslaught of sea water on page 4. Absolutely gorgeous. Your characters even looked more painted in this round than the first and that really added to the cohesiveness of everything. Really really well done!

Story - How are you able to pack such epic encounter in a five-page comic baffles me. The pacing is so good and you were able to highlight each characters' personality in a way that is relevant to the plot. You got me guessing and wondering the whole way about what that Umbrella really does (because I missed seeing it in the first page! Still, it did not really take away from the enjoyment. Just nice to be able to come back and read it again and notice the umbrella on the dragon finally like some ahah moment hehe). Very clever use of the wizard beard by Valaric if I may add. Overall, I enjoyed this very much. Raincoat is such an adorable (unintentional) troublemaker XD

Artwork - Holy moly. This was so unexpected. What wizardry is this lol. I legit had to go back to your previous round comic to make sure I was remembering your art style. This looks totally different and just all sorts of cool. I am very impressed by your ability to change styles. It fits so perfectly with the (medieval) theme and genre you were going for. I felt like I did go back in time or was transported into a fantasy medieval setting. The stained glass style is beyond gorgeous.

Story - I love the speech style (Shakespearean?) you chose to complement the theme. These two wizards as neighbors really tickled my fancy. Although I truly wished I saw more of Raincoat and Valaric hanging out together, I think the initial setup of narrating the prophecy was also an important element. But alas, we are limited to just 5 pages! Really exciting stuff to look forward to!

AS usual, your work is visually stunning! Your command and consistency is very admirable, and of course your backgrounds are the best this side of Junction! The first 3 pages especially had my jaw on the floor. I am enjoying the strong but simple plot-line that you are delivering throughout Arkeis' journey, and how you weave in your opponent's character. I guess my only critique would be that I wanted to get a little more ambient context for what was going on (like a text box giving a location, a quick summary of Arkeis' quest maybe, or an intro-card for the characters). Just to encourage every reader to be 'in' on the action! Otherwise I was totally enjoying reading this legendary encounter of wizardly wonder! Cant wait to see whats next!

This is SUCH a charming comic! Great use of alternative flow on that 1st page. And that THIRD PAGE wow!!! The colour, the composition and linework is very impressive. I also enjoyed the story, for such a bite sized nugget of plot, it really got me hyped up for more! The composition on the last page was the only part that I was little on the abrupt side. Would have like to see more variety in the angles maybe on Raincoat. But its a very minor complaint. Otherwise this comic really pulls off a short encounter elegantly, with enough wizardly vibes to go around! Well done!

The style here is so good! The way the some of the pages are structured really gives a stained glass feeling, which works exceptionally with two guys reading a book of prophecy. Will also say I genuinely laughed at the castle weight room. For a short comic you did a great job of capturing a moment as opposed to a fight or other conflict. Juxtaposing the "very serious" prophecy with Raincoat's very normal neighbourly attitude also made for a great gag and did a great job characterizing Raincoat with very little dialogue. One of the better short comics of the tournament so far, great job!

Oh man these backgrounds are just crazy. Considering the deadlines it's not surprising that a lot of these OCT matches take place in small enclosed and not very detailed places, so seeing these lavishly rendered backgrounds is extremely refreshing. Along with a great story that fits in action, dialogue and a plot that feels almost like a fable (don't open up mysterious umbrellas kids), This is one of the best put together and cohesive entries this round. I think Valaric's quest for mystical artifacts is a great way to have him run across various characters and I hope to see who he runs into next!

Fucking GORGEOUS work. The fact that you pumped out this level of quality in a week is wild! The painterly backgrounds work really well with the more organic brush you're using for the linework, I think it all looks great. Especially that first page, whoa! Valaric is a certified badass and that lightning strike is just such a cool moment. I love the inventive ways Valaric uses his beard, I chuckled when he started propelling himself on the water. You made great use of Raincoat as well, they looked great, and their shadows really got to shine. The reveal of what the sacred artifact does was also hilarious, and it was funny seeing how both wizards reacted differently to that situation. This comic was downright magical!

The fact that both of you managed to do complete comics with full coloring, PLUS you managed another great cover, wow. The effect that it's an old manuscript and some has burned away was a great touch, and it had another wicked design! The whole thing kind of reminds me of a manuscript, the way you did your layout for page 2, the stained glass effect for page 3. It all helped make it feel like this was a tale that's been written down by a monk and preserved for centuries. And then in comes Raincoat and their shadows with a fruitcake. I love it. Circling back to page 2 though, I love the way you did that! I think it's very cool seeing characters continue a conversation through and environment in that way. It lets us get to see Valaric's living situation and awesome at-home gym, plus it's one of those fun things you can only really do in comic form. I really hope we get to see more wizard adventures from these two, this fight really put a spell on me.

The art here is outstanding, particularly the colouring. Those ocean waves are glorious! I think it would be a hard task to find a higher standard within the allotted time. The cause for the conflict felt a tiny bit forced, with Raincoat turning from rescuer to attacker in the blink of an eye, but I do appreciate that you justified it with the dialogue, and we are working within a small page limit. I appreciated the showcasing of Raincoat's shadows, and that jaunty jig he does on page 3 is adorable. You've set a very high standard with this one!

I adore the tapestry / stained glass look of your comic, and the way the speech bubbles lead the eye on the path of the action. I think when you go for a purposely stylised feel, it can lead to a lack of clarity in what is actually happening, but that wasn't the case at all with this comic. I liked the juxtaposition between these two wizards, and their towers. It is a bit of a shame that Raincoat's shadow gang were merely set-dressing in this comic as they're begging to be used creatively, but I suppose they don't fit into every comic's plot and this is only a minor quibble.

Your rendering does you such favors for your work. The backgrounds you've been putting out for a lot of this comic has been just superb. I remember being fascinated reading your stuff in the past and this free-form nature is just doing you even more favors for your creativity right now. I like how you had Raincoat being antagonistic just through a mistake of overconfidence. You really nailed down so much of this and you really keep on surprising me with the rendering you put out. These are some excellent comics and its a real treat reading your stuff each round. I hope to see more of them, soon! Keep up the great work!

I really love this comic. Your story was terrific and the very positive characters felt great to see interact together. I was really enamored with how you drew your layouts, which was very creative in so many places. I think you've nailed so much of this. I have one main criticism for any area I think you could improve on and its that you have such bright pastel colors, you should employ a softer color than black for your inks. Perhaps a grey with multiply layer on even. Your work on Page 3 is how I think you should actually lean in for your future work with Raincoat, because it's gives off such a stronger story book feeling compared to the black inks you utilize. That's my main suggestion for you, since so much of your work is already moving into a good spot. Naturally there's the usual line of can always improve your form and figures with some anatomy study, but you've got so much of your style becoming crystalized in a good direction that I would like to see you take it further and start exploring the other parts to improve it. This was a real great comic and I had a great time reading it. Super work.

ARKELS- Ugh maaan, that opening shot <3 The light coming through that wave and making it glow is so visually stunning. We're only in round 2, but your paintwork has got to be some of the most impressive time I've seen taken on such a quick turnaround comic. Despite its fantasy themes, your work lends itself to a realism I found myself uncertain as to how Nine would fit in, but you managed to stylize them in a way that totally feels like Nine belongs in this world and always has.

You had me as spanning beard rudder. XD This character could simply lend itself to being a high fantasy 'play it straight' sort of guy, but I gotta admit, those small moments for magical levity to the point of hijinks really break up all the seriousness and shows off how whimsical magic can be. More of this please!

NINJA- Your 'comic covers' never fail to impress. You have such an eye for composition and detail as you meld the aspects of the characters (and the site!) together. It's always such a treat to see.

And speaking of detail, holy hell, that cobblestone tower?? Did you freehand that entire wall? Over and over? For each panel? I know its such a mundane thing to point out, but maintaining that level of variety and quality, alongside other background elements is no mean feat. Kudos! And that is paired with the style change you flip into once we get into the breakdown of the ancient prophecy story. And in full color? For a week? BEAST MODE.

I think if I had notes, it'd be such small quality of life enhancements. Like that book on your cover page. I'd love to see some thickness and heft to it since as its just as thin as the pages inside of it. Also your sound effects could do with some love. Hand drawn font is admittedly tough, but some extra TLC wouldn't go amiss.