Oculama

I must confess up front I was very excited to see that that this pair was going to be working a comic together. Both of you have such a talent for balancing gags and peril, humor and danger, that the fit seemed beyond perfect, and (imho), this comic delivers.

There's hardly a page in this comic that didn't make me fully laugh out loud, be it a stifled giggle or a full-on cackle over my lunch break. I'm sorely tempted to list examples, but that would probably devolve into me just going page-by-page to describe every gag in sequence. For now I'll just cite the Nixon-pig gag, Tony's Breakfast, and "the upsies" as high points in a consistently hilarious comic.

Your art styles are very complimentary, my one gripe would be I would love to see a more organic transition from one to the other, or possibly even melding of styles, if future works allow. The mid-comic switch was slightly jarring, and while both halves where tremendous in their own right, I was (very slightly) disappointed that the hand-off point felt so arbitrary.

The art is otherwise a delight; as with the writing, you both are honing styles that suite danger and comedy in well-balanced proportions, and you keep your compositions crystal clear, as far as action is concerned. In terms of layouts, I did feel that the world you presented feels a bit emptier than seems natural (the outdoor neighborhood shots especially), but this is more a missed opportunity than an actual failing of the comic.

You've both done a respectable job drawing Val and Mercedes into the more comical sides of your universe as well. In other hands, the handling of their tragic love story might have fallen flat, but you retained a real affection and sadness to the relationship, up until the end.

Tremendous work; I genuinely hope to see more of the two of you collaborating, whether it's in this tournament or elsewhere.

There's a ton of truly delightful moments in this comic that really please the reader in me. Figuring out what Gran was up to with the wine made me gasp out loud. Val finding all the Newton stuff upstairs was deeply fascinating. Mercedes' Tony disguise was such a slick moment in-universe that I was fooled myself for several seconds on my first read into thinking that Tony hadn't actually lost consciousness before I realized she had pulled a swift disguise gambit.

What strikes me most about this comic is how full you've made the world feel, despite the action never leaving a few key rooms in Gram's house, up until the end. Part of it is the rich detailing of the art, full of fun visual easter eggs and enough marked-up antiques to fill a whole season of Blue's Clues. You establish a lot of moving parts as well in relatively little panel space, such as Newton's past presence in the house, and Tony's ongoing work to catalogue everything of Gran's for sale.

The illustrations throughout are nicely paced. You've struck a great balance between panel space used, amount of action established, and clarity of said action. Nothing is rushed, but neither is anything lingered on past its welcome. The notes Val comes across (or writes?) did present a small challenge. I spent a good amount of time on both my initial read and re-read trying to parse what was Ton's handiwork, and what was being written in real-time by Val (or perhaps left by Newton? I'm still not entirely certain. I'm guessing it was all Tony working out how to get into the safe, I'm just not completely sure). I'm guessing this might be salient if there are future Val and Mercedes comics, but for now I feel it does not really detract from your round 1 story, so no harm done.

Finally, kudos on the portrayals of affection you've written. From Mercedes' and Vals' very real concern for each others' well being balanced by the necessary risks of their job, to Tony's begrudging affection based in self-interest, to Gran's very twisted and arguably equally selfish love, you've done a deft job at giving all the OCs that star in this comic an amount of depth that surpasses the length of the work.

Bravo, and hope you are both getting a well-deserved rest!

OOOOOH this comic has such great spunk to it! The style and lighting is used expertly, and you really go out your way to play around with the focus and bgs each panel, and it works for it well! You've got incredibly solid jokes, Mercedes having to fake date Nade and growing increasingly less comfortable was absolutely amazing. My only, like, big worry for this comic would've been how quickly written out at first glance Tony was, but you basically fully compensated with the use of the notes and his floating body just bumping into things constantly as it was following along, which accounted very nicely, and dealt with any issue of him not getting enough spotlight!

I absolutely just adore this comic, start to finish! The way you played your opening worked super well, introducing the readers to the curse that Valentine and Mercedes have immediately, which really works if they didn't know their profiles beforehand, catching them up to speed quick! Their dynamic is so sweet all the way to the very end! And Nade is so cute ahhhh! Love her to death, and couldn't help myself from chuckling at her tale with NIXON?! And of course, absolutely loved how much of an dumb douche Tony(that passionate stallion) is! All the gags in this comic really landed for me, and this comic was just an absolute treat to enjoy!

Writing this as I read, will sum it up in the end.
Wonderful setup. I really like the switcheroo. Valentine eating Tony in the background like Saturn devouring his son was a fun little easter egg, it made me laugh. You've utilised the gravity powers of your characters really well, it's a good time. What a wonderful way to end it without any sort of altercation, you're very good at characterising in the comic all of the characters without overdoing it - you have a very good balance in your comic. Going forwards I would like to see perhaps a stronger blend of your art styles, you're very close to being there, and I would like to see more interactions between the two of your girls. I think it's a very good move to separate them and have, essentially, two concurrent storylines, but I do miss seeing them interact (or struggle with their powers' interaction?) just a little more.

Writing this as I read.
Your expressions are really good. I love the way you show each of the relationships' interactions and feelings for each other (or lack thereof), it's very efficient. I think I would like for there to be more backgrounds in your pages, the characters' individual locations and location relative to each other does get lost a couple times. The brawl is really good. You're good at writing quips, and the back-and-forth is really good. Once again I must say that I would really prefer to see your comic in all-colour, making the two halves more alike. Your comic had a really great ending, and you are great at highlighting exactly what your oppnents' deal is, and why they're there and behaving the way they do. Great synergy. Going forwards, all I can really tell you is that I would like to see more backgrounds, and perhaps having both halves of the comic coloured, because you do everything else really well.

The writing in this is so intimate and careful, even when it portrays such absurd circumstances. The relationships between Tony and Lillian, and Valentine and Mercedes, are both obviously well fleshed out but Valentine's arc as she spends time with Lillian has a lot of strong character acting showing the mix of guilt, sympathy and a whole bevel of other emotions. The art's precise shadows and splashes of red really sell the intimacy even harder. It's actually a big surprise when the comedy breaks in and still works, although the comic almost doesn't need it. Extremely lovely, a really well crafted piece.

This comic is so beautifully chaotic, it's comic in the true sense of the word. The stark contrast between Valentine and Mercedes with Lillian and Tony is hysterical, everybody is ridiculously larger than life rather than simply flat caricatures. The formatting really helps with this, the comic timing is perfect, and that same snappy energy is used really well for the more serious cast. The plot is simple but still manages to be unpredictable in its details, so it never feels trite or boring. The art too, has a real lively energy throughout: it always feels like it's moving. Absolutely beautiful comedy, a great wrangled wild ride.

It's rare for a piece of media to have both a high joke density and a high joke accuracy, but this comic pulls it off. I mean, hell, I keep tabbing over to the comic to double-check things and finding stuff I missed the first time. It took me three or four looks to notice the Cow Tools in Gram's drawer and the Birth of Tony slipped by me at first.

Honestly, though, I was most impressed by the genuine emotional heft of Gram's passing. Page 13 is some haunting stuff

Great characterization, great gags, and unexpected depth make this a winner. Bravo.

I knew going in that Pepp and Sloof would make something extremely funny, but to my utter shock, they made something extremely funny. Slapping Nixon's ass, the "Sweetums" panel, Stalin's moustache/mustache (not trying to play favorites in this debate), and even the Bob Constrictor were top-notch gags.

Honestly, I can't think of anything particularly negative to say about this one. In the vast majority of circumstances, it would be the winner. This time, though, the opponent just had a little bit more. A little bit more depth, a little bit more pathos, and a few more laughs. Still an utter delight.

FIRSHFRHSIHUISHRIUS. SURE. PRETENDS TO BE YOUR SLEAZY BOYFRIE- IS THAT SATURN DEVOURING HIS SON. IN THE BACKGROUND. ARE THEY PRETENDING TO BE A STATUE OF SATURN DEVOURING HIS SON NEXT TO A PAINTING OF THE SAME. DAMN GRAMMY IS LOADED.

VAL USING GRAVITY POWERS TO HIDE TONY'S BODY. GREAT GAG. Page 4's composition I'm eating it up.

Oh shit is that the wizard that cursed them.

COW TOOLS.

I'm having fun with all these art thingies cameos.

Tony you have awful aesthetic taste. At least Gram had fun...?

OH SHIT. POISONED WINE.

I like how the explosion has a more splashy paint thicker lines vibe.

BANGER HEIST EVEN IF THEY DIDN'T GET THE APPLE.

I've seen what y'all are capable of separately. I'm both excited and scared of your combined power.

HGISHFIUS THE WALKIE TALKIES.

Sweet potato, d'awww.

Rigatony... :\

Appreciate her fucking story Tony.

The contrast between couple who love each other but have to stay apart versus Gram's clinginess and their. Situation.

That was almost a decent breakfast plate- IN THE POT????? Tony's list of crimes continues to expand.

VAL COMING IN WITH THE TAXIDERMY LEOPARD. GREAT FIGHT SCENE BTW I like how you depicted their powers.

Tony is so cursed. Like, hyper-strong concept. Cursed. The painful nature of death tournaments aside I wanna know how much worse you could make him in future rounds.

Oh damn. Sick kill though that was some emotional finesse. With the setup on page one about how they're still not used to the curse thing. She never got to paint her toenails bright pink... :'(

As always a good balance of tones and the color that leads the eye, also having some really fantastic and well thought out page layouts. its a very well balanced affair and i think there aint much beating it ha ha haha

solidly paced with everyone getting their bit and the usage of the powers being really well executed and clear to follow with what they are trying to do in each instance of using them.

the dynamic worked, the ending was really fun and every thing worked out very nicely, very well done comic, i enjoyed it through and through!

The page turn moment to page 3 with Gram Nade's big face is one of my favorites of this round and i like that this comic has multiple moments littered throughout that keep the energy high

everything is expressive and readable and it kept every thing entertaining throughout, i love that no matter what there is always going to be a character making the most exaggerated face and having the background be littered with items and weird knick knacks that they would own. i just wish there were more backgrounds to some of these shots to ground them in the scene theyre in!

a very funny round with a banger finale

I really loved the limited color palette usage and I think it really paid off throughout the story to have red be the only color used outside from greyscale. The background being just the best version of that grandma whose lived a long crazy life mixed with the secret hidden messages for getting into the safe coupled with the notes from valentine and Tony did sooo much to make the house feel incredibly real and still goofy from all the stuffed animals/grandma collection items everywhere. You also setup a very neat and tidy plot that I honestly was surprised with just how fluid everything went from page to page plot point to plot point. the disguise Mercedes put on the great lead up to Gram Nade poisoning the wine were all surprising (in a really good way) yet worked amazingly well! I also liked that while Tony was in it for the money 100% in his own way he did seem to care for Nade in some way with all the notes about hating on Isaac Newton about how he treated gram nade which was a quirky touching take on the smooth talkin swindler. speaking of Tony while being asleep most of the round you did a great job of giing his character great moments all while just being a floating body lol.

OUGH I know 100% you guys had so much fun making this comic lol! the banter and fighting is so good and fluid! Its good to see the two of u doing comics together as u both have such great things to offer alone and your team up gave such an amazingly funny blend of Pepper's humor and clean linework and Sloofs great artstyle and expressions I assume both of you worked on the story as its got parts of both of you in it imo. Firstly right off the back you did a grear job of explaining why your opponents were there and displayed their different power sets comically and in action very well and I loved the witty banter between them and tony as they fought as well. 2ndly I absolutely freakin loved Gram nade in the past and present she was so precious and I could not get enough of her lovely dovey talk and rage she induced in Tony lol. 3rdly amazing job offing your opponents in a beautiful and "awwwww" inducing way!

Extremely humorous and fantastic art. I enjoyed the rather bittersweet energy you carried at the end as well, it was a super enjoyable read as a result. Mercedes masquerading as Tony was a great gag. All the characters involved were portrayed great and despite them being separated, I definitely can feel Valentine and Mercedes' dynamic between the two of them. The limited color scheme was great and is a favorite stylistic choice of mine. Your paneling was super great and the inkwork you both employed was great looking. I'm really interested in seeing more of these two in the future. Great work!

I really love these two - an excellent duo and an amusing comic. I think you both ended up making a kind of dark horse favorite of mine for this tournament and I hope we get a chance to see the two of them again sometime, since they're a good dynamic. Overall, your comic I thought was well done and the character expressions were really solid. The action when we finally got to it was creative as well! I loved how you played with the gravity aspect of your opponents and just how out of his depth Tony is when compared with everyone else. Really enjoy these two - super work!

Overall, this was a touching story though I did get a little confused the first read as to what exactly was going on upstairs. A cute ending punctuated by an explosive final page that I knew was coming yet couldn't be prepared for. The spot reds in a greyscale comic is a classic I enjoy seeing and you made it work well.

A neat thing that took me a second read to realise was that, as much as tony is basically knocked out for most of the comic, you still show off his personality with the notes and that's pretty cool. I enjoyed the poses while he was brought up the stairs too.

stand out moment: the explosion. It's such a goof climactic finish and so well stylistically drawn!

Smiles and giggles are to be found here with this lovey and not so dovey couples. I could spend the whole review pointing out every joke that got something out of me but the lesbian ally one is probably the funniest for me. Lots of great expressions all over the place too.

I don't have any other outstanding words to share; the art isn't the strongest but its fun where it matters and the writing is great and sets up an amazing grand finale for the kills.

Stand out moment: the panel with both girls climbing on opposite sides of the house. I always love to see cool use of the medium!

Oh, those backgrounds. That interior! Staircases, paintings, spot blacks and the utilization of negative space. Your environmental work is such a feast for the eyes and to such pulpy effect! and that's just page one! You two went so very hard on the interiors of Nade Hall I feel this became a character extra in of itself. Your inkwork is so rich I think your single pop of color is really all you need. If you had added anything further it would've overwhelmed what otherwise is a VERY detailed comic I'm tempted to say 'you didn't have to go this hard first round', but I think I have to say that about everyone apparently The Double Diamond first round overall team to team has been one haymaker of a suckerpunch in how extra people went and this match up is no exception. Fantastic showing!

Very sharp, very crisp inks, which leaves me wanting for a bit of grit. As a team your work is very clean, but I would be mindful that it opens up the door to your elements looking to sanitized and devoid of character. Things like your city establishing panels on page 2, or your forest treeline on page 4 leave me wanting for more. That top panel on page 4 is a flashback to the good old days- it would've been neat to really go tongue in cheek with having a rosy colored ridiculousness that I think you two are going for. Humor is definitely your strong suit so by all means lean into it!
I'm stunned there are 21 honking pages the first round which I must applaud, and a foray into color! I would've loved to have seen more of a unifying style between you two so there isnt such a distinct break in 'I worked on this half they worked on that half', but that's just personal preference

The first thing i'd point to is the lovely paneling and composition at work here when the lives of Tony and the grandma recently being explored. The red marker is helpful with everything from the adlibbed wine disguise to all the little funny notes left around.

Although Tony got knocked out quickly(which makes sense) even in his unsconscious and ragdolled state he had been crafty and prepared enough to be a hindrance to our protagonists whenever they rounded a few corners such as with the safe and the poison.

Even reading the comic again does show which drink was the unpoisoned one in dialogue and how many subdued background features there are.
One wish i'd bring in is drawing out the ending slightly for more impact but adding any kind of page after the explosion may not be suitable for 2 week timeframes.

Oh we got a whole heist going on! What everyone's deals are getting their own pages from the get go is much appreciated. I do like how consistent the buildup towards the demise of the girls is which makes it feel extra earned even if slightly silly.

The bifurcation of colored and uncolored pages are a little jarring but fortunately that only happens once with the even distribution of pages between this duo.
The little props showing that grandma really has been around the block globally is a nice touch. Same for the characterizing dialogue everyone has from Tony's bitterness and Grandma's stories and ailments to the flirting of the girls