The Adventures of Mr. Simian
The Adventures of Mr. Simian is © John Bivens
Genre:
Science Fiction, Comedy
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4776
Favorite:
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A very clever chimp and a loud-mouthed mouse (yes he talks) escape from an animal testing facility, only to end up chased by inept lab assistants. A poop and science filled buddy comic that takes our protagonists on adventures around the globe.
I have got to see more of this! Hilarious and interesting all around, and I really dig the art.
This is not a bad start, definitely takes advantage of the 8 page limit Zuda has. I'm going to vote positively for this in the hopes we all get a chance to read more of this. I would like to read more of the adventures of Mr. Simian.
This was very entertaining. Art reminds me of Magnola and there isn't enough monkeys in comics.
Sorry for the lateness, here is my review:
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http://pigs-of-the-industry.blogspot.com/2009/07/zuda-review-adventures-of-mr-simian.html
yea i don't know how this is so low in the ranks, great stuff. I love the overall feel of the comic.
John, this absolutely ROCKS, man! I hope you'll do more with Mr. Simian in the future. For the life of me, I can't fathom how this is ranked ninth. Oh well... you've got a hell of a concept here, and the execution is pretty much flawless.
Hi there john_bivens. I read your comic , & i really digg your inking and colors . I am not a fan of animals as characters. But this comic deserves a lot more than it is getting yours Truly Will Eisner
Melonie - I will (hopefully) compete again in the future, and I intend to keep this going after a little break to finish some other projects.
PowFlip - glad you enjoyed the inking, sorry you didn't like the noise+color
hamax1 - thanks for the comment
magoo666 - glad you enjoyed it, currently I have enough stories floating around my head that it'll take me a while to get through them all.
coffeehousecomics - thanks for the support, I will give thought to merch if I can get this stuff to catch on :)
Tommy Biggers - appreciated
PROPS! Awesome.
Well, you got my vote and everything else! Cheers on a great comic man! I want a t shirt that says 'I love the silent monkey!'
I really dig the kind of old school look and feel of this comic. I also really enjoy the characters and I can see the duo of the mouse and the ape having some pretty hilarious adventures. I would actually really enjoy writing for this comic!
I just want to point out page 7 as a great page of sequential art, not unlike much of Bivens work. hope we can see a little more of this if you ever get a chance. good run bro
Wow. This would look fantastic if it weren't for the noise filter or whatever you did to the colors. The inking is good, the style is good, but something bad happened to the coloring.
I absolutely love this comic, it's a shame to see it underrated like that. I do hope you compete again in the future though, because you are incredibly talented!
WILGENHOFF - nice stuff, keep it up
DadaHyena - I agree *cough* anyone from adult swim out there *cough*
mpd57 - thanks for the review. In hindsight I should have started with one of their adventures and planned the back story for later.
mrgodon - thanks, I had fun with it
really love the style on this one
A poop covered reviewer reviews http://tinyurl.com/ktv7dl
This is just SCREAMING to be animated.
Anyone out there with Flash/Maya want to take him up on it? Chimp and mouse could be a great cinematic duo!
hey john, check some of my illustrations on www.wilgenhofff.blogspot.com.
James Clayton - I think I found a niche in fecal assault, thanks for the comment.
slidestudios - fun stuff, thanks
humansmartbomb - glad you like the layouts, I've read your comic a couple times and enjoyed it, good luck
Great stuff john! I struggled a lot with going from standard comic layout to Zuda's 4:3 ratio, but your page layouts are dynamite. Page 4 is a great borderless spread. that shot with the monkey's skull removed is dope!
Some Fan Art for you and the other competitors http://zudafanart.blogspot.com/
After reading the comments of others I've realised it's true: you've really nailed aerial faecal assault in art. I just hope that Mr. Simian can sling himself up the rankings a bit more.
grobert79 - thanks, people are loving flying poop
HectorLima - the coloring is something I really struggle through, so thank you
Don Kunkel - right back at you
bluescale - I appreciate that (and I'll agree since it's mine)
tomstan - I'll do my best to bring out more of these
griffmmn - thanks for the comment and the support
Bryy_Miller - great review, thanks for the kind words
reviewed
http://leftyfilmsblog.blogspot.com/2009/07/zudajuly-2009-and-san-diego-comi-con.html
Very Nice! Beautiful to see and a joy to read. You've got my vote.
oh this is....fun!! A favorite for sure!!
This should be higher just based on your art quality and layouts alone. Terrific work and funny story.
I like. Good luck!
nice coloring job
Chimp poop... Ha! Nice stuff John. ;)
stefansultanov - thanks for the crit, I appreciate it
jamesmith3 - thank you
tenshin78 - appreciate the comment and glad you enjoyed the chimp poo
kingofsnake - Dialogue is my weak point, I admit it... and I will work on it
quasilucid - thanks, I love trying to make things organic with a sense of motion
Foz - thanks man, for my next work I was either going to use an outside texture or lessen the noise a bit. I appreciate the recommendation.
Aconic - thanks for the compliment, in a competition this stacked, it's a big one.
yorko - thanks a bunch, I hope so also
Kidgloves - actually, Mr. Simian had to be my second choice
Gunslinger1983 - and I want to give more poo slinging antics
WILGENHOFF - very glad you enjoyed it, thank you
Love your style Mr Bivens. I found the story amusing, and I'm a sucker for a poo in the face joke. You have a great loose-but-tight style, I reckon a good way to cut down these 'noise' comments would be to scan in a nice piece of tea-stained/burnt paper at a high resolution and layer that on top of your art instead of using the noise effect. But personally I wasn't bothered by it, I was too busy being carried along by your story. Great Job, should be higher up the ladder.
great style. very fluid. good luck!
more picto speak?
I love the texture on this comic. My one real complaint is that the scientist doesn't talk like a scientist. He talks like a 20-something kid. The art and coloring are nostalgic and cool. The story isn't the most gripping thing I've ever read, but it's fun enough and it's told well.
I personally like the noise effect is kind of cheep, but there are a lot of cheep resources that work pretty fine in this art.
The story doesn't go though very well, the personalities of the characters are not very well defined, but in this small amount of pages is difficult.
Nice chimp poo joke by the way.
At the end is funny and very original :)
You've got a nice line quality, and I really enjoy your coloring style. I dig how it feels sort of like watercolor. Good luck.
The noise really gives it a genuine look. But it seems that The inks are not in need of it. Very free and light look of the ink. But for my taste the inks should be more solidifying. The story is good and if you only could, next time, give up the noise! It feels like cheating.
hey john! really great job! specially the colors and the granulation simulating paper quality. this is the funny option of the list, yet it has some tragedy background that make even more enjoyable the "laugh sections". great!
I really liked the art style this comic uses. And I'm sucker for monkeys, I want more poo flinging antics!
How did no one ever use the name of Mr. Simian in the entire history of intelligent apes/primates?
Score!!
amazing work, John! i hope you win mate!
Wow! This was a fantastic read and maybe the best art of the competition. Good Luck to you!
KNuttall - thanks for the compliment on the dialogue, that tends to worry me the most
Ragthorn - thanks for the vote, I appreciate it
cszostek - Glad you liked it (hopefully more stand out pages to come)
hairballOne - I'm glad it progressed for you the way I wanted it to, thanks
James Clayton - everything is better with monkeys
ptimony - I appreciate it, hope we get to see a Night Owls graphic novel soon
A good entry. Solid art and story. I hope this one does well!
All-round awesomeness! I love monkeys anyway, so to get a comic with such great artwork and a story of such promise is sweet. Good luck in the competition - I know that I really like this and would follow 'em as they get the flip out of dodge. In solidarity with Mr. Simian!
This is absolutely mad! I love it! The art is great, and the layouts & colors are just amazing & original. Two screens in, I thought there was no way this book was going to retain my interest. By screen three, however, the personality of the chimp totally won me over, (must be a sucker for those big, sad, blue eyes). Then, the book switched into wacky overdrive. Keep it up!!
Excellent art John, Mr. Simians mouth on page 4 sticks out.
This is brilliant. Really love the art and the general feel of the story and dialogue. You got my vote, please keep the story coming!