Suckerpunch
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In the near future, the world has changed beyond recognition. An extreme pseudo socialist powerhouse emerges called the "Organization". Vast walled cities dominate the scarred landscape. Pharmaceutical corporations in allegiance with power-corrupted politicians have drugged the citizens within, condemning them to a life of compliant servitude. The protagonist is "Taylor", a partly bionic servant of the Organization, a hunter of those citizens who abstain from the pills and threaten the status quo of "Newtown". Mutiny is suspected when a mid ranking official escapes into the wasteland beyond the boundaries of the city. Taylor is ordered out into the unruly wastes to retrieve the officer before a full-scale rebellion can be organized. Taylor has no love for the organization but he knows that his existence as a party lap dog is far better than that of the average citizen bloated on nullifying drugs. Taylor soon finds himself in a world neglected by the progressive "Organization". A world inhabited by man-eating cave dwellers, machine gun wielding amazons and a hippy sect preparing for the long trip east to the orchard groves untouched by the corrupted. Will Taylor stick to his mission or will he help the rebellion and destroy the Organization's grip on Newtown?
zuda invite, people! final rank 9 is RIDICULOUS! i want content AND quality, and this series has already promised both. come on!
cool stuff
...and don't forget to encourage people to vote you in the Zuda Invite.
I hope to see more of this just let us know where.
#8, please it should be higher than that, not my vote truth be told, but #8 come on!!!!!
its there more?
Hi Albatross. This comic is ready to roll out at a mega 130 pages! The story came from a lot of influences, mainly metropolis with a bit of Soylent Green and a dash of the original Rollerball. Later on there are nods to 70's biker/gang movies like Switchbalde Sisters and 60's kitsch like Danger Diabolik! As well as 1984 obviously. No matrix or Equilibrium! The opening 8 screens are just that an opening. It's a shame it hasn't grabbed people's imagination but I hope to get this comic out there for people to read one way or another. Maybe zuda wasn't the best platform but it was worth a go I thought. Thanks for the support.
I hope you keep up with the strip somewhere else assuming you don't win on Zuda. I think you said you already had pages of the strip posted somewhere else, you had to take down? Keep on with the comic (somewhere), and I'll keep reading.
@Albatross: You just know Metropolis was inspired by something that came before it too.
whoa! thank goodness we got another equilibrium person here. but really, especially since Russ said he hasn't seen it, it's not a "copy" or whatever, it's just good story. i recently checked out Metropolis (yeah, i'm late on the classics) and realize it's a way older idea/story than i thought it was. so, in short (too late for that?) i like this story. if it doesn't hop up and grab the win, is there any chance (since it seems like you've got a bunch of it ready to go or you would before too long) we'd get to see it elsewhere?? this is GOOD STUFF!
Yo, you got my vote. Although the Big Brother theme thing was a lil' Equilibrium-esque, your artwork and visual style totally put a whole different flavor on it and, for me, made it unique. I'm diggin' your tag/graffiti-like art style; I'm feeling the first 8 page overview and just want to see the follow-ups for the 'jump-off' into the main story.
Your art speaks to me. Great urban feel to it. I just don't dig on preachy comics.
great job and good luck, Russ!
Has a real "metropolis" feel to it. Love the whole drugs as a prison instead of an escape thing too. Great work
very good
Uh... Matrix? Unique art though.
WOAH, this is great! Why is it not getting the love? It should be ranking way higher! If people can't see where it's going read the synopsis! Got my vote for the great art, writing and it's fresh slant on the big brother story.
I wanna see more....It promises to be a real epic!
I agree that reading the synopsis is sometimes hugely important, even if these are often longer than they should be. Spending eight pages on just the city almost turned me off, but choosing a winner just based on the synopsis - I dunno, could this have been re-written to introduce the story differently? Artwork has a solid style, always a plus!
I liked this...it would be neat to see what happens next.
I liked seeing the sketches, and promo art pieces, you have up. They kind of reminded me of some of the art work on Kids next Door, for some reason.
Wow. This was a very strong 8 pages. I think the style of your art worked well for the kind of story you were trying to tell. I also thought the lettering was outstanding. I was left wondering what happened to the one "abstainer." I'm also not sure where this story would go as an ongoing, but I'd look forward to finding out. I think you're at a disadvantage in the competition, since black and white comics seem to have a tough go of it, but the style + select grey tones work well with the piece. Nice job, and good luck!
This is very fresh, despite the familiarity of the theme. THX1138 by way of Vaughn Bode on downers, maybe.
I think using the 8 pages as an intro into the world and its routine was the only way to go, really, but showing the protagonist on the last page would've given people an idea of the direction the story was heading in.
The art is superb- elastic but tough as granite. Excellent flow too.
I've read most of the other Suckerpunch material out there, so I know how the story progresses, but not how it'll be wrapped up. Cant wait to find out though.
I love the art! It gives the whole thing it's own personality.
I love this. I love the energy, the deeper message, the use of black and white.... You've got my vote. More please!
Thanks chris mis. It seems a two horse race at the moment. Those guys are creaming the rest of us!
This is a really smooth opening for a larger tale. Good work. It's tight. It just might be the best one out of the april competition.
I made the initial mistake of submitting these screens then realised that people might not like the lack of action and no protagonist(Taylor). I compacted the next few pages onto the 8 screens, in which Taylor is introduced and the story develops more than just the day cycle but I wasn't allowed to submit new screens. I'm not precious about all this stuff. People comment on what they see which is cool. Honest comments are better than ego massaging for the sake of it.
Zuda is a great process of showing what people are doing out there.
I meant I don't get the criticism it isn't going anywhere.
*no edit button damn*
I thought it covered a lot of ground in 8 screens (taylor should have showed up though), I do get the crit that it isn't going anywhere. It looks like it's headed to a take back our world kind of showdown against the man to me. I think you pulled off the 8 screens well. Very very good lettering upon re-reading I could end up bumping you up a star.
A lot of the comments are saying the same kinda thing, about it not really going anywhere. The problem I had was that this comic is finished, coming at 130 pages and probably doesn't work so well in very small slices. A 16 page chunk would have grabbed people more I think. I don't mind if people dismiss it because of these first intro pages, I'm just enjoying being in the competition. It's evidently not an instant crowd pleaser but given the chance will kick you in the balls when you least expect it.
Thanks for the comments so far.
The art fitted the story well, but there was a large overusage of crap. Not the best thing I've ever read.
This kinda reminds me of a lot of things,1984,Logans Run,
Dark City, etc. I dig this. I like the story, The art fits it well and I want to see what happnes next. This could get my vote.Good Stuff.
I like the look, but the story didn't seem to get itself going anywhere: It just ended. Where do you go from there?
I like the look - reminds me alot of Mad Magazine for some reason. I think it's an interesting strip, although the whole idea has been done before, I am curious as to what you have to really "say" about it all. Hope to see more.
Can't say I like the line art, but I love the story. Yes it might be similar to Equlibrium but that movie is an amalgamation of many different sci-fi stories from the 60's and 70's. I feel this may have started from the same primordial ooze, but it will go on a very different life cycle all together. This is the hardest month to vote so far but you in my top 3.
Thanks for the support, comments and questions. I did show about half of this story on myspace but decided to delete my profile after about a year. Myspace seemed to die a bit when Facebook got so popular.
As for the title, it came about because of a number of reasons firstly it is a cool expression and also because of it's meaning, to deliver an unexpected blow.
A catalogue of events, rock the festering status quo. This is a story with no pure white good guys, just disillusioned groups struggling with the hand they have been dealt. The "Power men" in their tower overlooking Newtown, some of the citizens who have an unnerving sense that something is not right, the wretched people left outside in the junkyard wastelands who have developed a strange hierarchy and Taylor the reluctant hunter and physical oppressor. All in their way deal and are dealt a "sucker punch" that either destroys them or jolts them into action.
Post Modern, Retro and Very Now. LOVING this! Brave going for B&W but the right move.
Punchy, cool art with a unique style. The story gives a political message without being smug, and keeps us smiling with the hippy chicks and protagonists. I can't wait to see what else happens, I will be searching on MySpace but fingers crossed we get to see more of this winner...
Normally I want the color comics but this really fits the B&W look, I also see a little John McCrea in there too. I think the story and pacing moved well, but I didn't see the main character you talked about in the synopsis anywhere. The synopsis was a good read and it shows the story could have legs and be a thrill to read if you win. I think the art style you have fits in very well and you established the world this story was taking place in with no problems. The 8 screens you had to work with you handled well, except for where is Taylor? A screen or a few panels with him showing his story would have been good. These 8 screens do seem like an intro, but a very good intro. Using all those old movies as a starting off point was a great call on your part, but the test is what are you going to do to set this apart from THX or Logans run???
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Why the title Suckerpunch, how does that fit in to the story, I could guess but I would like to hear more of what you have to say about that.
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Besides the control guys are the couple we saw, or the ranter going to be important characters to the story, or just throw-aways to show use how this world takes care of problems.
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Like the Zen images, it makes them look like semi-enlightened fascists, and has kind of a creepy world wide cult feel. Very good piece of work. 3/5 stars but that number could go up after a few re-readings.
If you want to see some more Suckerpunch related art please check out the link below. It is mainly sketches and some model sheets.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/25471261@N06/
I really loved this as it reminded me of good times watching trashy 70s movies and eating 'Space Dust'.
i love the black and white. it tells enough without having to be colored (which i'll agree, some comics NEED that sweet, sweet color. the idea is a fantastic one if it's got the right storyteller, and as i said before, i think this is great and neat stuff. i'm still debating (it's a GOOD month!) but i'm definitely getting an idea of where i want my vote going.
I agree the story parallels the movie equilibrium very closely but the problem I guess I had with that story is that it seems too much like disinformation. Meaning I would have preferred that the populace was controlled by either an Orwellian type of fear propaganda or a technophile society that mirrors our own with the false sense of freedom and hugely over blown egos which cause strife amongst the differing economic classes and polarizing people by way of prejudice....the art was good some of the best in the competition, so good luck!
Your art is great. Characters are simple yet expressive, layouts are easy readable, and I honestly think the choice to go black and white instead of color was the right one. The story reads pretty well also. I don't really have much to complain about (despite the fact that my wife claims it's what I do best). Nice job.
Cool. I like the synopsis. Makes me want to vote for this so I can see more!
First Impression:
Just that I've got little idea of where it's going. It's a complete day, can't remember if any names were mentioned or not so I'm not really sure who the protagonist is.
I think colors could've added some pop. I'm generally very accepting of B&W comics but in this case I feel the lack.
Good storytelling, interesting to read, but didn't really grab me.
This is a vignette, a snippet of background before the main crux of the story kicks off. It's a shame that zuda only allow 8 pages but then I knew that.I think people want the story opened up from the first page, which would not work as a longer story.You EITHER enter thinking of 8 pages that kick ass or try and build a solid narrative. It's a tough one.
I'm liking this entry a lot. Hope to see more of this one way or the other :D
Reminds me of George Lucas's THX 1138. Like the art style and we got to see what a day looks like in this world. I just wonder what else you could do at this point because it just seems like you closed it off and told us everything we needed to know.
Thanks KFO, it's nice to hear from "SP" vets. Roger Corman... the daddy of the B'S.... Death Race 2000... awesome. Schlock at it's finest.
I've read some of this before- some of it was on myspace last year..it's the coolest stuff I've read for ages..even THE Roger Corman thought so who dug it on myspace. Looks like it's been revamped for this comp. These panels don't really do justice to the rest of the story...the next panels are awesome and loved the hippy chicks!!It's sexy, fun and has something deeper to say than a lot of other cliched comics out there. Digging the B & W artwork. Got my vote. Glad it's getting a second airing- I just hope I get to read the whole thing soon!Nice one Russ
I honestly know nothing of Equillibrium. The ideas for "Suckerpunch" came from loads of movies and melded together. This backdrop is like Metropolis and Logans Run. As the story develops other ideas come in. When I started this a couple of years back I wanted to combine all the trashy movies that I was watching at the time. I wanted it to be like a 60's/70's drive in movie but in comic form. It's a lo-brow lo-tech comic drawn in pretty fast fashion, ideas not always over polished but with the gutsy element still there. There are no original stories anymore, it's just how individuals tell them.
Dig the black and whites!
so far, i like it a LOT. it feels a lot like the movie Equilibrium, but to be fair, Equilibrium took lots of its ideas from old books. i dig the art! still gotta check the others out but... i enjoy a good story.