Sea Dogs of Mars
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Science Fiction, Action/Adventure
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Sea Dogs of Mars is a futuristic high seas adventure. Its 3127, a 1000 years after Mars has been terraformed, Adrianne McCowan and her first mate and friend Gorkin Courbear lead their rag-tag crew across the Martian seas looking for fame, fortune, and swashbuckling intrigue. Adrianne searches high and low for the long lost treasure of her father, and is haunted by dreams of a forgotten childhood trauma and a fearsome nemesis that threatens to unravel her plans. Gorkin is searching for the origins of his people and keeps a secret so bold it could destroy his friendship with Adrianne, or bring them fantastic fortune and glory. Their course puts them squarely in the path of merchant marines, thieving marauders, exotic sea monsters, and the fate of Mars itself. From a haunted space elevator, to the penal colony of Phobos, down the canals to the sea of Hellas, you are invited to join the crew as they uncover the ancient secrets of the Red Planet. Once on board, hold on tight, Adrianne leads the Sea Dogs of Mars on its maiden voyage.
Great art i like the pirates on mars idea awesome
Chris, would you have any interest in collaborating on a new Zuda.com submission? I have a fantasy/humor comic scripted out right now and I'm trying to find someone to partner up with for it. I love your art style and I hope to hear from you soon! -Dan captioncomix ((at)) gmail.com
Thanks for all your great comments, guys! We really appreciate your support. JGSTYLE, I loved your slogan. I just might have to use that.
I was thinking Treasure Planet and Titan A.E. while reading this. I enjoyed it. Hope too see more.
Funny, I'm not the only one who though Pirates of Dark Water? Could be pretty good
http://zudafollower.blogspot.com/
I love adventure stories, and this one has ADVENTURE written all over it! This looks like an exciting and FUN story. Sometimes I get tired of all the dark, angsty stuff and I need something refreshing. You guys supplied it with this comic.
"Sea Dogs, AWAAAAYYYYYYYYYYY!!!" (that should be their slogan) :)
Very "Dark Waters" -esque, not bad at all though.
Dear Zuda Competitors/Creators,
I’m the creator of the Zuda fan blog, and I would love to interview all of this month’s creators. If you would be willing to answer 5-10 questions, to be posted on the Zudafan blog, please contact me at: zudafan@gmail.com.
Feel free to check out the blog: zudafan.blogspot.com
Thanks!
~Liz
This is among my favs so far. I really like the coloring. The pencil can be a bit loose here and there for me, but the art is a good fit. Nice set up :)
RKB, canderson, Phi, Bluejeremiah,and JFx,
Thank you so much for your comments, critiques, support, and criticism. I have to say that I was eagerly awaiting your page analysis RKB, and I’m glad we didn't disappoint. Keri and I have been working hard to build this story into something cohesive and enthralling. Though we are solidly in 6th place and have been since the beginning of the competition, we are still dedicated to the purpose of becoming comic artists, and to the process of creating good work. With our readerships’ thoughtful remarks aiding us, we can only get better. Thank you. We plod on, and if we do not win this competition, we will be back for another sooner or later, but also look forward to continuing Sea Dogs of Mars in another capacity, one way or the other.
Thank you much for stopping by,
-Miticis
4/5 stars and a fav, I really enjoyed it.
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SCREEN 1 We get an establishing shot on the first panel, YES Miticis and Keri!!! I liked the flow of panels to the bar, and the downward over the fan shot used for panel 3. I really enjoyed the art throughout, and the colors. The letters were easy to read, and a very good job on the synopsis.
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I love bar scenes, it's such a good set piece for any kind of genre/story. From Star Wars to Captain Blood and all the great westerns and crime dramas, I love them! The Dead Seas from pop mahn was a good pirate/action comic, so I'm glad to see another on here. Of course I'm also a pirates of dark water fan (they rarely make cartoons like that anymore), and a big Captain Blood fan, so I like the genre, and i enjoyed the 'mars' twist you put on it.
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SCREEN 2 It was a nice touch how we saw these two in panel 3 of screen 1, then we move in to see what they have to say. I liked the nice little dialogue here between these characters, and it set up the mystery of read more to find out what's going on.
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SCREEN 3 OMG!!! I real thought balloon in the first panel here, nice. You don't see too many of those around anymore. I really enjoyed your pace for these 8 screens, everything seems to move along at a good pace. Cue the villains on screen 3. I really enjoyed all of the character designs as well.
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SCREEN 4 I really liked the action scenes here. The P.O.V. of the last panel was very good as well. i also liked the sound effects.
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SCREEN 5 I of course loved the action time capture feel of panel 2 here. Very good screen composition as well.
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SCREEN 6 I was really impressed with the dialogue for the characters, I really enjoyed the banter here. The art was very impressive, but i felt the dialogue was just enough. There wasn't so much that it cramped the art, but there was enough wordage, that characters were actually developed in your 8 screens.
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SCREEN 7 Of course the blue dude is a rat, I figured it was a set-up, and does bring that who is the bad guy element into the story. Nice way to set up suspense.
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SCREEN 8 I liked the effects you used on the map, and the last panel with the ship sailing off, and the title in the last panel.
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A very enjoyable read, damn shame your not ranked higher.
Awesome Job! I hope all the viewers noticed the actual Martian backgrounds! This is a world with depth (Check out the street scenes-You could actually walk there.) And the action really POPS. Check out the PLOT FLOW created by deliberate use of paneling techniques. Miticis is ready for the big times!
I like this but it seems forced, like you were so into the concept that characters and plot came in second for your attention.
This work moves right along, drawing me into each new frame, great stuff! Good luck!
Hey nice comics, I like the Idea, It remember me Simbad and the planet of the treasure. Well done :D
Cuervoscuro, Quasilucid, Gnar Duce, Devlin, Waymoby27, and Naej,
Thank you all so much for stopping in and commenting. It is really awesome to know people are actually reading this comic, and care enough to say something about it. It is most appreciated. Pass along the word, Sea Dogs of Mars wants to win this competition, and it needs your help. Thanks!
-Miticis (Chris)
This month, comics like "Lasser Dragons", "Devil's Cross", "Safe inside" and "Legacy of the wanderer" were fun to read, I really enjoyed them.
But as writer, I really like this story, it's entertaining, action packaged, and promises adventures! Good Luck, you have my vote!
Great style. It looks like a rich world to stage stories. Good luck!
Great pencils/art also. Shoulda said that before.
it keeps burning my eyes with its awesomeness. dont forget about the facebook. Adrianne Mc Cowan!!!!
Damn dude, truly amazing!
Love it! Colors, story, and all. When will we see more?!?! Good luck in the competition!
Jasonhigbee, ZeroCalcare, Preface, Oysterboy,
Thank you guys so much for stopping by, commenting and showing your support. SDofM may be in 6th place, but we are not done. With the help of our family, new friends and fans, this story will endure. If you like the story and have already voted, favorited, rated, and commmented, and are wondering what you can do more to show your support, show the story to someone else, and get them to follow your example. Thats how SDofM is going to win.
Again, thank you all for your support, this competition isn't over yet.
-Miticis
A unique and refreshing style - great use of color to lead the story and paint the mood. The transitions between micro views and macro views reveal a deeper level of the characters more like a Steven Spielberg movie than a comic.
thanx for the nice words miticis:)
actually it's really fun for me too, it's the first time i'm involved in this kind of competition, with such great competitors... i'm very thrilled! (and it seems that italian alternative community is thrilled too:))
your synopsis sounds interesting and the art/colours are awesome!i love the technologic component, the ships and all that stuff... the only thing i can say is perhaps i'd have preferred a stronger inking ! good luck!
Good comic has a lot of potential. I really like the layout on page 3,4 and especially 5. The comic itself did remind me of a Treasure Planet with more of a Pirates of Darkwater pallet but it also reminded me of Firefly and Titan A.E. too. Really though is that a bad thing? As for the colors I enjoyed them they were a good change of pace. I did find them a bit distracting at points and they may have drawn a bit of my attention away like in page three in the large right panel the blue on the left side of that panel felt a little out of place with how abruptly the wall just faded into the blue glow I would have liked to have seen a solid wall there through that whole panel(buts that's just personal preference). Overall a good fun entry as for frequentcontributor's comments obviously she has the ring to open her father's signet locked map and really I don't think Disney would sue for similarities to their *cough "original" *cough idea Treasure Planet. As always the best stories are based off older stories and just retold for the times although I am not saying that is happening here but odds are whatever happens in the story it has happened somewhere else in one manifestation or another so even an original idea will echo with pangs of previous ones.
Keep it coming!
Great environment details on the first page. I liked the angle for the last panel on the page alot as well.
Best of luck to you.
- Adam
waymoby27, jimsheley, GnarDuce, J.Beck, wrf3k,
Thanks for your support, comments, and critique. Im working with what I got, and appreciate all of the useful criticism I can get. It won't help this submission now, but it will inform the decisions I make in the next.
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@Frequentcontributor: Im not sure what you are contributing here and on others message boards except a bitter or jaded point of view. Im not insulted so much as I am confused. If you didn't like my work so much, why would you waste the energy to even comment, unless of course you were only interested in sparking a fight. Well, you wont succeed. Check your legal definition of plagiarism, and get back to me when you have a more concise justification for your comments.
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I appreciate your support, comments, and critique (as long as its constructive) I can take bad reviews, but don't make accusations unless you can back them up.
Thanks,
-Miticis
I agree with jimshelley. 8 pages is not enough to claim someone is "stealing ideas". everyone who is willing to put their work up for crit deserves props.
@frequentcontributor who said 'good luck not getting sued over stealing ideas from the animations previously mentioned...' You may not have meant it to sound snarky, but that comment seems a little bit too much. How many 8 page ideas here on zuda have we seen that were similar to something else, but evolved into their own wholly unique stories once they grew past 8 pages? Also, as far as I know, the elements in this story that you mention appeared in many other places before they appeared in Pirates of Dark Water or Treasure Planet. :)
Pirates of Dark Water and Treasure Planet much? First off, if the map seller's boss wants the map, why didn't he just have the seller give it to him rather than go through all the trouble of giving to that chick to have to steal back again? I suppose to get her to find the treasure, but at this point, who really cares? The cliched story isn't bad, just boring, and the art is pretty decent, but some inking would have perked it up a bit, and the color, while interesting, pretty much washes everything away with its brightness. To paraphrase Steranko: If you use all the colors all the time, they tend to drown each other out so that you don't see anything. Could work as a kids cartoon, but good luck not getting sued over stealing ideas from the animations previously mentioned...
Awesome Palette! All Around Solid Package, Great Work.
I agree with the sentiment that the coloring works on some pages but not so much on others. The character and enviornment design are top notch, but the story feels a bit contrived, i can't help but think of how many stories begin almost exactly like this. Overall good work and good luck
Wow, This looks great! I love the color. Best of luck in the competition
That's awesome, and thanks for coming back. I'm sure you will see more from us; we currently have more ideas than time. Stupid day jobs.
every time I look at this comic I like it more. I want to see more from you both!!!
Keri, Reuben, Marcgraci, and g.r.z.,
Thanks for commenting. All the props are nice, and that was a neat point review, but I know I/we (Keri and I) can't please every body. The best we can do is tell a story we are interested and excited in, and try to get you, our readers to feel the same way. If your interested in reading a story about swashbuckling adventurers on Mars, about science fiction fun, and a bit of drama too, than that is what we promise to deliver. Our competiton is tight, there is some good work pitted against us, but Keri and I are resolved to making good work.
So stay tuned, and show us your support with votes, favorites, and comments.
Thanks,
Miticis (Chris)
Meh. This might be up to professional standards but ZudaComics is about finding fresh creative talent and ideas. No new concepts or characters here. I dont doubt that you could have wowed us with a great story in the future. But this competition is your opportunity to do that NOW.
Thanks a lot, marcgraci! Glad you like it. I'm a sucker for a classic bar fight in a futuristic world.
This is a total cream dream. The pencils are tight and stylish, the colors are fantastic, and the story is exciting and original. Big ups for including a futuristic bar fight, but still having the common sense to include the classic "break a mug in the face" gag. Classic!!
Hi there, guys! I'm Keri, the writer. Chris and I are very excited to have been chosen as finalists in this month's competition. Thanks so much for your support, and please spread the word about Sea Dogs of Mars.
script 3.5
art 4
total 4
Added to Favourites
BlueMaxx, ZephiriusJix, Steve Steiner, Satori, Snuffle,
Greetings!!!
I really appreciate all the comments and critiques. Colors, texture, wordbubbles and gutters oh my! My Colors, as mentioned before, are a work in progress, some are good, some are hit and miss. The use of texture was very important to me, this is the first story I used it so extensively with purpose; I wanted the environments to feel gritty and used, but still futuristic and new. My major influence in this respect is Firefly. If I can get close to that, I'll be pleased. As far as gutters go, yeah, they are in stark contrast to the art, on purpose, my critique of past competitions is that it was hard to see where the action was going from panel to panel. I didn't want anybody to have any trouble with where they were sapposed to read next. I had the same mentality with the lettering and wordbubble design. Im willing to sacrifice a bit of style for clarity, I don't want the lettering to completly kill my submission as it has for other entrants in the past.
Steam-pirate, I like that! Sci-fi-steam-pirates!
Man, already I can tell, this is going to a gritty battle to the death with the other submissions. Tough competition.
To my new friends and fans, thank you for the support, and spread the word.
For some behind the scenes extras, remember to visit the production blog: www.firebrandcomicsupdated.blogspot.com
as well as Adrianne Mc Cowan's facebook page:
www.facebook.com/home.php?#/pages/Adrianne-Mc-Cowan/42686047748
Thanks for stopping in,
-Miticis (Chris)
Very cool. It modestly reminds me of Pirates of Dark Water with the not only the pirate-theme, but the abstractly colored settings and characters. Like steampunk but with a pirate theme rather than a Tesla-tech. So, I'll dub this sub-genre steam-pirate. Again, very cool.
It looks pretty good, really like what your doing with the art, I don't think the comic needs the thick hard black edges or the white space between. I think seeing as the cross between penciling and computer colouring, it would give a really cool effect to draw in the speech bubbles and speech itself, or seeing as how it's a pirate story give the back of the bubbles a treasure map like feel, and not just leave it completely white. The art is very good though, I just think some other aspects are letting it a bit down.
not bad. I'm still trying to decide if the style of digital coloring over rough pencils works or not. On some pages it works great. On others it's kind of lacking. i really like the logo on her jacket though
"I'm going to hit you now." nice. ..Very solid start here. The sharp story got off the ground while I was still busy enjoying the atmospheric qualities you generated. ..Loving the pub lighting. I can tell you had fun w/ the rim lighting. Even when Adrianne's taking off on the "crop-duster," I noticed the blue halo around her head. ...The depth in the wides works rather well, too. In the page w/ the villian watching the departure, everything is well planted, well placed.
Also, noticing some Scottish plaids I didn't see before. Fun. Good luck. I hope to read the rest of this story.
I really love the colours and pencilwork on this one. My first thoughts on page one were 'wow!' followed by 'nifty graffiti/airbrush/blacklight-ness!' Story and characters look interesting. I particularly loved the steel jaw on the thug. I spent a few minutes just staring at it and the rest of his face. I'm not digging the floodfill used for some of the textures, but I know that's sometimes easier and a lot less time-consuming. I'm interested to see more of the story and details about the other races you've got running around here. 5 stars, fave, great job!
Oh, also? Your title is awesome.
Baz29, RevAKG, Paulmckinneyart,and jimshelly,
Thanks for stopping in to comment.
Color and how it is used seems to be the theme of the competition this month. I dove in head first. Im a penciler first, and color artist later, but I found that I actually had fun with it. I think it works most of the time, but I could have gone overboard in places. As far as the story is concerned, yeah... I played it a bit safe by following a formula for setting up a straight forward adventure plot. My writer and I do however have plans (you've probably heard that before and been disapointed) and we look forward to sending our readers for a bender once they come aboard. You can count on getting a sci-fi adventure story with consistent writing and art, thats a promise.
Keri and I appreciate all the support we can get, so if you like what you see here spread the word. If you don't, tell me why, its the only way I'll learn and get better.
Thanks again,
-Miticis (Chris)
PS:Check out the production blog for neat extras: www.firebrandcomicsupdated.blogspot.com