Can't go over it, can't go under it.




The Planet Closest To Heaven

Well, where to begin...

"The Planet Closest to Heaven" is a webcomic by Jillyfoo. and it has a lot of pages. I mean, a LOT of pages. Like, 300. And I read them ALL. AT ONCE! MWAHAHAHAHAAAA! So this has got to be a good comic, right? I mean, I wouldn't have sat through 300 pages of a comic I hated just for the sake of this review, right? Well, let's investigate.

Art-

As expected over 300 pages and something like 2 years (probably longer than that because a good majority of the pages in this comic were posted on the same day two years ago, which leads me to believe this was going on well before that), the art has improved dramatically. When I first started reading it, I'm fairly sure most of the art was just pencilled in and scanned with minimal shading, the characters' anatomy was sometimes wonky, and while not quite static, I certainly wouldn't have called it dynamic. It was about average quality you see around here, nothing too special. There was one addition that immediately helped the comic in leaps and bounds, though, and that was charcoal. By the end, Jillyfoo had gotten so good at using it that the rough quality it gave to her pages was perfectly integrated and natural. It really gives the entire quality of work so much more depth and emotion. This is one of the few cases where I wouldn't want to see the comic transition to color, because she actually did for a few pages, and the work definitely lost something. The charcoal shading, I think, is a big reason why the comic has as much character as it does.

But it's not like all the backgrounds here are just varying shades of charcoal. No, far from it. Jillyfoo's backgrounds are another thing that has improved tremendously over the course of the comic. Near the beginning they were still good, but usually kinda minimalistic or non-existent except for shots when the background was important to the scene. But by the end, I tell you, this girl has gotten so good at drawing forests it's stunning. There's no doubt in my mind that the backgrounds are at their finest when there is foliage involved, and fortunately for us there's no shortage of that in TPCTH. Great use of foreground and background in the environments, too, like leaves with minute details like little holes and stuff hanging in front of the characters sometimes which really adds to the atmosphere. Effects with light and shadow on the trees, the amazing drawings of the forest canopies, trees that look nice and happy when the mood is more lighthearted and dark and foreboding when it's not... sorry, I just really like the forests! ^^; Her other backgrounds are good too, they all establish the setting well and are quite convincing.

As for the characters, I wasn't such a huge fan of the gigantic eyes at first, but after a while they seemed more natural to the comic's style, and really started to grow on me. All of the main characters have their own distinctive look and feel, clothes etc. Which reminds me, the clothes are good too. Scout's jacket always struck me as a cool design, and the folds are all very convincing, etc. Also, the facial expressions here are just gold. Jillyfoo even has a tutorial up showing how she does the faces, along with poses and the like (which, btw, is another big plus), and her attention to detail really shows when the characters are showing strong emotions. It really helps connect the characters with the audience, because you know what they're feeling, and you feel for them. Really, they're that good.

But if I had to choose one aspect of the art that I liked the best, I know what it would be. Hands. OMG, the hands. I envy the hands so much. They make me cry. ;( They're just... really, really good hands. She can draw hands from any angle, any perspective, any pose, foreshortened, etc. etc. etc. and it always looks good. Hands are always something I myself have struggled just to make look convincing, but the artist has mastered drawing hands. And for that, I shake my fist at her. *Shake*

I could really go on for hours about the art here. The great contrast of light and dark, the change to a more realistic style when things get hairy... but I don't wanna keep you here all day. Like they say, a picture is worth a thousand words, and nothing I can say could do justice to this extremely well-drawn comic. Just read the damn thing. You'll see.

Oh, and... she does panic really, really good. :)

As far as criticisms, well... Watch out when you're drawing noses, especially on Starla. There were a lot of times where she, and other characters sometimes too, just had an unusually large schnoz. Also, maybe try and be a wee bit more consistent on the size of the eyes. Sometimes they seem a lot bigger than others, and it tends to throw me off. Other than those small things, though, I really can't think of much to say. Fan-flippin'-tastic.

4.5/5

Story-

***YAR! THAR BE SPOILERS IN THE WATERS AHEAD!***

So, when I first started reading the comic (A lot of my sentences start out like that, huh? ^^;) I must admit I didn't think it was going to be anything too special. Most of the characters weren't uninteresting, but the whole set-up seemed kinda familiar to me. The grammar was commonly off too. I'm not quite sure where exactly the point was, but it must not have been until I was through Visions 6 or 7 before I realized... This is one of the best webcomics I've ever read. No, seriously. I think of all the plot devices employed, though, one of them really sticks out to me as being the most unique.

That whole Nameless/Pepe thing just came completely out of left field. It was beautiful.

Nameless seemed like your ordinary henchman to me. He was the last character I ever would have expected to have any real importance in the plot. When I first saw him, he immediately struck me as "Generic assistant bad guy". After they had attacked the school I was quite sure that Faceless (Being way more of a "badass"-type character) was just gonna kill this loser and get on with his evil plans. Boy, was I wrong. In a complete turn of events, he's turned into a cute, fwuffy wittwe furball and sent down to the planet where he meets up with Starla and eventually Scout, who he had been ready to kill not long ago. And naturally, he's still very full of hatred, but he's so cute it's hard not to smile. As the story progresses, we see him perhaps starting to slowly warm up to our main characters... well, Starla, anyway. ^^; Anyway, he was by far my favorite character, as he was the most animated, unpredictable, and... just evil.

That's not to say the other characters were boring or anything, though. Starla provides most of our pity moments. She always seems like such a victim, and it's hard not to feel bad for her.

Scout, on the other hand, is just a pansy, and needs to grow a pair. That is all.

It was great to see the interactions between Scout and Starla. They have a love/hate relationship going on right now. XD And of course Lukaraiah/Demi was a very interesting character in and of herself, and there's still so much mystery surrounding her that I'm sure she'll become even more intriguing as the story progresses.

Another thing I absolutely LOVED about the story is its sense of cohesiveness. A lot of comics tend to be a lot more "episodic" than this, with the characters just moving from place to place and just kinda forgetting about everything that happened before. But in TPCTH, almost everything in the story is an ongoing process. It's hard to say it in a way that makes sense, but... Jillyfoo constantly makes references to things that happened near the beginning of the comic, brings old characters back, etc. This makes it feel like it really is all happening in an ongoing timeline, and makes the story a lot more interesting because you know that there are things just waiting to be resolved, and that something that happened near the beginning will likely resurface instead of just going away, which makes the comic really cool.

Also, There's a significant amount of backstory about the characters and the planet itself. Jillyfoo has spent a lot of time creating this world and its inhabitants, and the carefully crafted story of the different races and beings and their history is a great backdrop for the main storyline. There are some strange creatures that live on this planet, and they're all interesting in their own way because the artist has taken time to give them an identity.

I gotta say, I really can't think of much I can say in the way of crits for the story. It's really great, and each page left me wanting more. I can't wait to see where all this is leading.

5/5

Other stuff:
Well, the composition of the borders and such becomes really interesting about halfway through. One image comes to mind of Starla's eye, criss-crossed by black lines of text... that was a really cool page. The overall setup of the pages gets really dynamic, and helps add to the story. The banner is really cool, too ^_^

Wow... I really rated this one high! ^^; I don't give out scores like this like candy, you know! But she deserves it. I have to say, of all the comics I've reviewed so far, (Which isn't that many, to be fair), this one is my personal favorite. Not to put down the other comics I've reviewed, there was some great stuff there, but TPCTH takes it. If you haven't read this comic yet, read it right now. Seriously, even if you're not a fan of anime. READ IT! Or I'll find you...

And read it all the way through, beginning to end. So much more satisfying that way.

I apologize, Jilly. I know the point of these things is to give you constructive criticism to help you grow as an artist, but... it's your fault for making the comic so good. So there. And besides... if you didn't get anything else out of this review, you got another rabid fan! :) I'll definitely be checking this comic regularly from now on. You've got me hooked.

In conclusion: This comic= sex.

(You said on the By Night forum that you've been feeling frustrated with TPCTH, so first I'm going to address that problem from the point of view of someone who is also frustrated with her comics, then I'll do a normalish review, I suppose.)

Right now, TPCTH is sort of at a stagnant, transitionary point. You've developed so much in your art, so I can imagine you may be frustrated with that aspect a bit - that is the older pages and style not being up to the same quality as now. But now that you have this greater quality art and are surely happy with it, you are still at a point in the story where nothing is really happening! Scout, Starla, and Pepe are walking and giving exposition! It may be necessary to get them to the next area, but it sucks to draw that kinda thing, doesn't it? I feel the same way with my comic Jump right now. People are just walking to work. I want to get to the good stuff. I just thumbnailed some action bits and I got so thrilled! Alas, it has to wait...

When you've lived with a story for a long time, you've seen so far into the future, seen all the cool stuff you've come up with, but oops! You're still at the part where they are walking through the forest...crap! It seems to me that Demon Eater is a much newer idea for you, much more fresh and exciting. So, if you are excited about drawing it, it will show. You'll update more and people will see all the funtimes you are having with it.

Is that an accurate description of your frustration?

I think the solution (if the above is your frustration) is perhaps to review what's happening in TPCTH right now, and if you can cut things out and get straight to more "good stuff," do it! Do some editing to make yourself happy with your work. Or if you just have to keep on trucking, keep on trucking! Take it one step at a time. Us readers and fans want to see what happens. And the more you do, the faster you'll get to a place in the comic that is slightly more inspiring.

Regular Review Type Part

ART 4/5

I give you 4/5 as an average rating, considering your older and newer art.

Your older art is a bit more "naive," shall I say? You weren't as experienced back then, so yeah, you were lazy, no backgrounds, less serious style, not as consistent, etc. That's ALL behind you! Your current art style is so perfect for the story. It's dark and edgy and organic. Your characters, though still maintaining their "manga/cartoon" style, feel solid and real, big eyes and all! Your figure drawing has really helped, and seriously, those forrest scenes can't be beat! However, you can really tell the difference between a page you've worked hard on and page you got lazy on. You can see it especially in the figure drawing. Every once in a while some wonkiness creeps in. I guess you just have to commit to not rushing things if you can help it. (Like I'm one to talk on that point...^_^)

Also, I must add that you have wonderful, interesting, and original character designs that really draw a person into the story. My god I wish I could've created Nameless/Pepe!! Blades in the back...it's genius!

WRITING/STORY TELLING 4.5/5

Once again, I judge your earlier and current writing/story telling style and sort of averaged them out. And, once again, your older stuff isn't as tight as the current stuff.

In the beginning, the dialog was a bit forced and unnatural. That sort of amateur-manga style dialog, if you know what I mean. Anyway, it fit the experience level of your art at the time, and as you've grown artistically, you've also gotten better at your dialog coming off more naturally.

The actual story telling has always been excellent. You created an amazing and intricate world full of mystery and have done a great job of revealing things and explaining things as needed, without going too crazy on the exposition. (I know it needs doing sometimes!) There has been no moment in the story, that I can recall, that has felt off or untrue to the world you created. The world is sound!

Well, that is all I can think of for now. I may edit this later.

Hope some of this helps you out JillyFoo!

I can't tell ya how grateful I am for your advice and encouragement.

CoyoteLongshot: thank you so much for reading it all through and reviewing the comic. Last DD review TPCTH had, I don't think most of the people read it all through. You really took it apart and it's great to hear that my efforts of fitting the story all together is starting to pay off.

Alejkhan your advice has been very helpful. I'll work hard on getting to that good part.

If anyone else has critiques for TPCTH, I'm all ears.

I've been a reader of The Planet Closest To Heaven since its early days on DD. It's one of the best comics around and I always recommend it for anyone who wants to read a great webcomic.

Here's my overall thought on both Art and Story:

Art:-

The comic's art is improving as it progressing. That's a good thing. The comic's enviroment designs are very good and the referencing had helped JF to create the world she wanted to create. I can tell that JF puts hell of an effort in every page. There are so many details in the art which creates an interesting atmosphere whether it is for eerie reasons and funny moments.

The anatomy is getting better by time. There were moments were the anatomy was kinda weird but it got better (but hey, I'm not even better when it comes to anatomy). So, all in all... I'll give the art 4/5.

Story:-

This is where the comic is powerful.

When I started to read the comic, it, automatically, captivated me.

The pacing is very well-balanced throughout the archive. The idea of creating creatures and it seems normal is very weird yet intriguing idea. The planet that the heroes are in is very mysterious.

We follow the story of Starla, Scout, and Pepe (or Nameless). Everyone of them had their own story before they got together for the time being. Starla has always looked high on their oldest sister where she used to work in a diner with a big woman (forgot her name) until things went bad when it got burned. Scout got involved with Luka (a Danirean... it's like a human created creature). She tells Scout on their way to school that she's gonna die. Scout didn't believe it until Nameless and Faceless would show up and attack the school. After awhile, Scout and Luka were able to escape to a deep forest. Nameless get turned into a fluffy dog by Faceless when they fight inside a ship that's close to the weird planet which Faceless would flush Nameless onto the weird planet and to be noticed by Starla which becomes her pet.

The story is long and yet, it's very captivating. I could go on for hours talking about the story because it's very good to recite it.

I'll rate the story 5/5.

I recommend anyone who's into a great webcomic... start reading this epic of a comic.

And JillyFoo, keep the great job and I'm a fan and friend until the day I die. :p

I've been reading TPCTH for a couple of years now, and it certainly has its great and weak points.

First, the weak, since criticism is always easier than praise:
(1) The pacing is generally very slow, making this a powerful BOOK but a frustrating per-update READ. I bought the first volume and have enjoyed going through the print version more than trying to keep up with each page as it is posted on the Duck. JillyFoo is writing a long story here, and one that is obviously going to progress by chapters. This makes it hard to read as a webcomic.
(2) The art can be very, very random. JillyFoo's use of everything from photo-realism to chibi manga style to smeared graphite is sometimes. . . confusing. Especially when she seems to be using a direct photo reference, and as such her characters suddenly stop looking like "themselves." Starla's nose once took on Herculean proportions, for example, and Scout's height is indeterminant. Usually the style of art reflects the mood of the moment, but overall it can be visually bewildering on a page.

Now, the strong:
(1) This is a story with creepy boss battles, magic (?), and damsels in distress. And yet all of these are NOT typical, making the outcomes of each story arc unexpected and novel. Each character is very much their own person, with enough quirks to make them almost uncomfortably human. Even the ones who aren't really human.
(2) The art can be very, very good. When JillyFoo is at her best the world of TPCTH is a dark and forboding place filled with dangerously irreverant smiles and glowering brows. She does dark and metric to the hilt.

Overall, TPCTH is one of the best go-through-the-archives stories on the Duck. However, it's not so much fun to try and keep up with it on every update, since each page tends to have such a small snippet of the overall story. I suggest buying the books and checking once a month, and be prepared for a controlled spin of madness in the best of gothic horror/humor/science fiction!

-ML

At the beginning the comic desperately needs some sound effects and/or words, because I wasn't sure what's going on and when people cry they make sounds, I felt like I gone deaf. I understand that those were memories and everything, but because of the lack of sounds first couple of pages struck me as odd at first.

Art~
The pages are well planned and the variety of the frames makes it interesting to the eye. The art itself progresses and improves as the comic goes on. I liked the shading, but if you decide to shade you have to apply some shading to all of the frames even if it's a little bit, because otherwise it seems odd that some of the frames are completely white and some of the are dark. Also if you are shading the background, you gotta apply some on the people too otherwise it's weired that they are completely white. You seem to have balanced it out more later on with your ink work, which by the way is very nice, but there is always room for improvement ;) Fight scenes are very nice. The dynamics seem to be all in place, well done. My biggest concern is that your inking seems to be a little bit sloppy, especially on black hair, it makes the drawings look rushed and makes it seem like you're not putting in enough effort. Now, I know you do, but your inking says otherwise. When you ink try to make lines not with your wrist but with your elbow, especially long ones, otherwise lines look sketchy.

Plot~

Very captivating. Good job. I definitely faved it. I don't think any more comments are needed on this. It's just good. Nicely balanced, giving away just enough information to keep the reader in interested, but wondering what happens next.