But Not Really

But Not Really is a peek into the imaginations and costume trunks of Jessica and Amanda. It features an array of adventures, tales of real life, and utter nonsense.

Why is nobody reviewing this comic?

First I have to admit that But Not Really isn't the most consistent comic, but when it hits it hits well; for instance this comic actually made me laugh out loud multiple times. The writing is at times very absurdist humor, of which I've always been a big fan.

From what I understand, this comic consists of a mix of pre-existing and and newly made photographs, so I suppose the only thing that can be said artwise would be how cleverly certain dialogue is added to different older photographs, which would apply more to the writing. Some, here for example, I can't help but assume that the idea for the page came on the spot; not to mention that this features probably my favorite photo comic actor in my favorite photo comic panel ever ;)

In conclusion, (as term papers, tps reports, and webcomic reviews often end) the better strips easily make up for any inconsistency (especially since there really aren't any bad strips per se) and are enough to keep me coming back.

3.5/5

But Not Really is a compilation of photo montages, rather than a single story-driven comic. Individual page themes range from travel log to historical make-believe to utter nonsense. And every page is a delight.

It takes no time to understand what is happening in this ode to sillyness. Some panels have Jess and Amanda in costumes, with or without their pals, doing stuff. The comradery among the actor/models feels, and I imagine is real. These folks are friends.

Other panels are people-less, simple concepts like photographing a ceramic squirrel and adding dialog. But every photo montage has a clever idea behind it with a Monty Python twist to the action and dialog.

Here are noteworth pages to show you range.
Historical: Karl Marx going head to head with Derick is a classic. http://www.drunkduck.com/But_Not_Really/index.php?p=526843
Painful Reality: Amanda's baseball days as a slugger for GM - possibly something to do with their bankruptcy ; ). http://www.drunkduck.com/But_Not_Really/index.php?p=538343
Revenge: Women may find this funnier than guys do. http://www.drunkduck.com/But_Not_Really/index.php?p=562199
Lost: We can all relate. http://www.drunkduck.com/But_Not_Really/index.php?p=562199
Travel Noir or Not: These black and white photos are good. http://www.drunkduck.com/But_Not_Really/index.php?p=570229

The production values are good with excellent photos and terrific, unstilted dialog. The word balloons are clean and the text is easy to read.

Now for suggestions—actually request might be a better word.
1. More cohesion between your themes. Run all your wonderful ideas a single basic concept which could be very broad. See #2.
2.The forties. Your black and white photos would make this era a natural.

To cap my review this comic inspires, delights and celebrates fun, friendship and silliness. And from the number of comments at the bottom of your pages readers agree.

My first review here on DD! Hope it's helpful! :D

Plot/Dialogue:
The photographic style with dialogue added later is a clever idea. The randomness allows for incredible flexibility when it comes to telling the jokes. This is great because when a "slow day" hits, the overall comic can pick up the slack by having several good days. It also lends itself to appealing to more readers than if it were a simple static plotline.

Art:
While I'm not usually a fan of the photographic style, this one is actually good in my opinion. The reason is that the models/actors look like they are genuinely having fun! It's not a chore for them to create this comic, but instead a way to commemorate a day having fun together. The only thing I'd like to see improved if possible is that some of the photos are a bit dark or darker than other shots of the same-ish thing, such as the first panel in: http://www.drunkduck.com/But_Not_Really/index.php?p=571830 or there's also some strips where there's red eye from flash. It's more of a nitpicky thing, as it doesn't really take away from the strip, but it might be something to touch up if there's spare time to do so.

Overall:
I do like this comic, especially since I have an appreciation for Monty Python style comedy, as k1at mentioned this bears a liking to. There's not a lot of change that I would recommend making to this comic in general. I think it's got a good thing going by being unique and still well done. It's kept my interest since I joined Drunk Duck and I've even made other people read some strips when I feel that it matches their humor or taste perfectly. I feel this comic is well rounded and entertaining and should appeal to a mass audience because of it's diversity.

But Not Really is a random and spontanious comic, with great costumes and imaginative stories that

The comic is layed out in a neat and professional way, making it easy to read, and the speech bubbles are well placed and do not get in the way of the photos.
The dialogue is easy to follow, the grammar is good and I didn't notice any spelling mistakes, and the speech is set out in a way that you can easily see who is talking.

The stories in this comic can be incredibly random, but I found all of them at least slightly amusing, some more so than others. For example, I found the Squirrel Bird Feeder story very funny, although some people may find it rather disgusting. I think in general there are stories in this comic for everyone, since there is so much variety in the subjects.
As I mentioned earlier, the costumes used in this comic are great, and really help with the stories and make them more believable.

Overall I think this comic is a good fun read for anyone who enjoys short stories and needs a bit of a laugh.

But Not Really is a Gag-A-Day style Photo comic.While this lends it a great amount of variety as opposed to having an overarcing plot it also leads to the occasional clunker of a strip.

The dialogue feels natural and the actors(Models?) always seem to be enjoying themselves in every strip which helps pull you into the generally silly mood the comics have.Each strip is laid out well and flows naturally from one panel to the next easily pulling the reader along.

The biggest problem i have with But Not Really is more of a style issue than anything else.While the photographic style is nice and the two of them put out an enjoyable comic with it,it's still limiting creatively.Unlike a Hand Drawn comic BNR has to limit themselves to what they can reproduce in the real world or mimic in a computer paint program.On the positive side though,this lends the comic an almost B-movie quality that I actually thinks works in they're favor.

Overall But Not Really should appeal to fans of sketch comedy or random out of left field style humor. If it was video instead of still pictures I could see it filling a slot on Adult Swim or IFC.If you haven't given it a shot then I would suggest doing so immediately.

I'm never normally a big fan of photographic comics because they remind me of the relationship short stories in agony aunt newspapers, but I really enjoyed going through this comics archives.

Not being an especially good photographer, there's not much I can comment on in terms of the picture quality, although the photographs with more attention payed to the lighting and poses raise the comic quality than those that have a more home-photo feel. The people involved are obviously enjoying themselves though, and it shows.

Any digital effects added afterwards are endearingly tacked on and to me add to the charm. The speech bubbles quality can vary a lot, and it woud be better if they could be kept more consistant.

The humour seems to cover every base possible, so it's likely you'll find something you like in the archives, this comic being my particular favourite for its sheer randomness. Some of the more random ones may be more hit and miss and its never an out loud laugh, but the humour makes the comic very enjoyable.

As long as the ideas keep coming, this is a great comic for a gag everday.

I can say that I never really read photo-comics (except for A Softer World , God, I love that comic) and it seems 'm going to keep it that way.

The humour can be branded as absurdist but it goes beyond that and almost feels like most of the comics are inside jokes among the creators. Some of the jokes are executed well but many of them lack a punchline and any force behind it to make them pop to the reader. It's hard to say anything about the writing since it's pretty sporadic. The flow of the panels can be jittery at times since it's hard to follow what happens in the "gutter" [en.wikipedia.org] and according to Scott McCloud, the gutter is important.

ART:

Well, they're photos. So, no real drawing advice is needed. The pictures themselves have some all right angles to them and some are shot particularly well but at the end of the day, they're photos and I really can't say much about them. You seem to have a basic grasp of panel flow and it works for you. One thing, the pixels that are visible on the speech balloons always irk me in the wrong direction. I like to see cleaner speech balloons. Other than that, everything seems to be in order. Pretty basic stuff.

I'm not sure if I was on base with the "inside joke" comment but that's the one piece of advice I can give. No inside jokes. Inside jokes can kill webcomics.

Well,I've read this comic and I've seen other photo comic.And I have few opinion about it.

The Story
Well,In fact,I don't get what's going on in that story.The story is little too hard to understand!!!Think more and try to make a comic everyone can understand and laugh about it.Maybe you can try to make something only photo can express...

The art
Well,To be honest,The art is not that good as well...
I don't now who's the actor is,The acting is little awkward.
I can't feel anything when I see the faces.It doesn't really show a feeling.
They're all smiling if they are doing this just for joke(In facct,that's the purpous).It might be fun to the actor but it's not really fun to the reader.All I can think is "What?"!!!When you're making a photo comic,The expression is really important!!!You have to make it feel so funny!!!I know all the actors are enjoying this,and that's good!!!But if you want to make a nice one,you act better!!!

well,I might show a sample of a comic...This is a photo comic from Korea...

It's a comedy about a man who have a girlfriend who's arm pit is really stinky...


http://blogfile.paran.com/BLOG_168336/200709/1188796345_1178883254_4365_002.jpg
**Picture to big. Image changed to link. Moderator note**

It doesn't mean you're bad or something,You can improve it!!!
You just have to work on your humor and the act!!!Don't worry!!!
You can do it!!!

So keep on making this comic!!!

I look for two thing, Art and story. I don't really do ratings because its hard to tell the diference between a perfect 10 and a 9/10.

ART-
Pictures are clear and don't block the view of anything important. You know just the right image to leave an impression in my mind. Speech bubbles don't block anything, and all the actors involved really fit the part. This may sound cheesy but the smiles seal the deal. I like how some pages have a background between the panels, this is a nice touch and keep doing that, it may seem like no one noticed but it really ties up the layout. Very nice one of the best photo comics in terms of quality.

STORY-
Seems like every few strips is something different, so I'll focus on the single strip stories. You don't waste time with unnecessary panels and long wording, it was like the words and pictures were born together. Its like a short story the way you present a problem, the way the characters handle it, a funny climax, and leave the exposition to us or have one last panel. This is a really good way of making a photo comic because you can't waste time setting up the punch line or having too many 3 panel quickies. You're right in the middle and that's swell :D Maybe have more narrator boxes to clear up what might be confusing.

My favorite page

All in all you seem to have everything down just some touching up could really perfect this comic. Can't wait to see more out of you!
All in all

This comic is pretty good. Most of the comics are funny with only a few exceptions. The humour is unique and quirky, I like that.
Some of the effects used are pretty doodgy. It's not an important thing, but the photos could be manipulated a lot better.
The site design is something I want to comment on. It is very good. When I first loaded But Not Really I thought I had left drunk duck. My heart skipped a beat when I saw drunkduck in the URL.
The photography is usually pretty good and the actors usually do a pretty good job.
As an film student I can really appreciate the difficulty in creating a good photo comic like this.