I totally though my car died today. Turns out it didn't.

What? Comic? Sure, go nuts.

http://www.drunkduck.com/Detective_Fork/

ART
Not amazing, but good. There's a very defined style going on, and ocasionally some really interesting uses of black and white. Gripes include, somtimes the characters are pretty off model. Their features seem to have difficulty staying in the same place on their faces. Also, your perspective is pretty bad on the shots where it's used. The gym scene specially. But these are minor details that rarely hinder the overall style. Some nice enviroment work too, when there are backgrounds.

Oh wait. That fight scene was akward as hell. The panel where he throws the weight at that muscular fellow was so detailed I had no idea what was going on. Erf.

Just an opinion, but I really think you're limiting yourself with the 4 panel format. Unless you're actually publishing these in paper, switching to a full page format would give you much greater control over the story telling.

So yeah, mostly solid, some creative uses of black and white, a shame it's in a mere four panels.

WRITING
Damn, does this comic ever have style. This page, http://www.drunkduck.com/Detective_Fork/index.php?p=578 contains the most badass intro to a character and his world that I have ever read ever. "mysteries spring from the cracks like crimson daisies"? Hell yeah! The entire premise of the comic is also pretty brilliant. Silverware Noir? Love it. I loved that tagline you used to have about your comic too, something about the rusty underbelly of crime. And even beneath the style the writing is solid.

So, no complaints here really. I still say a full page deal would be better than newspaper style, but whatever, really. It works as is. Except the fight scenes. Those don't really work in the tiny tiny format you're using.

OVERALL
Smooth as silver storytelling with some stylish black and white art (which is sometimes akward) playing backup. So, you know, good job. I like it.

Yizzeah! It's about tizzime.

...

I will never get into that horrifying culture.

Detective Fork has always been a favorite of mine. I know NOTHING about the Film Noir genre, but I'm sure that if I did, I'd be praising it all the same. But, as Eggbert said, no sugar coating

ART: I love the art of this comic, like the fact that DF loooks like a regular utensile with his coat off (who knew?), but a badass, no-nonsense champion of justice when it's on. There are some anatomical mistakes that can be easily worked out ('Anatomical? They're utensils!' you might say. But sometimes you do incorporate human flexibility into it), but for the most part, it's good. You're talented, which REALLY helps... because that means that when you WANT to draw something new, you can. It's more than what I can claim.

Another gripe... I DESPISE the layout. I feel our favorite detective is being squashed by the strip-sized layout you have conformed him to. I REALLY think you should break out... you could always rearrange when you get syndicated. My comics are epic though, so it would be harder to rearrange those. It suffers from lack of room, and without room, it's hard to write good dialogue without a lot of snappy one-liners. You could make them all the same size, but MUCH bigger... like Penny Arcade! They've had the same sized comic since day one, and it totally works.

WRITING:
I love the stories in this... a LOT. There are some cliché badass detective things in there, but they don't make things aweful enough to turn away. I like the fact that you have a detective in the past and future... it's really cool. And of course, incorporating a superhero into it makes everything aaaaaallll better. I can't wait to see how this progresses in the future.



Four out of five spoons.

Y'know, when I at first read this comic a while ago I was like 'Oh hell no.' I mean, it sounds like such a REDICULOUS premise (which..y'know, it sort of is). And it's for that same reason that this comic will never reach the mainstream, but instead always be 'indie'.

It's an indie noir silverware comic. I think the one weakness this comic has is the fact that because the characters are silverware it's hard to tell them apart sometimes. The small, constricting panels don't help. I agree with Eggbert when I say that more full page comics would be nice. But the inking is pretty damn classy and goes with the 'stylish' storyline.

Overall it's a pretty good comic, though it lacks universal appeal. However it's damn original.

Wow, these are some really insightful reviews. To address some of the criticisms specifically:

Characters being off-model - I do have trouble keeping everything looking exactly the same from panel-to-panel. Some of it is deliberately left in, though. I don't worry about consistency as much as what I think looks good in each frame. I also purposely exagerate the art in places. Style and trying to be dynamic are the most important things to me in drawing the comic. But yes, I sometimes slip up and draw like crap.

Anatomy - It's not always a strong point of mine and seems to vary day-by-day. Do any of you have the same problem I do in that some weeks your art is spot-on and some weeks you feel like you've regressed?

Perspective - That weight room scene does make me cringe a bit but it was drawn about a year ago. I think I might have gotten a little better but perspective is something I also keep working on. I look at the Dick Tracy comics throughout the years and see how Chester Gould started out with pretty shifty art. He just kept going on telling his stories and the art got better over time. This is what I'm hoping for. Whereas comic book artists seem to have to be professional-level to work for the big companies, comic strips with almost amateur art appear in newspapers all the time. I don't expect Detective Fork to show up in national newspapers but I don't feel too bad when I look at published examples.

Detective Cliches - Noir has its cliches that define it, like any other genre. My goal is to turn these on their head a bit, yet not stray too far. For example, Fork has the traditional monologue of detective stories but I try to make it veer more towards beat poetic when I can. What other cliches have I fallen into?

The Layouts - This seems to be the biggie and it's the one I think I'm most unwilling to change. I use the strip layout because I want Fork to resemble traditional comic strips, mainly from the 1940s. Comic strips resemble film frames and I think it fits an old detective story. I also use a strip format because it's the most economical. I'm in a pattern with it and I can get strips done in a reasonable amount of time, whereas a bigger layout takes more time for me to do and I don't have much more free time to do that. It's also a weakness of mine because I have an easier time envisioning the art in a smaller box than on a page with lots of space to work in. What I'm more likely to do at this point is try to improve my ability to draw a good action scene within the frames I set. I know it's possible; I just haven't nailed it down yet. I'm considering doing a story in a larger format but I don't think I can swing it on a regular basis.

Mainstream Appeal - Yeah, I don't have that. I don't do a comic about video games or roomies, so that limits the potential online. Even more, it's a weird story about silverware set in the detective noir genre. Even if noir has had a resurgence, it's still an oddity. And it's an inherently comic premise that I don't treat as comedy. Would my stories do better if they featured human or even furry characters? Most likely. But I think I've got something original and I love doing it, so I'm going to keep at it. While I do hope for a bigger audience than I have and would enjoy having a cult following, I've accepted that barring some amazing luck and an exception to the rule, Detective Fork isn't going to be a huge sensation. I'll just keep drawing it as long as I enjoy it.

So, thanks for the reviews and I hope to get a few more! :-)

BTW, if you want to see Fork done in a slightly different format, look here: http://www.drunkduck.com/Detective_Fork_2/

Here is my two cents, and perhaps it's biased, but hopefully not.

Upon meeting Kevin through Drunk Duck, and to say he is a dear on-line friend of mine who I converse with regularly when I see him thru AIM, is quite an understatement. We are constantly discussing each other's works, the strives, our goals for our creations and so forth.

Knowing he is a good writer, you can definately tell it from the comic. He definately has a Kerouac style going on in DF's monolouges, which he was trying to tell me he was going for. The biggest thing for any comic about something a bit out there, is the writing. If you're dealing with creatures with human features but instead are food, dining utensils, to giant mutant ninja turtles, you need to have a good story. Usually, 9 times out of 10, it fails. It really does. Kevin's writing though makes the whole thing seem plausible and you quickly forget that forks do NOT wear damn cool looking detective coats and DO NOT talk and solve crimes. But damn if I get lost in the story.

While I do agree with Eggbert, albiet I know Kevin's thoughts on the whole classic strips from the day, I do think Fork would benefit from the full-page view. From a guy who can speak from personal expierence, while it may at times be frustrating to fill a page, other times, it works completely to your advantage. You can tell more story and do more complex fight scenes. I moved from, at the most, a 6 panel comic. Granted, Fork is a film/detective/crime noir, and I defiately understand the beauty of doing a classic strip in that sense. So it's a 50/50 bag in that respect.

But, while the art is lacking in some points, Kevin definately takes chances and knowingly pushes himself. And for that, I definately give him credit, as I am horrible with art. While I know they don't, for character model's sake, look 100% correct or even 80% at times, I think that each panel is amazing and works for the story being told within that one panel, and it hardly destracts me from the story Kevin is trying to tell, as the writing makes you lose yourself in the story of the 3 pronged dick. :)

And i will admit too, when I first saw it on Drunk Duck, I really thought the idea was incredibly rediculous. I mean, c'mon, a detective and he is a FORK!? No way. But Kevin makes it work, and it does; it works well. I give it an 8 out of 10, and that is coming from a guy who doesn't love just every webcomic he reads. Keep up the amazing work, bro.

I like the style very Milk & Cheese. Good story arc and fun characters make it readable on a daily basis. As far as the mainstream it would be a tough sell but I'm sure the artist knows that or he would not have choosen a fork for the main character.

What can I say? I have a profound respect for anyone who can do that high-contrast black and white art so well, after having tried it myself and failing miserably! I love detective noir too, and I have to agree the writing and dialogue are top notch.
I'm a big fan of unique character designs and concepts, and DF has indeed some very cool looking characters. Detective has a sweet getup too, I've always loved that coat of his.
I can't say I've ever found the premise ridiculous either, I find the idea of anthromorphic silverware highly amusing and it does make for some great eating utensil based puns. :D
And whenever I hear the song "watching the detectives" by Elvis Costello, the first thing that comes to my mind is this comic.

I'm so gonna have to find that song now!