Doug N Exile

One day, Doug decides that his good buddy, Exile is too evil for everyday life and concocts a masterful plan! That of course being, they become super-villains. This comic takes heroes, villains, robots, sometimes vampires, space adventures, zombies, time travel, confusion, and every other comic cliche that one can think of and mocks them.

Art Review:

The coloring for Doug N Exile is simple, yet effectively shows us the detail in the characters and the backgrounds, which makes it all the more disappointing when the color disappears later on. Compare this page: with the subtleties emphasized by the coloring, to this page: where everything blends together. All in all, the comic should really bring color back to make it feel like we're in the world, instead of staring at drawings.

Writing Review:

The writing more than makes up for the art. I'm loving the character of Exile and his sociopathic tendencies, which sometimes seems highly justified considering the people around him that are total jerks (like the one kid at the baseball game). The only problem I have with it is there is a long period between updates, which throws off the pacing a little, but this sort of thing can be improved over time.

Overall:

I'd rate this comic a 7/10. The art really needs the color otherwise it comes out flat and boring, but the humor of the characters more than makes up for it, despite the comic's pacing. All in all, it's a recommendation, but it does need some improvements.

If I had to sum this comic up in one word, that word would be "WOW"! And I don't mean the over-hyped, pay-as-you-go, multi-player online roleplaying game. This comic delivers on so many levels. It does not pull a single punch. Not that you would expect Exile to pull his punches.

Dialogue:
Lets start out with the dialog. It was very simple, straightforward. That is good simple not bad simple. Each character says only as much or as little as they need to. There is no extra filler. The punchlines are delivered masterfully. The use of font is well done. It is legible AND conveys character and feeling. Bravo! Exile's character really shines in the simple dialog he has. He doesn't mince words. He doesn't play nice. He does what he does without apology. He is a Force of Nature.

The dialog told the story smoothly. So smoothly that I had read through the entire archive without noticing. Grammar, spelling, pacing, was all very well executed.

Story:
This comic has story coming out of its ears. The is instant tension between characters and even internal tension in Exile himself. In this story we are coming to know "who is Exile". I imagine we'll cove more about "Doug" as the story moves forward. One of the best things about the story in this comic is the way that it takes risks. People are maimed, blood is spilled, but not in a safe "tried and true" manner (but also not in a gratuitous manner). The scene with the baseball was brilliant. It was surprising, devious, evil, and perfectly in character.

The story has its twists and turns. It has not yet been predictable. Yet it has also been internally consistent.

Again the pacing was just right. I was immediately drawn into the world of Exile. I love the flashbacks and the unfolding saga of his villainy.

Tone:
The tone of this comic make a nice counterpoint between its bright and happy coloring and the darker themes of Exile's actions. The way the story is told makes you enjoy the brutality of Exile's life in a way that you wouldn't had you seen those event unfold on the evening news. In short it is a whimsical paradoxical Christmas stocking full of death and carnage.

Drawing:
The artwork in the first half of this comic lends itself to the tone of the piece. The happy, bright colors, the clean line-work. It is all very well executed. It is the bright colors that drew me into the story the most.

When the comic switches over to black and white later on, I feel that something of the tone is lost. The line-work is still superb, however, it feels as though it is missing that whimsy that made it work so well in the beginning.

The panels are well set up to tell the story. They varied structure and placement, but I never had to guess which came first. The order was always apparent.

Conclusion:

To sum up, I really enjoyed this comic. I think we get a really good feel for Exile. I think Doug needs to be filled out a bit as a character, but as we have been focusing mainly on Exile, there is probably room for this in coming pages. I really would like to see a return to the use of the bright colors. I really think that added layers to the story, tone, etmosphere etc. All in all this was a thoroughly enjoyable comic! I would recommend it to anyone! It s snappy, witty, and fun!

Writing: 9/10

The writing in Doug N Exile is very simple and easy to understand. From the beginning page, the author jumps right into the plot, without any introduction to the characters. Rather, we learn more about the characters, mostly Exile, as we read along. Although a huge explanation of the characters isn't necessary in the beginning, it would have been nice to have at least one or two pages of the characters talking and introducing themselves more to the readers before jumping into the plot. Once you get past the beginning, however, the writing really picks up. The way the dialogue is written goes very well with the characters and the style of the comic overall. I give it a 9/10.

Art: 9/10

I'm really digging the art style in this comic. It's very clean and professional-looking. The panels are set up neatly and I can easily figure out the order of the panels in each comic. The line art is very smooth and I love the coloring and shading in the first half or so. I was very disappointed when the coloring disappears on this page: http://www.drunkduck.com/Doug_N_Exile/index.php?p=612878 . I would definitely recommend bringing color back in this comic since it was done so perfectly before. It must have been a lot of work, but it really paid off in the end. :) Again, a 9/10.

Overall: 9/10

Overall, I'd definitely recommend this comic to just about anybody. Judging by what I've read from the description, this comic is still at a pretty early stage in the plot. I'm looking forward to keeping up with Doug N Exile and seeing what it'll have to offer in the future.

9/10! ;)

First off, let me say that I've been enjoying this comic, so when I checked for this review, I realized that I had never faved it. Well, that problem's been rectified.

With that said, you folks already know I enjoy this series. For me, you can never really go wrong with a good dose of humor--especially character-driven humor--and this comic has it in spades.

First off, the writing and characterizations are the strongest part of the comic. Although the bulk of the focus is on Exile, even the lesser characters prove entertaining (case in point, the doctor who loves Exile for making him rich). Little tidbits like this help to flesh out the world, and in a humorous way to boot. Dialogue is well written and, even better, pretty snappy. Characters' lines never feel forced or unnatural and, more importantly, serve to develop the characters. (Although one complaint: Exile's line in the first panel of page 23 feels stilted--perhaps some contractions would smooth the dialogue here.) The situations presented are entertaining and funny, no matter how warped things get. Of course, I tend to have a bit of a warped sense of humor, so my view on the humor is biased in its favor.

The art is likewise good--especially when in color. Colors are bright and vibrant with a cell-shaded look. Character expressions are great, and their frequently over-exaggerated nature adds to the humor. Page layout is likewise handled well, and I don't recall ever getting confused with panel order while reading.

As has been mentioned before (in the above reviews), the color does disappear later. Linework is still the same, but without the colors, the elements do tend to blur together a bit. Now that's not to say that the art is ever confusing to look at--because it's not--but if the comic is to continue in black and white, I'd suggest some greater variation in line weights to make characters and essential elements pop more from the background.

All in all, this is a very fun series. Writing and dialogue pop, and the art compliments the writing well. Definitely a title worth checking out.

Note: This is my first review and I'm never really good at this kind of thing so please excuse the choppiness and the poor grammar.

Story: I'm sure for this is only the beginning but for right the story and dialog is easy to understand and. Right now the story is mostly telling us about Exile and his friend, Doug pops up every once in a while and tells him how he needs to be a villain base on all the violent experiences.

Art: I really like the style, its really professional. I also liked the coloring too until page 18 where the color randomly disappeared T_T.

Overall 10/10!: It was funny and I really enjoyed it and I hope Freegurt makes alot more pages. I can't really say anything that everyone else already said so I'm just gonna end it right here before I type something retarded...