(CURRENT REVIEW)

There's been some activity in here recently. That's great.

http://www.drunkduck.com/Fated_Feather/

Well, that was a meaty archive to read through. Took me a while!
Reading through made me add it immediately to my 'faves' list though. I haven't got so wrapped up in the storyline of a webcomic in some time. So...let's review!

Obviously, the thing that really stood out for me here was the setting and storyline. I don't want to spoil anything for you here before you read it, but it's fantastical, yet historically well-researched. There are many layers of mystery and intregue and the basic concept of the comic is very cool indeed. The character designs are wonderful too, and the distinct personalities and voices of each crew member are established firmly as the story progresses. Sometimes the story can tip into being just a little too mysterious, and what's going on becomes a bit fuzzy, but for the most part the plot is very solid. I should also add here, that the dialogue is great. The lines seem natural without being dull or slipping into melodrama, and even when talking about fantastical things, it retains a sense of believability.

The storyboarding of the comic is also very good, but I was disappointed to find that the creator stopped being as experimental with the panels later on. In early strips, the shots chosen gave a film-like feeling and were more atmospheric. On the other hand, the panels and shots used now are more consistant, and the page is filled more efficiently. I'd like to see some of the experimental work return to the comic.
The artwork is mostly good, but not without flaws. The use of the pencil for shading is fantastic, pencil is used to give everything texture and depth better than I've seen it used in a long time. The character designs are also great and the artist has a wonderful eye for angles and space. On the other hand though, the actual anatomical work could do with a bit of improvement. The characters are often strangely proportioned or awkward looking. Facial expressions too, are often bland, people rarely show much expression, everybody looks vaguely sad and bored all the time, so the dialogue has to be over-relied on for information. Not that the dialogue isn't brilliant, but with more attention paid to body language and expression, it'd deliver even better.

In conclusion,I'd say all that needs improving about this comic is the actual drawing on a basic level. The plotline is brilliant, the pacing works well and the style is very appealing. With a little improvement to the way the charactarers are drawn, this would become a comic on the level, if not above the level of stuff I'd pay money for in shops.

wow, that really was a long archive. In a good way though!!
The plot itself is rather jumpy (it IS about time traveling though..!) and sometimes can be a little hard to follow, mostly because the whole story is enshrouded in mystery.
I think one thing I'd like to see more of, is the interactions with the different time periods. It feels a bit like that's only been used to provide lush backgrounds and settings. I want to see how Lywren changed from those 10 years in modern times, I want to see anachronisms, maybe some interactions with everyday people. I do like how the tone is old-fashioned, but I'm curious as to how the characters integrate modernity with the past. For instance, there's a fleeting line, something like "learn how to use the internet". That could have been expanded on- maybe some confusion on Lywren's part, or later on, she can be more modernized- after all, she's spent 10 years stranded in the future!
I guess what I'm saying is, you should try to play more with the time-travel aspect. It doesn't have to be Back to the Future, but just something.

The dialogue is great; you have some amazing lines. Oddly, I felt like more characterization was needed for Hawke than the others. I felt like she had this tone of Greatness about her personality, that it made her seem distant, even from the reader. I know she has a troubled past, that Wolfe murdered her crewmate, but these are all external, and I want to know more of what she's *feeling*.
One part I liked is when you're showing flashbacks to Krayne. The things she said, like about the mushroom and seashell, just tickled my fancy for some reason.

As far as art, I really love the style. It's completely unique. However, there are some issues with anatomy in certain frames. I think that your trouble areas were in the proportions of your characters' arms, and Wolfe's jawline in certain scenes. But your backgrounds are excellent!

Concept wise, it's a dream come true. I love the idea of this mystical time travelling. You've got a fan in me! Good job!

Overall, I'd say 89/100. But that's me being a tough grader. It's a great work, keep it up!

Ditto to what Monogoose said....

But rather than just echo what Monogoose said, I'll also write my own review here.

Story: Very well done. it's a little bit jumpy in some places but I don't mind that too much as seeing it doesn't take way too much from the story itself. the plot is intersting to say at the least... I never know quite what to expect next! ^^

Art: yeah, the poses does look very akward in some panels.... I would suggest that if she, the artist has an full body mirror in her house or room somewhere, to use it to pose in front of if she want to visualize how people might move naturally. or better, use a webcam/camera to take pictures and stuff so that the artist in question have some stuff to base off for nice poses and stuff.
But aside from the whole stiff posture issue there's some pretty nice penicl work here. I'm usually not a fan of the penicl sketchy look, as seeing in my opinion it just feels and looks competely too messy to me. But here, it doesn't feel too messy at all. it's actually a "neat messy" feeling. You know, picture the artwork like a room where it's more or less clean, just a couple littering stuff like clothes and other miscellous stuff stewn about in strangetic places where the person might need them later on. not quite clean in that complete sense, giving it that lived in, homey feeling to me. that's exactly how the artwork feels like to me, and I like it.
and that's very rare coming from somebody that dislike how pencil lines look on paper.

Characters: very well defined characters.. I can tell who's who, even though I may forget thier names sometimes.
hey what can I say? I'm a face person, not a names person... good with faces, sucks with the name-remembering.

So in summary: Fated Feather, if I had to rate the comic... I'd give it a 9/10. Excellent storytelling, pacing, and art minus the flaws.

Mf.
I don't know if I'd say there should be greater involvement with the time travel. I think that would actually distract from the point of the story, which has very little to do with time travel.
The time travel is all about atmosphere and art. It is a setting, not a subject.

Similarly, if Hawke's feelings were expanded on too much, she wouldn't serve well as a protagonist in a story wrapped in subtlety and symbolism.
To say nothing of the fact that Hawke ISN'T expressive. That's a part of her character, and if it changed, she wouldn't be herself. There are very few times that we see her express herself much at all, and all of them SAY something important.
In the end, she expresses herself though usually not expressing herself.
She reveals her thoughts and feelings by trying to hide them and occasionally failing.

Where anatomy is concerned, I'll admit I'm not a good judge and that I don't notice a lot of the specifics.
But one thing that bothers me with some frequency is noses.

Unfortunately, I must run and cannot finish my thoughts. Apologies!