Fusion

Take a glimpse into another dimension and meet Savunn Adams, a Cambodian teen who finds her soul fused to an interdimensional entity that grants her superpowers. Tag along with her as she fights villainy, defends the innocent, tries to find time for a date, and stands up for Ewoks.

Well this is interesting. A webcomic about a cambodian geek gal superheroine. Thumbs up for the premise.

The overall presentation is very good, and quite professional, with the cover looking like a pro print comic one, and all the text boxes and bubbles and the title and interior fonts looking really nicely finished with well chosen colours. The blue and indigo colour scheme ties the comic nicely together. the only thing I'd mark down on the presentation is that the gutters are too thick. It would look better if at least the vertical gutters between panels were about half the size. The panels are quite small and feel constricted, and the coloured and shaded, shiny gutters draw attention away from the contents of the cels.

The dialogue is well written. Good spelling, punctuation and grammar, plenty of character. It reads very naturally. But there's too much of it. The pages are packed with dialogue and narration boxes. While the long-winded narration is in-character for the heroine, who's something of an excitable teenage chatterbox, it's just overwhelming how much written information we're presented with. Within 7 pages we've been introduced to the heroine, a mysterious background voice, three members of the astronomy club, a cheerleader and the heroine's crush and been told in detail about all of them. It's too much information, and would be better either spread out or cut down.

The art is clean and clear with an American cartoon edge to it, a bit Disney esque (and I don't consider that a bad thing at all) and a bit like the style of stuff like 'X-men Evolution' or 'Batman the Animated Series' with that sharp, clean look and lots of smooth swooshy curves. It's well drawn, though seems to struggle sometimes on the more dynamic poses because the very clean, controlled, simple lines don't seem too suited to complex or extreme poses or expressions.
Personally I'm not keen on the combination of very sharp black lines with a universal line weight combined with the smooth shading. I think sharper cel shading would complement the lines more, or that lines with a bit of thickness variation would look better with the soft shading. Both the lines and shading and effects are very well done, it's just that personally I feel like they're fighting each other. The lines are too simple, in my opinion, to support all the complex fancy effects being used with them. I think either simplifying the colouring style to something more graphic and sharp to match the inking, or changing the inking to something a bit more dynamic and detailed to complement the colours and effects would really make the art look better.
Overall though, it is still good artwork with some nice looking effects and a classic saturday morning feel. It's finished, consistent, clear, confident and easy on the eye, so pretty much everything you want from a webcomic.

If you want a superhero comic with well-realised and designed, believable characters and a bright, finished, cartoon-ish art, I'd recommend giving it a look.

Fusion. What can I say, this comic renews my faith in the superhero genre. It is a very well done comic, funny and endearing.

Artistically it is handled very well. The lines and coloring are clean. The anatomy is quite decent. Though sometimes there are slight inconsistencies in the facial shapes from panel to panel. Slight. Not earth-shattering. I really like the coloring. The color scheme fits the mood of the comic well.

Layout. The layout is consistently good. Panels are logically arranged and there is no confusion as to where the reader's eye is supposed to go. This is not to say the layout is dull either. Fusion does play around with non-box shapes for panels and breaks the page in interesting ways.

Dialog. I think this comic really shines because of the dialog. The art it beautiful, no doubt, but the dialog really carries it. The addition of the omnipresent beings and the first person narration really aide the storytelling. The banter and the the way that Fusion describes events really make that endearing quality that I've come to love.

That brings me to character. The character of Fusion herself is very well done. She is believable as a teenager. She is believable as a person. AND she is very likeable AND we are able to empathize with her. The other teens are handled well. They are not cardboard cutouts or stereotypes, they have wishes and dreams. So far the heroes are panning out well. Time will tell if they are as deep as the other characters, but they are handled exceedingly well. They parody common superheroes without copying.

Overall, this comic is a pleasure to read. I would recommend it to anyone who is looking for a fun read.

Okay seriously this got me to fav it. I was drawn in by the feature, but stayed because of the fun.

I was almost thrown off by Fusion talking to us(the readers) directly, but I still read on. This comic is very interesting. I actually like the references into the world of comics through "The Brooder" and other likenesses. This comic is really fun to read. I think it was really well written.

I think I'm tired of Fusion and Bob arguing back and forth. It already seems a bit redundant.

The art is top notch and stable. The characters are well thought through and not just tossed in for good measure. I think the comedy needs a little work, because at times it can seem a bit cliche.

But all in all a very good and enjoyable read.

8/10

I actually heard of this comic before it was featured from a friend, really liked it. Anyway here's my review.

Story: The story's a pretty simple superhero set up, girl gets powers and uses them to fight bad guys, it sounds "done before" but the story is handled well and kinda felt like it was there to poke fun at all the superhero comics out there (The Brooder like a parody Batman), the dialogue is also pretty good and I've never seen any misspells in it.

Art: Best art I've seen in a webcomic, the art has a sort of "Batman: The Animated $Series" type feel and style to it that fits the style of the comic. The page layout is pretty varied and never gets old to me.

Anyway I'd give it like a 9.2/10, must read in my opinion.

When starting this comic, had seen it featured for a while. Glimpsed at it several times before reading. But finally started to read it. It beat my expectations and initial judgements.

Artwork: It feels like a saturday morning cartoon. Thing I personally just dont like. Yet it gets it's job done, it's consistant. So it works. Just doesn't make me say wow.

Characters: I wont talk about the character design cause it follows my first statement. But. The personality of Fusion makes up for everything. One of the most real feeling main characters I've come across in webcomics. The fact that she speaks completely direct to the reader is an interesting perspective. Each other character is introduced smoothly and welly explained.

Plot: In this area it's nothing out of the usual. Pretty much you're average super-hero story. (not a bad thing) But as stated earlier what really made me keep going was the character personalities.

Overall: Really good, beat my expectations. This comic sort of reminded me of a cartoon I saw years ago called static x on the warner brothers chanel.
Anyways, Art is cartoony but consistant. Plot is like a usual superhero story. But character development definetley makes up for everything.
8/10

Just wanted to give a big thanks to everyone who took the time to review Fusion. I'm really glad that so many of you really like Savunn's personality, since the whole comic hinges on her as a character.

I've taken note of all of the points of criticism too, and the comic has benefited from such input. As you might have noticed, the third issue has seen a greater variety of line widths, smaller gutters, and hopefully more streamlined narration. (Actually, I started streamlining the narration in the second issue, but the trend has hopefully continued with the third issue.)

Any further criticism (or praise) is welcome. Thanks again, everyone!

first the negatives:
biggest thing that stands out is that for a "geek that guys wouldn't want to talk to" she is rather attractive (though an unattractive heroine is rather taboo). the rest is pretty much what Byth1 said, in short it is pretty much "been done" although as said it is rather well done.

positives:
the interaction between bob and others is kinda neat, especially with the fracture/fission issue. savunn's star wars jokes are also timed fairly well. overall well done story telling and art.

comments:
the guys not talking to her is easily a matter of perspective, two of my sisters had major blind spots towards guys they weren't interested in, thus the causing the ever so famed cold shoulder, while at the same time they felt that no guys were interested in them. everyone has said how cliche things are, and well a nerd getting powers (be it male or female) has been done to death, so there isn't any way to avoid treading in unfamiliar territory, and since comics are traditionally done for younger audiences the typical way of shaking things up is to sprinkle some adult themes into the mix. so since you have chosen to do an E rated comic based on an empowered nerd, you have really set yourself up a challenge, and that being said, i'd have to say you are rising to that challenge, which is impressive.

I really liked the originality of the story, especially the set-up. I actually just read another comic where the main character gets their powers from a meteor shower for no apparent reason, so I like that yours actually explains it as a gift from a mysterious entity in another world that is constantly talking to her. The characters seem fresh and original, especially Fusion, as other people said.

I loved some of the lines and phrases, like that Penelope sounds like Penelope Cruz, and "manions." Personally though, I could do with a lot less talking to the reader. It was great in the intro, but after that it would be better used sparingly, I think. It keeps pulling me out of the story, and reducing the excitement and urgency of the story. I think you could build more tension and drama in the story by letting the reader focus completely on the present, without her talking to the "dear reader" about it and making you realize that it's all old news. Basically, I think you can make great turns of phrase and one-liners, so I wish you would reduce the dialogue and narration even more, and just let us savor the good moments.

The art looks MUCH better with the thicker lines in later chapters! My only major complaint, which I had throughout, was that your characters' eyes feel a bit lifeless. The expressive faces are great, but then the eyes seem glazed over and blank. I think it is the gradient lighting in the irises of Fusion's eyes. I think a clear dot of white in the pupil would make them seem more alive and human.

Personally, I'm not big on blurred gradients in general, and I think sharp edges to all of your shading would match your simple, clear-line style a lot more. But, I like the way you draw Fusion lit up in power-up mode. Then it looks appropriate and special.

Last, I guess this is just a stylistic preference on my part, but I wish body part were more anatomically correct or realistic, such as necks. You seem good with hands and mouths, but sometimes other body parts look unnatural. I understand that it's part of the American comic style, so I guess I can't complain.

Overall, nice breath of fresh air for super-hero comics.

What can be said that hasn't already been said?

Except maybe that this comic reminds me of Bruce Timm's vision of the DC universe.
His style in depicting the Justice league in a simple flexible imagery that makes for easy animation.

Fusion falls into that category and could be animated as a TV series.

There's no heavy complicated story telling here, just a girl with superpowers trying to grow into her role.

The fact that she's actually playing body-host to a cosmic spirit that is the true source of her power and she is simply the focus reminds me of the anime/manga series 'Ultraman'.

Lastly the characters are clearly spoofs of current heroes but are not parodies...they handle themselves commendably. And the main heroine is cute, charming, enthusiastic and eager...typical teen regardless of being nerdy or preppie.

I've loyaly followed this comic and i have to say it's pretty darn good. As meemjar put it "What can be said that hasn't already been said?" The bottom line is that this comic is impressive and is just to good to be a mere web-comic.

Art: I like this art. I think it's very well done. However it reminds me too much of Disney shows. Like Kim Possible and such, which isn't a bad thing, but it can be a bit weird for me. I just feel that the style reminds me too much of something else and it shouldn't.

Characters: The characters look different, which is a great quality. They all have very good personalities and different background that suit them very well. Though I can't actually say I relate to them very well. They're too out there for me at times.

Theme: Super heroes is not what I'm into, as far I as I can say super powered people is not what I enjoy, but even so I'm pretty sure the story is done very well for someone who normally reads stuff like that. I.E spiderMan and what not, I on the other hand find the superpower theme a bit overused so I wasn't as interested in the story as much as I should be.

meemjar
What can be said that hasn't already been said?

What can be said that hasn't already been said is that Fusion has established a fairly unique role as "The superhero who doesn't fight much".

She's incredibly powerful but, with a few exceptions, has resolved her adventures without having to resort to violence.

I suspect this is the author's individual style rather than a deliberate design choice, but either way it's a very refreshing approach to the superhero genre...

to those who think that all superhero webcomics are all just mindless palette swaps of other established characters, i have a one word response: FUSION

Fusion is as pure and innocent fun as t tgets on the web. while other comics might go for angsty dark storylines, Fusion just goes for what's fun. the storylines and art style complement each other greatly--resembling the DC animated universe of old.

the characters are all fun and distinguished, even though they have yet to evolve out of there "character archetype" phase as all characters do in comics that just start. i especially like the banter between Savuun and Bob and that combined with the 4th wall jokes left and right lead to some truly gut-busting bits of banter

pure super hero fun and adventure doesn't get any better than this, folks.

Fusion, an awesome take on the superhero genre, and while that may sound like a buzz line to get the reader hooked on a new breed of the same old, same old believe me Fusion constantly challenges the norm. With a style readers will easily find appealing (think Bruce Tim’s Justice League) the characters are at once very pleasing to the eye in their design and later on lovable for their personalities.
What grab’s your eye with Fusion is the first cover, one can easily see this sitting on the shelf of a comic book store probably on free comic book day. Not that the cover lacks artistic skill but that is a day where you get a lot of new talent showing off free or for a quarter.

The character of Fusion herself is a refreshing change from some of the more stereotyped female super hero’s we all grew up knowing. She is an orphan (which is not such a new thing in super hero comics), a geeky teenage girl (think Spidy) but she’s also not blonde haired blue eyed and super ‘boobed’. As we progress through the story of Fusion, we are introduced to many super hero archetypes that we know and love. Brooder (your Batman/Rorschach/Midnighter type) and Captain Stupendous (your Superman/Captain America Type) and while you’ll always find a familiar seeming character Fusion itself plays with these archetypes and sprinkles the cast with a refreshing multiethnic blend. That’s one of the things that make’s Fusion great though because Essaybee never puts a token character in there to ‘mix it up’ all the characters are believable and exist in the world accordingly. As I mentioned before it’s refreshing mostly because it’s just so darn well done, were not tossed a John Stewart to ‘diversify’ the superhero’s.
Fusion’s introduction of herself sets that up rather nicely that we will probably not be seeing this super hero world as we have so many others. Overall, a well-executed plotline usually has you trying to guess what will happen next.

The comic does not give much to critique and most of them are personal stylistic things that I feel could be improved. The artwork is very well executed but at times feels a bit crunched into the smaller panels, which happens sometimes so it’s not too big of a deal, as the comic has progressed we see less and less of that these days. The gutters are still a bit wide for me but again, that’s me stylistically I am reared in a weird mix of Asian, Euro, and American comics so sometimes standard block paneling feels a bit stiff at times to me. My biggest and only problem with Fusion is chest Emblems/Symbols. If they are a letter (which they tend to be) they feel completely separate from the actual artwork. X-pletive’s X’s and brooders B are the ones that bother me the most. Perhaps a bit of a curve or bend to them on the chest would make them feel more as if they are a part of the costume than a Photo-shopped letter. Prime examples of what I am talking about can be seen here,

http://www.drunkduck.com/Essay_Bee_Comics_Presents_Fusion/index.php?p=670650
http://www.drunkduck.com/Essay_Bee_Comics_Presents_Fusion/index.php?p=701155
http://www.drunkduck.com/Essay_Bee_Comics_Presents_Fusion/index.php?p=824560
The pages themselves are well drawn but every time a logo pops up…it, kind of pop’s out in an unflattering way. Less bevel and emboss, less stroking of letters, Fusion’s logo is so well incorporated into her design that I really wish that other super hero’s got similar attention. Especially brooder and X-plitive.


Overall, though there are a few tiny improvements that could be made Fusion has an engaging plotline that does not just disintegrate into your standard issue-by-issue serial there is an overall plot and I cannot wait to see where Essaybee goes with it.

Good review, but mix it up now and then with sentences/breaks. A wall of text is hard on the yes to read.