Orchard Heroes

Orchard Heroes seems to be standard fare when it comes to an all-ages webcomic. Without the traditional dramatic (and oftentimes darker) elements of a superhero tale, this comic is something I wouldn't mind letting my children read (if I had any).

The characters themselves are really basic: Appleman, the leader; Orangeman, the self-proclaimed renaissance man; Dr. Pineapple and Professor Banana, the seasoned veterans; and Moldman, the arch-nemesis. Each character falls into the typical archetypes of any team-based comic: the leader, the loner, the smart guy, etc. But again, as this is a comic for all ages, depth isn't the selling factor.

The stories themselves are entertaining, similar to watching an old episode of Power Rangers or Pokemon in that the plot exhibits a similar formula each time around. Though the older generation of webcomic readers expect more of a flair when it comes to writing, this is perfect for anyone under the age of 10.

The art in Orchard Heroes is cartoonish, with that hint of anime influence that we all have come to expect. At first, I thought the whole thing was drawn in paint, and maybe it was, but as you move farther down the story, you notice the artist trying out some new angles, new fonts, etc. It's kind of a "learn as you go" process here.

All in all, I think Orchard Heroes is an enjoyable all ages comic, but not really something for the adults.

A fairly simple, generic styled superhero comic (hero comes, bad guys comes, then an arms war begins with both sides gaining new members and/or weapons) with the difference being that the characters are all fruits.

The choice of colours and art make it more bright and cartoony than serious. And there's definitely enough humour around for the average reader. As a comic, it is definitely more suited for younger audiences than older ones, without shades of grey and other issues typically found in more 'mature-rated' comics. Due to the nature of the comic, there's not much to comment on art (anatomy wise), but so far everything appears consistent and clear. The layout and dialogue is, expected of the tone, easy to follow, with no complicated panel sequences or erudite vocabulary. Understanding should not be an issue.

It should be noted that a lot of work has obviously been put on the backgrounds (no monocoloured panels etc).

To sum it up: Rated E, fun superhero comic best suited for younger folks.

This comic reminds me of the tone of Captain Underpants. Though not nearly as silly, it still has an upbeat and "HERE TO SAVE THE DAY" like momentum. Definitely aimed at a younger audience, which is definitely not an insult in any way and is perfect for a family comic.

The stories are pretty simple, which is nice to sit back and just enjoy. The characters are a bit simplistic as well. Overall, this is simple, which is a bit humbling to read in those kind of terms. I mean, after all, it's about superhero fruit.

The comic in terms of art is simple and easy to read. The panel layout is also great, as you never miss a beat in terms of where to read next. It's simple and easy navigation, which is what I love in comics. The sense of color is excellent for a younger audience. I think the only thing that tripped me up is the 180 rule. This one doesn't outright kick the 180 rule in the shins, but it does sometimes drift to the grey area with it.

The 180 rule, for those unfamiliar with it, states that in comics, the camera should not pan more that 180 around characters. This means keeping characters either on the left or right of one another, and if you need to turn them, do it in a way that's easy to follow and not flip things outright. Ease the camera around so the story flow won't stumble.

Anyways, this sometimes will get close to the 180 rule, which I'd warn the artist to be wary of. Nothing crippling, but something to watch out for.

Grammar isn't perfect, but it's good. I know what's being said. I can't stand reading comics with horrible grammar. This one, though, keeps it nice and clean.

Another thing, it's pretty clean, in terms of story and in layout. I don't squint to see words, I don't get confused about what's going on, just overall clean.

Overall, enjoyable and a cute read. Simplicity at its finest. Just watch out for the 180 rule thing, would be my one critique.

Orchard heroes is quite a nice comic. It's simple and uplifting. The stories are nearly as corny as the power rangers, but I think this is one of it's greatest atributes. The comic has no rough edges or dark corners and altough I like thoose things, the lack of them in Orchard Heroes makes it a great comics to read.
It's other great aspect is the size of the pages, huge, that is awesome and each page has a climax. That's something a lot of drunk duck web comics fail at, writing a webcomic is heaps different from writing a print comics, ever page needs a climax. Orchard heroes does this.
The art is simple, really nothing brilliant or terrible but it works well with the story and that's all that ever matters about art.
My only big complaint is the lack of regular updating.

Orchard Heroes is a cute comic strip dealing with fruit superheroes.

Now, the story starts off with Appleman, who is created from the flow of the Spring of Life, which had not erupted for a long time. Appleman has chosen to be the Protector of the Orchard.

Along the way, he meets a few others, including Orangeman, and Lemonman. And don't forget Moldman, who is in fact the main antagonist of the comic.
Each "Protector" has it's own cape, and logo in the front of them.

What I do like about the comic: That the cartoonish art of the comic fits well with the story/plot. I honestly could not see any other way it could be done. Generally, the art is nice (I'll get to that in a second), and each strip is quite long.

What I think the comic could improve on: Sadly, there are a few flaws with this strip.
Firstly, the file format it's saved at, or rather, the quality, seems to be quite low. You should really try saving it at a little bit higher-res image. Not too much to where readers would be able to load it, but to where the colors are nice and crisp.

Secondly, I think the strip might be a little too big. You should size it down to 3, maybe 4 panels. That way it won't take you long to do, and you can update more often.

That's all I can really think of.

Overall: Orchard Heroes is a nice comic strip that deals with Fruit Superheroes. Very original, and nice looking for the most part. Only flaws is that it's too big, and doesn't update often, and that the image is too low-res. Fix that, and I think your comic will succeed!

Thanks for all the great critique and suggestions. They're all very perceptive points that I'll definitly look into as I'm working on the second volume!