Two Weeks Notice

When the war between retail chains got too intense, he wanted out. However, in a world where cashiers carry lightsabers and department managers have battle mechs, quitting is easier said than done. This is the record of his final two weeks.

Two weeks notice is awesome, lightsabers, epic fight scenes, video games and general awesome stuff. The plot is interesting and the occasional humour is great, the current chapter looks like it could either lead into dangerous places or an increadibly awesome place, judging by this comic so far it is probably the latter.
The art is good, shading and lines are both well done. My only complaint is the eyes, sometimes charecters look like they only have one. This certainly isn't the only comic to struggle with this, but it is something that can be worked on. I like the new direction it's going with the art.

Overall two weeks notice is a good comic to read if you like action and video games.

Also, black lightsabers are so fucking bad ass.

WEll.. It was interesting?

Artwork: I did like the artwork, I can see that you know how to draw well but that doesnt seem to be fully translating into the comic due to the straight line ness of it all. The artwork is better than most comics I read. Although the utter lack of backgrounds is a little frustrating at times.

Story: I am not even aware if there was one. It was kinda like flipping through random channels of the same character and only see the action parts. This in its self is not a bad thing but the utter lack of plot was frustrating to me. Plus the blind girl was only winded and a already profiecient fighter, how come she didnt fight Beard guy instead of giving her Weapon to a incapacitated man with 2 straight wounds in his upper and lower torso, I doubt his muscles would have allowed him to rise or swing a sword with his left side. Sorry but my ocd is a little weird >..<


Conclusion:

If you like random videogame/geek movie references and massive amounts of testosterone induced action, by all means partake in this romp. You will not be disapointed.

Two weeks notice is....

I dont quite know how I can finish that sentance.

Seriously, two weeks notice is strange!

The story? I'm pretty sure there isn't one!

As far as I can tell, this guy tries to quit his job but his evil boss (who looks a lot like the hero but with a beard and a black light sabre...yes you read that right) send out hordes of ninjas and giant robots to stop him.
But then there is a flash back to the passed when him and his boss were assasins, and they meet a blind girl who is a kung fu master or something and the boss betrays him, and then they fire bullets round corners, regenerate, kung fu/ light sabre fight etc
Then it turns out video games create pocket universes which they have to....

Okay I need to stop now! I think my head just exploded!

Trying to describe 2 weeks notice can feel like playing mad libs with everything thats awesome...

And then the hero fights ninjas and they travel to video games so he can quit his job.

But is it any good?

Again, a very difficult question. Slightly easier then what is the story, but still very difficult.

The art is simple but fairly consistant. Personally I dont like the way the character keep looking like they have one eye, but thats just me, its probably a manga convention or something.
However, some of the action scenes are REALLY cool.
Check this out-
http://www.drunkduck.com/Two_Weeks_Notice/index.php?p=535816
or this
http://www.drunkduck.com/Two_Weeks_Notice/index.php?p=531118

The action here is white hot, and provides lots of entertainment!

However, I feel the total anarchic lack of story really starts to become a wieght around the stories neck.
While the initial chaos is fun, as a reader I had an anticipation that an explanation would eventually surface, but things just seem to becomemore confusing and strange as it progresses, with boba fett comming to help a kid get revenge and travel into video game worlds just heaping wierd upon wierd.
Cool battles can only get you so far, if there is no motivation behind them. We need more about what these characters are fighting over, rather then just more of them fighting.
I think this comic has the potential to become something really great, but it really needs to be brought under control and given more structure if its kick ass battles are not going to be lost in the readers confusion.

Duly noted everyone, and thank you! I know reviewing this "comic" wasn't easy, but I do appreciate the effort and all of your criticisms (seriously). I wont lie to you and say it'll be the most awesome comic you've ever read, but I'll work to make improvements to all the things you guys have suggested (hell, I may have to retconn some stuff...).

Story:
While I, like others, am admittedly confused about the plot at times, I can't help but wonder if this is how our hero feels during these two weeks. ^.^ TWN is fast-paced and jerky, though definitely not in an unpleasant way - kind of like a ride in an amusement park! I like the concept of these futuristic hostile takeovers of companies, and the interactions between characters is always pretty interesting. I like the dry wit and ample doses of snark, and the two main characters can dish it out as well as take it. Despite the occasionally confusing plot line, I feel compelled and engaged enough to stick with the story until I get all the answers (and probably I'll read beyond that, haha). One thing I will note is that, upon second reading, it makes a lot more sense. ^.~

Art:
Artistically speaking, I could peg Hakoshen's work a mile away. There's a very specific style here. The action is always sharp and engaging, and the motions of the characters are fluid and graceful. While the comic itself is definitely violent, it's never gross or gory (which is great because I'm notoriously squeamish). Plus, with all the action, TWN becomes a funhouse of onomatopoeia! Hakoshen has been making improvements in the coloring and effects fields, and this greatly enhances the overall feel of the comic.

In closing, THIS is one of my favorite pages in a comic ever.

Two weeks notice...

There's not much to say, other than don't bother reading it, unless you play video games and love constant and pointless violence 24/7.

The artwork is poorly done. It has some potential, but as numerous reviews have already noted the whole 'one eye', or in some cases 'no eyes' looks seem like a lack of understanding on how to draw as a artist. In many cases the artist does show that he can draw well through, such as they many fight scenes, in which the poses are draw well at least. Overall, it seems like a poor attempt to do average looking anime.

The writing is even worse, because there is none. There is no direction, and no characters are developed. There are practically no relationships between characters, and the characters don't develop. Maybe this is meant to be a comedic strip, but honestly it didn't get more than a chuckle out of me at the most.

Overall, I will not recommend this to anyone with a brain, or even half a brain. 4/10.

falconire
Two weeks notice...

There's not much to say, other than don't bother reading it, unless you play video games and love constant and pointless violence 24/7.

The artwork is poorly done. It has some potential, but as numerous reviews have already noted the whole 'one eye', or in some cases 'no eyes' looks seem like a lack of understanding on how to draw as a artist. In many cases the artist does show that he can draw well through, such as they many fight scenes, in which the poses are draw well at least. Overall, it seems like a poor attempt to do average looking anime.

The writing is even worse, because there is none. There is no direction, and no characters are developed. There are practically no relationships between characters, and the characters don't develop. Maybe this is meant to be a comedic strip, but honestly it didn't get more than a chuckle out of me at the most.

Overall, I will not recommend this to anyone with a brain, or even half a brain. 4/10.

Well, I definitely appreciate your honesty; I take all criticisms as things to improve on.

Well, lets get this started. I read the whole thing and the plot was pretty disjointed and hard to follow. I found myself at times wanting to just skip pages so I wouldn't have to read the cheezy dialogue. I feel that the characters don't bounce off of one another. It almost feels like they could be interchanged at any moment due to no emotional connection to them which isn't good for a story based comic. The poses in the fight scenes were well done but without a backing of story they fall on their face most times. I can see what you're trying to accomplish in the story but lacks direction and force. Build stronger characters would be a good starting point which I have seen in the later arcs starting to develop.

And now for the art:

I'm sorry to say but I see this "style" all too often. The manga/anime style. Manga artists are very well trained in their craft and know what works and why. When people try to do an anime style, they don't have the "what" and "why" of how it works. Picasso said it best, "You should constantly try to paint like someone else. But the thing is, you can't!" And you shouldn't have to. It's about having influences and developing your own style. Back to your art for a second, the line work needs a lot of work. Especially in the older pages, the lines all have the same weight which shouldn't happen. You give the lines weight to bring attention to the reader and making certain things stand out. Another thing about standing out, shading. Shading can give your depth to your art. I see you've been attempting some shading which is fine but back to the "what" and "why", shading means light source. Your shading has no consistent light source. It's just the typical manga shading. But the effort is there.

Breakdown:

Well, as this comic isn't to my liking, I can see the appeal in it since the fight scenes are well done and people enjoy manga-styled comics. My final verdict would be a pass. Sorry man. Keep at it and hone your skills. Be an original.

-j.

Every now and then you come across a webcomic that is just getting started, something so obscure even in its infancy that you can see the potential if the creator(s) stick with it, take criticism well, and develop their ideas. Two Weeks Notice is, in my opinion, one of those comics. It has a great deal of potential - but it still has a long way to go.

First things first - the plot. Two Weeks Notice takes place on an alternate version of Earth (I hope) where video game retailers are looking to put one another out of business the hard way. When I say "hard way" I mean through murder and melee combat. Evidently video games themselves are a pocket dimension in this world as well, and the employees of these retailers are trained to combat one another in the game realm as well as the real world for supremacy. A plot of this nature can potentially be very interesting and lend itself to humor and action and while Two Weeks Notice does land in the humor and action areas at times it does wane a little in the interest department in some spots. This is due to the lack of fluidity to the story. Reading from the first page onward I found the plot and pacing stuttering at times, or coming off as a thin veil to lead into violence and action. The dialogue does the same thing at times, coming off as wooden or cliche' while leading into another action scene. After reading the series all the way up to its current page I was able to truly piece together the whole plot and actually found it interesting for the most part but I am still unsure if Two Weeks Notice is supposed to be dark humor or serious action. It jumps between the two and never really settles in between, leaving the tone a bit of an up and down rollercoaster. A little bit more emphasis on plotting, constructing a bit more realistic dialogue, clarification on tone, and story planning would really pull the story together and pull in the reader more.

The artwork, while inspired in the most recent pages, suffers from some of the same stutters and miscues as the plot. It is simple-line manga, a very popular format, but series writer and artist Hakoshen takes shortcuts at times, leaving out eyes and putting less effort into non-action scenes than an artist should. The page layouts, while easy to follow for the most part, are sometimes very sparse in the background and substance areas because of these shortcuts. The action scenes are given the artist's undivided attention, though, and it shows. Hakoshen does a decent job of drawing action movements and battle scenes, each one looking fluid and each character body looking and moving anatomically right. Looking at the full body of his work, from page one to now, one can chart his overall progress as an artist. He has gotten better, but giving inaction the same attention as action would crank the quality of this comic up by quite an interval.

Overall, Two Weeks Notice has real potential. It's a quirky story in the vein of great anime/manga series like Excel Saga and Cromartie High. But if artist and writer Hakoshen doesn't make the plots easier to follow and the artwork more consistent across the board Two Weeks Notice could miss reaching its potential. And that would be a shame.


Ratings (On a scale of 1 to 5): 3

I'll review the art and story, two biggest parts of any comic. I don't like doing ratings because the comic is going to be one of 4 things, "Needs work" "An average attempt" "Excellent Effort" "Almost Perfect"

ART:
You really know how to draw and it looks like a variant of manga. It all looks nice regardless. Keep your style! You draw fight scenes really well, but the mechs could use a little more detail if you want them to go with your other drawings. Line art is something you should experiment with more, but this comes with adding detail to your drawings. Over time your art will improve so don't worry :)

Backgrounds are an important part of any action comic so I think you need to work on making backgrounds appropriate to the scene. Your comic layout is pretty big so I know it might get annoying, maybe shrink the pages a bit, if you hand draw some book shelves in a row you don't need to add books, just outlines. This technique makes it look like there is detail where there actually isn't. Perhaps in your future projects you can focus more on backgrounds.

Perspective shots are something you can do well also. In the few cases you use it its great. Try more faraway, low angle, and first person views in addition to the close ups you already do.

STORY:
I'm liking the story very much, awesome is an understatement. The idea is original, and the execution is ok. In the beginning I noticed that you kicked it off too quick, it was unexpected that the Boss would send out ninjas right away. Maybe slow the story down with some character development, backstory or a segment where everyone thinks of what may happen next. Good stories need a balance of action and drama and you need to add a little more drama to balance out the action. Though its readable and I applaud you for that.

All in all your comic is almost there to being one of the examples of a finely written work. Just needs some tweaking here and there, I don't expect you to redo all the old comics, keep them as a reminder for how far you've gotten ;P I'd say you got between "An average attempt" and "Excellent Effort". You need some improvements in the future and this would be awesome in almost every way.

Writing
Interesting without a doubt, bordering levels of insanity! Ninja fighting Gamestop clerks is a stroke of genius, I have to admit. The conflict is ambiguous and the plot seems hazy, but it seems more of a comedy using the action as a tool. The writer is absolutely brilliant at moving from panel to panel the story (however confusing) is a hoot from page to page. It should be a saturday morning cartoon.

Art/Style
This is one of the most intriguing critiques i've done regarding artwork. Unlike most I've seen, the artist should work more on his figure art and less on the actual art of making a comic. The effects the artist uses to show the scenes int he comic are more advanced than the quality of his figure art. Long story short, he should look into a digital tablet rather than using the paint tools. He has great attention to detail and the dynamism gives the comic a nice tone to it.

Overall Score
9/10

Art
The overall style is kind of flat and the action lacks intensity. The colors are bright and give you something pleasant to look at but, like the drawing, is also flat. I would suggest choosing a color scheme that best reflects the mood of your story (if there is one).


Writing
The writing needs a lot of work. It seems like just random action and does not appear to lead to any resolution. You also bite off of other famous stories and weapons without creating your own. I would suggest going back to the drawing board and coming up with a beginning, middle, and end for your story. Because this pointless action does not keep me engaged or make me want to read anymore.


Overall
Not something that I would read.