e X:

Good observation! Didn't notice the violence thing at all. Was too preoccupied with the...well, yeah. Thanks!

And why else would I post but to bring attention to ten brand new strips?

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Strip 191

Art:

• What's this? The same effect used in the touching the diamond strip? It looks more like it's supposed to be a Jesus Fist and less like it's supposed to be moving.
• Wrist grab? Legit move. Throwing someone like that? Yeah. No. Especially since it looks like he threw her one handed.

Content:

• Also, once again, saying "gotcha" once again shows the problem of talking is a free action. These things happen in split seconds. If you can say ANYTHING within that time, I will be quite impressed.
• He actually even brings this up in his title. Less than six seconds. OK. Tell me now, how long does it take you to say something?
• It's needless gratuitious expospeak.
• Now, does throwing count as physical violence. Merph, that's a bit tricky, but then again, the saying goes "It's not the fall that kills you, it's the sudden stop at the end." So...I'm gonna say that it's an indirect thing, which does not make matters any better.

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Strip 192

Art:

• Motion lines are a plus, except for the fact they make no freaking sense.
• She seems to be going horizontally in the first panel, but the second one makes it much more up down ish.

Content:

• Sure Shive, lampshade the expo-d THOUGHT BUBBLE, which actually makes an IOTA of sense.
• Brace for the impact of the glass. Wat.
• Also, she should have gone much further horizontally speaking, unless Elliot and her were right by the window.

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Sketchbook Strip 110802

Now, this annoys me and it annoys me for a good reason. Elliot is wearing a simple wife beater. Ellen is wearing...that.

While both are displaying a good amount of skin, keep in mind the difference in clothing. Ellen's outfit is MUCH more sexualized while Elliot's is much more standard. I could go on about this, but the main point is, Shive sucks at making anything equal opportunity, and his Author Appeal goes to a very annoying point.

Also, whoohoo! 3-day updates! It means that we'll go through time much more quickly now!

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Strip 193

Art:

• Starting with this comic, we get a brief period of coloration, which pretty much goes until December. With this strip being in August, it means that at least one buggerheaded troll will be happy.

Content:

• Bad exposition is bad. A simple "Great, now I have to follow her" would have sufficed.
• And we are still seeing a strong prevalence of sound effect panels as opposed to actual movement. This is good because it means we don't get narm, but it's also bad because it means Shive is kind of avoiding something he needs a LOT of practice at.

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Strip 194

Content:

• Musta been a REALLY hard hit for a flashlight to do that...
• Why did he have those. Why did he not use it to figure out Ellen would appear. What does it actually say that would confirm it for Tedd? What does uryoum technology have to do with magic?
• Elliot's fear is kind of cute, since it's a legit joke that isn't actually explained. Until the title, that is.

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Strip 195

Art:

• That's an OK wolf, until you realize that the perspective is off.

Content:

• This was another comic I never bothered reading. —le sigh—
• Wow. The guy who wrote this really liked to explain things in detail, didn't he? Lots of As You All Know and all that. Plus, once again, I fail to see how this relates to uryoum tech, just saying.
• More importantly, HOW old is this journal? Why is it in perfect english? Why is it perfect spelling? Why do they use the term werewolf?

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Sketchbook Strip 081802

This is everything that's wrong with EGS' jokes. All Shive needed to do was type up the first sentence and leave it like that. It'd still be a crappy joke, but it wouldn't be so...drawn out. Oi ve.

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Strip 196

Art:

• You know, that last panel is not so bad, actually.

Content:

• Oh to live in a world without GPS or cellphones.
• It's funny. Cause Ellen is a female and in no way a male inside and out with an unfortunate choice of genitalia.
• And I know that Shive tries to justify it with the title, but you know what? I think this shows something very disturbing about his psyche at the time. It just seems to scream at me that he lacks the ability to understand how gender works. At all. Now, I am more of a nurture of nature person meself, but regardless of what you believe in, Ellen was RAISED as a guy and BORN a guy. If Elliot had become super buff manly, and then super buff manly Elliot was the one that ended up running around, it'd still be Elliot only super buff manly. That's the problem I have with this. It just shows this huge compression of psychology and logic. Shive DOES get better with this as time goes on, but I still think he underestimates a lot of things.

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Strip 197

Art:

• I DO like the red background style wise.
• Of course, that means nothing since there is still a high lack of backgrounds.
• Also, Tedd looks weird. The way he is standing. I dunno, he seems crooked.

Content:

• Fun fact: This is never given a reason. They are just let go. Why? Because.
• And thank you Shive, for once again ruining the joke with the title.

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Strip 198

Art

• At least he had the decency to make it obvious they were outside by adding GRASS.
• Also, the fourth panel is a GREAT example as to why too big eyes should be obliterated from anything dramatic. It does not convey emotion, it just makes a giant white bubble.

Content:

• ...so many things wrong with this. SO MANY THINGS.
• Why only feline? What type of feline? WHY WEAR IT?
• Also, this whole 'pain' thing is never touched on (for Elliot) again I think.

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Sketchbook Strip 082502

Shive, don't make fun of your perverted fanbase like you are somehow superior to them. You are not. You're one of them. Probably even worse than them because you try to hide it and play it off as innocent.

—

Strip 199

Art:

• Y Halo Thar Art Evo.
• Starting here, I do believe we will be seeing more and more lines in drawing, which will become especially obvious by the painted black arc, but will then disappear around Grace's Party arc.
• Actually, no. That's a lie. It won't happen yet, but this is the first hint of a more liney art style.

Content:

• Cat nip. So...Elliot's horny?
• Also, not really much to say except LOL FILLER!
• Oh. And perverted Tedd joke. Cak, you know what to do.

—

Strip 200

Content:

• 200th strip, and what do we get? More erfin filler. I expected more from you Shive. REALLY. Not even anything worth getting annoyed over.
• But at the same tim, nothing worth getting EXCITED over either. It's just...bleh.
• Also, note that that whole shapeshifter thing with clothing has been conveniently forgotten for Elliot.
• Cause male nudity is teh ew.