Not Clear, Wall Of Text: Shape Shifter Showdown

As much as I love the idea of using Calvin And Hobbes' Transmogrification fight for Shapeshifter Showdown, the image is simply way too small to be of any real use. Plus, there's too much text, the two characters aren't naturally shape shifters, and not really using their shape shifting powers to duel rather than simply bicker.

I would LOVE to use the iconic Wizard Duel scene from The Sword In The Stone but would be content if we simply used like the last three panels of the current.

edited 9th Nov '10 5:59:23 PM by Mattonymy

Technically, it's not even an example of the trope as it's a fight over a Transformation Ray, not actual shapeshifting.

Yeah, now that I think about it the Calvin And Hobbes image really should be used for Transformation Ray instead.

Any ideas on a new Shapeshifter Showdown image?

Did you mean The Sword In The Stone, rather than just The Sword? If so, we might be able to do something with this pic◊.

edited 9th Nov '10 4:48:45 PM by Geoduck

That could work, but it's too bad they're not in sequential order. I think if they were placed vertically it would be great.

And I have no idea why I wrote The Sword instead of The Sword In The Stone.

edited 9th Nov '10 5:59:54 PM by Mattonymy

So how's this:

And some kind of caption like "In that last panel, he's a germ."

edited 10th Nov '10 5:18:54 AM by Geoduck

We could probably get rid of that last "germ" panel because its hard to tell but otherwise I like it.

I think if there were two panels added: one with Purple Dragon Mim and the other with her covered in spots, it would be perfect.

All right, try this, which I bodged together from some other sources.

I think the best would be one where you can see one of them in the previous form.

^^ I like it.

The first two panels by themselves are almost good enough.

I could add another pre-change layer, but I think that would make the whole thing too tall. Any other opinions?

I like it as is. It's perfect.

@Geoduck: the second picture looks fine as is. Thumbs up.

In agreement. And thanks for all the effort you've put in! I didn't expect this trope would never get such a good pic.

Okay, I know I'm a bit late to be giving input on the image, but I have no clue what's going on in that picture. After looking at it a while I can get that it's the one with hair transforming, but why in the frame after the snake transformation is he suddenly a dragon thing, he seemed to have the upper hand as a snake so why did he change again? And then why does he have spots to his apparent surprise in the frame after that? If this is a Shapeshifter Showdown why is only one of them transforming?

Merlin (the blue guy) changes too. He's a rabbit in the first picture and a mouse in the second.

I admit that the pictures are disjointed, though, since they're from quite separate moments in the fight. Maybe if you get some that are closer together (for example, images where only one character has changed and the other is the same as in the previous one). I don't know, I haven't seen the film in a while.

It's pretty much the Most Triumphant Example of a Shapeshifter Showdown, so I don't think it will get any better than this.

edited 13th Nov '10 11:08:33 AM by Mattonymy

Agreed. The fact that they keep the same Colorscheme is a big help too.

edited 13th Nov '10 11:20:53 AM by Raso

Most Triumphant Example =/= best trope image.

I can't tell who is who once they've transformed. The hair looks like the feature that stays consistent between forms, so if these images are of both of them transforming, why do they both have it, when the mouse (Merlin?) is shown with a moustache? Which one is Merlin? I still don't know why the guy in the last panel is surprised that he has spots. Maybe they need to be labelled in each frame by name? To someone like me who hasn't seen the film, there is no clear sequence of events after the snake frame, maybe different frames that better show a sequence would work better.

Edit: they don't keep colors consistent though, the last frame shows a guy who is green.

edited 13th Nov '10 11:23:45 AM by GeneralGrant

Well because She is ill thanks to the fact he turned into a Germ... maybe we should lose that part then the fact that he turned into a Germ doesnt get across in one image. (that sequence there was what 5 transformations each?)

Maybe if each frame shows only one new transformation? If there is only one creature in the frame, or if they both change, you can't tell what's going on. For example:

Mouse, Rat thing

Mouse, Snake

Lizard, Snake

Lizard, Bird

Dragon, Bird

Not that that's necessarily the things they turn into in the movie (obviously it's not, I just made it up), but if you get what I'm talking about. The first two frames have the right idea, but I'm just totally lost after that.

edited 13th Nov '10 11:30:37 AM by GeneralGrant

Yes, agree, and no germ (and no dragon?), that is unclear, the "rules" are supposed to be real-animals-only and it would be more understandable to stick with that. It maybe wants an extremely simple "A vs B in one frame, C vs B in the next" but that is really paint-by-numbers. (Maybe if subsequent forms are kind of similar-looking, like Merlin Rabbit and Merlin Mouse.) I think the fact that they keep the same color scheme and facial features is rad, and good enough.

The Wizard's Duel in The Sword And The Stone is not just the most triumphant example of a shapeshifter showdown, it is the most visually obvious. (I don't recall which animal matchup sequence would be best, will take a look.) The comic-book panel layout is perfect. It's that format with this work or no image at all, imo.

edited 13th Nov '10 11:51:34 AM by rodneyAnonymous

Well, I watched the scene on Youtube, and no wonder I couldn't make any sense of it, since even if those images are chronological, they come from totally different parts of the scene! The Sword In The Stone probably is our best bet, but we can definitely do better than the current proposed image.

This is the scene, if anyone wants to grab stills. I'll probably see what I can do later.

edited 13th Nov '10 11:53:54 AM by GeneralGrant