Webcomic Has its good parts, but is in dire need of improvement
The Positive: It has great artwork, some of the characters are likable and interesting, and, for those who like furry art, the character designs are top-notch. You can tell Scotty enjoys his work.
The Negative: The writing is clumsy, often contradicts itself, and falls prey to doing too much "telling over showing."
I'm gonna do a [[Web Video/Saberspark Saberspark]] approach and give suggestions on how I'd improve the story. We can hope at some point Scotty reconsiders his approach and takes some of what I suggest to heart.
1) Show consequences for Ray's vigilantism, and do more to justify trusting (or at least sympathize with) S.O.S.
Here's a easy way to do it with the dock fight scene; have a civilian call S.O.S to report noise from where Ray fights the Port Town Gang in the docks. Have the civilian report it at some point just before the fight ends so that S.O.S's absence is justified by them arriving late because of the late report.
Have some late night dock workers present in the docks and show them in a way so that the audience knows they're here even if Ray doesn't know they here. The workers injured from his fight can also be something Asuka can present to Ray after arresting him as a means to help him see how careless he's acting.
2) Have Ray and Asuka debate the pros and cons of his vigilantism versus S.O.S's due process.
Given Scotty's apparent black-and-white mentality on law enforcement, it seems unlikely he'd go that route, but the debate can fall under Both Sides Have a Point. Ray could defend his actions by pointing out that while people were injured by his collateral damage, they would've been killed if he hadn't intervened. Asuka can point out that Ray's intervention, while more expedient, can cause problems in persecuting the criminals he defeats such as evidence being discredited, or criminals suing him for assault for example.
Using the Both Sides Have a Point approach will also help make her more likable and keep with her intended characterization by making it so the reader can understand her point of view better, make her come across as a proper Reasonable Authority Figure, and make it so you don't have to agree with her views completely to like her as a character.
3) Make Morales conflicted in persecuting Ray.
Something I don't think the comic addresses is how Morales doesn't seem to acknowledge that Ray saved his life.
Perhaps Scotty meant that to be what Asuka tells him in the off-panel part of their conversation. But I'd argue a better approach would be to have him learn this fact earlier and as result, end up feeling bad for prosecuting him.
It would help make him more complex as character and easier sympathize with his point of view.
Webcomic It has potential.
A friend told me about this comic and honestly I have mixed feelings about it. I mean it's not a bad webcomic but it still has these things that make it feel slightly hallow.
I do admire this comic because I reminds me of Marvel and DC comic books I read as a kid and has a plot that would be perfect for an anime maybe. I think the creator has an excellent art style as it has this nostalgic vibe to it. The overall illustrations resembles the style of traditional comic books from the 80's as well as having something similar to modern manga. Also having it in black and white is also a win because it adds a layer of atmosphere to the settings. It's not too complex but not too simplified, which is just fine.
The creator is also great with creating characters and their stories. It's a very unique story of a clumsy wannabe superhero who does more harm than good, but is given a chance to redeem himself when he meets fellow "neo-mutants". I like the premise so far cause I grew up reading X-Men comics and this is slightly similar.
What I don't like about the comics, is how in the early chapters, our protagonist, Ray is just getting the short end of the stick. I mean I understand this is part of the story that he makes a few mistakes and the citizens of Meva City despise him and view him as a wreckless arsonist, but geez do they really have to scapegoat him like that? Especially in chapter three when Ray is about facing serious jail time and Summer is being a bitch to him. The creator, Bo Scotty promises that things will get better for Ray, and him and Summer become best friends, but I just hope that happens soon cause I just can't stand seeing our protagonist being a punching bag.
Despite it all, Ray Fox is a pretty good read. I recommend it for anyone who is a fan of superhero comics or anime nerds. Bo Scotty is a very good writer and artist and I hope his work will go far in the future. From what I heard Ray Fo even inspired a group of younger artist to create their own comics too.
Thank you for reading -Jerry Springfield.
Webcomic Chapters 1, 2 and 3: Visually appealing, but disappointingly esoteric (Pre-Reignited review)
When I first saw this comic and its trailer, I was captivated and intrigued; Not so much when I read it, sadly.
The Good:
The artstyle is a mix of western drawing techniques but with eastern influence as evidenced by the Shōnen-like feel to the characters. The comic is rich in backstory and the way the meta system was developed by the author is creative and impressive given how detailed it is, and explains a great deal about how metas work and are labeled; Anyone who puts that much detail in their characters definitely deserves credit. The atmosphere of the comic seems to be very upbeat like "My Hero Academia", which anyone can appreciate.
The Bad:
The writing itself including the logic behind how certain characters act/react/behave; the whole premise of Ray being hated by the entirety of the Meva Province veers into anti-sue territory, given certain aspects of the story in Chapter 1, and the way the populace are devoid of common sense and how they react is rather nonsensical from a realistic standpoint, and let's not get started about the S.O.S. For a fictional comic that’s supposedly "grounded in reality", an audacious claim to make, it's rather selective and seems more like its grounded in the author’s perception of it; That's not something I'm gonna let slide.
At most, this comic has aspects of reality; A comic having laws and consequences doesn't "ground it" in reality, nor is it enough to.
The writing also seems to have a subtle pro-conformist slant in chapters 1 & 2 especially through Ray’s critics; It has an obsession for enforcing consequences with little to no nuance along with pushing the idea that law and property is more important than justice and results. Ray's the only one actively fighting crime, reckless as he is, without waiting for orders unlike in-universe law enforcement who are woefully unprepared for threats like the Port Town Gang. Yet they're supposed to be right that Ray's vigilantism is more harmful than good, that the consequences are warranted, and that he must prove himself to his detractors and the Law rather than showing them up on their idiocy/incompetence; the parallels that can be drawn between the premise and real-life scenarios as of late, as well as how the writing reflects and tries to justify the same fallacious cold logic used with the latter by some, really just sours the story.
Seriously, is the entire comic built on the oppressively conformist concept of "wa"?
Conclusion:
On a scale of 1-10, I’d give this comic a 3 as it stands. The copaganda-like writing betrays the visual appeal and the motif of “he must face consequences and prove himself to the law and his detractors to become a hero” feels very esoteric, poorly executed, and it leaves a bad taste akin to the conclusion of the Marvel’s comic "Civil War". I wouldn’t recommend this.