PTF Reviews Super Suckers 4.1

Back by popular demand...one person! And that person is the creator! Will he regret that decision? Lets find out as we read--

Super Suckers cuatro el dotto uno!!!



Things I liked:

The writing. Hey, it's the first part for a story and it gets the ball rolling like it should do. We get to learn more about Jess and where she works. We're introduced to my new favorite character Ruben. We have the universe and everyone in it taking it to Stewart. You have continuity with Kelly's wackiness coming to bite her and Trevor wanting the date Jess promised him. Stewart dealing with Vera being in love with him is great. And I like that the universe and everyone not Vera just does not like him. Vera is great this issue with RHO as she pretty much does not half acknowledge the existence of what is going on. We're introduced to WILLLLOOOW JENKINNNNNSSS (no, sadly, she doesn't charge into the room recklessly) And we get a nice twist to end the issue. And I don't know why but in the basement during the coup planning, I like how they're in the dark and using candles. It's just so stupid and I love it.

The art. Hah. I love the kid sticking his tongue out at the readers on page 10 and the reactions he gets. It's just a fun way to introduce F.U.C and making it fun. And yeah, it's the normal great art by Shultz. Another sequence I liked is Stewart in the trash and having a bird fly involved in the scene gives a good indication of pace and time. It's just the Archie style done right. Too bad it's not being done at Archie, but I'll take greatness where I can find it.

Coloring and lettering. Standard good stuff I expect. I love Kelly's color scheme when she learns she could be kicked out of RHO. The yellows are great. Also the lighting in the basement. As for the lettering we have Tatiana's word balloon with the bold lines when she's responding to Jess on how her voice sounds deep when angry. Plus we get a few icy cold word balloons from Jess and Kelly.

The Gang's All Here: Well, if you wanted everyone in the comic back, you got it. And I think all the supporting characters have the time that each one warrants. So if you're a stickler for "everyone has to be in this comic." Here you go. Be quiet now!

Kelly: Last issue I had a problem with her being slightly out of character—A.K.A. being a major jerk. Well, she's back to be her nice self. We even learn her last name is Kellogg. Which fills me with hope that one day a character named D'Artagnan General Mills will grace the world. And with all the trouble being a vampire has causes her she now has to deal with a coup and having to get a popular band just to keep herself in RHO RHO RHO. I just thought she was a highlight this issue with her various reactions.

Paisley's turned heel!  Before she was just acerbated by the wacky people around her, now she wants to take over! Or at least get rid of Kelly and Vera. I like this because it gives the Paisley character something to do, gives her more personality, and it does make sense since she didn't like Vera being put in the sorority and got her objections being shot down by Kelly. Also how Kelly's been acting since being a vampire. So it does make sense. Not saying it couldn't have used development, but I do like the idea and concept of it all and it will probably lead to some good stories later on. So it's definitely more good than bad.

Ruben: I like this guy. Just his reactions to different people are great. He has my favorite line in the comment on page 15 that made me laugh out loud for a good bit.

Things I did not like.

WILLOOOWWW JJEEENNNWARRGOOO...? Whuh?: When the National President of RHO RHO RHO was first introduced her name was Willow JENKINS. When Kelly enters kangaroo court, her name is now Willow WARGO. And this isn't the first time for the series as Paisley went by a different name (India) from one issue to the next before, hopefully, settling on Paisley. These little mistakes drive me crazy. I mean, I understand making mistakes. It's going to happen. I'm sure Darin Henry had and has a ton of other stuff going on. My problem is not catching it. This is just something you would see on a proofread.
 

"Paisley's been after my presidency since I was elected." I just wish that line wasn't there because—I just never got that attitude from any of Paisley's past issues., I like the concept and idea but the reasoning for it feels forced. I think it would work better if Paisley was upset that she was ignored (like in the first issue about wanting to paint lettering red two hours ago and letting Vera join RHO) and just Kelly's weirdness since becoming a vampire (see issue two with the make-up dilemma) and it just built up to her becoming an antagonist instead of having it just "she always wanted my job."
 

Hey where'd that candle go? Paisley had a candle with her in the basement and then it's gone. WHERE DID IT GO?! WHERE DID IT GO?!?  Eh, I guess she could have put it down or something. Not that big a deal when you think about it...
 

No commercials. Eh, I guess some will miss them. I liked the story enough where I didn't miss them, but if you're into the feel of reading a sitcom then yeah.
 
What I learned from what I read.

Lyric is smarter than Summer, which is like saying a rock is smarter than poop.

• You get unlimited refills with your Big Swig Chug Mug.
• The Johnny Thunderheart Band is the greatest band since The Misfits!
• Trevor, Ever Vigilant Security Associate!!!
• Kelly's last name is Kellogg.
• Ruben has a backstory we all should know.
• There are people who make plans, and people who make the plans reality. Guess which one you want to be.
• RHO RHO RHO really has a lot on its plate. Blood drives, couples get together, Greek Fest...it's almost too much work to get to the fun!
• "Young Women Get Killed In Basements pt 4" is the best in the series. The worse?  "Young Women Get Vaguely Harmed In Basements." Stupid PG-13 rating.
• Paisley is SUPER peeved she did not get to go to the beach with the rest of the sorority.

 

Overall


Yeah, it's a super fun issue. The art and writing is the usual greatness I expect. Jess has workplace problems, Kelly has to find a way to stay in RHO RHO RHO, and Stewart has to deal with Vera. Vera...eh, she orbits reality occasionally like normal. It's a great read and fun. I like Ruben. Willow and Tatiana look to be fun antagonists going ahead for the rest of the story. And I like Paisley turning bad. I think the series needs a reoccurring villain. Like how Teddy Ruxpin had Tweeg.

...

I watched the Teddy Ruxpin cartoon when I was a kid. I'm old. I'm shocked I remember so much about it. But I'm not ashamed. Because there is nothing to be ashamed about.  NOTHING

There are problems with this issue. Like not being able to keep characters names straight. It's just a constant problem this series has had. And I think Paisley's heel turn was forced; I think it should have been developed more.

But while annoying, name problems doesn't affect the Willow character and I like Paisley's new attitude in this story and where it could lead.

I give this issue a B+



So tune in next time when I review Super Suckers 4.2.!!!

I could have sworn that Kelly's last name had been mentioned before in passing somewhere in issues #1 or #2, but maybe I'm just imagining that. I'd have to get them out to check.

I'll check. But in my defense, it has been awhile from the first two issues to the last two.

PTF Reviews Super Suckers 4.2

Well, another Valentine's Day has come and gone. And I followed through on my tradition of being alone and spending the next day crying. I also watched Valentine's Day for the very first time. It's horrible. How can the man who gave us The Fonz subject us all to that drech?

But this isn't a movie review, it's a comic review. And when we last left off, Kelly and Vera have to get The Thunderhearts (hooooooo!) to play at Greek Fest, Jess thinks her boss is a vampire, and Stewart is Stewart. And someone is set to bring chaos into the lives of our heroes. So let's review....

Super Suckers 4.2


Things I did like.

The writing. Yeah, it's a funny story. I think my favorite part is the Trevor sequence with Tatiana. And even though the Vera eye gag hit close to home (Don't have zippers on your pillow case, you wake up on one of those, you're eye hurts for a day!!) it was still funny and the poor guy who she mistook for Stewart. Stewart being a loser geek is always fun, especially when his stupid ego he doesn't warrant leads him to trouble. Jess trying to make her job easier and how it coincides with the Willow being a vampire is setting up nicely. Kelly and Vera were great together in their plan to get Thunderheart to play at Greek Fest. And I'm just a sucker for reading funny accents.  I had a few problems but nothing that hurts the overall story.

The art. It's not up to his best but it's still pretty good. The best pages for me are page 12 just before we go to commercial and page ten because of all the different facial and body expressions going on. I love the expression of the guy who Vera blindly kissed. He looks like the life was drained out of him. It's not his best issue of Super Suckers but I still like the work he's done.

The Coloring and lettering: Whitmore and Marshall do a great job like always. My favorite coloring is the salt and pepper shakers coming back from commercial. And I really like the moon glow. And the sound effects and word balloon effects were good. Can't go wrong when I get a SLUGGO.

Things I didn't like.

1.   Kelly's a jerk again. Here's the thing, I don't mind her threatening Thunderheart because he's kind of a sleaze so that's fine with me. Beating up the bodyguard who didn't do anything; that's the problem I just wish he had an attitude with her or made an unwanted pass at her. Something to deserve it. Again I'm of the Bugs Bunny school of "you start anything with me, that warrants me going at you nonstop." Also, it just kind of ends. Next we see Kelly she's crying about Thunderheart saying no. So he took the beating? I think it would have been better if he had just not reacted to the strength (since we later learn he's pretty much fired his brain) and Kelly's bluff being called and her running away crying leading to her next panel. These pages just really contradicts with how Kelly has been the last and most of this issue. That or she's just from Crazytown and that's how they function.


2.   I thought she hated her?!?! So Kelly goes to Jess after Thunderheart told her he wasn't playing at Greek Fest and Jess breaks up with her for...um, Tatiana? Yeah, Jess still hated her last time I checked even after setting her up. She just wanted her to ease up at the workplace. I think it would have been better if Jess felt she just solved her own problem and just didn't want to get involved with Kelly's problem right after and walked out on her.


3.   Greekfest or Greek Fest. Page ten there's a word balloon with "Greekfest" instead of Greek Fest. Nothing escapes me...except love.


4.   The art. Wow. This is rare, huh. But there are a few problems I actually had. It just seemed like the art was rushed on a few pages. For example, page five check out panel three. Are those three black spots supposed to be a shadow? And a few panels hands look really rough. In one panel, Jess definitely only has four fingers on one hand, but maybe it evens out because she has six on the other (page 10 panel four).   And few inking spots that I found questionable. I mean, overall the art is great, but there are a few noticeable things I can't really ignore.  It just seemed like he was in a rush.


5.   Stewart. What kind of person rolls up a comic like that?!!?



Things I learned from what I read.
1.   Kelly is still a psychopath.
2.   Dragos might be a liar.
3.   Horsefeathers, Poppycock, and Bullpucky, on the case for you!
4.   Trevor's always willing to help a friend.
5.   Comic store owners all talk like well known Shakespearean scholar The Mighty Thor.
6.   There is no such thing as a rock star doing it only for the art. It's for the women.
7.   Paint chip addition is a real problem amongst college students.
8.   We all need a briefcase filled with cupcakes.
9.   Betty and Veronica both heard Dan Parent is getting ANOTHER series to ruin old school Archie stories for the masses so they moved to Dung Hill, Pennsylvania instead.
10.   The Super Center is really on the ball when it comes to updating their giant sign.

Things are being set up for the season finale (what issue five isn't out) as we're probably getting to Greek Fest and a confrontation with Willow. The jokes really landed for me. And the art overall was good. There were patches in both that I felt needed going over but overall the comic is still worth reading for anyone. It's a B.

So tune in when I review Super Suckers 4.3!!!

PTF Reviews Super Suckers 4.3

As I was in the middle of writing this review. Got a call from my uncle. Seems he had some timers on his DVR that one of my little cousins had put in that I needed to—what does Matt Hardy like to say? Oh yes...--DELETE!!

Anyway, it was a fun little scavenger hunt. First I had to find the remote because the TV display was set where I could only see half the options. Cabinet in the bathroom. Makes sense, right? How it took me twenty minutes, I'll never know.  Then I had to look in each room, each filled with junk and debris to find two AAA batteries for the TV remote.


Seriously, why do old people buy new technology? Heck, I have another uncle I've had to program about eight different phones in the last year. I'm not joking. He gets angry and quits and gets another cheap one. And those stupid cheap ones are all better than my flip phone!


I'm sorry everyone. I shouldn't vent at you. I should take all the anger I have out on this comic issue. Now where were we....

When we last left off, Jess believes her boss to be a vampire and tries to get Stewart to be the suckee, but Willow has whisked him away so she settles for Trevor. Stewart has dumped pretend girlfriend Vera. Vera and Kelly have tricked the Thunderhearts (ho!!!) to play Greek Fest and Willow is a vampire who has diabolical plans. So y'know, pretty uneventful issue. But let's see what happens in

Super Suckers 4.3 Dream Warriors!

Things I did like.

1.   The writing. It's the typical funny issue and it actually had some good character moments. Surprisingly, from Trevor when he opens up to Stewart. I mean, he stills threatens to beat the heck out of him, but the guy has depth. Kelly even got some backstory where you can relate to her (first person in her family who went to college) And you have Willow with a backstory, maybe a little overlywinded, but it does make sense. And I actually like that a character does something wrong and actually has to face consequences like Jess did.
And the humor is still great. I like the body surfing with Jess just having it the worse. Stewart "standing up to Trevor." Kelly being from Looneyville, WV. That is just perfect. Trevor's reasoning from not trying to help Stewart when he felt something was up. And yeah, I had a problem with Kelly being a psycho and beating up the innocent body guard, but I love her when she's in the middle of a life or death race and she innocently says hello to the guy and he just panics.
And we got some action and a pretty good solution to the problem. And things have advanced as secrets are revealed, love is found, and the next issue should be interesting. Seriously, you can only have someone not find out a secret until they're just stupid. Looking at you, Lois Lane!
So all in all good work from Darin Henry and David Tolentino

2.   The art. Yeah, this was more like it. I don't know. It seemed like last issue Shultz was in a bit of a rush. Not this one as it's back to what I expect. I think my favorite page would be page four with Trevor coming back after—the thing that would get this review not PG rated—and only has one shoe on. And Stewart's facial reactions.
3.   Coloring and Lettering. Another great issue. I mean, there is one UNFORGIVABLE MISTAKE...but yeah, I'm really happy. I really like all the lighting for Greek Fest. And I have one questioning. How hard do you toss someone head first into a wall to get a BANG ?

Things I didn't like.

1.   Wow. Glen Whitmore made a boo-boo. Yeah. Brace yourselves. Glen Whitmore is not perfect. From last issue to this, the Thunderheart band has different colored hair. Such a major oversight. I don't know how this comic series or humanity itself will ever recover.


2.   The senior RHO RHO page. Um, yeah, it was funny, but call me crazy, but wouldn't it have made more sense to have Kelly and Vera brag to Paisley? The person who started all of this? She's not seen again. So you can put her in with Jonas in the "creeps who get away with being creeps who cause all the heroes' problems" category. Heck, at least have the old ladies at Greek Fest. As it is, this is a page I can delete and nothing would be lost when it comes to the overall story.


3.   We might not see Ruben again. NOOOOOOOO!!! He's like a Kevin Keller with a personality, and better written and drawn, ready to unleash quick quips at a whim!!






Things I learned from what I read:
1.   Kelly is from Looneyville. ...Well, I was close.
2.   Women can't finish a fight to the death when a wardrobe malfunction happens.
3.   You need a seatbelt when body surfing.
4.   There is no reason to go to West Virginia. They have nothing and nothing fun goes there. (Man, there is some Dan Parent fan in West Virginia who really does not like me.  )
5.   You know what they say when you make assumptions...
6.   Jess is the second place trophy.
7.   Women are scornful; vampires are vindictive.
8.   Well, I guess Trevor isn't wrong that it's not the worst way to go.
9.   Thunderhearts—hear their music! Hear their voice! Thunderhearts are loose! Thunder-Thunder-Thunder-Thunderhearts!
10.   Vampires in this universe CAN turn into bats. As long as they don't sparkle, I'm cool.

So this is easily my favorite part. I felt everything came together, all the plot lines, to a satisfying conclusion. The only things I can find wrong is maybe a page that really doesn't go with the rest of the story and the least important coloring error that no one would ever care about. I give this issue and A.

So there we have it. I'm all out of Sitcomics to review. So until next time when I have money! And please, if you're reading this, pick up the books. They're all good and well worth the price.

These are some great reviews, PTF --  especially since they're so positive!  I'd love to print some of your reactions in issue 5's Letters page.  If you'd like that too, just email your review for issue 4.3 to editor@sitcomics.net and include the words "okay to print" somewhere, along with the name you want immortalized in Blood Letters.


And if anyone else reading these reviews feels inspired to try a free sample from Super 'Suckers, they can go to www.sitcomics.net and download the first 27 pages of issue 1 for free.  The website also has a long list of comic shops selling the print copies and if you don't live near any of them, you can order all of them at mycomicshop.com or graham crackers comics online store.


Thanks again for taking the time to give such thorough feedback, PTF!