Skin Deep | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| CID: | 10201 | Subscriptions: | 257 | Readers this Week: | 45 |
| Frequency: | On Hiatus | ||||
| Url: | http://www.skindeepcomic.com/ | ||||
| Genres: | Drama, Fantasy, Furry, Transformation | ||||
| Description*: | Michelle has suddenly discovered she is a sphinx, much to her surprise and everyone else's, even those aware that there is much more to fairytales than everyone thinks, as sphinxes were supposed to have gone extinct centuries ago. Updates Wednesday. Also at http://girlamatic.com/skindeep/ Mirror at http://www.webcomicsnation.com/korybing/skindeep/series.php | ||||
* Descriptions are user submitted and might not express the views of the admins of this site, or of the comics creators themselves. | |||||
| Flags: | L Adult Language V Graphic Violence | People who read this, also tend to read these:
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(33%) i El Goonish Shive ALV
(33%) i Dan & Mab's Furry Adventures A
(33%) i Dominic Deegan: Oracle for Hire ALNVX
Higher percentages are more closely related. | |||
| Entry Added: | Tue, Jul 10, 2007 | ||||
| Entry Modified: | Thu, Dec 19, 2024 | ||||
Reviews: 2 Average Rating:
Artwork: Fairly good. The style is curious at first but once you get to the mythological creatures things settle down and remain consistant. Backgrounds vary in quality, but I'm rather forgiving there. I don't mind a sacrifice for a timely update.
Plot: Be warned, this is one of those comics that jumps between Story arcs. Some arcs focus, for a time, on side characters or co-stars if you will, sort of in a flashback style. However, once you read through them to the recent stuff, you begin to see how it all slowly ties in. I honestly like the side arcs because they explain alot more about the universe the main character finds herself in. And I have a feeling alot of those loose ends from other arcs will be answered in future arcs. This comic has alot of room to grow.
Overall Impression: I really enjoy this one. It's pleasing to the eye once you get used to the style, I'm a sucker for mythical beasties, and LOVE that the author finds critters one doesn't always hear about. I look forward to see where they go with this...
Plot: Be warned, this is one of those comics that jumps between Story arcs. Some arcs focus, for a time, on side characters or co-stars if you will, sort of in a flashback style. However, once you read through them to the recent stuff, you begin to see how it all slowly ties in. I honestly like the side arcs because they explain alot more about the universe the main character finds herself in. And I have a feeling alot of those loose ends from other arcs will be answered in future arcs. This comic has alot of room to grow.
Overall Impression: I really enjoy this one. It's pleasing to the eye once you get used to the style, I'm a sucker for mythical beasties, and LOVE that the author finds critters one doesn't always hear about. I look forward to see where they go with this...
To start, I'm going to lay out my basic thoughts on this comic, and then explain my reasoning.
Skin Deep is a comic that does so many things wrong. And yet, I still find myself reading it every week.
That overview requires an explanation. After all, there are comics out there with fewer problems than Skin Deep that I’ve given up on. So what marks this one out from the others?
Initially, I found Skin Deep to be quite intriguing. It starts as a story about normal people living their normal college lives, and I only kept going past the done-to-death premise because of the promise of monster people, which was fortunately a promise Skin Deep delivered on. The normal student finds a magic talisman that turns her into a Sphinx (woman head, lion body, eagle wings). Let me say right here that the art was already better than webcomic standards before this point, and then the monster people show up, which just makes it awesome. I loved the character design, and think the author does an excellent job keeping the characters looking consistent even as they switch between their human and monster forms. Sure, on some pages the backgrounds are a bit rushed or even vacant, but I really don’t mind that so much as long as the characters stay looking good. The art improves over time, which one should expect from a good comic.
So anyway, the plot progresses. There’s some discussion about magic, a flying lesson, rumors of an ancient war between two supposedly-extinct races of monsters, the main character’s father is apparently involved and may be in a serious pot of trouble, I’m getting really emotionally invested in the story and then WHATTHEHECK where did all the main characters go? Where are we now? Who are those guys? Then I realize: the author has changed the focus. A completely different story has started before the first was resolved.
If I were to write a list of commandments for webcomic authors, one of the top would be: Thou shalt not introduce a character on the first page and then shift the story’s focus without warning. For most webcomics, it means I stop reading then and there. With Skin Deep, however, I liked the first part so much that I kept going, hopeful that maybe the first plot would eventually be finished, maybe tied in with this new one.
So, the other Skin Deep. It takes place in the same universe as the first: same magic, same shapeshifting monster people, different leads. Unfortunately, the second story is just not as good as the first. The main story between Anthony and Blanche is interesting, but there is no sense of focus. The story keeps going off on tangents, looking at characters we’ve never seen doing random things, before checking back in on the main two guys. It just isn’t good writing.
Also, it seems there is a bigger emphasis on explaining the intricacies of magic here. The first part had some explaining, but not too much. Here, they just go on sometimes. Then, there are a few glimpses of the life and romance of a secondary character from the first arc. These just seemed to taunt me that it wasn’t the first arc anymore. Oh, and I definitely shouldn’t forget the pop culture references. There are whole pages of dialogue on musicians or what have you that I skipped over because I don’t follow that stuff and even if I did it’s out of place here.
Yeah, I’m getting worked up. I just feel like this comic is letting so much potential go. The art, especially character design, is good, in fact, great. Writing is okay. Character development is probably done the best of anything. And I’m not ashamed to say that I really like this comic’s ideas, because, at the end of the day, watching a mid-shapeshift griffon fighting a mid-shapeshift jackalope is awesome. I just wish that the author would pick one, just one, idea, roll with it, and tie it together smoothly.
I like Skin Deep. I recommend it. However, I just warn that this comic has the tendency to spark thoughts of confusion, rage, or disappointment. If you can get past that, then, ladies and gentlemen of impressive maturity, I present to you: Skin Deep. Enjoy.
Skin Deep is a comic that does so many things wrong. And yet, I still find myself reading it every week.
That overview requires an explanation. After all, there are comics out there with fewer problems than Skin Deep that I’ve given up on. So what marks this one out from the others?
Initially, I found Skin Deep to be quite intriguing. It starts as a story about normal people living their normal college lives, and I only kept going past the done-to-death premise because of the promise of monster people, which was fortunately a promise Skin Deep delivered on. The normal student finds a magic talisman that turns her into a Sphinx (woman head, lion body, eagle wings). Let me say right here that the art was already better than webcomic standards before this point, and then the monster people show up, which just makes it awesome. I loved the character design, and think the author does an excellent job keeping the characters looking consistent even as they switch between their human and monster forms. Sure, on some pages the backgrounds are a bit rushed or even vacant, but I really don’t mind that so much as long as the characters stay looking good. The art improves over time, which one should expect from a good comic.
So anyway, the plot progresses. There’s some discussion about magic, a flying lesson, rumors of an ancient war between two supposedly-extinct races of monsters, the main character’s father is apparently involved and may be in a serious pot of trouble, I’m getting really emotionally invested in the story and then WHATTHEHECK where did all the main characters go? Where are we now? Who are those guys? Then I realize: the author has changed the focus. A completely different story has started before the first was resolved.
If I were to write a list of commandments for webcomic authors, one of the top would be: Thou shalt not introduce a character on the first page and then shift the story’s focus without warning. For most webcomics, it means I stop reading then and there. With Skin Deep, however, I liked the first part so much that I kept going, hopeful that maybe the first plot would eventually be finished, maybe tied in with this new one.
So, the other Skin Deep. It takes place in the same universe as the first: same magic, same shapeshifting monster people, different leads. Unfortunately, the second story is just not as good as the first. The main story between Anthony and Blanche is interesting, but there is no sense of focus. The story keeps going off on tangents, looking at characters we’ve never seen doing random things, before checking back in on the main two guys. It just isn’t good writing.
Also, it seems there is a bigger emphasis on explaining the intricacies of magic here. The first part had some explaining, but not too much. Here, they just go on sometimes. Then, there are a few glimpses of the life and romance of a secondary character from the first arc. These just seemed to taunt me that it wasn’t the first arc anymore. Oh, and I definitely shouldn’t forget the pop culture references. There are whole pages of dialogue on musicians or what have you that I skipped over because I don’t follow that stuff and even if I did it’s out of place here.
Yeah, I’m getting worked up. I just feel like this comic is letting so much potential go. The art, especially character design, is good, in fact, great. Writing is okay. Character development is probably done the best of anything. And I’m not ashamed to say that I really like this comic’s ideas, because, at the end of the day, watching a mid-shapeshift griffon fighting a mid-shapeshift jackalope is awesome. I just wish that the author would pick one, just one, idea, roll with it, and tie it together smoothly.
I like Skin Deep. I recommend it. However, I just warn that this comic has the tendency to spark thoughts of confusion, rage, or disappointment. If you can get past that, then, ladies and gentlemen of impressive maturity, I present to you: Skin Deep. Enjoy.
