'Tis the Season Part 2

12-31 - This Party blows - I really like the backgrounds in this strip as the detail of the kitchen where Miranda and Reggie are making out is great. Also, I liked the drawing of the Rock Band drum kit. The punch line wasn't that strong as it was just kind of there meaning there was no sarcasm or real wit to it. Also, Jade's eyes are a little weird as they seem to be over top of her hair. I know that is the character design but it would be hard to do in real life.

1-1-09 - Catching Up - Alright this is the first real glimpse at the new Reggie character design and I'll say it’s definitely not the best redesign. Looking back at the pre-change Reggie his neck is as thin as it was before and his lips and the shape of his head are the same. The biggest changes are: 1) His hair: It is different as he kept it way shorter the last time we saw him. Moving to a more braided/longer hair look is ok it's just more dramatic for Reggie. 2) His shades- The lenses become round from half-moon and the arms of the glasses enter in the middle instead of the top. It's an update of styles so again not too bad of a change. 3) His eyebrows - This is my biggest problem with the redesign. When we last saw Reggie he had more wispy eyebrows similar to Brent in this strip. Now he has Groucho Marx brows and that combined with the updates just makes every change seem radical and a total overhaul for the character.

1-2-09 - Breaking up is hard to do - I don't know what it is, but as with Skull, Scott just seems to write really well. Whenever he is in a strip he's usually even-keeled and his dialogue comes off very honest and truthful (well for a cartoon character). His explanation of his problems with Miranda is very good as is his explanation of why he is still with her rings true; hey who wouldn't want to give Miranda MULTIPLE chances is she kept showing up for hot sex? Also, the punch line was very well done as Reggie's question and Brent's response came off as a natural part of a conversation. I can't help but think if it was Cole/Francis/Brent, the guys who are in 75% of PVP strips; a strip like this would ring false.

1-5-09 - Same Party, Different Rooms - Surprisingly mature Brent advice through the first 4 panels. I also continue to like the background detail as you can tell that Brent and Reggie are outside on a deck/porch while the girls are inside. Before the blank or minimal backgrounds would have you questioning if the girls were just on the other side of a wall. The ending continues the story and with my fiancée owning 10 seasons of Friends reminded me strongly of that show.

1-6-09 - Communication - I saw some of the comments from this strip and agree that the throwing of the water/wine wasn't that great but it is a harder action to capture in drawing. Miranda's profile is also off as I looked back and most profiles and the normal view of her face show a pointed look and in this strip is very rounded with a strong jaw. Also, Brent's "kissy" kips are odd as they look to be floating completely independent of her face.

Funny side note (to me at least) Brent must be getting hammered; he's changing from red to white wine in this strip. I like that Brent and Jade are a little smug here as most married couples think they know relationships better than single couples. This strip also continues the Friends-eque storyline, not that that’s a bad thing.

1-7-09 - Life is a frolic - It seems whenever Brent and Cole get together the maturity of a situation decreases a good deal. I do not know why they would want Reggie to get back with Miranda after Brent had the conversation and advice he gave to him 2 strips before. Reggie's dialogue is still great as his explanation of the situation remains spot on. The punch line was great as the "you write what you know" got a audible laugh out of me

1-8-09 - Moving on - Kind of saw the punch line coming from the vigor that Jade defended her sister but I'm sure it’s not the end of the arc. I liked Jade's profile better then Miranda's previous as, while it may be rounder than it was before, it’s a softer curve and more of a feminine jaw. Jade's bug eyes make another appearance and I dislike Chet, not just because he is likely a douche bag/prima donna, but because you cannot tell what is his hair and what is his nose with a close look. Also, the fact that his eyebrows are thick AND floating in front of his hair is just odd.

@poormnssuprmn49 - I saw your comments and as for the quality of my critiques: I've posted that I am not nearly as adept at this as ES and FSM but they have been busy themselves so you got me, so no apology. If you disagree with something I say, then, well, there's an OBVIOUS thing you can do, post your disagreement about it and start a conversation. As for the timeliness of the posts, I do apologize to everyone, no just you. I work 40 hours as a physical therapist with extra hours for notes and that combined with New Years, working out, and you know paying attention to my fiancee gets me on the computer around 11pm and thats not the best time for cogent thoughts. (I have a half day on Thursdays thats why I updated around 3pm today). Now that I am caught up posts will come more regularly. I saw your own website and saw your last post was "20 greatest albums of 2007!!! ... (drama)" (yes folks 3 exclamation points and an ellipses). Please do not come to me and complain about schedule when you cannot even update your site for over a year (12/2/07).