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I enjoyed it. I like Carlos Magnos artwork. He did a good job with the action sequences and he does nice expressive faces, like the one on the first page.

I thought the villain was decent and I hope the psychotropic fear phermones continue to be a part of his schtick.   

  I would like to see more about the politics of Bangalla. Poachers and Pirates? Hell yeah. But more espionage and war type stories please.

anyway, thats my two cents. Keep up the good work Moonstone!

oh and because someone earlier in the thread mentioned it.....I would pay to read the international versions of The Phantom translated to english. I'd like to see Moonstone do just that.






  

"Happy"? No. But, I'm not happy with what I've done so far either (on anything I've ever created, be it music, stories or any other imaginative venture.)

Luckily, I do realize that it would be utterly impossible to make everyone happy, simply due to the diverse nature of Phandom. What seems to make some people happy, angers others.

Example: I have one person slamming me for not making the Phantom serious enough, and another ripping me making him too serious.

So, even if I wrote a story that some people think is perfect, there will be others who disagree. It's the nature of being artistic. "Eye of the beholder" and all that.

So far, I've read four reviews of the two issues. Two were positive, two were negative. None of them touched on the same things (other than the coloring snafu in issue 12).

However, no matter how I feel, at the end of the day, I simply strive to keep creating the best thing I'm capable of creating and hoping that somewhere, out there, people will like it.

Even if, as you said on Dan's forum, all of you can do a better job than I can.

Thanks, astronato. :grin:

As for the pheromones, here's some back-story that may or may not show up later on: Manuel met Maria in college, where he was studying pharmacology. So, it will certainly be part of his efforts, just the same as his martial arts expertise. And, you can expect to see him again within the next year.

I look forward to it and to your idea about the Phantom taking on the tragedy of children soldiers.

#13 was quite a strange book for me, and here's why.
After the end of it, I just thought to myself "What was that all about?", you see, this issue was just so different from #12. We see the Phantom about a 100 times more then in the last issue, LOTS more dialogue from all the characters especially Manuel and The Phantom, action action action, and instead of thought bubbles we get some thought boxes [I can't think of the correct word] which we haven't seen in a Phantom comic since the DC days [it's funny how whenever I'm talking about The Phantom it always comes back to DC's maxi series] Last issue I started with the bad, this time I'll start with the good.

Unlike last issue I found the art work in this breathtaking. Great work from Carlos Magno and the inker, Nick Main, was spot on, using some great colours throughout the comic to add an eerie effect.
The action scenes throughout this issue were breathtaking and kept me on the edge of my seat! Main villian Maunel Ortega came of as quite the evil maniac, and I loved it! I thought the scene at the start with Maria talking about corrupt governments and stuff was very powerful! I cannot wait the 3 part Uganda story coming up! And also, the Ed Rhoades column was quite interesting to read!

Every good comic has its flaws and here they are,,..
I was quite confused about how this story was running, it felt as if I had jumped into the middle of a 6 arc story it was so wierd. Again some of The Phantom's dialogue was really wierd and awkward, a couple of examples are "WOW. This manic must not have completely worn off...", the dialogue reminded me of the old Adam West Batman tv show in some area's.

So all in all, a few people will disagree with me, but #13 was great and in my eyes, this issue is the official start of Mike Bullocks run

I was hoping to portray this story to the reader just as it was coming at The Phantom, somewhat confused and muddied by the drug he was dosed with. I've often read comics where I had to go back and re-read them to get the full picture, so maybe after your second reading it'll make more sense. Think Pulp Fiction.

What I was going for is how someone would talk if they were in the grip of a psychotropic drug. He certainly wasn't at the top of his game when he was talking in this issue. If anyone here has ever been inebriated, they can relate to how hard it is to form intelligent sentences when your mind is compromised. However, the essence of who you are comes out. For the Phantom, his bravery shines through, even if he doesn't speak like the founding member of Mensa.

Thanks, Brucey, glad you enjoyed it. :grin:

hey, that's 50% both ways, I'd say that is a nice even split. While you know i didn't enjoy issue #13, I thought #12 was really good. It had a special eliment alot of comics don't have....fun! #13 may not have been to my liking, but I'm still counting down the days till #14 comes out!

Thanks for your continued support, Dougy. #14 should be out in mid January, with 15 coming 30 days after. :grin:

Mike the reason why I asked what your views was because I was interested in hearing your views on our reviews that we 'experts' have wrote.

I do realise that getting your hard earn work bashed and ripped apart from piller to post must be dishearting at times but I and im sure others do appreatiate your efforts and are glad that you are wanting to do your best for the comic we all love.

"Even if, as you said on Dan's forum, all of you can do a better job than I can."

btw im a bit unsure by what you meant by that, as ive never said or meant that I or majoirty of others could do a better job.

At the end of the day, reviews whether by experts or not, are just opinions. I appreciate the reviewers who take the time to point out exactly what they like and dislike and why, as it gives me insight into how the work comes across to the reader, which is something exceedingly hard to gain when you're the one creating it. If a reviewer can write out their thoughts in a clear, concise, cognitive manner, I'll read it every time. If all they can be bothered to write is "it sucks" or "it rocks", then chances are after the first one, I won't waste my time reading their next journalistic endeavor.

Between that and the comment above "I'm sure others do appreciate your efforts ," it makes me wonder why someone would even bother buying it.

It reminds me of the die hard Green Lantern fans who bought the book every month, then went on the DC message boards to cry about how horrible it was and how the book would always be terrible until Hal Jordan was brought back. They did this for ten years. Ten years of buying a book they thought was terrible. If it's that bad and a reader feels the need to bash it continually, then why not seek out something else that might bring them a better enjoyment return on the investment? If I don't enjoy something, I just stop partaking in it.

To me, all that matters is that people enjoy it. And since I have lots of people telling me they enjoy it, and I know I'm getting more comfortable with the character, that will continue until Moonstone stops putting the book out, which won't be any time soon. :grin: