Talk:World of Anarchy/Chapter 15/@comment-5935579-20140821214317

Ooooookayyyy so after reading two arcs of World of Anarchy I'm finally getting around to commenting. My not commenting issue will prove to be my undoing in the future so it's time to mend it, even if it means starting small (or big, 15 chapters big). Nevertheless I want this to be a sizable comment, capturing everything I can remember.

First off the bat, I gotta say that I am a fan of the style of writing you're doing for World of Anarchy. It's action packed yes, but not to the point of it just being mundane and exaggerated action. You mix in character moments in there as well, and finally your dialogue is actually pretty good. Sure, sometimes it's basic, normal dialogue, but that's only to be expected. Not every line of dialogue can be super expressive and stellar (I often try this and get moderate results at best), like others have said before me though, it'll definitely improve over time.

Another thing I enjoy is your use of flashbacks. Sure, at the moment they're only David's but I love how they're so brief and don't tell a lot. When I read that first flashback of him hiding under the bed, I wanted so much to know more about that, but it halted for the remainder of the issue, which was cool. Now, right now I seem to be having a personal problem with flashbacks because I think I overdo them, but David is just such and interesting character, with his past and relationship with Jim, that I find it hard to be bothered by their frequency. That and they explore David's relationships amazingly, who otherwise would still be an interesting character but not nearly as much without this peering back to his past.

With that being said, looks like I already started talking about characters. A great plot is always what makes a story so engaging, but nothing quite brings it to life like the right cast of characters. Already off the bat, I can tell you from experience that the hardest character to get right is actually the protagonist (or protagonists). It is so hard to make them feel fresh, interesting, and engaging each issue because they're the ones we see the most of. So quite quickly, they can grow tiresome and unappealing for the reader if they're not done correctly. That being said, I've never had a problem with David. He's just so interesting and engaging not just due to his backstory, but rather his demeanor and attitude. He's not as vocal as others all the time but when he is, reason comes out of his mouth. Plus his little quirks and reactions to what he sees tell us more, that something is definitely going on inside his head, something big and you throw out little signs every now then. I think I can say that he is definitely your strongest character at the moment, and I can't get enough of his journey and watch explore those relationships of his. Plus I loved that bit of fortunetelling foreshadowing with Michelle in that earlier issue, something big will definitely go down later and have him in the middle of it, and he's well aware of it.

Teresa, I'm gonna be honest with, I didn't like at first because she seemed like the typical damsel love interest, almost a character that plays off from the protagonist. So I admittedly didn't pay much attention to her. Over time however, I realized this was her because it made sense, for the time being however. At this point in the earlier issues, it keeps slipping my mind that the apocalypse is still fresh and can take a while for everyone to get used to. Plus there's also this stark contrast to both David and Teresa, in which the latter hasn't been through what the former has and is therefore much more naive than him. Another striking difference from both is their families. While David saw his be murdered and never seemed to get fully accustomed to be a part of Jim's, Teresa has a family that she loves with her being. So while David can sympathize with Teresa losing both her parents, he'll never really know how it felt for Teresa to re-encounter Amber in the middle of the apocalypse, and her apparent feuding with Amber when it was time decide upon Abby's fate. I specially liked this last part because it was one of the first times in which Teresa slowly started to break out of her hide between David shell. Her massive vocal support for Abby when no one else had been willing to speak for her showed courage, and her refusing David to go out retrieving the battery alone did so as well. That almost really completely turned her character around for me because I realized she wasn't just that typical damsel, but a courageous survivor that has a lot more to go through. I want to return to her relationship with Amber and say that it's also very interesting, because Teresa reveals to us that they've never gotten along perfectly, so I'm excited to see that part of Teresa as well.

The little ward Chris I'm very fond of actually, you are doing a hell of a job realistically portraying a kid while at the same time making him his own character. His uneasiness around David and love for Teresa sets him in stone. Plus he has a playmate in the form of Penny, who I also really like. His reactions are not always what I expect them to be, which is great because the kid keeps me guessing. Man as a whole he is interesting because he is a kid who saw two complete strangers take him and kill his reanimated mom, and he's now stuck with these two strangers for better or for worse. The dynamic between the trio is all kinds of uneasy, which I love. Guessing what the apocalypse will do to Chris is just as interesting about what it'll do to David (I mean the kid's killed and from the looks of it felt really nothing, dayum).

On to the other characters, I don't feel some are quite as developed but since the story is young, it's to be understood. They're a mix of serious and hotheaded, outgoing, and even quirky (Oliver Tv and poof Sid come to mind), but again, that only diversifies the cast. My personal favorite I'm gonna have to say is Leo. I can admire the fact that he's a family man with a temper but isn't a reckless idiot about it. Tough and durable too, I enjoy his dickish dialogue quite a lot as well. I like his relationships with David and of course his wife Anna (omfg rip </3). Anna was hella interesting to me because of her momentary wisdom at times of peril, and her medical expertees didn't hurt either. I can't recall an exact scenario but she is and was the voice of reason inside and outside Leo's head. Now that she's gone, that balance seems gone...but I hope it's not forever and I really would love to see Leo recuperate from this (him putting her down, ouch). Other standouts for me are Riley (who I think is one of the more level-headed members of the group and really doesn't mind getting her hands dirty. Pretty cool demeanor too), Samantha (the polar component of the group clash machine along with Leo, I find her bossy and bitchy attitude interesting. Please don't shaft her </3), and Benjamin Dover (see how I avoided dat haha). Honestly there's more to be Ben than being just a traitor, and even if he is a little jagoff he's also got a quirkiness to him I like (plus being portrayed by Chris Mintz-Plasse proportions him with considerable levels of swag).

That's all I have to say about World of Anarchy for now. I might've had more to say but this is all I can remember for now. I also love the little comedic moments you throw in here and there, like David's head bumping into Teresa's behind (luckiest face ever) and Oliver's Hyde references, both got a chuckle out of me. I am really liking WoA, and you have so much potential to grow as a writer CJ, so keep at it!