The Comic

What is The Critical Hit Show? Why is the comic called “The Critical Hit Show Comic?”

The Critical Hit Show is a live, improvised Epic Fantasy show based in Vancouver, BC. It’s been running every month since 2012 at The Rio Theatre, and follows the adventures of The Heroes of Tarkindale. The comic set in the world of the show and features many of the same characters.
 

Wait! These are real people?

Yes! The major characters in the comic are based on those that appear in the live Critical Hit Show.
 

Do I need to see the live show to get the comic?

The comic is a standalone thing, which needs no knowledge of the live show to enjoy.
 

Who are the people behind the comic?

Eric Fell writes the words and Heather Gilbraith draws the pictures.
We will also have other writers come in and do some of the comics (like Eisner, Shuster, and Harvey Award winning writer Ian Boothby).
 

What is the setting of the comic?

The Critical Hit Show Comic takes place in and around the town of Tarkindale, in the land of Nordel.

Nordel is short for North Delta, Eric’s hometown. One of the conceits of the live show is that it actually takes place in his parents’ basement in North Delta.
 

The Art

What software/hardware is used to make the comic?

The comic is drawn, inked, and coloured digitally in Manga Studio 5EX/Clip Studio Paint EX using a drawing tablet. Specifically, Heather uses a Yiynova MSP19U+ tablet monitor to draw on.
 

Why Manga Studio? Don’t most artists use Photoshop?

Heather here: I used Photoshop (PS) for… oh goodness, 15 years. And I loved it. But even 15 years worth of self-taught experience using PS doesn’t change the fact that PS is optimized for photo-manipulation and image editing. Artists have worked around its interface for years to use it for art instead, and Adobe has added features over the years to cater to artists, but it still doesn’t change the fact that 80% of it is optimized for photo-editing, not painting or illustration. Not only that, but its expensive; the subscription service adds up.

Manga Studio 5/Clip Studio Paint (CSP) is a program I came to a couple years ago after reading some good reviews and picking it up on sale. It took me a little while to shift my habits and learn how it worked, but once I did it blew me away. It’s designed for artists, illustrators, and comic artists, and adds so many awesome tools that PS lacks. Things like the perspective rulers alone sell it for me over PS, and that’s just one of the awesome features it has!

I can go on and on about it because I love it so much, but I’ll stop before I take up this whole page. I have a post on my Tumblr all about reasons why I love it over PS, so feel free to read that if you’re interested! 

What brushes do you use?

Heather here: Since switching to CSP I started using Frenden’s brush sets, and they’re seriously all I’ve ever used since. They’re fantastic, I highly recommend them, and they’re also available for PS, too. I use his Blue and Red Real pencil brushes to sketch out the comic, and then I ink it using a slightly modified version of his Brush Pen inking brush.