Heh.

Amusingly, when I saw this update, I was actually browsing your gallery wondering what had been up to lately on it ^^;

Yes. Finally a new one.

This is why you never make werewolf potions XD

I'm more of a fan of night-wandering bloodthirsty werewolves, but this is an interesting read.

Gotta love it! Maybe they'll find a nice home together. :P

Or has she lost it...

I can never tell with you and your plot twists.

I plot twists. And cliffhangers. Preferably a cliffhanger at the end of every page and a plot twist every five pages.

Maybe I'm addicted?

Nah, you're just a very good story teller :)

Hmm... I'm wondering, what will happen next. Is it going to be a bit more frequently updated?

I'm aiming for regular updates. But there's always the chance that my plans will be thwarted by another disappearing act.

In the small view version it looks as if Ashley has the face of some small animal sticking up out of her pants.

Awesome comic. The phrase, "A mind is a terrible thing to waist" came to mind.

Technically speaking it isn't being waisted, but merely converted, diverted, and simplified. In reality, as people only use aprox 10% of their brain, chances are she'll get to use more of it, now that there isn't as much mass.

That 10%-of-the-brain thing is actually an urban legend. The entire brain is used, just not the same amount all at once.

I dunno... if you live where I live, you'd probably doubt people used even 10% of their brain, especially while driving, and this is coming from a natural blonde! :P However, you are correct. All parts of the brain are used, but this also goes for all creatures on this planet...

As for Ashley... I think she goes by Zuul now. :P

Perhaps a lupine brain is better.

Lupine minds are always better. :) That is a given. :p

Now that would be a brilliantly punny title for a waist TF

hmmm...

*ponders on how to despict a waist TF*

So, will this come back as regularly as you said it would or will we have to wait to find out what happens in a couple months?

I 'm hoping for regular updates, though I can't promise there won't be another disappearing act.

Alrightly, now that I have a small bit of time, I'll give a full review of what I've seen thus far. I am a writer (screenwriting and traditional novel) and there are things that I almost immediately look for when it comes to a "visual" story...pacing, flow, page by page quality. Let's face it, FA as well as other sites like Transfur, have TF sequences a dime a dozen, with 90% being okay or meh. They might look pretty, but the whole point of the sequence, is just to see a snazzy TF. They are cool to look at for the time being, but they don't stick with you.

There are very few sequences that I've given a "high approve" to. The first had to go to "Nojo" with his Michael TF, of which begins in a very whimsical fun diddy, but about halfway through the plot, it becomes incredibly dark, with Michael eventually getting his humanity completely erased. The very last page is haunting as Michael's sister (of whom was possessed by an evil witch) looking into the dim blank happy eyes of a regular dog, knowing very well that this was once her beloved brother. It was emotional, and yet very simple at the same time.

This is what I've found with "When the Moon is Half Full". You don't have to be photorealistic to tell a great story, and Fennex's whimsical style borders the surreal, even with sparse backgrounds (I hate drawing backgrounds too).

Another nice factor is the snappy dialogue. It isn't overblown. You keep it simple. You keep it smart and you keep us guessing. That is good.

Pacing is also great. Many MANY times I see TOO many online comics where it takes EONS to get to a plot point, and while I'm sure TF purists would love a full catalogue (ergo the FLY) of the transition phase between full human to full wolf/dog, you manage to keep each page hanging on the unknown, while slightly altering their appearance page to page, so that each frame is donated to the progress of the narrative and not blatant shifting.

The only thing that I would stress is it would have been nice to know who Ashley was at the very beginning, and to get a bit more backstory for her and her friend Jimbo. She's really pretty, and he's sort of chubby, so it makes me wonder if he took the "potion" to make himself more presentable to her, at least while in werewolf form. You actually drew a page where she had placed a "paw" on his shoulder, and he was looking at it, like it was the greatest day ever. So a little more backstory would be nice, that is if you want to take things well beyond the realm of a simple TF sequence.

Now concerning the newest frame...

I'm very interested to see if Jimbo will be able to save the day before he loses his mind to his inner wolf. At this point it could end happy tragic (meaning that they completely turn into wolf/dogs and get happy homes and spend the rest of their lives in bliss, or Jimbo, despite the lack of thumbs, is able to keep himself from losing his entire mind, and find some way to fix things.

Thanks for keeping us guessing...

Good work.

Massive thanks for the review. It's hard to properly evaluate your own work somehow. You're probably right that the characters could use a bit more backstory. I decided against it because I feared it would conflict too much with a future development (spoilers!). I'm still not certain that's the right decision. I'll probably know once I've drawn the last page.

And I must say that I'm really happy that you liked the storytelling aspects. I've always found that as far as character development and plot goes most transformation sequences are terribly lacking. So that's the part I tend to focus on the most with my more serious work. It's nice to know that all the effort pays of.

Now you mentioned you're a writer and that got me really curious. Could you point me in the direction of your work perhaps?

Hah... I just read the new segment... only teased us with their minds getting wiped eh... Well you had me going there. :P

I however, am that cruel and unusual, and yes I did wipe a character's mind in the most sadistic way, because that is how I rock. :p Not... sadistic... well in fact... I am instrumentally obtuse, so technically speaking I can't rock either...

Bravo though... :) I'll PM you in regards to the other question.

It's always hard to evaluate your work (yourself) because you, as a writer/artist are always comparing your work to that of others, and let's face it, other's work, will always look better to you, than your own, because you are so familiar to your styles and shortcomings... per say.

As a writer, storytelling is always key to me, and while I might get amused by a well drown TF sequence here and there, if an artist can make it work within the constructs of a good story, it makes it immortal in my book.

Then again, the best TF sequences and situations always occur within the confines of a well developed story.

There werewolf motif isn't anything new, and some of my most favorite stories come from the 12th century lais written by the French. Bisclavret, Melion, William of Palermo (Alphonse was the werewolf) and Gorlagon, all told stories of noblemen or in Alphonse's case, a prince, of whom was turned into a wolf. The stories while different had reoccuring lupine themes, damnation, salvation, and finally restoration. They all used the werewolf as a metaphore for the loss of physical indentity, however as the stories reveal, the outside doesn't always speak the truth, for what you are is found within.

In contempary terms, one of the greatest transformation movies is David Cronenburg's "The Fly" starring Jeff Goldblum. Seth's slow and horrific metamorphysis was a metaphore for the Aids virus. In many ways, "The Fly" was liking watching a long slow execution, as Seth's sanity and humanity ebbed away as the Brundle virus took its hold.

We know a person can live beyond losing their "physical" identity, as we've seen with wounded soldiers, and such, but it's much more difficult to deal with folks who are losing their mental identity, such as those who are suffering from Alzheimers. To watch those you love slowly disappear into the void, is terrible and heartwrenching.

So it is, in this regards that the metamorphysis can be used as a powerful storytelling tool.

As for my earlier comments...

Your introduction to "When the Moon is Half Full" is fine. I didn't mean that you should have a "Concerning Hobbits...er werewolves" backstory, as you had all the elements you needed within the first page. You might have simply found a way to allow us, as readers, to know that your main protagonist is named Ashley, and that Jimbo created some sort of potion. A short snappy cell phone call would have sufficed. It especially would have worked, as she couldn't find her cell phone the next day. :)

Thanks, I think I know what I can do now as an extra introductory scene. I've still got some blank space here and there in the print version. I think I can get this to work.

Good storytelling is indeed vital. One of these days, once I've properly mastered the ropes, I'll start on my transformation magnum opus. A massive comic focusing entirely on how the main cast deals with an agonizingly slow and unstoppable dehumanization, both body and mind. It won't be anything flashy or action packed. Just a solid plot and plenty of time let the characters work. All I need to do is get all the loose snippets and ideas tied together.

Why doesnt Jimbo have pants, and hasnt that bothered our protagonist yet?

Let's face it... Jimbo... PLANNED it... Why else would he only put on a shirt. Your right though, Ashley should have caught on. Then again... had she'd been smart, she wouldn't have dosed herself with an untested werewolf...errr wrong... WOLF potion. :P

Aaaagh! Why does everyone get caught up in the pants thing. They merely went straight back to Ashley's place. And while Jimbo can manage to wriggle himself into one of her shirts there really is no way he'd fit in one of her pants.

So... he hasn't already "been" in her pants then? :P Sorry... could...not... resist... :P

It's always been something in the back of my mind. Really it's a minor point that's easy to ignore, especially considering that there is much more pressing issues than "hey where's your pants".

Also it's FA. Of course people are going to get up in the pants thing :)