Hello Kool Kwazy Kiwis! Today I will be reviewing something since it's Christmas and I can't sleep. I am stealing the rape review name from NiggerLogic, so today's Rape Review is Zoophobia. It was mentioned earlier in the thread but a full discussion was not given afaik. I am not covering most of the drama as
it's already covered on the relevant thread, and
there's also a thread I made for this webcomic but I wanted to personally review it like how
@Chandelier reviews fanfictions. As usual, this Comic is around a decade old, and considering the authors bad writing we need to go back into time to a place where shit isn't bad. Where things were perfect.
zoophobia
zoo·pho·bia
ˌzō-ə-ˈfō-bē-ə
: abnormal fear of animals
Let's go back to a time where things weren't so bad, where CWC wasn't at the hands of the Idea Guys, Circa 2011. Tumblr is still being the cesspool it's known for and an upcoming artist by the name of Vivianne Medrano has posted her first comic. Zoophobia, Zoophobia is a comic supposed to be about a woman with the aforementioned name of the title. As with any Medrano works, this one has some level for crappy writing involved. Let's begin with the Cover Art.
From this cover image you can tell a lot. For starters, the terrible composition and the colors clashing
which is a constant thing you have to get used to. Compared to most comics of it's time, Zoophobia had garnered a wide platform fanbase, even after the Auidence had moved onto Medrano's other works.
Today's Rape Review is going over the first Comic Part and digesting how fucking horrible this comic is, and pointing out some flaws if Viv wanted to return to it.
Chapter One: Across The Tree And Leaves
We begin our humble story with a therapy session for the Main Character.
So for starters lets cut to the chase, as the name of this comic suggest as with Cameron herself being fore front and center, she
has Zoophobia, something I did mention, while therapy is a thing most people get to deal with their -Phobia's something really doesn't make sense with this at all due to the vagueness and the explanation that we did not get. Why is Cameron recieving therapy? Is it related to her Zoophobia? We don't know.
After speaking to her therapist about this vague dream, Cameron had remembered that she has a job to go to, in which she thanks her therapist and promptly went to the person. She has a friendly chatter with someone who was not at all interested in her demenor though the person did notify her of her predicament after she asked if she knew the person from somewhere, apparently just like in real life, Cameron couldn't find a job placement and the person who took her application was ready to decline her, and Cameron begs her to please find something which she asks if she has a degree in counseling, which is irony given she
was at a counselors office.
Cameron does admit she has a degree and this is what was required for her to get the position though she's warned she has to transfer in order to get there. Which she doesn't mind at all, and this was set in stone by the way. After the confirmation of her new place, Cameron thanks the lady and heads out to go to her new job, only for the Lady to surprise us with something.
Compared to this, we do not get a single answer for
what is this person and why she is thanking her, though since prior she was asked if she knew her from somewhere, I am only assuming she's an avian or a shapeshifter (One of which is about to be answered.)
We meet Cameron on her plane ride to the placement she was put in, upon riding there, she proves to be a nuisance on the way there. Considering this plane is operated by one pilot I cannot help but find her constant moving about to be "dangerous" especially since she lunges at the pilot (notably named Snake.) who was not happy with her bullshit. Compared to most comics, the color palette seems muted, but that would change soon, after a bit of spergatory from Cameron about animals, she ended up arriving to the place, and as you expected it, upon landing down, she is met with furries.
Like any Kiwi when faced with furries, Cameron has a flight or fight response and nearly fucking kills herself, before stopping once she realizes she's in furry hell (or heaven for any furry.) The interesting part is the fact she was so blindsided that the main lepard named Zechriah had to surprise her and cause her to fall into his or her body. This causes her to faint. If there's too many characters, then get used to it, because those are
not the only ones we're dealing with thus far.
After her episode, Cameron awoken on a bed in the nurses office, and immediately the nurse is seen to be a freak, and this led her into running out. Which led her back in the arms or paws of Zach, who ended up asking her if she was done with her spaz out, she is promptly led to the office, which she is notified she is stuck here, as the person who sent her knowingly tricked her here. Because of le plot reasons, anyone who steps foot into safe haven immediately is "marked" meaning they can't leave under no circumstances. Which must suck for anyone anti-furry, but is fun for furries and zoophiles themselves.
After this only funny banter, Zach immediately tells her she's at
Zoo Phoenix Academy and that she is slated to be the new staff there as their counselor, why there hasn't been one before her, is kinda confusing but that's beyond the point, after this, another teacher walks into the room to show her around, I spare you the word vomit that I am about to go on about, apparently, the teacher is married to a crossdressing faggot, whose also spanish! Like wow, pick a fucking struggle. Upon meeting with the teacher that should be on a watchlist, Jackie decided to take her to the Theater Room, her class. Where we get a glimpse at most of her students, (one of which is Addison who we will later get into in another rape review.)
We are met with more characters, and this time Viv's bias for Red and Black and all things edgy is shown, we are met with a barrage of characters which I am not gonna fucking explain. So here they are.
- Jack | Dog with bad luck.
- Damien | Literal Anti Christ whose allowed on surface realm because his sex work bot nanny and servant broke some rule to get here.
- Mackenzie | Some girl who think she is a cat, not a furry but pretty sure she's raised by cats.
- Zill | Someone whose dating Kayla another girl, integeral to a plot point that went nowhere, again for another rape review.
- Kayla | Zill's Christan badass girlfriend, Daimen has a unironic crush on her despite her devotion to God.
As you can see we have a wide variety of a cast here, get used to them
as they replace Cameron as the main character sooner or later. I have nothing other to say then the fact this is what we're dealing with here. More shenanigans occur and then some creepy moment between Bob The Cat's Disabled Brother occurs.
To signal the last of the chapter, since the next one is filler, Cameron returns home has a mini spaz out before being comforted for her uncomfortableness, despite all that its worth, Cameron admits she's out of her element before Zech decided to show her a light show, then the chapter ends with another segment of that lady who was relevant for getting her here, and never again.
Problems with the Comic
Just like with her later works, Viv focuses too much on character designs and making them look pretty and presented without working on writing, pacing or introducing the characters one by one, despite claiming to have improved now with her recent works. It's still a glaring issue to this day. By writing in the characters and shooting off them one by one, it makes it harder for the reader to catch on to these characters, especially if they are a footnote in an entire story dedicated to one main character. Especially if the new characters are going to outshine your main character.
Alongside that, the colors and color choices fluncuate, between lame grey and colorful when she arrives to Safe Haven it feels weirdly in tone but then at the same time it changes completely to set a mood that can only be described as confusing. Most of her coloring choices feel like they lack and contrast deeply, considering most of the characters (like Mackenzie) were technically bought from another artist, and she didn't really change much about them, it's not really that surprising at all. I don't have much to say as this is 3AM while writing this and it's just boring.
But this has been Rape Review and see you next year for the coverage of the filler and The Anniversary Chapters, which are marked as 2 and 3 respectfully.
