Fluid #2 - score: 6 out of 10

Mongi:
The first Fluid pack was never reviewed due to lack of time, not enough material to review, and most of it were released in Purg already. The second pack is totally different in both quality and quantity, and they have a very enthusiastic leader (judging from the infofile).

Alan Mackey and Eric Schwartz(?) have very similar styles. Both are drawing toon cats and foxes. While Mackey have a very classical toonshading, Schwartz is using more traditional shading, thus giving his pics more depth. In additional to the good shading, he blends in rendered parts pretty seamlessly. The fact that Scwartz have made all his art on Amigas is fun, considering this is the PC scene. There isn't much to comment else than these are good toons, quite different from artscene art.

Pike (CiA) makes an appearance with one of his vigorous chicks. Apparently it's a Gen13 chick, but she's put on some weight. The background is nicely done, trying to get the feel of a waterfall, it mostly looks like strange noise. The water could have been done more realistic by marking the water going around her legs with waves.

Ruben Malayan's abstract rendered pieces are very fascinating. Completely non-figurative pieces tend to be done with tools generating nonsense until it looks somewhat good. But Malayan's pieces seem to have created with an intention he already had, having full control of it. They give a feeling of being harmonic, rather than total chaos.

Compared to the rest of the pack I can't understand how Steroid's pics passed QC. Having no design whatsoever (or the worst I've ever seen) it's clearly newbie work. I wonder if he's drawn anything at all, or if it's all filters.

The rest of the pack was of average quality. Starks's work bothers me, though. I have a very strong feeling they are ripped. Suppose he have made the pics: why embossing(?) it? Why invert the colors on the winged guy? Firstly, the dragon looks screened/pixilated just as if you have scanned printed work. Secondly, both the dragon and the mouth in the corner are already released in the last Purg pack, only the dragon had inverted colors and the mouth was bigger and had more details. Why ruin a painting like that? I don't have any proof, so I'm not saying Starks is ripping, I just feel that way. If Starks really haven't ripped, I apologize.

It struck me that most pics are dated 1997, and some even back to 1995. Like Moonrise, I'm asking the question again whether the artists really are dedicated to the group? No pic in the pack says Fluid anywhere. And the pics are old. Draw your own conclusions.

score: 6