Thank you to everyone who participated in The Transformation Challenge! The 25 semi-finalist entries blew away the Microsoft and Motherboard judges, but they worked hard together and came up with the three finalists. Each of the finalist winners will receive a Microsoft Surface Pro 3, $1,000 USD, an all-expense paid trip to work with a featured artist, and have had their winning work featured as a home page billboard generating thousands of page views for their deviations.
Tranformation
by HughEbdy
Habib Zargarpour
There is a very subtle but effective use of composition here, especially with the progression of the frames. The contrast between the armored, heroically posed character and the ending with him running towards the water because he overheated is very comical.
Thobey Campion
As one of the legion of fans of Don Quixote, Monty Python, and really medieval everything, I've always enjoyed the modern take on a very dark period. Hughebdy's work demonstrated a really funny twist that left me pleasantly bewildered but also impressed at the succinctness of his humor.
The Transformation challenge - The Fly-Kid
by Zeich
Habib Zargarpour
The Fly Kid's concept of if you can't beat them join them is very visually displayed here. There is a natural flow from the character at the start to how he gets covered with flies, completing the transformation. Such an innocent kid with funny proportions becomes a menacing fly himself. The center frame has a very dynamic feel to it as the flies attack.
Thobey Campion
Zeich's submission is just straight-up weird in the best way. What wold normally be just an unthinkably awful plan is twisted into something close to a super-power. Maybe it's from my Calvin and Hobbes days (which haven't ended), but the idea of occupying a world by oneself predicated on magical occurrences no one else knows about is just the most appealing thing I can think of. Outside of all this, the texture and artistry of Zeich's work set him apart.
Habib Zargarpour
This is a powerful piece that shows a personal transformation of someone who is down and out and gets a second chance by bringing himself back from the brink by the use of a simple razor. The art style reinforces the gritty nature of his situation.
Thobey Campion
Raging-Akujiki's submission had a unique take on transformation, applying the theme to a man whose clearly hit the bottom then found a route through to coming back together with a loved one. As someone who's seen incredible comebacks in the lives of close friends, I found it touching. The rich illustration also contributed a certain epic feel inherent in a rising from the ashes story.