Retro Comics

[toa ordaku]

RETRO

COMICS

Hello, all!It's been many years since I've perused the Forums here on good old BZPower. However, now that summer is almost here, I figured I would check out some of my old internet haunts, to see how the times have changed while I've been away.To say the least, I'm happy that BZP's comic community is still thriving after all of this time. It really does warm my heart to know that, despite Bionicle's long-ago cancellation, the members here are a stronger and more tight-knit group than ever before.Which means that there's never been a better time to return to the Forums.To that end, I am pleased to announce my return to the webcomic-making industry. This series will be, as its title suggests, a throwback to the prime-time comic makers of old. Each issue will be hand drawn, a (hopefully) welcome break for some from the more traditional pixelated series. It feels good -- in a nostalgic sort of way -- to be back, and I hope that you will continue to support me in this venture!Now, on to the comics!-Toa Ordaku, 6/5/2012

Current Issues:

1: The Anti-Introduction

2: Finals Week

3: A Drizzly Afternoon

4: Procrastination

*New*

5: Wibbly-Wobbly, Timey-Wimey *New*

Disclaimer:The Bionicle franchise is owned by the Lego Group; I do not own, nor do I claim, any rights over what is rightfully their property. I do, however, claim copyright over any intellectual property -- namely story, plot, and character names that are not owned by the Lego Group. Therefore, I ask that you please comply with all international copyright laws before attempting to rip off my comedic material.

Edited July 24, 2012 by toa ordaku

[Sybre]

Hand-drawn, hmmm? That means you used effort! Looks good so far! I can't wait to see what happens next!

[P~M]

Well, I never actually read your comics before, but I already feel welcome. And that's a good thing. :PI like it. The artistic style is unique, and the text, although slightly messy, is legible, and that's all that counts. It could use a tiny bit of color in my opinion, but if this is how you've always done it, then it's fine. I can't wait to see more.*clicks subscribe*

[-DJ-]

Wow, the whole 'intro comic' cliche is starting to wane in popularity. That's always a good thing.On the comic itself, I really do like it. The art style is rather interesting, in that it's not too detailed but does look good. I am a fan of the cartooniness.As far as humour goes, I genuinely find this funny! Unlike a lot of comics where you can see the joke but generally not find it amusing, I did laugh out loud (which was weird for everyone involved, trust me). I always appreciate someone who can poke fun at themselves, and somehow simultaneously make a joke at someone else's expense (I also suppose it helps that I rather like a jab at the BZP community, all things considered). Overall, I like the comic and, if this is a sign of things to come, I'm excited for coming events. Keep up the awesome work, and I just might stick around.

[Taka Nuvia]

Hm, you can never tell very much about a series based on just one comic, but I enjoyed both the art style and the humor, so I'll be sure to keep an eye on this. Also, it's great to meet another comic-maker who does hand-drawn ones (Hi! =D)

[toa ordaku]

Thanks for all of the feedback, you guys! It really means a lot. I'll try to reply to each of you individually in the morning, but before I log off for the night, I figure that I might as well post the next comic. Click the link above and enjoy!

[toa ordaku]

Wow...these past two days have been unbelievably hectic. As issue #2 hinted, this week actually was Finals Week for me...and my schedule got crazier than I could possibly have imagined. (Take, for example, the fact that I was up til 3:00 in the morning last night taking my Honors American History exam.) Anyway, with the conclusion of my Spanish II exam this afternoon, I am happy to say that I have officially completed the semester! :DAnyway, something more on topic: in today's comic, you'll find that it has a slightly different art style than the first two comics. Sadly, this is because my blue ball-point pen dried up passed away sometime yesterday evening while assisting me with finals. I had to dig around a bit in my storage cabinets, but I managed to find my old inking pens. I figured I'd give them a try -- let me know what you think!Before I finally post replies to everyone's messages, I just want to give you two little tidbits about the new comic. The first is about the title: it's been raining in my area every day for the past week now, so I felt it appropriate to make a comic that reflected the present atmosphere around me. Secondly, and more importantly, I would like to take this opportunity to introduce a new original character -- Ash!While her first appearance was actually in the second comic, I feel it is necessary to explain a little more about this permanent cast member for today's issue. My character (Ordaku) is a Toa of Energy, meaning that he can manipulate and interact with all forms of life energy. Thus, it would only be natural that he would also be able to engage the left-over life energy of the deceased. That's where Ash comes in: she's a ghost, which means that unless Ordaku focuses his power, only he can see her! Not to say that Ash does not have some amazing qualities of her own -- she's a loyal friend, a brilliant tutor, and she has a few powerful tricks up her sleeve in case they end up in a tight spot.Well...now that that's out of the way, on to the replies!

Hand-drawn, hmmm? That means you used effort! Looks good so far! I can't wait to see what happens next!

Thanks! Effort is the key to success!

Well, I never actually read your comics before, but I already feel welcome. And that's a good thing. :PI like it. The artistic style is unique, and the text, although slightly messy, is legible, and that's all that counts. It could use a tiny bit of color in my opinion, but if this is how you've always done it, then it's fine. I can't wait to see more.*clicks subscribe*

Most of my original comics were all done digitally, with sprites. This time, however, I chose drawing them by hand: I wanted a medium that was new and exciting, as well as one that could truly capture emotions and facial expressions. As for color, if I can figure out how to add some without making the art look bad, I'll take that into consideration! Oh, and I'm glad that you could read my hand-writing. Thanks for your subscription!

Wow, the whole 'intro comic' cliche is starting to wane in popularity. That's always a good thing.On the comic itself, I really do like it. The art style is rather interesting, in that it's not too detailed but does look good. I am a fan of the cartooniness.As far as humour goes, I genuinely find this funny! Unlike a lot of comics where you can see the joke but generally not find it amusing, I did laugh out loud (which was weird for everyone involved, trust me). I always appreciate someone who can poke fun at themselves, and somehow simultaneously make a joke at someone else's expense (I also suppose it helps that I rather like a jab at the BZP community, all things considered).Overall, I like the comic and, if this is a sign of things to come, I'm excited for coming events. Keep up the awesome work, and I just might stick around.

I'm glad that you enjoyed my work so much! The joke kind of just came to me: what is everyone else is doing that I want to do differently? I have a few more ideas floating around in my head on how I can do something similar in the future, so stay tuned!Oh, and by the way: I was originally going to have comics 2 and 3 follow a story arc that was a little more crude and which would introduce a new character, Moot, in the process. While I still haven't abandoned the idea, your comment helped inspired me to think of more sophisticated humor for my issues. Thank you for that!

Hm, you can never tell very much about a series based on just one comic, but I enjoyed both the art style and the humor, so I'll be sure to keep an eye on this. Also, it's great to meet another comic-maker who does hand-drawn ones (Hi! =D)

I appreciate the feedback; I know how hard it can be to judge an entire series on just five panels, so I hope that you've continued to follow the series as it's progressed these past couple of days. It's always great to hear from a fellow comic maker, and I would love to hear your thoughts on my more recent work! (And very nice to meet you! I like your work as well!)_________________________________________Well, looks like that wraps things up for today! It's getting late (again), so I better hit the hay. Enjoy my latest comic, and I hope to hear from all of you again soon!

[Sybre]

@Comic 2: Computers and other techno devices rule the world.@Comic 3: No need to remind me!

[Taka Nuvia]

[...]

Hm, you can never tell very much about a series based on just one comic, but I enjoyed both the art style and the humor, so I'll be sure to keep an eye on this. Also, it's great to meet another comic-maker who does hand-drawn ones (Hi! =D

I appreciate the feedback; I know how hard it can be to judge an entire series on just five panels, so I hope that you've continued to follow the series as it's progressed these past couple of days. It's always great to hear from a fellow comic maker, and I would love to hear your thoughts on my more recent work! (And very nice to meet you! I like your work as well!)[...]

*pokes* Of course I follow your work! :)I just haven't gotten around commenting on the second comic yet, so tha's what I'll do now. ^^Comic 2: It both entertained and scared me. I mean, the thought alone has something... scary.What I found most interesting about it is the art style, seeing as you didn't use panels in the traditional sense (although the thought bubble does count as a panel of some sorts... ah well, I guess you know what I mean). The vertical alignment works really well and gives it an overall "webcomic"-feeling, which is great. ^^Comic 3:He he. It's cute. It's absolutely adorable. <3You have a very neat hand-writing, BTW.So, keep up the good work! =3

[-DJ-]

Alright then. Let's get started.Comic 2 -I rather like the question posed in this comic. It's funny, definitely, but also a bit scary in that that's probably what learning will devolve to. Comic 3 -Ash is adorable, first and foremost. I like this type of character, because there are so many opportunities for jokes or even just funny scenarios. I do really want to see what else you can do with this little fellow. :)So, yeah. Doing great so far. Keep it up. :)Have a banana.

[toa ordaku]

Hi...it's me again.I know it's been a while, and I know I have some explaining to do, but I'll let Comic #4 take care of that for me. I had originally planned on making it gear towards my love for anime (ordaku the otaku), but I figured that nothing rings louder than the truth. As you can see by the date at the bottom, I've actually been sitting on the latest issue for quite some time now -- all I had to do was break away from watching Doctor Who to do the inking! :DAnyway, I hope that you like it. You can read it now via the link in the OP.

[Taka Nuvia]

Oh yes, obsessions can really distract you from everything else...The comic was nice and entertaining; I'm just wondering, are you planning to do some kind of longer arch or are the comics all going to be single strips with only a loose connection? =)Both is fine with me, I'm merely curious.

Edited June 28, 2012 by Demon Jester

[toa ordaku]

Oh yes, obsessions can really distract you from everything else...The comic was nice and entertaining; I'm just wondering, are you planning to do some kind of longer arch or are the comics all going to be single strips with only a loose connection? =)Both is fine with me, I'm merely curious.

I've been back and forth on what direction I want the series to go in...I've been able to come up with several ideas for one-shots and several strip arcs, and I may be trying one out over the nest couple of comics. I'll keep you guys posted as to my next move -- I'm on vacation right now, so it may be a couple of days before I get a chance to upload anything. Until then!

[Kakaru]

Your comics are certainly interesting. I appreciate the small format since it makes it easier to catch up on the entire series. The art, while simple, isn't too bad either. I'm not sure what tools or editing techniques you use so I won't say anything about shading, though it would really add another dimension to your art.Doctor Who reference was amusing and easy to relate to. Even when you have the time to update the comic you'd rather be doing other things, right? That's a common trait in every comic author since we're not obliged to keep churning out new strips on a schedule. I'm so scatterbrained sorry it's like 1 AM here. I don't really understand why you chose to name these Retro Comics. So far nothing has directly related back to anything resembling old AIII comics. Either you haven't gotten to the real focus of the comic (which should have been made clear within the first couple of strips) or you were simply erroneous in naming the topic. It'd be great if you could clarify.Keep on drawing! I'm looking forward to seeing more of your work!

[toa ordaku]

Guess who finally posted that next issue! :DContinuing with the Doctor Who theme presented in #4, I was originally going to have the strip feature a Weeping Angels joke; I may still do it in the future, but it sounded less and less funny every time I went over it in my mind. If I decide to skip it and all goes according to plan, Ash and Ordaku will be visiting Comic-Con in their TARDIS in #6. Look forward to it sometime within the next couple of days!