So, I've been wanting to write an article like this for a while now, coming from the view of someone actually involved in the forum.
Take note, of course, that not only is this all opinion, it is of the most biased type of opinion you can get. By no means expect this to be the absolute say on this matter. If it does happen to stir up discussion, even up to debate, it will have more than achieved its purpose.
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There's a reason why Artwork III (now "Comics", but old habits are sometimes hard to break) has persisted as one of the most drama filled (and to many others, just plain annoying) forum of BZPower history. Several, to be in fact. I honestly think that AIII has evolved beyond a simple separate section of the forum for people to post their comics.
Artwork III, simply put, is a subculture.
That seems quite a lofty title to attribute to the forum, especially where the masses of other creative forums have, let's be honest here, a much more gratifying reputation. BZPRPG, BBC, Epics, Short Stories, General Art, all of these have history of being reputable parts of the forum to hang around. Inevitably, Comics and Comedies were shafted into being the least attractive parts of the forum as a whole, which, at that point, was honestly justified. Both were the spawning place of newer aspiring comedians/writers who started out with their skill level not anywhere near tolerable and then moved on once they began to master what they had practiced. For the longest time, Comics was home to the "MSPaint generation", who's only drawback was not that they used a certain tool, but that they used it poorly. This was not a welcome site to any newcomer, and those who saw what they had to offer as a whole routinely turned around without a word, save for the required post in the ever recurring "What Forum Do You Visit The Least?" topic.
But Comics had something different about it - several things, in fact - which led to them developing their own history, legends, generations and more,
For one, it was the method of making the sprite comics themselves. Sprite comics in general have had a poor reputation, mostly because they were the results of ripping the actual game sprites from numerous games and placing them in premade backgrounds from the levels included in the ROM. Complete with some unreadable text and horrendously written stories or jokes, they cluttered up the internet chock full with their sub-mediocrity. Generally speaking, the video game forums faced the brunt of this onslaught, with the obvious connotation that, at the time, most sprite comic makers were satisfied with either directly ripping the game sprites or minute edits to the bases. Very rarely was a whole new spriting style made for an existing sprite base or new sprites made for a series that had no basis in sprites whatsoever.
But for Comics, something interesting happened. Not only were 100% hand-pixelled sprites actually created and used, they actually became the norm. Ironically enough, while BIONICLE's early Game Boy Advance exclusive titles did include a variety of Matoran sprites, never were they known to be used in BIONICLE sprite comics. Instead, the standard was (unknowingly) raised for the entire forum by having different artists make it general practice to create their own representation of the characters, pixel by pixel, and put them in different "poses" for others to use. In other words, what is known as the sprite kit. This practice is unheard of in other general fanbases that have sprite comic communities, and while hand-pixelled creations had always existed, never had they been so expansive and diverse. In fact, it was the fact that each artist hand-pixelled his sprite that led to different styles of sprites existing simultaneously and in turn, different styles of comics. In fact, that is the perfect segway to my next point:
Note: The following is a rather large rant on the history of the Comics Forum; feel free to skip past it if you want to get to the point proper instead of getting a more in-depth look.
While there were numerous kits made before the time, arguably the two most popular in the early days of comics were Razor (made by Marty Razor Kirra) and the various Rayg series (made by InnerRayg). The two were as different as day and night: the massive headed, skewed proportions of Razor Matoran, compared to the more set-like and anatomically correct (for toy-based biomechanical beings, at least) Rayg Matoran, Toa and everything else drew a distinct line in the sand between the styles of comics (there were, of course, several other kits that saw frequent use, such as the Chibi and Rahi Zaku Mega Kit (otherwise known as RZMK), but their styles folded mostly into the Razor and Rayg sides, respectively).
The lines they drew were best personified by the most popular comic makers of those styles back in the day: the Editorialist for Rayg users, and Dark709 for the Razor ones. Dark709's early Razor strips followed a classic formula: a slapstick, almost random sort of style of humor reminiscent of the Merry Melodies of Looney Tunes fame or the more recent SpongeBob SquarePants. The Editorialist had started out with Razor, but soon switched to Rayg and took on the embodiment of a more situational comedy, an almost dry humorist look at the world the characters lived in. While this didn't stop each from crossing into the established "territory" of the other, clear lines were certainly drawn between the two. Lavaside Rahi took note of this in his own article, "In the days of Razor and Rayg..." (which, from the point of view of someone who actually lived through this era, has a lot more credence than my own opinons do). Obviously, with such a common denominator separating the forums, there was plenty of controversy to go around. Razor users were "childish, random and nonsensical", while Rayg users were "stuck-up, sarcastic and rowdy".
The differing styles were in turn represented by the kits they used: the more cartoonish Razor was used for the zany humorists, while the more "edgy" comic makers found refuged in the more grounded in reality Rayg. Even after those two kits fell out of use, their successors more or less followed the same formula with the advent of Razor icon Dark709's Chimoru (which notably gained more of a following after the retooling of the kit into the less ugly Chimoru Omega) following Razor and Rahi Zaku Mini Kit (more commonly known as RZMIK, not to be confused with RZMK, the Rahi Zaku Mega Kit noted above*.
Dark709 still stayed as the mainstay Razor/Chimoru representee, but the Editorialist left and was succeeded by not just one comic maker but a whole group of them. Often just called "The Group", they took the essence of Rayg humor to a new level, developing and popularizing the "multi-author series" (or MAS, as they are often referred to as), a cooperative circular format introduced with their Project Klinkerpoop, and moved into a more definite snarky style of comic making. It was also during this age that many users started to switch to different programs for comic making that offered them a wider range of tools. GIMP was the common tool of use due to the obvious benefit of its cost (free!), while Photoshop was used by those who could either afford it or had a copy stashed on their parents' computer for some unknown reason. While before colored text and static pixel lines were used to differenciate between the characters' dialouge, stroked text and word bubbles began to spring up. Graphical effects began to be less pixelated and instead done with brushes, patterns and filters. Backgrounds went from two blocks of color to a gradient and wood pattern, a black line firmly inserted between the two to mark the end of one and the beginning of the other.
Even farther after that, Chimoru Omega began to become larger and larger due to fan additions, with more poses created as time went on. Six Shaded Chimoru Omega (a fan revision by Gerlicky) slowly replaced Chimoru Omega as the de facto version of the kit, and a comic maker named Dokuma made comic history when he actually took care to make his sprites look like they fit into the photos as a whole and, at the time, made the most photorealistic series to date. Other comic makers like Nuparurocks and RZMIK Revolutionist Emkay took it further with series like The Fourth Wall, Irreversable and Worlds Beyond the Horizon of the Mind, making use of the "Photorealistic Comic Technique" (or PRCT, as Ennar nicknamed it later on). Ironically given its appearance, RZMIK soon became the icon of serious stories within the forum, contrasting the more popular episodic comedic series.
The controversy also continued on, with the same general arguments given before, but with an additional point of argument: graphics vs. humor. Several started to state that one was more important than the other, while another vocal group voiced the latter. This was rooted more in style than actual kit use, but many saw the early veterans as an example of what the comics forum should emulate instead of focusing on "shiny new backgrounds and explosions on unfunny comics were just a shine of gloss over a rusted car". Others found that the older veteran comics were outdated in visuals, and that "No amount of humor in the world could make any unreadable comic enjoyable".
The Group soon faded away and Dark709's visits became less and less frequent. In their place sprung the Continuities, groups of comic makers that banded together to create their own personal cooperative BIONICLE universe and timeline. While the original famous continuity, the North Western Isles Continuity (NWI, of course) had existed during the age of the Group, they never really got anywhere and had faded as well by the time the Group left. BZPower was instead greeted by the International Comic Continuity (the ICC), which gathered many popular comic makers together in order to tie all of their series together in a cohesive timeline. The success of the ICC led to many others making their own spinoff continuities, although none but the Next Generation Continuity (the NCG) managed to stick.
With continuities also came continuity wars, and these spread throughout the forum like wildfire, often escalating into flame wars that had to be broken up by the ever vigilant Pohuaki. Even beyond that were untrue conspiracies of members trying to shut down other series or get people banned, which by themselves gave the forum a more sinister undertone than previously thought possible.
* To make matters worse, most comic makers refer to RZMIK as RZ, and even more confusing is that what most comic makers refer to as RZ/RZMIK is actually RZMIK Revolutions, a fan revision by Emkay and Tahuri, which added colored outlines and 360-degree views to the original kit.
Well, wasn't that an oh-so-informational history lesson, you say, but what does this have to do with your original point: why comics are their own subculture? Well, unlike the other forums, the separation in art styles and humor led to a giant separation within the forum, almost like two opposing political parties. We had controversy and legends and debates and spokesmen, but most of all we had an notable evolving style that enveloped both parties and made several key stops along the way. The kits unified the forum while also separating them, and the evolving status of quality in the forum alongside the many comic makers who came and went gave us something more than just the usual addition and subtraction of artists in the forum. Using sprites gave us a common ground, something that allowed enough diversity for personal style but enough in common to properly track the style of a evolving art style. This was more easier to identify than normal writing, and the common ground made it easier to pick out than general art or MOCs.
The next point was BZPower itself. Unlike the Library, whose forums were given leeway, AIII originally had the strictest revival limit around: 20 days with no posts and the topic was dead. This led to one of the things that have also driven many away from the forum itself: the spirit of competition. Competition, of course, is nothing bad in an of itself, but within Comics it seemed to take on a more sinister tone. The only way to keep your series alive was to become popular, and if your series wasn't popular, it often died with no resulting fanfare.
As a result, popularity became a key player in the forum. The amount of pages and posts in a given topic drew much more attention than it should have, becoming almost like a trophy as to how popular you were among the other members. Competition drove critics to be harsh and for newer comic makers to be constantly put down, but it also gave many members the motivation to improve. Many strove to be "the next Gavla", "the next Dark709" or "the next Nuparurocks", and studied the more popular series intently to see if they could try and do something more.
This unfortunately led to harsher critics, but it also gave the forum a sort of "survival of the fittest" aspect to it. Several members were made to pay attention to what was current or be washed over by the waves of newer or popular comic series' posts coming in. GIMP was pressured onto many users and the result was that the noobish members got weeded out quickly, if not by the death of their series by the critiques that they met. This was not to say that the critics were upright snobs who never really gave any useful advice; there were layers of useful tips and tricks laced into the reviews and there were also countless newer members who were apparently astounded that anyone would find their work anything less than amazing. What it did mean, though, is that the older comic makers were not afraid to be blunt and didn't bother to sugar-coat what they had to say. The newer members either had to get with the program as soon as they could or just leave the forum.
Again, the comic revival limit did contribute heavily to the evolving state of the art style. When comic makers left or when newer comic makers just fizzled out, they died and they stayed dead. This resulted in something resembling the layers of earth in an archeological digsite. The death of a comic series often discouraged newer members, and the rules didn't permit them to restart their series without something new. This led to piles of dead series in "layers" coinciding with the art styles of the age while the new "dirt" or posts of popular and new series covered them and shuffled them lower and lower down the list of topics. MSPaint style comics, while they would endure popularity through the lower levels, were quickly killed during the GIMP layers and remained buried while the current comics continued on. If the comic maker came back, he had to try something different. Very few continued to do the same thing (although there were many notable ones, take my word for it) and when they soon became talented enough, they kept their series going. Basically, the terrible series would, more likely than not, get buried under the new layers of posts very quickly until they finally got something that kept them alive enough to keep up with the top layers.
While it was far from a perfect or even ideal system and by no means meant that every comic series on the top layer was a good one, it kept the system alive and kept the art style evolving.
That's why Artwork III is the subforum it is today. That is why members find it harder to pull away. That is why, even after many have been banned, left the site, or just plain retired, they still check back up from time to time and even return once in a while.
Its not just because of BIONICLE. Its not just because of what they created. Its not even just because of the community of members. No, they all contribute to varying degrees, but that's not it. Some came back after BIONICLE ended. Some came back restarting everything they did before. Some came back even when other people they knew didn't come back with them.
I think its more deep that than. Its because it has unique combination the art style and the rules it was blessed and cursed with that all unwittingly shaped the forum into one of the most interesting subcultures on BZPower. And because of that sense of culture, its a lot harder to pull away.
Spoiler tag removed. The spoiler tag is only to be used for spoilers. - Kohaku
There has been a sort of line drawn between 2D and 3D comics. On one hand, you have a fully adjustable background, a variety of poses, and a kind of awe-inspiring quality that you really cannot get anywhere else. On the other, you have a much easier and efficient way of making a comic, while also giving off a distinct graphic style that 3D comics cannot hope to capture. On one you have meticulous modeling, long render times, modeling accuracy complaints, and more of a time space between each comic. On the other, you have limited poses, less quality, fewer and less flexible backgrounds, and little realism.
However, there is still another way. One that could utilize the flexibility and awe of rendered 3D while avoiding the complaints of the modeling and shortening comic times. One that could combine both sprites and 3D to create a new type of graphic style, one never before seen in a fully-launched comic series.
Kahinuva and Maphrox proudly present:
In the far off island of Engima Isle, mutants with extraordinary powers have begun to slowly spring up all around the island. Seeing great profit in them, numerous independent companies and nations have tried to get their hands on the citizens. Refused by the government, they then decide to hire kidnappers, terrorists, and assassins, desperate to discover what exactly makes these certain Matoran special.
To counteract this, the government has assembled a group of Matoran specially trained to combat whatever may try to harm the mutants: a teleporting uber-genius, a darkened former soldier, a wielder of a Cosmic force, and a young psionic. Together, they stand as a unequaled force to protect their island.
Polymath. Cowman. Vor. Kinesis.
They are the Impossibles.
(First look at the style that will be produced in this series.)
(A mockup of the Impossible's Airship)
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Tavakai: The Movie by Tavakai
After being submerged in Energized Protodermis, VakamaTK finds himself to be...changed. And it's not the change you'd expect from Energized Protodermis. No, this was as if his old appearance simply slipped of and revealed the new one beneath. Perhaps he isn't from Metru Nui after all--he can't be sure about anything about him anymore--not even his own name.
Along with a few friends, VakamaTK sets of on a journey to discover his home island. Little does he know of the dangers that face him--a storm on the seas, a volcano, a tribe of savages, and an enemy he never expected.
But at the end of this journey, VakamaTK will remember who he was, and who he will be forever afterward...
Tavakai.
(I have other stuff I'm working on too, but there's only so much you can get ready at the last minute)
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Taone Nui Offline Game by Kahinuva
When Dark709 released his first movie, the event was also marked by the first game based on a comic series: “Dark709’s Comics: The Movie: The Game”, by the great designer Leppy. While being a fantastic game in itself, it also got comic makers to think in a sort of rut that all games based on a comic series would have to be platformers.
So, from then on, all such games were planned to be mostly platformers. Of the very few that actually got a working demo, the physics and the gameplay were merely the same kind that Dark709’s had used all those years ago.
However, one day, Kahinuva was playing Earthbound and realized something. The whole purpose of comics was to tell a story in pictures. So why were there so many comic games based on platformers, when it would make more sense to tell a story with the medium, perhaps doing an RPG?
And so he pitched the idea to his fellow comic makers, the ICC, and, for the first time, an RPG was made from the humble beginning of a comic series.
While mainly based on Taone Nui and Kahinuva’s series, “Live, Learn and Lawsuits”, the Taone Nui Offline Game (or TNOG as it was more commonly called) was made to focus on a story that would include the whole ICC universe as well. The game’s story progresses with its tongue firmly placed in its cheek, providing a wry humor that takes after the game’s inspiration, Earthbound. Numerous characters, locations, and enemies all tell a serious story while still parodying the many stereotypes that populate our world.
The new levels themselves have been going well; here are some work-in-progress screenshots of the LLL Towers level:
We hope to have a playable chapter available next month, in which you will see all of what we've been cooking up for this thus far.
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Aaaaaand, that's a wrap, folks. Thanks for joining us for C3 2010, and we hope to see you next year.
Can someone please tell me why they have exceedingly hyper pre-school aged kids to have manditory naptime, but offer no such relief to sleep-deprived college students?
Really, I hated naptime when I was a kid and never really spent much of it napping anyways. But man, would I pay money to have a hour block of time in which I can just doze off...
Oh, and C3 has been put on hold because of the Advent Calendar. Just saying.
By the way: anyone know how much time we regular members get Premium benefits?
I think that it was about nigh-time to use this blog feature, so I've retitled and repurposed this for more general blog-usage.
Anyhow, C3 is coming back up and I plan to hold it in about two weeks. It was supposed to be held in June, but that obviously didn't work out too well. If you want to apply for a spot, just PM me for it. I'll be announcing this later on, but wanted anyone who saw this to get a heads up.
I'll be posting up a new, detailed FAQ later tomorrow, but so far, this is what to expect.
Welcome to the Evening Exhibits for Day Two of C3. We have quite the entries today, but lets start with a bang, shall we? The first one will be a series that was long put on hold, but is finally making a return:
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Rising Suns by Bladeran
Stories long forgotten tell a tale of a mysterious evil who terrorized Meta-Nui long ago. During this dark time, however, a hero rose from the darkness, armed with a great sword in hand and a vast army at his disposal. The evil being fell, and Meta-Nui was liberated. Despite the massive effort of restoration that followed, our citizens today seem to have forgotten about this historic incident. It is unknown why this is so, but the wise ones whose memories remain intact wrote a book detailing the enigmatic past of Meta-Nui within it's pages. The book itself is now lost, and so is the hero's legacy.
Rumor has it that the lost hero's weapon still remains hidden on Meta-Nui. The sacred sword was preserved in the event that a new threat would rise, and it has been kept in secret since. There is also the additional possibility that the sword has somehow developed an alterantive version of itself, one that holds the essenve of the fallen evil. This powerful tool was given the name "Meta Sword", but because the only method of obtaining the sword was written in the book of the past, it's well possble it will sleep for all eternity.
Legend has it that if the sword were to be awakened, ten new heroes will come to claim it. But a vast army of villains who serve under the Moon, the Lunites, will fight for the blade as well. In the event that the moon-touched claim the Meta Sword, chaos will reign, and the fallen will return to this world.
The ten heroes who will be given the task to rescue the sword will be called...
The Rising Suns.
Haha! This is what you've been waiting for, eh?
Hello, fellow BZP citizens, I am Blade Titan974/BT974/Bladeran/McBlade/McStarman Deluxe, previously inactive comic maker, member of the International ComicContinuity, minion of McGyiyg, and I will be your handsome presenter for this exhibit. I'd like to take this opportunity to say welcome to C3, and to remind you to turn off your cell phones in the theater. Alright, so about two or so years ago, I started a comic series I liked to call "Blade Titan974's Comics". Crude, I know. They became fairly popular, and I became fairly well known. I'd say, rank 12 on the list of best Chimoru comic makers? Quite the achievement. Alas, I was a slow producer, and I was easily distracted by video games. I had so many addictions that it led to me putting BT974's Comics on hold almost exactly a year ago. I've made little comics since then...
...Now I've got a glorious little project to show you guys.
Rising Suns tells the tale of ten unlikely heroes, including our main protagonist Blade Titan974, who are thrown into a race to obtain a powerful weapon, the Meta Sword. In order for them to reach the sword, they must collect three keys scattered on the far corners of Meta-Nui. However, a group of villains led by a Matoran named Storm Lasher479 is after the object as well.
Ok, nothing new here, right? Blade stumbles upon some mysterious book, and he suddenly decides to go after this thing that might not even exist--no questions asked. He forces his little buddies to come, and they have a big road trip. So what's the big deal? Isn't Rising Suns just Quest for the Meta Sword, only with a new version of Chimoru Omega?
Not exactly. Rising Suns is a fresh start. After a long winter of Nocomicitis, it's time for the sun to rise, and the moon to fall. And it is my honor to give you the first ice cream cone of the summer--metaphorically speaking, of course, considering how summer began a while ago, but anyway, back to the fresh start. I'm taking you back in time a little, before Blade learnes how to run 40 miles an hour, before we found the book, before Blade finally went outside, before we met our mutated worm buddy, Glablob, and even before Storm's first generic comic villain attack. We'll start at the very beginning, only this time without Dark709's backgrounds.
Oh lordy, now we're gonna have to wait a whole nother year for QFTMS to come back.
The folks of Rising Suns, now in stylish new packages.
I was gonna post a written version of the intro of Rising Suns, but since the staff of C3 has encountered issues with too many characters being used or something, I'm gonna have to post it somewhere else. Why did I have to make this long?
Oh yes, I almost forgot the visual goodies you'll be seeing. Well, don't expect all the fancy Photoshop stuff you see Kahi do every day. I use Gimp. I do know some fairly advanced stuff (as seen in the first preview up there), so you'll be given some nice eye candy. And as you can see, I'll be using an all-new version of Chimoru Omega, created by the esteemed Gerlicky. Sorry, no more classic bi-shade anymore. Or at least, not in the main story.
As with the plans from the original series, there will be a side series called Life on Meta-Nui, which follows a very classic studio-comic setting, very similar to my first few comics, complete with all the retro sprites and backgrounds too. Nostalgia is always a good thing, amirite?
Oh, and anyone remember that game I announced a while ago? Yeah, that's gonna take a while.
So this time, I ain't giving any tentative release dates of any kind. I'm done giving away false hopes, I'll just get there when I get there. But that means the sun may rise at any time, so stay tuned to your local BZP forums. And now, let's continue to our next little C3 exhibit, yes? This is McStarman Deluxe, signing off.
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The Disk Chronicles by Philbert
So... This exhibit was originally intended solely for the series known as The Disk Chronicles, which I've been planning for a long time. Technically, it's already been released in two short-lived incarnations, both known as the Tale of Toa Xerahv. The story isn't the same, although it does take a few elements of the plot I had planned for previous incarnations. Now, it tells the story of how the Kanohi Eraksa and the ICC universe came to be. I'm not sure when it'll ever actually happen, although it's now essential for the ICC, so I have to do it sometime. I was going to throw together several previews for this C3 exhibit, but I never actually got around to it. I did, however, manage to make quite a few TCTMOMNBMBIP v3 comics. I don't plan on reopening the topic for several more weeks, so I figured I'd post them here for now, for those of you who haven't already seen them, complete with some commentary.
Comic 2) Some Form of Procrastination
Needless to say, this one is based on the fact that, at the time, I hadn't made any comics for almost a month. I was bored and depressed, and literally spent a lot of time just sitting around doing nothing. When I decided that I had to start making comics again, this was the first thing that came to mind.
Comic 3) PGS Introductions
I decided doing a character sheet wasn't a good idea after all, because I hate giving my characters consistent personalities. However, I knew I at least had to do some sort of introduction to the new PGSes, so I used it as an opportunity to both bring back Lord Morahn and introduce a new character. For the record, the Hero isn't at all related to the similar character in comic.jpg; he's actually based on a character Pyronius created for OverAchieving ages ago.
Comic 4) ChiNisZor
I was experimenting with various kits a while ago, when I started slapping pieces of kits together trying to see if I could make "XanRaMoru done right" - and I ended up with this abomination. I figured some people might be offended by this, so I might as well point out that I'm not trying to insult Jakiro here, or anyone who uses his kit. It's just intended to be another one of Philbert's seemingly noobish schemes to gain popularity.
Comic 5) 4th of July Special
I had initially decided that I wouldn't bother making this, but then this idea popped into my head on the 5th, so I figured I'd throw the comic together anyway. I gave up about halfway through, though, and only got around to finishing it a few days ago. When Pohuaki said to try making jokes about noob-bashers, this is how I interpreted it - those newbies that always go around talking about how they kill noobs or something.
Now on to the important stuff...
Philbert has been mysteriously abducted by a cosmic entity known as the Protector. He wakes up in a strange realm, surrounded by people who claim to know him. He is no longer a Matoran, but a cosmic entity named Falibor with an uncontrollable dark side. Now he finds himself caught up in a secret organization dedicated to saving the universe from things he didn't know existed, in the first ever TCTMOMNBMBIP saga, Echoes of the Past.
Comic 1) Welcome Back
Preview
I may post more comics in my blog later on, so you might want to check that out too. Anyway, I suppose that's all for now...
Welcome back, guys. It turns out that Part Two of the Morning Exhibits for yesterday weren't actually published; I'm still kinda getting used to this whole Blog thing. On the bright side, that does mean that you can see more entries this time around as well.
Anyhow, back to the exhibits. Today we have:
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Shenanigans by Janaro
A young man stands in his bedroom. It just so happens that today, the *Insert date of exibit postage here*, has no significance whatsoever in his life. Though it was thirteen years ago he was given life, it is only today he will be given a na-
Wait a minute.
This is an adventure that is in no way inspired by one of the greatest webcomics of the present day, which has inspired the style of many BZPower comic series including Quest, Improv and Matoran's Mischeif. Nope. I'm not even sure that a webcomic like that exists. Despite flying under the ICC banner, it is not part of any ICC dimension.
This is Shenanigans.
This will definitely not be packed full of references to said possibly nonexistant webcomic. It will not use a similar plot. It will not use the same mechanics. And it will be one of the greatest and most original series on BZPower.
Our story begins with a young man named...
Named...
What was it again?
Oh, it looks like he doesn't like the sound of that. Maybe we should try again.
Ah, that's much bett- oh. It seems that that was already his name.
Before long, John is off on a stupidly large intergalactic adventure, along with several of his internet friends.
During these events, he will meet many friends and foes, such as the residents of the places he visits, the dark forces of the Shaydak Empire and, from far in the future, a group of wanderers with an odd connection to him.
And a dark force is slowly catching up with them.
The clock is ticking. Time is running out.
This series will be released under the label of Akaku Enterprises.
~~~~
Preview images:
1 2 3 4 5 (BLUH BLUH) 6
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The BZPower Comic Academy by Eljay and Nuparurocks
Concept Lecture
The BZPower Comic Academy is a project conceived by Nuparurocks and Eljay, intended to teach new comic makers the ways of making a successful comic series, graphics-wise and story/humor-wise. The concept is to teach the new comic makers by making “comic tutorials”, instructional guides on how to make comics, presented in a comic format. The idea is that this visual format will aid in learning, and the friendly, open narrative style will help with comprehension of difficult subjects. The multiple difficulty levels also make it accessible to all levels of comic maker, meaning that no matter who you are, there will always be a tutorial or article that you might find helpful or interesting.
That's Messed Up: The Legendary Gerlicky by Gerlicky
The year was early 2008- when Tavakai, Bladeran, and even Gavla had entered the world of comic-making. I was working on That's Messed Up: The Series at the time, and just before spring break, I was doodling with sprites and creating some TMU characters known and yet to be revealed. Yet at the same time, I was devising a completely different world with its own story. I decided not to reveal these sprites to the BZP public, keeping them only to myself.
As time went by, the sprites were improved, and many were made, but the general idea was still kept secret from the BZP populace. A second series, That's Messed Up: Creator's Wrath, was made, and it showed a hint of these sprites (referred to as a "wall decoration stance").
When I first got a laptop, I decided that I should probably remake these sprites for it. I used a sixshade version of a palette for a currently unreleased kit. But what was special about these sprites was that there were enough to create a world- or even recreate the canonical BIONICLE world. And that was when I decided that I would spill some beans and make a series from it.
Oh, and you still can't have the kit, Kahi.
(Kahi's Note: )
Welcome back, old friend. Or, well, kind of.
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Retrograde by WithoutAWord
Hello, welcome to the “Retrograde” exhibit. Though there isn't much on display here, it's more like a “what's to come” exhibit. The image above is a preview panel of Comic 10 of my series Retrograde. I plan to make it big and juicy, full of nice little gift bags.
Retrograde is not unique. You will not find anything “different” in it. The story revolves around Word, the unfortunate astronaut without a helmet. There are quite a number of cameos, including Nuparurocks, Dokuma, Zonis Vahkoro and more.
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(3L)2: Live, Learn and Lawsuits by Kahinuva
On June 4th, 2009, a series was created in BZPower. The main purpose of said series was to both create a genuinely comedic and graphically pleasing series as well as show a more realistic take on the traditional comic studio.
Soon, the series evolved into an epic-comedy, taking stage in numerous alternate dimensions, introducing multiple new characters from cosmic entities to alternate clones, and became more detailed and technical.
Now, a year later, the series is finally returning to its roots.
Welcome back to Live, Learn and Lawsuits: (3L)2.
After the events of the Alternative Saga, Kahinuva Govaki became one of the richest man in Kato literally overnight. Granted both money and a new studio complex in the heart of Taone Nui by the Couch Potato Entity, Govaki Enterprises leapt from a low-budget comic studio to one of the biggest production studio in the market. However, as Kahi soon learned, the bigger it got, the harder it went. Far from living a life of ease and comfort, the Matoran of Plasma was going to have a rough ride trying to make it through, and his enemies were not going to make it easy for him.
With more improved graphics and longer comics, (3L)2 thrives to correct the mistakes that the original series had while still trying to keep keeping the original formula that made it so popular to begin with.
New characters will populate the series, and new enemies will make themselves present. Lawyers, psychiatrists, government officials, publishing houses, insurance policies, contracts, the International Revenue Service, con men, workers, press, tabloids, fans, haters, guards, stocks, strikes, protestors…the list goes on and on as to the many problems Kahi will have to face in the upcoming season.
However, there is some unfinished business to be done, namely, what exactly happened at the end of the Alternative Saga. While we know what happened as a result of the events that transpired, the exact details were unknown.
Until now.
Live, Learn and Lawsuits: The Alternative Saga Finale
Three Part Promo
(Animated Version. Note: Animation quality is terrible, but I felt that I should release it anyways. I’ll try and work out the kinks for the future).
OTHER MEMBERS- WHEN YOU ASK OTHER MEMBERS TO SHOW YOU A COMIC MAKER, THEY WILL LEAD YOU TO DARK709 OR ONE OF HIS NEWB WANNABES!
TO THIS I SAY: NO MORE!
GERLICKY'S COMICS WILL REACH SEASON THREE. AND THEY WILL BE THE GREATEST COMICS IN THE HISTORY OF BZPOWER! NEXT TO DARK709'S COMICS. AND GAVLA'S COMICS.
*slams fists on podium*
Now that that riveting speech is over, I invite you to look at my first solo non-TMU series. In SpoofQuest!, we look at the misadventures of a dysfunctional comic studio...
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Jolt by Skorpyo
What if you could be more than you were for 24 hours?
JOLT is my forthcoming mystery-thriller comic that puts two Matoran detectives in that position. Their boss gives them objects(“Jolts”) that make them Toa for 24 hours so they can solve a murder case. As the mystery unfolds, the Matoran become involved in what'll have a chilling outcome...
JOLT's experimentalness is that it'll only be updated for 26 consecutive days; Introductory/Conclusive Comics, then 24 in between for each hour. This means I'll finish every comic before releasing JOLT.
Welcome back for the last day of C3 2010. Some newer entries have made me have to add more exhibits to this last day, so you'll be getting some new stuff here.
However, let's start with the first one, a series long thought dead that is coming back...:
The Newsroom by the International ComicContinuity
Once, there was a man. A very Australian and extremely BZPatriotic man. One day, he sat down to write a sprite comic. And that he surely did.
It was called The Newsroom. Initially people were suspicious of it - and rightly so, as the man himself wasn't too fond of it either - but it caught on years later and popularised... I don't know, something. Upon realising this, he cackled with evil glee. And that's something the history books won't tell you. They also won't tell you that he got his Photoshop skills in a pact with Hero Factory which played a role in the end of BIONICLE, and that he consumed baked goods with his left ear.
Eventually, though the dark and malevolent arts of transmogrification, by means of which we dare not speak, The Newsroom - having died with this man among men himself long ago - was resurrected by its inheritors, his International ComicCon partners. This zombie series will, by August 12, have successfully dragged itself out of its grave, stumbled back to Artwork III and resumed its efforts to amuse and/or tick off fans of childrens' construction toys everywhere.
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The Pirogi Vampire by the Zakitano
The Pirogi Vampire:Reimagined
An Upcoming Series by Zakitano
The Pirogi Vampire: Reimagined is the story of Zakitano, the last Tiny Toa, who is obligated by duty to protect the Comic Land and its surrounding islands from the dangers of the world. In addition, as a form of income, Zakitano also authors an unpopular comic series, directed by his friend, Hoji. Whilst Zakitano is off defending the world as they know it, Hoji is defending the crew from…eachother.
Zakitano inspects disturbed plantlife in a forest.
TPV:R will feature many creatures from around the Comic Land, including Whoamis, Trolls, Pumpkins, and others, though oddly united under a single force. The comics will be produced starting on December 25th, 2010 and will lead up to the animated season finale, the date of which is undetermined. The series will be accepting guest stars.
Hoji supervises the head of sound crew.
The Pirogi Vampire: Reimagined will use a previously untested combination of Dark709's Chimoru sprites and real life images for backgrounds. It is also an interesting combination of a studio comic and a plotline comic. In fact, it accomplishes so many firsts, it would be difficult to list them all.
What: The Pirogi Vampire: Reimagined
When: December 25th, 2010-?
Why: At least give it a chance; it's a revolutionary idea, so there's no bias to be had.
The third season in the Delta Studios series, DS:D will introduce many real life concepts into the comic world, such politics, science, and even full blown war. The season will also introduce more dimension into the series, as well as more realistic objects. The graphics are expected to be much better as well. DS:D is expected to begin on Christmas 2010, the third anniversary of the series.
Characters
Many of the less seen characters in the past two seasons will also be in DS:D, albeit with more attention. The main cast will also have more character development, something the past two seasons somewhat lacked.
The PGSs, who have not seen much action in the past two seasons will be featured more in the PGS story, a story tailored to suit the times. In addition, they will also be seen more in the other storylines as well, specifically the saga.
In addition to the characters seen on Vornazar Nui, there will be several new characters from the other nearby nations, many of them, antagonists. Most of these characters will be featured in the Saga.
A promotional poster for the next saga, Operation: Nova
Story
DS:D will have four separate stories running at the same time:
A Basic Studio Comics
A Saga
The PGS’s own separate plot
A Chronicle of the past of Vornazar Nui and the Eastern Nations
The Studio Comics pretty much focus on the more average and humorous aspects of the story. It will be slightly tied in with the Saga, but not so much that it would greatly influence it. The rate of the production of the studio comics is expected to be twice a month(unless the circumstances prevent it).
The Saga for DS:D is currently supposed to be called Operation: Nova. The plot is supposed to start several days before the end of the last saga. Very little about the saga will be revealed before the saga begins, except the fact that it will involved a massive war(many of the gory and violent scenes will not be shown unless necessary) between the nations of Vornazar Nui, Tekronus, Lyrosse, Pamoria, and the newly established nation of Hollondus. Production for each month will vary, but it will always have the most per month, as the story is very extensive.
The PGS’s own separate plot will show the life of a PGS in the series. Very little is planned for this at the moment, because the season’s PGSs are not known yet. Production for this series is as of yet unknown].
The Chronicles of the Past will typically tell of the past, specifically, the Aeon Age. This series will be done with the Xanis kit, a kit better suited to the plot. These are planned to be released once every two months. Unlike the other three series whose plots change with the season, the plots for this series will continue until the part in history they show has ended.(ex: end of an age)
Graphics
The graphics of DS:D are planned to be much better than the past seasons, with the use of gimp brushes, shadows, and subtle effects that make the comic more visually appealing. Transparency will also have a great influence on DS:D, as glass will be used frequently.
Unlike many professional series, DS:D will try it’s best to stay away from real photos, meaning everything will be hand sprites, or made from scratch.
The kit for DS:D will remain Chimoru Delta, but a better, more advanced form of it. Various things have been improved from the original Chimoru Delta, and the colors have also been improved as well.
A possible scene in the future, with various subtle gimp effects in action, such as transpancey(glass) and gaussian blur(glow) around glass on table.
Banner
The banner with the C3 logo on it shows an obscure, yet vital scene in the saga. If you look closely enough, you will see the mask and armor of the Shadow of the East, a deadly assassin with a perfect record. The words spoken are also very obscure.
The Shadow of the East
The Shadow of the East is the skilled alter ego of Nuzar. Originally created in RZ for Nuzar in Civil War, the largest MAS on BZP, the alter ego was perfect for a certain role in the Saga for DS:D. According to Nuzar, the alter ego was part of him since birth. However, he has never used it, even in time of great need.
Inspiration
The Name for the season, Delta Studios: Dimensions, was inspired by the use of the number 3 as the symbol for cubed, or the three dimensions. The name also help inspired some of the objects to be used.
Other
PGSs and GSs: PGS renewal is currently running. The renew, please send the PGS form and the Chimoru Delta sprite with your mask and colors(this will be used to make a sheet). The earliest to renew their PGS forms will receive a more major role. PGS renewals will run until October, when anyone can sign up to be a PGS. All PGS forms will be accepted until one month after the start of DS:D. GS forms will be accepted at any time.
Chimoru Delta will be officially released on BZP in the Chimoru Topic within the next month. Before using it, please, PM me so I can know who is using it.
More information regarding DS:D will be released in my blog, The Pinapoconut, along with spoilers for the rest of this season.
Venom's Comics by The Venom
For the lack of a better name.
~V.3~
~V.3~ is my main solo-comic series. It's been up for 2 years already, and it's set for its final run.
After the abandonment of The Swift Times- an experimental series I started a while back never to be started again- I felt I needed to finish the story of V.3.
Once its third season finale- or should I say now, series finale- comes around, I will be taking somewhat of a retirement from Artwork 3.
But that's a long time from now, so let's have fun while we still can.
~V~ has gone through a lot over the years. Improvements were recognized and Co-Authors became a nuisance.
So...
F.A.Q.T.H.N.B.A. (Frequently Asked Questions That Have Never Been Asked)
Q: It's final run? So it's ending?
A: After the season finale, yes.
Q: What's happening in the story so far? What certain story element pulled you back to continuing V.3?
A: So far, Venom and his friends have been banished from the Comic Land after nuking it to destroy the large symbiote, Cataclysm.
They've also been blamed for attracting predators to the land known as Xenophage, notorious for their hunger for symbiotes.
I wanted to finish the storyline because I've had so much planning and so many ideas for it, and I couldn't stand the idea of not being able to express them to the public.
Q: What's the atmosphere of V.3 since it's changed?
A: V.3 is now a combination of epic and comedy. I'm resting the epic half of it for a while to focus more on the comedy again.
Q: Why aren't you accepting Co-Authors anymore?
A: There were many complications about co-authoring during the second season.
I just decided I'd rather not have to deal with said complications again.
Civil War
Civil War, the first of its kind. The largest Multi-Author Series to date, with a count of 28 authors.
F.A.Q.T.H.N.B.A.
Q: How did this start out?
A: In May, I've been reading about the American Civil War during school.
I originally had planned a MAS featuring Gavla, The Bohrok Lord, and myself called War, but the idea was scrapped.
The idea was that Gavla and I would spark a rivalry and attempt to kill each other.
I thought about both topics, and the idea of Civil War was afloat.
I started recruiting as many authors that I could based on their comic making.
Whoever was interested, I linked to a blogsite specifically designed to give out details on the series.
Q: Civil War has been going through some problems. Why?
A: Many were worried that Civil War would collapse due to spam, and author insanity as I'd like to call it.
With the history of Multi Author Series falling due to such insanity, some authors were beginning to reconsider being in the series.
Civil War began to fill up with spam very quickly as we were stuck waiting for comics to be made due to the author-rotation.
I discontinued the author-rotation to ease out the tension and make comic making simpler amongst the authors.
Currently, there is a new strategy set amongst the authors, and it's working out smoothly.
Q: How long will Civil War last?
A: That depends on two things-
One: The structure. If the structure of the series begins to fall apart, the series will as well.
Two: How far we've gone.
I'm not sure exactly when I plan to end Civil War. With my retirement coming once V.3 ends, that question lies with no answer as of yet.
But I hope to continue the comics as long as possible.
Q: Why are you going to retire anyway?
A: Personally, I think by the time V.3 ends the comics forum wouldn't matter too much to me anymore.
I also need to focus on my real life. (The thing Dark709 does alot )
And now for my upcoming comic series...
Final Question: What about your retirement?
A: My retirement will not count towards RvB.
Basically, I'd be retiring from the Comics Forum, not comic making, considering this series will be placed as my banner every week.
I still would like to express my creativity without working too hard on something.
And thus, RvB will be that something.
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City in the Sky by Aquatic Lewa
Synopsis:
Ten years before "The Quest for the Meta Sword," the island of Meta-Nui was guarded by the Toa Meta, a group of heroes readied for the worst to happen. However, sinister forces threaten the islands, forces that the Toa have never faced before. But as the conflict continues, a new, mysterious figure emerges…
Who is "Arch-Toa?" What is the purpose of Aeros-Nui? Will the Toa triumph? Find out in "City in the Sky!" An ICC production.
Because the entries were so long, we had to split them up for them to actually appear. So, back to the exhibits, this one featuring:
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Eljay: The Becoming by Eljay
The What: Eljay: The Becoming
The what about: Eljay: The Becoming is a series about Eljay’s past. It will focus on him as a Matoran, and his adventures on Idera-Nui. We will find out how he became a Toa. The only thing this won’t show are the unseen times at sea, and some times in BZ-Metru. We WILL see, however, why he came to The Comic Land.
The series will separate Season two from Season three of Eljay’s series, The Lazy Life of a Comic Maker. How we will see it will be revealed later on, maybe in Season three, but it is unclear. The series will be a combination of sprite work and Photoshop.
When: Unknown. Either late 2010 or early/mid 2011.
Why: To show an important part of Eljay’s past.
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SRX-74 by Oni
Welcome to the exhibition of my new plot-based comic series: SRX-74. SRX-74 is the story of a new age of Matoran, who want to advance their technology beyond it's current point. That includes the study of robotics, also known as the SRX Project. Kept alive for years by a thriving community, the project went through many failures until it was completely abandoned by almost all of the Matoran scientists. That was, except for the Laboratory of Robotics & Engineering, who had continued their research under a power-hungry former military general. The general pushed his small group to perfect the SRX robot. And after that, he continued to push his team of researchers until he had SRX-74, the most devastating piece of machinery ever created. In fact, SRX-74 had been so devastating that within three minutes of his creation he had eliminated half of the personnel within the lab. Thus, he was shut-down, along with the project. Or so it was thought.
Credit to Philbert Flakes for background.
On August 17, it will be learned that SRX-74 was not just a masterpiece of destruction, but one of the most intellectual beings in the universe. When the project was shut down, he had escaped his demise and the laboratory. Now, SRX-74 is traveling the world causing mayhem and vanishing before anyone can look around to find his hands at work. And when a detective gets caught up in one of his stunts, he becomes determined to find the robot and shut it down. But something must be discovered first...
How?
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CRUSADE by toaster1
CRUSADE
I am a TROUBLESOME ORDINARY.
I have been fighting for many months.
I don't know when my journey will end.
All I remember, I will tell you later.
But for now...
When I was tempted, I head west with them, to another land.
I met may adversaries, many friends, and yet, none of my questions were answered.
Who were these people? Why were they fighting?
And against what?
C3
~toaster1
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Well, that's all for this morning, folks. Check in this evening to see more exhibits and more revelations.
Hello, all, and welcome to the first ever C3 Conference. There's a plenthora of announcements to be made this year, from future plots, to new graphics, and not to mention the return of several old series that many have been waiting for.
Also, just as a note: I realized that I released this a little late here on BZP. So, for this year only, we're going to further extend the deadline to the last day of the conference: Thusday, July 22nd, 2010. The reason is that many people heard about it too late to create an entry. Thus, I'm giving them a little leave time to do so. Again, this was only because I released everything so late, however, once the conference is over, it's over, so get in your entries quick.
So, without further ado, let's start on the first exhibits:
Kanohi of Comedy by Chosen One of Bionicle
Yes, Kanohi of Comedy is also at the C3. I, Chosen One of Bionicle, author of this series, have prepared a nice amount of previews, glimpses of upcoming projects and changes to the series, as well as a few story spoilers, together with an important announcement at the end of this article.
1.) The Third Dimension
I had to find out while making the last few comics that converting my imagination to a .png file is harder than expected. My old Fireworks+Paint method will not work on this. My skills of making authentic backgrounds and characters are limited. Sprites are no longer enough for me. So I have decided to go a step further:
3D
For real now, I'm experimenting with a 3D program called Cinema 4D, which I was able to obtain. Now you probably want to see the fruits of my labor.
I will experiment with 3D images further. In a hopefully not to distant future, this will be the standard of every comic.
2.) The Vectors
Until I am able to master 3D, however, I plan to do a temporary “bridge” between sprites and 3D:
Vector Art
Vector Art
Turaga and Toa bodies will be done later.
Note, all of this is still experimental. It's the WIP of a prototype. Changes will be made in the future. You will see the final result in future comics.
3.) The Story
Yes, the story. The plot. The stuff of comics. Regarding that, I've two announcements to make.
3.1)
See, in the last months, circumstances appeared which kept me away from doing comics. This however, left me with one thing: Time to think. I used it to flesh out the story, and I have come to the opinion that this story can't be described by “Kanohi of Comedy”. So, I am announcing that somewhere in the hopefully not too far future, my comics will undergo a name change. They'll get a name that fits much more to the story I plan.
The Chosen One Chronicles
3.2)
I'll just throw that into the room:
That's all I'm going to say on that matter. For now.
For further insight on the future of my comics, I suggest visiting my blog during premier week, where additional and expanded articles will be released.
Thanks for reading,
Coob
Yeah, Autodude12 asked me for this. Thought I'd do it, me being the nice guy I am. This uses some other strips and my experiences to get my point across. So, without further ado...
HOW TO CREATE A SUCCESSFUL SERIES
First off, remember this: Grammar, Graphics, and Humor define your series. If you have one of them, it commences your existence to others as a Comic Expert, two of them convinces your existence to others as a Comic Expert, all of them confirm your existence as an Comic Expert.
More on all those subjects later. Right now we should get to the actual steps:
1) Get Yourself Known.
This was important, and is most easy when you are new. When I first started, I went around and posted in different topics and got myself somewhat known so that people would at least know my name when they first saw my topic. Many people, myself included, are more likely to click on a topic that's made by someone they know. I said this is better when you are new because more people who haven't seen your graphic skills will be even more likely to click on it just to find out if they are good. The more people know you, the more people go to your topic, that's simple. However, remember to be humble about it. You must be a likable person to have people to like you. That's a basic part of associating with humans in general, but I thought I should point that out.
2) Good Humor/Storyline
This is also vital. Most comics today have either epic comics, comedy comics, or a mix of the two. Either way, you need to make sure that they both are healthy and strong. For LLL, most of my humor was inspired by the television comedy Home Improvement. Note that it is better to study humor structure and things like that from more family-oriented comedies, so that it can appeal to everyone. Comedic television shows that are aimed towards kids tend to appeal only towards their intended audience, and since most of the viewers here are teenagers, it tends to insult their intelligence. Witty comments tend to outweigh slapstick comedy, so keep that in mind. Also, it's a pretty good idea to have a ending punchline, as that sums up the comic, thus making it complete, and if done right, leaves readers begging for more. For epics, read a good novel, or even a good graphic novel, that has a great storyline, characters, plot twists, and more.
3) Text
The best comics are ones that don't have you squinting at the screen, looking for a phrase or word that blends in with the background, or have you trying to figure out what does that font say, or is just overall hard to read. This causes an interruption which stops the joke in it's tracks, and turns an otherwise great punchline into a bomb. Some get around this by putting an outline around the text or using speech bubbles. Regardless, it is important to separate the words from the background. Another thing to take in mind is placement. People read from left-to-right, and it is natural for people to read text chunks the same way. Always make sure that the text from the person speaking first to the person speaking last always goes from left to right. Putting one from right to left always leads to confusion and interrupt the joke.
4) Grammar and Spelling
This is what separates the noobs from the experts, Ladies and Gentlemen. It's not graphics, it's not humor, what separates them is grammar and spelling. By this fact alone, people can automatically tell if you're a noob or if you're a comic expert. Why is this so important? Because by the quality of your grammar and spelling people can tell whether you epically fail or win. People always like things easy, and easy reading in comics has become a hard thing to find in comic forums. Graphics and humor, those are sometimes hard to do, but spelling and grammar are easy: you use them every day in school. They set apart the noob from the expert, the fail from the win, anything you can think of. Even if your graphics and humor stinks, if you have good spelling and grammar, that is your saving grace. Remember, only a expert comic maker takes the time to put good spelling and grammar in his comics. If you're an expert, you do so, if you're a noob, you don't. Easy as that.
5) Graphics
Most people know that I'm no slacker in the graphics department, and that's true. Graphics make your story a comic. They are sometimes the greatest aspect of the strip, and if done in a mind-blowing way, can even distract you well enough that you won't concentrate on the lesser-done story. Take the Season One Finale of Generic Quest, for example. It didn't have a huge plot-twist, or focused extremely on the storyline. If it had ended with the usual graphics, it wouldn't have been as noticed. However, the GQSOF is arguably the greatest strips of all time. Why? Because of the graphics. Yes, the story was okay, but it wasn't anything special or new or surprising. It was because of Dokuma's graphic skills that it became great. Of course, graphics aren't everything, as the strip Barely Legal proved. However, they are a great asset to having people enjoy your comics a lot more.
6) Kits
This matter, actually, is more geared towards flavor, as some people like some kits and others like some other kits. I will say however, that if you want to go for a more professional look, go with multi-color kits, preferably those without a black border. They really make your comics look very professional.
7) Research
Pick out what you think is the best comic you've ever seen and the worst you've ever seen. What made the great one great and the worst one worst? Study those things, and try not to make those mistakes. Also, try looking at a popular comic maker's comics. What made them popular in the first place? Was it a new take, better graphics, longer panels? Also, ask popular comic makers (the more active ones, of course) for advice on anything you need help with in your comics. Not only is it a way to "hint" to the comic maker to look at your topic, it also will improve your comics overall.
8) Stereotypes
There is a common mistake over people using too many stereotypes. People don't want to see the same stuff they see in other comics. Obviously, the people who created the stereotypes in the first place are much more experienced than you, if they offer the same only better, why go to your topic? Ask yourself "Why should people come to my topic rather than someone else? What do my comics offer that you can't get anywhere else?" One thing that is fun to do is put a spin on a stereotype, like having a dumb comic maker with intelligent co-characters, or having a series on the construction people who rebuild all those studios that get blown up. LLL's main point was to put a real life spin on life as a comic maker (rent, lawsuits, insurance salesmen), something which had not been done in the Artwork III Forum before. People came all around to see LLL, simply because there was nowhere else to go to to see this kind of humor.
9) Take Criticism
Don't take criticism personally. That's the worst thing you can do. I've seen this happen many times, where a person thinks that someone who doesn't like his comic hates him personally. They are not attacking you. They are attacking your comic. That isn't to say that there isn't some weird person out there who will say "lulz u stink an so do ur comiks. nao ur a epik lozer." When that person comes, report him. But draw the line between personal criticism and constructive criticism. If people don't like your comic, they have to post something that says why they don't like it (it's BZP rules). Use that criticism to improve your comic. Now, remember, though, that there is a thin line. If someone says "no u shouldnt do a comedi u should do epik" or something that would totally change the focal point of the series, it's your choice to say no. After all, it is your series. But you should carefully examine each comment to see if there is something you should change. If you want to be popular, you have to please the public. If the public isn't pleased, you don't become popular, that's Comic Making Success in a nutshell.
That's about it, I think. Tell me if there's anything I missed...
So, I wanted to try something out here and start reviewing video games. Its something I've thought of doing for a while, and this seemed like a good place to start. There's two parts of this review: one for people who haven't played the game, and the other for people who have or who aren't too concerned about spoilers.
Anyhow, I recently got a copy of Professor Layton and the Last Specter for the Nintendo DS, the most recent release in the best selling puzzle adventure franchise. As with the other games in the franchise, you play as the good professor of archeology, Hershel Layton and his apprentice Luke Triton. There's also a "new" character appearing this round: Emmy Altava, his assistant. I mark her as "new" because whether you find her new or not depends on if you haven't already seen a subbed version of Professor Layton and the Eternal Diva, the animated movie that was released some time ago.
This game is supposed to be a new trilogy in the franchise after it finished off in the high note that was Professor Layton and the Unwound Future and is actually a prequel to the franchise as a whole. Professor Layton is called to the town of Misthallery at the request of his friend and current mayor of the town, Clark Triton, who also happens to be the father of Luke. With the unexpected arrival of Emmy as his new assistant, the professor travels to the town to investigate the sudden appearance of the specter, which has been ravaging the town and leaving it in rubble.
The story that ensues is another good Layton mystery, but the reveal is not as good as Unwound Future. There's a key point in the revelation that seems a little out of place, and you can also see that they were trying to emulate for the dramatic, tear-jerking scenes that the last installment had, only to fall short because of lack of sympathy. Its not terrible in the least, but it does seem forced.
I did like the other parts of the game, however, such as the ensuing mystery of the Black Market (yes, there actually is a black market in this game) and the characters within. Emmy seemed to be an interesting character to develop; she's very different from the shy, quiet Flora and specializes in hand to hand combat, so she does add something to the cast. The character designs are also quite well done; their varied appearance and oddly shaped noses guarantee you'll never quite forget which NPC is which.
There are, of course, much more puzzles which are still as challenging as ever. They vary in difficulty, but the harder ones make you earn your picarats. The Memo feature has been expanded into having multiple sizes for the pencil and different colors as well, though admittedly I hardly used the Memo feature as opposed to my previous experiences with the other games. I will admit that I used the Super Hint feature a lot more than usual; some puzzles really got me stumped. However, hint coins were easier to find and I was left with about 87 after my run-through, having gained over 100 during the first half in the game.
Of course, the soundwork is still performing at the high quality bar that was set even by the first game. The tracks are lovely and still have that sort of European feel, and the voice acting is superb. I almost wish they had them record lines all through the game just so I could hear them all. In an age of so many games featuring subpar work, this is certainly a breath of fresh air.
The scope of the game is moderate; bigger than St. Mystere in Curious Village, certainly, and perhaps about as big as the locations in Diabolical Box. However, it is small compared to Unwound Future.
In fact, you'll probably hear me say that a lot in this review. The truth is, that basically can sum up all my thoughts about the game: its not as good as Unwound Future. The scope is smaller, the mystery is less memorable, the locations not as diverse, the characters not as compelling...its a good follow up to the previous games and a good addition to the franchise overall; I just didn't find it as fun as Unwound Future. I would still recommend it, however. I do admit that Unwound Future may have been really good because it was the end to a trilogy, and as this is the start of a new one it may take a little while to build up steam.
While that sums up my review for the actual game, this game also features something that no other Layton game has had before: the alleged 100-hour RPG, London Life. While I can't say that I've completed that yet, from what I've played it seems to be a good add-on. It has a surprising amount of features for what I initially thought to be just a tacked on bonus feature, and although most people say that it doesn't take the amount of hours advertised to complete, so far its been good sized in its regard. Its sort of a cross between Mother 3 and Animal Crossing in that the graphics look like it was made to be a sequel to Mother 3 (and in fact, a few Earthbound fans theorized that it was when they saw initial screens), but the gameplay is very similar to Animal Crossing, what with having neighbors and performing tasks. While not entirely fleshed out as it could be if it was an actual game, it does go beyond what I thought it would and for that I commend it. I'll just have to wait and see if Fantasy Life delivers a more meaty package.
All in all, I'd recommend the games to anyone who enjoyed the first ones. It has a large amount of challenging puzzles, fantastic voice work, and a good story to back it up, though it may not be as compelling as the bar that its predecessor set before it. If you don't have the money to buy a 3DS yet, but want to try one last hurrah for your DS or DSi, definitely try it out.
As for the franchise itself, I hope Mask of Miracle will be hopefully able to build on the new foundation the series has with its prequel trilogy. The new 3D features will definitely offer up some new puzzle-solving possibilities. There's rumors of another animated movie coming out, and of course, Professor Layton vs. Ace Attorney is coming out in the near future. Its games like that that just compel me to grab a 3DS whenever I can...
Welcome to the Computerized Comics Convention, aka "C3".
What is C3?
C3 is, as noted above, a computerized comics convention. It takes it's inspiration Electronic Entertainment Expo, aka "E3". C3 generally focuses on BZPower comics and movies, such as the ones from the Artwork III Forum, however, video games from the Fan Created Games can also be exhibited.
What can we do?
You can show off your latest work, tease your fans with spoilers and previews, show animation tests or video clips to wow an audience, provide demos and gameplay trailers from your next game, give a glimpse of what you have in store for your next saga, and introduce new viewers to your work.
How does it work?
First, you will create an exhibit telling about your comics/game/movie and provide some screenshots or videos. From there, you can do whatever. Be creative and do something unexpected, or just drop a bomb by releasing something that people have been waiting for years. The sky is the limit.
When and where will it be held?
It will be held from Tuesday, July 20th, to Thursday, July 22nd in Kahinuva's blog.
What is the schedule?
So far, the schedule calls for both a morning and a night showing for each day. Each showing will have six exhibits in them: three Major Exhibits and three Minor Exhibits. This will amount to six exhibits a day, or eighteen exhibits total. Please keep in mind that may change considering the amount of reservations received.
What is the difference between a "Major" and a "Minor" exhibit?
The difference lies between the amount of content you can put into an article: Minor Exhibits can have only one image (up to500x500 in size) and up to 90 words. However, Major exhibits must have over 100 words, but they can have three images (up to 800x800 in size).
When do I send in my entry?
First, you can reserve a Major or Minor spot by PMing Kahinuva (Note: your exhibit does not need to be completed at the time of reservation). Then, you complete your exhibit and send it to Kahinuva via the link above. We would like to have all Major Exhibits in by the Friday, July 16th and Minor ones by Sunday, July 18th.
Why is the name "Computerized Comics Convention" when you can also submit games and movies?
We first came up with C3 with comics being the only kind you could submit, but expanded it. However, we were at loss for a better name/acronym. If you can think of a better one, please do tell.
