There are many things to discuss about today's strip.
Let's be frank about this from the outset: Microsoft has not indicated any desire to purchase Vivendi's game business, which also includes Sierra and Universal Interactive. Of course, that hasn't stopped people (like ourselves) from looking at the playing field and seeing who could possibly be in the market for such a thing. Many, many worst-case scenarios have been played out, and we were trying to play one out, but then it got so cool that we thought maybe it might not be such a bad idea. A full Action/Strategy hybrid like Savage or Allegiance, the possibilities of Starcraft's great races and Blizzard's proven design are almost too titillating to entertain. I'm practically blacking out.
Also, as I'm sure is clear, the art in today's offering was done by yours truly. The drawring in my strips is steadily getting better, and I believe that after a few more iterations I will be able to jettison Gabe altogether. I'm that good. There are, however, a few clarifications that might help you enjoy my most recent work.
In Frame One, yes, that is Gabe's hair, and not a hedgehog. Tycho's expression is meant to depict slight to average annoyance.
In what is perhaps my richest panel to date, Frame Two reveals the bitter field of battle - where a lone Terran Marine and a moist Zerg Hydralisk reap a grim harvest. The eyebrow on the hideous Zerg warrior denotes frustration. The thing in front of the Marine is a gun. It is not, as some have suggested, a steely lobster claw, nor is it the "bong of the future."
Internally, I refer to Frame Three as "Dismay."
So, there you have it. In my opinion, gripping. It's the most original work on the Internet and probably the whole world. If we assume that there's nothing in outer space but space, and maybe a rock, I'm going to call Space too.
I said that I would deliver unto you Webcomics on Wednesday, and lo, I'm going to do it here in a second. At the booth, two very nice people came by and gave us a comic book that feels as though it was made on a color copier. Hopefully one of them works at a Kinko's or something, because this little bastard would have gotten expensive fast - regardless, it's called Mostly Acquisitions, in all lower-case type. I'd picked up other stuff in my very, very brief wanderings at the Convention, and it was (almost as a rule) fucking trash. I wondered briefly if there was an ipecac for eyes, and where I might procure some on such short notice. No so with this little book, which was a comfort to me amid the crush of people and the jungle sounds. It had five small stories from five cartoonists in there, every one of them was great in my estimation, and since I can't find the fucker online anywhere maybe I'll just scan it with big-ass, 48 point links to each of the creators or something. Anyhow. I'll have more comics for you tomorrow - but let me make some brief introductions. If you play your cards right - and bring up your spreadsheet window at the appropriate times - you might not have to do anything today. Also! I read that there was naughty stuff at some points in some of these, but I only read enough to know I liked them and never caught anything hot. Be warned, I suppose. Or really excited.
Jen Wang did the cover for the collection, but her last name is also Wang and that goes a long way on this site. She has a comic as well, long-form, and there's a lot of it up already.
Kevin Hanna's Random Frog Children is one I've linked to before, but my logs say you didn't go so I'm going to get all stern on you. What the fuck, ip number 69.193.226.56? You think I put this shit up here because I just love hypertext?
Dylan Meconis sounds like a good name for a superhero(ine), and maybe she is. Her comic "Bite Me" is historically delicious.
Erika Moen is fine by me. I devoured her art section in general and her comics section in particular.
Jesus Christ. Looking at Vera's sketchbook is like an eyegasm. Her comic Return To Sender is one I believe I have mentioned before, but perhaps I did not mention it with so much vehemence.
I include Bill Mudron here for purposes of completeness, even though his site is not what I would call full featured. He's obviously very talented, and his bit in the book might be my favorite, but he's a complete Goddamn mystery. This guy has the same name, is it him? Let's learn all about our new friend Bill Mudron.
So, that's what I've got for yas at the moment. I have some other exceedingly delicious links and assorted etcetera, I'll get them up here before the day is out, just see if I don't.
(CW)TB out.
i will be stable