Saturday, December 17, 2011

Starbolts #140: Norad Tracks Scarlett



There are many places I could have went with this week's comic. The first and most obvious would have been the T-1000 way. You know...from Terminator 2: Judgement Day? That would have been hilariously fun. However, Norad is not a blood thirsty android that wants to destroy John Conner. No, I liken him more like Commander Data of Star Trek: The Next Generation. He's curious about the world he lives in. However, you don't want to piss him off. Wait...he can't be pissed off. He has no emotions. Well, you still don't want to cross him. Remember Nor-Mad?

The reason I didn't have him go full on Nor-Mad mode this week is because he only transforms into that when the situation really calls for it. If he had a chance, he'd have transformed into Nor-Mad once Granite appeared in front of him. However, Scarlett was quick with an EMP generator and scrambled his nanobots. Rest assured, I am going to make him out of sterner stuff later. I MAY redo the sprites. I don't know. I like him the way he is and the idea in my head makes him too much like ED-209 from Robocop.

Either way, Norad's had this new form since 2009. I MAY change him. Then again, I may leave it up to you.

In other news, I have a couple choices for my next blog. I MAY do a vid or a Christmas comic. I haven't decided. Either way, enjoy this week's comic! That and tell your Reps you oppose SOPA! I know I don't bring up politics that much in blogs. But, this is a cause I can get behind. Do your part and tell your reps that SOPA will put an end to jobs and change the face of the Internet.

Saturday, December 10, 2011

Starbolts #139: Guess Who is Coming to Dinner!



This week I think Jack is on the way to redemption. What do you guys think? I think this kid is on his way to *sees last panel* Oh dear. Uhh...*cough* Nothing to see here, guys! Nothing at all! *sweeps it up with a dustpan* Now, about J.Q. Moneybagger III Esq. Nothing says eccentric billionaire like:

1. A tophat.

2. A monocle.

3. TWO pokemon statues. Because...why not? He's rich and he can do it, damn it!

More on him next week and in weeks to come. I wanted this guy to come off like the Monopoly guy. Why? Because making him like Scrooge McDuck would have been very hard to do. After all, Scrooge is Scrooge. There are no substitutes.

I admit there's not much action this week. That's fine. MORE is coming. TRUST ME. Moneybagger's mansion looks very breakable doesn't it? Hahahaha Evil laughter! I also know I haven't shown the Agents and co trying to get the artifacts. That's fine. The story's focusing on Jack. More action is coming.

*looks up*

Moneybagger and the Setleth would get along wouldn't they?

Saturday, December 3, 2011

Starbolts #138: Old Wounds




*sigh* I miss writing Crystal. I really should bring back the feisty redhead that was pretty much a rebel in the prose version of the story. She liked to drink and sleep around. Sufficed to say she was a handful and eventually I toned her down some. Then I started focusing on the main eight Crystal is still rather fiery. In the beginning, she was kind of shy, introverted and later she just sort of decided to screw it (and anything with a pulse).

I digress. I wanted to show in this comic that the 'Bolts are very cautious about Jack's new friend. She "came back from the dead" and Jack's happy about it. I know "Who wouldn't be?", right? Well, his friends are skeptical and the repercussions of big reveal at the end will be talked about next time. I don't think the 'Bolts are acting like jerks. I DO think they are right on this one. I do have to thank Shea for beta-ing this with me. T'was a good conversation!

Wednesday, November 30, 2011

Updates and such

Hail!

What's up? Well, I am back from my break and I thought I would update everyone on what I've been up to. This week, I'll be working on a new comic. Expect one a week since I am going to TRY to get the storyline done by the end of the month. Emphasis on TRY here. If it goes into 2012 a little, it's no big loss to be honest. I don't want to rush the story and there's still a lot to cover. So, that may end up happening.

I still need to figure out how I will show the old comics. I have an idea of what to do. It may prove...interesting.

Another thing I am going to talk about is my video. I will definitely have a new Comic Showcase soon. It's going to be Superman #1 and I will have it up some time in December. It should be fun to do because, hey, who doesn't like the man of steel? Well, except Lex Luthor of course.

The videos are going well and I'm actually trying to get a new stinger for each video. So far I've used Manta, Kevin/Norad and Bluestreak. I'll probably have a new one for the Superman review. I just need to think about which one.

Anyway, as for a list of other comics I will do? Well, that'd be spoiling the surprise!

I'm also taking part in this year's TGWTG Secret Santa program. You can see the specifics here: http://thatguywiththeglasses.com/forums/viewtopic.php?f=28&t=25646. It should be a blast to do and I hope the person I have likes what I have in store. =D

There's not much else to talk about right now. I will be posting a comic soon and even updates every now and then. Thanks for reading!

Thursday, November 17, 2011

Starbolts #137: The Siren's Call




Hey! Today isn't Saturday? Nope. No it isn't. It's just a Thursday and I'm posting a comic early. It's a long one, I know. I wanted to get a few things out of the way storyline wise. Jack may seem a bit whiny. But, that's sort of the point when you consider the following: The whole point is that he has finally adjusted to his new life as a cryogenic cyborg from the '80s when all of a sudden every old wound is ripped freshly open. Would unbalance the best of them.

Poor guy. We'll see what happens with him and Scarlett soon enough. Will Jack and Snake come face to face, though? Yeah. That's a given at this point.

In other news, I've got the other two DC reboot books I'll be taking a look at. I got Justice League #1 and Blue Beetle #1. After that, I'll be looking at the X-Men Regenesis books. That's the plan so far. Plans may of course change. It's unlikely. But, eh, you gotta do what ya gotta do.

See ya next time!

Saturday, November 5, 2011

Starbolts #136: Fatal Reunion




Power outages suck. I spent three days in the dark without power thanks to the freak late October snowstorm we had here in NH. Obviously, this cancelled my plans for the Halloween video I was going to do. No matter. There's always next year, right? I thought so. In any case, I have this week's comic up and man I really like how this turned out. It took me a minute or so to figure out how to do reflections on glass in the last panels. I also modeled Ponce de Leon square after Copley square in Boston. It's not so much TIMES Square. It's got all the glitz of it, though.

One thing I MAY change is the window designs in the first two panels. I'll have to think up better windows. For some reason they just scream "Mr. Rogers Neighborhood" to me. Oh well. Progress is progress and I will be back here next week. Cya!

Saturday, October 22, 2011

Starbolts #135: Send In the Clones



There's a lot to cover this week. So, let's get started! Item #1: This comic is full of surprises isn't it? Soldier Six is back from the dead. BUT! Are they really Jack's old friends or are they something sinister? Item #2: Jack and Anya. Hmm...could something be going on with those two? The tension is mounting. And I'm not talking about Jack being frustrated with not finding out about the attackers. Item #3: What exactly is that tornado up to? Hmmm...There's a lot going on this week that'll set the stage for the rest of this year's comic. In the meantime enjoy!

Also, I've picked up several of the new DC relaunch books. I've been debating reviewing Flash #1 or Superman #1 in the coming months. I may actually review both once the buzz for the relaunch dies down. I also got Blue Beetle #1 and Justice League #1. That should give me a good taste of the DC universe. On the Marvel side, I'm still picking up my regular comics. Uncanny X-Men recently "ended" I'm not sure how I feel about it, yet. I will be getting the rebooted title. That should be a fun read! I hope.

See you all next week!

Saturday, October 15, 2011

Starbolts #134: Granite State Of Mind



I'm back again with a new comic! What's that? You say there's a song called "Granite State of Mind" that focuses on my home state of New Hampshire? You say that it's also the cover of another song? Well, crap. Looks like I'm gonna have to NOT redo the title for the comic. HAHA! Anyway, yep, that is the same Granite who first appeared in the comic waaaay back when I started doing these. I wanna say somewhere in the single digits. I upgraded him into a mindless beast who can only say his name. Kinda like a Pokemon.

He was about due for a MAJOR makeover. He looks like the lovechild of the Rockbiter from Neverending Story and She-Thing from the Fantastic Four. Speaking of comics, I did see the Avengers trailer and it was many things. MANY, MANY good things. I loved it! I suggest you go check it out!

On the video side of things, I am going to work on the Nova #2 review, soon. In the mean time enjoy the comic and wonder...is Granite really all he seems to be? *scratches chin*

Saturday, September 24, 2011

Starbolts #133: Rising Discord



Hail!

This week, I decided to let the villains take center stage. We don't see them enough and I wanted to show just how crazy D.I.S.C.O.R.D. is. Now, you might be asking "Who is under that blue sheet?" "What the hell is up with that tornado?" "Why are there so many references in those magic words?" All but the last one will be revealed in time. For the third, I just wanted to toss in some random references. Eh, I couldn't think of any magic words. I do know that "COO! LOO! LIMPAH!" will cause my friend Lozchic to twinge a bit. Haha. Sorry, Lozzy! I needed a Tingle reference!

The tornado went through a couple redesigns. At first it was a cloud that Mark described as being "gray poo". LOL. I admit he was right. We wanted to go for something similar to the air elementals in World of Warcraft. I tried making some tornadoes and here we are. I KIND of wish it had arms. But, nah. Not needed.

Next time, I'll have vid up. So, keep an eye out for that as I take a look at Nova #1 (3rd series) See ya then!

Saturday, September 17, 2011

Starbolts #132: Shadow of the Past




Hail!

Well, Anya has a new powersuit. Poor Dennis is confused! Haha. This of course is a callback to the Samus Aran reveal at the end of the original Metroid. The suit is supposed to be Samus-like. I MIGHT make some changes to it. I do like how the optic blast turned out. It's pretty sweet.

As for Anya giving Jack a stern talking to, that was totally necessary. Then again, Jack has a right to be angry and frustrated. After all, he did sacrifice a lot. I'm thinking D.I.S.C.O.R.D. is a cockroach we can't keep down. Those suckers will turn up no matter what you do. Anyway, see you all back here next week!

Saturday, September 10, 2011

Starbolts #131: When Deals Go South



Hail!

Well, friends, the start of a story that'll take till the end of the year to finish has begun! D.I.S.C.O.R.D. has returned and no one is safe. NO ONE! Sucks that Anya's without a house now. Don't worry. She won't be homeless for long. I have a feeling she'll like it in Dastara City and fit RIGHT in. That's all I'm saying. The Hammer armor went through MANY, MANY drafts. The first one looked too form fitting for Hammer. So, I decided to go with one that was more bulky. Kind of like Marvel's Titanium Man.

In other news, I really have to thank a couple people this week! First big thanks go out to idiotbox2099. He e-mailed me scans of New Warriors #1 and I'll be reviewing that soon. The second thanks go out to Gethenian who helped me with some Russian words for today's comic. Ven was a big help since all my Russian comes from reading X-Men comics where Colossus is around. Probably not the best example.

Finally, here's a tentative list of comics I'm going to review when I get a chance. Chances are the rest of the year will also be interspersed with these video reviews:

Nova #1-3 (3rd series)

New Warriors #1

Uncanny X-Men #1 (2nd Series) Part of X-Men: Regenesis

Amazing Spider-Man Annual #21 (The wedding of Spider-Man and Mary Jane. Yeah. I'm going there.)

X-Factor #130 Another Part of X-Men: Regenesis

Superman: Speeding Bullets

Wolverine and the X-Men #1 Another X-Men Regenesis book

That's it for right now. I've got to find some DC books to cover. However, I did manage to get some of the last books Jack Kirby had a hand in making. Hmmmmm..... That and some of the reboots.

Saturday, September 3, 2011

Starbolts #130: From Russia With Love



This comic is dedicated to all those who have a Public Relations job where they have to deal with random people. Or in this case four different alien species. Intergalactic diplomacy has never been so...weird. Or random. Everyone in this comic has appeared before. So, there aren't any new characters. Anya and Dimitri first appeared way back in #42ish. They were the Russian superspy team and are going to play a role in the coming storyline next week. The story's going to run to the end of the year, too. Well, I will break for Halloween and Christmas of course.

Still, I had a lot of fun writing this one and I'm pleased on how this turned out. Hehe. Dimitri's covered in green goop. At least he's got that minty fresh smell that women love, right?

I'm still going to work on various vids. In fact, I'm probably going to work on the next one as soon as I hit send. It'll just take some time to hit it. So, which funny bit in this week's comic is your favorite? We have the antics of the Setleth. Gotta love those. The whininess of Danar. Shrall needed to get him out of the palace. The return of Pal'idin! He's always a welcome character. And of course the Leonids.

Of course, I think they're all funny. It's best to have some quirks in these diplomatic settings. Or else it'd get dull REALLY fast.

In other news, I now have a Deviantart page. I know I don't draw much But, I decided to put some Starbolts characters I made in Champions Online up. I also will put up fan art, too. You can find the page here: http://cferra1.deviantart.com

That just about does it for this week. Look for Anya and Dimitri to show up again soon. Wow. Look at 'em fight like an old married couple.

Saturday, August 20, 2011

Starbolts #129: The GREAT Garazo!



A long time ago, my friend and frequent blogger on the site, Rabbi, wanted to learn more about Garazo's backstory. Mark and I cooked up this elaborate story and we waited until we had some way to tell it. It was finally decided that it was going to be little Sirak's bedtime story. Hey, it worked, right? The kid is asleep. I...can't forsee any psychological harm in telling this story to a minor. No matter what species you are.

In this story, Garazo is about maybe 13 years old. He's about thirty in the present day. He was tiny for his age back then. He later grew into the fierce warrior we know him as today. Drawing the sangrale took a LONG time and several rough drafts. The first draft looked like something from Dr. Suess. It was bright green and had orange stripes on it.

So, eventually, I drew a small cat-like creature and made it bigger. Am unsure about the size increase process for that sprite. But, it works. It's an alien cat. Who's gonna say different? Still, I did think up some other titles for the comic. Some of which include "The attack of the purple people eater!" Then, Ven tells me it's blue. Looks purple to me! Then again, I may be color blind. Eh, no big deal.

Well, that's this week's comic. Enjoy!

Saturday, August 13, 2011

Starbolts #128: Summer of Blockbusters!



Hail!

Well, I'm back from vacation with a comic that spoofs summer blockbusters from various times. I didn't select any specific movie while making the comic. Just felt like spoofing several genres of films. Though, I have to admit, Nor-Mad is spoofing Transformers directly. I had to do it. Still, it is good to be back. Now, it's time to be productive and get some work done. Yay productivity!

Also, yay for random Setleths. These guys will never change. EVER! Have a good week!

Wednesday, July 27, 2011

Starbolts #127: Party in the Sun and Captain America review




Writer's block sucks. No. Seriously. It SUCKS! Last week, I had every intention on finishing the comic and posting it. The problem WAS that I had trouble figuring out what I wanted to have Mr. Dastara say to M'anta that wasn't corny. I wanted to make it sort of like Ma and Pa Kent talking to Clark Kent or something. I decided to ditch that approach and come up with something a lot better. I hope it works. I kind of like it.

This comic is pretty special as it's M'anta's birthday comic. Why is it special? Well, this summer marks the 15th year since he was created. I wanted to do something special for his and retroactively Shrall's birthday. Since it was their day, I wanted to make a comic commemorating it. It's funny, though. Manta's pretty much the only character from those days that HASN'T changed.

Anyway, I got back from seeing Captain America a couple hours ago. What did I think? Well, I liked it a lot! I'm not going to spoil much. But, I will list what I liked:

1. The nod to the original human torch.

2. Stan Lee's cameo.

3. The costume riffing at the USO.

4. The Avengers teaser.

Those are just some of the things I really liked about the movie. It was fun! Is it up there with Iron Man? Definitely! I have yet to see Thor. I assume it's good from what people are telling me.

In other news, I'm gonna be on vacation for a week. I'll be back and you'll see a new vid. What's it about? Well...that'd be telling now wouldn't it? =D See you next time!

Saturday, July 16, 2011

Starbolts #126: Jack's Final Mission (Part 6)



Hails and horns! Welcome to the final part of "Jack's Final Mission" It was a long road getting to this point. Lots of conversations with Mark about where he wanted to go with the story. Lots of '80s references to get out of the way. Not to mention this chapter of Starbolts lore. Jack's backstory is interwoven with the others' as it was revealed. He was frozen for a very long time and when he awoke, the young kids he saw in the hallway were now young adults.
As for the last panel, I'm not about to tell anyone what that means. See, I want to be ominous like that. What's coming? Well, we'll see this fall. For now, I'm going to be devoting a month or so to some silly, fun comics since we've had a serious tone for a while now. It's time to bring on the funny! Just remember, humor can't be forced and as always please consult a physician before operating a heavy webcomic.
Now, let's tally up the references we had in this storyline. Let's go by the numbers:
Starbolts #122:
G.I. Joe
Thundercats
M.A.S.K.
Transformers
Dino Riders
Smurfs
Jem and the Holograms
'80s Hair metal bands
Starbolts #123:
Transformers
Starbolts #124:
G.I. Joe vehicles and playsets.
Centurions
Starbolts #125:
None
Starbolts #126:
My Little Pony
Voltron: Defender of the Universe.
Speaking of My little pony, I REALLY like how that mushroom cloud turned out. Thanks go out to Lozchic who gave me an outline I could use. I do regret not putting in any references to He-Man, She-Ra, Silverhawks and Bionic Six. Then again, Jack's bionic now. So...that could be a reference! HAH! I found a loophole! Okay, I'm ending the blog for this week. Cya!

Saturday, July 9, 2011

Starbolts #125: Jack's Final Mission (Part 5)



There's a story behind this week's comic. As there usually is. My friend, Mark, who has been writing the storyline for Jack had said last week lacked bloodspray. So, this week he sends me the script and says "ADD BLOODSPRAY!" So...I did. Mark, I hope you're happy when you read this. =P Good God...The blood! Eh...could be worse, right? I mean at least I never blew up a pla...Wait...yes I did.
It always comes down to that. Anyway, enjoy this week's comic and stay tuned for the exciting conclusion next week! What will happen? Who can say? How many more '80s references can we pour out before the end of the comic? Not many, I think. Really wanted to do something with Dinosaucers or something really obscure. See ya next time!

Saturday, July 2, 2011

Starbolts #124: Jack's Final Mission (Part 4)



BOOM! That's the best way to describe this week's comic. It was fun having Mark help me out again. He's a great writer. It's a shame he doesn't have a site of his own. Anyway, this comic was in the works as I was working on 4th Wall Breakers. I'm pleased with how they both turned out. I hope you are, too!

Thanks for reading and enjoy!

Saturday, June 18, 2011

Starbolts #123: Jack's Final Mission (Part 3)



Starbolt Babies...We- Hey what's Cobra doing looking at Jack and Scarlett kissing before a mission? He must be up to something! He looks like he's up to something. Eh, it's probably nothing. Look at the chibi Starbolts! Collect the whole set and get baby Norad! Who is Pegasus in this time period. Still, look at the chibiness! Yeah, Jack was opposed to the idea of the Starbolts program. However, he warmed up to it once he was defrosted. We'll see what happens to him and his team next week.
Y'know...I kind of want little Mateo to fly up to Cobra at the start of next week's comic like "HI! Whatcha doin'?" Kinda awkward, right? Anyway, this week's comic is a little long to accommodate the Chibi 'Bolts scene. Originally, I was going to have them just run by. I thought it'd be best to extend it. Makes sense to me since they were in the same area when the mission happened. Just didn't know what happened on it.
It should be known that Jack took the kids to the movies a lot. He even took Jenna and Kevin to see Back to the Future in theaters. It was the first movie he saw with his ocular implants. Clunky aren't they? Eh, he'll get new ones. It'll work out for him.
Was so tempted to give Chibi Mateo Pit's wings from Kid Icarus. Wouldn't fit. Ah well. Enjoy the comics and how the plot thickens!

Saturday, June 11, 2011

Starbolts #122



Holy crap it worked! Hmm. Looks like I have a lot of work ahead of me, huh?

Saturday, June 4, 2011

Starbolts #119, 120 and 121





Hey everyone! Well, here are the three latest Starbolts comics! I still need to figure out the image size issue. I'm gonna look into that and see if I can fix that. There has to be a way, right? At least they are regular sizes over on tgwtg.

In other news, I am going to head to my local comic shop and film some stuff there. That should be fun! Right now, I should really fix up the site when I have time. =/

Saturday, April 30, 2011

Starbolts #115 and #116




Hail! Well, here are the latest two comics. Check 'em out! I'm still not sure why the images are showing up small. At least they get larger when you make 'em bigger. I do have some other news. Since a couple comic movies are coming out, expect a few VLOGs on them to appear when I see them! I'm really looking forward to the Thor and Captain America movies.

Saturday, April 16, 2011

Starbolts #112, 113, 114






In other news, I am working on a new comic news related show that may be easier for me to do. The show'll still be called Comic Showcase. I just have some ideas for it. And insert ominous laughter here. =P

Friday, March 25, 2011

Problem solved.

It didn't take long and the problem was solved. If only I could still fix Starbolts #100. Now to go to work on the comic for this week. Expect three comics when I get a chance. Am experimenting with the sizes of old comics.


Edit: Starbolts #100 is now fixed! Autoplay disabled!

Technical difficulties

Hey.

The site appears to be having technical difficulties. I've switched to this temporary design until I can figure out a way to fix it. Hopefully, I'll be able to do so soon. In the mean time, read the comics and check out tgwtg tomorrow when I post Starbolts #111.

Saturday, March 5, 2011

Starbolts #107 and #108




Hey everyone! The storyline's really heating up! In other news, I'm working on the next episode of Comic Showcase which should be scripted soon! So, look for that!

Sunday, February 13, 2011

Starbolts #105 and #106





Sorry for the double post. Had to catch up on the comics for the archive. I really should create an archive for older comics. Anyway, enjoy!

Starbolts #103 and #104


Thursday, February 10, 2011

Comic Showcase #1: Top Ten '90s Marvel Characters

Here it is! The first episode of Comic Showcase! Enjoy!

Saturday, January 15, 2011

Starbolts #101 and #102




It's a new year and a new storyline has begun! Here are strips 101 and 102 for your reading enjoyment! Look for a lot of excitement in 2011 from the Starbolts! See ya!