Saturday, September 29, 2012

Starbolts #169: Heroes Return



Welcome to the 169th Starbolts comic! This week, I step a LITTLE out of my comfort zone. I'm not used to writing mystical characters and this group, Nightstrike, are mystic based. In this comic, we have: Dragonblaze, Lazarus, Hybrid, The Ethereal and Ethan Knight. There are two missing members I haven't made sprites for. They are: Crucifix and Scarlet Eve.

Nightstrike actually comes to us from a friend of mine who passed away a few years ago. He and I would frequent an X-Men message board called Mutant Underground. He told me about his characters and gave me details on how each person was. He even gave me a fact file ALL about Nightstrike. Before he died, he graciously gave me his characters to use. So, here they are. They showed up once in a while in my comics beforehand. This is really the first time they actually did stuff.

So, to that I say...RIP Michael Rehor aka Neo1977. You are missed and thanks again for Nightstrike.

Saturday, September 15, 2012

Starbolts #168: Tanis Phone Home


 Hey, everyone!

This comic comes out the day of the biggest announcement in the history of Channel Awesome. The flagship show "Nostalgia Critic" has ended and Doug Walker is planning a new show and a new future for the company he helped to create back in 2008. You might be asking what this has to do with me. What does this have to do with the Starbolts comic? A lot, actually.

If it weren't for the Nostalgia Critic show, I wouldn't have found the site and a place to post these silly comics week after week for the past four plus years. I know there are other venues, but, the site has a great community from the blogs to the contributors. I've said that a lot to many people and it doesn't make it any less true.

People involved with the company have even helped me with the comic. I remember when Michaud helped me with the comic margins the day the site changed the layout. I remember getting confidence from my friends who told me to keep going and never give up. I don't just do these comics because of the site. I do it because I love it. I love comics and I love doing the odd video every once in a while. It's fun and now it's a good time to reflect on how much things have changed. For me at least.

It's important to know that ThatGuyWithTheGlasses.com is not ending by any means. It's just evolving into something more.  I'll miss The Nostalgia Critic show and look back at it with fond memories. I remember much of what Doug and Rob covered and it made me laugh. It's always best to remember the good times something has brought you in times like this. Is it hard? Yeah. But, we move forward and embrace new things.

New things are on the horizon and I understand why the Nostalgia Critic show has ended. When I found out about it, I wasn't sad. I wasn't angry. I just understood because sometimes you need to spread your wings and seek out new challenges. That's what I did when I started the comic all those years ago. Channel Awesome is growing and we're just along for the ride. Are people angry? Probably. It's important, I think, to remember that the site isn't going anywhere any time soon.

The Nostalgia Critic will always be around in my memories as the type of show that highlighted the highs and lows of the age in which I grew up in. ('80s and early '90s). The show means a lot to other people and I think the Walkers understand that. There have been other sites whose creators dropped off the face of the Earth and never shared what the creators have been up to. Channel Awesome had the courtesy to explain what was going on. You have to respect them in that regard because it would have been too easy to simply say "Forget you, fans. We're leaving!"

It inspired people to seek out their dreams and the people behind the scenes created a community around the show and others. It will continue to do so. Nostalgia Critic, the site and several people involved inspired me to continue my comic. I love doing it and I just have to say thanks. Thank you, Doug, Holly, Mike, Rob and everyone else. Through the show I've met a lot of good friends and now isn't the time to be sad. Now is the time to reflect. It's a brave new world out there and like the characters in my comic, we need to meet the future head on.

Doug Walker, bring on the future. I am ready.


Saturday, September 8, 2012

Starbolts #167: Dark Angel, Dark Angel



Wow. What can I say about this week's comic? I can tell you that Angela/Kevin's scene was a bit more romantic the last time: http://thatguywiththeglasses.com/blogs/latest/entry/starbolts-152-angel-of-mine

Question. Do you think Dark Angela actually loves Dark Kevin? Or is she manipulating him? What did she do to Crystal and Mateo? We'll find out next week. It's going to take a bit for M'anta and co to get to Earth. So, I figured I'd do a couple comics showing the Earth side of things before the big brawl.

I had a bit of a decision to make regarding the fire in panel 2. I could have made a fire effect with Paint.net, the program I use. The problem is that the fire looked a little globby. So, I opted for sprites instead. It's just as well. You can see the sprites being burned better. Another option I had was shattering the image like glass. Haven't really figured that out, yet. Oh and the group shot shows all the Starbolts and their allies. Notice Hammer isn't there. He isn't a reserve. He'd rather be a lone wolf.

In other news, I'm prepping work on the Giant Size X-Men #1 review. That should be a lot of fun. =D Until next time!

Saturday, September 1, 2012

Starbolts #166: Interstellar Fanboy



Aquarius has Shrall, Aquita, Manta, Tayalla, Centurion and Latro. Dovianni has Pal'idin.  Leonid IV has Garazo. Introducing the newest hero of the Alliance: Crimson Justice! Is he annoying? Yeah. But, at least he can fight. That's what matters. I like to think of this little guy as a mix between Deadpool and Radical Edward from Cowboy Bebop. Friend of mine introduced me to that show and I saw how crazy the guy was.

Still, CJ is his own character. Try to imagine a Setleth as a super hero. It's a pretty silly concept. I also wanted to have a brother/sister talk with M'anta and Aquita. Sadly, it was interrupted by Crimson Justice. Oh, well. Next week we're going to see what the bad guys have been up to. Hijinks will definitely ensue!

See you next time!