Starbolts #254: Santa Garazo is Coming to Town

Hail!

 Happy holidays from the Starbolts! I'm sure Santa is fine. He's just missing a hat is all. He's doing just fine now. I had a blast writing this with my friend and cohort, Mark. He came up with an idea where Garazo takes Santa's hat and relates the tale to young Sirak. Speaking of the kid, he's now walking! Looks like he'll be getting into trouble soon. Next thing ya know he'll be saving his parents in the past. Wait...he already did that. Heh.

The funny thing is that Santa's sprite is based on Danar's. There's a switch for ya. See you all in the new year where I'll have new Starbolts adventures and more videos to share. Let's make 2015 a LOT better than 2014!

Happy holidays!

Comic Showcase #30: The Top Ten Awesome Moments of the Secret Wars

Quick update 12/14/14

Hail. I have just finished putting my backlog up on Channel Awesome's new site. New content will start up again later this week as I have a new holiday comic in the works. It's funny and it should be ready soon. After that, I plan to finish up my Secret Wars video and have that online as soon as possible. I thank you for your patience. Keep reading and enjoying the stuff here in the mean time. Thanks again!

Also, the videos I have planned for after the Secret Wars are:

X-Men #1 (1991)
Young Avengers #1
Ms. Marvel #1

Should be a fun three videos. Can't wait to work on it. So, look forward to that and more material soon!

I have also put all my comics up on deviantart.com for all to see. You can check it out here: http://cferra1.deviantart.com

I may change all the image links here to reflect the change. We'll see. If anyone sees any broken images, let me know so that I can replace them. Imageshack has a tendency to break images after a time.

I am also seriously considering moving my content over to Wordpress. I'll have to think about it. If anyone has tips on how to quickly bring stuff over from here to Wordpress, let me know.

Thanks again and Happy Holidays!

Update 12/4/14

Hail!

Here's a quick update for you all. I recently got back from Thanksgiving vacation and I have been working hard on a new Comic Showcase. I haven't forgotten anyone who watches my videos or reads my comics. More are on the way. So, please hang tight. The Secret Wars video is taking a long time to edit.

In other news, tgwtg has moved to http://www.channelawesome.com  
This means I have to put up my old comics there. I'll still put content here. I just might be a bit late with comics. I may have some content this weekend as my video is nearing completion. So, sit tight. And since the old, OLD comics aren't here in the archives, you can check them out here:

 http://channelawesome.com/forums/xfa-blog-browse/cferra.4923/month

Thanks for reading and stay tuned for a new edition of Comic Showcase AND more Starbolts action!

Starbolts #253: The Outsider

Hail!

Well, we have another revelation this week! Velocity is really Sara Samantha Edwards! I should probably explain. Years ago, during the beginning of this comic, the Starbolts had a teammate named Sara. She was a character created by a friend of mine and we thought we'd kill her off because there were a lot of heroes on the team. So, she met her end at the hands of Demonstorm during the first Demonstorm arc. She had solar based powers. But, hang on! Velocity has superspeed! So...how can she look like Sara Edwards and how does she not have solar powers? These questions and more will be answered in due time! All is not what it seems and it looks like Sara is on the road to redemption. How will the Starbolts react? You'll see soon enough!

In other news, work is going well on the Secret Wars video. Expect that some time after Thanksgiving. I didn't do a comic last week as I was busy working on video stuff. There were a LOT of scans to go through. The trade I have is over 300 pages. So, it took a long time to cover things. It is going to be a top ten deal. Should be a fun video. I had fun filming it. Expect a surprise near the end, too. 

Until next time!

Starbolts #252: The Evil You Do

Hail!

Like Mateo just said. This adventure has just gotten a wee bit longer. So many questions remain unanswered. The chief one among them is "What are they going to do with that Adam kid?" I do admit, he kinda looks like a jawa. Anything in brown robes and glowing eyes looks like a jawa to me for some reason. It's probably to be expected. I don't know if you can see it. but, he does have a bit of a red tail sticking out.

His appearance won't be revealed until next comic. I will tell you that he's pretty much the opposite of Mateo. Where HE looks like an angel. Adam here will look like a demon. The trick, though, is to not make the demon look a lot like Nightcrawler. Though, I admit that IS tempting. No, No. I can't do that. That wouldn't be prudent.

Jenna is clearly angry in this comic. Next comic will show Marcus interacting with Sara (Velocity). A lot is happening and one has to wonder where the mansion went to. Everything was taken! Even the backyard, foundation and subbasements! Or is all as it seems! Tune in next time!

As for me, work is going to begin on the Secret Wars video! That should be fun. See you all next time!

Starbolts #251: Woman on Fire

Hail!

Plot twists around every turn here in this comic. We find out what Skull is planning and it turns out Zarantha isn't even the real Zarantha! What's going on with the Guardians? It looks like they are being dismantled from within to me. Seriously. We have a possessed Iron Eagle. We have Zarantha's sister taking over AND we have Velocity scared for her life. Heh. Question is...how is Marcus going to react to Velocity's change in teams. I can guarantee you he is NOT going to be happy.

As far as Jenna's story goes, I changed up her sprite a bit. I don't know how long she'll be aflame like this. But, ya when a thug named Rick Baxter harassed her at school one day, she kind of went FOOM with the fire. If she landed, the grass would have caught fire and so would the statue. It wouldn't have been good.

In any case, my video for last month is up. Check it out here:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8imEyewoMcA I reviewed Spider-Woman #1 and I had some fantastic help from Tyger from MUD2MMO and a few other people. Also, the Star Wars title crawl was a pain to do before I found the right tutorial on Youtube. Seriously, when you make a tutorial please make it so people can hear you. That and don't play obnoxiously loud music.

That's all I ask! =) Enjoy this week's comic! Twists around every turn is fun. Take care!

Comic Showcase #29: Spider-Woman #1

Starbolts #250: Chasing Liberty

Well, M'anta. You could say Jenna is...hot for you.  I should probably stop here with the fire related puns shouldn't I? I wish I had more but, you know this girl is on FIRE! Heh...Okay. I'll stop. I'll stop. Sheesh. It's something when even I get annoyed by the silly puns I make. Anyway, this is the 250th comic and it took a long time to get this far. I had a lot of fun making the comic over the years and I still do. This is by no means the end as Starbolts vs Guardians is going to continue for a while. It's just starting to heat up! Pun unintended. I SWEAR!

Anyway, it's been great working on this project for about six years as a sprite comic and many more as prose. I'm not going to slow down, like I said. As for my other projects...

Next week, I'll be working on the next Comic Showcase and I will focus on the sensational Spider-Woman, Jessica Drew. After I planned that video, I had to make a decision. I was going to focus on X-Factor and the return of Jean Grey. BUT! I found I couldn't really talk about it. There wasn't much material to be had. I may cover it sooner or later, though. In its place, I will be covering the Secret Wars.  That, to me had a bigger impact on the Marvel Universe than say Jean returning.  Sorry if you wanted to see Jean's return. I'll probably do that next Marvel history retrospective. I may need to double up then since there aren't many Golden Age books I can look at next time.

That's all the news for this week, everyone! Enjoy the comic and keep reading because things are heating up as the Starbolts gear up for war! See you next time!

Starbolts #249: Light the Fires

 Hail!

Not a lot of character moments this week, I know. There's just a lot of action, action and more action. Don't worry. Next week will probably have more action. Er...character bits. Yeah. Then again, we do see some here. We see Angela reacting to her mysterious power drain that sort of foreshadows what's happening to Jenna in the last few panels. We also see Jack hurrying to save his friends. Don't worry. The other Starbolts are actually on their way as we'll see next week.

Now we know what plans the Jade Skull has for Jenna. He wants to increase her power to its full potential. My editor, Laura, hopes she won't go Dark Phoenix on everyone. Probably not. I'm thinking more "Human Torch" than anything. The question is will it last? What will the implications be of the tinkering with her genes? What did Jade Skull mean by "the lie". We'll find out soon enough!

Next comic may be issue 250. But, the story doesn't end here!  Enjoy the ride!

Starbolts #248: Brave and the Bold

Hail!

Happy October, everyone! We're kicking off this month with some high action for the Starbolts as Jack is alone against the Guardians. That may be the title for next week's strip. We shall see. But, I do detect a hint of distrust on the part of Velocity. Check her tone. I don't think she's happy with her boss's attitude. Perhaps Iron Eagle's own attitude will be his undoing? We shall see. Stay tuned and find out!

I spent more than a couple minutes trying to figure out the best way to make the maintenance tube. So, I was thinking of making it like Star Trek's Jefferie's Tubes. Makes sense. I mean the bridge does kinda look like the Enterprise-D bridge. I am such a Trekkie. And there's no shame in that.

The Daredevil #1 review is up http://starbolts.blogspot.com/2014/09/comic-showcase-28-daredevil-1.html and I hope you check it out. It took a while to make and next vid will be about Spider-Woman. I kind of wish I had a Howard the Duck comic to review. That would make for a fun review. If I do another retrospective, I will probably see if I can find a reprint.

Anyway, check out the vid and enjoy this week's comic! See you next time!

Comic Showcase #28: Daredevil #1

Starbolts #247: A Smooth Getaway

Hail!

Today, I've introduced another Guardian. His name is Black Knight. Yeah, that's original isn't it? Originally, I was going to have a guy named Aquadator take on Manta, Jenna and Lady Liberty II. He has the ability to turn into water, ice and fog. I might save him for another time. He's still a member. I just wanted another sprite I made to take the stage as it were. I might even change his armor once this storyline's done. I'm not totally sold on the solid black and grey elements. I know he's supposed to be called "The Black Knight" but I'd like a little more color. I do like that sword he has, though.

In other news, I have archived more comics up on deviantart. You can check them out here: http://cferra1.deviantart.com The archive is almost complete as I have about sixty more comics to put up. I did stop by imageshack. Man it is confusing over there. Some comics had broken images and I have since fixed them. If anyone sees any broken images here, let me know and I'll fix 'em right up.

Next week, I will be covering the Silver Age part of my new retrospective. Who will the character be? Will it be...The Hulk? Daredevil? X-Men? Spider-Man? Time will tell. Actually, if you've read you know I am working on Daredevil. I'm also changing the '70s comic I am reviewing to Spider-Woman as my copy was kinda messed up. The '80s one will be X-Factor #1 and after that? Well, we shall see.

Until next week, everyone!

Starbolts #246: Saved by an Angel

Hail!

Today is Kevin's crowning moment of awesome. He proves that just because he is blind he can still shoot a psionic arrow. His other senses are heightened despite his eyes being damaged by Sentinel. Oh, Sentinel. Do you think he knows he's working for a Nazi? Does he care? Only time will tell. Why exactly are the Guardians following him if he clearly isn't acting like his normal self? Weird, right? Definitely.

Anyway, I finally saw Guardians of the Galaxy and I loved it! It had a great story and a great moral lesson and theme in it. Family's what you make of it. That and you need to hold onto good memories (like the whole issue with the walkman. THAT is basically his connection to Star Lord's mom.) My only real issue is with the Nova Corps. They hopefully will be more cosmicy later on. I hope.

Back to the comic! More action is coming next week. The storyline isn't ending soon, though. More is coming. MUCH more! AND by the end of the month I will have a Silver Age Marvel comic covered in Comic Showcase. Still deciding between a few comics that I have reprints of. Any suggestions are of course welcome.

Thanks and see you next week!

Starbolts #245: Truth and Liberty

Hail!

Well, today we find out that Iron Eagle isn't really Iron Eagle! He's really a Nazi pretending to be him! That's gotta suck. The original plan was to have Jade Skull bring in an alternate version of Iron Eagle and HE would replace him. I changed my mind because I kind of wanted to steer away from alternate realities and go straight toward mad Nazi science. Because there's SO much you can do with it. So, now Jade Skull possesses Iron Eagle's body. He also managed to convince the Guardians that the Starbolts are baddies. Huh. There is gonna be a serious fight here soon. You better believe it!

At least now things have come into place and things make sense now. "Iron Eagle" came to the Agents' Embassy to confront Jenna and yet stole the first Lady Liberty's shield. It's become clear that Skull is toying with her. I do kind of wonder, though. Skull is fixated on Jenna's "Aryan perfection" and yet she is a metahuman. Wouldn't that go against his beliefs? Or is he just plan old nuts? I think it's the latter.

In any case, Skull has the shield, the 'Bolts' starship and a team of heroes at his command. They gotta do something fast!

See you next time!

Comic Showcase #27: Captain America Comics #1

Starbolts #244: Where Iron Eagles Dare

 Hail!

Well, look who thinks he's clever Kevin. Well, he doesn't think he's clever. He IS clever. I wrote the script thinking "Yeah. Him going to the brig isn't going to solve anything." I left it in because I kind of want to write their reaction to his antics. Heh.  Should be an interesting fight. Especially now that Andrea wants to get involved.

Speaking of the Starbolts, you notice I didn't put all of them in the last few panels. Quite a bit of them are still recovering. Mateo's angry as Aquita is one of the injured. So, the team's a bit short-handed at the moment. We'll see how this plays out soon!

Next week, though, I plan on making a video about a certain star-spangled man with a plan. See ya then!

Oh, and yeah. I've heard about the New Warriors being cancelled. Again. It's annoying. The team, like others have said, never seems to find an audience. I think the problem is that the classic team fans need to be thrown a bone. This article I found explains it more than I can: http://robot6.comicbookresources.com/2014/08/curse-of-the-b-listers-or-what-went-wrong-with-the-new-warriors/

It's a good read. Check it out. I'm not gonna sulk, though. Just annoyed, like I said. See ya next week!

Starbolts #243: The Stowaways

Hail!

Today I reveal more members of the Guardians. Zarantha, Psiwing, Sentinel and a green muscled guy called Omega. Yeah, I wasn't going to call him "Kluh" or something. We'll get more from him and their friends, soon. Poor Zarantha, though. She didn't even notice Kevin finalizing the command code switch. Whoops.

The Guardians will of course now have to deal with a ship that can't go into space. At best, they can only go around the planet. Weapons will also have to be disabled, too. Hmm. How are they going to do that? The bridge? Possible.

I tried making Engineering look like the TNG Engineering set. The best I could do was add a "pool table" like control area. It works, though. Next week we are sure to see more fun times. But, we should probably check in on Marcus and Britannia. They're the ones who sent out the others before they got attacked and are tending to the wounded inside the Embassy.

But, wait! Where are Jack and Anya? Don't worry. They'll be here. Imagine Jack's reaction to be one of complete shock and disbelief.

Anyway, enjoy the comic this week! I'll be back with another one soon and after that I'll be bringing a Captain America #1 review! Take care!

Starbolts #242: Grand Theft Starship

 Hail!

Well, we've certainly got some nuggets of information about the Guardians this week. Iron Eagle wants what the Starbolts have: Fame and adulation of the masses. They want to be hailed as Earth's mightiest. However, there's a problem since...well...they kinda just stole a spaceship. A spaceship, by the way, that has been redesigned. I redid the bridge this week to make it look like a combination of the Enterprise bridge from Star Trek: The Next Generation and a bit from the original series. Those were my main inspirations for the redesigns. Obviously, the monitors are offline in the two panel spread. But, I will fix that in time.

I didn't change the Guardian itself much. It's still a huge ship and in the last panel you can see the Embassy. I think I did a pretty good job on this one. Took time and I am pleased.

Now Kevin and Angela are stuck on the Guardian. What are they going to do? How will they react to the ship being taken? Well, we're gonna find out next time! Oh and poor Marcus. Ranted at by Donna. Can't say he didn't deserve that! =)

See you then!

Starbolts #241: The Fastest Alive

 Hail!

Well, it's obvious what the lesson is for this week is. That is: Don't talk to strange women in alleyways even if they are superheroes. Wow. Next week, I am certain someone will give him a stern talking to. Most likely, it will be Britannia. Ginger and full of sass. Yeah. She's perfect for setting Marcus here on the right path.

In the mean time, Manta, Jenna and Norad were knocked out by Iron Eagle. What exactly is going on? Well, *I* know what's going on. I was just wondering if you guys knew. Any guesses are of course welcome.

This week, I have also introduced a third member of the Guardians. That is Apollo, Greek sun god and master archer. This time, he's just bringing the heat because he felt like it. I need to finish his bow and arrow sprites.

I also wanted to give Velocity a different speed signature than Marcus. So, I came up with this Tron-like beam of light to differentiate the two speedsters from each other. It works well. =)

In other news, I have my Guardians of the Galaxy #1 review up. Check it out:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zEeTq5BM1io

I also got a letter from Channel Awesome recently saying that I didn't get picked up and that's okay. I'm still going to do what I am doing. They encouraged me to reapply some other time and I will.   Not much has changed as the world's still spinning. I still like doing my comics and my videos. I still help out Film Brain with his shows and the Last Angry Geek with his Facebook group and you know there are other avenues to explore. So, I am fine! Besides, who knows what the future may bring?

See you all next time!

Comic Showcase #26: Guardians of the Galaxy #1

Starbolts #240: Strike of the Guardians

Hail!

Okay. Take one guess which comic storyline this is going to parody. Take your time. I won't reveal things. Let's just say it was fun making Iron Eagle and his friends. You've got to wonder what his connection is with the original Lady Liberty. He also seems to have a beef with the current one. So, now a conflict is about to arise between the Starbolts and the Guardians. Silly as it is. But, there is more going on here than meets the eye. Oh, my yes. All will be revealed in time. For now, it looks like the Starbolts are in trouble and the Guardians aren't about to play nice in the sandbox.

The storyline'll pick up after next week because next week I will be working on a video about the Guardians of the Galaxy! I wonder how many times I can say "I am Groot" before people get annoyed by it. Or if I just annoy myself. Because that can happen. And it just so happens that a few days after I post the review, a movie starring the team will premiere. Well, how about that? You'd think I'd have planned it. =P

Enjoy the comic and I will see you next time!

Starbolts #239: Dragonfly's Choice

Hail!

This week's comic sees the end of Tanis's arc for a while until I bring him back. And I will bring him back. In the words of my lovely beta reader, "The boy needs to get his stuff together". She has shown some annoyance with Tanis in the past since he was under Demonstorm's control. Dunno if she likes him much. Oh well. The bug'll be back sooner or later. Meanwhile, another new story is beginning. Who or what has their sights on Lady Liberty? We'll find out in coming weeks. The question you have to ask is...are they friend or foe? *Insert dramatic music here.*

In other news, things seem to be going well. I've gotten some positive feedback to my Nightcrawler #1 review, which you can see here:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sc5zu4tMb10

It's probably my second favorite episode I have done since my New Warriors retrospective. I liked working on it and I will be working on another one soon.

For now, Jenna's got some people watching her and they mean business! See you next time!

Comic Showcase #25: Nightcrawler #1

Starbolts #238: Alone Against the Legion

Well, it certainly looks like the Amazing Dragonfly is in a bit of a predicament. Will his friends arrive in time? Yeah, they will. Will he make a deal with Princess? Will he rejoin the Legion? Those questions will have to wait until July. Next week, I will be reviewing Nightcrawler #1 and man is it a good comic. I already sang its praises in the Last Angry Geek's facebook group. (Which you should all join because it is awesome.) Link here:  https://www.facebook.com/groups/331907802842/?fref=nf

I didn't go into too much detail into why I liked the book. I will when I review it. Should be a good review. I'm a huge Nighcrawler fan. So, I am glad he's back and has a solo series.

So, back to this week's comic. Poor Dragonfly can't catch a break, huh? Don't worry. He'll make the right choice this July.

See you next time! =D

Starbolts #237: The Amazing Dragonfly

 Dragonfly, Dragonfly. Does whatever a dragonfly can. Can he buzz? In your ear!
You'd better look before he disappears! Hey there...there goes the dragonfly!

I could probably do the whole 1960s Spider-Man theme with Dragonfly who now has superhuman strength and the ability to stick to walls. I could. But, I won't. =) He's fast becoming the team's Spidey. Just needs more confidence, I think.

I wanted this comic to show how Tanis was doing since he came back a while ago. He's been training, getting used to his new powers and finding new abilities. He's been kind of iffy regarding how the others feel about him. Kevin tried to include him early on in the comic. But, he stayed behind. In my mind, I had Kevin talk to Garazo about training the kid up some and make him realize his full potential.

Garazo, of course, takes it one step beyond like he always does. We're probably going to see more of Tanis soon. Right now, I wanted to give him the spotlight because I haven't used him much and well, it was a good idea to catch up with the bug.

See you next time!

Starbolts #236: Cheating Death

Hail!

Well, bad things happen when you cheat death. No, not in Mateo's case. He was never in any real danger. The guy can fly and he woke up in the nick of time. Metahuman biology saved him. His body is adapted to withstand high altitudes. So, Tenera could have chased Robkas. She just chose to save Mateo because, well, she thought he was in danger.

Still, it turned out okay. Robkas has vanished. He will be back, though. You can't keep a good villain down. Especially one like him. But, he'll be back sooner or later. Though Laura, my beta reader, is very happy to see him gone. Oh and on a production note, that flaming skull went through a NUMBER of drafts. First it looked like one of those tiki masks. Then a floating head. Then I decided on a flaming skull. That looked like Ghost Rider a bit so I decided on what you see here.

I think I had way too much fun designing that. Still, Robkas is gone. Loose ends are wrapped up. Time to bring on the next Starbolts adventure!

Starbolts #235: Desperate Measures

Hail!

Now that time is restored, it's time to end the storyline and to start, I finished up the part with the Gods. I figured I'd end that neatly because the Gods are higher beings. That and when the guy you have doing your dirty work is a raving loon, you do what you can to distance yourself from him. Immortals do it. So do mere mortals, actually.

Next comic will more than likely end this storyline. Ended the Gods bit and now we have the three baddies to deal with AND Robkas. Should be just another day at the office for Xemplara and the Starbolts.

In other news, June is upon us and I am going to work on a new Fourth of July animation to replace the one I originally made AND replace the one on Youtube. That one is kind of old and while I still have that old file, I think it'd be a good idea to update it. Kind of a perfectionist that way.

I am also working on new video ideas. By working, I mean research. I'm looking into the Marvel Comics vault and picking the comics I am going to review for another retrospective. Should be good. Should be exciting!

Will see you all next time!

Coming Attractions

Hail!

I hope you have all liked last week's video because I am planning more for the future. I'm still going to work on the comic and more of course is coming. But, here are the videos I have planned for the foreseeable future:

Nightcrawler #1
Guardians of the Galaxy #1
Top 10 Marvel Heroines

A new Marvel Comics retrospective with:

Captain America Comics #1
Daredevil or Hulk #1
Ms. Marvel #1
She-Hulk #1
X-Men #1
Avengers Academy #1
(The 2010s comic is up in the air right now. And comics are subject to change.)


Also, please note that the Heroes, Villains and my profile page have also been updated.

Thanks for reading and I'll see you later this week with a new comic!

Comic Showcase #24: Amazing Spider-Man #1 (2014)

Starbolts #234: Time Goes On

Hail,

Now this is a jumping on point for new readers. I've showed the origin of the Starbolts, Soldier Six, the baddies they face and of course how two members of the team met and fell in love. I did all of this without rebooting the universe. Or renumbering the comic. That would have just been flat out annoying to do.

The comic took me a little bit longer than usual since I had to redo the original child sprites for young Mateo, Marcus, Jenna and Kevin. I'm pleased with how they turned out and I may use them again. Still, that scene. I've got "STARBOLT BABIES" going on in my head.

Later, we've got the future Starbolts. There are some obvious references to the old 'Bolts with them. That's the daughter of Manta and Lady Liberty, The son of Angela and Kevin, The son of Jack and Anya. And of course, the son of Quetzal and Aquita. The others, I think are just non related people. Not everyone needs to be related ya know? Only two are cousins.

The future's looking good, though. I had a good time working on the comic and I hope it's a good jumping on point for new readers. Thanks for reading and I'll see you next time!

Starbolts #233: Preserving the Future

Hail!

Well, here we are at the final comic concerning the trip through time! Next week will be the jumping on point that I've been talking about the last few weeks. It's good to be back doing the comic. Last month, I was kind of under the weather. But, I am back and I did manage to get a vid out. You can see that here:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wlzl_mcWp_c

As far as this comic goes, I wanted to tie up any and all loose ends in the past before I sent Sirak back through the time vortex. Which, by the way, was fun to make in my paint program. I took a bit of artistic license as I didn't want it to look exactly like Doctor Who's time vortex.  I also always planned Sirak to show his wings. Finally, he can spread them out and show his dad's side, a bit.

Now that he is going back to his time. I wonder. Will he remember this adventure? Will Robkas? It's hard to say, really.

In other news, I have submitted Comic Showcase to Channel Awesome as they are having auditions. Wish me luck! Also, stay tuned for next week's exciting jumping on point for new readers. I may make it a double size one. We'll see. It depends on how much history I want to cover.

See you next time! Heh....Next time. Oh, that's hilarious!

Comic Showcase #23: Captain Marvel #1

Starbolts #232: Changing the Past

Hail!

What a comic this week, huh? I redid the flashback scene from Starbolts #102 and that was a lot of fun to do. You can see the original here for comparison:  http://starbolts.blogspot.com/2011/01/starbolts-101-and-102.html A lot has changed in the comic in the three years since I posted that, huh? Aquita's sprite has changed. So has Robkas. The background, too, also got a serious upgrade. Good thing I did upgrade. The new sprite template makes everything SO much easier to animate and make motions better. I guess you could say I "George Lucas'd" my work. Unlike him, I don't intend to do it often. Maybe if I show past scenes, I will. But, for now? Nah. Not so much.

Older Robkas arguing with himself was fun to write. It's hard to argue with someone who is a younger and more arrogant version of yourself, isn't it?

Anyway, I plan to have a new video up soon. Things came up and I had a delay of sorts. Rest assured, a new video IS coming. I'll be reviewing Captain Marvel #1 and it should be a fun ride. I also plan on reviewing quite a few other comics. So, keep a look out for that.

See you next time!

Starbolts #231: Every Great Decision

"Every great decision creates ripples, like a huge boulder dropped in a lake. The ripples merge, rebound off the banks in unforeseeable ways. The heavier the decision, the larger the waves, the more uncertain the consequences." --The Seventh Doctor, Remembrance of the Daleks.

That's the best way I can describe the events of this time travel story. I'm probably not going to show Earth in this alternate timeline. I will say this, though. Earth is without Manta at this point and he was one of its greatest heroes. This also means Lady Liberty is most likely leading the Starbolts. Even then, there's some problems. You can't mess with time without there being consequences all over the place. Fixed points have been changed. Time is bleeding in the period where Sirak comes from and is working its way back in time. Let's hope our hero can fix things!

See you next time!

Starbolts #230: Revisionist History

Hail!

We now know the identity of the time traveler! He is none other than little Sirak Arlandero who was last seen a few issues ago as a toddler. Now, here he is as a teenager! Time travel's weird, man. The story, like I said above, is that he came to the past to stop a time wave from destroying his timeline. He started to fade from existence, too. The question is: How will Queen Aquita react? Plus. If she's here...where are the Starbolts? What happened to them? Something did happen. And I'll show you next week.

Just remember: Every great decision causes ripples. A fixed point in time has been altered by Robkas in his trip to the past.  What could it be? Strange things happen when you meddle with time. We have tons of examples of this all through fiction. You could have a hellish town replace your quaint community. You could have Borg all over your world.  Heh. I think I've been watching too much science fiction.

Anyway, this will mean a lot for our queen here. Sirak's mission is to now ensure the future he comes from happens or else time will catch up and erase him from existence. By the way, as a bonus, I'll add the dialog that probably would have happened in the office had I not cut away:

Robkas: Well, what have you found?!
Doctor Aun: My Queen...the boy...
Aquita: Yes?
Doctor Aun: The boy has Terran and Aquan DNA
Aquita: That's.odd.
Robkas: Indeed. Especially since I ordered a barricade around that worthless mudball.
Doctor Aun: There's more. My Queen, the boy is your son!
Aquita and Robkas: WHAT?!
Robkas: Aquita, how could you?!
*Aquita slaps Robkas*
Aquita: Don't even think it! I love you!
Robkas: I'm going down there and I vow to get some answers!
Aquita: NO!
Robkas: No? You dare defy me?
Aquita: It wouldn't be the first time, amasa. I'm going down there to get answers. You would go down there and kill him and then I'd be left wondering about this boy,who I have just found out may be my son! 

She then storms off,. Ah. It's the stuff of soap operas isn't it? See you next time!

Captain America: The Winter Soldier Vlog (Spoiler Free.)

Starbolts #229: A Matter of Time

Hail.

Okay. Let's see what I referenced here in terms of time travel. Back to the Future, Ecco the Dolphin and Doctor Who. Not bad. Could have used more slingshotting around the sun or something. I don't know. Either way, the story's continuing and I will be creating a jumping on point for new readers soon. I like to create one every year or so. Last year, it was that trip down memory lane that Jenna experienced at the hands of Dark Manta. This year, it will involve time travel.

I spent a great deal of time (Hehe.) coming up with how I was going to do it and still connect it with the story at hand. That being Robkas causing trouble...again. This time, (Hehe.) he has gone back in time to a certain point that has caused Aquita to change into a royal gown right before the time traveler's eyes.

Speaking of the time traveler, I'll leave you to guess who he is. I've intentionally left his identity vague. He does have a connection with Angela. I'll give you that much and obviously he is a future Starbolt.  I'll give more hints next week, though and some back story regarding our new friend here.

He may have a pallet swapped version of Shrall's suit. But, he isn't Shrall. Though, he does have a connection to him as well. Hmm...Who could he be?

Stay tuned and find out!

Comic Showcase #22: New Warriors #1 (2014)

Starbolts #228: Morning in the Garden

I really hate writing Robkas. No. Seriously. I do. I guess it's a testament to a writer to really hate some characters he or she creates. This guy, Robkas. He's a rich snob, a pseudo racist and well...a generally unlikeable person. Granted, this is what makes him a baddie. I can't very well kill him off. I mean, I COULD. But, this world needs baddies and unfortunately this baddie's goals all center around one person: Aquita. That's always been his end goal. To possess her and of course I don't feel any guy should possess someone. I felt the same way about another character I wrote. But, he died. Oh, my did he he die. Hahahaha!

Robkas, I'll keep around. After this story, he'll be on the backburner until the Legion wants him for something. So, yeah. Forced kiss. Originally, this scene was a bit darker. But, I edited some stuff out. Kinda creeped me out and I didn't want any readers to get TOO creeped out. Robkas is a creeper. There's no disputing it. There's also no way to redeem this guy.

The comic after next week, I promise will deliver something pro awesome. I'm talking 26 panels of Robkas getting the crap beaten out of him. 13 panels of Aquita beating him up and 13 panels of Mateo, too. =)  I say after next week because next Saturday I will have a video up.  Yeah. I am returning to the wild and weird world of Internet videos! All the old vids are up (Except for a 4th of July one which will get an upgrade this summer.) So, yeah. Look forward to that. and Robkas getting pulverized. That's always fun.

See ya next time!

Starbolts #227: The Raid

 I was originally going to call this comic "No More Avatars" or something referencing the House of M storyline from a few years ago. But, I may save that for later. As for M'anta and Aquita....do you think they lost their powers? What do you think happened to them? Hard to say at this point. I'm not going to spoil it. But, I have had a couple ideas running around in my head. We shall see.

In other news, I picked out the comics I am going to review up to the end of the year. It's going to be a fun ride. I'm also thinking of doing another Marvel history decade by decade retrospective. It should be fun. The trick of course would be starting with someone in the '40s. Well, I covered Human Torch and Namor. The only one left from those days who was super awesome was The Fin. I mean...he was fantastic! Everyone loves The Fin!

Okay, Okay. It's Captain America. I can't fool you guys. =) See you next time!

Starbolts #226: Prelude to Armageddon

 For it to be an officially sanctioned maniacal, evil or maniacal evil laugh; it must have at least a guild standards (3) "ha's" to it. Points are awarded during the annual maniacal laughter competitions for sound quality, duration, overall menace and evil tone. Bonus points are awarded for using for scaring any audience members. Points are deducted if contestants launch into monologues.

 Wow. There's a lot of stuff going on this week, huh? Jo'Trill's recovering from that smackdown Mateo gave him, Shrall's prepping for battle and oh yea...the Gods' realm has been sacked by the Goddess of Death herself. Hmm. It appears...yes...we're in a new storyline called "Our Gods at War". Not to be confused with "Our Worlds at War", which was a DC crossover event.

In other news, tomorrow I will be putting up the last Comic Showcase on Youtube before I start over again with the new New Warriors #1. The review should be out in late March so be on the lookout for that. And after that, there'll be a new Amazing Spider-Man and you KNOW I will be reviewing that comic. Then comes Nightcrawler #1. By August, I hope to also review a book starring a ragtag band of heroes you might know as...The Guardians of the Galaxy.

Looks like my dance card for the rest of the year is full. Here's hoping these comics rock, huh? See you next time!

Starbolts #225: Where Angels Fear to Tread

Don't need money. Don't need fame. Don't need no credit card to ride this train! 

Yes, I'm going to be singing that song for a while. Hey, it's a great song. Don't knock it until you've heard it a million times or so. So, Bescano's avatar is down for the count and has been vacated from Mateo's mind. Bescano is the God of Discord, yes. But, he is also the God of Tricks and Manipulation. The poor guy here couldn't hold a candle to the god he was supposed to represent. Whoops.

I also wanted to show that Mateo and Aquita's relationship isn't just physical. Yes, Aquita is pretty. But, their relationship is beyond the physical. They understand each other and compliment each other in various ways like how both are determined to achieve their goals.

As I said last week, I was going to make a new Mateo sprite and I think it worked out well. The sprite is now much easier for me to manipulate. The wings, I admit, took me a while to deal with. The comic was fun to do as I took the old ranch background, upgraded it and then turned it into Hell. Yay, symbolism!

Not much else to report today. Went to a small con last weekend in town and got a couple comics. I'll probably look at one of them. Perhaps this summer. When a certain movie starring a talking raccoon airs. =)

Starbolts #224: Our Gods at War

 Hail!

Robkas, Robkas, Robkas. You have been a bad little amphibious monkey haven't you? You back the wrong horse, incur the wrath of the Gods and now you've hurt Mateo just after sexy times. I don't see anyone rooting for this obvious ass. He has no redeemable qualities save for the fact that he didn't take advantage of the situation after Mateo was shot. I couldn't write that. Besides, Aquita would have blasted him through the wall with her sonic scream.

I think next week we may see a new sprite design for Mateo. I've been thinking about it a lot lately. The sprite is one of the last designs I have held over from before JewWario gave me the sprite template. I held off on making one because the wings make things hard. But, I do have them separate and I may change him and Pal'idin since both use the same body shape. Doing them side by side would be easier, I think.

Of course, I may have to redo Mateo's outro as well. We'll see. Videos are going up at an even clip. This weekend will see the launch of me talking about the characters in the New Warriors again. Fun will be had at this channel:  http://www.youtube.com/cferra1227

Speaking of the New Warriors, I did get the first issue of the fifth volume and I believe that will be the first video I'll do when I get back in March. We'll see. For now, we've got Robkas and his zany antics.

Oh and giant green sea monsters that turn into goddesses. Don't forget those. Damn, that was fun to draw. =)

Starbolts #223: Double Date

Hail!

I know it's the day AFTER Vakentune's Day. But, here's a Valentine's Day comic. One of these years Valentine's Day will come on a Saturday and then you'll be amazed. AMAZED, I tell you!  Or maybe not. I don't know. I did this comic to show both Aquita and Mateo being a little antsy about Robkas being on the loose and a bit of Robkas's past with her to show WHY he's infatuated with the Princess. As for the promise? Well, it doesn't really count if she dates someone off world and he had been missing and presumed dead for years. Hell, the state has deemed him persona non grata if you go by the panels at the Xemplara Academy. He's an outcast. His own people do not want anything to do with him after the incident from 100 or so comics ago.

I also showed off some new designs for Xazes and Delclina this week. Xazes, I wanted to show him in more heroic garb. He's the God of Justice is he not? He needs something to show that he is a mighty warrior. His father, Delclina gets a more windy/sky like appearance since he is the God of the Sky. I was also going to have a giant sprite of Aquita overlaying on the panel every time Robkas gets cursed or something. But, that may detract from the original arts.

But, yeah, this week's comic shows that even though the future's uncertain, they will meet the challenge head on. It's kind of what they do as heroes and as lovers. I was going o have Manta and Jenna in this. But, they don't have as big a stake in it as Mateo and Aquita, do. For those two, the Robkas thing is personal. He's like an obsessive ex with superpowers.

The question is...where was he dragged off to? Find out next week!

Starbolts #222: Clash of the Titans

Hail!

Looks like the Starbolts er...Xemplara have their hands full with the avatars. That is until Robkas came and teleported them away. It isn't over, though. Not by a long shot. I'm still going to do a Valentine's Day comic next week. But, I have a feeling Robkas may show up to stir the pot up a little. Heh. He's always got a plan.Of course, they never work out. Next week will be Starbolts #223: Double Date. We'll see what happens when Robkas interrupts a pleasant evening. Heh...

In other news, I am about to reupload my New Warriors retrospective up on Youtube. It has been a long time coming and FINALLY I'll have caught up on everything. All my videos will be back online and I'll be posting new ones shortly thereafter. I hope I'm not rusty as it has been a while. Eh, I should be fine. You never really forget. Making a video's like riding a bicycle. If that bicycle was Vegas 12...

Until next time, everyone!

Starbolts #221: The Aquan Rider

 I had a few plans when I was going to work on this comic. Originally, I was going to make it a Kamen Rider spoof and show it to JewWario.

As far as characters go, yes, Danar is a jerk. Aquita had NO time to change into her uniform and yet he berates her for showing up in the office in a bikini. At least she's dried off. I can imagine salt water stains would be hell to get out of that purple carpet.

Edit on 4/15/18: With regards to the information that has come to light regarding Justin "JewWario" Carmical, views about him have been changed. His dedication should not be construed as an endorsement of his illicit behavior. This comic remains in place for historical purposes. Had I known the facts before this comic was produced, there would certainly have been no dedication. All references to him have been removed.

Starbolts #220: Under the Sea

I tell you. When I was making this week's comic a few songs came into my head. Those were: The theme from Ecco the Dolphin and of course "Under the Sea." I couldn't decide which was better suited for this week's comic. You can make the call. Though, there are no Caribbean crabs here.  Nope. Not one.

What IS here are some strange alien animals. I guess I have an overactive imagination. Let's see. We have the little crab that squirted Robkas back in the early 100s of this comic, a four wings bird of some kind. A red fish. But, most awesome of all is the black creature. That is the same animal that adorns Manta's armor and is the crest of the royal family. Fun fact for ya. =)

The comic took a while to make because believe it or not, the flipping parts took a while.  I know it doesn't look like it did. But, yep. It sure did. I should also note that the first panel is a miniaturized and pixel version of the art my friend Freya did for me a while back. check it out here: http://cferra1.deviantart.com/art/Aquita-By-the-Sea-340763647

Overall, it was fun to do this comic. See ya next week. I've gotta get these songs out of my head.

Starbolts #219: Into the Darkness

Hail!

Looks like the avatars of Death, Discord and War are ready to be baddies. This week, we also find out what Robkas's deal was. Or is all what it seems. For all we know, he could be a fourth dark God avatar. Then again, maybe not. It's best to keep him away from that mythos as the Praetorians have already made him their willing slave and all that.

Still, Aquita, Shrall and M'anta have got to watch out for these three, yes? Oh, my, Yes.

In other news, Peter Parker IS coming back this spring to Amazing Spider-Man. I'll be sure to review that when it comes out along with the new New Warriors title, Amazing X-Men and Nightcrawler #1. Amazing X-Men has been a fun ride and it's always good to see Nightcrawler again!

So, the spring is going to bring fantastic reviews. I am almost done getting my videos back on Youtube. It's a slow process. But, it is worth it in the end. Good things come to those who wait. In comic news, I plan on doing a Valentine's Day special near Valentine's Day. That should be fun to do. But, first we gotta deal with Robkas and his flunkies. =)

Starbolts #218: Avatar Hunt

Hail!

Of all the times I could have made a OMD reference, I decided not to. Discretion in this case was the better form of valor since that horse has been beaten and sold to a meat packing plant. Anyway, Robkas did make a deal with the dark Gods. We'll see what that is soon enough. Obviously, he has kept his love for Aquita. There was no way he was going to give that up. Ever. Anyway, these three new baddies will be explored, too.

It also shouldn't be a surprise that everyone on Aquarius knows of Robkas. Even before he became cosmic powered, he was a member of a well-to-do Aquan family that was part of the royal court. That's how he met Aquita in the first place. Then he left and came back and caused all sorts of problems. The king definitely wants this guy's head.

In other news, I've recently put up videos up to my Thunderbolts #1 review up on my Youtube channel. You can see that here:  http://www.youtube.com/user/cferra1227 . Tomorrow, I am putting up the Ultimate Spider-Man review once I edit that for Youtube. New episodes should begin in March...when a new Amazing Spider-Man is released!

Now that will be awesome! It remains to be seen, though, if it is Peter Parker that has returned. We shall see. Also, coming soon is a new volume of the New Warriors. So, I may take a look at that. We'll see. I'll probably read both. It should be fun, though. Time will tell what those stories will bring.

In the mean time, we've got January and February to go through. By then, I should have more backlog up on Youtube and more goodies in comic form.

See ya next week!

Starbolts #217: Awakening of the Dark Gods

Hail,

This is the second "trailer" for the year's storyline. It's not so much a trailer but part one of Robkas finding and getting avatars of the three "dark" Gods of Aquarius. Of course, the dark ones played on Robkas's desire for Aquita to have him do his bidding. The guy just doesn't give up does he? And that poor ice snake. Sigh...poor snakey deserved better, I think than to be killed by an obsessed guy like Robkas, right?

Still, we won't have long to wait before he picks three people to become avatars of the dark ones. On a design note, I tried to make this temple seem Legend of Zelda like. I've been playing Link between worlds and it's fun. Though, I don't think I'd want to go to THIS temple. Or any water temple for that matter.

Anyway, this week's comic shows Robkas at his worse. His delusion is gonna get the better of him, I think. I was originally going to have Cobra talk about Aquan mythology. But, I don't think he particularly cares as long as he gets three powerhouses on his side.

I think the Gods of War and Discord and the Goddess of Death will be more than happy to help Cobra. But, will there be a price? There always is when Dark Gods are involved.