Comic Showcase #6: Top Five Marvel Crossovers

Starbolts #150: Holding Out For A Hero (Part 1)

One Hundred and fifty Starbolts comics. That’s a lot of comics. I’m not going to argue with anyone and say that isn’t daunting. You all know as well as I do that comics are a business where there are multiple #1 issues, reboots, crossovers and events happening every year it seems. Every comic is someone’s first as the great Stan Lee once said. Thankfully, mine are archived. I know I’ve probably reached 150 a long time ago. However, this is in canon. All the Point 5s and such do not count.
Writing the comic has always been fun and posting it online for everyone to read has been great, too. I started the story in prose form and while that did well, I really wanted to just make a comic out of my story. I had sprites as I cannot draw very well. I used them and just went from there. I posted the first comic in late 2008 in the TGWTG blogs and since then I am pleased that it’s been very well received there.

Along the way, many people helped me out with the comic. My collaborator, Mark and I have bounced ideas back and forth on various storylines. I’ve talked to many people about the comic and layout. To spotlight any one person would be too little and to spotlight everyone would be name dropping. Instead, I will just say thank you to everyone who has helped me along this strange, strange journey.

You have all given me the guidance, the confidence and inspiration I needed to keep going. I know this all sounds incredibly sappy. Hey, I’m making a speech here on my 150th issue. I’m ALLOWED to be sappy! I digress. My friends have all helped me to make everything possible. By extension, they’ve also guided me through my animation projects and of course Comic Showcase. Their advice is always welcome even to this day.
If someone were to ask me in 2007 that I’d be part of a community that would accept my story and help in the way they do now, I’d say flat out that they were dreaming. Back then, I used to be trolled because people didn’t like certain aspects of the story. I still continued to write. It was just weird how close minded some people could be when it comes to superheroes. Oh well. Thankfully, this isn’t true now.

Comics are a passion of mine. I don’t do this for fame, glory or anything. I do this because it’s fun and because I have a story to tell. My stories were inspired by the comics I grew up with and in some cases cartoons from the 1980s and even Star Trek. Everything I’ve ever been exposed to as a kid has really generated into this story where young heroes take up the heroic mantles of their parents and stake out their own destiny.

Will there be more issues of Starbolts? Of course! There’s always stories to tell. There’s always adventures to be had. I’d like to once again thank the fans and of course everyone who has helped me. ThatGuyWithTheGlasses’s blog system has been the home of the Starbolts since 2008 and they’re not going anywhere. They will always be around to safeguard her shores. Plus, I'll be posting here.

Enjoy this week’s comic and I will see YOU in the funny pages! Stay tuned for part 2!

MMO Grinder: City of Heroes

A while back, my friend Jon "ChaosD1" Burkhardt reviewed City of Heroes on his show MMO Grinder. I figured now was the time to put the vid up here. It premiered on MMO Grinder.net and has a hero in the video you may recognize from the comic.



That's right! It's Manta from the Starbolts! I admit I am not a fan of how the mask/helmet looks. But, I was able to get the powers right. Enjoy the show! You can watch MMO Grinder on Blistered Thumbs, MMO Grinder.net and on Youtube.

Enjoy the show and check out more MMO reviews by ChaosD1!

Starbolts #149: A Matter of Life and Death

Manta used thunder punch! It was super effective! Heh. Okay, that was kind of lame. Nevertheless, the situation's heating up on D.I.S.C.O.R.D. isle just in time for the 150th comic. Speaking of that. I haven't decided if I want to make it a video like Starbolts #100 was or just make it an extra long comic. I figured I could flip a coin or let you all vote in the comments below. Both will still be a lot of work and will be WELL worth it.

I'm also looking to change Jenna and Manta's sprites for the occasion as well. They're about due for a revamp, I think. This will also mean I'll have to change the Manta outro in my videos. That shouldn't be TOO hard. I like doing the outros and I've actually just finished one for Quetzal.

A lot's going on in this comic this week. The life and death struggle continue. What's going to happen with Stan Whitefox? Where is Sickle? Where did Angela and Kevin disappear to? So many questions....They WILL be answered.

See you next time!

Starbolts #148: Old vs New: Starbolts

If there was ever a need for a "DUN DUN DUNNNNNN!" sound effect, it'd be here in the last panel. I assure you, I am not ripping off Ghost Rider with that look Cobra has. There are some mystical voodoo going on here and next time, I think Jack's going to want answers. The question is...will Cobra give it to him? Probably not. But, hey, one clone is gone.. A few are left.

I would have added more fighting with the grunts, but, that wouldn't be necessary. I really wanted to focus on Jack's fight, a quiip or two from the others and show just what Angela and Kevin are up to. You'll be seeing more of them next time as they're going to be fighting some thugs. Should be good.

We're also two comics away from Starbolts #150! What do I have planned? Well...How about a double sized animated finale to this saga? We'll see. Time will tell. Yes...time will tell.

Starbolts #147: The Dead Shall Rise

Oh, man. what a comic this week? Don't worry! Next week I am going to show Soldier Six and the Starbolts fighting. I will take your bets right now. Who is going to win? What will be the outcome? YOU make the call! I also hint a bit at who the swirling tornado is. He has a history with one of the Starbolts on the mission. One of the female ones. So, it can only be Jenna, Angela and Aquita. Hmm...if it isn't obvious by this point, I don't know what to tell you. The hints are there. The question is...is the tornado all it seems to be? Stay tuned!

Speaking of big reveals, how about those skeletons of Soldier Six? Those took a while to make, actually. They were kind of fun to do. Sucks that Cobra is missing a head and Mask is missing...umm....his entire body? Anyway, stay tuned next week for when the 'Bolts are going to be fighting Soldier Six. What an epic confrontation. I'll need an awesome title for next week's comic. Hmmm....Decisions....

EXCELSIOR!

Hey all! This weekend, I got the surprise of a lifetime and I owe it all to my friends, Richard and Laura. They are admins over at the Channel Awesome wiki and they went to MegaCon in South Florida over the weekend. Beforehand, they had said to me that they'd try to get Stan Lee's autograph. I said "Cool." In the end, they couldn't. I was a little bummed, but, I understood. It was Stan Lee for God's sake! I was fine with it...until they did something incredibly awesome! They actually went up to Stan Lee and had him record a special message for me.

Here's what he said to me:

"Hey, Chris. This is Stan Lee and I gotta tell you...you have a gal here who really cares about you. Because she dared to come over while we were having dinner at the table and she said drop everything because you gotta talk to Chris. So, that's what I'm doing. You're a lucky guy, Chris and I hope you're doing well with whatever you're doing and now I am going to stop talking and go back with my friends. EXCELSIOR!"

A while after, they had called me and let me know about the message. To say that I was happy would be an understatement. Last night, I saw the message and I was VERY happy. You might be wondering why I was happy. Well, there's a story behind that.

Growing up, I never really idolized celebrities. Oh, sure, I'd love Hulk Hogan and Mr. T or someone. But, my real hero was Stan Lee. He co-created some of my favorite Marvel characters and has really inspired me to get into writing. In fact, some of the Starbolts are inspired by Stan Lee's writing philosophy. Heroes with heart. Heroes who could be just about anyone regardless of what kind of person they are.

Stan Lee is an inspiration and always will be because his characters ,like Spider-Man, always grew on me more than Superman or Batman. They took on a life of their own. That isn't to say Supes and Batman are not larger than life. They are. I just have a personal connection with some of Stan's creations.

His writing style influenced me and got me into writing in the first place. I'll even let you in on a secret. Stan Whitefox, the director of S.T.A.R. is actually named after Stan Lee. Corny? Yes. Awesome as hell? HELL YA! The man is an inspiration and has touched the hearts of millions worldwide. Including myself.

Richard and Laura getting the clip means a lot to me because they know more than anyone that I love Stan Lee's work. He's a legend among comic fans and I really have to thank my friends for the clip. Thanks again, guys!

So, to that, I say, Face Front, true believers. A lot of awesome artistry is on the way. EXCELSIOR!