Thursday, December 29, 2016

Author's Reflections- Comic #500
















#500

I really like the way this comic turned out. Primus making an appearance was always a double edged sword for me since I knew I’d have to spend a lot of time photoshopping out the background and adding in the space scenery, but I didn’t have to worry about the commentary trio. I loved what they were and that they were well received by the readers but there was always a sense of underlying pressure to make sure they were funny. I’m sure that only made them suffer but that’s how it was at the time. But back to this comic.

Megatron immediately jumping in to do what Primus asked him seemed to work perfectly, as well as Primus reaction. Maybe he really WAS rooting for the wrong team?

Author's Reflections- Comic #499







#499

There’s not much to say about this comic. I’d had the oversized knockoffs of Armada Minicons for a couple years at this point, so that shows you how long I had been planning on doing a story introducing new Knockoff characters.

Author's Reflections- Comic #498







#498

Going back and reading these particular comics really makes me regret not focusing on one story at a time even more. They definitely would have benefitted by some separation.

I had no intention of letting Hound get himself or the other two tangled back into the main story and Hot Shot’s “contract” was always a good excuse to use to keep them firmly in place.

Author's Reflections- Comic #497









#497

This comic didn’t serve much more than introduce the Fossilsaurs. I was happy with their characterizations and their dialogue here.

Author's Reflections- Comic #496









#496

One thing I definitely remember about this part of the run is how much I enjoyed writing the comics with Waspinator and Blackarachnia. It can’t be understated how much I love the Beast Wars show and finally being able to write for these characters was fantastic for me. Inferno and Quickstrike were always fun but they were definitely one-note. Not that Waspinator wasn’t, but he allowed for a little bit more of a range to him that still fit the character, and Blackarachnia was great on the TV show and very easy to write for too.

Author's Reflections- Comics #493-495

#493








#494









#495











#493-495

The first Knockoff characters I was eager to bring into the comic was a group called the Fossilsaurs…the toys were from a Japanese-dubbed cartoon called Dinozaurs (Dinozone in Japan) which aired in the early 2000s. The toys are actually pretty fun and of decent quality, so I tried to explain that they were earlier denizens of Knockora-Offina, playing up the fossil aspect and ther quality when compared to the cheap plastic and design of other Knockoff toys I used.

The story here is very straightforward but I ended up loving Grimlock talking to them in dinosaur mode and that their leader, Sharptooth, trying to eat the others.

Also Grimlock’s bombshell that arguing over something stupid, ESPECIALLY toys that are intended for children, only makes both parties look like idiots was dedicated to everyone who can’t see past their own opinion.