Monthly Archives: July 2011

Apparently the flamethrowers are just for show

(From "Fantastic Comics" number 10, 1940.)

Power User Profile: Worf

Worf is one of the most frequent posters on the HeroMachine blog and the creator of some truly memorable pieces. I hope you'll enjoy learning a bit more about him as much as I did. Also, I'm beginning to see how Batman wins all these polls ...
Continue reading

The perils of having a teen-aged boy sidekick

(From "Fantastic Comics" number 10, 1940.)

Open Critique Day #22

It's time once again for another Open Critique Day!

If you have a HeroMachine illustration or another piece of artwork you've done that you'd like some help with, post a link to it in comments along with your thoughts on it -- what you think is working, what you're struggling with, etc. I will post my critique of the piece, hopefully giving some tips on how to improve it.

Of course everyone is welcome to post their critiques as well, keeping in mind the following rules:

  • Make sure your criticism is constructive. Just saying "This sucks" is both rude and unhelpful without giving specific reasons why you think it sucks and, ideally, some advice on how to make it better.
  • Each person should only post one illustration for critique to make sure everyone who wants feedback has a chance.
  • I will not critique characters entered in any currently running contest, as that doesn't seem fair to the other entrants. You can still post it if you like for the other visitors to critique, but I will not do so.

That's it! Hopefully we can get some good interaction going here and help everyone (me included!) learn a little bit today.

(Image from this very funny Wired article on defending yourself from criticism.)

Samson visits the salon

(From "Fantastic Comics" number 10, 1940.)

Time to shop!

When last we left our intrepid Lone Wolf, we were deciding whether to apprehend a young thief, let him go, or ignore the whole sordid affair. Ultimately we chose to report the little rascal:

I imagine later we'll find his severely beaten corpse in a side alley, with black-clad guard bootprints leading back to the store. Civic virtue FTW!

But hey, screw that kid, we get free stuff! We do not currently own a backpack, so if we choose anything but the Dagger, we'll have to also choose the Backpack so we have somewhere to put it. I mean, if you see some guy walking down the street holding a blankie and two bags of Big Macs, I think it's likely you would report that guy to the cops.

Also, we already have a dagger and a mace. If we choose the dagger or the quarterstaff, therefore, we'll have to dump one of those two weapons since you can only have two at one time. It would be nice if we could tie our existing dagger to the end of the quarterstaff with some of the rope, making our own Spear (which we have the Weaponskill for), but alas, this isn't quite that interactive.

For the Meals, keep in mind we can't use our Hunting Discipline since we're in civilized areas. I don't know when (or if) that restriction will be lifted, but for now, we're going hungry.

So the way I see it, we have no real choice except to pick the Backpack and one other item. However, since I know how much we gamers like to be ornery, I've left the poll open to TWO selections per person. Whichever two get the most votes is what we'll pick.

Make your case for what we should select in the comments. I love gearing up! Remember, choose two of the below options.

[polldaddy poll="5234124"]

Samson visits Salzburg

(From "Fantastic Comics" number 10, 1940.)

Captain Norelco!

I've theorized before that comics creators sometimes draw inspiration from objects lying around the room where they're drawing. Apparently whoever created Changeling was inspired one morning while shaving, because I swear that's a massive purple Norelco razor on his head:

Seriously, that may be the single worst piece of headgear I've ever seen. And I've read Jack Kirby comics! What's his tag line, "I warn you, I have THREE floating heads to shave you even closer"? Not to mention, if he ever falls down on his head really hard, that back spike is going to get him pinned to the ground in pretty short order. Maybe that's why he has twin jet nozzles on the side, for that extra bit of oomph needed when arising.

I also like to think that the giant Thor-like discs on his chest are actually big screw heads, likely for the purposes of cleaning out his lint trap. A razor that big, especially with three floating heads, is going to collect a lot of stubble. He probably keeps all his cleaning supplies (lubricating oil, screwdriver, lint brush, etc.) in his purple European man-bag, because you don't want those things getting dirty or rusty. Otherwise, the next time he tries to defeat an enemy by running his helmet over their chin, never actually cutting them thanks to the safety mesh, the gears might jam and then he'd really be in trouble.

(Character and image © Marvel Comics.)

How Samson tours the Eiffel Tower

(From "Fantastic Comics" number 10, 1940.)

Poll position: Hulk vs. Doomsday

While thinking about John Byrne's "Death of Superman" classic (what, doesn't everyone spend their days thinking about decades-old superhero battles?!), I started wondering about the following Epic Question:

{democracy:191}

So even if the Hulk couldn't defeat Superman, and Superman couldn't defeat Doomsday, does that mean the Hulk couldn't beat Doomsday? Wait, that's too much like doing math.

The potential for collateral damage hampered Superman's efforts to fight Doomsday originally. When you care whether or not entire city blocks full of innocent bystanders die, that influences your tactics. Whereas the Hulk ... well, let's be kind and say that the "innocent bystander" factor isn't exactly at the top of his list.

Plus, the madder the Hulk gets, the more powerful he grows. And he'd be pretty mad after a while of Doomsday whaling on his green butt. Since the fully enraged, yet still coldly capable, Hulk was able to annihilate virtually the entire Marvel Universe in World War Hulk, you'd have to think he could, at a minimum, give the Spiked Wonder a run for his money.

On the other hand, Doomsday was designed to be the ultimate weapon, while the Hulk is largely an accident. Can purposeful design beat fortuitous circumstance?

At the end of the day, I'd have to go with the Hulk winning this one, especially if it's the World War Hulk era character.

What about you, what do you think would happen?

(Image via dnno.)