Author Archives: AFDStudios

Not as bad as the Creeping Death From Uranus, but close

(From "Target Comics" number 5, 1940.)

Sharing Day, Nergasm Management Strategies


The big news in my small circle of geeky friends is, of course, the upcoming "Avengers" movie. Whenever a major film like this comes out that I know I am going to want to see, the months and weeks leading up to it are pure torture as I twist and turn in my efforts to dodge spoilers. I want to experience the movie in as pure a form as possible, unsullied by the expectations or experiences of other people.

Friend of HeroMachine John and I go into the "Cone of Silence", a sensory deprivation chamber where all previews, promos, ads, spoilers, speculative articles, and celebrity interviews are avoided even more vigorously than girls avoided US in high school.

But that's not the only way to approach these kinds of mega projects. So my question for you on this Sharing Day is basically:

How do you handle "big" geek events like major movies or big novel releases? Do you go whole-hog and consume everything humanly possible about it before it comes out, or do you go into your own "Cone of Silence" and try your best to be surprised?

If you like, in return for answering my question to you, you may ask a question of me on any topic and I'll do my best to answer honestly and completely. Just leave your reply (and question, if any) as a comment. The goal is to learn a little more about our community!

Worst. Invention. Ever.

(From "Target Comics" number 5, 1940.)

To Pontificate or Incarcerate, that is the question

Our little stuffed bunny buddy was last seen in an alley behind the police station with zombie guts in his eye, dithering over whether to get it out OUT OUT or just nut up and head on in to the precinct. Which raises two questions:

  • First, who among us has not been, at some point in our fragile human lives, staggering around in an alley behind the police station in some sort of distress over goo in our eyes?
  • And second, does a stuffed bunny have nuts with which to nut up? Since he was on a date and hoping to score, I assume so.

After due process and careful deliberation, we in our infinite wisdom have gone the velveteen nut route, screwed up our courage, and bolted for the hard, safe arms of the local constabulary without washing our eyes first. Hopefully our tears of joy when Daddy saves us will wash out the zombie goo sufficiently:

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So wrong. So, so wrong.

(From "Target Comics" number 5, 1940.)

I was Disco Indian when Disco Indian wasn't cool

Crazy cross-genre combinations are the norm in today's comics world, with zombie super-heroes and dinosaur nazis and "what if super villains ran the world" sorts of high concepts. High being the operative word.

Have you ever wondered, however, why no one has ever done a Native American Cowboy Disco Rebel book before? I know I have! Well thanks to ReaderKate, we learn the answer: Because it's already been done before! Ladies and gentlemen, meet the sartorially challenged genre-busting fashion spectacle that is ... HAWK, Son of Tomahawk!

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Cobra Commander Year One?

(From "Target Comics" number 5, 1940.)

Wookiees versus Na'Vi

Our "Versus" question today comes to us from the nice folks at FactPile, but it was so juicy I couldn't pass it up:

In their framing, you have 10,000 Wookiees and 10,000 Na'vi going into battle on a neutral jungle planet. But let's be honest, the Wookiees would crush them if the Na'vi didn't have their magic internet trees or whatever the hell that living planet concept was.

So let's switch it around and posit an invasion of the Na'vi home world by Wookiees, mostly because the idea of parachuting Wookiees makes me laugh like a hyena. Let's say they want some Unobtanium for the rebellion, and they fly there in their ships powered by Doesnotexisteum with their Fansofmyshowareidiotsandihatethem model blasters.

In this scenario, basically you've got a somewhat higher tech level than the humans displayed in "Avatar". But, that same tech level couldn't beat a planet full of the dwarven Wookiee cousins, the Ewoks. So take that for what it's worth. Granted, on Endor the Angry Teddy Bears were up against Storm Troopers, who we all know now were clones of what is apparently the Worst Soldier In the World, judging by their poor aim and general lack of combat effectiveness. I mean, you've got an entire galaxy (granted, it's far far away, but still) from which to choose your warrior template, and the result was the storm troopers.

Apparently good cloning can't compensate for bad judgement.

But I digress. So you've got super tall howling dog-men up against super tall howling blue cat people. Who wins, and why? Lay it on us, Slicks!

[polldaddy poll="6167556"]

Maybe your computer is slow because your electric rays are dull

(From "Target Comics" number 5, 1940.)

Character Contest 89: Super Omega Deathbattle Warzone Apocalypse

Have you ever wanted a character of yours to be on a poster or website promoting a real live game? Well, now's your chance, because the makers of "Super Omega Deathbattle Warzone Apocalypse (the Most Dangerous Game Ever Made)" have turned to you -- yes, YOU! -- to help design the characters they'll use in their promotional materials! How cool is that?!

Here's an example of the kind of thing where your characters might appear:

And your prize isn't just getting your character added to the promo, but getting it fully illustrated in an awesome pose within that promo by Livio Ramondelli of "Transformers: Autocracy" and "DC Universe Online" fame. Check out his fantastic DeviantART work -- this guy is seriously fantastic.

So to recap, you get a character you designed painted in full color, to be used in promotional materials for a cool game that you can actually show your friends. This is big, folks.

You can find the complete rules here (PDF viewer required). But, here's the short version:

  • You have two weeks instead of one to get your submissions ready. We want them to be really good.
  • You can create up to nine characters and you don't have to say which archetype(s) they are for -- let the design speak for itself.
  • They're much more interested in the character design than the actual piece. For instance, they don't care about flashy backgrounds or anything like that. You can add them in if you want, but all the judge will be looking at are the actual character designs. So if you get frustrated at your inability to create the kind of elaborate set pieces of people like Kytana or dblade, this is your chance to shine with just your design vision.
  • By submitting a design, you are granting Thunderpunch Studios the rights to use it in their promotional materials. You are not granting them the copyright to the image outside of their official promotional materials, however. In other words, you're giving them the ability to use it how they want for themselves, you're not giving up rights to the character altogether.
  • Winners will be announced on May 11 and will be chosen by Thunderpunch Studios executives.

To avoid accusations of "he stole my design!", we're going to handle submissions like for a "Friday Night Fights" session.

  • Instead of posting links to your character(s) here, you will need to email them directly to me (afdstudios@gmail.com), all in one single message. You can ZIP them up if you want or you can do them all as separate attachments, so long as I just get one email from you.
  • Each file should have your HM user name and your character's name so I know who's who.
  • A description would also be nice but isn't mandatory.

Also, once you hit SEND, your submission is final. No takebacks or do-overs.

Good luck, everyone! I know you'll do us all proud. If you have any questions, please speak up in the comments below and I'll try my best to get them answered.

Edited To Add: DO NOT POST YOUR ENTRIES AS LINKS IN COMMENTS HERE! YOU MUST EMAIL THEM TO ME! Please, read the directions above, folks.