Power User Profile: Tarkabarka

Our Power User to profile this week is the winner of the last Character Design Contest and all-around great commenter, Tarkabarka!

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For John, "Man Cave" = "Meth Lab"

(From "Black Cat" number 3, 1947.)

Open Critique Day #27

Folks, it's time 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.

So THAT's Victoria's secret!

(From "Black Cat" number 3, 1947.)

Our new adventure: Highway Holocaust!

I wanted to try something in a different genre from our Lone Wolf adventures, so I decided we'd go for a post-apocalyptic Road Warrior scenario!

You are Cal Phoenix, the Freeway Warrior, champion and protector of Dallas Colony One. A murderous gang of HAVOC clansmen, led by the psychotic Mad Dog Michigan, are bent on destroying your fragile colony as it crosses the wastelands of Texas on the first stage of a life-or-death exodus to the California coast. These bike-riding clansmen are a formidable enemy: armed, cunning, and extremely dangerous, capable of launching a lightning raid at any time, day or night. You will need all your wits about you if you are to defend your people and reach your destination intact!

Ironically, my wife's last name is Phenix, which is darn close. I'm going to start calling her Freeway Warrior, I think. And we come from Texas! It's fate, I tell you.

This adventure comes to us courtesy of the awesome folks at Project Aon. The original material is copyright © 1988 Joe Dever (text) and copyright © 1988 Melvyn Grant (illustrations).

Before we can officially get started, we have some "bidness" (that's how we say "business" in Texas, which I'm pretty sure not even the Apocalypse can change) to resolve. I went ahead and rolled our combat skill, getting an AWESOME two (out of ten), and an even more awesome ZERO out of ten for our Endurance. So, go me. But we have to decide what skills we wish to pursue, so I put together a poll. Vote for your top four and then vote for how you want the points to be allocated:

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Aim high, kids!

(From "Black Cat" number 3, 1947.)

Super Bad Superhero Halloween Costumes

I appreciate anyone who's willing to go out there and act out their fantasies, truly. I just don't necessarily want to be a part of that fantasy by having to see it in real life, you know? That's why bedroom windows have blinds on them, folks.

I'm in awe of people like Amber Love, who have the incredible ability to bring our favorite super-hero costumes to life. But we can't all be Amber Love, and ... well. These folks aren't. In honor of the recently passed Halloween holiday, I give you "Super Bad Superhero Halloween Costumes". Enjoy! And by all means, if you have links to other examples, please share in the comments.


It's not "She-Man", sir ...


Look, I don't have the physique to pull this off, either. But sometimes failing to try is the best option.


George Lucas is turning over in his grave. I know, he's not dead yet, but seeing this will kill him, and then he'll turn over in his grave.


But think how easy replacement parts would be to build!


I admit, it took me a little bit to figure out this was supposed to be Iceman. I thought maybe C3PO got captured by some albino taggers or something.


But it didn't take me as long to figure out Albino C3PO as it did this Silver Surfer attempt. My first thought was "Cylon in a blender", but no.


Did you ever wonder what would happen if Wolverine got bitten by a radioactive banana? This guy did.

Good times at the zoo

(From "Black Cat" number 3, 1947.)

Poll Position: Star Trekkin' Across the Universe

Apologies for the late posting, I'm feeling a little blue today and just didn't get to it at the usual time. But now, bring on the frothing nerd rage!

{democracy:206}

Old school versus new school. Dashing man of action versus cerebral man of reason. Do you let your fists do the talking or do you do your talking with your awesome bald head?

This is a tough call because you're talking about two very different eras in the Federation's history. Kirk was the last of the Devil-may-care buccaneer style captain, while Picard was much more of a Renaissance man. You'd like to have a beer with Kirk before hitting on the local green-skinned girls, while with Picard you'd be more likely to imbibe a well-bodied Merlot while playing the recorder.

On the other hand, Picard can flat-out kick ass when he needs to. He took on Klingons in hand-to-hand combat, and won! OK, maybe that's not the best example, because apparently some alien testicle-eating virus had infected the Klingon homeworld by the time Next Generation started, but still. They have bony heads, and those things hurt when you hit 'em.

Oh sure, Kirk got to wench his way across the better part of the known galaxy, vamping and tramping with every able-bodied female he met. And Picard's big adventure was to live an entire lifetime as an old married gardener whose big accomplishment was learning to play the flute before getting wiped off the face of the planet.

So I'd say Kirk is probably the young person's ideal of a swashbuckling adventurer, whereas Picard represents a more mature, measured, thinking person's model.

But all of that is moot, since Picard is bald and therefore he wins.

Discuss.

Why that 'Dear Gangster' advice column never really caught on

(From "Black Cat" number 3, 1947.)