2367 replies to this topic

[DJ Force]

HAHAHAHAHA

That was a good one! :-D

[KDog]

This week's second Blacktron comic is up. And it also introduces the Space Police!
http://www.drunkduck...Space/?p=367257

[Asuka]

Thanks! It´s cool to see how the story´s growing up....  *y*

[KDog]

Asuka, on Feb 27 2008, 12:29 PM, said:

Thanks! It´s cool to see how the story´s growing up....  *y*

Yeah, The Invader is flying around causing havoc. ;-)

[KDog]

A week of Blacktron comics concludes with Locked Up, Part 2
http://www.drunkduck...Space/?p=368891

BTW, could a mod move this thead to the Space subforum? Seems more suited there, as most of the threads here are about Exo-Force.

[zero1312]

Another good one. X-D
I feel SOOOOO sorry for the officer. :-D  :-D  :-D

[KDog]

Definitely not that officer's day!

[CP5670]

Love that "Blacktron keeps us looking useful" line. :-D

[hollisbrick]

OMG these are great comics they are so cool *y*  *sweet* they are pretty funny :-D can't wait for more!
(btw900th post!)

[KDog]

While I haven't seen it noted or discussed anywhere, 2008 is the 30th anniversary of Lego's Space theme. I've decided to celebrate that (in my own twisted way) by introducing a recurring storyline that features the 918-1 Space Transport, a set introduced in 1978. It's the only set I own from the first five years of Lego Space, but it's a nice-looking ship. Lego would use its design as the basis for a couple of larger ships, including the legendary Galaxy Explorer.

30 Years (Part 1):
http://www.drunkduck...Space/?p=369430

[DJ Force]

Another excellent addition to the whole Space Comic epic saga :-D

[Asuka]

Thank you for two new and very nice episodes.  *y*  Aah, 918. My all time favorite....  *wub*

[Lord Of Pies]

KDog, on Feb 25 2008, 08:46 AM, said:

A new comic is up, and it starts a week of Blacktron!
http://www.drunkduck...Space/?p=366252

KDog, on Feb 27 2008, 06:15 AM, said:

This week's second Blacktron comic is up. And it also introduces the Space Police!
http://www.drunkduck...Space/?p=367257

KDog, on Mar 2 2008, 04:17 AM, said:

A week of Blacktron comics concludes with Locked Up, Part 2
http://www.drunkduck...Space/?p=368891

BTW, could a mod move this thead to the Space subforum? Seems more suited there, as most of the threads here are about Exo-Force.

My 2nd favourite theme! *wub*

I really like your Blacktron comic with the round cockpit being used as a football, very funny, I always wondered whether Blacktron I and II were on the same team; apparently not! X-D And the Lock up part 2 comic was hilarious with both officers in the cell, it made me laugh out loud!

Keep up the great work!

[Joebot]

Fun comic, and nice photography! I too know the pain and aggravation of trying to photograph tiny little bits of plastic (I have an online Lego comic too). It ain't easy.

My only other comment is on the word balloons ... I sometimes have trouble following the sequence of the dialogue, especially when there is a word balloon at both the top and bottom of a panel. Maybe it's just me, but when I'm reading a panel, my eye tends to go to the next panel to the right, rather than down to the bottom of the current panel. I find myself having to back up and reread the previous panel because I missed the line of dialogue at the bottom.

It's a minor complaint though. Otherwise, great comic!

[KDog]

Joebot, your comic is very, very impressive. Makes me feel like such an amateur at this.

I knew something wasn't right about the flow of some of my comics (I could see it a bit when I watched others read them.) but I was having difficulty pinpointing it. I was blaming it more on the differences in panel length I sometimes use, but I think the text boxes on top and bottom might be more the culprit, as it doesn't go with the reader's intuition, at least on the screen. Thank you very much for mentioning that. I took it to heart in my next comic, which I just posted. In the two panels where more than one character is talking, I tried something different, stacking the text boxes and having the above stem pointing down through the lower box to the proper character. Although I kind of screwed it up in the second instance, I think I'll keep my text on top for now on. Granted, I insist on using text boxes instead of bubbles because it's easier for me and I prefer it over bubbles for my comics, although some people may not feel the same. I got knocked for the boxes all the time in my last (and currently on hiatus), hand-drawn comic.

So, here's part two of my weird anniversary tale, "30 Years":
http://www.drunkduck...Space/?p=370470

[DJ Force]

Just when I thought this is a funny comic all around, it starts to get creepy. Very well done! A Gear-Shift Comic. Not what I expected *y*

[Joebot]

KDog, on Mar 5 2008, 04:40 AM, said:

Joebot, your comic is very, very impressive. Makes me feel like such an amateur at this.

I knew something wasn't right about the flow of some of my comics (I could see it a bit when I watched others read them.) but I was having difficulty pinpointing it. I was blaming it more on the differences in panel length I sometimes use, but I think the text boxes on top and bottom might be more the culprit, as it doesn't go with the reader's intuition, at least on the screen. Thank you very much for mentioning that. I took it to heart in my next comic, which I just posted. In the two panels where more than one character is talking, I tried something different, stacking the text boxes and having the above stem pointing down through the lower box to the proper character. Although I kind of screwed it up in the second instance, I think I'll keep my text on top for now on. Granted, I insist on using text boxes instead of bubbles because it's easier for me and I prefer it over bubbles for my comics, although some people may not feel the same. I got knocked for the boxes all the time in my last (and currently on hiatus), hand-drawn comic.

Thanks!  

I like the new dialogue boxes!! That helps a lot. The thing to remember is that in Western cultures, readers are trained to read left-to-right FIRST, and then top-to-bottom. When placing word balloons or text boxes, if you go against that ingrained behavior, the reader gets lost. There's a real art to lettering a comic.

I like the look of the text boxes instead of balloons in your comic. The boxes gives it a "techie" feel, which fits with your sci-fi theme. When are you going to use the classic All-Terrain Vehicle? Man, I LOVED that set as a kid.

[KDog]

DJ Force, there is a more serious plot that will form the backbone of the comic's storyline. I've shown a couple instances of that so far. It may not seem like it, but I have a basic plot for the first 100 or so comics already figured out. I'm also trying to establish a little bit of the characters' background and relationships with each other. What I want to try and do is include some moments of humor, even if they're not punchlines, within the more serious comics. An example of that is in today's comic when Schwartz goes off on a tangent about seeing a ghost in his ship. It's not a joke in itself, but I, at least, thought it amusing that Schwartz would lose focus and start spinning this long, irreverent story right in the middle of a meeting with the President. He's got imagination overload. I also think the perpetual smiles of the Lego guys kind of make everything funny. :) And mostly, the comics will he humorous in nature.

Oh, and that ghost in the car story? It's based on a supposedly true instance.  8-°

Joebot, when it comes to the Western reading style, I remembered left and right but forgot about up and down! Lettering really is an art you have to master.

I don't have the All-Terrain Vehicle. I WISH I had it. In fact, I would say it's on the top five list of Lego sets I want. (There are some sets like Galaxy Explorer that I really want, but have ruled out because they're just way too rare and expensive for me right now.) I haven't yet found the ATV for a price I was willing to pay, at a time when I had some extra fun money. But I do plan to get it at some point.

[CP5670]

The ATV is surprisingly common on ebay given how old it is, or at least it was a year ago. I got one last year that was in excellent shape. You're right about the Galaxy Explorer though; pretty much anything from the original 1978/79 line is very expensive these days.

[KDog]

I'll check eBay (and Bricklink) again for the ATV. Maybe I just looked at bad times.

[Lord Of Pies]

I think the ATV is an under-rated set, I personally like it very much, I also wish I had one. But £30 seems a bit to much to part with for it, as that is the cheapest buy it now price on E-bay U.K I can find.

[KDog]

Check Bricklink. I checked there and found one for about $35 before shipping, which seemed fairly reasonable. I could no longer resist that Classic Space-style base.

[CP5670]

I got mine for $25 in basically display model condition, although it had no instructions or box. It's an unusual set as it uses two distinct color schemes for the vehicle and outpost. It probably has one of the worst names ever though, as it can't even roll over a single plate's height. If you include it in the comics, the name might make a good joke somewhere. :-P

Edited by CP5670, 06 March 2008 - 01:11 AM.

[Joebot]

CP5670, on Mar 5 2008, 06:57 PM, said:

I got mine for $25 in basically display model condition, although it had no instructions or box. It's an unusual set as it uses two distinct color schemes for the vehicle and outpost. It probably has one of the worst names ever though, as it can't even roll over a single plate's height. If you include it in the comics, the name might make a good joke somewhere. :-P

You know ... I honestly never even thought about that, but you're totally right!! The ATV is built so low to the ground, it gets hung up on anything. It's "All Terrain" as long as the terrain is perfectly level and smooth.

For whatever reason, I vividly remember building the ATV as a kid. It was the first set I ever got that had 1x1 round plates in it, which I thought were the coolest things ever. Back in those days, you'd get two of the round plates connected via a sprue (like the gold coins). At some point, TLC stopped doing that. I have no idea why I remember that.

Anyway, congrats on the purchase KDog! I look forward to further comics!!

[CP5670]

I've kept almost all of those little things I got in various sets. They look like valuable minerals or something and are great for putting in cargo compartments. Lego stopped using them for the 1x1s in 1992, although Aquazone used them again for the flippers some years later.