For some reason when I see the shiruken with the axe I hear "The Touch" by Stan Bush in my head. It doesn't help that I actually have the song playing as I type this. An alternate title for the comic could have been "More than Meets the Eye" However, I think I used that title before when I had Norad transform a lot. So, I decided to go with another 1980s thing. Holding out for a hero is a great song by Bonnie Tyler. You may have heard it in the Shrek movies and even in the Short Circuit films. It's very apt for this scenario. Anyway, this storyline is over. What awaits Earth's newest heroes in the future? We'll see, true believers. We shall see. Sufficed to say that the next few comics will be a great deal more lighthearted. After all, things did get real for a while there, didn't it? Question. Will the 'Bolts keep the robot? Well, it's Agents of S.T.A.R. property anyway. So, why not? Jack just stole it back from the bad guys. The question of how it got into D.I.S.C.O.R.D.'s hands will be answered next week. In the mean time, thanks again for reading the comic and enjoying the storylines. I love writing and producing the comic. I thank you all for reading. Take care! P.S. Thanks go out to the author of the Megatron/Optimus Prime sprites. I found them online and altered them. Sadly, there was no name attached. So, thanks!
One Hundred and fifty Starbolts comics. That’s a lot of comics. I’m not going to argue with anyone and say that isn’t daunting. You all know as well as I do that comics are a business where there are multiple #1 issues, reboots, crossovers and events happening every year it seems. Every comic is someone’s first as the great Stan Lee once said. Thankfully, mine are archived. I know I’ve probably reached 150 a long time ago. However, this is in canon. All the Point 5s and such do not count.
Writing the comic has always been fun and posting it online for everyone to read has been great, too. I started the story in prose form and while that did well, I really wanted to just make a comic out of my story. I had sprites as I cannot draw very well. I used them and just went from there. I posted the first comic in late 2008 in the TGWTG blogs and since then I am pleased that it’s been very well received there.
Along the way, many people helped me out with the comic. My collaborator, Mark and I have bounced ideas back and forth on various storylines. I’ve talked to many people about the comic and layout. To spotlight any one person would be too little and to spotlight everyone would be name dropping. Instead, I will just say thank you to everyone who has helped me along this strange, strange journey.
You have all given me the guidance, the confidence and inspiration I needed to keep going. I know this all sounds incredibly sappy. Hey, I’m making a speech here on my 150th issue. I’m ALLOWED to be sappy! I digress. My friends have all helped me to make everything possible. By extension, they’ve also guided me through my animation projects and of course Comic Showcase. Their advice is always welcome even to this day.
If someone were to ask me in 2007 that I’d be part of a community that would accept my story and help in the way they do now, I’d say flat out that they were dreaming. Back then, I used to be trolled because people didn’t like certain aspects of the story. I still continued to write. It was just weird how close minded some people could be when it comes to superheroes. Oh well. Thankfully, this isn’t true now.
Comics are a passion of mine. I don’t do this for fame, glory or anything. I do this because it’s fun and because I have a story to tell. My stories were inspired by the comics I grew up with and in some cases cartoons from the 1980s and even Star Trek. Everything I’ve ever been exposed to as a kid has really generated into this story where young heroes take up the heroic mantles of their parents and stake out their own destiny.
Will there be more issues of Starbolts? Of course! There’s always stories to tell. There’s always adventures to be had. I’d like to once again thank the fans and of course everyone who has helped me. ThatGuyWithTheGlasses’s blog system has been the home of the Starbolts since 2008 and they’re not going anywhere. They will always be around to safeguard her shores. Plus, I'll be posting here.
Enjoy this week’s comic and I will see YOU in the funny pages! Stay tuned for part 2!
A while back, my friend Jon "ChaosD1" Burkhardt reviewed City of Heroes on his show MMO Grinder. I figured now was the time to put the vid up here. It premiered on MMO Grinder.net and has a hero in the video you may recognize from the comic.
That's right! It's Manta from the Starbolts! I admit I am not a fan of how the mask/helmet looks. But, I was able to get the powers right. Enjoy the show! You can watch MMO Grinder on Blistered Thumbs, MMO Grinder.net and on Youtube.
Enjoy the show and check out more MMO reviews by ChaosD1!
Manta used thunder punch! It was super effective! Heh. Okay, that was kind of lame. Nevertheless, the situation's heating up on D.I.S.C.O.R.D. isle just in time for the 150th comic. Speaking of that. I haven't decided if I want to make it a video like Starbolts #100 was or just make it an extra long comic. I figured I could flip a coin or let you all vote in the comments below. Both will still be a lot of work and will be WELL worth it.
I'm also looking to change Jenna and Manta's sprites for the occasion as well. They're about due for a revamp, I think. This will also mean I'll have to change the Manta outro in my videos. That shouldn't be TOO hard. I like doing the outros and I've actually just finished one for Quetzal.
A lot's going on in this comic this week. The life and death struggle continue. What's going to happen with Stan Whitefox? Where is Sickle? Where did Angela and Kevin disappear to? So many questions....They WILL be answered.
If there was ever a need for a "DUN DUN DUNNNNNN!" sound effect, it'd be here in the last panel. I assure you, I am not ripping off Ghost Rider with that look Cobra has. There are some mystical voodoo going on here and next time, I think Jack's going to want answers. The question is...will Cobra give it to him? Probably not. But, hey, one clone is gone.. A few are left.
I would have added more fighting with the grunts, but, that wouldn't be necessary. I really wanted to focus on Jack's fight, a quiip or two from the others and show just what Angela and Kevin are up to. You'll be seeing more of them next time as they're going to be fighting some thugs. Should be good.
We're also two comics away from Starbolts #150! What do I have planned? Well...How about a double sized animated finale to this saga? We'll see. Time will tell. Yes...time will tell.