Thundercats Bro Before Thundercats Ho

ONLY 18 UFE’s LEFT AND ONLY 3days left to get them: There are 18 Ultimate Fancy Editions of the book left and the files must be fully proofed and turned into the printer by Sunday 1/30/2011. Once those last UFE’s are sold I will have covered 100% of the printing costs + all other book-related expenses. PLEASE HELP me make this thing a success. 4 days! We can do it!

Doing Lo-FiJINKS comics for the rest of the week so I can finish up the book WHICH IS DUE SUNDAY AND OMG I AM FREAKING OUT.

I will definitely be watching the new Thundercats animated series, but not (only) because of how far Thunderan cleavage technology has advanced in the last 20 years. Thundercats was my favorite show when it was first airing. I had a multitude of action figured, the Thundertank, and a life size Lion-o suit complete with plastic Sword of Omens and Glove of… Portents? Glove of Mysteries? Power Glove? I don’t remember what it was called, but it was awesome. I think the blend of fantasy and sci-fi really appealed to me. They had spaceships and laser cannons and what not, but there leader was the ghost of Obi-Wan Kenobi portrayed by Jaguar. I think his name was Jag-o, or Jag-off.

I was, however, quite disturbed as a child by the pilot episode referenced in the comic above. Everyone of the Thundercats was complete naked for the nearly the entire episode. Even the kids. And, seeing as how they are basically animals, that probably wouldn’t have registered as odd if they didn’t make a huge deal about, “OK, now we’re at the planet. We should put some clothes on.” It makes me think nudity wasn’t common on Thudera and they were just weirdos. Like the people that make their kids watch them have sex because “it’s natural.” It’s like they were just putting on clothes because the pizza guy was at the door.

I only saw that episode once when I was young, but the memory of it burned in my brain. I was too young to understand if I was aroused by it, so I think my only real reactions were confusion and fear. I had the same reaction to an episode of The Mysterious Cities of Gold where the main character got naked to play in the river. It was a Japanese import, so I’m sure the creators thought nothing of it. Nudity is something Americans are taught to fear and be ashamed of at a very early age and I think it sticks with us throughout life. The rest of the world (literally ALL OF THE REST OF THE WORLD) doesn’t seem to have that same hang up.

“Sword of Omens, give me sight beyond sight… right into Cheetara’s bedroom. Meow.”

Anyway, enough strolling down repressed childhood memory lane.

COMMENTERS: Are you going to check out the new Thundercats? Did you enjoy the original? Post any Thundercats related thoughts below.

The B-S-G-B-I-B-L-E

ONLY 20 UFE’s LEFT AND ONLY 4 days left to get them: There are 20 Ultimate Fancy Editions of the book left and the files must be fully proofed and turned into the printer by Sunday 1/30/2011. Once those last UFE’s are sold I will have covered 100% of the printing costs + all other book-related expenses. PLEASE HELP me make this thing a success. 4 days! We can do it!

BOOK 2 PROOFREADERS UPDATE: You will likely get the book in a slightly unfinished format by Friday night and will have to have it back to me within 24 hours. Just a heads up.

When Battlestar Galactica (I accidentally just wrote GalactiviA, and then thought that would be a good name for space-yogurt that makes you poop)… eh’ hem… When Battlestar Galactica first started I remember being excited that the only real difference between the crew of the BSG and modern day man was that they could travel between the stars. Other than that their technology was actually LESS advanced than ours. A big part of that had to do with them being aboard a 75 year old ship and the fact that all ships with modern (modern for them) tech were destroyed in the attack on the 12 Colonies. With no lasers, androids (sort of), holodecks, super-computers (at least not on their ships) or even any aliens BSG had to rely on believable, relatable, compelling characters to suck you in. That and space battles with evil robots. That was also a big part of the appeal in the early seasons.

In retrospect the show really ran out of reasons for the characters to be interesting after season 3 and resorted to crazy stunts, and plot twists that really didn’t make any sense (al la LOST). Be that as it may, the show was incredibly original for a sci-fi serial drama and made me rethink my definition of science fiction. Or at least adjust my perception as to what I expected from the genre. I was raised by Star Trek: TNG, and BSG was certainly its antithesis. The disparities between the two are even more evident when you realize Ron D. Moore (who cut his teeth on Deep Space Nine), was using TNG as the anti-blueprint for Battlestar. No mirror universes, no bumpy foreheads, no god-like powers, and no standard character archetypes (the cocky guy, the smart guy, the alien, the slut) were the commandments of the BSG Bible. I would say that his philosophy worked… until it didn’t. Or maybe until he lost faith in his own good book. Seems like BSG started to stray when it abandoned stories rooted in the human condition and the struggle for survival and started making everything about Space God and destiny and what not. You can argue that those aspects were always central to the narrative of BSG (because they were), but viewer like myself always hoped they would be a red herring and not the ACTUAL crux of the show.

COMMENTERS: Since you were already doing this before I made this post, what aspect of BSG did you find the MOST confusing. Just to balance things out, what did you love about BSG that wasn’t a common Sci-Fi trope.

And if you find panel three confusing, please check out the work of Bear McCreary. I want him to score my life.

~~Colors, backgrounds and post coming later tonight.~~ In other news: Kiddo has requested that “Daddy stop working so much” and spend some time with her. Going to 5 days a week and trying to get the book done at the same time was a stupid idea. I’ve been working 14-16 hour days, sleeping 5-6 hours then getting up and doing it all again. If you appreciate the increased output and you would like to help out, please consider making a donation. THANKS!

The original Battlestar Galactica series bible is Ron Moore’s rebuke to Star Trek

The Bovine Comedy

IMPORTANT HE BOOK 2 UPDATE: There are less than 25 Ultimate Fancy Editions of the book left and the files must be fully proofed and turned into the printer by Sunday 1/30/2011 or I will not have the book in time for my first conventions of the year. Once those last UFE’s are sold I will have covered 100% of the printing costs + enough to purchase shipping supplies, pay for shipping for all books (regular + UFE’s), and cover the costs of the prints, stickers and buttons for the UFE’s. Please help me make this thing a success. I am positive there are at least 25 of you Fancy Bastards out there that can help out.

BOOK 2 PROOFREADERS UPDATE: I received WAY MORE responses than I expected. I will select 3 of you (probably the ones with professional experience) and email you a PDF of the book (hopefully) before this weekend. THANKS!

True story: Josh once sold me a guitar for a Taco Bell taco. It was maybe the 3rd time I’d ever been to his apartment (circa 2001) and I was only there as a friend of a mutual friend. I showed up with my own dinner and revealed that the taco lady had given me a couple of extra tacos. Josh looked around his home, picked out the first thing that mattered less to him than the satisfaction of eating a taco at that exact moment (a crappy Jasmine acoustic guitar that was worth about $90) and offered it to me in trade. I probably would have just given it to him, but I distinctly remember him leading with “HERE! TAKE THIS GUITAR! YOU PLAY RIGHT? TAKE IT AND GIVE ME THAT TACO FOOD!” I kept that guitar until last year when one of machine heads broke and I decided to get rid of it via the Craig List.

Considering our friendship was essentially founded on “Meat Like Beef Substitute” served in a corn tortilla shell, I was sad to learn via Twitter that Josh IRL has lost his taste for The Bell. Something about it “making his stomach throw up into his intestines” is less appealing now than it was when we were younger men. I’m not sure a world where Josh hates Taco Bell is a world I want to live in.

They Call Me The Workin’ Man

IMPORTANT HE BOOK 2 UPDATE: There are less than 30 Ultimate Fancy Editions of the book left and the files must be fully proofed and turned into the printer by Sunday 1/30/2011 or I will not have the book in time for my first conventions of the year. Once those last UFE’s are sold I will have covered 100% of the printing costs + enough to purchase shipping supplies, pay for shipping for all books (regular + UFE’s), and cover the costs of the prints, stickers and buttons for the UFE’s. Please help me make this thing a success. I am positive there are at least 25 of you Fancy Bastards out there that can help out.

PROOFREADERS NEEDED:
UPDATE: WHOAH! I got WAY more responses than I needed already. Thanks!
I need 2 or 3 volunteers to proofread HE Book 2. You will need to have a background in English or copy editing(or some equivalent) and be able to turn the assignment around in 48 hours (24 would be preferable). You will be credited as an editor in the book. Please email [comics at hijinksensue dot com] if you are interested.

I’ve mentioned before that since HE doesn’t follow a narrative, I don’t see any need to focus on the characters’ personal lives, relationships, jobs, etc. I’ve also done my best to stay away from video game related content since The Internet has plenty and I have very little original thought to offer on the subject. Though I feel I would be remiss if I didn’t point out that Josh (the actual Josh in real life) is currently working on Duke Nukem Forever, and his company, Gearbox Software, just announced the release date for the (up until now almost entirely fictional) game. I hesitate to speak in absolutes, since it is all together possible that a planet will fall on their headquarters in the next couple of months thus delaying Duke‘s release another decade or so.

I’m not a gamer, so I’m not extremely concerned with playing the game. I’m more concerned with the greater pop culture implications of it actually being released. The history of DNF is just a dickshittingly insane story and the fact that one of best friends eventually became associated with it in real life is something I find astounding. It would be no more shocking if Tom Cruise publicly came out of the closet and Josh was the reason.

COMMENTERS: Is there any way fans will judge this game fairly considering many of them have been waiting a baker’s dozen years for it? Even if it is good, can it live up to expectations, or is the myth too big? Do you plan to buy it? If so, will it be just to prove that it actually exists?

Bantha’s In The Belfry

There are about 30 Ultimate Fancy Editions of HE Book 2 left and selling them ALL is super important in order for me to afford the full print run without having to go into the red. Order soon and you can still get your name in the book on the Fancy Bastard Wall of Fancy Fame. Once the final file goes to the printer (a few days, maybe more) that won’t be an option.

Just to clarify, when I say Midi-Chlorians I am, of course, referring to “Musical Instrument Digital Interface Chlorians.”

So either George Lucas recently Netflix’d Roland Emmerich’s 2012 and thought he was watching a documentary or he actually believes in the Mayan 2012ocalypse. Either way he’s a fool. A damned fool with a fleshy fanny pack strapped to his chin that he calls a neck. I assume it is either used to store nutrition for the long, harsh winters on Hoth or contains dozens of Admiral Ackbar action figures.

COMMENTERS: So what is Lucas up to? Is this just a ploy to sell a another special “Get It Before The End Of Days” edition of Star Wars on Blu-Ray? If he really does believe this horsecockery, what is his escape plan? Carbon freeze to ride out doomsday? Escape to Dagobah? Post your theories below!