Okay, so the past couple of weeks, I've been newly energised with creative energy after a long slump, thanks to a couple of recent developments, so I thought I'd drop a quick line on here to commemorate the occasion.

Okay... what's first... OH! Finished drafting a new comic, which is gonna be full colour and everything. It's gonna take me well out of my comfort zone, drawing-wise, and it's gonna take a lot of concentration to pull off.

The thing is about comix, I find, is that you can NOT half-ass it. You gotta go and stick with it, and keep doing it. Any person who's not 100% committed to making something will be weeded out, because this is a learning process, and actually creating a comic all by yourself is a shitload of hard work.

This can be heartbreaking, because you can labour throughout a comic, really be pleased as you're doing it, then step back and realise you've made a crucial error and you've fucked it up, meaning a lot of work and time has gone away. This is how it is, get up, dust off your arse, pick the gravel out of your kneecaps and do it again.

Soapbox rantage aside, I feel like I've levelled up recently doing this.

Recently, I've realised that it's great to have your heroes, but you should look at their stuff to get juiced up and maaaaybe to compare quality like "have I done all I can to this?", but that can only go so far.

You shouldn't side-by-side your work with even your biggest hero, because the thing is, you'll never match because you are you and your hero is your hero. Two different people.

I used to do this ALL the time, and I realised that I never liked the stuff I drew while constantly comparing to say, or half as much as I like the stuff I draw when I'm by myself at a cafe without a computer or packed into a room full of friends who are all watching UFC.

Just the other day, I realised that it's great to look to your heroes for inspiration, but it's REALLY great to look to your heroes' heroes. I've been doing that recently, and it's hugely invigorating and inspiring, and what's more, I find it somehow makes me go more in my own direction and do my own shit than if I just look to the nonetheless awesome artists of this generation.

Jack Kirby, Ralph Bakshi, Herge, Vaughn Bode. There is a reason why these dudes inspire such awe in the professionals of today.

Anyway, I gotta jet. There's a free showing of Princess Mononoke in town today, and I ain't about to miss that!

PEEEEEAAAACCCEEE

*Internet Meme. Reposted. Post yourself if you wish!*

1) What was your FIRST video game console?

Mega Driiiive. It kept itself alive for a lot longer than is natural for any games console.

2) Name a few games you played on said console.

-Sonic 2, Street Fighter 2: Special Champion Edition (that part's important), Toejam and Earl 2, Zombies Ate My Neighbours, Mortal Kombat.

3) Excluding handhelds, how many VG consoles do you own presently?

-A PS2, Gamecube, Dreamcast, although only the PS2 sees any kind of particular use.

4) Were you a Street Fighter nut? Any character in particular?

-Yeah, but I sucked at it. Fave was probably Sagat, although I have a soft spot for Gen too.

5) Do you think Capcom is a FUCKING awesome company with kickass character designs?

-Sweet jumping f**k, yes. Viewtiful Joe is forever.


6) Here's the scenario.. You had some friends over and you all ate FRIED CHICKEN! After the meal you all decide to play some video games. As your friend reaches for a controller you notice his/her hands are very "greasy." Are you the type that would insist they wash their hands before pawing the controller, or is it no big deal?

-Shit, son. you'd get shot for that in my hood. For reals.

7) What's your favorite RPG/Action RPG?

Dffffff.... Skies of Arcadia was the most original and entertaining to play, but I love the sheer mental combat of the Tales games... Too many to pick, really.

8) Do you prefer 2D games or 3D games?
I know I'm declaring my senility for all to see, but I get lost with games nowadays. The control systems are getting waaaayyy too complex. I miss the days of jump, run, shoot and so on. So 2D, I think. Where's my teeth at?

9) Are you an SNK fan?

Mmyeeahh.... I like Samurai Shodown. Aside from that, Capcom wins.

9) Are you good at DDR?

I have no rhythm, plus, i'm kinda doughy so I get all self-conscious. Also, J-pop leaves me cold, so no.

10) Who wants to kick that dog's ass from Duck Hunt?

Kick that dog's ass nothing. I wanna pistol-whip that little bastard with the nintendo gun and then rape it with a dead duck. I hate it SO MUCH!

11) Have you skipped out on important events in life because of video games?

I dunno, I was playing video games.

12) Do you listen to video game music?

I went through a phase of listening to metal remixes of street fighter theme songs but I got over that quick.

13) Have you ever cosplayed a VG character?

I kicked ass as Tab from Jet Set Radio once.

14) Have you ever been in an arcade playing a fighting game, KICKING ASS, and then some 6 year old Asian kid comes in and OWNS YOU??

I'm from england, where a sudden approach by a stranger is usually met with either polite hostility or horrible violence.

15) Name three games you would love to see remakes of if it was done properly.

Zombies Ate My Neighbours, for f**k's sake! It could be like Left For Dead, only hilarious! God, someone reawaken this franchise and make it rock! Also, Power Stone and some more Megaman classic remakes like they did with Megaman: Powered Up.

16) Mario or Sonic?

I've done a lot of soul-searching and I've settled on Sonic. Forget the horrid betrayal and snuff-film-like recent games, Playing Sonic 2 remains my fondest gaming experience, and Sonic as a character is loaded with much more personality than Mario ever has been.

17) When a movie shows up in the theaters, let's use Spider-man as an example, are you likely to buy the GAME version?

It really depends. If the game is a straight-from-the-movie adaptation, then no chance. If it expands on the universe of the movie or is maybe a continuation of the plot, then possibly if it looks any good. Good examples are Riddick: Escape From Butcher Bay and the original Matrix game (kinda).

18) What is your LEAST favorite genre of video games? (ex. fighting, sports, shooters, etc.)
Racing games. I'm not talking about Burnout or Mario Kart here. I mean shit like Gran Turismo. Simulators. Uuuuughh... games are about escapism! use some imagination, you dickweeds!

19) Is there a game out there that you feel was unique and didn't get enough love?

Jet Set Radio and Zombies Ate My Neighbours deserve their own religions and shrines in every major city where we can constantly play them over and over again forever and ever, amen.

20) Have you ever verbally abused a game because you couldn't beat one of the levels and/or bosses?

The worst, most hateful crap comes out of my mouth when I play difficult videogames. You know how Jet Li stares at Bob Hoskins in Unleashed with the raw hatred that a prisoner has for his cruel captor? I had the same thing going with Megaman X4.

21) Do you own any VG apparel?

Yeah, a couple of tees featuring various old-school icons. That's about it, really.

22) What are your thoughts on the live-action Super Mario Bros movie?

My parents thought I was possessed for a while I wouldn't stop vomiting and rolling my eyes around. They didn't realise it was just me unwillingly channeling the memory of sitting through that piece of shit.

23) On that note, what did you think about the live-action Street Fighter movie?

Hurrough! HOUUUULAUGH!! HOUGH! HOUGH! MUUUUGHLLLAAAL!!! pteh... pfeh... Wait, sorry, what was the question?

24) Who's hottest out of the KOF chicks?

May Lee, the Korean Tae Kwon Do chick!

25) Do you say "old-school" a lot when you're having a VG conversation with others?

A lot. An awful lot. Like, for no reason. Like, "Hey man, you finished Gears of War 2?" "OOOOOLD SCHOOOOLLLL!!!"

26) Have you ever lent someone a game and they returned it to you damaged?

Yes. I'll get you, Demitri from year 6, you little hungarian bastard...

27) Do you own any imported games?

I have a couple of American DS games, but they don't really count.

28) Are you ready for this meme to be over, or could you keep going?

I'm not fussed. I am sleepy, though.

29) In this scenario, let's pretend you're going to get a video game tattoo! What would you get and where?

Hmmm.... The Jet Set Radio Graffiti Soul dealie?

Maybe a 1-up mushroom or a bunch of Sonic rings or a Petey Piranha. If I was gonna get a video-game tattoo, it's probably be on a shoulder and it'd have to be like a big collage thing, I think.

30) Have you ever cried after you beat a game? If so why?

I cried from sheer frustration and betrayal when I finished Mirror's Edge the other week. Where was the sodding ending!?

It looks like a feature of my personality is that when bad shit happens to me, after all the blood and mess is cleaned up, I kick myself into gear and make an effort to develop as a human.

Getting evicted for the first time made me get out of the minimum wage rat-run and actually get what passes for a white-collar job.

I hate it, but that's another story.

Anyway, recent developments have caused me to work up the courage to start working on a portfolio so I can maybe one day actually make a living out of my hobby.

In other news, I've discovered the miracle of col-erase pencils. They may be toss if you find yourself drawing in less-than-ideal lighting, which I all-too-often do, but they don't show up on scanns, which is great, because I never figured out how to remove my tech pencil lines from a piece without mangling the ink lines.

The aforementioned mangling being the reason why my zombie-filled samurai comic lies unfinished.

Yo yo, biznachos.

I think I've recently come over a hump in reconciling my drawing-lust with the rest of my existence.

I still get twitchy if I can't doodle, though.

I'm gonna spend my free time throwing up some character designs that have been floating around the old noggin for a while but have yet to find a home.

One of my compatriots advises me that Illustrator may the key to making my stuff appear more polished. Tomorrow begins the quest to subjugate illustrator and make it my smooth-lined bitch.

I'm trying to put together this self-publishing comics dealie at the moment, but my day job is eating pretty much all my free time. At the same time, it's this same shitty-ass job which will be funding this project once I've taken care of more pressing financial matters.

It's a big fat sweaty bitch of a Catch-22. Do I work and earn cash to fund my art and comix habit while never having time or being too tired to really work, or do I quit to really hone my fledgling skills but have no money to fund printing costs and buy supplies?

In other news, my fucking shift key keeps popping out.