So I started working a new job recently, and it’s a pretty sweet gig. For about a week now I’ve been working part time at a local comic book shop called Gamezilla. If you’re from the Maritimes you may be familiar with the franchise. Like most good geeky emporiums, they carry a wide array of goodies such as video games, board games, CCGs, and of course, comics. They also carry a wide array of anime and manga, but hey, I’m not here to do a sales pitch, so I figure you get the idea.

The down side however (other than being tempted by everything in the store all the time) is that it’s completely changed the dynamics of my day. After having been “unemployed” for such a long time (since April 2008) I’ve gotten used to having all day to get things done. Now by the time I get home and set up to draw a strip it’s practically already time to be uploading said strip, and sometimes (like tonight) I’m just too plumb tired.

Now I know what you must be thinking: “Oh poor you… you have to work and make money like a normal person… boo hoo.”

If that is what you’re thinking, you’re absolutely right. I like my new job, and I wouldn’t want you to think I’m lamenting about it. I’m just saying it’s going to be interesting to see how long it’ll be before I get used to balancing work and cartooning. Hopefully, it won’t be too long, because it’s only going to get worse in Septemeber when I’ll have to balance college/homework, work AND making the strip. Fun times.

So I guess what I’m trying to say is I hope you won’t be too upset with me if my updates become slightly sporadic in the next little while. If you’re worried about missing an update, I’d highly recommend signing up to the RSS feed.

Once things get back to normal, and I’ve had the chance to figure some things out, I’ll let you guys know about what you can expect from Northern Geeks in the future.

So once again, thanks for being understanding.

The consensus would state that there are two types of webcomics out there: short form and long form – although I’d argue that there are many long form comics out there that pass themselves off as short form comics under the veil of the “gag-a-day” routine – but I digress.

When writing a long form comic, it’s important to really take the time to flesh out your characters. As someone who’s characters are essentially fictional counterparts of real life friends, this is something I feel I tend to overlook. When I look at Bryan and Eva, or Darren and Vesper, I automatically see things in them, it’s easy for me to understand them as characters in a strip, because I have the distinct advantage of knowing them in real life. But it’s also a disadvantage in the sense that I find myself uncertain of the way they are perceived by others.

In fact, I would argue that I don’t spend enough time fleshing out my characters – I don’t give them enough time in the lime light. That’s something I hope to change as I move forward with the Dungeons and Dragons storyline.

By “re-imagining” their back stories and personae, I find myself having to re-introduce them, and by doing so, it allows me to do a whole lot more with the comic – or at least that would be the idea. One of my biggest fears as a cartoonist (who chose to include himself in his comic) is of having my comic referred to as a “Mary Sue” comic, so it’s important to me that each and every character play a vital role in the progression of the story.

In any case, thanks for taking the time to read my ramblings, and I hope you enjoyed today’s strip, even though it’s super late. ( ._.)

One ridiculous teaser page…
Two ridiculous teaser pages…
Three ridiculous teaser pages!
Mouahahahaha!

*Queue sound of thunder and lighting.*

See what I did there? That was a Sesame Street reference… you know… like The Count…

…

Anywho…

As some of you may know, I am a huge fan of Mr. Kojima’s and the Metal Gear franchise, and have been ever since the original Metal Gear Solid was released on the Play Station. (Note here that I said original Metal Gear Solid, and not Metal Gear, which as we all know, debuted on the MSX.) I believe I have expressed this upon several occasions. I have also mentioned in the past how much I despise teaser sites.

With that said, I can’t help but get caught up in the Kojima teaser page hype and the possibility of a new Metal Gear related video game – which is mad crazy!

Hideo Kojima is, in my opinion, a great game designer, and I would love nothing more than to see him work on a new IP. It wouldn’t even have to be something completely original (Zone of the Enders quickly comes to mind) as long as it would be something other than Metal Gear.

But let us, for just a moment, assume that he is working on a new Metal Gear game, what would you like it to be? I’ve heard some people express their interest in playing Raiden centric game, where you’d play the part of the story in which Raiden rescues Sunny. They briefly go over this in MGS4, but never give too many details. Some people even speculate that such a game could (and should) play more like a “God of War” style action game. And why not? As long as it kept with the essence of a Kojima game, it wouldn’t matter to me what style of gameplay it would be.

Personally, I’d really love to see him remake Metal Gear and Metal Gear 2: Solid Snake. Some people have speculated that the two characters associated with the magazine article could be Big Boss and Gray Fox, which if it were the case, would make my remake theory completely plausible.

So what are your thoughts on the matter? Are you looking forward to a new Kojima game? Would a new Metal Gear be something you’d like to play? Are we all getting hyped up for no good reason because this will just turn out to be a sequel to the iPhone game? Let us know!

PS: I know Kojima/Metal Gear debates can turn pretty ugly, so try to keep comments civil. I wouldn’t want to have to CQC anyone. >.>

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Addendum: Speaking of counters, today officially marks the one-year anniversary of Northern Geeks. Huzzah?

Addendum #2: And now there seems to be a second teaser page! *squee* xD

Seeing as I’m French Canadian with a love for comics, it should come as no surprise that Axtérix et Obélix were a large part of my childhood; then again, so were many other “bandes dessinées.”

Tintin, Spirou et Fantasio,  Gaston Lagaffe, Achille Talon… they all hold a special place in my heart. It’s only later on in life that I found out just how much of a worldwide appeal many of these comics had, and it excited me to no end to know that, even though someone didn’t speak French, that they could still enjoy the adventures of our Gaulish friends.

I was told by my sister not too long ago that her boyfriend happened to like my comic, but wished his English was stronger so he could understand the jokes better. Sometimes I wonder if there would be any interest in reading my strip in French. I am after all French Canadian, and to a certain degree I feel that it is my responsibility to do my part to promote the French language. Translating the comic would certainly make for an interesting challenge, but in the end, might prove to be more time-consuming than I would like.

So what do you guys think? How many of you speak French?

Would anyone out there be interested in reading Les Northern Geeks?

And so there were ten.

Today on the Northern Geekcast, Bryan and I discuss Tony Hawk Ryde and it’s crazy controller, the Gears of War movie, the possibility of David Jaffe making a new Twisted Metal game, and BioWare’s decision to make a Dragon Age: Origin paper and pen RPG.

Oh, and we also say good-bye to Duke Nukem and 3D Realms, on this relatively short podcast.

 

 Northern Geekcast: Episode 010 [70:08m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download