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Welcome! 03/05/2016
Welcome, everyone, to the new 910CMX Community Forums. I'm still working on getting them running, so things may change. If you're a 910 Comic creator and need your forum recreated, let me know and I'll get on it right away. I'll do my best to make this new place as fun as the last one!
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heroesofcrash
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Everything posted by heroesofcrash
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http://TheHeroesOfCRASH.com Listen. Amplify their voices. Be kind. Comic will resume next week.
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5/30/20 – Chibified Heroes – Generated Fan Art Reward
heroesofcrash posted a topic in Heroes Of Crash
TheHeroesOfCRASH.com Here’s some chibi-style heroes to recognize MaroonDrops’ winning entry in the Generated Fan Art category! MaroonDrops won the Traditional category last year, and was thus ineligible to win in the same category for a second year in a row, but that didn’t stop her from creating a winning entry in the Generated category! I could be wrong, but she may be the first person to win both categories back-to-back…! I also want to give a shout-out to the runner up, TheSlugCar, who always enters at least one category each year. This year, they turned the staff of C.R.A.S.H. into South Park characters! I don’t think that they’ll intimidate any supervillains in that form… except maybe crab people…! Many thanks to MaroonDrops, TheSlugCar, and everyone else who entered my contest or wished me well on my birthday! :-) -
2020 Fan Art Contest Winner: Ken Bailey (Plus runners up and one non-entry piece!)
heroesofcrash posted a topic in Heroes Of Crash
http://TheHeroesOfCRASH.com For the second non-consecutive time, the winner is Ken Bailey! It was a tough competition this year, with pieces from lots of talented webcomic artists (whose work you should totally check out!). Many thanks to all our contestants: Ken Bailey, Anna Frohling, Michael VanSlyke, Ave Messer, Corey Kramer, Shaney, and David Fleming! Also, a special shout-out to MaroonDrops, who sent in fan art based on Enticia's backstory for my birthday, knowing full well that it wouldn't be a valid entry for the contest (since she won in this category last year, and the rules say you can't win in the same category two years in a row). Next week: the winner of the Generated Fan Art category! -
http://TheHeroesOfCRASH.com My comic's 4 main heroines as MerMay drawings, from 2017 to now. Sorry to spring a filler on you when you already know that I'm going to have fillers the next two weeks to announce the contest winners, but it's been a rough week with a couple health scares in the family. Things are looking up *knock on wood*, but I'm drained. Despite it being a physically and emotionally exhausting week, I managed to complete a MerMay drawing of Dino-Mo, with her lower half resembling a spinosaurus, now that it's been discovered that they probably swam with their eel-like tail. I know what you're thinking: can it REALLY be a MerMay picture if: A: she's part-dino instead of part-fish, and B: she's got LEGS? Well, it's my drawing, so I say yes. It counts. It was either this or a plesiosaur, and I decided on the dino that's been in recent news. I drew her in greenish waters, because I thought it looked a bit more prehistoric. Her seashell top is a pair of ammonite fossils, befitting a superheroine with dino-powers. Also note how the "fins" around her waist merge with the spines along her back. Usually, I draw her dinosaur parts the same colors as her skin, but she just looked kinda naked with a tail, and I didn't want that (I prefer to keep my comic family friendly, thank you very much), so I gave her some stripes. I'm pleased with how they look. I realized that I posted my previous years' Mermay pics of TM and Enticia to social media, but only Sugar Rush is on my main site, so I combined the four pictures into one image to rectify this. You can also see the individual pictures on my site, as well. Titanium Maiden is an Ariel-esque collector of artifacts (but she can lift heavier things than dinglehoppers!), Enticia's a siren (turning her pheromone powers into a hypnotic song), and Sugar Rush is a mer-dolphin (perfect for a bundle of energy like her). By the way, it's almost my birthday! You have through May 19th to submit a drawing or game avatar of one of my characters in order to win some sweet art in return! Full rules are on my site!
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TheHeroesOfCRASH.com Like most teenagers, Enticia thinks she has everything all figured out… until she doesn’t. Jackknife is absolutely a jerk, wolf-whistling is most definitely rude, and Enticia’s completely in the right to be angry at both. But whether Enticia’s powers are manipulating people’s minds, hearts, or both, it’s not exactly an appropriate reaction. And sometimes when people make excuses to justify their actions, it can be a slippery slope to excusing worse actions. Thankfully, Enticia’s managed to make some unlikely allies – perhaps even friends – to help her put things into perspective. Wolf Blitz has shown up in the comic at least twice, but this is the first time we see him without “heart eyes”. He’s even got his paws on a Heroball, which Dino-Mo said he used to play in the Gym-Nauseum storyline. Interface makes his debut in today’s strip! I think that I had Wade from Kim Possible and KidVid from the Burger King Kids’ Club in the back of my mind when I created this guy. He can hook up to computers and other devices to take control of them or download their information into his brain. His suit can also display information via printout, the display on his visor, or even a hologram. He’s about as good a hacker as Belt Boy and B.O.N.N.I.E., but his arsenal of tools is significantly more limited. The third panel references Belt Boy offering a mechanical hand to Enticia after beating her on the X-Platform in the Ally Need Is Love storyline. The picture of Cannon shows him listening to Enticia after failing to break up Belt Boy and Titanium Maiden’s date in The Dating Scheme. Titanium Maiden is wearing her gym clothes from Gym-Nauseum, standing sternly as she did when she defended Belt Boy’s trust in Enticia. Dino-Mo also wears her outfit from that same storyline, in which she gave Enticia a major reality check. It’s almost my birthday, folks! You only have until the 19th to draw fan art or make a fan avatar of my characters! Don’t forget; the full rules are on my website!
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TheHeroesOfCRASH.com Enticia recruits her first “boyfriend” at C.R.A.S.H. To be fair, did you really think Jackknife got any attention from women because they liked his personality? I imagine River Rush is a lemon-lime soda, just like nature-named Mountain Dew and Sierra Mist. Although it also sounds like it could be a Gatorade flavor or deodorant scent. I need to write the names of these sodas down; I’m trying to keep a list of fake brand names and franchises within my comic. Warning: a lot of them will be puns. Just a reminder that my birthday’s coming up, and so is the deadline for my contest! Send me a drawing or game avatar based on my comic – all valid entries will win some form of art from me! Check out my site for details!
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http://TheHeroesOfCRASH.com This is why Jackknife's not on C.R.A.S.H.'s official welcoming committee. It's hard not to be in awe walking through the halls of C.R.A.S.H., even for someone as jaded as Enticia, but Jackknife's got a knack for ruining otherwise fun or meaningful moments. There's quite a bit going on in the first panel. You probably noticed Gelatin Boy's hand sticking out of the locker and the "Only You Can Prevent Pyrokinesis Incidents" poster with Crush, the C.R.A.S.H. Rhino. But there's a bit of a subtle joke hidden in there, too. The door in the middle of the panel reads Z311 - a spoof of the famous A113 Easter Egg hidden in the background of animated movies and tv shows, most notably Pixar films. A113 is a well-known classroom number at CalArts, where many animators learned their craft. Since I never went to CalArts, I did my own little backwards version of that Easter egg. The hardest part of drawing this entire strip was making Jackknife lean on the wall and trying to make his arm look like it wasn't out of its socket. It's not easy trying to be your own art model when you don't have a mirror right next to a wall for poses like this. Don't forget, there's a little less than a month until my annual art contest ends! I'd love to get some cool fan art from you folks for my birthday!
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http://TheHeroesOfCRASH.com Rose decided what she wouldn't be and would be. Finally, we get to the part of the story where Rose becomes the femme fatale we know and love! With a new look and new attitude, she's ready to join C.R.A.S.H., even if her attitude isn't exactly heroic. It may be a little hard to make out, but the electric razor in the first panel says "Hairbuzz" on it. The second panel has Enticia using the Heartbreaker pattern she intended to share with the world as an icon for herself, which fits with her text box in that panel. If it wasn't obvious, Enticia's name stems from the word "entice," as the third panel suggests. Also, for anyone who's not sure, her name is pronounced "En-TEE-see-uh," not "En-TISH-uh". I remembered seeing on Pinterest, an actress talked about how she walked in a role as a villainess. Some women mentioned that they emulated her "murder walk" and guys were so intimidated, that they would get out of their way. Of course, I had to have Enticia walk like that. Don't forget, there's just ONE MONTH LEFT in my contest, and EVERYONE who enters gets a prize! Check out the full rules on my website!
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http://TheHeroesOfCRASH.com Rose considers her future. She is torn between her old life of sadness and disappointment and a new life of uncertainty and danger, but seems to be leaning towards a new start. Of course, we know which path she eventually winds up taking...! You may notice that the outlines in the first two panels are dark maroon, rather than black; this is because these panels don't represent Rose's memories, but her imagination as she visualizes concepts, like her emotional roller coaster. If it wasn't obvious in the second panel, the traffic sign represents danger, the question mark represents the unknown, the broken tragedy mask represents being rid of drama, and the game console represents control over her life. I've previously hinted at Rose having taken martial arts; when I introduced Lana and her photography, one of the photos featured Rose throwing a punch in the very same karate uniform she wears in this strip. By the way, if you haven't been following my Twitter lately, this week was Spirit Week, in which Collective of Heroes creators drew their characters wearing outfits according to each day's theme. You can check them out right here, and see others' drawings by looking at the CoHspiritweek hashtag on Twitter and Facebook: Don't forget that my contest is still on for one more month, and I'm still waiting to see some more art! Everyone who submits a valid entry gets some sort of art in return, but only one winner in each category will win a Grand Prize! Full rules at http://TheHeroesOfCRASH.com! !
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http://TheHeroesOfCRASH.com Enticia connects her previous backstories. If you're not sure what's going on in panels 2, 3, and 4, you may want to reread the "Even a Rose Has Its Thorns" storyline for a refresher on Enticia's origin story, which also explains how Mick brought her family vacation to a jarring halt. It only occurred to me now that I gave both Lana and Violet (Rose's mom) a similar, uneven striped pattern on their clothes. This was totally unintentional; I'd forgotten about having created this top for Violet years ago. Maybe they both like the same designer (Rose?). Don't forget, folks, I've got my birthday fan art contest going on! Full rules are on the Heroes of C.R.A.S.H. website, but in short, you need to make fan art or a game avatar based on one of my characters before my birthday, and you get free art from me! Sweet!
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April Fools Filler 3/28/20 - Nite Stick and Ms. Rocket
heroesofcrash posted a topic in Heroes Of Crash
http://TheHeroesOfCRASH.com Looks like Cannon's prank was FOILED this time! It's that time of year again: April Fools' Day! Every year, Cannon likes to prank other webcomic characters, usually behind the scenes. This time, he's decided to prank TWO characters: the title characters of Nite Stick and The Adventures of Ms. Rocket! However, it seems that two pranks may be too many, as his plan may have backfired on him just a bit... Usually, Cannon gets away with his April Fools pranks without any sort of comeuppance, but I suppose he just bit off more than he could chew. While Nite Stick and Ms. Rocket take center stage in this filler, I couldn't resist giving a subtle shout-out to two other comics from the Collective of Heroes: Shane Rivett's Heroes of the World and Beyond (Or "HOTWAB") and Corey Kramer's Wonder Weenies! As this comic is non-canonical and happens "behind the scenes" of making a webcomic, the first panel contains a sign pointing to the HOTWAB set in the background, right next to the sign for the Collective of Heroes Webcomic Studios. The building in the final panel has a sign with a Wonder Weenies logo. It was going to be a window, but I forgot to put highlights on the window, so now it's a blue sign. That's what I'm going with. I've had a version of this gag floating in my head for YEARS, only with Belt Boy on a flying invention and smashing into a billboard (But still singing the theme to "The Greatest American Hero" with the tweaked ending). I initially figured I'd have Cannon prank Ms. Rocket, then brought my old gag idea into it while brainstorming, then finally added Nite Stick's staff to kick the comedy up a notch, making it into a twofer prank. It's kinda neat how my joke evolved. Many thanks to Michael VanSlyke and David Fleming for the use of their characters, and a shout out to Shane Rivett and Corey Kramer. You can check out ALL their comics by clicking the Collective of Heroes button at the top of my main page! Don’t forget, I still have my birthday contest going on, and I want to see some fan art for my birthday! -
http://TheHeroesOfCRASH.com We learn how things went sour between Rose and her friends, but Shadowy Sentinel thinks something's amiss... Cartoons subtly influence my art here and there. Mags' dress in panel one is inspired by Beauty and the Beast. Rose's pose in panel two is inspired by Daffy Duck, how he would often look angriest when his body is at sharp angles. Panel three isn't perfect, but it was fun to play around and create this anime-esque glowing effect. I do like getting a little experimental now and then, and I think it looks pretty good. If, like Shadowy Sentinel, you have an idea of what doesn't seem right, I will neither confirm nor deny any theories, so don't expect any spoilers from me! Don't forget that my birthday contest is going on! Send me fan art or a game avatar based on one of my characters, and get some FREE ART in return! Details are on my website; just click the button on my main page!
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http://TheHeroesOfCRASH.com Rose's emotional roller coaster might cause someone whiplash... Sadness, false joy, depression, anger... This week's strip highlights a lot of Enticia's emotional range. I had to figure out how to draw her tears so they looked okay with her unique eye shape. Her angry face may be channeling a little Yellow Diamond from Steven Universe. The third panel is grayed out to show how she doesn't feel much of anything, but it's not a pure gray. To fit with her flashbacks being in reds, pinks, and browns, the grays are actually very muted reds. I'm particularly proud of the first panel, because DRAWING THREE CHARACTERS HUGGING IS NOT EASY. The complexity of posing the three of them at once required two sketch layers, where I usually use one. Just a reminder that you still have a little over 2 months to enter my birthday contest! I want to see some fan art and fan avatars!
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http://TheHeroesOfCRASH.com Worst. Vacation. Ever. Enticia's story proves that even when you "get away from it all", it's not always easy to escape your worries. Of course, having a swimming pool doesn't hurt. I almost named the hotel the Willby Hotel, parodying the internet cartoon Hazbin Hotel (Which, admittedly, I've never watched; the animation is impressive, but the subject isn't my aesthetic). I also considered parodying different real-world hotel chains. Rose's purple bikini in panel 2 is a callback to a filler I did a long time ago, while her messed-up hair in panel 3 is a callback to how I originally drew Enticia's hair (which makes her being inspired by Halle Berry more apparent). The final panel was going to have Enticia mention having gotten sick on a cruise as her worst vacation ever, but in light of the coronavirus scare, I changed my mind. Besides, "bad clam" seems like a funnier phrase for some reason, so I stuck it into the punchline. Don't forget about my birthday contest! Check out the full rules at http://theheroesofcrash.com/ContestRulesAnStuffPage.htm to find out how to enter and win some free art!
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2/29/20 - C.R.A.S.H. Rhino Filler and Contest Reminder
heroesofcrash posted a topic in Heroes Of Crash
http://TheHeroesOfCRASH.com Every school needs a mascot... even superhero schools! Due to some scheduling issues (and a little writer's block on how to frame the next part of the story), I've got a filler up this week. For some time now, I've been wracking my brain trying to think of a good mascot/logo for C.R.A.S.H. Previously, I considered mythological creatures - a basilisk was my top one, except rather than looking like a serpent like in Harry Potter, I'd take a page from mythology and have it look like a chicken-dragon (which seems funnier to me). However, more recently, another thought came to mind. A group of rhinos is called a "crash", so what would represent C.R.A.S.H. better than a rhino? I wound up doodling several versions of the logo in my pocket sketchbook; I'm pretty pleased with the final result. Of course, if a school has a mascot, there has to be someone in a foam mascot outfit. I haven't decided who's in the Crush costume... or how well they can see out of that foam rhino-head. Part of me wants the suit to have practical superhero tech beneath the surface, with micro-cameras so the person inside can see out, and magnets in the clenched fists so they can pick things up. On the other hand, having their vision blocked by the horn and being unable to pick anything up with the suit's fingers fused together would be a lot funnier...! To make it clear that Crush is a foam costume and not a real super-rhino, I obviously show a human neck... but I also adjusted Crush's anatomy to have rounded muscles, unlike my heroes' more angular physiques. His teeth also look different from any other character's teeth. Before I go, one last reminder: I have my contest going on! Send me some art or a game avatar based on my heroes for a sweet prize! For details, visit http://theheroesofcrash.com/ContestRulesAnStuffPage.htm, but don't wait too long! The contest ends May 19th! -
TheHeroesOfCRASH.com Unfortunately, it wasn’t Rose’s fashion career that would heat up… I like my strip to have a mostly comedic tone, as I quickly get annoyed by an overabundance of drama. That being said, having a little to give my characters some depth is okay in my book. Like many of my favorite cartoons and animated films, there needs to be a balance. Enticia and Belt Boy are both leaders with some personal trauma, but that’s not all they have in common; they both have a little design influence from Digimon! Belt Boy’s goggles are reminiscent of those worn by Tai, Takato, and other Digimon leaders throughout the series, while Enticia’s Heartbreaker emblem is inspired by the broken heart on Rika’s shirt at the beginning of season 3. I’m typically not a fan of retconning, but this was a minor detail that would have annoyed me otherwise: I redesigned the flowerpot in the last panel. Way back in “Even A Rose Has Her Thorns,” the experimental plants that caught fire were in flowerpots that looked more like trash cans. In today’s strip, I updated the pots to have more of a lip, like a traditional flowerpot. If you’ve been enjoying my strip, be sure to share it, and please enter my annual birthday contest!
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Filler 2/15/19 - Superhero Superlatives and Contest Announcement
heroesofcrash posted a topic in Heroes Of Crash
http://TheHeroesOfCRASH.com Now presenting MaroonDrops' wallpaper request from last year: A C.R.A.S.H. Yearbook Page! Once again, it's taken me months to get a desktop wallpaper prize done, but as always, I hope it was worth the wait! If you go to my Downloads page, there's two versions of this wallpaper: one with signatures and one without. I wanted to make sure this yearbook page captured all my characters' personalities through their poses, their superlatives, and their signatures. If I ever get my comic published, I might reuse this image as a cast page at the front of the book. Belt Boy, as usual, overdoes things, with his signature "using a fan to make his cape blow in the wind" pose and writing/drawing WAY too much around his photo. B.O.N.N.I.E. snuck her way into the photo, too, not that BB minds. Cannon's using his classic finger guns, minus the wink. This pose shows off his bravado and womanizing, while subtly hinting at his "power" (or more accurately, his namesake weapon). Whoever owns this yearbook seems to have scribbled Cannon's phone number out. Dino-Mo's next, rather than Titanium Maiden; this IS a yearbook, after all, so it's alphabetical order. Dino-Mo's showing off her power (and how she got the second of her two superlatives), but she plays it cool better than Belt Boy or Cannon. Dodge tends to be outgoing without being aggressive (whenever he's not playing dodgeball, at least), so I gave him a simple pose where he's subtly showing off his biceps, but not being a stereotypical, showboating jock. Enticia's a major flirt, so rather than use a pen, I figure she'd sign her yearbooks with a kiss. Even her lips in the picture are pouting just a little bit - usually, I draw my characters' mouths off to the side a bit (a la 1990's Sonic the Hedgehog), rather than centered. Gelatin Boy embarrasses himself a lot, so I decided to draw him mid-sneeze - at the "ah-" before the "-choo!" His shadow has a slight orange tinge, since he's translucent gelatin. His larger shadow shows he's a bit closer to the camera than everyone else (Making up for the fact that I drew him bigger than everyone by mistake). Jackknife, of course, is holding the sneeze powder he used on Gelatin Boy, and also flexing to show his muscles and his arm blade. Of course, seeing as several other heroes drew on his face, and the yearbook's owner didn't ask for his signature, no one's impressed. Also, I drew him smaller so I had room for his arm, and moved his shadow to show that he's close to the wall behind him. If I knew how to use a blur tool more effectively, I'd have used it for Sugar Rush's photo, so I'll chalk it up to superheroes having invented cameras built to photograph speedsters. The heart for her and Dodge seems appropriate for Valentine's weekend (a happy coincidence). I love when Titanium Maiden pulls off that heart pose (Based on Spanish Olympic weightlifter Valentin), so I just had to put that in here. The adorable amazon signed her name and colored her heart with a pink pen - in hindsight, I regret not making it a glitter pen. Finally, Unk, as the most chill person in the comic, has the most "normal" pose out of everyone. If it weren't for his ripped shirt, you'd think it was just a normal school photo. I'm particularly proud of the backgrounds in this photo; I wanted everyone to have their picture in front of one of those traditional blue-gray, slate-looking backgrounds that EVERYONE uses for school pictures. Of course, since it's almost 3 months until my birthday, I'm holding my annual birthday contest! ALL valid entries get some art from me, and you might even get to decide what my next desktop wallpaper would be! I've attached a quick rundown picture to this post; full rules are on my site! -
http://TheHeroesOfCRASH.com Hmmm... Where have we seen that design before...? I wanted to address that Mags is plus-sized, but not make her into a fat joke or a stereotype. I do know that the fashion industry tends to ignore larger body types, and good-looking clothes are hard to come by in larger sizes. But if anyone could find them, it's Rose. I put that dialogue in the first panel to make it clear that Rose is aware of her own body size privileges, and took her friend's needs into consideration when choosing a store to try. That final panel was a LOT of fun to draw. I used to draw hands a lot back in high school art class, and I've honestly forgotten how much fun they can be to draw. It was also fun "reverse engineering" Enticia's Heartbreaker emblem into a bunch of other designs! I think that my favorite design out of all the rejects is the heart with the lightning-bolt-shaped crack. Or is that too "Harry Potter"?
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http://TheHeroesOfCRASH.com Mags gets a turn to try on clothes... no lederhosen this time. Either Rose is having a harder time finding a good outfit for Mags, or she has more fun messing with her than she does with Lana...! Either makes sense; for some reason, groups of friends like teasing the most gullible member of the group (I know this from experience...!). This is the first I've drawn Mags' full body. I found it a bit tricky; full bodies are always more difficult than torsos for me. I also did a lot of tweaks to make sure that she looked plus-size rather than pregnant, most notably giving her a muffin top and thick legs. Her "cute" look was originally going to look more ballerina-like, but I thought putting a kitty on her shirt would be even more nauseatingly cutesy, and the outfit evolved from there. It looks a bit like a frilly apron crossed with a toddler's overalls. Mags' hair clip was originally going to be a skull bow as a nod to Elmyra from Tiny Toons, but I already gave her a bow in the previous panel that seemed fitting, so I just made it a hair clip. I made her fishnets easily; I used a "parallel lines" brush diagonally. My Texan girlfriend might've inspired Mags' cowgirl look a little. Mags was originally going to wear flannel and long jeans, but I didn't want it to look too similar to her lumberjack look in the next panel, so I gave her a denim shirt and ripped her jeans. The lumberjack costume was initially inspired by Monty Python's lumberjack sketch, but I wound up taking a little inspiration from Gravity Falls' Wendy Corduroy, particularly with the shirt being green and worn sloppily. I used the "parallel lines" brush again for the flannel. I've seen treasure map corsets for women's pirate costumes, but I gave Mags a map on her skirt to be less risque (Making sure I didn't put the X anywhere inappropriate). I gave Mags the map skirt and striped headband for another reason; I wanted to make it clear that she was a pirate and not wearing a stereotypical Romany (better known by the less PC term, "g*psy") outfit. Like I said, I wanted to avoid any cultural insensitivity. The final panel with Enticia and Shadowy Sentinel was originally going to be at the end of Lana's montage, but as I was formulating the scripts for these two strips, I thought it made more sense to put it at the end of the second montage.
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http://TheHeroesOfCRASH.com Fashion's more fun with sight gags. Lana's less inhibited than Mags (not that that's a high bar to set), so it's no surprise she's willing to go first. She's even willing to look a little silly in an outfit or two. But will that help Mags feel more comfortable? Despite my mom having worked in the fashion industry, I've never been a fan of fashion, myself. I don't see why there needs to be a set of rules for what does and doesn't "look good". I wanna wear my Hawaiian shirts and Ninja Turtle tees more often, dangit! Unsurprisingly, this meant I needed a little outside help to figure out some good outfits for Lana to wear. I googled fashion for her body type, which helped me figure out the three nice outfits in the montage, but I also borrowed elements from outfits I've seen before. Lana's white dress is partly inspired by one of the dresses Tiana wears in The Princess and the Frog, specifically from the "Almost There" dream sequence and Facilier's illusion. In the swimwear panel, her wrap's pattern is inspired by the outfit worn by Lilo from Lilo and Stitch, while the hat may be subconsciously taken from Jessie from Between Failures (See my webcomic links) and/or Connie from the original Steven Universe opening. Her ugly dress was just me trying to do the opposite of her nice dress - there's lots of frills, lines, and colors to contrast with the simplicity of the dress in the previous panel. Lana's snow outfit was given a pink hue and poofball on top, because I wanted it to look like the kind of outfit you put on a five-year-old that makes them incapable of moving in the snow, and NOT like an insensitive caricature of Inuit people. I've used costumes (like sombreros and fruit hats) in much, MUCH earlier strips that would give me pause today, and I certainly don't want to mock a minority's culture in the form of a costume for the sake of a gag. That being said, I'm pretty sure lederhosen is fair game. I believe that I have some German ancestry and I KNOW I'm half-Jewish, so if anyone gets to make fun of German culture, it's me. Of course, fans of the strip would remember that the outfit in the next-to-last panel is that of Battle-Axe Beatrix, the rude, axe-wielding teacher at C.R.A.S.H. I had initially considered other characters' outfits for this gag, but Beatrix's outfit was DESIGNED to look ugly.
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http://TheHeroesOfCRASH.com Embarrassment is one of Mags' default emotions. I knew the girls would need their measurements taken, but thought that might be too risque to draw. Luckily, that lead me to the line of thinking that resulted in this gag. Most of the stores in the background are made up, like Shear Joy Salon and HAAAAAAAAAAATS! Two obscured names are actual businesses I knew that used to exist, but closed up or moved away years ago (But that I won't mention just in case there's some copyright law or something). I know that I'm announcing today's comic later than usual; I posted the update last night and put it on Twitter, but due to some computer updates I waited until this morning to post elsewhere on social media, and wound up sleeping in late (for a change).
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Comic 1/11/20 - She's Always Wanted to Shout "Onward!"
heroesofcrash posted a topic in Heroes Of Crash
http://TheHeroesOfCRASH.com Even Rose can be a dork and want to be a little dramatic. Not much to say about this strip, except that the story comics are finally back! I'm sure you're happy to get back to canonical comics, but I hope you enjoyed the fillers during the holidays. It honestly felt good taking a little break from the story; it's been taking turns that even I haven't expected when I first outlined it. It's a bit exhausting, but it's fun to see how these characters unfold and progress naturally. I've made a small website update; the Storyline Archive page has been updated with a link to the current story's comics. I'm surprised I didn't put that in earlier. Whoops! -
TheHeroesOfCRASH.com The three main takeaways I've seen. I'm hoping for the Mode 7 Ninja Turtles level. Starting 2020 off with a filler, due to continued holiday craziness. This comic was a bit of a rush job, as I fell asleep before it was done, but I decided to value promptness over perfection this time. Wish I'd drawn TM's bent leg better (so it was more obvious her foot was behind her and not look like she was missing a leg) & made BB's board light up more. I had to look at quite a few photos and sketches of 1920s outfits to find the look I wanted for TM, and add a few touches to add her own personal style to the look. I decided to give her a purple dress; in hindsight (2020!), it makes her look like Anne Onymous from The Wotch. Belt Boy's look is a futuristic mashup of his outfit and a Ninja Turtles design, since it's based on the Neon Night Riders level from the SNES game Turtles in Time, which took place in 2020. Just like Back to the Future, this game lied to us about having hoverboards by now. Cannon's plague doctor look is essentially a regular plague doctor with his color scheme and goggles... and an important message. Seriously, people, I don't care what side effects you believe vaccines have - THEY PREVENT DEATH. Trust science on this one. Hoping to have a new comic by next week. Until then, have a fun and safe new year/decade!
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TheHeroesOfCRASH.com Practicing some self-care with a short filler. Also, check out the Collective of Heroes Secret Santa art I gave to Ave Messer (The Almighty Protectors) and got from Al Fukalek (The Specialists)!
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http://TheHeroesOfCRASH.com Wishing everyone a Merry Christmas, Happy Hanukkah, and Happy Kwanzaa! May we never lose sight of the messages of love and joy we learned from a big, yellow bird. After the saddening death of beloved Muppet actor Caroll Spinney, I knew I wanted to honor his memory. I think my favorite performance of his was from one of my favorite Christmas specials of all time: A Muppet Family Christmas. A Muppet Family Christmas delivers exactly what it promises: a Christmas-themed get-together, featuring all the major Muppet franchises - the main Muppets, Sesame Street, Fraggle Rock, and Muppet Babies characters - coming together as a family. The TV screen in this picture shows off Big Bird's big scene with Swedish Chef. I don't want to spoil it for you, but suffice it to say it's one of my favorite Muppet moments ever, and makes this special a must-watch. Big Bird's quote here is hardly profound, unlike other quotes I've used for past Christmas fillers. But like Big Bird himself or a good Christmas moment, what makes it special is its simplicity and its message of love. That's the kind of message I want to send this year. I also went with a simple, quiet Christmas moment for this scene: Enticia/Rose and her family, just sitting together and watching a Christmas special together in their PJs. Despite the simplicity of the concept and quote, drawing this picture wasn't so simple. I wound up using an online stock photo to pose my characters, and sketched it with pencil and paper (Which, admittedly, is often easier to sketch with than a drawing tablet) and e-mailed a photo of it to myself, which I then inked and colored digitally. I needed to go back and use a lot of references for the Greene family's designs/colors. Gonna be honest; I forgot I gave Violet blue eyes. While her appearance was mostly inspired by Tyra Banks, I'm fairly certain her eyes are inspired by Kristen Wilson. Violet and Rose have the same robes they've worn in previous strips. Daisy's PJ's are a Christmas-ified version of her butterfly-pony nightgown. Leif's PJ's are loosely based on some of my own holiday pajamas. I added an unlit Kinara in the background, as Kwanzaa takes place the day after Christmas, and therefore the candles wouldn't be lit yet. Well, I guess that just about takes care of the commentary, minus an important closing... No matter how sad or stressful things get, there's always something good, pure, and magical at the heart of the season. While I hope you will take time to think of others this holiday season, no matter what you celebrate, I also hope that you will take time to slow down, enjoy the present, and be thankful for whatever you've been given in life. To all those reading this, I wish you peace, love, and joy this holiday season. Merry Christmas, Happy Hanukkah, and Happy Kwanzaa! Next week: My annual New Year's filler!