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Post by Nigel Kitching on Aug 25, 2008 22:52:00 GMT
I'm a big fan of the Sparkster strip that you wrote for STC and it's my favourite one right along there with Decap. Was there any particular reason a second one wasn't produced and did you have any possible ideas for what it could have been about? Aye, while we're on that subject, you wrote a few strips based on games other than Sonic and Decap Attack. If I remember right, you wrote two Streets of Rage strips, as well as strips based on Sparkster and Shining Force. Looking back now, which ones did you feel worked, and which didn't? I'd have to go back and read them again. It wasn't easy getting these more 'serious' strips. Editors type cast you really quickly. I was the guy who wrote Sonic and did humour in Decap. So Richard Burton wasn't keen to let me try other stuff. I seem to remember being quite pleased with some of my Streets of Rage stuff. Shining Force I don't thing was right visually. I seem to remember that the artist wasn't confident with his ability to design the characters so I ended up designing them and sending him sketches. Sparkster was like Sonic so that one I got easily.
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Post by Nigel Kitching on Aug 25, 2008 22:54:38 GMT
Part of the reason why I personally have stuck with Sonic all these years is because of STC, and the situations that you put him in; you saying that you were arrogant has obviously paid off, since when I think back to STC, I immediately think of the Death Egg being shot down by the Floating Island, Sonic stepping out onto Mobius to find it controlled by the Metallix, or Sonic fighting the Drakon Sentinals. Many of the stories in STC could have easily been adapted for much older readers, but the themes remained, many of which are quite poingnant. So thanks for sticking to your guns, Nige! I knew I was right - the readers remember the stories. They respond the the drama and the excitement of the stories. Sure it happens to be about Sonic but that's not really the point.
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Post by Lost Mercenary on Aug 25, 2008 23:42:16 GMT
Part of the reason why I personally have stuck with Sonic all these years is because of STC, and the situations that you put him in; you saying that you were arrogant has obviously paid off, since when I think back to STC, I immediately think of the Death Egg being shot down by the Floating Island, Sonic stepping out onto Mobius to find it controlled by the Metallix, or Sonic fighting the Drakon Sentinals. Many of the stories in STC could have easily been adapted for much older readers, but the themes remained, many of which are quite poingnant. So thanks for sticking to your guns, Nige! I knew I was right - the readers remember the stories. They respond the the drama and the excitement of the stories. Sure it happens to be about Sonic but that's not really the point. The fact that STC's Sonic was/is a very flawed character is one of the reasons I fell in love with the comic at the tender young age of 7 (with Issue 21 "Girl Trouble" I believe). I had played the Sonic games and seen the AOSTH cartoon and loved them, but the comics one was very different and even though I was young I could tell that straight away. I became borderline obsessed with finding out more about this new Sonic and I more or less drove my mum into submission to buy me STC every fortnight. I'm pretty sure most people here can relate to this. SO it just goes to show that young audiences aren't the naieve idiots editors think they are. My thanks to you Nigel
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Post by Matt on Aug 26, 2008 0:31:42 GMT
I was wondering if you could give some information of the full award you teach at university, as the Sequential Art module sounds like something I know a lot of people would rather be doing than our animation course, and I wondered what the full award was etc, sorry it a bit of a departure from sonic questions. Have a look here: www.tees.ac.uk/Undergraduate_courses/Animation_Games_&_Visualisation/Now the courses are due to change starting, I'm pretty sure, next year. This is probably what is listed here. Sorry to be a bit vague but these changes don't affect me very much in the first year. Ask more questions by all means but read this first. Sorry to keep on but after reading through that page, how would your module fit into something like that (or doesn't it?) See the course I was talking about was something more along the lines of www.tees.ac.uk/Undergraduate_courses/Art_&_Design_Performing_Arts_&_Music/BA_(Hons)_Graphic_Design_(lllustration).cfmrather than a different animation course (particularly as the focus at tee side seem to be cgi) would you have nothing to do with a course like that? perhaps I wasn't clear before, I want I meant, a lot of the people on my course, (my self included have found ourselves wishing we were on an illustrative course rather than an animation one)
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Tom
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Post by Tom on Aug 26, 2008 1:45:24 GMT
I'd have thought animation would be more useful than illustration, as far as comic book work is concerned. it's about telling a story using pictures. I've no idea what they teach you on illustration, but it won't be that.
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Post by Matt on Aug 26, 2008 8:26:56 GMT
I'd have thought animation would be more useful than illustration, as far as comic book work is concerned. it's about telling a story using pictures. I've no idea what they teach you on illustration, but it won't be that. unless it a sequential art module involved, and trust me animation is little to no help, after suffering on the course for a year i've learnt nothing new I could attribute to comic book's and very little new that could help me in my preferred animation medium 2d (digital) plus my current job is an illustration job anyway.
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Post by Nigel Kitching on Aug 26, 2008 10:10:12 GMT
Sorry to keep on but after reading through that page, how would your module fit into something like that (or doesn't it?) See the course I was talking about was something more along the lines of www.tees.ac.uk/Undergraduate_courses/Art_&_Design_Performing_Arts_&_Music/BA_(Hons)_Graphic_Design_(lllustration).cfmrather than a different animation course (particularly as the focus at tee side seem to be cgi) would you have nothing to do with a course like that? perhaps I wasn't clear before, I want I meant, a lot of the people on my course, (my self included have found ourselves wishing we were on an illustrative course rather than an animation one)[/quote] Well I work in the School of Computing where we do Games and Animation. It was decided that the students should have a drawing module as part of their course. This is particularly important to students who want to go in for concept art or other areas of pre-production. With my Sequential Art module I can deal with a range of useful skills - scriptwriting, character design, staging - all that kind of stuff. Animation and Games both deal with visual storytelling and I'm going to deal with that. Of course I won't insist on the kids making a comic strip (although they could) if somebody wants to produce storyboards that's fine. Just so long as I get the students to approach storytelling in a visual way. Over in the School of Arts & Media is where you will find illustration as such. And no, I am not involved with any of their courses. I can tell that this is where I did my degree in Graphic Design and for my final project I produced a comic. Of course I was just looking for the most efficient way of getting my degree and since I do have a little experience in comics it made sense. Hope that is a little more clear.
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Post by madhair60 on Aug 26, 2008 13:48:30 GMT
The fact that STC's Sonic was/is a very flawed character is one of the reasons I fell in love with the comic at the tender young age of 7 Edit edit: Nasty, knee-jerk unpleasantness. Deleted. Read it in below post
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Post by WinterFlames on Aug 26, 2008 14:59:02 GMT
The fact that STC's Sonic was/is a very flawed character is one of the reasons I fell in love with the comic at the tender young age of 7 Bull. As if any seven year old gives a damn about character nuances. You liked it because it had pictures of Sonic in it. Him off the games. You know. I was exactly the same as LM, but and I never owned a Sonic game up until 1999, playing the original Sonic game a handful of times and Sonic 3 once before then. I hadn't seen a single Sonic cartoon series until Underground, and that hardly qualifies as something that would make me want to see any more of Sonic. Following that logic Madhair, I kinda don't get how else I would want to continue reading the comics from when I began unless I liked the comic version... Edit: And I was 5 at the time I first read a copy of STC. Girl Trouble part 2 or something close to that. If could even have been Pirates of the Mystic Cave.
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Post by Nigel Kitching on Aug 26, 2008 15:24:59 GMT
The fact that STC's Sonic was/is a very flawed character is one of the reasons I fell in love with the comic at the tender young age of 7 Bull. As if any seven year old gives a damn about character nuances. You liked it because it had pictures of Sonic in it. Him off the games. You know. Edit: Gosh, that's mean. Ah well, still stands This is exactly the kind of attitude that drove me mad... Let me say upfront that I was lucky to be working with Richard Burton as editor. He was a comic readers since he was a kid so he was sympathetic to my point of view and even, to a large degree, shared it. But this idea that the kids (let's not worry about exactly how old they may be) will buy any old [censored] as long as it's got Sonic in it. No, you don't need to do a good job and write good stories. Sonic's popular, just stick him in there and the kids will lap it up no matter how crappy it is. I was a kid once and I remember very clearly enjoying stuff on TV that was good. I loved Star Trek and just knew somehow it was better than what I had seen before (Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea, Lost in Space etc). I couldn't as a kid analyse the show and tell you why it was good. But I knew it was. I was younger than 7 when I saw my first comics. The Kirby ones were my favourites even then. Kids are human beings with taste and the ability to appreciate quality - just like real people.
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Post by madhair60 on Aug 26, 2008 15:33:09 GMT
Most of us here are adults now and we still buy any old [censored] as long as it has Sonic in it. You're preaching to the converted. The quality of the thing is immaterial.
However - that was a post born of frustration and it is largely [censored], so yes, I will take it back and be rid of it. I don't see kids as empty-headed and I hate to patronise them so it really does me a disservice.
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Post by Pombar on Aug 26, 2008 15:33:23 GMT
I didn't own a Sonic game until into the 2000s, so I'm gonna have to disagree with you too, madhair. Sure, the Sonic bit was the initial hook, but I doubt I'd have been as compelled to keep reading if it was just generic licensed rubbish.
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Post by madhair60 on Aug 26, 2008 15:34:51 GMT
Really, this is exactly what I was trying to say, except it was a lot less amiable.
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Post by Nigel Kitching on Aug 26, 2008 15:35:47 GMT
Most of us here are adults now and we still buy any old [censored] as long as it has Sonic in it. You're preaching to the converted. The quality of the thing is immaterial. However - that was a post born of frustration and it is largely [censored], so yes, I will take it back and be rid of it. I don't see kids as empty-headed and I hate to patronise them so it really does me a disservice. "The quality of the thing is immaterial." sigh...
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Post by madhair60 on Aug 26, 2008 15:39:34 GMT
I'm talking about the fanbase as a whole and the games, not STC specifically. They really are mince but they keep buying 'em.
Look, I'm extremely bad at putting my point across without being nasty so I'll just say this - what you think I'm saying, I'm really not.
Much of the STC audience will have initially gotten into the comic through brand recognition - I don't think this is really disputable. That's all I'm trying to say.
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Tom
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Post by Tom on Aug 26, 2008 16:22:55 GMT
Most of us here are adults now and we still buy any old [censored] as long as it has Sonic in it. That's patently untrue. A number of the posters here don't get the games any more (if they ever did). Most posters here don't get the Archie comic and never did. That's not to say any of that material is without merit, but what you say is both harsh and unfair.
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Post by WinterFlames on Aug 26, 2008 16:24:42 GMT
I'm talking about the fanbase as a whole and the games, not STC specifically. They really are mince but they keep buying 'em. I really don't. I haven't bought a main canon Sonic game since ShtH, at which point I gave up, I've occasionally played the newer releases owned by friends, but that's it, Sonic Rush/Adventure was an indulgence, and I have no intention of buying any more in the near future, so I think it's safe to say that not all of us keep buying them. Edit: Tom has already pointed out that numerous posters here don't buy the games or Archie, so I've edited that out, no need for repetition I guess.
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Post by madhair60 on Aug 26, 2008 16:26:44 GMT
It's neither harsh nor unfair - it's not me who's turning it into a blanket statement. For crying out loud, it should be obvious I'm not attacking everyone here... there are people in this fanbase (a lot of people) who would cough up £50 if Yuji Naka pooed in a box and marketed it as a new Sonic game. Notice how I didn't say "every single last one of them". I don't think it even needs pointing out. People turn it into something it's not as an excuse for having a go. Internet, baby.
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Post by Badly-Drawn Manchild on Aug 26, 2008 16:31:49 GMT
Much of the STC audience will have initially gotten into the comic through brand recognition - I don't think this is really disputable. That's all I'm trying to say. You'd be right, in my case. I initially got into STC purely through brand recognition; I'd lap up anything that had Sonic on it back in those days. Well, almost anything, anyway. I loved the games and STC, but even as a kid SatAM never "clicked" with me, and even I knew Sonic Underground just plain stank. Nowadays I like to think I'm a more shrewd customer, but there are people older than me who still buy any old twaddle if it's got Sonic's face on it; stuff that's been critically panned by everyone except the fanboys. Looking back through STC now I'm amazed at just how well it's stood the test of time, especially when compared to other Sonic media; I firmly believe it is still the only Sonic fiction out there that was ever worthwhile. Which actually brings something to mind; did you ever see or read any other Sonic fiction (the Archie Comics, the cartoons, etc.), and if so, what did you think?
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Post by Warped‽‽‽ on Aug 26, 2008 16:56:39 GMT
Most of us here are adults now and we still buy any old [censored] as long as it has Sonic in it. You're preaching to the converted. The quality of the thing is immaterial. However - that was a post born of frustration and it is largely [censored], so yes, I will take it back and be rid of it. I don't see kids as empty-headed and I hate to patronise them so it really does me a disservice. "The quality of the thing is immaterial." sigh... I do believe Madhair was referring to the games industry as opposed to STC here. It does seem to be that most game producers come up with an average idea for a game, execute it terribly, and release it. And as long as it has Sonic on the front, it gets bought regardless. The quality isn't immaterial to us, but in the eye of the game-producers, it really does seem to be. If crap will sell, they will sell it. On the other hand, STC was (and is) awesome. Sure enough Sonic was the initial hook, but the fact I started reading during Heroes and Villians (which was just so awesome) made me keep on reading. Right up through all the reprints to get the older stories. (And in the hope new ones would come around )
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Post by madhair60 on Aug 26, 2008 16:59:47 GMT
^ This is a much better, succinctly-put version of my view. Could someone just speak for me from now on?
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Prowler
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Post by Prowler on Aug 26, 2008 18:03:14 GMT
First of all - I know this might sound a bit of a dumb question, but - I've been wondering, were all the staff actual fans of Sonic themselves, or did some of them do it 'because they can' and/or enjoy drawing/scripting for comics - which just happens to be Sonic the Hedgehog? I've always wanted to know that.
Secondly, what are the rest of the staff doing now - like Richard Elson - now we're post-STC?
If you could get in contact with Rich for us again, I'd love to see him on here! I wouldn't go as far as asking him to *join* us [obviously he'd be way *way* MORE than welcome if he did!], but I think everyone at STC (myself especially, since I based ALL my designs on Rich's artwork!) would love to be able to interview him as well!
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Post by Charles on Aug 26, 2008 18:08:47 GMT
What was it like collaborating with Lew, both drawing his scripts and co-writing stuff like The Final Victory and Showdown?
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Post by Pete on Aug 26, 2008 19:03:10 GMT
Secondly, what are the rest of the staff doing now - like Richard Elson - now we're post-STC? Richard's working on Kingdom for 2000AD, Nigel Dobbyn is working for Marvel, doing Spider-Man And Friends (I think), and Lew Stringer does occasional art for the Beano with Brickman.
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Post by WinterFlames on Aug 26, 2008 19:21:57 GMT
^ This is a much better, succinctly-put version of my view. Could someone just speak for me from now on? I was going to write out a huuuuuuge reply with some very bad humour that I would shamelessly rip off from a genius. But then I remembered this. So long as you don't mind the person that speaks for you being a Tenor, there is no problem.
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