UPDATE! 6.1.10
I meant to mention this earlier, but it totally slipped my mind. Pavel Zhdanov, citizen of the Russian Federation, has very kindly (and gamely) corrected my Russian on the earlier pages – he sent along a sheet of corrections and suggestions earlier this week. Boy was I off! Just goes to show you, with languages, you can very easily fall short of the mark – I was doing my best with a dictionary and a grammar book, and it all came out extremely formally. Pavel was good enough to lend it a much more colloquial flavor. So thanks to him for his hard work, which will be added to the print version of the comic (with full credit to him, I might add!) and thanks also to the other Russian-speakers who had already offered to do the same, as well, even though Pavel beat you to it this time. The help is invaluable, and it’s also especially nice to know that 6-Commando has generated some degree of international appeal!
[Original Post: 5.31.10] Okay, this is my real post. And if you’re wondering what my “fake” post was, don’t. It was just a little placeholder that amounted to “Me Tired! Mathieu Sleep Now!”
This page is the Big Moment. Rucker has just realized what the heck is really going on. I like stories where the characters have to cope with really big problems, and where there are moments when the whole world seems to be spinning violently out of control. Setting this moment just at sunrise is a little visual metaphor that may or may not be a sappy one, but I thought it suited the moment, so I went with it. I also wanted just one last opportunity to draw a closeup of that bomber. As I’ve said before, I like drawing airplanes a lot. Always have. And the action in the cockpit there echoes the opposite number on the previous page – a series of hard decisions are being made in silence.
So anyway, this being a military comic, I ought to mention for the benefit of non-US readers, that it is Memorial Day in the United States, when we ostensibly take the opportunity to remember all the lives lost in the Revolution and in all the wars fought since to protect it. It’s an odd thing that the U.S. is a revolutionary country, one of a handful that were so founded without collapsing under the weight of their own contradictions (to paraphrase Marx, which I do ironically). Granted, we have more than our fair share of problems, but whatever you think of the U.S. as an institution, we have managed to make a go of it as a pretty successful nation-state. But undeniably, we’ve had to fight a lot of wars to keep it that way, and while we can debate the merits of those conflicts in hindsight, I think it’s a good thing that we have a day to reflect on the fact that we are very lucky that there are people willing to go out onto the battlefield to protect the country when called on to do it. So, God Bless you, American Soldiers!
On a lighter note, Memorial Day is also the traditional beginning of summer (albeit three weeks ahead of the solstice), and this seems to have much greater importance in common culture these days. Barbecues, days on the beach, and so forth, are the order of the day. For me, however, I have to sit down and wade through a mountain of paperwork related to my architectural license. And it’s almost literally a mountain – the stack is like an inch and a half thick. No joke.
And this, of course, has led me to the final thing I want to mention: with the approaching end of chapter 1 and the start of chapter 2, I am beginning to consider additional ways to fund not only this website, but also printing costs, advertising, convention fees, etc. All the extra traffic to the site has been terriffic, lately, and 6-Commando is really starting to get noticed. However, things like printing comics are expensive, and I’ve already earmarked most of my personal finances for paying licensing fees for my “real” career. So the dreaded “M” word is rearing its ugly head. Yes, that’s right – Merchandising!
Sounds so commerical, I know, but among the many options for funding the site, this one is the least offensive to my Capitalist sensibilities. I would prefer not to put advertising on the site, just because I don’t like the idea of hounding my readers with stuff that does not relate to the comic. And although the “donation” model some people use might be involved somewhere, that always struck me as online panhandling (no offense, Jason!). I’d much rather give you something tangible for your hard-earned cash. I don’t yet know what those things will be, but beyond the typical stuff you’d expect (t-shirts, posters, and all that fun but pretty run-of-the-mill crap) I have a couple of really interesting but as-yet top-secret ideas that I think will really catch your interest. But as all this is unlikely to happen much before July, I’ll let it go for the moment, saying only that it’s in the works. However, I will open the floor to suggestions – any particular 6-Commando thing that would really pique your interest? Let me know, and maybe I’ll find a way to get it made!
Anyhow, thanks once again to all the readers and commenters! It does my heart good to see you all here – keep reading and voting, and pretty soon there’ll be cool stuff available for your trouble!
Ok, this looks like kinda bigger bomb there…..
You might be interested to know (as I’ve mentioned before in passing) that in the 6-Commando Universe, hydrogen weapons have not been invented. The most advanced weapon is a “boosted fission” warhead, which the Federates have on the tips of their SS-K Intermdiate-Range Ballistic Missiles. Thus, the largest deliverable yields on the nuclear weapons these nations possess is somewhere around 100 kilotons. Now, when you’re talking about atomic weapons, that’s plenty. But the distinction is important – as a result of this limitation, this world is armed with many more weapons than the real world is, somewhere around double to triple the total number of bombs, but the individual size of the weapons is considerably smaller.
–M
Sounds reasonable to me. Part of the balance of power here over the cold war was that even if only a few warhead would come through they would deliver an incredible amount of destruction.
So if you field smaller weapons you might go for more of them. *sorry for my crappy english, it’s not my native tongue. ^^;; *
I finally found the best lookalike for the bomber pictured above….
The TU-160 (Blackjack) sweptback wing bomber. It looks a lot like the American B-1B bomber.
Yeah, I intended this one to be somewhere between the Backfire and the B-1B. They’re using it in a much more tactical role than would be likely in the real world, but I still think it works pretty well.
–M
Actually I think it’s a Backfire, not a Blackjack. Different engine layout.
And on the plot… Well I certainly thought the Americans at least disapproved of the missiles. It’s certainly an easy mistake to make, given this has Cuban Missile Crisis and Evil Red Menice written all over it. 🙂
Yes, it’s a slightly modified Backfire. I have it a little more headroom under the cockpit to accentuate the windshield, and pulled the wings slightly forward for no reason other than that I liked the look a little better. And I narrowed the tail. But basically it’s a Backfire, or is meant to be.
And yes, the UNA disapproves of the FSR putting missiles in Katanga, but there’s a big leap between disapproval and an open attack. I’m not going for intricate politics in the story, though – mainly I just wanted to convey a sense of high tensions, and have a believable mistake be made that could touch off something much bigger than they’d expected. We have yet to see whether that will happen here or not, but it doesn’t look good at this point, I’ll admit.
–M
A Mike Plushy
Wow. That was one that had literally never occurred to me: a soft, stuffed robotic superheavy tank. Actually not a bad idea. Only problem would be getting it made economically. But I will look into it.
–M
^^ Give word if we can (pre-)order them, i’m interested as well.
Well, I have to file them under Not Terribly Likely In The Near Future for now, though I admit that the idea is a compelling one. The problem is one of capital – that is, that I don’t have any. But a big friendly stuffed robotic tank does hold so much appeal that I will keep it on the short list of “Things To Do When I Get A Little More Money.”
–M
A 6-Commando ball cap would be nice, to spread the word and they’re reasonably cheap in mass quantities for resale.
Hats are definitely at the top of the list. I found a place that will do military-style caps similar to the FSR ones, with a kind of greenish-taupe color that’s just right. Something with the FSR Eagle-and-Cogwheel or Cogwheel-and-Spanner devices would be a good design. And also the tan CONASUR caps would be good candidates as well. As for the UNA berets, I’m still looking for someone who’d produce one with a U.N.A. flash on them, and in the right color. And actually, as the UNA symbol is so similar to the actual UN crest, I might have to change it around to avoid a conflict of interest. But that could just be me being too cautious.
–M
Suggestion for merchandising: 3D carboard cut outs of the tanks, 6-Commando, the planes, etc. like the Lucas people used of the droids at bookstores to market the pre-quels. They can be made cheaply, in bulk, and mailed out flat (some assembly required).
I admit this one hadn’t really occurred to me, but it makes sense, I suppose. Would people really buy those, you think? I mean, I knew someone with a six-foot cardboard Boba Fett, but I never imagined them as actual items. An interesting idea.
–M
Great page M!
I really like page 2, not sappy at all! The transition from grey shaded memory to collorfull daybreak really visualizes major Rucker’s revelation, speech baloons alone wouldn’t be half as effective.
Badges might be good merchandise, so people can stitch their own big blue UNA badge on the shoulder of their own jacket. I have no idea about the cost though.
Thanks for the comment – I think the page came together pretty well, too. I’m always wary of heavy-handed metaphors, but this one worked I think.
Patches, by the way, are an interesting idea – noted for the record!
–M
A book of weapon/vehicle blueprints would be cool. Maybe T-shirts with different symbols, slogans and weapons from the various factions. Somewhat like these: http://geoffdesmoulin.com/page12116.htm
On another note I’m writing my own alternate history comic and I’m wondering your opinion of “zero” issues that tell some history of the world but only lead into the main story of the comic. Do you think they’re worth the time or should you just jump right into the story and let the readers discover the back story some other way?
My inclination is to avoid zero-issues and just get right to the story. You want the story to be about the characters, not the world. The universe you create is really just background. If people are REALLY interested in the alternate-historical ins and outs, they can be added later – a companion or compendium or whatever.
T-shirts, hats, etc. are all in the works, by the way – that lik has some really interesting (if slightly unsettling) designs on it, by the way! Cool inspiration, anyway!
–M
Thanks for the opinion on zero issues. I was on the fence, but I probably won’t do one unless people read the scripts and are too confused.
The shirts I linked are a little graphic, but they were created by one of the guys from the Deadliest Warrior TV show so they’re bound to be a little bloody.