So there was a really big storm in New England this weekend that, in my area, dropped about two feet of snow. I’ve been digging out since Saturday. Not literally, actually – my landlord has a guy he sends over to plow out my driveway and all. But figuratively. Friday, I had to drive through the early part of the storm to get to an important meeting for work, and boy was THAT hairy. And then after that, I had all kinds of other chores that went along with getting things back to normal after a big storm. Which is all by way of saying that I’m kind of surprised that I got this page through. But I did, and here it is!
It oddly kind of parallels this weekend, for me, being stuck inside, but also being a little reluctant to go out, with the storm and all. I’ll say this, though – it took a VERY long time to find a decent way to draw the CP Alpha surface buildings, and make them look sufficiently imposing. When drawing in perspective I have a tendency that a lot of artists have of placing the horizon line way too high, and that makes the building look way too small. But with the help of a few good bits of photographic reference, I managed to get it about right.
Anyhow, I’m turning in. Another week stretches out before me, and there’s work to be done. ll the best, folks!
Oh, by the way – I’m adding this on later, but just for fun: once again I’m slow on the uptake in the so-called world of webcomics, but you may or may not have heard of Gary Trudeau’s Doonesbury flap, when, in his attempt to be a print comic strip booster, he came off sounding like an elitist jerk.
I’m a great fan of Doonesbury, and have been for years; my dad used to mail me clipped-out Doonesbury strips when I was in college. And although I know what Trudeau was “getting at,” he still sounded like a jerk in his saying it. So webcomic artists have been “filling the gap.” Nothing new there (ha!). This is mine.
Trudeau is right – it doesn’t have to happen. Because there are plenty of other artists to fill the gap. So, if you’ll forgive me, suck it, Gary.
*gasp*
What exactly are they planning on blowing up?
And how big of an explosion are we talking about?
And how many killbots are hanging out just off panel?
I’m jealous of your snow, can you send me some?
That one flag on the base looks pretty depressing, don’t you think?
*breeeeeeeath*
Haulley applies the sound anti-killbot strategy from Zap Brannigans big book of war apparently. Throw waves after waves of your own men against them until they reach their preset kill limit.
I do wonder if Mathieu will ever use a Futurama easter-egg or reference…?
A dark day for Robotkind. Ahh, but they can always build more kill-bots!
–M
Even though by rights it should have utterly disintegrated by now, I, too, like the flag. So lonely…
–M
Your hard work on rendering the CP buildings appears to have paid off. Very good job, sir!
Also, WTH is an A-2 mine?? A for atomic, perhaps? 😮
Tune in next week to find out that it is! Or is it?!
O, suspense!
–M
could it be a Neon Genesis Evangelion reference to the N-2 mine/bomb/missile? also, very nice job on the artwork. reminds me slightly of Warhammer 40k, but better detail and realism.
I’m reminded more of Aliens, the design of the base in particular reminding me a lot of the colony on LV-426
Actually it’s based on a Nazi submarine pen on the French coast. Heavily modified.
–M
Which I take as a sign that you and James Cameron have very similar points of inspiration. During the design phase on Aliens, Cameron said he wanted to evoke a War Movie feel to everything, the Dropship being based on a Vietnam fighter jet for example, so its not too great a stretch to imagine that the colony was inspired by a WW2 German submarine pen
An NGE reference? I think you just won a prize for catching that one, my man…
😀
–M
Only one Mine?
Why not 2. just in case…
Also weren’t the Russian armored suits out there? or was that their base and not this one?
Why not two? It’s the only way to be sure. Unless one is big enough… Ooo, I’ve probably said too much!
–M
D: Want to know!
How big its the mine then!? and what are they gonna blow! (I kinda know what could be but Theres much more than I can see in this story So i cant be sure).
Wait, an N2 NUCLEAR MINE!?!
Ok, who are you going to nuke?
I dunno, but ya gotta nuke somethin’.
–M
Touche comrade Average.
Nuker’s gunna nuke 😛
Just like Space Odyssey, where they tried to go into the pod to have some quiet time. HAL just read their lips.
“Listen, Dave, say we put the unit back and it DOESN’T FAIL. That’d pretty well wrap it up as far as HAL was concerned.”
“Well, we’d be in very serious trouble.”
THAT… Is the most masterful scene in science fictin cinema. In my opinion, anyway. The realism is amazing – that they’re having a serious, life-and-death discussion without panicking. I’ve aimed for that in this comic as well.
–M
Glad to hear you are doing well after the sandyblizzard! Great job on CP alpha buildings. There is a sense of dread about them.
Thanks, man! The thing I find creepiest about the scene is that it’s totally empty. Anythingbthat was up there is all burned away. Except the incongruous flag, but I allowedmyself that.
–M
“Blastwave has passed? Right, get a replacement flag up, PRONTO.”
Actually, I heard that the very thing happened at Chernobyl – they kept sending people out to hoist up the Soviet flag over the reactor, as a patriotic act. The story may well be apocryphal, of course, but the fact that there is such a story speaks to the intensity of feeling we have about such symbolic objects, even to the point of madness.
–M
I expect it to be moreso at a military base– although for practical reasons also. Gotta let friend and enemy alike know that you’re still well enough to hoist the colors!
You know… A 2 feet snow is not a worst thing to happen. The worst thing we got was a “Icy rain” last year.
What happened was a good thawing of snow for a day or two (with quite some rains on top of it), and then fast freezing back. So everything got coated by 2-5 cm coat of solid ice. And power lines (that are not subterranian in our location) were no exception, and as an obvious result, lots of people were cut from power for several days. We were lucky – our shortage was only 3 days long, and we had gas-burner to coock some food. But some people were unpowered for 2 weeks and had to move to their relatives, because their own houses ended up temporary inhabitable. Too cold.
As for a banner. That is one of the most important military traditions. In medieval times the banner was a rally point for an army to regroup after a messy mellee brawl. So if your enemy ended up having no banner – it is fairly easy to disperse them and finish them off one by one. Further in XVII when there were battles with several regements interacting on the battlefield Banner were also a way to tell your allies if you’re still here and can come to their aid. No banner = no regiment. Lowering the banner was a sign of refusal to fight. Even the battleships had that “Strike the colors” sign.
In modern warfare that is more of a tradition, not a practican reason. But military people hang to their traditions wery tight. So having no banner would be a sing of weakness. So replacing a banner would be fairly high on their priority list.
Yikes – ice storms happen a lot in New England as well, and can be very dangerous for the same reasons. This was just an inconvenience, not an actual danger.
As to your point in re: flags you’re quite right. And actually in reading your post it occurred to me that flying a proper flag may well be construed as part of the laws of war, like wearing a properly marked uniform. I’m informed by a knowledgeable friend (someone else can feel free to correct me, though) that the reason soldiers wear a flag patch on their shoulder in all countries is as a stipulation in the Geneva Convention about clearly marking oneself as a soldier of a given nationality. The law of the sea concerning ships goes back even farther. So I wouldn’t be surprised if there we’re a convention about HAVING to fly a national flag over a military installation.
–M