Charly & Company

If you happen to be a fan of video games (especially video game reviews) then you’ve probably heard about Classic Game Room. CGR was one of the first game reviewers online way back when dialup was the hot, new technology. If you like video games and haven’t heard of Classic Game room, well then, shame on you.

Mark Bussler is the genius behind CGR, and is a super-talented guy to boot. He’s got a comic strip called Wind Squid that you should check out. It’s just getting ramped up, so you can get in on the ground floor.

But what the hell’s a Wind Squid you ask? I’ll let Mark tell ya:

Wind Squid started out as an animated series of short films about a heroic Squid that flies through space and shoots laser beams and saves the universe. It was inspired by playing SHMUP style video games like Thunder Force V, Raiden III, Gradius, Radiant Silvergun and Darius Gaiden. The original Wind Squid episodes are a parody of these brilliant Japanese space ship shooting games. As the series progressed and people enjoyed the Wind Squid character, I felt that animating it solely as a video game limited the storyline. I thought it would be more fun to expand on him and his universe and brought Wind Squid to life as a comic strip. Here he is in all his black and white glory! Check back often for new Wind Squid comic strips and animated videos that appear on YouTube. Visit the comic and video archives to follow the deranged story from the beginning.

So, please, do yourself a favor and check out Wind Squid. And while you’re at it, head on over to Classic Game Room and watch some groovy retro game reviews while enjoying one of your favorite adult beverages (kids, get your parent’s permission.)

I took the afternoon off work to have lunch with the folks and visit a craft/art supply store to check out some new materials. I’m not very happy with my inking, so I thought I’d give one of those brush pens a shot. I also snagged a few old brushes and my dip pen nibs from storage while I was home. So, the strip might take on a sudden new look over the next few days and weeks.

I promise not to be too radical.

Oh, and I’ve been thinking a lot about who this comic’s target audience is, since I really write to amuse myself. One guy wrote that he identified with Charly, to which my reply was, “may God help you.” So I got to thinking about stuff, and I’ve come to the conclusion that my audience is the downtrodden; the square peg in a world full of round holes.

Charly: Hero to the downtrodden. Sounds pretty good, eh? Maybe not – I’m stuffed with mom’s chili.

As a side note to comic creators, it’s a good idea to have your target audience figured out BEFORE you start doing your strip, but I always did do everything bass ackwards.

Cheers!