Why are there so many comics starring Mega Man?

Busterbeaver · Post by **Busterbeaver** » Sat Dec 25, 2004 4:02 pm

And why aren't any of them funny?* What is so appealing about Mega Man that other copyrighted characters that could be just as easily cut-and-pasted lack? Why, for instance, with all the pictures of George W. Bush** at your fingertips, hasn't there been a W-themed comic? Or even some other video game character? Remember Tron? I bet nobody's using that.

*I haven't seen any so far that were, anyway. Not that MM comics are at the top of my personal reading list.***

**not, so far as I know, a copyrighted character, though he might be considered a wholly-owned subsidiary of the oil industry.

***I have seen sprite comics that were funny, but I don't think Mega Man was in any of them.

Joel Fagin · Post by **Joel Fagin** » Sat Dec 25, 2004 4:04 pm

I agree! There are plenty of good sprites out there that could be dragooned into service of an unfunny comic. Why does it always have to be MM?

Not that I care much about what happens to MM's image, mind you.

- Joel Fagin

Friend · Post by **Friend** » Sat Dec 25, 2004 4:29 pm

I think Megaman sprites are just easier to get a hold of, is all.

The Neko · Post by **The Neko** » Sat Dec 25, 2004 5:42 pm

Because there is no merciful God in Heaven.

Faub · Post by **Faub** » Sat Dec 25, 2004 6:52 pm

http://sprites.planet-megaman.com/

Google for megaman sprites.

RPin · Post by **RPin** » Sat Dec 25, 2004 6:55 pm

Megaman is a cool character.

Sonic is quite used too.

It could be worse. It could be AMD sprites.

Dutch! · Post by **Dutch!** » Sat Dec 25, 2004 6:58 pm

Is this where I ask who Mega Man is?

Cope · Post by **Cope** » Sat Dec 25, 2004 7:07 pm

Dutch! wrote:Is this where I ask who Mega Man is?

OMG STFU N00B!!!

Seriously though, Mega Man is a famous videogame character with a history dating back to the NES in the eighties. I'm too lazy to go into much detail, so I'll just link to a Wikipedia article for you...

Busterbeaver · Post by **Busterbeaver** » Sat Dec 25, 2004 7:30 pm

Is this where I ask what AMD is?

McDuffies · Post by **McDuffies** » Sat Dec 25, 2004 9:56 pm

Dutch! wrote:Is this where I ask who Mega Man is?

No, actually you come in later.

Well, there are a few questions to be asked:

1. Why so many sprite comics?

2. Why so many of them suck?

3. Why so many specifically megaman?

IMO:
1. Sprite comics gave people oportunity to express themselves without having to put effort in learning how to draw. I believe comics are the most suiting form of expression for people who do it as hobby, at least in narrative arts: literature is generally taken much more seriously and is less attractive to potential reader, while on the other hand, film takes lot of resource that none of us has. So I guess comics are perfect mix of wide apeal and easy making (after all, in bottom line you need pencil and a paper). That's why so many people will look into webcomics as mean of expression.
Now, apart from a few people who actually have ideas that would uplift the concept of sprite comic (kid radd) there's a whole lot of people who turn to them because they won't have to draw, and a number of them who simply like games and want to use characters from them.
Stick figures or photo comics are something different. Whith them, level of competence is visible. With sprite comics, not so, because other people's images are usedand they're such that every crudeness in realisation can be seen as extension of crudeness of sprites themself.

2. From my experience, creativity and tallent usually don't come in just one form. I know a whole lot of artists who play or even make music. Lots of offspring writers I know dream about being directors, etc. On the oposite, a lot of people who can't draw, can't draw either.
But it's not simple. People who don't put an effort in comming with original art material usually simply aren't serious about this. Their ambition isn't to make a good comic at all - they just want to make something, for whatever reason. For the most I've seen, bad script of these comics is usually not product of lack of writer's knowledge or talent, but lack of ambition. You'll never hear those people describing their comic as "good"; It's always "fun", "rocks", etc...

3. I guess one reason is Megaman's popularity: so many people will take their favourite thing. Also, lemming complex. Once something is done in particular way, many people will copy it before one remembers to change one single thing. Now, as I said we're talking about people will totall lack of ambition for making a good comic. Those people will be even less inclined to change something in formula, including the source of sprites. I guess at one moment Megaman was used as default for sprite comics, and that sealed it's fate.

These are all generalizations, of course.

Friend · Post by **Friend** » Sat Dec 25, 2004 10:10 pm

busterbeaver wrote:Is this where I ask what AMD is?

A Modest Destiny

One of my favourite comics. All-original sprites - technically 'pixel art' because they were never used in a video game.

A little while ago some guy used AMD sprites in his own work. Sean Howard, writer of AMD, flipped out - he's very protective of his works, apparently; due to it being easy to rip off sprite characters, he was rather paranoid.
Much angst ensued, culminating in an 80's death sport revival featuring the forumites of A Modest Destiny and Penny Arcade. There has been much bad blood between them since.

So, don't use AMD sprites.

HeDanny · Post by **HeDanny** » Sun Dec 26, 2004 5:03 am

Cope wrote:
Dutch! wrote:Is this where I ask who Mega Man is?
OMG STFU N00B!!!

Seriously though, Mega Man is a famous videogame character with a history dating back to the NES in the eighties. I'm too lazy to go into much detail, so I'll just link to a Wikipedia article for you...

He knows who Megaman is. I had to try explain it to him when I was LMAO at the megaman sprite version of Bohemian Rhapsody thats on Newgrounds womewhere. He just asked the question cos he thinks its cool to not know about popular things.

Altho he DID have to explain to me what beyblades were (is?) once. Kinda wished I hadn't asked after he told me. I think it was beyblades. I am not sure now. BAH! Well it was some stupid mass production faux japaneese cartoon that is really a 20 minute advertizement for a toy. Man I hate commercialism preying on kids these days.

*goes off to play with his His complete collection of He-Man figures and eternia battle set*

...

What?

The Zebu · Post by **The Zebu** » Sun Dec 26, 2004 5:07 am

Sprite comics suck. They're totally unoriginal, overdone, and no effort is put into them.

If a writer has an idea they want to express as a comic, they should do it the good old fashioned way and find an artist who is willing to prostitute his own skills for someone elses concept. It's the yin-yang harmony of comics.

Godoftarot · Post by **Godoftarot** » Sun Dec 26, 2004 5:09 am

I like Bob and George. It's the only one I've read that's funny without actually playing the MegaMan games.

My parents never bought me a video game system when I was little. The only opportunity I got to see MegaMan was to watch an ex play it for hours. I opted to read intead.

TheSuburbanLetdown · Post by **TheSuburbanLetdown** » Sun Dec 26, 2004 8:32 am

godoftarot wrote: My parents never bought me a video game system when I was little. The only opportunity I got to see MegaMan was to watch an ex play it for hours. I opted to read intead.

This ex of yours, his name wasn't Scott, was it?

KittyKatBlack · Post by **KittyKatBlack** » Sun Dec 26, 2004 10:51 am

The Zebu wrote:Sprite comics suck. They're totally unoriginal, overdone, and no effort is put into them.

http://www.kidradd.com/

The ultimate exception to this rule.

McBean · Post by **McBean** » Sun Dec 26, 2004 10:59 am

but you're forgetting one thing: On January 1st, A Modest Destiny will become.... a world.

Jim North · Post by **Jim North** » Sun Dec 26, 2004 11:42 am

KittyKatBlack wrote:
The Zebu wrote:Sprite comics suck. They're totally unoriginal, overdone, and no effort is put into them.
http://www.kidradd.com/

The ultimate exception to this rule.

Except that Kid Radd is a fake sprite comic . . . it's actually original pixel art.

Godoftarot · Post by **Godoftarot** » Sun Dec 26, 2004 12:05 pm

PeppermintAfterlife wrote:
godoftarot wrote: My parents never bought me a video game system when I was little. The only opportunity I got to see MegaMan was to watch an ex play it for hours. I opted to read intead.
This ex of yours, his name wasn't Scott, was it?

No, his name was John. Or as he likes to call himself, Saborlas. He likes to compare himself to a wolf. Which he is not.
Don't ask me how I get into relationships with these guys. I have an overactive imagination...I guess I see qualities in them that don't exist.

The Neko · Post by **The Neko** » Sun Dec 26, 2004 12:06 pm

I think this question is related to "Why is there so much gay-love fanfiction for Final Fantasy 7?" in that people like to screw with video game icons.