tfw2005 has posted the 3-page preview early, and the art work is done in the style of late marvel g1\early g2 Options

[Robowang]

Plummeting like a narrow, edible trout in the center of Fahl Space... the Decepticon flagship, Purpling Dawn.

I will ruin your birthday, David.

[Bass X0]

Wow, this looks pretty good. It really needs darker inks and shadowing to really look G2 (which is unfortunate, because if anything, there's too much dark in comics these days, brighten up!). But other than that, they seem to have got it.

I'm having trouble IDing all the guys on the last page...mainly due to the Club's non-consistent choice for molds/decos. Okay, obviously that's Thundercracker in his AM colors on the right. Other than that...pretty confused. Not so sure the Star Saber/Deathsaurus guy is supposed to be Megatron (but entirely possible of course).

Deathsaurus is Deathsaurus - these are just cameo appearances. Shattered Glass Megatron is the Energon Megatron mold with a new head. I'm sure you also recognise Bugbite, Astrotrain, the Astro Mini-Con Team (I don't think the sub is there though), Buzzclaw, Snaptrap and Skalor.

I can't quite place who is behind Buzzclaw and who is to the right of Snaptrap (the really tiny black/yellow plane thing).

[maximus prime3]

i wanna read it...but i got to wait till i get home to read it cause of the darn school computers

[Chaotic Descent]

I can't quite place who is behind Buzzclaw and who is to the right of Snaptrap (the really tiny black/yellow plane thing).

Already mentioned the conehead. I figure it's Dirge coming out of Dirge. like some kind of gooey Pretender.
and the guy right of Snaptrap is another Seacon, the manta ray.

[Bass X0]

yeah. now i see the resemblence.

[Magnusblitz]

Deathsaurus is Deathsaurus - these are just cameo appearances. Shattered Glass Megatron is the Energon Megatron mold with a new head. I'm sure you also recognise Bugbite, Astrotrain, the Astro Mini-Con Team (I don't think the sub is there though), Buzzclaw, Snaptrap and Skalor.

I can't quite place who is behind Buzzclaw and who is to the right of Snaptrap (the really tiny black/yellow plane thing).

Just seems weird to have those guys as cameo characters. SG Astrotrain is UT Astrotrain? Buzzclaw? Etc.

[Spectre]

I'm pretty sure they did it so The Mayhem Suppression Squad is all FP exclusives.

[Sso02V]

Fake...

[Spectre]

That's really, really dumb. That would have been an awesome comic, and would have really made me like the story behind the set.

There is no way whatever they end up doing will be even remotely this awesome.

[xZAOx]

That's really, really dumb. That would have been an awesome comic, and would have really made me like the story behind the set.

There is no way whatever they end up doing will be even remotely this awesome.

I feel almost bad for FP. The first time something they've done something that had overwhelmingly positive response, and turns out its fake.

[MrBlud]

I feel almost bad for FP. The first time something they've done something that had overwhelmingly positive response, and turns out its fake.

Indeed.

I don't think the actual comic is going to be anywhere near as well received.

[TrentTroop]

That's really, really dumb. That would have been an awesome comic, and would have really made me like the story behind the set.

There is no way whatever they end up doing will be even remotely this awesome.

Dang, they revealed the gag this early? I was hoping it would ride out at least until late afternoon.

It was another Troop-Sepelak 1-2 punch (I was really stifling giggles at all of the 'It was drawn by Walky!' comments). We wrote it based on an outline and notes by Pete. Greg drew and inked it and I colored it (using sampled colors from the g2 comics). What really shocked me is that no one mentioned the flat, old-school coloring as a negative. I thought for sure that would have been a point of contention.

Happy April Fool's, folks.

-Trent

[Nevermore]

I'd say this joke kinda backfired. Everyone liked it, it turns out to be a fake, and now the real thing will have a hard time living up to the fake.

[Chris McFeely]

MOTHERHUG.

"Hey, hey, check out this awesome, fun comic that's the best one we've made! Hey... it's not real! Get ready for Serious Business!"

Bah.

Just... just... motherHUG.

This post has been edited by Chris McFeely: Apr 1 2008, 01:04 PM

[M Sipher]

Thank you, thank you. And for my next number, I'm going to slaughter the Indians!

I gotta say, people... the sheer ourpouring of positive feedback on this is... amazing. I mean, we figured some of our friends would enjoy the camp and callbacks, because our friends are generally sick people. (That's why they're our friends.)

But when the pages were being written and we were thinking of the stuff to do, we were looking at aspects we thought would get way more heat from the fandom-at-large. The overblown 90's-excess styling with the wacky guns and meaningless pipes, the retro flat block-colors with minimal shading, the goofball dialogue with twisted Furmanisms, the use of Pretenders in any capacity. The whole thing was engineered to push buttons to the point of straining any credibility it might have had thanks to the timing.

I mean, come on. If we'd said "NEWS UPDATE APRIL 1ST", every last one of you'd have thought "Oh great, gag coming up" IMMEDIATELY.

Who knew it'd push different buttons than the ones intended? Who knew so many people really, really enjoyed tacky kitsch? I thought it was just me. I mean, we knew that there was a portion of the fandom that would enjoy the ridiculous... but that large of one? We were really expecting a lot more "WTF?!?!"

And check the text below the "reveal" image... clearly, you all have spoken... and far be it from us to not deliver on camp if pressed.

(This entire thing was worth it just for the reverse Furmanisms here, especially Chris McFeely's "Let's give this thing the most satisfying, comfortably-filling meal it's ever had!". BWAAAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAH!)


M "Which One Of Us Is The One That We Can't Trust?" Sipher

[MrBlud]

Who knew so many people really, really enjoyed tacky kitsch?

I'd assume everyone who ordered the figure set would since that's basically what it is too. (IMG:style_emoticons/default/icon-fire.gif)

Shame we won't get the "proper" Con comic until way after the Con.

[Galenraff]

Who knew so many people really, really enjoyed tacky kitsch? fun, entertaining comics

Fixed that there for ya. (IMG:style_emoticons/default/icon-hotrod.gif)

The main FP comics have been so over-the-top serious serious SERIOUS business, dark, hard to tell what was going on. It's really made me (and apparently a bunch of other people) long for the days of yore in the 90s when the comics had a sense of fun about them even if the stakes were high. Plus, it's a mirror universe set this year. It *should* have a good degree of fun built-in!

I'm impressed that this was something put on by FP (I assumed it was TFW...), but I agree with the others, this is really going to backfire unless the real comic is a similar degree of departure from their usual fare.

Basically, this comic really felt like people cared to make it fun! The fact that it's a hit shouldn't have been quite such a surprise, if you ask me!

Ramifications aside, you guys did an outstanding job! (IMG:style_emoticons/default/icon-ironhide.gif)

[Chris McFeely]

I don't think it's too hard to see why this didn't come off in quite the expected way. The general reaction to the boxset and it's concept on most all discussion boards (the fact that it, uh, sold out notwithstanding) was basically "Meh." The "evil parallel universe" concept has long since descended into shlock, and to see FP break it's tradition of multiverse-shaking Serious Business and actually treat the concept in a sort of "good-humoured mocking" manner made it *redeeming*. It was just... just... well, hmnph, I suppose it was to good to be true, really. Previously, I had no desire to get the set. After reading these pages, I was thinking I would try to track it down. Now, I don't give a jive any more.

If nothing else, it's certainly proof that Trent and Sipher need to make more fiction for FP than online text stories...

This post has been edited by Chris McFeely: Apr 1 2008, 01:12 PM

[M Sipher]

Why not? I mean, I don't think we're done yet with this (not if I have any say in the matter)... and you can STILL have Wacky Mirrorverse guys for your own amusement...


M "Just As People Continue To Remember Iron Man Was A Drunk That One Time Forever, So Too Can Grimmers Have A Monocle Forever In Your Heart" Sipher

[Thylacine2000]

I like this art style better than the DW/IDW manga pinups we've gotten for years and, probably, will get this year too.