Thread "QUACKCAST 53- Sprite Comics! -Need contributions!" in forum "Comic Talk and General Discussion *"

Posted at 6:11AM, Nov. 21, 2011

This week's Quackcast is about sprite comics, following Skoolmunkee's outline:

Sprite comics: there's an infinite number of them out on the Internet, but are any of them worth looking at? Can you or other DD'ers think of sprite comics that aren't a waste of time?

So please tell us about Sprite comics!
What is your opionion of them?
Know any good ones?
What's good about them?

Here are some to start you off:
http://www.drunkduck.com/Blue_Strawberry/
http://www.drunkduck.com/Moose_Shoe/
http://www.dieselsweeties.com/
http://www.squidi.net/comic/amd/
http://www.bgreco.net/kidradd/
http://www.nuklearpower.com/2001/03/02/episode-001-were-going-where/

Posted at 6:11AM, Nov. 21, 2011

http://www.nuklearpower.com/2001/03/02/episode-001-were-going-where/
http://www.bgreco.net/kidradd/

Posted at 6:11AM, Nov. 21, 2011

These forums are sucking HARD for posting these damn links so I had to put them in two posts…
The comics linked to are:
Blue Strawberry (featured comic here, some pixel art)
Moose Shoe (featured comic here, mainly pixel art)
Diesel Sweeties (famous comic by R Stevens, pixel art)
A Modest Destiny (controversial pixel art fake RPG sprite comic by Squidi)
8 Bit Theatre (Famous Sprite comic granddaddy)
Kid Radd (Animated pixel art groovy cool fantastic comic)

Posted at 11:11AM, Nov. 21, 2011

Ah, 8-bit Theatre. I haven't read that in years, but I remember it being funny. I haven't read any other sprite comics, but I'll look into the ones OZ posted.

I think anyone who was a gamer at some point made at least one sprite comic. I know I made a bunch of pages for shits and giggles over the years, and sometimes I still do. The cutscenes in my games are essentially sprite comics, even though they're in a different format.

Posted at 6:11PM, Nov. 21, 2011

Don't forget to mention Chrono Redux, the winner of the best pixel/sprite/stock image comic.

Posted at 5:11AM, Nov. 22, 2011

Yes of course! The comic you mentioned in the Quackcast!

So what do you guys think about sprite comics and pixel art comics in general? Especially those mentioned?

Skoolmunkee added these questions for this topic:
With sprite comics, what is stuff you should do?
What is stuff you should avoid?

Posted at 9:11AM, Nov. 22, 2011

Pixel comics like Blue Strawberry and Moose Shoe that use a pixelated art style are really no different from any other comic; they just use a particularly funky, particularly modern technique of representing their subject. Like any simplified art form, it can be very effective in competent hands.

As for sprite comics, which I'm (maybe erroneously) defining as that subgroup of pixel comics that uses mostly video game screencaps, there's nothing inherently wrong with that either. Overall, however, they tend not to be all that good (at least the ones I've seen). I think that's more because of the people who create them than any fault built into the medium itself. I think It's rare that you find someone truly talented and committed to making a good comic, who can't be bothered learning even some rudimentary art skills, so spriters tend to come from the less serious end of the creative spectrum. That's fine, and they can produce some silly fun results from time to time, but for the most part there's a reason why people consider sprite comics a "waste of time." Their author's first decision was to throw in the towel on the artwork, so you shouldn't expect great things!

Posted at 5:11PM, Nov. 22, 2011

I believe i placed my opinion on sprite comics on a previous quackcast, but i can't really remember it.

So anyway. I really find sprite comics difficult to find any sort of interest in… as previously stated the sprites are usually just rip-offs of pre-existing games, and usually the sprite comics are just a parody of an existing game as it is (thus the reason you can't feature most of them).
but yeah, blue Strawberry actually looks like the creator makes the sprites himself, and adds emotions on the faces of said characters, making it a bazillion times better than 99% of the sprite comics out there.
Sprite comics tend to be made with little to no effort in writing, whether it be comedy or adventure or whatever, they generally don't do much… well anything. most don't do any work at all and just copy paste the same image in like 4 consecutive panels.
I think sprites (especially from videogames) should almost NEVER be made into comics…
There was one sprite thing i saw once before, it was a parody of the Mario and Sonic franchise, but the thing is, it was all animated, using the sprites from all the existing game he could find and used the actions and bits from the characters and made very epic looking fight scenes with it.
So in my opinion, if you're gonna do a sprite comic because you can't draw.. stop. Slap yourself in the face, and try to learn how to draw yourself, unless you have a lot of experience making really good looking sprites.
Sprites used for animation… acceptable haha

Posted at 6:11PM, Nov. 22, 2011

Sprite comics are almost always "your mileage may vary," but when sprite animations are good, they're friggin great.

Super Mario Bros. Z is a perfect example of great sprite animation. Even if the story is cheese, the fight scenes are so well choreographed and played out that you don't even care. This is one of my favorite fights: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Tb-rFa5nZvQ Seven and a half minutes of non-stop action.

Posted at 4:11AM, Nov. 23, 2011

NickyP wrote:
Sprite comics are almost always "your mileage may vary," but when sprite animations are good, they're friggin great.

Super Mario Bros. Z is a perfect example of great sprite animation. Even if the story is cheese, the fight scenes are so well choreographed and played out that you don't even care. This is one of my favorite fights: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Tb-rFa5nZvQ Seven and a half minutes of non-stop action.

that's the exact example i was referring to! And the story is cheesy as hell, but still seems believable considering the characters