Street Writer: The Word Warrior: March 2021

Wednesday, March 31, 2021

Who will rule The New Urth? A 1UP classic...

Primal Rage was released in the mid-90's. If you've never played the game let me sum up. It was a fighting game featuring giant monsters.

That hardly sounds like a description worth anything. Especially since I'm bringing up old games. Let me try and set the stage and put the game in context. After 1992, following the release of Street Fighter II, fighting games were en vogue. Every studio on the face of the Earth was scrambling to release a fighter of their own.

Countless crappy clones came out. Some were decent but the majority sucked. It seemed that while any studio could put together a fighter, they lacked what it took to make it great. The animations were choppy, collision detection was sloppy, the designs rubbish and the balance nonexistent. In the USA it seemed that while we lacked the polish of Funamizo and Okamoto's Street Fighter games, we made up for it with violence. None of the western fighting games as unique or violent as Primal Rage.

The story for Primal Rage was great sci-fi. A meteor crash destroys civilization and unleashes ancient gods from suspended animation. Tribes of men follow around these gods and worship them from the onset.

The art direction in the game is superb. The levels are all over-the-top designs for Earth gone savage. Cities lay in ruin, oceans have shifted and volcanos erupt in the background. Some levels are set around lush jungles while others in a frozen wasteland. All of the levels use bright colors, weather effects and dramatic lighting to achieve an original look and feel.

The main characters, mostly dinosaurs are very memorable. Many arcade gamers think that Atari came up with the look and feel of the characters all by themselves. Those that read comics know that the designs and color schemes were directly lifted from Ricardo Delgado's Age of Reptiles. Anybody that reads this blog, is into great art and comics should think about getting both Age of Reptiles trade paperbacks if you haven't already.

These creatures and the whole game are memorable because it marks the first time stop-motion clay figures were used in a videogame. The Neverhood claymation videogame was released a year or so after Primal Rage. Prior to that most fighting characters were hand drawn sprites as the 3D polygons in Virtua Fighter were crude by comparison. There is a certain charm to seeing actual, physical objects used as sprites. While many were awed by the CGI and polygon models in future games one could still appreciate the detail that went into the creation of actual clay figures for the game.

Atari released multiple updates for the game while it was in the arcade. The game was loose, unbalanced, choppy and subject to many glitches. Aside from that it was a fun experience. Fun in the sense that the controls were unique. There were four attack buttons and a joystick. Rather than inputting the commands like you would in Street Fighter II, players had to hold and release the buttons while moving the joystick. This completely changed the pace of the typical fighter and allowed for players to learn new strategies.

It is possibly the violence that everyone remembers most from the game. Mortal Kombat has already set the standard for shock in the arcade with the advent of the Fatality. Once the bar had been set there was nothing short of a Hellraiser game that could shock the average arcade player. Primal Rage was as close as we'd ever get to topping Mortal Kombat.

For many Primal Rage had crossed the line and set a new standard in depravity. Some fatalities had the main characters eating the flesh off of the opponent. Blizzard, a giant ape would pound his opponents into the ground and then punch the brain right out of their skull. Chaos, a different ape had ranged attacks consisting of projectile vomit and toxic gas farts. One of his fatalities was the "Golden Shower." Chaos would lift his leg and pee acid on the fallen opponent... I'm not making this stuff up people!

The spectrum of fighting games would shift over the next few years. Rare created Killer Instinct, whose fancy SGi sprites, brutal fatalities and massive combos won the average arcade gamer over. I wasn't that impressed with the title since it had all been done before in Primal Rage. The concept of juggling and opponent and setting off obscene combos I first saw in Primal Rage. One of my friends could easily top 77 hit combos in the game. That was impressive for the time.

Games like Killer Instinct feature automatic and cheap combos that you can pull on an opponent. The "vs" titles from Capcom feature hundred hit combos that can keep an opponent perpetually suspended until they die. This type of combo pornography has pretty much killed the fighting game. At least for me anyhow.

Primal Rage was just too far ahead of its time. Fighting characters that weren't human, unique control, a solid plot and fully realized world. In concept and execution it was a great title. The home console versions were decent but simply couldn't match the sound and detail of the arcade.

There was even a Primal Rage II in the works. Due to the cost associated with the fighter it was scrapped. Ask anybody that's played the majority of fighters in the arcade if they would like to have seen a Primal Rage II. Most would say yes. It would be a welcome change of pace from another damn Mortal Kombat.

Maybe one day the rights will get picked up and somebody will bring Primal Rage back from the dead. Hey, if new life was breathed into titles like Prince of Persia and Ghouls and Ghosts then there might still be a chance.

EDIT: Proof that Primal Rage characters can make any game more fun. If you would like to sponsor me please visit my Patreon page and consider donating each month, even as little as $1 would help make better blogs and even podcasts!

Monday, March 29, 2021

Why limited-edition tabletop game items are so cool. A 1UP classic...

Tabletop gamers are a unique lot. They enjoy the gaming experience for many of the same reasons that the video game crowd does. There are games that can take players back in time, to fantastic worlds or even to far off planets. There are games that allow players to take on the role of a pro athlete, dictator, robot, cartoon character, police officer or even monster. The best titles are the immersive experiences, the ones that allow players to lose themselves even if just for a moment. Exceptional games can keep a player hooked for hours on end. Many gamers can attest to losing track of time during a session. The most die-hard gamer can attest to losing track of decades. This is because very often a great game has a backstory to hook the player, whether stated or not. The player is often dropped in the middle of a crisis that only they can solve. As the game progresses the elements of the story and the world are revealed to them. The more players become engaged with the experience the more they play and the more that they learn about the game and the game world. The cycle of gaming and discovering continues with every successive play through. Above everything else however there is the camaraderie, the community and the mutual appreciation of the games that players enjoy.

Both the tabletop and video game players can also enjoy the collecting aspect but one goes to the extreme end to support the community. Tabletop gamers enjoy the tangible aspect of the hobby. Each game and each system is supported by books, dice, miniatures and templates. To be fair some video games do have merchandise and collectables as well. Toys, clothing, books and yes, even miniatures and tabletop systems as well. The ones who do it best and who will always do it best are the tabletop gaming manufacturers. The physical objects they produce have a special connection with collectors. Yes an MMO player can spend just as much time as a tabletop gamer leveling, customizing and even painting a character. Once the power goes out however only one type of player has a physical reminder of their game. Those that have been playing miniature based games for 10, 15 or even 20 years have enough physical reminders to fill a garage or two. These players have to collect, assemble and paint their armies one soldier at a time. Video game players get to command a single person or entire unit, some armed with amazing weapons, at their disposal. Dozens if not hundreds of people created those game characters for their entertainment. Tabletop game players have to collect, assemble and paint their own terrain as well. Video game players get to explore vivid worlds created by teams of developers. All of the hours spent playing are not meaningless for tabletop gamers, especially once the power goes out. As gamers on both sides get older their tastes change as well. They tend to demand some more sophistication in the games they play and more immersion. As gamers get older they become working professionals and have more disposable income. This means that they demand a more diverse selection of models and higher quality and hereby higher priced collectables.

Last summer I had talked about the limited edition items from Games Workshop. The creator of the popular Warhammer Fantasy Battle system had released some special markers, rulers and templates for players to collect. Since the world of Warhammer was set in a fantasy world, complete with dragons, ogres and magic, the accessories had to reflect the same spirit. Dice had ancient symbols and skulls carved into them. The rulers and compasses were shaped with macabre icons as well and gilded with the details of medieval artists. These new markers would help distinguish the "hardcore" players from the crowd that used traditional rulers and dice. Collectors knew it would only be a matter of time before the science fiction game Warhammer 40,000 would also get the same treatment.

The company tended to focus the support on each system for full year intervals. Even years were often reserved for new fantasy releases and odd years usually went to 40K campaigns. The end of 2012 and start of 2013 saw several new items added for collectors. The templates for Warhammer 40K had every bit the attention to detail that the fantasy ones had. The markers were silver with gothic iconography made popular in the grim futuristic universe. They were made to look as if they had cool blue electrical sparks flowing between them. This was a good contrast to the gold reserved for the fantasy system.

Citadel, the hobby manufacturer for Games Workshop, also released new dice and objective markers, the Munitorum templates that were consistent with the universe as well. The dice had intricate, circuit-board-like lines carved into them. These new items were placed inside of a metal tin stamped and colored to look like a laser gun power pack. It's a perfect collectable for fans of the Imperial Guard and Space Marines. The objective markers were floating servo-skulls. The skulls were prevalent in the 40K universe, specifically for the human colonies. The servo skulls were made from the heads of devout followers of the Empire and fitted with robotic attachments and anti-gravity disks. They provided all sorts of uses for the empire, from recording audio and video to surveying sites too dangerous for living creatures. Some servo skulls had medical equipment and even weapons attached to them. They often accompanied Space Marines into battle and were most often found with Tech Priests (engineers) and officers. They were as ubiquitous and indispensable as the Droids in Star Wars mythos. It made great sense to turn them into objective markers for a game. Citadel saw an additional use for them though.

A second Servo Skull was released with a built in measuring tape. The front teeth of the skull could be pulled out to show off the bright red laser-like tape. Most tabletop gamers keep a folding ruler or tape measure handy but none have ever looked so cool! It is a good contrast to the traditional ruler created for the fantasy gamers.

There was actually something that Games Workshop had created a few years ago that was among the best accessories for tabletop gaming yet invented. In tabletop games there is a long standing rule called Line of Sight (LOS). When players have a firearm with a specific range then they check to see if all or only part of an opponent's character is exposed. Even partially covered characters can be shot at, however the person attacking suffers a penalty when rolling the dice. Sometimes a player on defense hides a character behind a sandbag or wall and assumes they have enough cover to be completely out of the LOS. Many a game has become heated, even between two good friends, because one player claims that they have a shot and the other does not concur. This ends up bringing a game to a grinding halt and often ends up with one party feeling like they are being cheated. What Games Workshop did was create an LOS laser. It had a curved tail that could be placed over a miniature and show exactly where the character could realistically fire. The laser would actually mark a crosshair on the target and not simply a red dot. It was one of the greatest tools a player could take with them especially to a tournament.

I wonder if any bad sport ever shot an opponent in the eye with the laser. As with all of the new accessories released, the laser LOS was a limited-edition item. Once GW and Citadel had sold out of the item that was it. More unique collectables would be released over the years to keep fans buying. If you would like to sponsor me please visit my Patreon page and consider donating each month, even as little as $1 would help make better blogs and even podcasts!

Friday, March 26, 2021

The Marvel Young Guns of 2004, and 2006. A 1UP classic...

I've been away from my blog for far too long. It will take me a while to create new content for it. In the meantime I will be going through my old 1UP archives, and repost some of my favorite articles. It's kind of sad that Capcom-Unity shut down their blogs, I can't link to any more old posts there. Thankfully the majority I already copied over here. There are a few I think I'd have to put together, if they were important to begin with. The classic for today is actually a look at the Marvel "Young Guns." These were the up-and-coming artists from 15 years ago. How many do you recognize? How many are still around? I can say for certain that Adi Granov probably had the most influence in mainstream. His versions of the Iron Man armor set the tone that would be recreated in the Marvel films. Which of course have been recreated in toy, and collectable statue form as well. Did you have any favorite comic book artists from 2004-2006?

There is an old saying that goes "hindsight is always 20/20." That means you can clearly see how you got to where you are now. In the case of Marvel Comics the change for the art team began in 2004, with the release of a sketchbook. The featured artists were new to Marvel but some were seasoned veterans in the industry. Marvel felt that these would be the artists to watch.

It all makes sense now because what Marvel had planned for many of these artists wasn't a book here or there, but to get them started on long-term projects and major crossovers. Many of the arcs that these artists started in 2004 are just being finished right now, some are still in progress.

Jim Cheung was given the task to come up with a young team of Avengers that mirrored the classic heroes, Captain America, Iron Man, Thor and the Hulk. His version was not meant to replace the heroes but rather pay an homage to them while they were away on their various adventures. The writing in the "Young Avengers" book has garnered some attention and the art is right up there with the best of today.

Not to be outdone the second artist featured in the sketchbook is Olivier Coipel. He was slated to work on the Ultimate X-Men books but his style was so solid, so consistent that he was asked to work on the House of M crossover event. Getting a major event as a "rookie" is the stuff that dreams are made of. While critics lamented the weak arc in House of M, Olivier still delivered some amazing panels and terrific covers.

David Finch, like Olivier, has a solid style. His work is classic, his use of framing, angles and shadow should be studied again and again by budding artists. While a lot of artists become popular because of their "style" many of them lack basic chops. Things like anatomy, perspective, shape and color. David succeeds because he has all of the basics down and bends themn to his will. His pencils are tight and flawless and you should check out his work on the New Avengers available in trade paperback. He may just be the most underrated artist of the bunch.

Adi Granov needs no introduction. He is only the best painter to come out of Marvel in the past decade. The art on his Iron Man is simply unbeatable. I dare say that I enjoy Adi's art more than I do Alex Ross... yeah go ahead and shoot. Adi isn't just a great Iron Man artist, his panels and painting ability apply to everything he touches, including the covers to the She-Hulk TPB. You can be certain that Adi's influence will be featured in the upcoming Iron Man animated feature.

Trevor Hairsine is a veteran. He's done work for 2000 A.D. and Judge Dredd. You know, the stuff that British people like to see. Lots of action, lots of violence and lost of blood. For his work at Marvel he was put on the "Ultimate Nightmare" arc. Probably because he pencils a lot like Bryan Hitch, the person responsible for creating a contemporary look for the Marvel Universe in the "Ultimates." Trevor has a clean style, his pencils are tight like David Finch and his sense of direction is great. Hopefully we will see more of Trevor, especially his paintings in the future.

Last in the Young Guns sketchbook was Steve McNiven. Like Trevor and Olivier, Steve was given a major arc right out of the gate. His run on "Ultimate Secret" was only a prelude for an even larger event. McNieven was a prominent artist in the "Civil War" a story that touched the lives of every major and minor player in the Marvel U. Steve started as a young gun but is now considered a veteran, two years later his run on the Cilvil War is barely coming to a conclusion! His poster for the Civil War got many people talking before the event ever took place. Take a close look and see if you can spot the actual artist in the image.

So there you have it. A look to see where Marvel has been in the past three years. Did these artists revolutionize the industry? No. Were they influential? Hell yes! As an artist nothing could be better than influencing the next generation.

Welcome back. I hope you've been saving your money because these are the artists that will drive Marvel for the next few years. Although this group was collectively published as the Young Guns for 06, their work is just now popping up on store shelves. Like the previous generation some of these artists are veterans with an even more ethnic mix thrown in for good measure.

Note to budding US artists: don't sleep! The Marvel Young Guns from 2006 are here! First up is Billy Tan, originally from Malaysia. His art has popped up on the Uncanny X-Men, one of Marvel's best selling books. For a young gun to get such a prestigous book it means that Marvel has faith in his ability. If you study his pencils you will see that he was heavily influenced by Jim Lee, considered to be the best X-Men artist of all-time.

The similarities are there but Tan is also influenced by Whilce Portacio. I consider Whilce the most underrated of the Image artists, and the one who got a bum wrap for disappearing from the industry. Read his Wiki page and you'll see that Whilce has some rotten luck, let's hope that Tan is able to make it through the cutthroat industry in better health. Check out the current run of the Uncanny X-Men to see more from this talented young gun.

Next up is Clayton Crain. Of all the young guns Clayton might know the least about framing techniques, perspective or proportion. What he does know better than any young gun, current or past, is digital coloring techniques. Clayton is a front-runner for the best digital painter that has ever worked in comics. He has done covers for some Sensational Spider-Man books but it was a limited run on the Ghost Rider that put him on the map. From what I understand writer Garth Ennis and Clayton had to fight with the powers that be to get the book out of the door. It was his art that did most of the convincing.

Over the past decade the Ghost Rider had slowly faded in popularity. The only other artists that defined a generation with the Rider were Mark "Tex" Texeira and Javier Saltares. The Tex version of the Ghost Rider was set in the early 90's and with a new rider named Danny Ketch. Clayton revisits the classic Johnny Blaze character and brings him back to the forefront of the legacy. If you are serious about comics as art or just want to be entertained with some kick-ass art then it would behoove you to check out the six issue limited run Ghost Rider on Marvel Knights.

Clayton is currently working on a Civil War-era version of the Ghost Rider titled "Trail of Tears."

The third artist I will be talking about today is Italian Simone Bianchi. Simone is new to Marvel but not a rookie in any sense of the word. His style is hard to compare with another artist. His figures are bold and kinetic, the poses and pencils very reminiscent of Bernie Wrighston and even a tighter John Romita Sr. Simone has a good eye for framing his subjects. His pencil and even painting techniques help him stand apart from the other young guns. You can expect a lot of great things to come from Simone as he is replacing Humberto Ramos on the Wolverine book starting with issue #50.

Leinil Francis Yu is the next young gun we'll be looking at. His style is the boldest of the new wave. Take the above piece for example, what would happen if the Hulk really did cut loose with Wolverine? Leinil pencils and inks with a thickness that many consider crude. His art has an illustrator quality to it. I would compare him to Moebius with an eye for detail almost as obscene as Geof Darrow. When Leinil paints his pieces, sometimes with watercolor, he creates magnificent effects, some of his technique reminds me of Simon Bisley.

Certainly Leinil is the type of artist that transcends typical comic book illustration, he just is a great artist period. As Smashbro mentioned yesterday, too bad they don't show this art in school. If you are interested in seeing more of his work check out issues 1 and 2 of Ultimate Hulk vs Wolverine (the rest of the books were never done because the writer flaked out). He is also working on the occasional New Avengers books.

I've said my piece on Ariel Olivetti already. It bears repeating however. Ariel is two issues into the Punisher War Journal and a must-get for Punisher fans. Each page is painted, the characters are over-the-top and the theme of the common man going up against super powered characters keeps Frank Castle grounded in reality.

The Punisher is a lot like the Batman. Both lost their families and both snapped as a result. Frank Castle, a police officer, lost his wife and son during a mob hit. Frank and his family were left for dead in Central Park. He survived to punish the mob families under his new alias. Bruce Wayne uses his mind to solve crimes and never uses guns while the Punisher is more of a brute force vigilante with an affinity for guns. Fans of one character might not like the other. Ariel's art fits perfectly with the character. The exaggerated characteristics shine when there are cameos from other Marvel legends. Who they are will remain a secret unless you pick up the recent books.

Pasqual Ferry, the final member of the Young Guns 06, is my favorite of the lot. Like the others he is not really a rookie, he is only new to Marvel. He has done numerous covers and projects for DC over the years. Marvel and DC are entering "exclusive" contracts in order to secure the writers and artists of the most popular books. The ones working on smaller titles act like free agents and can do the occasional cover for rival publishers.

Pasqual is a franchise player. His style is so amazing that it is almost too good for comics. The other artists that come to mind when comparing his work are Adam Hughes, especially in the painting department and Frank Cho for his pencils. The tiny scans below simply do not do justice. Hit the local comic book store and pick up Ultimate Fantastic Four #33-37 and New Avengers #24. In New Avengers we see him create a version of the Sentry (Marvel's Superman knock-off) and the Inhumans that are awe-inspiring.

Well that rounds out the next gen at Marvel. I hope you enjoyed the series. Be sure to visit your local comic book store and give these new artists a chance. You never know what you might find. Until then, peace. If you would like to sponsor me please visit my Patreon page and consider donating each month, even as little as $1 would help make better blogs and even podcasts!

Monday, March 22, 2021

Take a bike ride on the road to mental wellness...

Apologies for not updating my blog as frequently as I used to. The COVID-19 pandemic took its toll on my mental, and physical health. Only now am I starting to turn things around. A lot of that has to do with getting back into art. The previous post in October 2020 was a starting off point. Doing style studies of Steve Nazar's art for T&C Surf Designs made me feel better. So through November I looked up other things that inspired me as a kid. Around Thanksgiving I caught a BMX race on YouTube. That's when I remembered I loved all things BMX while growing up. It was like waking up a part of my brain that had amnesia.

Of all the bike types the ones I really loved were called Formula-1 bikes. It was a short-lived trend, circa 1987-1989. They were road racing versions of BMX bikes. The massive Japanese company Shimano tried to get a new street racing league started, and had convinced a dozen manufacturers to make the bikes as well. US companies like DiamondBack, and Haro jumped on board.

The thing was that even though Shimano was pushing a standard for racing bikes, the company Hutch was already working on fast street bikes. The Ferrari of which was one that I idolized was called the HPV, or Human Powered Vehicle. It hit over 40 miles per hour and got the world record for fastest 20-inch bike.

I started drawing all of my favorite bikes, and then went further. Using the BMX Museum website as a reference I started drawing every known Formula 1 bike that existed. While doing research I ended up adding a dozen that the site had never heard of.

Doing research gave my mind focus. Creating renderings of these bikes gave me purpose. It was as if I was wrestling my life, my focus, back from the pandemic. The more I researched and drew, the more I felt like I was getting back into my old self. I felt like I was reconnecting with a part of me that had died.

When I wasn't doing my normal job (which I also did from home thanks to the pandemic) I spent every waking hour working on bikes. Days turned into weeks. Before I knew it I had drawn over 50 F1 bikes. I uploaded all of my drawings to the BMX Museum. I had finished my passion project at the end of 2020. I wasn't out of the woods yet.

collection of formula 1 bike illustrations

The politics, work, home, family, and stress of 2020 could not be undone in a couple of months. As drawing bikes gave me back control, I started working on other types. Formula 1 bikes would always be my most favorite. They were not however the only favorite style of bikes that I enjoyed.

I began drawing freestyle, and traditional racing bikes in even greater detail than before. I even gave these new drawings themed backgrounds. It was a creative challenge that gave me a new sense of purpose. So I kept on drawing.

I drew old school ('80s), mid school ('90s), and modern bikes. I researched my favorite bikes growing up, and essentially drew all of the bikes I wish I had as a kid. It gave me a sense of accomplishment as they started to come together.

Haro Team Master freestyle bike illustration

As I shared my illustrations on the BMX Museum fellow members started reaching out to me, several to commission me to create drawings for them as well. It was humbling that long-time collectors enjoyed my art, and were willing to commission me for an original drawing. Some of the best art I had ever produced came out thanks to the pandemic. It gave me a sense of control that had been lacking. It gave me back my focus, my drive, and desire. This leads me all the way back to this blog.

I've started getting back into podcasting. Which means I will get back to recording content for this blog. I will also get back to doing some fighting game research, and reviews. I want to thank all of the visitors that have been checking in on the site. Whether you left a comment on an old post. Or checked for new content, I appreciate it. I really do. I'm never going to abandon this blog. I may be getting slower with the updates, but I'm never going to stop posting. If there's anything you'd like me to look at, or write about, please let me know. If you would like to sponsor me please visit my Patreon page and consider donating each month, even as little as $1 would help make better blogs and even podcasts!