Table Titans Kickstarter

Scott Kurtz is more famous for PVP, but he’s been producing a second strip based around and group of people playing Dungeons and Dragons.  The strip switches its focus between what is happening in the player’s lives to what is happening in their game.  Scott took everything he learned about comics and storytelling over the years on PVP and produced a fantastic strip.  I’m biased to the subject manner, but Table Titans has become one of my favorite web comics.

The first volume of Table Titans is now on Kickstarter.  We’re at the midway point in the Kickstarter and the book is already fully funded.   That means it’s time to watch the stretch goals.  There have already been a couple of things unlocked, like a playable adventure module so you can send your party on the same adventure the Table Titans went on.

In addition to the book and the stretch goals there are also a couple of additional items you can pick up by donating at a higher pledge level.  Pinny Arcade pins, beholder dice bags, shirts, and vinyl figures are all available if you have the funds.  If you like role playing games check out Table Titans, if you’re already a fan make sure you check out the Kickstarter. 

Real Life Bearmageddon

While he is more famous for Axe Cop, I’m a huge fan of Ethan Nicolle’s web comic Bearmageddon.  I wrote briefly about it last year when I made a cameo appearance.  If the name doesn’t give it away, Bearmageddon is about bears attacking humanity.  There is a lot more to it of course, there are mutant bears and other things going on, but when you boil it down to the basics it’s about bears attacking people.  This past week it seems like Bearmageddon is closer to reality than anyone thought.
 

 

In the past week there have been seven different bear attacks.  They aren’t just happening in one area either, these attacks happened in five different states.  The attack getting the most attention is that of a 12 year old Michigan girl who was out jogging when she was attacked.  The girl played dead as the bear attacked her.  It left scratches on her face and deep gashes on her legs that required stitches, but she survived the ordeal.  She quickly made it to a neighbor’s house and was able to get medical attention.  The attack in Alaska had the victim waiting in the wilderness for 36 hours before he could be picked up for medical attention.  The news is reporting that he is currently in stable condition.  There aren't many details in that attack, but I have to wonder which did more damage; the initial attack or going so long without any help.

 

Bear fatalities in North America are actually pretty rare.  Attacks like the ones happening this week are more common.  Sure the clawing and biting may not be enjoyable for the victim, it isn’t usually fatal.  Bear attacks are on the rise, but considering their habitat is shrinking that is hardly surprising.  So why have there been so many bear attacks this week?  Partly because everyone is on vacation; most of the attacks have been on campers, hikers, and hunters.  Who would have thought?  If you go looking for nature it just might find you instead.

Gifted Volume 1

While I didn’t really mention it on That F’ing Monkey I recently ran into a bit of trouble with my truck.  It wasn’t just one little thing either, it was a combination of things that worked in unison to create a perfect storm of mechanical problems.  I was very lucky that Uncle Sam had recently given me my money back and I was somehow responsible enough that I didn’t instantly run out and spend it on new toys and video games.  Yale Stewart isn’t as lucky as I was, he actually needs a new car.

 Yale Stewart is the creator of the JL8 web comic that puts the Justice League in elementary school.  I’ve spoken about the comic before because at the moment it is my favorite iteration of the DC Universe.  I’ve been quite vocal saying the New 52 isn’t doing it for me.  JL8 gets the characters so much better than the comics currently in shops.  If you haven’t read the strip you can do so by clicking HERE. 

Well it’s pretty hard to make money off of characters you don’t own and Yale has stated that he is in some financial difficulties.  So how do you help someone who twice a week produces a fantastic web comic?  Luckily JL8 isn’t the first thing Yale has done.  There is also a 32 page comic called Gifted.  You can purchase the PDF of the comic by clicking HERE.  You pay what you want for the comic and Yale gets to build up a new car fund.  Check it out.

Kill All Monsters Kickstarter!

I was minding my own business last night on Twitter (@FingMonkeyKenO) when I ran across something glorious.  Michael May and Jason Copland’s comic Kill All Monsters has it’s very own Kickstarter.  You can check it out by clicking HERE!  So now you can pre-order a copy at your local store, but if you don’t have a friendly local comic shop or you want even more Kill All Monster Goodness you can check it out on the Kickstarter.

I know you’re thinking to yourself, “Ken you keep talking about his book, how good can it be?”  I read the web comic.  Michael was kind enough to send me a PDF, so then I read that.  I can’t wait to read it again when I have a physical copy in my hands.  It’s people in giant robot suits fighting giant monsters.  It’s people out of robot suits fighting people sized monsters.  If that doesn’t have you stomping around the room making Godzilla sounds I don’t know what else I can tell you.

Make sure you check out the Kickstarter though.  They have a number of different rewards beyond just copies of their book.  There are some fantastic looking prints for those of you who still have empty space on your walls.  There are shirts for those of you who wear clothes.  There are sketchy pledge levels where you can get some awesome Copland art.  You have to move quickly, those are going fast.

Last night I made the joke I need my own Kickstarter to afford the $600 tier.  Jason must have been crazy when he agreed to pencil a 5 page story that the funder has written.  I want it just so I can play in the amazing setting that he and Michael have created.  Couldn’t you see me in a KAM prequel?  Fighting in a half sized prototype robot suit.  Hitting monsters with a hammer, setting them on fire, and then dying horribly?  I wonder if the wife would notice if I spent on tax refund….

In all seriousness, please check out the Kill All Monsters Kickstarter by clicking HERE.  You’ll be glad you did.

Axe Cop Trailer

Recently at Wonder Con the ADHD team debuted their trailer for the Axe Cop cartoon on Fox.  If you are somehow out of the loop on the Axe Cop goodness, here is a brief overview.  Back in 09 comic artist Ethan Nicolle was visiting his family and was playing with his 5 year old step brother.  Ethan drew 4 comic strips detailing the events of game they played and then introduced the internet to his brother’s imagination.  When those first strips began getting popular Ethan knew they needed to continue the story.  Malachai is responsible for the ideas and plots while Ethan provides the art and everything else needed to put the strips together.

Axe Cop took off from there.  It went from being a web comic, to getting published by Dark Horse, to getting motion comics, and now it is going to be a cartoon on Fox. We won’t actually see full episodes until July 27^th, but the trailer already confirms that it will still contain the randomness that makes Axe Cop so much fun.

Kill All Monsters! Volume 1: Ruins of Paris

People who visit That F’ing Monkey often should be pretty familiar with Kill All Monsters! at this point.  It is the amazing web comic by Michael May and Jason Copland.  The Earth is over run by giant monsters and the only thing left to fight them is a group of men and women piloting giant robot battle suits.  Yes, it is a comic full of kaiju style battles and more. 

I consider Michael a friend, but it is not coloring my opinion on this book.  The story is full of that fun team dynamic. For some reason it reminds me of the adventure groups in a good table top RPG.  I can't fully explain why; it's something with the group dynamic.  Jason Copland’s art is beyond words.  The organic design of the beasts is offset by the mechanical battle suits.  His line work is so clean and precise that you’ll spend time just taking in all the details. 

Kill All Monsters! is in previews this April.  It’s located on Page 244, order number STK611039.  The first collection is 136 pages of black and white monster fighting awesome.  This isn’t a Marvel or DC book, your shop isn’t going to fill the shelves with this book.  Please consider pre-ordering Kill All Monsters!  It’ll ensure you get a fantastic book and it will help its creators make more!

The Ballad of Kid Largo: S1, E17

And now That F’ing Monkey proudly presents, The Ballad of Kid Largo.

Today’s strip introduces the Lincoln’s gang leader.  Besides being a very important person to the story, he may also look familiar.  The Lincoln’s leader is played by our very own cake fucker Brandon.  His glee over people badly painted to look like Lincoln is one of the reasons this strip has kept going.

The Ballad of Kid Largo: S1, E16

And now That F’ing Monkey proudly presents, The Ballad of Kid Largo.

During the break in Kid Largo strips I had a few computer changes.  That included changing operating systems and having to move to a new version of my image software.  I need to mess with a few more strips, but I think the color is slightly different than the older strips.  Anyway, the story will start picking up again with today’s strip.  Next week will introduce a new character into the mix.

The Ballad of Kid Largo: S1, E15

And now That F’ing Monkey proudly presents, The Ballad of Kid Largo.

Finally we’re back!  I was so busy at work I didn’t actually use any of the time I was running background articles to rebuild my strip buffer.  I still intend to update the Largo strips every Wednesday, but that update will probably happen later in the day than the site normally updates.   

The Ballad of Kid Largo: S1, E14

And now That F’ing Monkey proudly presents, The Ballad of Kid Largo.

First I wanted to apologize to everyone; we’ve been pretty bad about getting updates put up during the holidays. Things should have settled down now and we’ll be back to our full updates again. Today’s Kid Largo strip is the only one that is going to run in January. I’ve got some other Kid Largo related articles that are going to run in place of the normal strips. I think they’ll be pretty interesting to that’s been reading.

Tales From the Brain Jar, #24

Tales From the Brain Jar is a reoccurring feature here at That F’ing Monkey. I’ve been collecting art from some of my favorite creators for years now and Tales From the Brain Jar is a way it off a little. Today’s sketch was done at Botcon 2010. Botcon is a Transformers convention. I probably wouldn’t travel to go to a Botcon, but when it came to Orlando I had to check it out.

The sketch was done by Matt Moylan whose art can be found at lilformers.com. Matt ran a Lil Former’s web comic for a long time. He now works for Udon Entertainment and does web comics for Bravoman and Wagan Land. Matt is extremely well versed in Transformers lore, so I could have asked for any number of Transformers. Instead of going for my all time favorite (Springer), I went with another bot in my top 5.

Slag is one of the Dinobots. The triceratops was always my favorite dinosaur as a kid, so when the Dinobots first were introduced he was the one I wanted. But there are other reasons that Slag is perfect for me. His name is a generic curse word in the Transformers world. It’s not a nice word in British slang either. He also breathes fire; his file card even stated he likes melting enemies into pools of liquid metal. The file card also goes on to state he’s such a complete and total asshole that the other Autobots won’t come to his rescue when he gets himself in trouble. “Me Slag no like anything” indeed.

The Ballad of Kid Largo: S1, E13

And now That F’ing Monkey proudly presents, The Ballad of Kid Largo.

It isn’t clear in the strips, Tess is still with Largo but she didn’t climb up on the building. All joking aside, if there was a collected version of the strips I’d probably add something to bridge 12 and 13. Anyway I hope everyone had a great Christmas.

The Ballad of Kid Largo: S1, E12

And now That F’ing Monkey proudly presents, the Ballad of Kid Largo.

I hope you forgive me that we skipped a couple of strips full of Kid Largo and Tess walking through the city. That Tess is a handy girl to have around. Internal tracking radar isn’t the only trick she has up those sleeves. Well gloves really, she doesn’t have sleeves.

The Ballad of Kid Largo: S1, E11

And now That F’ing Monkey proudly presents, The Ballad of Kid Largo.

There are some strips, like the one with Toast-T that I wrote just because I found funny. Actually the whole series is pretty much because I liked the oddness of a Hammerhead cowboy. Today’s strip isn’t for me. Today’s strip was made just to make Brandon laugh. Anyway, enjoy the Lincolns.

The Ballad of Kid Largo: S1, E10

And now That F’ing Monkey proudly presents, The Ballad of Kid Largo.

I think you’ll see that Brad looks more like his father than Tess does. He’s actually the older of the two. In this setting there is a very big difference robots and androids. Those differences, including things like how androids can even have families, will be part of next month’s updates. There is some neat stuff planned for Kid Largo, thanks for reading.

The Ballad of Kid Largo: S1, E9

And now That F’ing Monkey proudly presents, The Ballad of Kid Largo.

And we’re back with a face full of plot! When we first started with the Ballad of Kid Largo I said it would be an experiment and would run for two months. According to that, today’s strip would be the last one that I had posted. Kid Largo is not ending here, there are a number of finished strips sitting in a folder and I still want to show them off. At this point in time, the Ballad Kid Largo will run at least until the 14th strip.  I have the entire first story plotted out, so if the interest is there we'll go far beyond number 14.

The Ballad of Kid Largo: S1, E8

And now That F’ing Monkey proudly presents, The Ballad of Kid Largo.

I have to confess today’s strip might be my favorite one. I even kept a version of it with all of the dialogue except for the sound effects removed.

Tomorrow is Thanksgiving. We should have a Hangover Thursday update, but just in case I don’t get to it, I wanted to wish everyone a Happy Thanksgiving.

The Ballad of Kid Largo: S1, E7

And now That F’ing Monkey proudly presents, The Ballad of Kid Largo.

Tess’ father is a Professor Eric Richards. His full name is never used in the actual strips; usually he is just referred to as Father or Professor. Obviously, he is very smart. I mean they don’t let just anyone go around with “PROF” on their chest

The Ballad of Kid Largo: S1, E6

And now That F’ing Monkey proudly presents, The Ballad of Kid Largo.

And with strip number six we finally leave the alley! We’ll see inside Tess’ home next week and be introduced to a couple new faces.

The Ballad of Kid Largo: S1, E5

And now That F’ing Monkey proudly presents, The Ballad of Kid Largo.

Happy Halloween everyone! We’re rolling around with our Kid Largo train. I thought about having a more Halloween themed update today, but in all honesty we’ve been doing lots of monster stuff before today so I figured we’d just roll with the comic. Brace yourself, we’re about to get knee deep in plot.