Hi I'm Daryl and I like to draw so it's great to be a part of the Nerd Invasion.
As part of the Watchmen week I have drawn Nite Owl, I based his suit a little
more on the movie as there is just a lot more to it.
I really enjoyed doing this and I'm looking forward to seeing what next
on Nerd Invasion. There are some very talented creators involved
here and I always enjoy seeing the work.
I have to say, Ive never been one of those people rippin their own hair off because of how cool Watchmen is. I mean, I TOTALLY get the historic and narrative relevance of such a HUGE piece of work, but I cant help thinking that probably seeing it unfoil month after month at the time it actually came out must have been enormously more mind-blowing than reading the complete GN now. I mean, I know the reason it looks... obvious? is because basically the whole medium started lifting from it, but it DOES look a bit obvious to me nonetheless.
But then theres Moloch. Amidst the big drama, the killings investigation, the torn superhero aspect, there was this guy who once was a modest supervillain, then retired, basically kept living like you imagine your grampa would, then gets cancer and is very unceremoniously shot in the head. While Captain America or even Superman died heroically in their duty, this guy gets a deadly prostate disease and dies with his slippers and blanket still on. And thats it. I cant help but feel genuinely sorry for this guy, the Bela Lugosi of super-villainy.
Anyway, blue lead and Pentel brushpen on cheap toothy paper plus some digital shenanigans.
I've never hidden the fact that I find Watchmen over-rated, I've just never seen the appeal. In saying that I do love Jeffrey Dean Morgan so The Comedian was the obvious choice for me. Now before I start ranting I'll just leave you with a Comedian quote -
To those who didn't know we recently ran a draw of this week's theme on Facebook and Nerd Invasion's friend Darrin O'Toole, writer of Tales from the Void, Earthruler and countless others in the future, was the lucky winner and he chose Alan Moore & Dave Gibbon's Watchmen aka the best selling graphic novel of all time. He even went so far as to provide us with a Ozymandias piece himself. So without further ado here's Darrin's contribution (and kickstarter) to Watchmen week.
Heres my piece, Kabal was an obvious choice for me coz MK3 was the VERY first Pc game I actually saved money for and went out and bought (as opposed to being given as a present or buggin' my parents until they got soft), and I remember I thought him and Striker were the COOLEST.
Also, Baraka was kinda obvious too, coz hes "horror movie night" enough for me to approve ;)
No colorin' or photoshoppin' this week, Im afraid, coz Im fucking swamped. I dont even know why Im still here writing stupidly long blog post while those pages arent gonna pencil and ink themselves.
There's not enough love for Johnny Cage. Everyone is obsessed with Scorpion, Sub Zero, Raiden, etc and yet Johnny C barely gets a word in. I truly hope this will change in the future otherwise you might get CAGED!
Let me just start by saying I'm shocked! Not one of the
Nerd Invaders decided to draw Ryu, Ken, or M. Bison. I thought the
announcement of a Street Fighter week would lead to an all out battle to
the death between our artists to draw these characters but instead
everyone calmly chose their characters and went about there sketches
(which are great - scroll down the blog to see them). So this weeks theme is Street Fighter: the world famous video game
franchise set in the "Beat Em Up" genre. I could literally write forever
on this subject so I'm just going to focus on its beginnings and the most
famous version - Street Fighter II.
Humble Beginnings.
Street Fighter - 1987
Street Fighter made its debut at the arcades in 1987, designed by Takashi Nishiyama and Hiroshi Matsumoto. The player took control of a lone martial artist named Ryu,
who competes in a worldwide martial arts tournament spanning five
different countries (United States, Japan, China, England, and Thailand)
and ten opponents, two per country.
Street Fighter 2010 - The Final Fight - 1989
After the release of the original Street Fighter, Capcom produced an NES game known as Street Fighter 2010: The Final Fight. This futuristic action game bore no real connection to the original Street Fighter
or it's canon, although the English localisation of the game changed
the main character's identity from Kevin to Ken, implying that he is the
same Ken from the original Street Fighter. The side-scrolling beat 'em up Final Fight was originally promoted with the working title Street Fighter '89. While the game's title was changed due to its drastically different game play, Final Fight, unlike Street Fighter 2010, does take place in the same universe as later Street Fighter games.
Following on from the release of Final Fight, the decision was made to make a direct sequel to Street Fighter which would incorporate the game play changes from Final Fight and once again feature Ryu as the main character. This game would go down in legend and forever change the beat 'em up genre. Street Fighter II was born. Notably, even when Street Fighter II was released, Capcom had
no idea what sort of phenomenon it was about to create. It believed that
the game would do somewhat (but an unknown quantity) better than its
CPS-based contemporary games, Final Fight and Mercs.
The Game That Changed The World.
Street Fighter II - Original Promo Poster
Street Fighter II was the first one-on-one fighting game
to give players a choice from a variety of player characters, an option
which created previously unknown levels of depth and replay value for an
arcade game. Each player character had a fighting style with roughly 30 or more
moves, including previously non-existent grappling moves such as throws,
as well as two or three special hidden attacks per character. In the
game's single-player mode, the player's chosen character is pitted
against the seven other main characters before confronting the final
four opponents, who were CPU-controlled characters that were not
selectable by the player. Like in the original, a second player could
join in and compete against the other player in competitive matches,
with the multiple available characters allowing for more varied matches.
Street Fighter II proved to be popular due to all these factors, eclipsing its predecessor in popularity, eventually turning Street Fighter into a multimedia franchise.
Numerous home ports of Street Fighter II followed the original
arcade game (Arcade, SNES, Mega Drive/Genesis, PC Engine, Amiga, Atari ST, Commodore 64, ZX Spectrum, 3DO, Sega Master System, Game Boy, Game Boy Advance, PlayStation, Sega Saturn, PlayStation Portable, PlayStation 2, Xbox, Mobile phone, Xbox Live Arcade). In fact, demand for the game was so high that pirates
created an unsanctioned, copyright-infringing Famicom/NES version, which
saw a very limited release in Asian markets. Computer versions were
released for 16-bit PCs, first by a number of copyright-infringing fans
who strove to develop a PC version of the game, and later by Capcom,
working with an external programming house.
A selection of format screens Arcade, Snes & Sega Magadrive
Street Fighter II follows several of the conventions and rules
already established by its original 1987 predecessor. The player
engages opponents in one-on-one close quarter combat in a series of
best two-out-of-three matches. The objective of each round is to deplete
the opponent's vitality before the timer runs out. If both opponents
knock each other out at the same time or the timer runs out with both
fighters having an equal amount of vitality left, a "double KO" or "draw
game" is declared and additional rounds will be played until sudden
death. In the first Street Fighter II, a match could last up to ten rounds if there was no clear winner; this was reduced to four rounds in Champion Edition
and onward. If there is no clear winner by the end of the final round,
then either the computer-controlled opponent will win by default in a
single-player match or both fighters will lose in a 2-player match.
After every third match in the single player mode, the player
will participate in a "bonus game" for additional points. The bonus
games includes (in order) a car-breaking event; a barrel breaking bonus
game where the barrels are dropped off from a conveyor belt above the
player; and a drum-breaking bonus game where drums are flammable and
piled over each other. The bonus games were removed from the arcade
version of Super Street Fighter II Turbo.
.
Like in the original, the game's controls uses a configuration of
an eight-directional joystick and six attack buttons. The player uses
the joystick to jump, crouch and move the character towards or away from
the opponent, as well as to guard the character from an opponent's
attacks. There are three punch buttons and three kick buttons of
differing strength and speed (Light, Medium and Heavy). The player can
perform a variety of basic moves in any position, including
grabbing/throwing attacks, which were not featured in the original Street Fighter.
Like in the original, the player can perform special moves by inputting
a combination of directional and button-based commands.
The original Street Fighter II character select screen
Street Fighter II differs from the original due to the
selection of multiple playable characters, each with their distinct
fighting styles and special moves. Additionally, the player can also
"cancel" during animation by performing another move, allowing for a
combination of several basic and special moves. Both of these features
would be expanded upon in subsequent installments.
From here the franchise grew to become a multimedia sensation spawning multiple sequel, spin off & crossover games (my favorite being Marvel Vs. Capcom III) in numerous formats; comic books, an animated series, a series of animated films and of course the much hated 1994 live action film starring Jean-Claude Van Damme (the less said the better). So now lets move on to the characters our Nerd invaders decided to focus on for their sketches this week.
AKUMA - Chris Duffy's Monday Sketch.
"I am the master of the fist!"
Akuma (悪魔 or アクマ, "Demon, Devil"), known in Japan as Gouki (豪鬼, Gōki, "Great Devil", "Great Demon" or "Great Ogre"), is a popular fighter as well as a popular villain in the Street Fighter series and UDON comics. He is known as "The Supreme Master of the Fist." Originally appearing in Super Street Fighter II Turbo as a secret character and hidden boss, he is Gouken's younger brother and Ryu's adoptive uncle. Akuma is voiced by Tomomichi Nishimura in all of Capcom's 2D Games; in Street Fighter IV, Marvel vs. Capcom 3 and Street Fighter X Tekken he is voiced by Taketora.
Akuma by Chris Duffy
Akuma is a cold and extremely powerful warrior whose sole purpose of
existence is to hone his fighting skills by battling and destroying
strong foes. He rarely displays any signs of emotion, aside from
occasional bursts of anger, and almost never smiles. He takes his
training very seriously, and deals brutally with those who dare
interrupt him, as seen in his Street Fighter III: 3rd Strike ending. Occasionally, he likes to test himself against worthy rivals (e.g. Gen, Oro).
In combat, Akuma almost never resorts to his true strength since he has
yet to find an opponent who can withstand the full extent of his
powers.
Akuma detests his brother Gouken for not giving in to the dark
side of their arts which is, according to Akuma, the way they were
intended to be used. He also blames Gouken for sealing off the darkness
within Ryu thus preventing Ryu from reaching his true potential. This
forces Akuma to give up on his planned duel with Ryu as he believes that
only a fellow practitioner of Satsui no Hado can one day hope to defeat
him.
Akuma refers to himself as a 'denizen of hell' and 'evil incarnate', and is seen as such by many.
Guile - Rob Carey's Wednesday Sketch.
"Are you man enough to fight me?"
Guile (ガイル, Gairu) is introduced in Street Fighter II. Although his role in the Street Fighter story was at first minimal, he is considered the third leading and best male character in the series, after Ryu and Ken, largely due to his effectiveness as a character and his popularity.
Guile by Robert Carey performing a Sonic Boom.
When Guile was a trainee in the United States Air Force, he befriended his superior officer, Charlie Nash
and asked him to teach him in his unique form of fighting, which
Charlie agreed to do. Guile learned the style, but his hot temper caused
him to lack proficiency in the moves (shown in how Charlie can shoot
Sonic Booms with one hand, while Guile needs both.)
Holding M. Bison responsible for the death of his best friend, he seemingly
dedicates his whole life to exacting revenge on Bison, who has somehow
survived the explosion. A court case against the Shadaloo dictator fails
when Bison bribes all the judges to let him go free. Bison by this time
wants revenge on Guile, Chun-Li, and many other people who had hindered
his syndicate's efforts. To this end, he sets up the second World
Warrior tournament to trap them, among other reasons. Guile, for his
part, takes the bait, deserting his wife and daughter to pursue the
vendetta.
Sagat - Luca Pizzari's Thursday Sketch.
"You are not a warrior; you're a beginner!"
Sagat (サガット, Sagatto/สกัด, Sagad) was originally a boss character in the early editions of the series.
He was later turned into a regular, playable character. According to Street Fighter
co-creator Finish Hiroshi, Sagat's style was modeled after dramatic
television kick-boxing personalities - particularly that of Muay
Thai/Thai Kick Boxing - as Sagat is also referred to as "The King of Muay
Thai" or "The God of Muay Thai" in the games, as well as possessing
various attacks similar to that of a Muay Thai kick-boxer.
Sagat by Luca Pizzari.
Sagat rose from a childhood of extreme poverty in Thailand,
being constantly bullied by other boys from his village due to his
"abnormal" height and general lack of finances. Sometime in his early
days he watched a small-time Muay Thai championship, which motivated him
to practice the martial art, using his height as an advantage in
combat.
After long, extensive years of training, Sagat won the title of
Emperor/God of Muay Thai from Nuah Kahn as a teenager, and became a
national hero. He defended his title from a fighter named Go Hibiki
in a match where Go destroyed Sagat's right eye (explaining his
eyepatch), causing the ominous former Muay-Thai Emperor to violently
beat Go Hibiki to death in a fit of uncontrolled rage accidentally. Go's
son, Dan Hibiki, swore revenge on Sagat. The scar on his chest is the result of an early battle with Ryu.
Dhalsim - Daryl Cox's Saturday Sketch.
"I will meditate, and then destroy you."
Dhalsim (ダルシム)
hails from Kerala, India. Dhalsim is famous throughout the Street Fighter series for his unique personality, his stretchy, lanky body and fire attacks.Dhalsim enters the tournament to raise money for his village, but
realizes that it contradicts his pacifist beliefs. Dhalsim retires from
fighting after the second World Warrior tournament, and continues to
roam the world helping those in need.
Dhalsim by Daryl Cox performing Yoga Flame.
Dhalsim shares some character similarities towards Ryu,
as he is equally stoic, serious, self-disciplined, humble and very
stern when needed. Being a pacifist, he will never hurt more than
necessary or kill an adversary, even the most evil ones such as M. Bison. His pacifistic beliefs also allow him to be a greatly loving father and husband towards his family, just like Guile.
Being an extremely altruistic man, Dhalsim fights mostly for the poor
and oppressed, as he constantly tries his best to raise money for his
poverty-stricken people. In contrast with Ryu's younger (but still
serious and self-focused) type, Dhalsim has a more "mature" and less
"enthusiastic" nature. He regularly relies on his traditional yoga
meditation rites to expand his spirituality and keep his inner
neutrality off any emotional involvement that may prejudice his
discipline.
So as Street Fighter week comes to a close I'd like to thank all of the artists for their contributions especially Daryl Cox, this week making his Nerd Invasion debut. I look forward to seeing more great sketches in the weeks to come.
Next weeks theme will be MORTAL KOMBAT. The following week we will have a special week. To celebrate reaching 100 likes on Facebook we held a competition and at random selected one of our followers to pick the theme. The winner, Darrin O'Toole, chose WATCHMEN as the theme and has even said he will contribute a guest sketch for the week. I really look forward to seeing what the Nerd Invaders will come up with for this. Until next week that's all from me.
