ndcblog
eldannardoFiled under: Comics
About 20 years ago Dan and I strted inventing our own comic characters. We spent untold hours in the back of his Mum’s garden shop coming up with our universe of Marvel and DC rip offs (mostly Marvel). The gem of this time was Delta Wave, a team of mutants that went through several transformations. I was obssessed with the early Marvel writing of Stan Lee, and for this reason the comics basically sucked. They were 20 years out of date in terms of writing. I also felt that I was a better artist than Dan, and I guess in conventional John Buscema terms I was – but Dan had style, which I didn’t recognise for quite a while.
When I got to Uni I invented a team called Boogie Groove, with the basic plot that some aliens (the Disc’oers) gave 4 teenage surf bums powers in order to fight some other aliens (the Gysk). Why didn’t the Disco’ers do it all themselves with their superior technology and superhuman abilities? Because they weren’t groovy enough! Sound like the thinnest plot ever – it was miles ahead of Delta Wave! Anyway, I did a rough draft (you could call it pencils, but I wouldn’t go that far…), which Dan took away and added to. He was geeting influenced by artists that really appealed to his style, and in 1996 created the first few pages of Boogie Groove. For the sake of nostalgia, I thought I’d post them here:
Never did finish it, but maybe one day…
Nate
Filed under: Wargaming works in progress
Well the short term goal is to get the pirates up and running. It’s a skirmish game so there isn’t a lot of time needed for the figures. But there are the boats and the other scenery, so that will probably take up a month or so, at least. After the pirates, I’d like to finish off the Old West civilians and my outlaw gang. After that is the quandary.
I’ve abandoned any hope of WW2 being the next big painting project – just too many other figs that I want to get painted first. Finishing the WWI French would be good. And the British Cavalry. That would be everything WWI that I currrently have, although I’m keen to get some German cav, and I might just buy some Old Glory late war cav for everyone, and some 75mm guns for the French. Speaking of WWI, Warhammer Great War is meant to be out mid-year, and I’m keen to see what it is like! I probably won’t play it for 1918, and stick to the Price of Glory rules which are based on platoon actions, but I wouldn’t mind getting some 20mm plastic figs for 1914. HaT will soon be releasing 1914 French, and the Germans aren’t too far behind, not to mention they already do Russians, Austro-Hungarians, Turks and Serbs. Strelets do German and Russian cav and have Austrians planned, so I’m thinking this would be a good scale to use. Cheap too, and that is a real attraction at the moment…
So Pirates, Old West, WWI (1918 in 28mm) and then probably El Cid for WAB. The Marlburians haven’t progressed past a drybrush of Grey on a French battalion, but then nothing has really progressed in the last month and a half. I’d still like to keep them rolling in between everything else. That will probably bring 2008 to a conclusion I would think. But that won’t stop me continuing to plan stuff! Dan is wanting to get his Eldar sorted once and for all, and the idea of painting the Orks is appealing. They might sneak in front of El Cid – but then, like the Marlburians, the Orks are probably something I’d like to keep for a unit here and there. Too easy to get sick of painting greenskins!
For the future, Dan and I have invested in Weird World War Two – Artizan’s Thrilling Tales range and some Westwind WW2 Zombies. A little side project that might get some attention here and there! The new Hell Dorado fantasy game looks interesting, but the minis are simply breathtaking – got to get me some of those this year! I’ve already mentioned 1914 in plastics, but Emhar have just announced the release of Prussian Infantry for the Franco Prussian War to go with their French. Hmmm, I can just see it… convert Artillery out of American Civil War figs, use WWI German cav and Napoleonic French Cuirassiers – Here’s a period I could really sink my teeth into! I love anything to do with Pickelhauben! So much so that I bought one, and plan to wear it as I play Great War (and maybe Franco-Prussian) games!
Complete tangent here, but I wonder if my great great grandfather Carl Frank served in the Schleswig Wars or Austro-Prussian War? He was born in Prussia (Pritzwalk) in 1833, it might have been just the right year to avoid the big conflicts – too old or too young. By the way, if any Franks from Pritzwalk are still around I’d love to know. Carl moved to Essen, and married Christine Kurz. She already had a son, Heinrich Boerner, who was not allowed to migrate to New Zealand with the rest of the family in 1875 due to being of military age. The family lost track of him. Any Boerners who think their great grandfather might fit this description, let me know!
Enough ramblings – back to schoolwork
Nate
Filed under: Battle reports, Legends of the High Seas and the Old West, Wargaming, Warhammer Ancient Battles
It has been over a month since I last posted, but as foreseen, school has taken a front seat in my life again. Never mind – the next lot of holidays are only 5 weeks away!
Dan and I have received our copies of Legends of the High Seas from Warhammer Historical and it looks like a great game! We’ve played 2 quick games between our pirate crews, and I got my butt kicked – twice! Ne’er mind, it let us see what the various advantages and disadvantages of our crews and their weapons were. We got hold of the Weapons and Warriors Pirate playset from ebay in the UK, and I’ve put my sloop together already. I’ve got a Pirate crew and a Royal Navy Crew – Dan is thinking about whether to be Pirates or Privateers. Hopefully I’ll be able to give an update this weekend as Dan is coming down and we are keen to have another game or two (they are quick).
A week and a half ago Dan stayed, and as well as two pirate games we got in a game of Age of Arthur WAB. The beauty is – we finally both have painted armies! The mission was the battle of Ceit Celidon, and I was attacking. Therefore I had to try to get three intact units off Dan’s board edge to win. Surprisingly, I just about did it - I would have won if I’d let my Army General leave the field, but i hadn’t read the scenario conditions properly and turned him back to help out another unit. So in the end it was a bloody (and I mean bloody) stalemate. Here’s some photos:
Here the two battleliens are drawn up and begin to converge – British on the right, Saxons on the left.
Here’s a nice view of the rear of two of Dan’s Saxon units – Duguth and Gedricht. Dan’s done a really nice job on these figs!
Combrogi do there best to imitate a speed bump in front of the Gedricht and the Teulu make hard work of some Duguth.
Combrogi plough into mounted Duguth. The Duguth proved to be an effective speed bump, but failed just in time for this unit to exit the board. Along with the Teulu, this gave me the bloody standoff that neither side wanted! My Sacerdot in the fornt row of this unit is points well spent if people are looking for advice on characters. His reroll on panic tests saved my bacon twice in this game!
