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In Print: MegaTokyo
MartyJG writes "Freg Gallagher certainly has a talent for announcing things with a maximum of words - the summary of his latest rant on Megatokyo however, is that his webcomic is about to get a dead-tree hardcopy version produced by some nice people at Studio Ironcat. The first volume is going to be 120 pages, with additional off-line-only content. The announcement also includes a new webserver on order, and new merchandise soon to be available with the help of ThinkGeek. All the background on the announcement is in the current MT Piro rant and their very official-looking Press Release."
Except for Space Moose, that is.
I just had to be a lamer just once. As for web comics, I am a huge fan. Not having access to dead-tree newspapers is often a problem in college. I regularly download and save such comics for adding to my collection. I'll be the buying myself the hardcopy version as soon as funds allow it.
the part about the new web server, and had to give them a reason for it?
Sorry, I don't mean this to come off as a flame, and I do love his artistic skills, but Gallagher cannot tell a story to save his life. Sure, he has his "Dead Piro" days, which, contrary to others, I love since it gives us a chance to see he scribbles. That is not my issue, though. For the time that the comic has been up (which has been something like over a year), Piro and Largo have managed to get stuck in Japan, get an apartment, and get a job. THAT IS IT! Please, if you are reading this Fred, dude, PICK UP THE PACE A LITTLE. It wouldn't be such an issue if the background story didn't have so much potential. Sorry, but I have to pass on the first book. Lots of pretty pictures, but no substance....
Don't you know? Haven't you seen the banners? Through the mastery of BannerAdTech (r) I will now forever associate ThinkGeek, SourceForge, and Megatokyo with Slashdot. . . JOIN US. . .
Find out about my new childrens book: SS Death Camp Criminal Batallion Go To Monte Carlo For The Massacre
The following summary of pretty much every Megatokyo rant is courtesy of exploitation now:
"Blah blah overworked blah blah couldn't get comic done blah I'm a terrible artist blah blah *whine* blah blah some damn new anime meant for twelve year old Japanese girls blah blah dating sim blah blah respecting my character's privacy blah blah- *Urk!*"
I've been a Megatokyo fan for a bit, but here lately I've been seriously considering deleting the bookmark. I mean, I understand having a life other than the comic. I can handle the occasional DPD (dead piro day), or even DPW. But the comic seriously has not moved plotwise in months. It's gotten to the point of being ridiculous. Anyway, I guess that's what's been taking all his time away from the webcomic, he's been working on the dead-tree comic. More power to him. I won't follow along, though. I'll be reading Exploitation Now...
jred
I'm not a mechanic but I play one in my garage...
ah they would get slashdotted during a filler comic. Here's one of my favorites that the slashdot crowd should appreciate
#9 - speak l33t
Comment removed based on user account deletion
You're right. Anime, webcomics, and video games have nothing to do with nerds. You've been sold down the river. There's the door.
Well, beyond Megatokyo being in heavy rotation in the banner ads...
Come to the University of Mars! Classes starting soon!
I remember when Megatokyo was first opening, and I still on occasion listen to Kim Justice
:-D Just got bored waiting for the story line to come along, heh, I gotta check it out again one of these days before it goes titsup.com ^_^
I have not read the comic in around a year, (I left off in the point where the dude was just starting to working in the store as a mascot) but from what I remember it was Kick Ass.
Need help treating your acne? Come here!
I'm definitely getting the book when it comes out! I like Megatokyo very much.
Slashdot gets worse every day... Pipedot: News for nerds, without the corporate slant
Ok, does Megatokyo have that large of a following here @ /. ??
Because amongst other webcomics:
Goats Is currently at Comicon putting out a second book.
Achewood is finishing up the polishing touches on a book.
Cat and Girl has a book going out.
As do a whole slew of others. Why don't they get mentioned??
I'm out of my mind right now, but feel free to leave a message.....
Bob and George
8-bit Theater
Movie Comics
Kick ass.
Need help treating your acne? Come here!
But it does not look like "news for the nerds".
I disagree. It may not be "news for linux geeks", but most of Megatokyo's fans are nerds. Thus, news regarding Megatokyo is "news for nerds".
0 1 - just my two bits
My name is Robert Claypool and I care about anime.
My address is:
417 S. Manning
Munice IN.
I await your judgment.
PVP
and possibly 8-bit Theatre
Numerous comics have print versions out, though. Aside from PVP and Penny Arcade above, GPF and I think Diesel Sweeties both have offline versions. So I ought congratulate Megatokyo.
Secondly, I thought I could add to the list of worthwhile webcomics to read: :)
Penny Arcade (above)
Res Life
Mac Hall
Angst Technology
Zeek V2.0
I'll avoid the urge to shamelessly promote my own new comic
this comic rocks. it is FREE and it is cool. I sure will be buying the book. Call me a mark, whatever. He makes a cool comic. I like to read it.
It's almost as if I note a hint of jealousy or bitterness. Nah, couldn't be.
I like megatokyo, but the long winded rants of Piro are not worth the time. Slashdot, if you want to gain notary as a real news source, then stop patting your friends on the back.
Its disappointing because this is such a blatient example of indirect advertising.
I loved MT for ages, but recently it all went to hell IMHO when the "storyline" got too drawn out and some comics (those things between the "Dead Piro Days") weren't even funny, just part of a (boring) storyline which is the main storyline in any "respected" soap series on TV, namely; "Does she love me/Will I be able to bone her eventually?". It gets old and tiring up to the point where even Largo isn't funny anymore. He's been ranting about zombies for month now in-comic and really, isn't it time for a change and go back to the small stories that actually oozed wit and humour?
Sadly, I have seen this happening to other comics as well. Anyone remember GPF? (The comic, that is. Put down that Windows developer right now before you break something!) It used to be funny, I read it all the way from the start to the end and then religious started following it because it too had loads of simple jokes. Look at it right now, it's nothing but pure and utter online filth that ended up in a overdrawn B-moviesque storyline. And I'm not even going to mention the total irrelevance of MT to Slashdot or question why it ended up on the front page.
And this is a call to comic artists: Notice the ARTIST bit. It means you can draw better then most of us, it doesn't mean that you can also think up of a decent storyline. Don't get illusions of grandeur, fooling yourself that you're capable of writing a novel in comic form. Thank you.
Steps of his soapbox...
Hate me!
- Dilbert
- User Friendly
- Sinfest
- Penny Arcade
- MegaTokyo
- Real Life
- PvP
-jfedorAnd I didn't thin _anyone_ really liked those C.O.D. Elvis Presley plates you always see in TV guide.
Saying Java is nice because it works on all OS's is like saying that anal sex is nice because it works on all genders.
...but since Largo basically left the comic, you can really feel the difference. I miss that drunken l33t d00d who can dance(I saw him dancing on the last day of Akon this year).
"Useless organic meatbag" -HK-47
I checked all links, where is the Thinkgeek related stuff?
[o]_O
Offline-only content? I remember, back in the day and when the internet was all new and shiny, people used to offer special online-only content. My, we seem to have come full circle, haven't we?
Too bad all Iron Cat does is barely-dressed women. I mean, I know Fred likes to draw short skirts and all his female characters are...well equipped... ...but talk about publishers you -DON'T- want publishing your work.
Also, aside from the fact that this is blatant story-for-ad-revinue material, what exactly was justification for this being a story?
These kinds of stories should NOT be main-page material.
8BT is a PARODY. Nor is he "profiting" from it either.
You might as well cry foul on Mel Brooks.
You mean you'll be reading Exploitation Now for a few more weeks or months, right? I mean, you can't be reading it for much longer. It's dying. Not in a bad way, but the fact is that as we're Dreaming Away in Act 4, Poe is Ending It All.
I, personally, have been reading EN since practically the beginning. It's been impressive to see Poe's style evolve, along with the EN characters and storyline. I was actually saddened by ****'s (in case anyone decides to start reading, I won't spoil it for ya) murder last week. I know that I'll be sad to see EN go, but Poe is, so far, doing an excellent job at bringing about the end.
I'll be one of the first to visit his new comic, Errant Story (domain already registered), when EN ends. I really hope that Poe puts all of EN into a book when the series ends. I'd be more than willing to lay down $20-$25 for a hardbacked EN collection.
More OnTopic, Congrats to Piro. I'll be buying a MT book when it's released. I certainly can't complain about the $8.95 price. I still want Gabe and Tycho to make a PA Year Two book. While MT is decidedly excellent PA is, IMHO, the best web comic out there.
Megatokyo is a comic for nerds? What about Schlock Mercenary?
As with most webcomics, it has started to go slack a bit, but a lot of it is top-notch.
Strange Candy: Okashina Okashi
Tsunami Channel
The longest line for any event were the Megatokyo Panels. The comic is seriously popular among anime fanboys who feel the same as Piro. Our art is superior! We can't get chix! Meanwhile all the people who weren't socially inept (i.e. the ones who didn't pay almost 2000$ for one megatokyo drawing) were at the www.dubthis.net party. party or wait in line to see a guy who can draw, party, guy who can draw, party... The only people who still like Megatokyo are fanboys. It's popular, because there are a lot of fanboys.
The GeekNights podcast is going strong. Listen!
I'm a big fan of MT, and congrats to Piro on the book.
But seriously, can we mod this story down as Offtopic?
why is this news for nerds? um... cause. it just is. I wouldn't even know megatokyo existed but for slashdot. no one else notice that theres a webcomics slashbox? in it are PA and MT and many others. this is news for nerds. if slashdot posted a story about football then I would wonder what the hell was going on. as for the plot of MT. , it is his strip. and I've never known him to proclaim himself grand poobah of webcomics.
-
When this book comes out I think I will probably buy it. This and Penny Arcade are the two comics that, when intended to be funny, make me laugh on a consistent basis. And when not funny, Megatokyo is at least very good art. I'll admit the story isn't as fast-paced as many other webcomics, but this is a welcome change at times. I figure Fred needs the support and I appreciate his art...I would definitely like to see more manga webcomics.
"I may be quite wrong." - Socrates
It's Walky - http://www.itswalky.com/
FOG Club Adventure - http://fogclub.keenspace.com/
Sinfest - http://www.sinfest.net/
Ozy and Millie - http://www.ozyandmillie.org/
Chopping Block - http://www.choppingblock.org/
Diesel Sweeties - http://www.dieselsweeties.com/
Help Desk - http://www.ubersoft.net/
Nukees - http://www.nukees.com/
Mac Hall - http://www.machall.com/
One thing to remember about webcomics however is that it's often helpful to read them from the beginning. Since they aren't constrained by the paper they can afford to not do one-shots every day. Luckily most of them haven't been around for more than a year or three.
I build model citizens.
First, I would like to agree that this probably isn't front page news. Second, I'd also like to say that everyone has his or her own opinion, and that this is mine.
That said, I personally have a great liking to MegaTokyo. Yes, the fan base is mostly fanboys/fangirls (myself included), but it does extremely well in that audience. The forums are packed, and there is a strong sense of community amongst the fans. It is a well-known saying that you can't please everyone, and I believe that this applies much more so to internet-related ventures. Fred Gallagher has done an excellent job of catering to his fans, and tries to keep as many people happy as he can, while still maintaining his sanity and controlling his creation.
Though the Dead Piro Days and Shirt Guy Dom can get annoying sometimes, it is often just a short interlude so Fred can catch up with himself. The plot hasn't been moving very much recently, but it will eventually. Patience is the key here.
Also, MegaTokyo is not meant to jump from one isolated gag to another. It is more akin to Japanese comics (manga) or "Graphic novels" (old-style comic books, like Superman, etc.), which tell a more definite story, but take much longer. It also tends to be a little sappier, and is not really geared towards what current American culture is used to. It follows a more relaxed pace, and there is *much* more plot than, say, Dilbert. Mind you, Dilbert is also an excellent comic, but it is in an entirely different class from MegaTokyo. It's like comparing a Sedan to an SUV. They focus on different things.
As for storytelling, Fred was always more involved in long-term plots. Largo did participate in plot development, but he was better at shorter gags and mini-plots, IMO. If the plot in MegaTokyo rubs you the wrong way, then it does. That's just the way things are. Personally, I enjoy the plot, and find it very satisfying, as well as funny.
Again, sorry about the rant. Just voicing my opinion.
Umm... why doesn't Piro, instead, put his efforts into ACTUALLY DOING HIS COMIC?
In the past few months he's done maybe FIVE...
Does it make you happy you're so strange?
Frankly, I LIKE the slower, meandering pace. I dislike comics that stuff each panel to the gills with exposition and word ballons, that insist on rushing the reader from one scene to another before they can properly enjoy it. Fred is basing his work on the Japanese manga style, and manga is generally slower paced and more visual than American comics anyway.
Try reading it more often. The story picked up pace a *lot* right around the time Fred announced he'd be doing the comic solo.
And in particular, Largo was morphed from a drunk weirdo back into an articulate, interesting character (with a cool thing!) that actually speaks to the other people around.
I look forward to buying lots of Megatokyo in print.
...then just shut the fuck up.
/. (and the rest of the net in general) back in the days when Picaso, Shakespeare, and Mozart were getting started. Back then you had to be talented to get your words in front of the kind of masses the above tripe was subjected to. Look at any of the big names' really early work, most of it was crap, or at least not up to the level they latter attained. Fred has asperations twoard manga, and a page at a time, even the best manga isn't always funny. Go pickup a good one, pick any page at random and read it, just by itself. Now a couple days later, read the next page... wait a couple days and read another page. You'll very soon note that it's about the same pace as reading MT. If you can't handle that, then don't read the new strips every few days, wait a month or more and come read several of them at the same time.
Just imagine if ungrateful assholes like you had as open a forum as
That's the whole point of the net, it's NOT as much of a meritocracy, you don't have to already be a master in order to put something out there, hell, as you've proven so very well, anyone that can string a sentence together (and even some that can't) can inflict their literary diarrhea on the unsuspecting masses.
That you've not found the humour in the recent stories doesn't suprise me. Fortunately not all the readers of MT are at your level, and even more fortunately, Fred understands this.
The main reason I don't read MegaTokyo, for all its fans and recommendations, is that I don't generally feel like translating "1337" to English. When 1337-speak shows up in the archive headings about half the time, it's probably a comic not worth my time.
That said, I don't suppose the book is going to have translations? Or is that supposed to be what makes it funny?
The senseless--
####
Which end EVERY press release it seems. (I dunno, there must be some method to the madness, maybe some ancient press software/hardware recognizes #### as the end of the story..)
(This wasn't as funny as I'd thought it would be.)
On a side note, I look forward to a hard copy of the comic-- I just recently began reading it, and have become quite impressed (the story just moves along a lot slower than I wish it would, heh). =)
All I know about Bush is I had a good job when Clinton was president.
Webcomics do not suck, nor are they only for "geeks with no lives and losers". In fact, I'm finding that lately print comics are starting to suck. I rarely laugh anymore if I even bother to read the comics in the paper. Any AC who disagrees can get the balls to identify themselves or shut the hell up.
Megatokyo is updated fairly regularly. I think Fred's doing the best he can manage what with working as much as he seems to do. Congratulations for making such a successful go of it this far, keep it up.
I will be buying the book, as well as some merchandise, and I hope that many of the rest of the fans will as well. If MT has been nice enough not to go banner-happy or "beg for donations" as IIRC Fred said back in the day, then the least we could do is buy some stuff. 3v1l/l337 shirt? Sure!
This is justifiably newsworthy, considering how many non-keenspot comics do something like this. It's news for nerds. How many nerds don't read at least one webcomic? How many don't read MT?
MT has always had a fairly excellent storyline, and unless the latest comics were written before Rodney left, then you can't really say that it was funnier before he did leave. Lately, every comic with Largo in it has been, IMO, hilariously funny, especially the comic about his "special thing" that "does cool stuff". I'm still laughing at that one.
If you don't like the update schedule, do what many people I know do and read it monthly.
That's enough ranting for today, I'm here all week. Try the veal, it's delicious.
- Relativistic? That's barely Newtonian!
I have to take exception with this--while the actual plot in each comic has perhaps covered more (they got to the beer garden--woo hoo), the rate of comics is still slow. And Largo has morphed from an interesting teacher to some stupid febrile 2-year old it seems to me, who just babbles about zombies and "cool things"
Picasso, Shakespeare, and Mozart were actually talented, and succeeded in the face of much harsher critics (especially Shakespeare).
Megatokyo is a boring strip done by a medicore artist who thinks he's also a writer.
Slashdot links to MT on the front page for the same reason it links to Old Man Murray, The Filthy Critic, and Penny Arcade: To appear "hip".
Get on your airship, fag. Its not news at all. It doesnt matter, not one bit.
Fuck head.
Fuck off you gay fag editor in disguise banner spraying marketing whore asshole. Ill kick the door in on your nose you fucking punk.
I hope the anthrax guy sends sometihng your way to put you out of your fucking miserable pathetic sexless existence.
I hate anime, jerk off to something real. You defcav loving loser.
You think webcomics other than MT suck? Well you can all just DIE (shameless plug for my wife's web comic)
sig: There are two mistaakes in this sig.
Sexy Losers
Ghastly's Annie the hardcore gamer
T.A.Vision
Tangs Comics
Sunday Morning Coffee(on hold)
nuff said.
NO CARRIER
Back when the comic started Rodney wanted it to mostly be about zombies and carnage. Piro was the one that wanted it to be like a Love Hina. A happy medium was met.
jomamanup, signing off
I may or may not agree with you, but my disposition changes drastically when a snarky little shit uses the contraction, 'nuff. How about fuck off you little son of a wanton strumpet harlot prossie. Enough said?
Fucking snarky little bitch contractions make me sick.
It's not just megatokyo, there is a lot of action lately with manga, and manga-style comics...
http://www.raijincomics.com
A new manga WEEKLY for the US! Pretty amazing, for a print version of manga to be released weekly to the US market.
http://www.shonenjump.com
A monthly magazine, like Raijin. Tons more manga coming to the shelves of bookstores and magazine racks near you.
http://www.newtype-usa.com
Just the most beautiful anime magazine EVER made, period... Manga insert in the middle of this baby.
Also, Tokyopop comics announced a contest for US manga-style artists, with the winners appearing in a special anthology magazine later:
http://tokyopop.com/news/mangatalent/index.php
With all this, and megatokyo in print, it's an exciting time for manga fans, artists, and producers.
I don't think so. For one, I believe in one of his diary entries Piro talks about how he had never heard of Love Hina before the comic was well underway. Secondly, more action occurrs on one page of the Love Hina manga than 3 weeks of MT.
This comic really has me hooked at the moment:
:) Read from the first strip, read the accompanying "Alternate Universe" strips, and I assure you that you will not be disappointed.
Unicorn Jelly
The comic is best described as a science-fiction/fantasy story, but that hardly scratches the surface of the alien physics that run the world, the believeable, well-fleshed out characters, and the just plain entertaining plot. Not to mention that it's drawn in a light-hearted, anime-influenced style. The fact that it is really obscure should also appeal to the average slashdotter.
Not like anyone will see this, since this story is about expired, but you spelled Otakon wrong, you buttwipe. Also you try and kill anyone at Otakon and the thing you call a head along with the rest of you will be slammed into a Federal 'bang-you-in-the-ass' Prison so fast you'll wonder why Bubba's dick wasn't surgically attached in your ass in the first place.
Or we could find you. . . and make you wish you were in prison.
To put in MTS (my two cents), MegaTokyo is a great webcomic and yes, the plot is taking a little while to unfold but if it didn't you'd all bitch (those who are bitching) about "no character development" or some such shite. Either you like the comic or you don't. End of story. Critique it if you must but get over the "NERD MAD, BASH TOPIC" syndrome.
Dream as if you'll live forever.
Live as if you'll die tomorrow.
~Anonymous~