Pokemon XS - Sprite Comic

[Myouki]

Congrats on reaching 20 issues. I have to agree with the Beyblade ripoff, it always seems a bit odd.

*nods* so true... i always wondered about the mechanics of a spinning top being able to control pokemon (doesn't that kind of thing scream team rocket?)... and what's the point if you don't get to keep the pokemon you catch...

btw, keep up the good work, the comic is pwnzor ^^

 

[Sakamoto]

It's been bloody ages since I last updated this, but now I have my new PC and have a stable internet connection at home, I can continue it again! *Huzzah*

So, without further ado, here are five brand new issues, including a double length issue 25, that wrap up the Mt Moon arc and sets things in motion with Neo Team Rocket, next will be Cerulean City

 

[King of Rhinos]

i think that issue 24 is the best of the new ones, or at least the funniest...

i didnt really understand the third part/frame-type-thing of issue 21...oh, wait a minute, i get it...haha...

#23 is funny with the whole crook killing them thing, its much more realistic, and i like the beedrill...i remember that issue...[size=3pt]sucker[/size]

 

[Shiny Motley]

I really laughed when he said, "Wow, the guy that you traded with sounds like an idiot!", then the other person says, "Tell me about it." Lol...... I really loved that one.

Yay for the Beedrills!!!!11!!!! But I only see 5, not 50......

 

[Satoren]

I find the second trainer a bit too sarcastic. But still, this is some really funny stuff. And I love how you combined Mystery dungeon and FR/LG/R/S/E sprites to make it a little more believable.

 

[Sakamoto]

Thanks guys

 

[Linkachu]

Man... That amuses me to no end with Pokemon. The idea that your unevolved Pokemon are scaring off these criminals who are raving about their unwavering loyalty to their cause, world revolution, or wanting to crush your puny mortal soul. Maybe it's understandable once you have a bloody Charizard or something on your side, but otherwise... lolz.

Good to see you back at these again =)

 

[Sakamoto]

Thanks for the comments and support. They're always appreciated ^^

After a particularly bad day at my weekend job, I wound up making issue 27

 

[Rayn_Shyu]

Mmm...a refund on Pokeballs would be teh bestness. But NNOOO... it doesn't work that way. Great comic man.

 

[King of Rhinos]

haha, the manager is awesome! i wish i was cool like him, great job once again

 

[Sakamoto]

Trying to make updates at least once a week

Here's 28

 

[King of Rhinos]

haha that cracked me up. it reminds me of james and his grandparents or whatever it is on the mime jr. episode. is the commander wearing a visor? anyways, i cant wait for the next one

 

[Sakamoto]

Yeah, he's wearing a visor, just like the one in Mount Moon was.

 

[Plapti]

That last one really made me laugh. The one about the refund on Pokeballs was funny too! Especially htat excuse the Rocket made to his "honey". Great Job, keep it up. These are great to read.

 

[Sakamoto]

What do they want with Bill?

 

[Plapti]

Personally, I'd like to know why the Rockets are so stupid. They are really stupid. I'd like to know why the comander said they are incompentent. Really funny that he said that though.

 

[Satoren]

Personally, I'd like to know why the Rockets are so stupid. They are really stupid. I'd like to know why the comander said they are incompentent. Really funny that he said that though.

Well, at least they managed to realize the original Team ROckets were even dumber. I love this comic, it's just so fun!

Although I can't help but feel really really painfully annoyed at the ubar sarcastic accomplice. I know it's his job, but he's just so smart he seems out of the way compared with everyone else in the story.

 

[Sakamoto]

He's not neccesarily smart. He views the Pokemon world the way we would if we entered it with our morals and upbringing. He notices things that someone from the Pokemon universe never would.

To us, the Pokemon world and the games are very simple, very formulaic and rather predictable. He's the only character who can see that world with our eyes. It makes it easier to mock certain aspects of their world as I can do it directly rather than having to hint at it and hoping the audience gets it.

At the same time, most of the unfunny webcomics are those where every character is like that. The reason he's the only one is to try and balance him out a little. Characters in webcomics are either one extreme or the other, stupid, or smart and sharp tongued. It bothers me when everyone in a series is like that and I hope (though I can see it here and there) that it doesn't occur overly much in my own work.

I try to keep him in balance, most of the time he has far more lines than the main character, which is something that does bother me and that I am trying to cut down on. At the start, the blue coat trainer had just as much, if not more lines than the sarcastic one, but now the cynical one has the majority of the lines.

There are some issues already done and some planned that will turn the tables slightly and put the cynical one in his place.

Plus, I kinda like the role reversal between the two characters which occurs whenever a certain female trainer is around.

 

[112% Elusive]

Very good! The puns are slightly crazy, especially the one on issue 11.

 

[Gardevoir Master]

Am I the only one who thinks the comic is too wide? Most of them require me to scroll horizontally to get all the text on screen, and this one in particular made me go back and forth just to read it, which I had to scroll down to do.

 

[Linkachu]

Am I the only one who thinks the comic is too wide? Most of them require me to scroll horizontally to get all the text on screen, and this one in particular made me go back and forth just to read it, which I had to scroll down to do.

It is wider, but that's not a really a fault. It's just the style.

I forget if its as easy on IE, but if you use Firefox just right-click on the picture and select "View Image". It'll save you from scrolling side to side when trying to read it.

 

[Sakamoto]

So long as your screen resolution is 1024x768 (which is like, bare minimum these days) you shouldn't hafta scroll at all. The only people who'd have a problem and have to scroll are those on 800x600

 

[112% Elusive]

That last issue was funny. Especially when the second trainer said, "Dude, I'd been wearing the same thing for 30 weeks. I stank!", then said, "It wouldn't hurt to follow suit."

 

[Linkachu]

So long as your screen resolution is 1024x768 (which is like, bare minimum these days) you shouldn't hafta scroll at all. The only people who'd have a problem and have to scroll are those on 800x600

Not so. My resolution IS 1024x768, and I still must scroll a bit.

And lol @ the 4th wall breakage.

 

[baratron]

I commented on these comics literally the night before the forum went splat... dunno if you saw that.

I've come to the thread quite late having missed it before, but am now quite thoroughly converted to the ways of Pokemon XS. Things I love:

• mostly correct grammar and spelling - oh, you have no idea how pleasing that is to me!
• lots of meta-jokes - Nurse Joy as a sadist *lol*
• breaking the fourth wall - Bulbasaur evolved between comics ;D
• your use of different sprites rather than every panel being identical except for the captions (though #23, #29 and #30 aren't so good for that)
• the transparency of the speech bubbles

In fact, the only thing I don't like is too many gay jokes (apparently, looking "gay" or "like a fag" is bad in your world, to the point it gets mentioned in 10% of your comics). Can we have some different words, please? This looks "stupid", "idiotic", "ridiculous", "daft", "crazy", "uncool", "ungainly"... rather than constant repetition that homosexuality = teh yuck. Because, y'know, some of the people reading your comic are gay, and if you want to alienate that audience...

 

[Sakamoto]

I didn't see the original, but I appreciate you reposting it.
First off, I'm glad you're enjoying the comic. It's always nice to put a smile on someone's face.

As for homosexuality, I have nothing against homosexuals, in fact, two of my friends are homosexual, it's merely a fact of where I grew up, the words gay and fag aren't associated with homosexuality. It's just, and I know this sounds incredibly bad, a somewhat derogitary term thrown around by most people.

It's like 'shit' and 'crap' no longer have anything to do with excriment.

I know it isn't much of an explanation and I do apologise if you find those words have been overused or consider them to be offensive.

Right, now, I suppose I should repost the issues that were lost to the hackers/ losers before posting ...

A BRAND SPANKING NEW ISSUE (well, it's already on Drunk Duck, but you guys were still down when I released it there)

Recap/ Lost Issues (Grr hackers)

New (to you guys) issue

There'll be a new issue up by Monday (well, possibly by the end of tonight actually) and I'll be unveiling the identity of the Rocket Commander they're fighting!

 

[Shiny Motley]

Photoshop Fire? Sprite Whip? Okay, that's new.... nice names! I wonder what other attacks you're going to make up? Paintquake??

 

[Kyupper]

That's funny. The pokemon look cool when they're being attacked. Nice attack names too. Does Ivysaur know Photobucket Sleep Powder?

 

[baratron]

I didn't see the original, but I appreciate you reposting it.
First off, I'm glad you're enjoying the comic. It's always nice to put a smile on someone's face.

As for homosexuality, I have nothing against homosexuals, in fact, two of my friends are homosexual, it's merely a fact of where I grew up, the words gay and fag aren't associated with homosexuality. It's just, and I know this sounds incredibly bad, a somewhat derogitary term thrown around by most people.

It's like 'shit' and 'crap' no longer have anything to do with excriment.

I know it isn't much of an explanation and I do apologise if you find those words have been overused or consider them to be offensive.

I didn't think that you were homophobic as such, because most intelligent people aren't particularly. That's why I was suggesting different derogatory words you could use. I'm sure a lot of teenagers don't even make the connection that they're saying gay is bad, because they don't think of it as being the same word. Bulbasaur "looking gay" isn't the same as the way their gay friend is gay?

The odd thing is, I'm totally happy to use "lame" as a derogatory word for things, despite being rather lame in the literal meaning of the word. Probably because I met both meanings at a similar time/age? I dunno. Or maybe I feel that because the literal meaning applies, I have the right to reclaim that word and use it however I want? Hrm. I certainly don't see many disabled activists rising up against things being described as "lame" compared to the number of queer activists I see rallying against things being described as "gay"! Words are funny things, with their subtle shifts in meaning. Anyway...

I love the attacks in #35! The colour change and expression on the Steelix's face is hilarious! "Photoshop Fire" attack indeed . I also like the slightly imprecise positioning of the speech bubble in the last frame, so it's unclear whether it's the human or the Steelix speaking. Yeah yeah yeah, we haven't seen any Pokemon talking in your comic so far, but it wouldn't surprise me if half of the baddies' pkmn are brighter than they are!

 

[Sakamoto]

Hmm, talking Pokemon, an interesting idea ...

Ladies and gentlemen, it's time
FOR THE GREAT UNVELING!!!

Who is the commander they've been fighting?

Yes, the commander they've been fighting is none other than Brock!

Sore about being constantly beaten and mocked by rookie trainers getting their first badge, he's taken up his actual Pomemon squad and is a commander of Neo Team Rocket!

I've a feeling that this is going to tick off a lot of Brock fans.

 

[Shiny Motley]

I should've guessed... who else would own a Graveler and a Steelix? Well, actually, maybe Roark, but we don't have a 3rd generation sprite of him.

An ingenius idea... Brock, eh? What about the other commanders, eh? Misty?

And... BROCK HAS A WIFE!?

Trying to make updates at least once a week

Here's 28

Either that, or he has a girlfriend. This one was somehow just LOL. But... if he was beaten by them a few episodes ago, how did he get a Steelix and Graveler and beet them now? Did his Pokemon alo evolve between issues?

 

[Sakamoto]

Ah, you'll find out who he was on the phone to soon enough.

As for being beaten, in issue 29 he clearly states that he's leaving the heroes in the hands of his "incompetent subordinates" and states that he's heading to Bill's house. He didn't fight them on the bridge.

To prove it

Thanks for the compliment though. As for the other commanders, you're going to have to wait and see. Though I kinda expect people to start asking about the other gym leaders after that issue.

 

[Shiny Motley]

I meant in the Gym..... sorry about that.

 

[Sakamoto]

I can and will answer that though I feel I might be giving away a little too much.

As is to be explained very soon in the comics, Gym Leaders are all Pokemon Masters with a theme to their squad, for example, Brock uses rock and ground types. Because they're the stepping stones to the Elite Four, the Elite Four dictate their squads - obviously no one would ever get anywhere if the gym leaders were allowed to use their competitive squad.

The Pokemon Brock's using now, are from his Master Squad, his personal squad, not his Elite Four dictated Gym Squad.

 

[baratron]

#36 is awesome! The first two panels are hilarious. Poor Charmander & Ivysaur...

I wouldn't have guessed the commander was Brock, but in retrospect it makes the whole phone call on the bridge make so much more sense, hehe.

Also, I think you're right about the idea of the Gym Leaders' competitive squad being different from their actual squad. I've always thought it was daft how weak the early Gym Leaders are, considering that you end up fighting wild Pokemon at level 45 in Victory Road! It would make a lot more sense if they're forced to use low level Pokemon to ensure that trainers progress through the gyms in the right order. Now I'm thinking it would be an interesting game mod for the future if Gym Leaders' Pokemon levels were dictated by the number of Gym Badges you already had, rather than by it being fixed in the code. Then you could go straight to the first gym that you'd find easy considering your starter, instead of suffering because you picked the Fire starter and the first gym is Ground/Rock... It would make the game a lot less linear, too. Hmmm.

Had been going to say something else, but I got distracted from writing this post and it dropped out of my head.

 

[Raxby]

Dude, your sprite comics are awesome! I really like them. XD
And about Brock having a wife: Misty, Jenny (police) or Joy (Pok

 

[shadow phoenix]

It would be interesting to see nurse Joy as Brock's psycho-mad wife who is the mastermind behind this whole thing ;D

 

[Gardevoir Master]

I'd think it was safe to assume that XS Brock is not the same character as anime Brock, whose not necessarily the same as video game Brock. Despite what I just said, I will also say that "Honey," simply being a term of endearment, could just as easily refer to one of his younger sisters.

 

[shadow phoenix]

I'd think it was safe to assume that XS Brock is not the same character as anime Brock, whose not necessarily the same as video game Brock. Despite what I just said, I will also say that "Honey," simply being a term of endearment, could just as easily refer to one of his younger sisters.

I agree that the Brocks aren't the same but 'Honey' is usaully a term of indearment for someone's partner but i can't wait to see who Brock was on the phone to.

 

[Sakamoto]

Apologies for the delay guys, had some stuff going on

Seems our heroes have been saved for now, but I think it's about time we asked her a few questions