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Saturn · (This post was last modified: 06-18-2018, 01:14 AM by Saturn.)

Greetings VG Resource!

I'd like to present you my long-time project:

[Image: mmux49t1_by_saturnthereploid-d9ihtwd.png]

I believe I'm a bit late in the sprite comics era and there are just a few Mega Man comics surviving to this day, so I'm willing to spread my works before things start to really fade away.

Synopsis

Spoiler

Development

Spoiler

The timelined used in the comic can be viewed here: (huge image)

You can also follow this comic in my DeviantART or in its Smack Jeeves site.

I'm writing a Wiki for the comic, and it's updated after almost every arc completion.

Considering my pages are normally 3~6MB, I'll only post hyperlinks instead of images, since all of them together would weigh too much on a single forum page.

What is done so far:

Cover Art

Prologue: Doomsday

Season 1

Season 2

Also, if you want to have a Maverick made by you appearing someday in the comic, you can send me a private message following these rules.

I always make corrections in the pages if typos are found and, if I really think it's necessary, I'll redo them, so I'll really appreciate the feedback from you guys.

Saturn · 03-10-2018, 08:17 PM

Hey. I put the comic on a hiatus between December and early February while I was still making a bunch of new pages, summing up to 60 in stock. If I keep the one page per two days routine, Chapter 16 will end only around July. I don't intend it to be like that, or else Season 2 might last beyond this year once again. This schedule will change deppending on my productivity in the next two months:

Ch.15 Disturbances Pg 25-35 between March 11th to March 31st
Ch.16 Winged Rampage Pg 1-26 between April 2nd to May 22nd
Ch.16 Winged Rampage Pg 27-45 between May 23rd to June 10 (one page per day routine)

If it goes well, the one page per day routine will begin much sooner.

The is back, with a lot of details and techniques I have been experimenting. I realized the contrast between boss sprites and their backgrounds is something I need to pay better attention, but I think things are understandable at least.

Season 2, Chapter 15: Disturbances
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Also, I have made some attempts at revamping the designs of some of my characters, which are really off with the color and detail patterns of the X series. I wanted to maintain a style consistency through all the comic series, that's why I always edited old pages or even redone them when I changed designs, like with the government counsellors. However, characters like Saturn and Blue Knight have appeared in so many pages that is beyond my strenght to go back and redo everything. Because of that, I may only update their sprites when Season 3 begins. I ask you to pretend these were their looks since the beginning (click to open the big images in full size):

Captain Elika

Spoiler

Okay, this drawing was really hard to do. At least the result was infinitely better than that early 2015 artwork I put there just for you to laugh at. This new appearance is supposed to look more like a high-ranked military/Maverick Hunter, and is notably inspired in the design of Signas, his mentor. There is a symbolic reason behind that, since Elika assumes the leadership of the Maverick Hunters in a certain way during the Neo Maverick War. The redesign started with me struggling to sprite Elika's P-Quadgun in different angles. It's nearly impossible to sprite the guns without distorting them, and so I began trying many different designs, and this is the attempt I most liked. (in terms of appearance, not "spriteability")
Shad

Spoiler

Shad looks much more mature in his new design due to his enhanced armor and formal wear semblance. His hair has returned to its original form, that is, a single lock of hair instead of two. I was trying to avoid making him look like Shade Man and Dark Necrobat, but the similarities are inevitable. The wings are considerably flexible and each one can rotate in at least 45 degrees to adjust the flight, with each end being a thruster. The wings are detachable and maybe they'll be used as weapons in an alternative fighting style. I'd say they work more like the wings of Hellbat Schilt and a Gundam at the same time.
Blue Knight

Spoiler

Like Saturn, Blue Knight had his design unaltered for more than 10 years. While I'm really very used to that look, part of me became unsettled with the fact that his design doesn't make me feel he makes part of the X series, so I tried giving details that commonly appear in X designs and made him look a bit more like a blue knight, while still maintaining his good old essence.
Saturn

Spoiler

The old design was very minimalist and has been the exact same since 2006. In 2015, when the current version of MMX:U49 was started, I was still too attached to the nostalgia of my childhood stories and didn't want to change him and many of the main characters (like Blue Knight, which is as old as Saturn).

If I were to begin producing Mega Man X: Unit 49 today, not only the comic would have another name, but many of these designs would be completely remade. Saturn's flamethrower has been a joke inherent to him since his primordial times and many characters in the comic refer to him as "pipenose" and other funny nicknames, the possibilities are endless. I do like this comical factor and Saturn tends to show more of his funny side in the comics. However, he also has his evil, calculating and insane side, and he tends to be poetical in moments of inspiration. This new design makes him more fearsome, which should be expected from the man who wants to lead an army with the most bad-willed people in the world to destroy the government and rules imposed by the humans, while he still has his signature weapon, the "mouth flamethrower" - now he is able to hide it and assemble it only during battles or when needed.

I guess the main change in his design is the addition of the handcuffs and shackles all through his body, as if he was to resemble some kind of prisoner. Saturn is a character immersed in obscure symbolisms, as you can see in his crest, which can be interpreted in several ways (the fact is that most of these interpretations are valid, since the symbol is a junction of four different things), and these new details also have their meaning. Saturn believes that Reploids are prisoners of their human creators and those who aim to pass beyond human limitations are, most of times, undeservedly labelled as Mavericks and executed. However, these chains also represent another kind of prison that holds Saturn, and it is all related to his own body and powers. The hints have already been given in Season 2's first arc, you just have to look closely.
Cyclobbering Onimmer (he appeared in S1's ending and will be a boss in Season 3)

Spoiler
Yes, his name is a junction to form a double pun.
Onimmer creates fire explosions when he hits enemies with his hammer.
Chaotic Gargale (I haven't finished the artwork yet, so I will put it in a future update)

Spoiler

Saturn · 04-18-2018, 11:07 PM

Chapter 15 is finished and some suspicious information has been revealed.

Season 2, Chapter 15: Disturbances
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I have finished Chaotic Gargale's artwork and I changed some things since that preview.

Chaotic Gargale

Spoiler

Gargale was rebuilt from a wind-element gargoyle Reploid to be a Maverick weapon of mass destruction, being given the task of bringing a storm of chaos wherever he passes by Saturn.

Gargale is extremely durable and only shots charged to the maximum may damage his armor. He is powered by fusion reactors and attacks with Chaos Orbs, which are spheres of energy that disrupt the air pressure around them, creating razing vortexes. Gargale has five turbines in his shoulders, knees and chest that can generate tornadoes or pull objects into him. Due to his extraordinary strength, Gargale was put above the ranks of the Neo Maverick Army and became the Warchief in charge of the attack on the capital of the Scandinavian Alliance.

An extra:

Nora

Spoiler

Nora is the Operator of the 49th Unit of Maverick Hunters since 2184. Nora can make quick analyses of her targets and pinpoint their destinations if they try to teleport and run away, and that makes her a powerful ally dealing with fugitives, such as Saturn. Thanks to that, she found a kind of sanctuary for Mavericks in a city abandoned after the fall of the space colony Eurasia in 2186 and gave crucial help to Captain Elika prepare an ambush to kill Saturn.

However, after Saturn reappeared with a new body two years later, Nora was unable to track Saturn, since he gained the ability to teleport through a different method: instead of sending his body in an energy beam to another location, he opens a wormhole-like portal and flees. "Luckily", Saturn stopped his activities in the surface world and was not seen by many years. The 49th Unit became "inactive", yet always on alert. Nora found herself stuck in the headquarters until the case was solved, becoming a very bored and frustrated person. During that period, Nora would only make researches, lurk in the net and write "dumb fantasy stories". After the war began, she felt alive and determined once again, with the chance of ending her mission once for all.

I decided to change the publishing routine to 5 pages/week, so the new schedule is:

Winged Rampage Pg 9-45 between April 15th and June 5th
Frenetic Dance Pg 1-11 between June 7th and June 20th

Chapter 16 begins with Captain Elika going on the offensive against the Maverick raiders as an one man army... but is he really alone?

Season 2, Chapter 16: Winged Rampage
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Saturn · 05-15-2018, 02:47 PM

The beginning of what's possibly the greatest mess in the history of sprite comic battles, followed by two short boss battles against lesser Mavericks. With this, remains only the last third of the chapter where things will get serious!

Season 2, Chapter 16: Winged Rampage
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Also, here is a WIP of Season 2's Cover Art:

Spoiler

The idea came from a sketch while I was bored in a Vector Analysis class. It took some time to draw with the mouse over the pencil scribbles and will take some weeks to turn it into a complete artwork. Since I probably won't be able to finish it this semester, I'm leaving it here. All of the characters are in their newest designs, not the ones currently shown in the comics. Radar Unit Ying (his armor resembles more the chinese culture) and Keros (he's more like a Raijin now) have been redesigned, although their looks might not be the final versions. Illusion and Red Thunder should be getting a visual update this year, but I haven't come up with any ideas yet.

The display of the characters has a bigger meaning this time, and some of them I can't tell. Two streams come from the center: X and the Maverick Hunters behind him; The Neo Maverick Army begins below the hands of the Mysterious Man with Saturn seemingly pulling the strings, although the mercenary Baronel is aware of that. Councillor Raffould watches with a strange enthusiasm the spiral of the war forming and raises the Earth Army.

Saturn · 06-06-2018, 02:33 PM

Chaotic Gargale unleashes his true power against the Earth Army and the battle reaches its climax!

Season 2, Chapter 16: Winged Rampage
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With this, Chapter 16 is completed! Only the two hardest boss battles of this arc remain to be concluded in Chapter 17: Frenetic Dance in June and July. After that, we'll reach the last part of Season 2 and the story will be half complete.

Also, two more redesigns for the collection:

Red Thunder

Spoiler

That's a drastic change in his palette, because I realized he had way too similarities with Flash (DC) and a color scheme very close to Zero. Since the lightning bolts released by him are actually rose, I made an inversion so the bolt details are in the right color instead of gold. I've been wanting to give him a better name, but was not able to come up with anything so far. What do you think?

This redesign might be implemented in the comics in Season 3, as him and other Maverick Hunters will receive upgrades.
Baronel

Spoiler

Originally, Baronel resembled X a lot, because he was supposed to look like a generic civilian Reploid, having only two rocket boosters in his shoulders, a simple appearance that fools enemies who underestimate him. Actually, Baronel can reassemble and morph his parts to adapt his fighting style to anything he needs in unexpected ways. For that reason, he became known as "Death's Swiss Knife". I am not telling all his abilities now, because he is yet to show them in Chapter 17 "Frenetic Dance", which will be published in June.

"Baronel" is just one more false name used by this mysterious Reploid mercenary, whose past is unknown and lives to serve as an infallible tool of murder and robbery for influent people, with no purpose of his own. He is serious and always sticks to the mission, but his mood can change if he finds a strong opponent. What makes him an excellent mercenary is that he can make turnarounds even in the most disadvantageous situations, manipulating his enemies to act the way he needs in order to win. Despite his lack of a greater motivation, the mastermind Saturn managed to earn his interest and loyalty, and together with Shad, Kran and Keros, founded the Neo Maverick Army. Later, Baronel would lead a mission to steal the two superweapons of the Earth Forces called "Red Sun" and "Blue Moon", along with another mercenary called Arang.

Saturn · 06-18-2018, 12:50 AM

Chapter 17 begins with the clash between the Blue Moon and Red Sun Ride Armors! Baronel's expertise allows him to keep the situation under control, but the Hunters are not willing to give up.

Season 2, Chapter 17: Frenetic Dance
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Saturn · 07-08-2018, 12:44 PM

A prelude for the last boss battle while the Squad B tries to finish the paralyzed Baronel amidst a crowd of elite minions.

Season 2, Chapter 17: Frenetic Dance
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It is very likely that this chapter is going to surpass Winged Rampage and go up to 50 pages.

titleknown · 07-13-2018, 05:59 PM

Honestly, I know relatively little about sprite comics beyond my young experience with Jay Resop's Neglected Mario Characters, but I will say I love the dynamism and use of color in there a lot! So that's neat!

Saturn · 07-26-2018, 02:21 PM

(07-13-2018, 05:59 PM)titleknown Wrote: Honestly, I know relatively little about sprite comics beyond my young experience with Jay Resop's Neglected Mario Characters, but I will say I love the dynamism and use of color in there a lot! So that's neat!

I am glad you liked it!

The fighting goes on and ends in an unexpected way even for me.

Season 2, Chapter 17: Frenetic Dance
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There will be an interruption in the 5 pages/week routine for the first time in several months because I am finally without pages in stock. The last boss fight of the chapter is already choreographed and written, in complete contrast to Baronel's fight, which just began to flow naturally until its end after a certain point, but I have yet to make the actual panels and it will take some time since working with liquid metal sprites and effects all over the place is a real pain and will require a lot of effort from me and possibly from my computer's memory and processor.

The page frequency in the next months will depend on my college and hopefully the break won't last long.

Saturn · 11-03-2018, 12:08 PM

(07-26-2018, 02:21 PM)Saturn Wrote: The page frequency in the next months will depend on my college and hopefully the break won't last long.

Turns out that the situation went worse than I expected and my productivity was nearly null during the semester. Welp. Either way, I am publishing pages up to Chapter 18 and it might need yet another hiatus for the amount of sprites and backgrounds I need to make Season 2's finale.

Squad A begins their fight against Corrosive Nagaxid!

Season 2, Chapter 17: Frenetic Dance
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Saturn · 11-20-2018, 10:12 AM

Nagaxid's power growth is going out of control! The Hunters need to think of a trick or they won't get out alive!

Season 2, Chapter 17: Frenetic Dance
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Saturn · 12-08-2018, 04:49 PM

Squad A's mission comes to its conclusion, as well as Chapter 17!

Season 2, Chapter 17: Frenetic Dance
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We now reach the ending of Season 2. What was the point of all those Maverick attacks around the world besides bringing chaos?
Find it out in the next pages of Chapter 18: The True Target!

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By the way, I am working on a project to make PSX-styled sprites of most of the cast of the X series. Check it out:
MMX: SCP: DA // Twitter // Tumblr

Saturn · 12-25-2018, 04:10 PM

Merry Christmas! I gift you new pages, a cliffhanger and a hiatus.

Season 2, Chapter 18: The True Target
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CurtisBissonnette · 01-23-2019, 06:18 AM

I have already mentioned that we got a new game series of Kingdom Heart 3 this year but I think it is yet to release.

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