Sleepless nights and unfinished business Posted on Monday 13Nov06, at 11:35 pm. It is, I hope, not unduly cliché to establish that this inaugural comic was, in fact, "based on a true story." Of course, a certain creative license was taken. Suffice it to say that my own encounter with the Star of Destiny was far less dramatic, and involved a great deal more junk food; but I shall spare you, the reader, the mundane details. And I do hope that there is someone reading this. bCompatible is not the first webcomic I have undertaken, nor will it be the last if the current trend continues. However, it appears to be reaching a maturity that most of its fallen brethren did not, and perhaps we will see it stick around for a bit. But back to today's comic. Central to it is a recurring routine, a continuous process that I follow often: namely, the re-visitation of games from past eras with the intent of completing them. In fact, when a game of mine remains unfinished, like a sort of Beethoven's 10th with power-ups, the process begins again with an alarming consistency. It seems that even cheats and warp zones will not stop its advance: a full 103% with all the trimmings is necessary for closure, or the Ghost of Games Past will strike with impunity. I actually look forward to this phenomenon in the current crop of games following the mold of Animal Crossing and the like. I am curious as to whether their seemingly infinite replay value is a miraculous innovation, or merely a mirage like a Cheep Cheep in the Kalamari Desert. That's all I have for now, but come back on Friday for a new comic and some more rambling.

The angel of SM64 Posted on Monday 13Nov06, at 11:55 pm. This type of thing really bothers me. You're trying to get some rest, when flying and glowing five-pointed figures break into your home, your very castle, and harass you about things you thought you left behind. I can't even being to tell how often this has plagued me. I can also tell you that my psychiatrist does not believe me one bit. I keep showing her my scars, but she insists that's where I got my appendix removed. Hallucinations aside, this is bCompatible. It's a comic. This is perhaps the fourth comic I've either made, or played a part in. Most such comics never saw the light of day; the heads of some I found in my bed the next morning. As for what goes into this comic, it is a collaboration of ideas between Andrew and me, which I proceed to draw. Comics will forcibly enter your home on a semi-weekly basis. They will make off with you TV, VCR, and DVD player, and leave humorous pictures on your computer as evidence. Don't pick up the phone. Don't call the police. The comics are watching you. They are everywhere. As for replay value, old games are my life. I'm not talking about old like N64, I mean NES days old. I play Adventure Island on a routine basis, Bignose the Caveman has captured collective days of my life, World Cup is my all-time favorite sports game (slightly above Bases Loaded) and I didn't rest until I beat Bubble Bobble all the way through. Jumping up to play Super Mario 64 is nothing. You hear me? NOTHING!