Range Patrol #3: Invasion Resolution

[jpholding]

Here we are....earlier than expected...

http://www.tektoonics.com/intro/rangtoon3/rangtoon3001.html

Pref notes...there are just two "baubles" in this one referring back to ST #2; one verbal-visual (easy) and the other visual (moderate). Let's see who finds 'em first. After this, starting with ST #3, there won't be any more "baubles" as the two sets of stories head towards a merge. There WILL be clear and unambiguous tie-ins between the two storylines starting with ST #3.

Back after lunch and another scan of that gollyawful Flemming DVD.

[Darth Executor]

Here we are....earlier than expected...

http://www.tektoonics.com/intro/rangtoon3/rangtoon3001.html

Pref notes...there are just two "baubles" in this one referring back to ST #2; one verbal-visual (easy) and the other visual (moderate). Let's see who finds 'em first. After this, starting with ST #3, there won't be any more "baubles" as the two sets of stories head towards a merge. There WILL be clear and unambiguous tie-ins between the two storylines starting with ST #3.

Back after lunch and another scan of that gollyawful Flemming DVD.

*groan*
I'm 2/3 through it and it's so cheesy I could make pizza out of it. :tongue:

[jpholding]

*groan*
I'm 2/3 through it and it's so cheesy I could make pizza out of it. :tongue:

Peh. High quality cheddar, son. :rasberry: You're not invited to the wine-tasting party, then. :hehe:

[Darth Executor]

Peh. High quality cheddar, son. :rasberry: You're not invited to the wine-tasting party, then. :hehe:

Bah, it got better near the end. Minus the crying. :shifty:

I'm gonna let someone else find the easter eggs this time because I know that if I start I'll probably waste hours looking for the must subtle of hints and miss the obvious stuff. :tongue:

[Darth Executor]

Why am I getting the strange feeling that JP will make my tilkrig cry? :shifty:

[Xavier]

Why do I hear the words "Axlotl tank" in my head as I'm reading the first few pages?

[Darth Executor]

Ch'lyn Paz looks cool. Are there any undead on Hearthsone? At first I thought she was a mummy.

[jpholding]

Bah, it got better near the end. Minus the crying. :shifty:

Awww. You're just gettin' spoiled playin' that danged video game, son. I guess you expected them to beat the robot with some kind of demon, or what? It's like you went to see Terminator 3 and then got upset when you watched a Warner Bro. toon afterwards and Wile E. Coyote didn't kill the Roadrunner with an atom bomb. :rasberry:

Why am I getting the strange feeling that JP will make my tilkrig cry?

Is it because I TOLD you (per your privilege) that he would in an email? :ahem: But heck man, you would too if you were told what he ended up being told.

Are there any undead on Hearthsone?

Not until the final series, at closest. :wink:




Why do I hear the words "Axlotl tank" in my head as I'm reading the first few pages?

I had to go look that up. Nah, the Catrel victims don't get brain-deaded. If they did there'd be no Claw of Vengeance.

[Darth Executor]

Awww. You're just gettin' spoiled playin' that danged video game, son. I guess you expected them to beat the robot with some kind of demon, or what?

Better than with tears. :tongue:

It's like you went to see Terminator 3 and then got upset when you watched a Warner Bro. toon afterwards and Wile E. Coyote didn't kill the Roadrunner with an atom bomb. :rasberry:

More like I got upset that Elmer Fudd didn't raise from the dead and hack them to pieces with a machette while wearing a hockey mask. I've been watching Friday the 13th movies too since Oblivion had a scene stolen from one of them and I wanted to see the original. :wink:

Is it because I TOLD you (per your privilege) that he would in an email? :ahem: But heck man, you would too if you were told what he ended up being told.


Oh yeah. :blush:

[Xavier]

[...] I had to go look that up. Nah, the Catrel victims don't get brain-deaded. If they did there'd be no Claw of Vengeance.

Not a Dune fan, hrmn... I'll have to remember that... :smile:

[Darth Executor]

What happens to the women that become hosts for the sk'lan offspring? Do they die at birth?

[jpholding]

Better than with tears. :tongue:

Ain't nobody beat no one with tears, dude. :hehe: Seriously, I don't expect everyone to like every scene....tryin' to make a broad appeal here, after all. I figure most people will find the defeat of the robot funny. Waaay back someone here said they liked that I didn't make the stories too serious. Well heck -- that's an example, ain't it? It has me rolling every time the Sk'lan hauls out the Wile E. parasol and Beamer says, "Take care of yourself now!"

More like I got upset that Elmer Fudd didn't raise from the dead and hack them to pieces with a machette while wearing a hockey mask. I've been watching Friday the 13th movies too since Oblivion had a scene stolen from one of them and I wanted to see the original.

Agh. No wonder your mind was warped comin' in to readin' it. :glare: You want I should do Eidolon up in Freddy Kreuger getup for ya? :hehe:

Come to think of it, Elmer Fudd as a zombie would be kind of funny....

"I am....the wiving dead! Huh huh huh huh huhhhh."


What happens to the women that become hosts for the sk'lan offspring? Do they die at birth?

Nope. They use 'em over and over as many times as they can. Horrid stuff. But the Sk'lan aren't acidic or anything like that. Somewhere in what will likely be ST #6 Felicity and Brom will meet Precog out in the wilds of the Northwest; she'll have been one of the hosts, and she'll tell 'em about it.






Not a Dune fan, hrmn... I'll have to remember that...

I tried to read one of those and it didn't move fast enough. Plus I'd heard Frank Herbert was some kind of humanist and that that was reflected in the Dune series. True?

At that, I'm hardly surprised I'm not the first to have such an idea; just didn't know where else it was.




Aside: Let me clarify here, for those who might not have seen it (or else remind those who have), that the name "Darthex" is indeed credit for our resident Oblivion specialist, who came up with a very critical idea for the series and so earned the naming of a character after him.

[Xavier]

[...] I tried to read one of those and it didn't move fast enough.

Nope, they aren't fast at all. The plot is thick, but I've always found his development to be slow, though with as expansive as his universe is I can understand why.

Plus I'd heard Frank Herbert was some kind of humanist and that that was reflected in the Dune series. True?

Yes, I think that's an accurate assessment. Religion and Politics are dealt with at the same level of understanding and approached through equally socially manipulative means. But, I'd tend to say that this is fairly common in science fiction...

At that, I'm hardly surprised I'm not the first to have such an idea; just didn't know where else it was.

It just struck me, figured I'd mention something and see if that was an inspiration or not.

[RumTumTugger]

Why do I hear the words "Axlotl tank" in my head as I'm reading the first few pages?

you mean I'm not the only one who thought of that?

[Darth Executor]

Ain't nobody beat no one with tears, dude. :hehe: Seriously, I don't expect everyone to like every scene....tryin' to make a broad appeal here, after all. I figure most people will find the defeat of the robot funny. Waaay back someone here said they liked that I didn't make the stories too serious. Well heck -- that's an example, ain't it? It has me rolling every time the Sk'lan hauls out the Wile E. parasol and Beamer says, "Take care of yourself now!"

I'll admit that the umbrella was funny. :wink:



Agh. No wonder your mind was warped comin' in to readin' it. :glare: You want I should do Eidolon up in Freddy Kreuger getup for ya? :hehe:

Sure.

One two, Eidolon's coming for you
Three four he's at the door
Five six, he's a Calvinist... :whistle"


Nope. They use 'em over and over as many times as they can. Horrid stuff. But the Sk'lan aren't acidic or anything like that. Somewhere in what will likely be ST #6 Felicity and Brom will meet Precog out in the wilds of the Northwest; she'll have been one of the hosts, and she'll tell 'em about it.

For a second I confused Precog with Molinist and was wondering what the heck was going on. I thought Molinist was male...
Schwartzenegger anyone?

[attachment=1]

I tried to read one of those and it didn't move fast enough. Plus I'd heard Frank Herbert was some kind of humanist and that that was reflected in the Dune series. True?


I read the first one and all I remember was that the religious fanatics won. :tongue:

[jpholding]

you mean I'm not the only one who thought of that?

I might be the only one who didn't. :hehe:

[Spheniscine]

Pref notes...there are just two "baubles" in this one referring back to ST #2; one verbal-visual (easy) and the other visual (moderate). Let's see who finds 'em first. After this, starting with ST #3, there won't be any more "baubles" as the two sets of stories head towards a merge. There WILL be clear and unambiguous tie-ins between the two storylines starting with ST #3.
http://www.tektoonics.com/intro/rangtoon3/rangtoon3057.html

The ambassador looks like Brom Shriker from behind?

[jpholding]

http://www.tektoonics.com/intro/rangtoon3/rangtoon3057.html

The ambassador looks like Brom Shriker from behind?

Nope. :wink: Though I did hope for that to come to mind.

[RumTumTugger]

I might be the only one who didn't. :hehe:

I'm glad you didn't think of it. :wink:

I did enjoy this chapter and look forward to the others.

[jpholding]

Thanks RTT. :smile:

May as well note on that, that I'm going to try something new for ST #3. I've been trying to use the paper I draw on as fully as possible, but I have found that the art looks better when I concentrate on making the drawings as large as possible. So in essence ST #3's 80 pages will expand to something like 150, though it won't take that much more time.

For example:

http://www.tektoonics.com/etc/clawart.html

The Valapines (on the bottom) each were done taking up a full 8 1/2 x 11 sheet of paper, and the Quantricontracene had their own sheet to themselves. Most of the others were drawn on a half sheet, whch makes the lines heavier in the final product.

Later today I'll be posting a new version of page 1 of Range Patrol #1.

[jpholding]

Here we are...two versions of the same page...time between them, 7-8 months.

[attachment=1][attachment=2]

It's my view that the heavy color shadowing doesn't work well with my style, except for things like dramatic moments, Sheila's hair, etc. Which would match up with the style of Carl Barks and that school. Any opinions beyond that?

[Christy]

Beamer looked like a fan of Flocking Seagulls on the original first page of Range Patrol 1 at the top

:eek:

[jpholding]

Beamer looked like a fan of Flocking Seagulls on the original first page of Range Patrol 1 at the top

:eek:

Wish I had the context to grasp that. :hehe:

I did decide to make him (and the Tilkrig race as a whole) less reptilian in appearance, so no more eye turret. It disappeared before the middle of RP #1. All they have left of the lizard in them is that tendency to be green or yellow...and one other thing that will show up in RP #4. :wink:

[Little Shepherd]

Just finished reading Range Patrol 3 and checking out the concept art. Looking forward to ST #3, and I have one question.

Why are the Sk'Lan fuzzy? I assumed they were the snake-based people because of the fangs. I dunno of any mammal with fangs. But then I don't know of any mammals with actual wings like the Chet'lyn. Are the Sk'lan like the anti-Chet'lyns? I note both races also have an apostrophe in their name. Hm...

[jpholding]

Get to LS's questions first, then it is time for the usual random thoughts on composition...


Why are the Sk'Lan fuzzy? I assumed they were the snake-based people because of the fangs. I dunno of any mammal with fangs.

Neither do I. But I'm not sticking that closely to our taxonomies. :smile: The practical matter is that they use the fangs to puncture and suck on fruits. The compositional matter is that I gave them fangs to make them seem evil.

As the Cartel cycle winds down over the next year or two, we'll see more about the Sk'lan and more than a few surprises.

Are the Sk'lan like the anti-Chet'lyns?

Only in a moral sense, perhaps. :smile:

I note both races also have an apostrophe in their name. Hm...

So does Eidolon's race (Av'nen)....there's nothing to that, no. :smile:



Now for background on RP #3 per custom....

The resolution of the military thread wasn't too hard to work up once the nature of the soldier-thugs was established. The only decision needed was how to hide the male half of the army. Three options were considered: 1) Put the battle near a marshy area where they could hide under water with straws to breathe; 2) Get the thugs to chase the female half of the army through the camp, where the male half was hiding in the tents; 3) have 'em hide underground in trenches. I didn't pick which to use literally until I inked the two pages where the resolution was reached. 1) didn't square well with Nullabor's perceived geography and 2) seemed like it would get too clumsy and comic. 3) at least reflected a known military strategy of digging trenches.

The Ketterling thread was built upon the inspiration of the scene in which they combined their powers with explosive force to wipe out a division of thugs. It had to be worked out how to get them into the middle of such a pack, hence the scenario in RP #2 with the prisoners. I had briefly considered setting the scenario on a beach, but in the end a city scenario was the most practical, and that choice actually determined many of the other plot elements in the story.

The thread with the original RP crew wasn't complex; just a matter of finding a way to make the fight interesting and a bit comic (hence the "Wile E. Coyote Solution"). Eventually Beamer will find the chronic device that allowed the robot to "pop" into existence at the end of RP #2, but he'll have no idea what it is (not his specialty). There'll be some insight in RP #4 in terms of how well he knew Darthex back in Cartel days (not well at all, actually, which is one of the reasons he's a little scared). Darthex I envision as a true "anti-Beamer" to the point that where Beamer is more of a nuts and bolts guy who looks to get the job done now, Darthex is into the deeply theoretical, and the grandiose, long-term scheme. If they were in the same room they'd circle each other like predators from different species.



ST #3 has been started, inked up to 4 story pages, though using a technique of larger drawings it has taken up about 9 sheets of paper so far. Right now I'm going back and updating about 6-7 of the worst-drawn pages of RP #1.

[jpholding]

I've finished redoing a handful of the oldest pages on RP #1 (1-5, 20) and started on ST #3. Per custom the first page is below. It doesn't reveal much about the story, but we get a look at their version of the steam train.

[Darth Executor]

You should do more drawings like the overhead one. Brings back fond memories of games with a 2D isometric point of view they stopped making.

[sc_q_jayce]

Your artwork is definitely improving from start to presently. Yet, at the same time, I fear that if it became better than what it is now, it wouldn't be what it should be! Augh! I am torn between the decent and the fantastic... yet, I must say...

Stop improving! Stop getting better! :tongue:

[{Tim}]

You should do more drawings like the overhead one. Brings back fond memories of games with a 2D isometric point of view they stopped making.
Oh, yeah... some of those are really cool.

[jpholding]

You should do more drawings like the overhead one. Brings back fond memories of games with a 2D isometric point of view they stopped making.

Establishing scenes like those tend to take a lot of time, but they're often worth it.



Your artwork is definitely improving from start to presently. Yet, at the same time, I fear that if it became better than what it is now, it wouldn't be what it should be! Augh! I am torn between the decent and the fantastic... yet, I must say...

Stop improving! Stop getting better!

The 15-20 years of rust seem to have worn off by now, eh? I suppose I'm back where I was when I quit; it remains to be seen whether I *can* do any better.

[Jawa Man]

Pwned Lol!!!!

[jpholding]

Yep. The Sk'lan speak Chicken Scratch. :hehe: Jawa gets a gold star.

[sc_q_jayce]

Random questionnaire about polarium:

Is it malleable? How hard is it? What's its density? Melting point? How would you classify it under the Periodic Table of Elements? Would you consider it a transition metal?

:teeth: Just wondering. :)

[jpholding]

Random questionnaire about polarium:

Is it malleable? How hard is it? What's its density? Melting point? How would you classify it under the Periodic Table of Elements? Would you consider it a transition metal?

:teeth: Just wondering. :)

Ha ha. As if I'd know. :hehe:

I do envision it as some sort of composite metal that has to be synthesized and is of medium hardness and density, such that it has to be molded like steel and refined by heat. I prefer to keep the rest vague since I don't know anything about metallurgy.