Before I start on some new comics for the next Healbot “visitor milestone”, let me mention a few more artistic influences. These are the things that distracted me in high school and college, insuring my future existence as a lowly webcomic artist.

5) NEWTYPE Magazine - This giant publication was the otaku food I consumed for ten years (89-99). Although entirely unreadable, the excellent illustrations were worth the import price.

6) Wuxia Movies - When I was young, there were cheesy “Black Belt” movies on TV all the time. In the 1990’s, these types of movies returned, with better wire-fu and top-notch actors like Brigitte Lin. A good portion of my DVD collection is made up of films from both generations.

7) Anime - Believe it or not, there was a time when this genre was new. My exposure to hundreds of titles was granted by knowing an omnipotent laser-disc collector in LA, and working with local anime clubs. Narrowing down the list to “creative masterpieces” is difficult, and still reflects personal preference…but I’ll name some:

Miyazaki’s Films & Manga - This man should be cloned and sent to teach at every art college in the world.

Fantasy Videos - Record of Lodoss War. Vision of Escaflowne. Bastard!!. Berserk & Jyubei Ninpocho (for the strong stomached).

Comedy Videos - Maison Ikkoku. Azumanga Daioh. Dragon Half. Prefectural Earth Defense Force & Animation Runner Kuromi.

Sci-Fi Videos - SDF Macross. Memories. Bubblegum Crisis. Paprika. Gundam 0080. Ghost in the Shell TV. Gunbuster & Daibuster OAVs.

Computer Games - Yeah, there’s this online game with hot chicks and flaming swords…Guild Wars? There’s even a monument to decorate, kinda like in Animal Crossing…

I’m feeling nostalgic with all this anniversary hubbub, so I’m making a partial list of (certainly geeky) art that inspired me in days of yore. Let me begin with:

1) The Book of Conquests - This weird book wins my personal award for AWESOMEST cover ever (see picture below). It looks like a Men’s Mag you’d pick up off of Thulsa Doom’s coffee table. Jim Fitzpatrick is the artist who drew this collection of mythological, warp-spasming berserkers. For a kid who thought Thundarr was cool, this book was worth its weight in platinum.

2) Classic Star Wars Trilogy Sketchbooks - Forget the Force, I was enthralled by the technical illustrations of McQuarrie, Johnston, & Rodis-Jamero. Those movies owed a serious debt to the artists and ILM craftsmen.

3) Art of Michael Whelan - I’d buy my Sci-Fi literature based in part on the book cover. Whelan is the Zeus of book cover painting. Now you know how the “Dragonrider” Healbot strip came about…

4) Monster Manuals - Sometimes, you get tired of drawing the Heroes. That is when you reach for the hard-cover Fiend Folio and start drawing zombie-dogs with bat wings and shit. Just about every monster in EVERY computer game can be linked to a 30 year old drawing from one of these RPG classics. Truly, 10d8s worth of inspiration.

Next time on the Codex, some more recent influences…like Dragon Half MUWAHAHA!

Although I’m still waiting a bit for Healbot to turn 3, some of my other characters had a yearly rollover. I didn’t get any rare pets, but at least there were no duplicates. I’ve always liked the Jade Armor, which was one of the new gifts. Considering how old our “character lists” are now, I think the Xunlai Agents owe us a mini-pet tab for storage.

Once again, Healbot offers up the obtuse clue for this month’s hidden comic:

Hey! When I discuss tactics, I like to use a visual aid. Someone else does the same thing, and you’ll find the link in that other comic!

Remember, no “reveals” in the comments as to the location please. This isn’t any fun unless there are a few hours of rolling on the ground in fretful agony.

Time to celebrate by heading back to the Ring of Fire. Healbot would prefer a coupon for her new Deldrimor weapon, though…

If you’re old-skool like me, you know I’m talking about MACROSS! This month, a new television series entitled Macross: Frontier began airing in Japan, and I’m totally giddy.

The premier episode is on the usual streaming video sites, and it is chock-full of tributes to the 25+ year old original. I remember vividly how overwhelmed I was by the US incarnation (Robotech); it was like a show from the future had been beamed to my tv. Particularly, I loved the well-designed mecha and serious character development. Who knew green and blue hair could be cool? Anyway, for more about the series follow this link.

The upcoming Healbot gallery revision will feature this illustration of T-Chan. As usual, she is trying a creative solution for dealing with the monsters that stand between her and loot. Mini-Shiro appears to be guarding the Salvage Kit…

Do you find yourself not being healed by your party Monk? Consult your radar and compare to the graph below. You may be located in dumbass range. If you return to healing range and are still dying: A) you may not be aware that your monk has pinged zero energy 8 times already, or, B) your monk was killed by massive aggro, dumbass.

In addition to going online for the Gaile & Frog party this past weekend, I’ve begun my involvement in a number of new gaming titles. Friends of mine have started their PnP rpg campaigns, one in Savage Worlds: Deadlands, and the other in the latest d20 Star Wars. I play a vengeful Indian and a Verpine Force Adept respectively. Furthermore, we tried out another elaborate Fantasy Flight board game, Descent. This game benefits from having someone “Game Master” the baddies, so events can be suspenseful without necessarily resulting in a party wipe. It may become our miniatures game of choice for a long time.

In other news, I’ve also re-enlisted my webmaster guy to start upgrading the Healbot gallery page. Soon, there will be no more of my lame “untitled document” pages!

To compare appearance with the grayscale comics, I have a small drawing of Fairebuckle & Miette in color to show you. I’m considering having the new Healbot page feature the main characters with a full palette of tones. Honestly, I don’t think color improves the comics, however, it could make the homepage more contemporary. If you think the change would be a significant improvement, leave a comment…