ComicsBRO issues official âwhite paperâ
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Controversy has surrounded a recent &#8220;white paper&#8221; issued by comic shop retailer organization ComicsPRO. In the open letter, the group expressed their concerns over individual publishers hurting their ability to do business by offering pre-retail convention sales. ComicsPRO has asked publishers NOT to offer any books to fans at conventions or local gatherings before they become [...]
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Tycho:  It wasn't until the strip was completed that I realized we had written two comic strips at the same time.  Gabriel thought this comic was literal, and I thought it was about miscommunication. At least, I hoped it was. This is a fantasy to which I still cling.
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Tycho:  I was in a guild with the guy who started FigurePrints, and when he extended coupons to the old crew I snapped them up and gave them as Christmas presents.  None of my characters ever reached the highest echelons of Azerothian Fashion, so it seemed like they were better invested in Gabriel and Keek, who poured night after night into Battlegrounds and Active Volcanoes fighting dragons and whatnot. The coupons I have described are difficult to secure, only available in random drawings at random intervals, or if by some twist of fate you happen to have been guildmates with a cunning entrepreneur.  It's really a way to ennoble the lost years you plowed into that game.  It's the sort of thing you'd think a person would appreciate.
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Tycho:  Despite what the Mr. Period comics might imply, I think of grammar as somewhat tyrannical, and believe that an obsession with the mechanical perfection of language is at odds with actual communication.  At the same time, I know (generally) how things should be arranged, and so non-standard uses deliver naughty thrills.  There are floating syllables in the recent Twisp & Catsby thing that can only be resolved by a very specific reading, and they project from the phrases in a suggestive way.  I even like trade names:  words that evoke fierce, yet sensitive gladiators or spry androids.
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Tycho: This podcast covers the writing process for today's comic (and a number of other tangents). Of course, it's entirely possible you had already subscribed to the feed and are currently listening to it. In which case, I apologize profusely.   (CW)TB
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Marvel says the massively multiplayer City of Heroes lets players create characters that resemble its own, so the company is suing. That's not sitting well with free-speech advocates. By Daniel Terdiman.
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Gabe: So the big news today, in the world of web comics at least is that PvP is getting itself animated. Scott posted the news along with a little teaser over on his site. He"s actually writing the entire thing with the help of Kris Straub. I was a big fan of the old Blamimations they did together and I"ve told them both whenever possible that they needed to collaborate more. I make jokes when I"m uncomfortable and it just so happens I have issues with anxiety so I"m essentially uncomfortable all day. That means I spend a lot of my time making jokes. When Scott and Kris were up here visiting I hardly said a word. They"re just too funny and they"re always on. You just can"t compete with them, all you can do is laugh.
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Those characters, as well as more familiar Marvel comics stars like Spider-Man and the Incredible Hulk, are going mobile. Publisher Mforma Group Inc.
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Tycho: Some of you have probably already heard it, since I put it up yesterday - but we're trying new hosting for the podcast, and I wanted to make sure everything made sense before I dropped it on the front page. The podcast is for Wednesday's strip, "The Ungift, Part Two." You can download it here, or subscribe to the feed here. The levels are a little crazy in a couple spots, for which I apologize. I think we've got those ironed out, now. (CW)TB
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Tycho:  I'm super depressed.  I thought I had invented a new word - mirthquake - and then I was going to say that you should prepare yourselves for the aforementioned, as today's comic strip was rated this or that number on the rictus scale.  I mean seriously, I've been excited all weekend.  A simple Google search put me in my place - the word is practically ubiquitous.  Expect it soon on Urban Dictionary, that mausoleum of once vibrant language.
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Gabe: I just have some random stuff to share here.***UPDATE***Looks like we got bumped to 2/12 because of a Magic tournament.Pokemon League night is next Tuesday at the Comic Stop. Matches start at six pm, but you can show up a little early if you'd like to trade cards. As always new players are welcome, just bring a starter deck. It's also a good idea to register at Go-Pokemon.com and bring your POP ID. A reader wrote in today to tell me that he was doing the New York Sun crossword puzzle for January 30th and noticed this clue for 12 down:  "Tycho's pal in the webcomic 'Penny Arcade' (4 letters)." That's totally awesome. I'm sure the Force Unleashed will be fine. The time period around the original trilogy is just getting so crowded. Now Vader has a secret apprentice? I mean, it makes sense canonically to me. The Emperor had Mara Jade out there doing his dirty work. It's not unreasonable to think Vader had a similar arrangement. Also the very nature of Sith rule makes covering your ass a necessity. The hook for the game is fine and I don't mind the 3rd person action stuff. There are a few games I'd much rather see them make though. The fact that they have not made a sequel to Republic Commando is fucking criminal. That's not a joke either. I mean that someone over there should be put in jail for the rest of their life. RepCom was an incredible squad based shooter, and unlike most games in that genre it was packed with awesome characters. This games deserves a next gen sequel. The other game that needs a next gen installment is Tie Fighter. Seriously that game came out in 1994 and it's one of the best space shooters ever. And for fucks sake stop setting things during the movies. There's nearly sixty years worth of incredible content (minus the dark nest series) extending out past Return of the Jedi. You don't have to keep trying to cram stories into the same 20 year period. They're milking so much content out of that period that eventually we'll be playing a game as Luke where the goal is to repair vaporators on the south ridge. Hurry up you've only got 'till mid day!Rez is available on Xbox Live now. It's one of the best games ever made.   The most popular piece of clothing we've ever made, AKA The Black Mantle is back in stock. It's joined by its polar opposite, the Luminous Vestments. I have a feeling both will be sold out before I finish typing this.   -Gabe out
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Blog: Newspaper reports  publisher Scholastic to take  legal action against peer-to-peer sites, book distributor and online retailer over unauthorized release of  book.
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Tycho:  I don't know why I get my hopes up reading shit about "broken street dates" online, I'm perpetually disappointed by the results.  I got a game on the actual ship date five years ago, and it's made me into some kind of Goddamned optimist.  There are scattered reports that people have picked them up, and you may invest your time in this way if you are desperate, but I apologize for wasting your time.  (CW)TB
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A version of this story appeared in Sunday's print edition.
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Gabe: You might notice that in Today"s comic Tycho is reading Bloodlines. We both just wrapped the book up and it"s incredible. I"ve always been a huge Boba Fett fan and now thanks to Karen Traviss I know why.
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Tycho: It's available almost everywhere, actually, but we have it on our own store now if you do not already posess it. I've seen a few out there in The Retail Book Fortresses, so should you desire a copy of Epic Legends Of The Magic Sword Kings, the process will be very straightforward. I think it turned out really well, but I wrote all of it, and I get paid when you buy it. So I might not be the person to ask.  Trivia: The third book is called The Warsun Prophecies, which we already announced. The fourth book is called "Birds Are Weird."(CW)TB
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Tycho:  We grabbed a couple demos yesterday afternoon to see if we were missing anything, specifically Tenchu Z and Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End, and came away with the expected comic materials.  I think Tenchu Z may get explored in a more robust fashion in Monday's strip, but after the loading is complete the demo flashes up one of those screens that is completely grown over with control instructions.  It wasn't even an especially bad one, and there are very, very bad ones, like the one in the demo for StarFire Saga V: Laserion.  It was merely an assault on the mind, paralyzing in its way.