EDR: MT 004 - This is THE END. (A.K.A. INSANITY)

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In this last comic, I'm trying to explore the characters' "deeper" connections throughout the multiple layers of the human psyche. First, we have Piro's nightmare, obviously a consequence with his deranged obsession with games and Nanasawa. Is it Nanasawa? I have no idea, I can't remember the girl's name... It's the one that works in the restaurant. By the way, have you seen today's (Wednesday's) comic? I think it's a new low in Story Development. Mainly because NOTHING HAPPENED. AT ALL. Anyways, back to the comic. He wakes up from his nightmare, seeking the comfort of... What's... Going on...?! I didn't draw this... THIS IS NOT RIGHT... THIS IS WRONG! WRONG I TELL YOU!!! THIS IS THE END, OR IS IT?
Next week we'll be back to something more normal. And less Yaoi. And considerably less Megatokyo. But not Megatokyo Yaoi, that's a definite. Not Yaoi... NOT YAOI... WHY, WHY DID I DRAW THAT?! MY MIND IS BURNING, IT'S ALREADY IN HELL... OH CRAP! SOMEONE'S BEHIND ME... HE'S HUGE... I CAN FEEL HIS KILLING INTENT! AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAARGH!

QUICK... *gasp* ... READ THIS ... *gasp* ... IT IS IMPERATIVE... NOW I RUN....

EDRMT 003 - THE INFINITE CODE

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Long time no see! I was inadvertedly forced to take an extended absence from Comic-Making due to an overwhelming amount of work (And, of course, Silent Hill). It was, however, somewhat planned, as this enables me to finish this saga by the weekend. (Yes! Only four comics! Each more Deviant than the previous!). Anyways, onwards with the explanations!
The first thing you'll notice about this comic is that it is based in none of the MT comics in existance. Remember one of my previous analysis, where I talked about how Megatokyo had too many characters? Well, in this particular instance, Ping and Miho are a single entity: Ping, the original A.I. within the Ping Unit, and MIHO, a clever and downright malicious A.I. bent on taking over the world to turn it into its own playground. An A.I. gone wrong, she's Largo and Piro's most insidious enemy, in both online games and real life. In this comic, she reveals herself and her intentions, while we also learn about Largo's mystic quest that granted him supernatural powers... Or not. Maybe he's just delusional, like Miho, who just doesn't understand how reality works and is bound to fail anyways. In their own fantasies, however, they do battle, and if you must know, Largo emerges really hurt, yet victorious. Androids are electric too, you know? SHOCKING. Literally.
The second thing, is that the scan is VERY poor. You see, this comic had a lot of trouble to begin with... It was hard to make, 75% of the dialogue changed throughout the entire week I was at work with it, and the penciles smeared a lot... I had to clean it up REAL BAD before scanning it. It was tedious work, I can tell you.
I know this sounds like just another promise, but I still want to post the sketches I made in preparation for this stupid epic.
And the next comic, I dedicate to 4chan. It feels like the right thing to do.
It will also be the last Deconstruction of Megatokyo I do, and the best possible ending for the MT comic, in my humble, biased, possibly totally wrong opinion.

EDR: MT - 002 - Where have I seen you before?

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Sometimes I wonder why the Kimiko character doesn't recognize Piro, the poor idiot, considering the number of times she poured coffee on his lap. WAITAMINUTE! It's because his face is generic. Just like every other Megatokyo character. Hence why I go through such an effort to make all their faces and expressions distinct and unique. In Kimiko's case, I wanted her to look the least like her Megatokyo counterpart. Her character, as it was, seems to be constantly changing, without any sort of constant, and a bland personality, to boot. Here, we're giving her a bit of higher reflexes and initiative while keeping a certain amount of naiveness, in order to boost her already simple personality. Hence, why the outcome was RADICALLY different from what was shown here and here. Not to mention it also grabs you and makes you wonder... Does she recognize him from the cafe, or from someplace else? The answer (YES! You guessed right) will be revealed in further installments of this strange trip into something else.
What I used to love about Megatokyo was how different Rodney Caston's writing was from Fred's. This becomes painfully evident by the comic that follows the last two I linked, relinked for your convenience here. In that particular instance, he's obviously making fun of Fred's awful non-working, boring pacing.
Aaaaaaand I have at least one more SECRET plan in the works that may or may not see the light of the day here... It greatly depends on what happens with it. I can't say much besides that!
If you want me to add a link to your site, leave a comment, and I'll get right to it ASAP.

EDR: MT - 001 - Pacing and Development

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Excercises in Destruction and Reconstruction: Megatokyo begins! After a brief delay, of course. It this the curse of Megatokyo? That all its comics will invariably be late? I cannot say. What I can say is that this comic is a fusion of comics 832 and 833, which were, by definition, two horrible trainwrecks of plot and character development (Not to mention dialogue!). First, unnecessary information was edited out (30% of the text!), then the remaining text was edited out into something more manageable, and finally a new ending was written (Because, let's face it, both 832 and 833's endings are really weak for a three-times a week comic). Other things were changed, in order to give a greater insight into the characters (Or rather, my vision of them) and to accentuate the fact that Largo is a hardcore gamer and a Gaijin in Japan. The art is obviously my own, though this is only because I seriously dislike Fred's art (In particular the way he draws hands... They look small, like a 6-year old's!), and because I needed to make all characters look different enough (LOL!).
Let's talk about the characters, shall we? In this vision, Largo is pretty much the most hardcore gamer you'll ever find. He's so hardcore, he knows the secrets inside most gamer's minds (Both the good and the bad), and so he can comment on things that are gaming related. In this instance, Largo, upon hearing her comments, immediatly felt that Erika's ex-boyfriend was just like all those people who use cheats against other players, who would rather lie about their own abilities and win, than lose, learn and grow on their own. He also notices that she's not like that, and tries to be sympathetic while drinking some booze... If that were booze, of course. There are cans of coffee in Japan! And Largo is not the most observant of these kind of things. He sees a machine with cans that look nothing like soda, and thus believes them to be beer. Unfortunate coincidence! Instead of swallowing it, he reacts poorly and actually spits as much coffee as possible. He expected beer, and got coffee... He has now learned that vending machines also have coffee.
Erika, on the other hand, is just poring her heart out. In the original comic, Largo interrupted her frequently. Here, she gives him no chance to do so at all, until she starts questioning why he lied about his family, why he ran away like such a coward. Largo's explaination, while ackward, does satisfy her in a way, and for a brief moment she silently wonders why would he say that... He sounded almost like a sage, some sort of western wisdom giver or something. It was the right answer at the right time, and this brings up her mood a little. In the end, she realizes that this man is still a silly fool, but abstains from making any further outspoken comments.
Anyways, this is only the first part. There will possibly be 4, maybe 5 comics on this vein, exploring Megatokyo, its flaws and how they can be somewhat remedied.
Quick Extra Note: If I were to re-write all of Megatokyo, I'd totally:
a) Write out that girl who wants to learn how to draw.
b) Write out all the angels and devils.
c) Write out Dom and... That other guy. Ed? Yes.
d) The Goth girl would be an Android (Makes more sense anyways), and would only be a circumstancial part of the story (She only appears in relation to Largo and Piro, and much less frequently... We may see more of this in future EDR:MT's).
e) Write out 90% of the Useless Secondary Characters (Such as the l337 guy and many, if not all schoolgirls from Largo's class)
f) The setting would be altered dramatically: The two main girls live in the top floor of the store, which means they have to be neighbors with Piro and Largo (More inter-character development, more punchlines about Japanese lifestyle), or maybe even live with them (OMGWTF).
g) Somebody DIES by Volume 3. Or earlier.

There may be a post on Saturday, focused on character design. Or in this case, character re-design! Focused on the two leads of MT, Kimiko and Erika! (Had to check Wikipedia to get the names right!)

004 - MIRACLE SNIPE'D

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Illumination continues! This time, applied to more practical uses. HEADSHOT!
I'm actually not good at Halo. Not at all. However, there are times when, after playing for a short while, I suddenly gain mysterious powers of awareness and l337, which enable me to pull of maneauvers I really don't know at all. This is a rare occurance, but when it happens, it is almost glorious. [Comic.Angel] does, however, play like a pro when in his Illuminated state. How did he acquire it, will it go away? Who knows? Next comic will be a temporary interruption in this cursed continuity, which means that before bringing you the end of the Angel is Illuminated arc, we will take a chance to mock, defile and rewire other forms of popular media. More on this at the end of the post.
So, are you wondering who are those three individuals who happen to be playing Halo 2 alongside our current Wise Sage. Those are quite rightly the comic versions of some of my closest friends. They will be featured more whenever strange things happen to us... And they do happen, so I'll make sure to blow them out of proportion and make them extra-strange for your viewing pleasure. From left to right: Abraham, Josue "El Charro" and Ken. Not pictured: Maiky (Why was he not pictured? Because he has a story to tell, and we just might tell it here after a while... Which would mean he would appear quite often).
Also: This comic is VERTICALLY LONGER, and squiggling along, falling down. What happened to the 4 panel structure? It was abandoned for a more dynamic structure which may remain for a short while... Or at least until the bizarre 4-panel gags make a triumphant return. It's also in preparation of the upcoming project: Excercises in Destruction and Reconstruction presents: Megatokyo. The basic premise is taking an individual Megatokyo strip and try to reimagine it in a way that is actually edible. Will I succeed? I doubt of myself much. However, if these comics manage to get at least a chuckle out of you, dear reader, then I will have succeeded. So, Excercises in Destruction and Reconstruction presents: Megatokyo (Or EDR:MT, if you want to use an acronym) begins TUESDAY. Prepare for shocking truths, bizarre plotwists and an ending proposal that will shock all for its simplicity and truth... And all based on what has already been made. AWESOME.

003 - The Return of The Prodigal

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A bit later than expected, but here it is, a new delivery within the same regular continuity. Don't expect this to last forever, though, as this space is mostly an experimental output for simple, personal graphic narrative and self-parody. But enough of that! Let's talk about the comic, shall we?
Enlightment is hard to define. Many self-announcing gurus often claim to have reached some sort of enlightment within their field of expertise, and what is really funny is how often the image of a man with an ostentous beard is related to a person of great knowledge. Thus, Angel grows a beard in two hours! But how did he do it? Where could he go attain this strange enlightment in such a short space of time? And is this enlightmend the real deal, or just another ruse?
He's a cruel man, most definetely! He leaves poor Elle, zombiefied, lacking a good chunk of her brain, wandering around an empty space for two hours before returning and bringing her back to normal... And messing up her hair! But do not despair, for that is easily fixed, and will be done so the next delivery.
Coming Soon! A PARODY of the highest caliber!

002 - chomp chomp

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And so, continuity begins! Angel is crazy, it seems. Suddenly, in an act of... Vanity? Clarity? Insanity? Decides that he must seek some sort of enlightment. This further defines two clear roles: Angel is a crazy, desperate, and ridiculous individual, while Elle is somewhat more balanced, yet also manipulative and, well, extortionist. Technically, she's supposed to bring him down a bit through her actions, make him reflect about what he's doing, and if he's wrong or not. Not in this case! He's completely lost it, and is, consequently, trying to eat her head off. Will he succeed? Will he not? Will he find enlightment? You can find out Late-Wednesday-Early-Thursday. Twice a week's the name, but stay tuned on Friday Night, just in case Saturday is possible.
Peronally, I am particularly proud of that last panel. I know it's cruel, but Elle's expression of pure, sheer panic is only matched with her expression on the first panel of the next comic, which is a thematic counterpart of this fast-paced descent into madness. Lucky for me, it's already sketched out! Maybe this week will be a Three-Timer. Let's hope for it!