TroyHickman

Originally Posted by SuperOz

Got to pick up #2 today, Troy....an intriguing read, and I have a couple of theories as to whom the Dusk Devil might be...the one-page inserts again were fun....I did love Oktoberfist and the mention of Planeteam.

I have a friend who suffers from clinicial schizophrenia and so I find myself relating to TG from a very different perspective than you may've intended, but I am also fascinated by the phenomenon of the Real World Hero movement.

Did you have an opportunity to meet with a group of them or just individuals? I keep thinking of the practical concerns of such things, and I wonder how the authorities will react when the day comes a very wealthy person with resources decides this is something he wants to do.....


S.

Originally Posted by sleestack

Oh, then let me catch you up on the story.


Twilight Guardian dies.


You're welcome.

Originally Posted by Lazarillo

Just read issue 2. Man, this is good, good stuff. #1 was great, but this one was a step up even from that.

Originally Posted by SuperOz

Ack! I don't want my teeth removed or to have cut-rate electric shock therapy! I'll buy the book, I swear!

I SWEAR!

Originally Posted by Dark One

Just out of curiosity, but do you know how many copies of each issue were printed?

Originally Posted by Dark One

Apparently, you are unaware as to who Troy is.

He wrote three of the City of Heroes comics, has a guest author arc in the MA, and one of the items from his comic run made it into the game proper (the statue in front of the tram in King's Row). That's in addition to being a forum regular and pantsless wunderkind.

If you're not interested, you're not interested, but you might learn something about the person you are dismissing.

(Did I overstep there Troy? My apologies if so.)

Originally Posted by SuperOz

You must be best friends with Richard Dean Anderson and Bret Hart, then.....


S.

Originally Posted by sleestack

You can speak both English AND Canadian? Wow!

Originally Posted by TrueGentleman

Good grief, the "Eldritch Cleaver" gag? And there I was trying to puzzle out whether there was some visual allusion to one of Berni Wrightson's works going on.

(Of course, one has to pronounce that in a North American accent for it to work properly.)

Originally Posted by TrueGentleman

If Baron Von Darkeve has an analog for Werewolf by Night, perhaps Baron Thunder crossed with the Darkhold? (There's also Man-Thing, Tomb of Dracula, Zombie, and all the other horror comics of the 70s to go through.)

(Incidentally, I picked up the last copy of the issue at my local comics shop yesterday.)

Originally Posted by SuperOz

Heh, of course I did. 'Wormer von Braun'? Heeheeheeheee....I was also waiting for the Wonder Aunt Whole Lotta, but hey....

I am a long long time tv and comic reader. I was into Star Trek and even 'Ape Pagoda' before I was in my teens. I do of course await your Night Court and Manimal references...



S.

Originally Posted by Chase_Arcanum

I finally dug through the snow and made my way to the comic shop to pick up my copy, and... well... I have to take issue with... well, this issue.

More accurately... I have to take issue with how it was promoted. There's been a great deal of mistruth spread about this work-- false advertising so egregious that it should not go unchallenged.


This comic is not a miracle cure. It is not a suitable alternative to traditional cancer treatments. It isn't even a good alternative for homeopathic remedies. It will not and can not remove warts, clear blemishes, remove wrinkles, or bring back your lost youthful glow. There was one promising study where readers of Twilight Guardian reported substantially less pain than readers of the control group, but this study has since been discredited after it was found that the control group was given issues of "Brand New Day."

It will not end world hunger. Much to the dismay of starving children worldwide, this comic will not resolve their plight. There is absolutely no veracity in the suggestion that Twilight Guardian will cover the deserts in mana or even bring swarms of edible locusts to be dried, fried, or chomped on live. About the best that can be said is that, when properly prepared and accompanied with toast, juice, and milk, it offers more balanced nutrition than your typical cheeseburger value meal.

It does not in any way facilitate world peace. Quite the contrary. I have to admit that I was quite duped by this claim... going so far as to offer to lend the comic to a co-worker that I normally don't get along with as a peace offering. He was so enthralled by it that he refused to return it and tried to sneak it home in his laptop case. The HR director was able to mediate before the shouting match escalated to full physical violence, but that deep-set hostility and sense of betrayal lingered well into the evening... in the parking lot... where Mr. Tire Iron proved to be much better at conflict resolution.

It will not make you wealthier than your wildest dreams... especially after the lawyers get done with the abovementioned "world peace" issues.

It does not revolutionize comics. No, we've all seen enough promotions over the years to know that comic book revolutions take the form of character deaths, rebirths, redeaths, heroes going bad, villains going good, travels through time, demonic pacts that rectcon decades of content without actually retconning, younger versions of time-tested charcters (with boobs), and foil-embossed covers.

This comic has none of that. In its place, Twilight Guardian offers so many things that any veteran comic book reader will recognize as irrelevant to a comic book's greatness. Things like: solid narrative; wit; a complex character psyche that isn't just a reflection of two dozen different authors' rewrites; solid coordination of word and art; and an alternative perspective into the superhero genre reminiscent of Troy's other work, Common Grounds. It is a breath of fresh air-- but anyone who's ever been on the floor of a comic convention on the final day knows that there is no such thing as fresh air in this industry.


----------

I know some will say that all this criticism is too much... that this is only one issue... that maybe by the third issue, he'll have a chance at bringing order (and food) to Somalia... That maybe prolonged exposure to new issues will still prove beneficial to those suffering rickets... or maybe that greatness will be grasped when our intrepid Guardian adopts a costume that's more prone to wardrobe malfunctions in combat...

I know those responses will come, and... I'm sorry... but I know time will prove me right. Twilight Guardian will always be just a smart, insightful, somewhat-irreverant and always-enjoyable aberration in the comic world, much as I've come to expect from Troy. You can believe otherwise, but I'll stand by my guns-- and I'll have the complete Twilight Guardian collection at hand to prove it.

Originally Posted by Knight_Marshal

Just got my copy. Either the only one they got in or the last one they had.

Kudos Sir!
Well written.

Enjoy a taco on me with the money you made off of my copy!

Originally Posted by SuperOz

Great first issue, Troy. I've got it on my pull list and there were additional copies on shelves at my local down here (and they weren't waterlogged, burnt or windswept, even!)...I do have to say though...

Ape Pagoda. Noone under the age of thirty is gonna even get that gag if it's referencing the tv show I think it is. And if it's not, then I'm making some mad connections in my brain meats. It's my fault if I have....I did skim the issue initially with pants on.

But I think the subject matter is cool, and the one-page one-offs are just totally cool and reminds me of my childhood. One pants down for me.


S.

Originally Posted by Lycanus

he's the person people pointed to when I asked if it was okay to promote my novels