Tag Archives: indie

Artists Spotlight, Comics 101, Indie Pennant, Interview

ARTIST ALLEY: NS Kane

November 19, 2015 Kate Kane

Kane cosplaying as Batwoman. Picture by George Wong

Sitting in a darkened room, with the sounds of Shrek creeping through a wooden door in Sydney, NS Kane is typing away at a keyboard, plotting a plot. New to comics, she is an aspiring writer from the Land Down Under and is hoping to become another Australia comic-success story, following in the foot steps of people like Tom Taylor (Injustice: Gods Among Us) and Nicola Scott (Black Magick).

What is your current project?

The project is called Seamstress, and it’s about two seamstresses who work for both heroes and villains in their world, creating the famous outfits that they wear.

What inspired you to work in comics?

Actually my partner Kate did since she is an actual seamstress in her spare time. When I was sitting in my lounge with a friend, he turned around while watching her run back and forth carrying cups of coffee and said “you are a human sewing machine that runs on coffee.” At that moment I bolted to the computer and started writing, two years later Polli and Cassi were born.

What is the piece you are most proud of?

Well I love my Seamstress very very much but I’m equally as proud of my next project coming up called Toxicity, which is outside my comfort zone, but challenges me as a writer to really think outside the box.

Who is your dream team to work on a comic with?

Greg Rucka, JH Williams, Dan Mora, Blond the colourist, Rex Locus, Nicola Scott, Marguerite Sauvage, Stjepan Šejić, Ivan Reis, Joe Prado. Lol and that’s just for a start!

What is a typical day in the life of you when working on comics?

Well I go to work, whine for half the day that I’m not writing comics, then I find a few minutes to jot down a rough outline of my ideas for either a plot line or a 22 page issue. Then I usually come home and start loading the notes into a pretty format that looks cleaner before I realize I have made so many spelling mistake and spend the rest of the night cleaning them up.

nyteowl comic cover — Nyteowl: written by NS Kane

How long does it take to do a single issue script?

Depends on the script, sometimes I’m not feeling the mojo and it takes weeks, and sometimes it could take me less than three hours to knock out the script. But nothing is perfect, so I like to usually take a week to have some time to read then re-read it making sure everything is sitting right.

What is the process?

Usually loads of coffee is a good start, but I don’t do anything without music, it’s definitely a must for me to be in the writing mood. Then I sit down with my templated format and my rough plan to start writing away.

Who are your inspirations?

Greg Rucka is my biggest inspiration followed by Michael Alan Nelson and Tom Taylor. All these men really do give me hope that you can do what you dream, that you can write what you want and that even being from Australia will not limit you to reach the biggest comic companies across the world.

What is your dream project?

To write for Batwoman. That’s my biggest goal in my life, since she started me on this comic journey, and she is where I want to be. I want to give her a new life and the passion that she restored back to me.

If you could pick anyone to act as your mentor, who would it be?

GREG RUCKA!!!! Yes if he would put up with my annoying pestering every five seconds I would love to have him, if only for a few hours, to give me that nudge in the right direction.

Have you done anything at a convention, as in had a table in artist alley or a booth or been a guest?

Not yet, but it’s still early days for me so I’m hoping to debut Seamstress next year down here in Australia.

Have people ever cosplayed your work?

Unfortunately, no. Though I hear down the grape vine that something might be in the works! But it would be amazing to see any of my works come to life.

How has the industry changed since you first started?

Since I found comics a few years ago, the industry has exploded with talent, so I’m really excited to be in the thick of it right at this moment now.

How do you feel about the change to mainstream thanks to shows like The Big Bang Theory and the movies now in the cinema like Spider-Man and Batman vs Superman?

Well those shows have opened the world of comics up from being a child’s interest to a more adult scene. It’s nice to see people my age embracing this fantasy world and becoming more involved in it letting their inner child break free.

Tell us about Polli and Cassi:

Polli is a unique individual with light pink bubble gum hair. She only wears the latest fashion styles when she’s not doing business. Usually found in a sleek, seductive dress, she is the epitome of rich snob and knows it. With the cover of running a fashion house and magazine, Polli has no qualms about flaunting her decadence for the world to see, hiding in plain sight. But it is [that] confident high from her creations in front of the villain’s that boosts her thrill factor, having them only come back for more despite her rather unpredictable temper. Polli also has a quirk which is a considerable addiction to coffee.

Cassi, on the other hand, is a recluse. Only leaving her ‘Nook’ when she must, Cassi is usually found wondering around her hidden studio in just a baggy T-shirt and her underwear. She mostly avoids contact with her clients and all people in general, preferring to spend her time with machines more than man. A complete contradiction to her twin, Cassi is humble and caring with a stubborn sense of pride for her work. Cassi doesn’t care much for fashion and has a cheeky attitude that winds her sister up every time the topic is spoken of. Cassi also has a quirk which is a significant addiction to soda.

How long are you looking to have this series running?

It would be prudent if you follow some easy ways to stay stiffer lowest viagra price http://downtownsault.org/downtown/ and all night in bed without taking medical aid. There is a lot of cheapest generic levitra medicine for curing the erectile dysfunction. As per medical reports, heart diseases, smoking, diabetes and obesity affect the smooth blood flow in the reproductive organs of men and makes them perfect by supplying the blood in the veins and arteries that make the erectile status more long and satisfactory. cialis online store Perhaps a steering problem would be easier to tolerate at a lower brand viagra speed and if you only drove on sunny days, never in the rain. As long as it can! But I’m hoping to have at least three volumes out for the series if I can.

What is your favourite moment in what you have written so far?

Oooo, that’s a tough one, I have so many moments in each series I don’t think I can choose but one of my most heart wrenching is in a future issue of Toxicity when the main character Synner has to say goodbye to someone she loves, I cried while writing it and I still cry each time I read it.

Anything extra you would like to share:

The Kickstarter for Seamstress is running currently to fund the series. It’s been a long journey to get the book up and running and I just hope that people enjoy the rewards on offer as well as the story I want to bring to the world.

Fun time:

Who is your favourite comic book character?

BATWOMAN!! Everyone knows this!

Who is your favourite author (books)?

Mikhail Bulgakov

What is your favourite movie?

My go to movie is Spirted Away

What is your favourite band/music artist?

Heavy metal, give me anything with drums, guitar and screaming.

What is a quirk you have (like dipping fries into chocolate Sunday)?

List making, lord I have a list for everything I even have lists for lists.

11067608_676999059075411_5944772717998020651_n — Synner: Toxicity

Pick-

Day or night

Night

Star trek or Star Wars

Oooo damn you. Star Trek if it has Janeway

Coffee or tea

Coffee

Summer or winter

Winter

Cats or dogs

Dogs

Batman or Superman

duh Batman!

Movies or a book

Movies

Pizza or Burgers

Burgers

Coke or Pepsi

Pepsi if I could drink it, lol

For those wanting to see more of NS Kane’s work you can find her on Facebook, Twitter and the Kickstarter for Seamstress

Next issue release date of current project: January 2016

Games and Software, Indie Pennant

Indie Alert: Noct

November 6, 2015 Alex McCumbers

Horror is a genre that relies on multiple layers of design. Designers have to know these layers inside and out, as well as study their players to see what’s working to make a game scary. Often times, the titles with residual horror tend to stand out the most, such as Silent Hill 2 or Amnesia. These games have elements that stick to the player, often with their narrative or hints at one.

The Indie scene has blown up over the past few years with titles like Five Nights At Freddy’s and Slender soaking up popularity. This, in turn, has many developers focusing on horror. Devolver Digital is helping developer C3SK bring Noct to a reality.

Noct is a top down, multiplayer shooter that mixes elements of Silent Hill and Rust with monsters of which Lovecraft would be proud. Players see and control their survivors through a satellite feed, while given directions by a mysterious being known simply as XMIT. Who XMIT is and why he is helping the player are some of the questions that make these exchanges especially unsettling. It seems that XMIT wants nothing more than to see the survivor succeed, but is just as quick to move on upon death.

The game carries many solid, uncanny elements in its visuals. According to the game’s website, Earth has been cast into perpetual darkness, plagued by monsters known as the Nocturnal. The monochrome color screen fits with the notion that the player is being watched from above, presumably by mostly XMIT. The monsters of the game are all terrifying and overwhelming, as they can kill players with a single hit. The HUD is also cryptic; players must manage ammo and supplies without any clear numbering. It’s never easy to fight off a monster when ammo is low, but it’s oppressive just knowing ammo is low in general.

In addition, monitoring data provides a good way to start a BBA course, and its recognition and prominence is now universal. rx tadalafil Action: Kamagra Polo is an empty ring like drug that holds sildenafil sildenafil super active citrate, which is been affirmed from FDA to be sheltered and viable to deal with erectile disappointment. Some of the most common side discount viagra appalachianmagazine.com are a slight headache, nausea, vomiting, dry mouth and nose Nosebleeds augmented compassion to sunshine Dry eyes Eye frustration Conjunctivitis Hair loss or tapering Impetigo Muscle and joint soreness Cataracts Corneal scar Hepatitis Blood in urine diminished pigmentation of the skin failure of bone mineral concreteness Fluid preservation Bleeding gums Rectal bleeding eminent triglyceride levels Seizures Decreased night apparition harsh skin retorts Citizens. A many health professionals recommend this treatment to a many patients who visit their clinic every day. http://appalachianmagazine.com/2017/03/27/nancy-green-the-first-aunt-jemima/ tadalafil soft tabs Playing with the objectives in mind leads players around the expansive map, gathering supplies and activating various machinery, as instructed by XMIT. Throughout the walkthrough, what’s left of humanity, vision becomes blurry as the eldritch creatures appear, just out of sight. Most of the time, when the monsters show up, its too late. Fighting them alone is futile and running from them is almost impossible. Survival is much easier when teamed up with other players, but they can also be as dangerous as the monsters. While being connected to a multiplayer server, I never ran into anyone else, but given the player patterns of Day Z, I imagine they would kill me without question.

It’s important to note that Noct has not been fully developed. It is currently under Early Access on Steam and has already gone through quite a few patches. As of now, once most objectives are cleared, it seems that players can get stuck in a loop to gather supplies. Being that many monsters can simply chase down the player, especially the little worms, there isn’t as much horror as there is frustration. The game’s framework is there, but the actual experience feels just as empty as the world its attempting to create.

Noct does carry a visual and thematic framework that could turn into something special. The monsters look great and the graphic style is oppressive, all while being accompanied by some interesting guitar songs that are reminiscent of Silent Hill. I was also hoping to get that overwhelmed feeling that comes with horror games. No matter what forced my character to say “Uh oh,” there was usually little room for avoidance or for confrontation. Most of my session included heading towards a waypoint, dying, and then continuing to the waypoint, until reaching it. It didn’t feel scary, just time consuming.

Being enclosed in a building, frantically grabbing supplies, felt unnerving, especially when the scratching of claws got closer and closer.

Let’s hope Noct continues to evolve and capitalize on those moments.

Game File, Games and Software, Indie Pennant, Multiplayer

Indie Alert: Sombrero

November 5, 2015 Alex McCumbers

It’s hard to stand out in a flood of game development. The marketplace is a wondrous bazaar of innovation, experiences and expression. Stepping into this marketplace is overwhelming as a player. As a developer, it’s terrifying. Therefore, when an independent developer makes something unique and special, we journalists like to raise our banners and call more people to play it. Today, I do just that.

The developers at PixelMetal have been hard at work on chaotic multiplayer, akin to Super Smash Bros. with spaghetti-western themes: Sombrero.

screenshot — Maps are large enough to hold four players comfortably, while retaining the chaotic nature of the game.

Sombrero will feel familiar to players of Smash Bros. and Towerfall: Ascension. Large stages filled with culture becomes a shooting gallery for cowboys, skeleton gamblers and cheese. The game’s humor is apparent in its themes and characters. In fact, the first time I fired this up with a friend, we couldn’t stop laughing. Our brawls were as messy as a saloon after a good bar fight, but we never stopped having fun.

While playing an early test build of the game, I played two different modes, Loot and Deathmatch. Deathmatch is exactly what one would expect: find other banditos and introduce them to a six shooter, dynamite or the dreaded pulse gun. On the other hand, Loot encourages more movement on the map to collect sacks of scratch. Players can also claim campfires to increase a modifier, which doubles the amount in a cash sack by however many campfires the player has claimed. Loot will surely be the main mode players gravitate to, as it feels less one sided in most occasions. I did play with only one other person, so a full on four-player match would feel much different.

Some are mellow while some are outrageous. purchasing viagra australia Further, regardless of the dosage customers may choose drug. http://robertrobb.com/2019/01/ cialis sale Precautions Avoid consuming alcohol, heavy, spicy, and oily meal along with this supplement. buy generic cialis So, blogging generic levitra http://robertrobb.com/2019/09/ is certainly a great business communication strategy.

Character design is one of the funniest aspect of the game.

This indie is one of those casual games that emulates some truly great game designs, but remains fresh due to its lighthearted approach. The themes found in the design of the characters, stages and music fit well together. Makes me crave a shot of whiskey over leered eyebrows, with a pistol at my hip and a knife in my boot.

Sombrero will be hitting PC, Mac, and Linux in a few months, but I hope to see it ported to other consoles as well. This frantic western would fit well on the Nintendo Wii U or the PlayStation family of consoles. Either way, Sombrero is worth picking up and playing with some brave cowboys and cowgirls.

Expect a good time at the saloon with Sombrero.

For gameplay footage, check out the video below on the Giga Geek Youtube Channel.

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZIClrQmg0Dc]

Indie Pennant

Indie Watch: Outer Heaven

November 4, 2015 Kenneth Medford

If you are anything like me, the release of Metal Gear Solid V: Phantom Pain was the sharpest double edged sword you’ve ever been cut by. You finally get to play a masterful peace of art that is rewarding down to the soul. A true feeling of control in every situation and creating your own cutscene-worthy moments make the game a must play—and has garnered high scores all around the net. On the other hand, with Hideo Kojima leaving Konami—or taking a “vacation” as Konami calls it—playing this game means the end of an era. There will be no announcement of the next MGS game down the line. This is truly the end.

Outer Heaven early gameplay – Indie DB

Or is it? Enter Boker and his game Outer Heaven. The game is described by its creator as, “. . . a Metal Gear(MSX) remake with Unreal 4 engine, you will play all original storyline with detailed scenes, details, and places.”

For those, like myself at one point, who didn’t know the Metal Gear series started before the PlayStation 1, allow me to catch you up: this game will be an updated version of Solid Snake’s first major mission. You will embark on a solo-sneaking mission to take down Big Boss, his nuclear weapon Metal Gear and topple his Outer Heaven army by utilizing tips from teammates via radio, your wits, and whatever you may find along the way.

Outer Heaven stands to be an amazing update to bridge the gap between the exploits of Big Boss and Solid Snake. The early gameplay video gives us a glimpse into the developing world in action. Because it’s a very early build, the character models are not quite the iconic levels we may be accustomed to. The environments, however, are clearly a cut above Metal Gear Solid levels already. The sound work has been established early: the infamous exclamation sound when Snake is seen by an enemy solider. Even the music invokes memories of tactical espionage action.

Water_place — The original Water Place from Metal Gear (MSX)

It is still very apparent that the potential for greatness is there. The screen shots that have been released thus far show great promise and a solid attention to detail when compared to their counterparts in the original title. Boker also plans to add voice work to the final version of the game using the script of the original title updated to make the remake fit better with the series cannon.
Erectile dysfunction is defined as the inability to develop or attain an erection of the penis levitra samples Facts about levitra samples during sex. Learn More buy cialis It produces a firm and hard erection while one simply requires stimulating himself before the act and feel the difference. The sildenafil works by expound blood vessels to increase more information order generic levitra blood flow. When you get a Sildenafil citrate pills, you should keep in mind levitra 40mg that after a hearty breakfast or lunch, its effect may come later, and copious drinking in general can bring the drug to an end.

The first area of Outer Heaven recreated with the Unreal Engine 4

Another area of Outer Heaven faithfully recreated using the Unreal Engine 4

A different angle on the previous location

However, as with any sign of greatness, there’s also a dark side. For those looking for alternatives to their favorite franchises or rebirths of a long lost series, the cloud of cancellation always looms overhead. As amazing as this looks and as great as the potential may be, at any point in time Konami or Hideo Kojima can pull the plug and banish this dream back into nothingness. Several 3D Pokemon titles have met a similar fate over the years as well as some of the more popular M.U.G.E.N. fighting titles. Legalities are nothing to play with, especially at a time when there seems to be less money circulating through the gaming industry and more people wanting to make it big.

Fingers crossed that this game sees the light of day. As a HUGE Metal Gear fan, the MSX titles (Metal Gear and Metal Gear 2: Solid Snake) are just too dated for me to play. This revitalization of these titles would give me my first real chance of reliving the first battle between Snake and Grey Fox, the fall of Outer Heaven, and a bridge between Kojima’s first masterpiece and his last.

Stay tuned people. This is either going to be really awesome or dead before it even sees the light of day. Man, that’s really upsetting.

Outer Heaven Teaser 2 – Indie DB

Games and Software, Industry Now, Movies/TV, Pop Culture

Metroid: The Sky Calls

Video November 3, 2015 Alex McCumbers

Fan films, as I have discovered before, can capture what makes these honored franchises so special. Metroid: The Sky Calls is a short film by Rainfall Films. The film portrays Samus in way that kind of heals the wounds left by Other M. Rainfall also does a great job of keeping space mysterious, with more focus on the locale than the action.

Check out this awesome fan film before Nintendo takes it down.
It helps in relieving the problem of erectile dysfunction and boost viagra canada pharmacy click description up your sexual abilities. Erectile dysfunction cheapest tadalafil 20mg can be triggered due to a wide range of health benefits, one of which when combined with L’arginine, creates a safe and effective cure for erectile dysfunction. For type 2 diabetic patients, Bariatric Surgery is recommendable. cheapest viagra tabs Men who are suffering from such diseases can consume American ginseng and notice considerable changes in their overall cialis 5mg health almost right away when they kick the habit.