Mono-x-treme

So last week was a bit of a departure from the style that is developing for this strip and what I realized afterwards was that it greatly distracts from the "comic strip" feel we were working on, I think to the detriment of our efforts.

This week we're back not only to the strip format and simple line-art style but also the "punchline" writing and character introductions. That's right, Occam is a platypus and a new character in the strip. His namesake is actually "Occam's Razor", the philosophical notion that the simplest answer is often the correct one. As a platypus he embodies a kind of genetic question that utterly lacks any simple answers.

Rock Hero rhymes with...

Don't get us wrong, we love us some Rock Band. We love us some Guitar Hero. We're very excited about all the new features headed towards us from both. What we fear is the over-commercialization of some of the best rock-and-roll ever recorded for the sake of selling a game and keeping the genre fresh after we've all had our billionth Guitar Hero or Rock Band party.

Keep in mind please that this post and comic are the product of two men who conspired to include Rock Band at a wedding reception. The result was more rad than wedding receptions are normally allowed to be. We'd still love the genre to grow and for the game companies to be as innovative as their business managers allow, but whatever you do, please leave the song mashups to the likes of DJ Dangermouse and not John Riccitiello from EA. Please.

I'm only wearing a sock while writing this.

Here at FoF headquarters, we are both rhythm game junkies. In our spare time between extreme drawing sessions, we like to throw down in GH/RB.

This strip actually went through a few permutations before accidentally landing on the 9-lb hammer that lays before you. We were originally going to poke fun at the growing, ganglionic tendrils of the Rock Band accessory system. Imagine a device that tossed bras at you whenever you hit a max bonus, or as an alternative to star power: "cocaine power."

We also wanted to make fun of GH: Aerosmith. There's nothing wrong with Aerosmith, but there are only so many big name acts that can warrant their own game. Fear the day when GH: Winger is released.

...we'd probably play it anyway...

iPhoney Balogna

So alot of you are probably reading this fully aware of the Cult of Mac (not just the eponymous blog, but the actual cult). Who am I kidding, there aren't alot of you reading this in the first place. But if anyone out there actually DOES read this, you'll be likely aware of the iPhone launch itself. Chris and I decided to mock the hype and the fanboyism that is associated with the launch of virtually every new product from Apple Inc. We might, perhaps, maybe a little bit suffer from what you might exaggeratedly call "jealousy." It is possible, but I admit nothing, that we actually both desperately want a 3G iPhone.

Making fun of movies we've not yet seen...

Well, now we've done it. We've delved into the realm of mocking movies we haven't seen yet. As if that wasn't enough, we're now adding frightening new phrases to our modern lexicon. For this crime, we should at least be treated to a showing of WALL-E, Pixar's newest offering, so that we may learn the error in our judgment; I'm pretty sure the lesson would be strongest if that showing were offered for free. Yeah.

Like usual, the normal apologies are in order for desecrating the hallowed icons of Sci-Fi robotics. But hey, at least I got the strip up early, so there is that.