Some of these are either questions that I'm asked by random people at school, others are stolen from other people's FAQ pages.
Q: How long have you been drawing for?
A: Ooh boy, the big one. Everyone seems to want to ask this question. Drawing in general? Well, how long have you been breathing for?
Seriously, I've been drawing since I was three (or so I'm told by my mother). I did not, however, start drawing anime until I was fourteen, which was also when I got into anime. How did I learn to do anime style? Well, I started by borrowing a friend's Animerica one weekend and doing a lot of practice drawings. It's mostly gone from there, I've been able to do a lot of improvement simply through constant practice... and the occasional internet tutorial.
Q: Did you do this [SpaceHunter_X] on the computer?
A: Yes and no. While I'd actually like to try using the computer more, and I do have a small WACOM tablet, I've not really used that much yet with the comic. Because of this, nearly all drawing is done by hand in my sketchbook. I use 9"x12" Strathmore sketchbooks, splitting the pages in half so that I can draw two pages of SH_X for every one page of sketchbook. For pencil work I use a mechanical pencil. After penciling I ink using Sakura Micron pens, ranging in size from 005 to 05, depending on what I've bought recently (I do a lot of experimenting). For large black areas I usually use a Sharpie, though last time I went pen shopping I picked up a Faber-Castell brush pen, which I sometimes use for backgrounds. After inking I erase the pencil and scan the pages into the computer, where I fiddle around with them, adding text, shading, some backgrounds, minor changes, and finishing touches. All computer work is done in Adobe Photoshop, v. 5.0 and later, with the exception of spell checking, which I do in AppleWorks (ClarisWorks).
Q: Why was "theropicus" part of the old Geocities URL? Also, why is it listed as one of your nicknames (on the Bio page), and why is it your AIM name? Is Thero you?
A: No, Thero is not me. He's actually based on my brother more than me. As for the other uses of the name Theropicus– this is because, while Theropicus used to be one of my many nicks on the net, I ended up gifting it to Thero... I can no longer remember why. (For those of you who remember the old Geocities URL—man, how long have you been reading this thing?!)
Q: I just started reading SpaceHunter_X, and the drawing sucks. Why should I waste my time on this?
A: Um... because the art improves? No, really, I swear it does! The reason the art is so bad at the beginning is because I wasn't as experienced then as I am now. I expect the quality to gradually improve over time, and get a lot better. I try to focus on improving specific parts of the comic (e.g. the way people are drawn, the dialogue, backgrounds, page layouts). It's always evolving, don't get turned off by the early work.
Q: Where is the comic going? Do you even know where it's going? (You aren't going to forget the plot of this one, are you?)
A: I'm not going to tell you where it's going, beyond saying that it will start looking at characters' pasts in more detail pretty soon. I do know where it's going, and I'm not going to be forgetting the plot (I hope). As for how it's planned out, I've known the end of the comic for nearly the entire time that I've been doing it (well, almost the end. Not quite). I bounce back and forth on whether I know what's going to happen in the near future. I have no real plan though, other than to get where I'm going, and to try to make each issue the same length.
As for long-term-length stuff... I would say that after Issue 3 there are about three to four more issues.
More Specific Questions
Q: What does the kanji on the covers say?
A: It says the same thing on each cover—"uchuu karyuudo", that is to say, "space hunter" ^_~
Q: Who are k_pezek and e_mono?
A: Keep on reading, all shall be revealed in time.
Q: What's with the sleeping security guard?
A: His name is Even Apple and he's a running gag. He may become important later on in the comic, I haven't decided yet.
Q: Is El-fay an elf? What the hell is Chief Pezek?
A: El-fay is not an elf, she's an alien of the species Usako-Gi. Her name is the result of her mother being on a fantasy kick when she was born. We all feel sorry for El-fay. Chief Pezek is another alien, an Ichthyosilus.
Q: Hey, did you know that such-and-such name means such-and-such?
A: Yes, that's why I used that as a name. I like puns, so I put a lot of puns in the character names. ::shrug::
Q: What gender is Chief Pezek? And the CFT?
A: Chief Pezek doesn't have a gender (well, actually, it does, it's just that Ichthyosilus have three genders, so there is no male or female). I think the general consensus is that the CFT is male.
Q: What's with X and Thero? Are they an item?
A: Please hold while author restarts brain.
(elevator music)
Q: Why is it called BioCon X? Isn't there enough X in the series already?
A: X is the roman numeral for 10. Not the letter "x"– no hidden meaning.
Q: What's with the little girl and the kitten in Issue 2?
A: I ain't sayin' nothin'.
Q: What does "EMP" mean?
A: Electro Magnetic Pulse. It can erase cassettes and video tapes and other stuff (i.e., magnetic media).
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Mandy Explains Names
Theropicus Paagen: "Theropicus" comes from one of my old 'net names. "Paagen" is derived from the word "pagan" (English or Spanish, your choice) and has no real hidden meaning.
X-19-84-42-01: "X" because I like the letter (one of my names is Sailor Xork). "1984" because I read the book and liked it, and also it was the year I was born. "42" is a reference to Douglas Adams' sf book "The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy." According to book, 42 is the answer to life, the universe, and everything. "01" because I ran out of other numbers.
Kathiopy Pezek: Based on my friend Anne, Kathiopy is also named after her. Anne's middle name is "Cassiope" (it means "white mountain bell heather" in Latin). "Pez" is not a reference to the candy, it's the Spanish name for fish.
El-fay Mono: Okay, yes El-fay is based on elves, I admit it. Her last name means "monkey" in Spanish, which refers to her prehensile tale.
Even Apple: Even is based on my friend Adam, who wanted to be in the comic. Because it was Adam, I named the character Even, referring to Adam and Eve. "Apple" is a similar reference.
Ohkiiphehnohkkiisuamp: Okeefenokee Swamp, where Pogo Possum lives (truthfully, it's an actual place in Florida).
Bombast: A reference to a Disney comic book I once read. There was an iceball called a "bombastion". One grain of bombastion could turn an entire barrel of water into ice cream, and every barrel was a different flavor. (The CFT cannot turn a barrel of water into ice cream.)
Ichthyosilus: Another reference to fish.
Usako-Gi: My attempt at combining two Japanese words. "Usagi" means "rabbit" (a reference to their big ears) and the "ko" came from "neko," which means cat. I originally intended the tail to be more similar to a cat's (this might also explain the notorious tempers of Usako-Gi).
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