A Concerned Citizen
You know – the Internet is annoying. I’ve been trying to hunt down an old comic that I loved for this article. But the Internet just won’t sit still.
Anyway – onward…
Web-based comics are a big deal, but I’ve never really been that into them. Not for any reason, just that I’ve never encountered any that hooked me. With two exceptions, and they both have something in common; they both contain references to Gordon Freeman. He played a cameo in one, before we all finally got to meet him. He has yet to appear in the second one, but they’ve heard of him there.
The first dates back to 1997. It was short-lived, but I loved it. I still love it. And it may have been the first video-game comic created. Dank and Scud appeared in five original episodes, and they made a one-time return in somewhat updated skins for a sixth episode that took place back on earth, somewhere in the deserts of New Mexico.
It’s not just the graphics that are rough (Quake is at that bad age – it looks old, but it’s not old enough to be retro, like Doom is.). The humour is a bit rough, too. But it sets up the formula for video game comic success: It recognises that things that players notice and relate to and it makes fun of them. And we love it. We love inside jokes.
We even love them in other games. There’s a secret in an early Duke Nukem 3D level with the Doom guy’s dying corpse hidden in it, and Duke says “Man, that’s one doomed space marine.” – and it’s funny. It’s not funny here, but it’s funny in-game. And how about Serious Sam in the phone booth, trying to get Duke on the phone? Sam says he’s been waiting for him forever. (Heh! Forever.) Haven’t we all? There’s a sign in a Doom3 level that reads “Valve is Running”. And they aren’t all about friendly competition – some references are more of an homage than anything else. Black and White 2 has a puzzle that rewards you with a troop of un-dead soldiers who make very creepy noises as they rush about. One of those noises is the death scream/gurgle from Heretic. Now – am I loser for recognising it? Maybe. But it made me smile, and if I’m playing Heretic this weekend, that will be why.
My latest find is Concerned. It’s fabulous. If you like HL2, read it. Start from the beginning and read the whole thing, and don’t miss out on the notes that appear at the bottom of the issues.
This article has made me nostalgic. I’ll have to play the old games and write about them. Plus Gump and I have a Doom2 plan that may make for some funny stories. Or not.
Does anyone else have favourite web comics – game-related or otherwise? What about video-game hidden references? Lord knows the GTA series is full of them.
