Commander Keen: the comic strip

This is where you can post your Commander Keen related stories, artwork, or other stuff that is related to Commander Keen but otherwise doesn't belong in another forum.
User avatar
Nisaba
Janitress
Posts: 1597
Joined: Fri Jan 01, 2016 23:34
Location: The Outpost
Contact:

Re: Commander Keen: the comic strip

Post by Nisaba »

w
Mort wrote: Thu Jul 22, 2021 4:09 The Commander Keen comic strip is back!

...AGAIN!

https://www.keencomic.com/?p=975
woot, woot! this is awesome

...an operative for the OSA... :p
out now (link) : Image
User avatar
proYorp
Vorticon Elite
Posts: 472
Joined: Fri Mar 03, 2017 1:56
Location: Orbit
Contact:

Re: Commander Keen: the comic strip

Post by proYorp »

OH MY GOSH YES WE ARE BACK IN BUSINESS BABY

...Sorry. :o Can I just say how much I love this comic series? I remember when I first found it back in early summer of 2014 (on like... page 5 of Google results for "commander keen") I was in fits of giggles for days. (Also I was not exactly allowed to be using Google at the time, so probably the stealth factor added to the thrill of it. :p )

And my goodness, the amount of times I've quoted these comics. (Literally 3 days ago I said "vindictive little bugger, that one" about something my friend was telling me.) I think this is legitimately my favorite comic series. :D

Can't wait to see what Rex and Raff have been getting into.... Do you have any current plans to do a full story arc? :D What can we expect to see next? Also interested to see the art progression. Between the first and second big chunks of comic production, there was already a noticeable improvement in your artwork.

On that topic, I dunno if I'm just bad at reading comics but it took me a minute to figure out which order to read the 2nd, 3rd, and 4th panels in there. (Then I noticed the little arrow... and then I wasn't sure if I should continue clockwise that direction and read the next two right-to-left.) IDK dynamic layout confuses me, but I think there are ways to make it more intuitive. (Hopefully I'm not coming off as too critical over a small thing. I just pay attention to that because I always try to read in order first to avoid spoilers.)
"Friendly. Very friendly. Too friendly." Image
User avatar
Mort
Vortininja
Posts: 156
Joined: Tue Nov 06, 2007 19:24
Location: Pittsburgh, PA
Contact:

Re: Commander Keen: the comic strip

Post by Mort »

Hey, thanks. It’s awesome to hear the comic has had a lasting influence. Honestly, that means a lot. :o

Thanks for the comment about the layout. I was actually concerned about exactly what you said, so it’s helpful to know that my instincts were correct even if I completely ignored them. I think the main issue is the placement of the text in the second panel, but I was hoping the people would just pretty much figure it out.

I am planning on doing some larger stories. The next six will be about his family and will kind-of have a story. Not sure if anyone has noticed, but I generally do six short strips followed by a long strip, so the stories / themes tend to follow that structure too.

Looking forward to getting back into it. I’ve really missed it so I hope to be doing this for the foreseeable future.
User avatar
MoffD
Vorticon Elite
Posts: 1220
Joined: Thu Jul 05, 2012 17:30
Location: /dev/null
Contact:

Re: Commander Keen: the comic strip

Post by MoffD »

YES, the wholesome comic returns!

I remember being pretty bummed when you took that break, but I know it's just something you're doing for fun without any compensation. Glad to see you back after 5 years! :D

Also thanks for drawing it
mortimermcmirestinks wrote: Now I wish MoffD wasn't allergic to me.
Levellass wrote:You're an evil man.
Image
Keening_Product
Kuliwho?
Posts: 2167
Joined: Fri Jan 20, 2012 7:02
Location: Tied up in the Oracle Chamber's basement
Contact:

Re: Commander Keen: the comic strip

Post by Keening_Product »

Nice to see the link between Wolf and Keen being utilised. Also very nice to see you return!

Just found this on your Twitter and feel personally attacked, both by the comic and by future me: https://twitter.com/bthewes/status/1371 ... 24/photo/1
Keening_Product was defeated before the game.

"Wise words. One day I may even understand what they mean." - Levellass
User avatar
Grandy02
Vortininja
Posts: 258
Joined: Thu Jan 24, 2008 15:40
Location: Germany
Contact:

Re: Commander Keen: the comic strip

Post by Grandy02 »

... :eek ... :bloody *needs a hug*

Woohoo, it's so awesome to have the comic strip back! *adds new comic to PCKF Archive*
Thanks for keeping it alive, I'm eager to see what happens next. :)
PCKF Archive - The Keen Community's Past (and Present) | grandy02.shikadi.net
User avatar
Soul Monster
Vortininja
Posts: 223
Joined: Mon Jun 14, 2021 2:47
Location: An Arctic Hellscape

Re: Commander Keen: the comic strip

Post by Soul Monster »

Oh man, I haven't seen these comics in years. I remember when I first came across these back in the early 2010s and enjoying them. Not sure if it's intentional or not, but the art style sort of reminds me of Calvin & Hobbes. But anyway, it's great to see these are coming back, and I look forward to any future comics!
User avatar
StupidBunny
format c:
Posts: 2155
Joined: Fri Nov 02, 2007 19:19
Location: The Centre of the Moon
Contact:

Re: Commander Keen: the comic strip

Post by StupidBunny »

Mort wrote: Sat Jul 24, 2021 22:56 Hey, thanks. It’s awesome to hear the comic has had a lasting influence. Honestly, that means a lot. :o
No seriously these are so amazing, and I've also never forgotten about them and just how much fun they were to read. I chose a good time to randomly reemerge here because this makes me so happy I can't even express it really

To this day I've never seen any media that so perfectly capture what I think Keen's character should be like, at this point this is almost canonically how I imagine him to speak and behave
Image
User avatar
proYorp
Vorticon Elite
Posts: 472
Joined: Fri Mar 03, 2017 1:56
Location: Orbit
Contact:

Re: Commander Keen: the comic strip

Post by proYorp »

Mort wrote: Sat Jul 24, 2021 22:56 Not sure if anyone has noticed, but I generally do six short strips followed by a long strip, so the stories / themes tend to follow that structure too.
Ohhh... "Sunday" comics... once every 7 comics. Now I get it. :dopekeen Heh, I don't remember noticing that before. Are you trying to get these syndicated? :p
Thanks for the comment about the layout. I was actually concerned about exactly what you said, so it’s helpful to know that my instincts were correct even if I completely ignored them. I think the main issue is the placement of the text in the second panel, but I was hoping the people would just pretty much figure it out.
Yeah, now that you mention it, I think if the main block of text in the second panel was at the top that probably would've made it a lot more natural to follow.

By the way, are the comics uploaded to Webtoons in a higher resolution? Seems like there's a lot more detail to be seen on there.


Keening_Product wrote: Sun Jul 25, 2021 8:23 Just found this on your Twitter and feel personally attacked, both by the comic and by future me: https://twitter.com/bthewes/status/1371 ... 24/photo/1
Lol posted on 3/14. Mort was procrastinating on restarting KeenComic confirmed? :p
"Friendly. Very friendly. Too friendly." Image
User avatar
Mort
Vortininja
Posts: 156
Joined: Tue Nov 06, 2007 19:24
Location: Pittsburgh, PA
Contact:

Re: Commander Keen: the comic strip

Post by Mort »

Soul Monster wrote: Sun Jul 25, 2021 22:44 Not sure if it's intentional or not, but the art style sort of reminds me of Calvin & Hobbes.
Yeah, I get that a lot. Not sure if I'd say that it's intentional neccessarily. I think it's more of a combination of me being a big fan of C&H, and the fact that it lends itself so well to Keen's character. As a result, it was pretty natural for me to -- consciously or unconsciously -- pick up that style.

StupidBunny wrote: Tue Jul 27, 2021 17:47 To this day I've never seen any media that so perfectly capture what I think Keen's character should be like, at this point this is almost canonically how I imagine him to speak and behave
Man, thanks SO much! It really feels great to hear that. I mean, I love doing these regardless, but hearing that kind of thing is really rewarding. So again, thank you. And, of course, thanks to everyone else for the support as well.

proYorp wrote: Sat Jul 31, 2021 21:12 Ohhh... "Sunday" comics... once every 7 comics. Now I get it. :dopekeen Heh, I don't remember noticing that before. Are you trying to get these syndicated? :p
I mean, even if the proprietary rights for this wasn't an issue, I don't think I could ever work on the schedule of a REAL daily cartoonist, even if I quit my day job. I don't think I'd ever want to do this more than a hobby. I just kind of like the structure of having the 6-daily 1-long format. It helps a lot with writing and planning these out.

proYorp wrote: Sat Jul 31, 2021 21:12 By the way, are the comics uploaded to Webtoons in a higher resolution? Seems like there's a lot more detail to be seen on there.
Yes, they are a higher resolution, save for one (the one with Spot) where I accidentally overwrote the original high-res file. I'm actually planning on converting the images on the site so that they use the higher-res versions as well.

Oh, and here's a new strip. The lettering is horribly tiny, so I'm just going to give you a link directly to the image to make it easier to zoom in.

https://www.keencomic.com/images/78_full.png
User avatar
Grandy02
Vortininja
Posts: 258
Joined: Thu Jan 24, 2008 15:40
Location: Germany
Contact:

Re: Commander Keen: the comic strip

Post by Grandy02 »

Haha, neat. :D
Sorry to nitpick, but the family name is actually spelled Blazkowicz rather than Blazkowitz (the same goes for the previous comic). Interestingly, Blaskowitz was a German general during WWII.
PCKF Archive - The Keen Community's Past (and Present) | grandy02.shikadi.net
User avatar
Mort
Vortininja
Posts: 156
Joined: Tue Nov 06, 2007 19:24
Location: Pittsburgh, PA
Contact:

Re: Commander Keen: the comic strip

Post by Mort »

Grandy02 wrote: Wed Aug 04, 2021 15:20 Haha, neat. :D
Sorry to nitpick, but the family name is actually spelled Blazkowicz rather than Blazkowitz (the same goes for the previous comic). Interestingly, Blaskowitz was a German general during WWII.
Oh, my gosh. That is definitely not nick-picking. Please always tell me that kind of thing. Otherwise, it feels like when you're talking to someone who never tells you there's a piece of lettuce stuck in your teeth. :oops I went ahead and fixed it on the site.

Also, I increased the width of the site so the comics should be easier to read on desktop. Resolution is still cruddy on the old comics though, so I'll need to fix that eventually.
User avatar
Nisaba
Janitress
Posts: 1597
Joined: Fri Jan 01, 2016 23:34
Location: The Outpost
Contact:

Re: Commander Keen: the comic strip

Post by Nisaba »

just wanted to let you know that I love your comic strip so so much. Every time I look for creative input for my own mod, I come back to your work, flip through a few pages and immediately have a new idea I can work around with in one way or another. The tone and richness of your marvelous creative writing and of course your passion and skill are so inspiring to me. It's a blessing to have you as a community member. Keep up the good work!
out now (link) : Image
User avatar
Grandy02
Vortininja
Posts: 258
Joined: Thu Jan 24, 2008 15:40
Location: Germany
Contact:

Re: Commander Keen: the comic strip

Post by Grandy02 »

Mort wrote: Wed Aug 04, 2021 16:15 Oh, my gosh. That is definitely not nick-picking. Please always tell me that kind of thing.
Also noticed "And delt with him..." in comic #77. Or maybe "delt" is still a valid alternate spelling of "dealt"?
Nisaba wrote: Fri Aug 06, 2021 5:56 The tone and richness of your marvelous creative writing and of course your passion and skill are so inspiring to me. It's a blessing to have you as a community member. Keep up the good work!
I fully agree. :)

I wonder if Billy's brother and sister will show up in the next strips...
PCKF Archive - The Keen Community's Past (and Present) | grandy02.shikadi.net
User avatar
proYorp
Vorticon Elite
Posts: 472
Joined: Fri Mar 03, 2017 1:56
Location: Orbit
Contact:

Re: Commander Keen: the comic strip

Post by proYorp »

Mort wrote: Wed Aug 04, 2021 5:43 Oh, and here's a new strip.
https://www.keencomic.com/images/78_full.png
Hahaha! Love that eight-year-old genius energy. :lol Now, if he were a normal eight-year-old, you'd think he was exaggerating. As has already been said, the character portrayal is incredibly entertaining.

I'm actually planning on converting the images on the site so that they use the higher-res versions as well.
Ooh, nice. I'll have to go save all of those when you finish with that. Out of curiosity, do you still have all of the original paper drawings for these?
"Friendly. Very friendly. Too friendly." Image
Post Reply