Join the cast of Another Videogame Webcomic as we peek behind the curtain to see what exactly goes into bringing your favorite video games to the small screen. It may be a job in video games, but it's still a job.
Comics on the PSP or Aren't comics portable enough all ready?
I'm serious, aren't comics portable enough already? I mean, you can roll em up in your back pocket and carry them wherever you go (or you can meticulously bag and board them, store them in a low humidity environment in long boxes and wait for them to pay for your kid's college tuition...) and all you need is a light source and a pair of eyes. Putting comics on something like the PSP with it's limited battery life and shoehorned navigation scheme seems somewhat... superfluous.Most comics are designed to be read in a specific way. The flow of the panels, the layout of the pages, all of it contributes to the experience of reading a comic. From what I can tell, the digital comic reader on the PSP is a modified version of Marvel's digital comics viewer. You can zoom out to view the page as a whole or you can zoom in to specific parts of the page so you can actually, y'know, read the text. And while it's adequate, you can get a very different experience reading a comic in the digital format than you do in a physical format. It's like playing through a Final Fantasy game, skipping all the cutscenes and just leveling up your character. Sure, you're playing the game, but you're missing what differentiates Final Fantasy from most other RPGs.
Not that I'm necessarily against comics appearing on the PSP... If there's any one group that's smaller than PSP owners, it's comic book readers. As of February 2009, 51.6 million units of the PSP have sold, whereas in its heyday in 1991, X-men #1 only sold 7 million copies (that was mostly to people who needed to buy all five different covers... one of which actually had the other four covers put together...) and now, sales of comics don't even reach into seven figure sales. So putting comics on the PSP potentially reaches 51.6 million readers and if only 1% of PSP owners buy a comic, those sales will most likely beat the average sale of any comic in a given month.
But I'm not sure how having comics on the PSP will benefit the PSP. It's not as if being able to read comics on a PSP is going to sway anyone into buying a PSP. It's like watching UMD movies on the handheld. Sure, you can do it, but how many people actually watch UMD movies? I own one UMD movie (which I got for free) that I still haven't watched. (Out of curiousity, I popped it in just to see what it would be like but I ended up getting bored after less than a minute of viewing.) If anything the comics reader is a bragging point designed for owners of the device to tout its superiority over other devices in its class... (which, to be honest, isn't the DS because even though both are handheld gaming devices, they appeal to and compete for two very different groups of people.)
If anything, I hope that the comics reader will be a gateway for people to read actual comics. Even though the PSP can potentially access a library of hundreds of thousands of Marvel, Image and Archie comics, it's only the tip of the iceberg to the medium. There are so many more good comics out there that if you started reading them all, you might not even have time to turn on your PSP.
Player Two
After the resurgence of multiplayer co-op, GameBizCo Inc. hired Player Two to be the Goose to someone else's Maverick. His workload isn't quite as heavy as most of the other people working at GameBizCo Inc. and as a result, he spends a lot of time in the break room or playing computer solitaire.
First Appearance: Another Videogame Webcomic?!? An Introduction
Player One
Player One is top dog at GameBizCo Inc. Nearly every game, from Pong to Mario Bros to Grand Theft Auto, requires Player One's expertise. His cocksure and sometimes inappropriate attitude is an annoyance to his coworkers but seeing as every game needs a first player, they make due.
First Appearance: Bonus Stage! Here comes Player One!
Damsel I. Distress
Whether it be a castle, a dungeon or mystical island, Damsel always needs to be saved... and she hates it. Damsel longs for the day when she's given the role of a strong female lead character who doesn't have huge breasts with hyper accurate physics.
First Appearance: LittleBIGPlanet
Final Boss
Underneath the huge brute that is Final Boss lies a timid creature who wouldn't hurt a fly. He puts on his "angry face" when throwing barrels down ramps or breathing fire but deep down he feels sorry for doing so. He's been known to throw a game or two in the player's favor.
First Appearance: World Record
John Minion
John Minion, or Min for short, is the hardest working employee at GameBizCo Inc. Playing everything from Goombas to no name thugs, Min gets beat up on a daily basis but loves every minute of it. He always wanted to work in the gaming industry and was originally hired as an intern. After years of getting coffee, his big break came when someone called in sick... and the rest is history.
First Appearance: Watchmen: The End is Nigh
Middle Manager
Middle Manager works in the Human Resources department. He runs staff meetings and interviews prospective employees. The other 90% of his time is spent playing Freecell on his computer.
First Appearance: Another Videogame Webcomic?!? An Introduction