LAJ
 

LAJ is a JJ2 sprite comic I was toying with back in 2004. I thought I might as well show off what it looked like... I got seventeen strips in, plus some random fillers, so I'll update every day or so until the buffer runs out. Be charitable, since this was 2004, but otherwise, enjoy! :)

Where/how did you get the sprites?

Back then, everything was done through screenshots. Either I'd set up a one-color level and put together my one sheet of various useful-looking poses, or (especially in some of the more actiony strips) I'd just set the area the strip was set it in and take a screenshot of the stuff actually happening. These days it might be simpler to use Spriters Resource.

Why is it called LAJ?

It'll make sense later.

Nice recap

In sprite related stuff, how would I get Lori's sprites? They aren't on TSR and I have no idea how Dolphman got the Special stage sprites

Awkward repeated last panel is awkward.

Nice work (2004 rules on)! The JJ2 sprite library would be big enough to make comic variations for another 5 years at least.. :p

I know villains like talking to themselves, but why did Devan suddenly scream "MY ARMY!"?

Well obviously he bumped his arm and he screamed in pain and Violet just typo'd 'arm'. I know it sounds improbable but Violet has really big fingers.

Eh, villains shout parts of their thoughts sometimes. I think it comes with the job description.

I think they only suddenly shout when they talk to themselves, not think. I'd usually have more to say about the comics, but, you know, 2004.

2004 does mean that you're not really going to be able to affect upcoming content, but comments are always encouraging.
Nowadays I have a more nuanced appreciation of this weapon, because it has so many quirky uses and you can almost kill the last boss in Mike's new episode before you leave the cave with it.

With evilice on it actually has a use in multiplayer.

Not to brag or anything, but in TITLED Deux, you can evilice everyone in the pits and because you did damage, it counts as your kill as well.

These comics are, well, moderately funny. They've got some sort of a punchline, but it's more of a prodline, if you ask me... just doesn't get me on my feet...... (Not that I am one to complain, BrainFart and TGOC have been nothing but slight prods.)

Mmmhmm. It's more of a plot comic, really, but I agree I could have spent more time making individual strips interesting.

ILLEGAL JAZZ SIDEKICK!

Even with evil ice off it counts as your kill, in my experience. It's a cool little feature of JJ2+ that not many people know about.

I remember something like that from Unreal Tournament. At normal situations where a player fell into a pit or 'hurting' part of an arena, that player had a suicide just dropping a point from the score. But when an opponent player shot that player into the pit or hurting ground, it was stated as an 'envoirment kill' instead.

I am not sure how relevant this discussion is but at least it keeps the thread active!

We've seen snippets of each rabbit fighting the enemy forces and being more or less successful. Here beginneth the plot!

I like it so far

Nice comics :)

...that last panel, is it supposed to be some kind of strategy game or something? I don't get it. :(

Crimi: Yes, a quite notable one. It's not really relevant that you recognize the specific game, though, the point is just that there are a bunch of demon units being brought into the field.

Oh, publishers. I didn't actually contact Moonblaze about this, because it's arguably just an homage, but I was definitely going to because I think his work makes for a very reasonable expansion of the canon (moreso than the old war tavern days when everyone and their brother lived in Carrotus Castle) and I was interested in incorporating more elements into the comic as time went on, particularly the "wolf rabbit" himself.

Also jj2 has enemy sprites and tilesets for hell themed levels which makes it a convenient plot element :P

Really not much you can do with the game in terms of storytelling, when it comes to the antagonists. It's either devan shell's guys, demons, or.... animals I guess? An invasion of crabs?

This is the random and unfunny things that takes something funny like that last comic strip and ruins it.

If you were funny i'd be like "no way! ha ha ha ha!" but you're not funny so i'm just like "(sarcastic)ha ha ha ha! (/sarcastic) no!"

you stalking cooba or something?

If you were funny i'd be like "no way! ha ha ha ha!" but you're not funny so i'm just like "(sarcastic)ha ha ha ha! (/sarcastic) no!"

:rolleyes: be nice to Rag, folks, people talked that way all the time in 2004 and it's nostalgic.

Anyway, it's true, JJ2 only has so many enemy types. I had plans to convert JJ1 enemies to the JJ2 shading style when necessary, but for the most part, it's a bad idea to theme comics (particularly sprite comics) around battles anyway. In this draft LAJ does start with one because it's important to the plot, but even this I was considering redoing as a flashback and starting in medias res instead.

I came up with that quote ORIGINALLY... Cooba took it from me...

Why is Lori such a wimp in your comics?

Because Lori doesn't have the combat experience that Jazz and Spaz do. Jazz was a galactic soldier of fortune who had saved countless planets before JJ1 even happened. Spaz doesn't have the same extensive background, but he doesn't really feel fear the same way most other rabbits do, and he did go through countless wormholes and planets in search of Devan and his time machine in JJ2. Lori did go on the search for Valhalla, but she's been through far fewer combat environments, has never tackled a "boss," and doesn't even know how to use a copter. I'll admit that this is somewhat at odds with the extremely confident persona her sound effects express, but another feature of the quest for Valhalla was that there really wasn't any antagonist, they were just fighting creatures that were already there. Here there is a direct threat from an approaching force who want her dead, and if things go badly, retreating is much less of a viable option because Devan will presumably want to cause destruction if he's not being directly opposed. The pressure is a lot higher.
...anyway, tell don't show aside:

double-post city
 

LAJ: Life After Jazz
 

NOOOO :(!

This is getting pretty interesting. Also very well done, artistically.

Finally, the good guy gets it.

No worries, I'm sure he will respawn in a savepoint someplace near.

...Right?

What if he ran out of lives? :(