For what it's worth, Kelly, I feel like I've gotten a lot of quality content here. Out of the handful of Substack thingamajigs I've signed up for, yours, along with Chip Zdarsky's and Saladin Ahmed's, have been the most "worth it" to me. I'll definitely be sticking around, and I really, really hope the projects we've seen so far find a way to continue into Vol. 2 and beyond, even if it's not through this same method/platform. I guess what I'm saying is, don't be -too- hard on yourself!
Kelly! I have always been so pleased to be a part of this community you've created. I think you've done an excellent job with your peeks behind the curtain and surveys and-- maybe especially --X-MEN WARGAMES. And it's been great reading Black Cloak and I can't wait to dive into THE CULL.. I'm also impressed and delighted how dang conscientious you are (comping three months next year, doubling the giveaways, etc.) because you genuinely want the members of your community to know how much you value them. Do I feel you're being unnecessarily hard on yourself for not delivering "enough" content (or not delivering content "fast enough")? I do! But am I going to take the three comped months, the discounted yearly subscription, and all the other cool stuff I may end up with? I am! :) You have my thanks and my pledge to continue supporting your endeavors because both you and your endeavors are awesome.
As to my favorite non-human character in fiction... I know the idea is more about an animal or creature (a la Jeff or Lockjaw) but the first character that popped in my head was Spock. But then I remembered that, of all the souls I have encountered in my travels, his was the most....... HUMAN. (ahem) So, instead, I think I'll say C1-10P, or "Chopper" from Star Wars Rebels. I absolutely loved the show and just finished sharing it with my daughter. And, to my everlasting delight, she loved it, too! And one of the characters we love the most is the cantankerous, adorable, and somewhat homicidal droid, Chopper.
Hell yes to droids/robots/etc. I haven't watched Star Wars rebels yet, but maybe I should. It's so nice you and your daughter are able to share that. I love it. I went on and on about some of my fav robots (R2D2, K-2SO, Tars, Cars, and Kipp...so many!) elsewhere here so I won't do it again (too late).
Star Wars Rebels started off a bit simplistically, where I wondered if maybe it was just geared toward a much younger audience (as opposed to middle-aged dorks like me). But within the first season it got deeper, richer, and more complex and that continued throughout its four seasons. I rank it very highly on my all-time favorite Star Wars things list. (Which does not actually exist. But if it did, Rebels would be way up there!)
Since I've never been able to leave well enough alone, one more thing. My full recommendation would be to watch the Star Wars animated series in the order they were aired. Which means Clone Wars Seasons 1- 6, then Rebels Seasons 1-4 (The Complete Series), then Clone Wars Season 7. That's pretty daunting, I know. And I'm sure plenty of folks enjoy Rebels without ever having seen Clone Wars. But Dave Filoni was the driving force behind both shows and so many of the things that were introduced in Clone Wars come back or get paid off in Rebels. And then, some stuff in Rebels inform that Season 7 in Clone Wars. (And this "Filoni-verse" stuff also shows up and becomes important in the Star Wars Disney+ live-action shows.) OK, shutting up now. Byyyyyeeeee!
oh snap, a Rebels thread? I'm in. I'm one of those non-Clone Wars Rebels watchers. I didn't feel lost watching Rebels. I totally agree about the early episodes being a little slow. There was enough to keep coming back until it found its groove.
I am also Team Chopper. Chopper is the best.
Without getting too spoiler-y, what did you think of the various Sith/Jedi temples and all the new depths of the Force Rob? I really liked it. I feel like it made the Force much more interesting, but I'm always curious what other Rebels watchers think.
I'm right there with you, Mike. Those Force elements are SO cool. It really makes you feel there is so much more to the Force than we know. And, not to bust on the latest trilogy in the Skywalker Saga too much, I felt Rebels (and Clone Wars does it, too) added dimensions to the Force in a more interesting way than simply "Here's a Force power you've never seen before." The Filoni shows add depth to the Force and really make you realize there have been Jedi and Sith around for thousands of years and there's SO much we don't yet understand. (Going forward, it'll be fascinating to see if these things continue to get explored. And if the answers are as interesting as the questions. In many shows with a lot of mythology, they are NOT.)
Sorry about the delay, time just disappeared on me.
Totally agree. It's a little weird to say, but I think that Star Wars is just better on the small screen. there's so much lore at this point, it's hard to fit it into a movie every couple years. There will be a million voices crying out, ah haha, but I think at this point it's a lot like Star Trek, that you just need more time to explore.
Finding out more around the Jedi and Sith temples and the holocrons. That Sith Temple was pretty dope by the way. So spooky and awesome. It makes way more sense why they were so sought-after and the movies never really had a chance to examine them. Confession, I'm pretty behind on the comics though, so I'm sure I've missed a bunch of world-building there.
I also liked how we saw how it wasn't just Jedi and Sith that were Force users, like the Legends of Lasat episode. Also, it has one of the coolest songs in it. the Journey Into the Star Cluster.
I think the Grogu summoning a Jedi in Mandalorian Season 2 made a lot more sense, world-building wise after Rebels. Of course the Force could do that. Pretty sweet.
I heard a while ago that there was going to be another season. I really hope so. the last couple episodes felt sort of rushed.
When I’m at work, I listen to music verrrry quietly in the background. And I can’t ever seem to listen to songs with lyrics because my mind immediately focuses on the words (since they’re far more interesting than whatever I’m working on). So, I mostly listen to movie and TV scores. And, just a couple of days ago, I once again listened to Seasons 1 & 2 of Star Wars Rebels. (Release Seasons 3 & 4, Disney or whomever does that sort of thing!) And I once again listened to Journey into the Star Cluster. And I once again realized how much I dig it! (Also, the homage to James Horner’s Rocketeer theme, Hera Soars.)
For me yours is the best Substack I subscribe to and next year I'll defo be going yearly - wish I'd done it this year really! I'm hoping I'm sure like many others that the comics you've been giving us make it to vol 2 and now I'm also really excited about "unannounced comic X" love what you do Kelly, that is we do, hope you do too!
I think fav non-human would probably be R2D2 - Love that little fella
R2D2 is so great, but I admit a huge soft spot for a lot of droids/robots. There's something about them seeming human or having "relatable human emotions and feelings" that breaks my heart way more than if it was a human in the same scenario. K-2SO is easily my favorite part of Rogue One (admittedly I'm not a huge fan of the movie itself - but hell yes to K-2SO). And I LOVE the robots in Intersteller -- Tars, Case, and Kipp. Ahhh!
I'm totally with you on the heartbreaking thing - I wonder why that is? Is it simply because of these non-human droid/robot things having such emotions is so disarming that it somehow touches deeper?! I don't know, I'm not smart enough to work that out but it so does! Every time! 😢😁
I genuinely don't know why it is. My best guess is what you said -- recognizing those emotions in something/someone you don't expect it from is disarming. I'd also say that things that are not human sometimes get afforded the idea of innocence (certainly it's true for animals) -- so seeing them be innocent/better than humans but still subjected to our gamut of emotions and horrors -- makes them seem more vulnerable and more like they deserve/need protection? I don't know but it's fucking powerful.
I always liked Leo. I mean, great leadership style. Plus I was able to draw katanas better than the other weapons (in the opinion of my 10-year old self)
Can I tell you what blows my mind most about TMNT (which I never regularly read/watched but know a fair amount about from being a nerd generally -- and having Sophie Campbell TMNT creator/superfan as a friend) -- when I found out they switched around their mask colors at a certain point. WHO DOES THAT?!?! WHY?!?! That would really mess me up if I was a TMNT superfan with a favorite character.
Speaking of random color changes...the story of how Dems became Blue and Republicans became Red in the US is so bizarre to me. In the 80s, Republicans and Democrats changed colors all the time -- sometimes in the same year from network to network -- and up until the 2000 election it remained semi flexible -- and most frequently with Republicans as Blue and Dems as Red up until that 2000 election. https://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/when-republicans-were-blue-and-democrats-were-red-104176297/
Can't even imagine that today -- we're so dug in on this kind of iconography.
That said, I dislike red, so I am very grateful that whatever landed Dems as Blue happened.
Lol. I do notice that their lawn/rally signs always seem to have both red and blue so it makes it really hard sometimes to know which party a candidate is (thinking about smaller local or regional elections, that is).
Can be, yeah. And they're very aware of that I think -- when it works for them and to lean into it and when it doesn't. Portland Oregon is pretty Dem/Blue and Adam and I saw an ad last night for a woman running for a local office. She was going out of her way to not say anything patently "republican/conservative" -- but it was obvious that her talking points were all conservative dog whistle stuff (even if subtle) -- and Adam said "she's trying so hard not to say she's a republican -- and look at the colors." And indeed, he was correct, NO red in anything, anywhere. It was all light and bright (she wore a light blue shirt) and even her logo was a light-med blue and orange.
Unfortunately, at least through this year, I have an obligation on my number of posts -- and I'm running a bit behind. So the next month is gonna be a lot -- but I'll do my best to only send worthwhile content. Ingest what you like, but don't feel obligated to sample it all!
When I said "this year" -- I meant through the "end of year one" -- so through the end of September. After that the posts will edge back to a more reasonable once or twice week (depending on our vision/content moving forward).
I did a quick soul scan and i think it maybe is Hobbes, Friend of Calvin!
Oh oh oh! There's also a character in the Star Wars High Republic books named Geode who appears to be just a large rock, but, which his fellow crewmates assure new passengers, this is just a misconception based on human biases. He....rocks? (I apologize to any Vintians who may have found that joke insensitive or reductive)
What a fantastic update! Happy Sunday to you! Drooled a little bit with those sketches! (Fingers very much crossed!) And so many comics! But as this family grows, we’re all winners. It’s a great community here, and can’t wait to see what year 2 brings!
That being said I’ve always been a huge Lockheed fan (as far as comics go). There’s an awful lot of personality in that whiskey drinking- alien Dragon.
Non-comic I’m a big fan of the Minions. My son very early on became pretty obsessed with the Despicable Me movies, and that hasn’t subsided years later. We’ve watched all of those movies so many times, it’s impossible for me not to laugh at those little Twinkie looking bastards!
wow, that year went fast. thanks for the review of what all is happening. I'll keep an eye out for the renewal email. This has been great. definitely look forward to the new emails and comics.
As for favorite non-human, the Librarian from Discworld.
Oh, and as to the question: I feel like I'm drawing a blank on some obvious ones (that haven't already been said), but Lying Cat (Saga, obvs) is pretty solid. And while it's been ages since I've actually seen the show, do Gloop and Gleep from Herculoids count? :D
Ein the data dog from Cowboy Bebop!!!
Good pull!
For what it's worth, Kelly, I feel like I've gotten a lot of quality content here. Out of the handful of Substack thingamajigs I've signed up for, yours, along with Chip Zdarsky's and Saladin Ahmed's, have been the most "worth it" to me. I'll definitely be sticking around, and I really, really hope the projects we've seen so far find a way to continue into Vol. 2 and beyond, even if it's not through this same method/platform. I guess what I'm saying is, don't be -too- hard on yourself!
Thank you! That means a lot!
Happy to be a day one annual sub and happy for the three month extension! Will always be here to support you, KT, for ALL your endeavors.
Thank you so much, Brent. <3
Those sketch covers look pretty dang good!!
Tie between Fone Bone and Ted. With Kixie the fairy pushing her way to the top.
https://static.wikia.nocookie.net/boneville/images/8/86/Ted_the_Bug.png/revision/latest?cb=20110125042735
https://d1466nnw0ex81e.cloudfront.net/n_iv/600/828225.jpg
Ted's so cute! So simple. So genius.
Kelly! I have always been so pleased to be a part of this community you've created. I think you've done an excellent job with your peeks behind the curtain and surveys and-- maybe especially --X-MEN WARGAMES. And it's been great reading Black Cloak and I can't wait to dive into THE CULL.. I'm also impressed and delighted how dang conscientious you are (comping three months next year, doubling the giveaways, etc.) because you genuinely want the members of your community to know how much you value them. Do I feel you're being unnecessarily hard on yourself for not delivering "enough" content (or not delivering content "fast enough")? I do! But am I going to take the three comped months, the discounted yearly subscription, and all the other cool stuff I may end up with? I am! :) You have my thanks and my pledge to continue supporting your endeavors because both you and your endeavors are awesome.
As to my favorite non-human character in fiction... I know the idea is more about an animal or creature (a la Jeff or Lockjaw) but the first character that popped in my head was Spock. But then I remembered that, of all the souls I have encountered in my travels, his was the most....... HUMAN. (ahem) So, instead, I think I'll say C1-10P, or "Chopper" from Star Wars Rebels. I absolutely loved the show and just finished sharing it with my daughter. And, to my everlasting delight, she loved it, too! And one of the characters we love the most is the cantankerous, adorable, and somewhat homicidal droid, Chopper.
Thanks so much, Rob. Means a lot!
Hell yes to droids/robots/etc. I haven't watched Star Wars rebels yet, but maybe I should. It's so nice you and your daughter are able to share that. I love it. I went on and on about some of my fav robots (R2D2, K-2SO, Tars, Cars, and Kipp...so many!) elsewhere here so I won't do it again (too late).
Star Wars Rebels started off a bit simplistically, where I wondered if maybe it was just geared toward a much younger audience (as opposed to middle-aged dorks like me). But within the first season it got deeper, richer, and more complex and that continued throughout its four seasons. I rank it very highly on my all-time favorite Star Wars things list. (Which does not actually exist. But if it did, Rebels would be way up there!)
Since I've never been able to leave well enough alone, one more thing. My full recommendation would be to watch the Star Wars animated series in the order they were aired. Which means Clone Wars Seasons 1- 6, then Rebels Seasons 1-4 (The Complete Series), then Clone Wars Season 7. That's pretty daunting, I know. And I'm sure plenty of folks enjoy Rebels without ever having seen Clone Wars. But Dave Filoni was the driving force behind both shows and so many of the things that were introduced in Clone Wars come back or get paid off in Rebels. And then, some stuff in Rebels inform that Season 7 in Clone Wars. (And this "Filoni-verse" stuff also shows up and becomes important in the Star Wars Disney+ live-action shows.) OK, shutting up now. Byyyyyeeeee!
oh snap, a Rebels thread? I'm in. I'm one of those non-Clone Wars Rebels watchers. I didn't feel lost watching Rebels. I totally agree about the early episodes being a little slow. There was enough to keep coming back until it found its groove.
I am also Team Chopper. Chopper is the best.
Without getting too spoiler-y, what did you think of the various Sith/Jedi temples and all the new depths of the Force Rob? I really liked it. I feel like it made the Force much more interesting, but I'm always curious what other Rebels watchers think.
I'm right there with you, Mike. Those Force elements are SO cool. It really makes you feel there is so much more to the Force than we know. And, not to bust on the latest trilogy in the Skywalker Saga too much, I felt Rebels (and Clone Wars does it, too) added dimensions to the Force in a more interesting way than simply "Here's a Force power you've never seen before." The Filoni shows add depth to the Force and really make you realize there have been Jedi and Sith around for thousands of years and there's SO much we don't yet understand. (Going forward, it'll be fascinating to see if these things continue to get explored. And if the answers are as interesting as the questions. In many shows with a lot of mythology, they are NOT.)
Sorry about the delay, time just disappeared on me.
Totally agree. It's a little weird to say, but I think that Star Wars is just better on the small screen. there's so much lore at this point, it's hard to fit it into a movie every couple years. There will be a million voices crying out, ah haha, but I think at this point it's a lot like Star Trek, that you just need more time to explore.
Finding out more around the Jedi and Sith temples and the holocrons. That Sith Temple was pretty dope by the way. So spooky and awesome. It makes way more sense why they were so sought-after and the movies never really had a chance to examine them. Confession, I'm pretty behind on the comics though, so I'm sure I've missed a bunch of world-building there.
I also liked how we saw how it wasn't just Jedi and Sith that were Force users, like the Legends of Lasat episode. Also, it has one of the coolest songs in it. the Journey Into the Star Cluster.
I think the Grogu summoning a Jedi in Mandalorian Season 2 made a lot more sense, world-building wise after Rebels. Of course the Force could do that. Pretty sweet.
I heard a while ago that there was going to be another season. I really hope so. the last couple episodes felt sort of rushed.
When I’m at work, I listen to music verrrry quietly in the background. And I can’t ever seem to listen to songs with lyrics because my mind immediately focuses on the words (since they’re far more interesting than whatever I’m working on). So, I mostly listen to movie and TV scores. And, just a couple of days ago, I once again listened to Seasons 1 & 2 of Star Wars Rebels. (Release Seasons 3 & 4, Disney or whomever does that sort of thing!) And I once again listened to Journey into the Star Cluster. And I once again realized how much I dig it! (Also, the homage to James Horner’s Rocketeer theme, Hera Soars.)
For me yours is the best Substack I subscribe to and next year I'll defo be going yearly - wish I'd done it this year really! I'm hoping I'm sure like many others that the comics you've been giving us make it to vol 2 and now I'm also really excited about "unannounced comic X" love what you do Kelly, that is we do, hope you do too!
I think fav non-human would probably be R2D2 - Love that little fella
R2D2 is so great, but I admit a huge soft spot for a lot of droids/robots. There's something about them seeming human or having "relatable human emotions and feelings" that breaks my heart way more than if it was a human in the same scenario. K-2SO is easily my favorite part of Rogue One (admittedly I'm not a huge fan of the movie itself - but hell yes to K-2SO). And I LOVE the robots in Intersteller -- Tars, Case, and Kipp. Ahhh!
And thank you for the kind words too, David! <3
I'm totally with you on the heartbreaking thing - I wonder why that is? Is it simply because of these non-human droid/robot things having such emotions is so disarming that it somehow touches deeper?! I don't know, I'm not smart enough to work that out but it so does! Every time! 😢😁
I genuinely don't know why it is. My best guess is what you said -- recognizing those emotions in something/someone you don't expect it from is disarming. I'd also say that things that are not human sometimes get afforded the idea of innocence (certainly it's true for animals) -- so seeing them be innocent/better than humans but still subjected to our gamut of emotions and horrors -- makes them seem more vulnerable and more like they deserve/need protection? I don't know but it's fucking powerful.
Absolutely spot on, the supposed innocence as that of a child is hard to resist and yes it is fucking powerful! 😁👍
Sketch covers look great! Particularly fond of those Hawkeye covers!
Sketch covers all look great!
Favorite non-human character in ALL of fiction? Whooph. First one that came to mind was the TMNTs - shaped the heck outta my childhood imagination.
Oh wow. That's a huge one for so many people I'd bet.
Which is your favorite ninja turtle?
I always liked Leo. I mean, great leadership style. Plus I was able to draw katanas better than the other weapons (in the opinion of my 10-year old self)
Ha! Priorities!
Can I tell you what blows my mind most about TMNT (which I never regularly read/watched but know a fair amount about from being a nerd generally -- and having Sophie Campbell TMNT creator/superfan as a friend) -- when I found out they switched around their mask colors at a certain point. WHO DOES THAT?!?! WHY?!?! That would really mess me up if I was a TMNT superfan with a favorite character.
Speaking of random color changes...the story of how Dems became Blue and Republicans became Red in the US is so bizarre to me. In the 80s, Republicans and Democrats changed colors all the time -- sometimes in the same year from network to network -- and up until the 2000 election it remained semi flexible -- and most frequently with Republicans as Blue and Dems as Red up until that 2000 election. https://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/when-republicans-were-blue-and-democrats-were-red-104176297/
Can't even imagine that today -- we're so dug in on this kind of iconography.
That said, I dislike red, so I am very grateful that whatever landed Dems as Blue happened.
(Wow, this took a weird swerve - sorry!)
Lol. I do notice that their lawn/rally signs always seem to have both red and blue so it makes it really hard sometimes to know which party a candidate is (thinking about smaller local or regional elections, that is).
Can be, yeah. And they're very aware of that I think -- when it works for them and to lean into it and when it doesn't. Portland Oregon is pretty Dem/Blue and Adam and I saw an ad last night for a woman running for a local office. She was going out of her way to not say anything patently "republican/conservative" -- but it was obvious that her talking points were all conservative dog whistle stuff (even if subtle) -- and Adam said "she's trying so hard not to say she's a republican -- and look at the colors." And indeed, he was correct, NO red in anything, anywhere. It was all light and bright (she wore a light blue shirt) and even her logo was a light-med blue and orange.
Oh! Does Copper Kid from Silverhawks count? ...*Were* they ‘non-human’? 🤔
Excellent question.
I have no idea...but I'll allow it! ;D
I'm partial to cats, so I'm a fan of Chewie the flerken, all the Marvel Meow cats, and any cat that pops up in a Murakami novel :)
Make sure to check out Captain Marvel #42 (October) -- big Chewie issue! ;D
Yay! I'm excited :D
Also... It can take me weeks to catch up with emails these days, so definitely no requirement at this end when it comes to more substack content.
Yeah, it can be a little overwhelming, I know.
Unfortunately, at least through this year, I have an obligation on my number of posts -- and I'm running a bit behind. So the next month is gonna be a lot -- but I'll do my best to only send worthwhile content. Ingest what you like, but don't feel obligated to sample it all!
When I said "this year" -- I meant through the "end of year one" -- so through the end of September. After that the posts will edge back to a more reasonable once or twice week (depending on our vision/content moving forward).
I did a quick soul scan and i think it maybe is Hobbes, Friend of Calvin!
Oh oh oh! There's also a character in the Star Wars High Republic books named Geode who appears to be just a large rock, but, which his fellow crewmates assure new passengers, this is just a misconception based on human biases. He....rocks? (I apologize to any Vintians who may have found that joke insensitive or reductive)
Oh man. Hobbes is the ultimate!
Also v stoked about these giveaways. I love giveaways!!
What a fantastic update! Happy Sunday to you! Drooled a little bit with those sketches! (Fingers very much crossed!) And so many comics! But as this family grows, we’re all winners. It’s a great community here, and can’t wait to see what year 2 brings!
That being said I’ve always been a huge Lockheed fan (as far as comics go). There’s an awful lot of personality in that whiskey drinking- alien Dragon.
Non-comic I’m a big fan of the Minions. My son very early on became pretty obsessed with the Despicable Me movies, and that hasn’t subsided years later. We’ve watched all of those movies so many times, it’s impossible for me not to laugh at those little Twinkie looking bastards!
Lockheed!
I MAY have written him into a new IT'S JEFF issue this year. ;D Just a small cameo, but hopefully will be fun!
Minions are pretty cute. Hard to deny!
wow, that year went fast. thanks for the review of what all is happening. I'll keep an eye out for the renewal email. This has been great. definitely look forward to the new emails and comics.
As for favorite non-human, the Librarian from Discworld.
I’ve loved Garfield since I was a little kid, so I think I gotta go with him! Also, pretty excited I made the cut for the giveaways!
Oooh. I feel that one is sort of unexpected, even though he's a household name, unlike many others are listing!
I’m a sucker for an orange cat, so my love for Chewie runs deep too!
Oh, and as to the question: I feel like I'm drawing a blank on some obvious ones (that haven't already been said), but Lying Cat (Saga, obvs) is pretty solid. And while it's been ages since I've actually seen the show, do Gloop and Gleep from Herculoids count? :D
Oh. Fuck yeah.
Damn. Lying Cat is PEAK!
Gloop and Gleep count for sure...but then so do most Herculoids! lol