Posts tagged: fantasy
Inspired by Anita Sarkeesian’s Video Game Tropes vs Women, I wanted to pitch a Zelda game where Zelda herself was the hero, rescuing a Prince Link.
Clockwork Empire is set 2,000 years after Twilight Princess, and is not a reboot, but simply another iteration in the Zelda franchise. It just so happens that in this case, Zelda is the protagonist. I’m a very big Zelda fan, and worked hard to draw from key elements in the continuity and mythos.
This concept work is meant to show that Zelda as a game protagonist can be both compelling and true to the franchise, while bringing new and dynamic game elements that go farther than being a simple gender swap.
Hope you like it!
Ming Doyle’s cover for Adventure Time #14 via Comics Alliance.

Comics Editor Carol shares 10 comics she liked in 2012:
Tales of derring-do! Girl adventurers! Occult mystery! Infernal foes! Secrets revealed! Love & loss! Betrayal! Intricate art bound in lovely hardcovers! Indie going mainstream! Original creations! It’s been an incredible year for comics. So many good ones that I can’t even begin to claim to know what would be the best comics of 2012. So here’s my list of comics I liked in 2012, in alphabetical order to avoid riling the many rogues contained herein.
(image: Prince Robot IV on the throne. Saga, drawn by Fiona Staples)

SF/F Editor James talks about endings in his last piece for The Cultural Gutter.
The trouble with endings, of course, is that they are really difficult to do well. I’ll try to take that warning to heart myself, since this piece will be my last for The Cultural Gutter. And what better way to wrap up a really fun time on a neat project than to look at endings!
James was one of the original crew of editors at The Cultural Gutter. He’s been writing for us since 2004. We’ll miss him and are so appreciative of everything he’s done for The Gutter. Thank you, James—you’ll always be part of The Cultural Gutter!
Feel free to share your favorite endings or just write a note for James in the comments.
Shannon Gerrard draws Detroit in a panel from Sword of My Mouth, her collaboration with writer Jim Munroe. Jim’s also a Gutter co-founding editor and Sword of My Mouth is one of the perks we’re offering as part of our Gutter-A-Go-Go fundraiser to keep the Cultural Gutter online.
(even fuller disclosure, Carol was an editor on this book)

Science Fiction Editor James battles the plague and starts to see connections between Bastion and The Dark Tower:
Now, it’s true that a lot of things are Stephen-King-esque (as Grady Hendrix says over at Tor.com: “Stephen King is such a part of the American cultural consciousness that there’s no point in debating his importance anymore”), but Bastion specifically reminds me of King’s The Dark Tower, which is a bit of a different beast than his more horror-focused works. I talked about The Dark Tower on the Gutter a while ago here.
In honor of Dia de los Muertos, please enjoy this Scary Godmother comic story first published in Action girl Comics! Learn about the holiday and it’s traditions from Mr. Pettibone! I will be adding another sugar skull to my little ofrenda and lighting candles in remembrance of those in my life I have lost! :-) Also, revel in hand lettering on actual comicbook paper, digital children! It adds much character to your story!
If you enjoy this, there are more Scary Godmother adventures in the Dark Horse Comic Scary Godmother The Comic Book Stories compilation. It’s the TPB with the purple cover! available at fine comicbook shops everywhere and online!
Cover from the upcoming Adventure Time with Fionna and Cake miniseries by Natasha Allegri! Click through for more.