Hello Reader,

This is my first formal post in this forum.
This thread will be used to communicate to you about things related to my Hipcomix series: Tales from the Platinum Earth.
I've been placed on a bi-weekly schedule, so if you subscribe to the member's area from February 8th, you'll get the equivalent of two issues of the Platinum Earth a month, if my series were like a regular Marvel or DC comic book (i.e. 24-ish pages). I strive to make a quality product because I wouldn't settle for anything less if I were a reader.

The free stories are available at:

http://free.hipcomix.com/gallery2/main.php?g2_itemId=69312

Maybe the best way to start off is to say a few major things in point form:

* The Platinum Earth draws more from Japanese experiences than Western ones. I have super heroines of the traditional type, but the stars of this series come much more from the Eastern tradition of hero stories. It also draws heavily on Japanese adult games for the PC.

* Guns and machines - if you're a fan of real-world technology and military hardware, you'll find a lot of that in my stories, but I'm not a gun freak or engine head.

* There are many many characters that inhabit the Platinum Earth. I calculate it will take months to introduce all of the major ones. Then the preludes will end and the REAL story can begin!

* Interests include - scantily clad female ninjas, mind control, EVIL CONVERSION. You'll be seeing a lot of this in the Platinum Earth.

* There is a file - over 20 pages in length that details the entire main script of the Platinum Earth. Everything has been pre-planned and the story can only end in ONE way. However, the plot is open enough that additional features and sub-plots can be placed in the gaps. The stories you are reading here at the beginning (which I call the preludes) are being created from small footnotes!

I hope you stay around and take the journey I'm laying out for my characters.

Yours Sincerely,
Sir Willoughby

** FEB 8TH, 2009 UPDATE - ACT 06 **

Dear Reader,

First I would like to thank Timo and Max Hass for their support and comments.

Secondly, I'd like to explain the layout of this board.
Rather than bombard this space with announcement threads, all the latest announcements dealing with the Platinum Earth will be posted here in this one thread. I hope you all don't mind, I like to keep things nice and cozy. I'd like to invite everybody to post in this thread regarding the current material I'm working on, if you are so inclined.

Thirdly, I'd like to point out that in the free area, I've opened up a scrapbook. It will contain character concepts and test renders that I have made in the process of creating the Platinum Earth series. The link is here:

http://free.hipcomix.com/gallery2/main.php?g2_itemId=69128

Finally, I'd like to talk a little bit about ACT 6 of the Platinum Earth, which marks my first contribution to the member's area of Hipcomix. You can view it right now at this address if you're a Hipcomix member:

http://memberslogin.hipcomix.com/gallery2/main.php?g2_itemId=99550

The hardest part about making this story was the research I needed to undertake into Japanese mythology for some of the main plot-drivers of this act. I feel they are still somewhat contrived, as are some of Meguro's and Tamika's lines. I hope they'll flow out in a more natural form in the future.

Naomi's outfit is an obvious reference to a popular Tecmo video game character. i could have changed the colors of her outfit (black and gold), but i thought some might like the "homage" so I kept the blue and white. I realized some time after the creation of Tamika that she looks like another popular video game character, this time from Namco. It really wasn't my intention. I suppose it goes to prove that old adage that everything is derivative.

One thing I enjoyed when making this particular act was adding in some of the motion blur. I was quite happy with this picture:

http://free.hipcomix.com/gallery2/main.php?g2_itemId=71431

One thing I've decided about Poser is that the traditional comic visual tools like motion lines don't work too well in a photo-realistic medium. Because of this, I see panels more as still shots from a movie. If I'm making an effect where you wish to convey speed or motion, then it has to resemble someone at the scene catching the action. With a camera, that would mean motion blur. I think one trap with Poser action scenes is that sometimes the scene is posed so perfectly, it looks as if the characters are frozen in space.

If you hang around and ride the wave that is the Platinum Earth, you'll find things a bit schizophrenic. Things will jump around as will the characters. Slowly, the spider web threads between the various characters and locations will begin to become more solid and apparent. Nothing I'm putting in these stories is without an aim to one purpose.

Sincerely,
Sir Willoughby

Thanks alot! I really like the extensive and rich universe that you have created.

** FEB 22ND, 2009 UPDATE - ACT 07 **


Dear Reader,

Act 7 of The Platinum Earth has just been posted to the member's area. You can view it here if you are a Hipcomix member:

http://memberslogin.hipcomix.com/gallery2/main.php?g2_itemId=99551

This one is for the fans of evil conversion!
However, that was the "fun bit". The driving purpose of this particular chapter was to tie up a bit of back history moving into the main story arc set on this world that I have created.

When I first conceived of this little corner of The Platinum Earth (that is, the sexy female ninja bit), Reika and Naomi were the first ones I created. At that time, Naomi had the working name of "Kei". Tamika as a character did not come into being until much much later. If you want to know what "much much" means in Willoughby-speak, then 10 months would be a good approximation.

For those unfamiliar, the word "Kagemorisato" gets used often. That's the name of the village where these female ninjas come from. In feudal times, ninjas were identified not strictly by clans and families but geographical locations. That's the "sato" part. "Kagemori" means "shadow forest". You may have also noticed (if you read the little captions in the splash pages announcing the next chapter) that the names of our three heroines are Tamika Umemori (plum forest), Reika Matsumori (pine forest) and Naomi Sugimori (cedar forest). All the ninja families of the Kagimorisato have that forest element in their name (just in case a few other female warriors of the Kagemorisato survived Meguro's purge - hint, hint).

There's also a story behind the female ninja warriors that Naomi and Reika attacked in this Act. That's a story for another day. Also, you may have noticed an interlude. You'll find out more about that in...I'm estimating June.

A little bit about skill levels: Naomi can kick ass.
I'm talking mute-Batgirl levels of ass-kicking.
Not a single female character I create in The Platinum Earth is going to be a wilting flower. Each one will have some kind of strength in their own right and while they will be placed in situations of peril, none of them are going to be victims-in-waiting. At least, that's what I'm aiming for.

Next time, we'll be heading back to the US of A and I'll introduce you to a whole new bevy of characters: The Challengers take on the Circus Euphorium!




Thank you for the short comment.
You know, I think I can speak for every creator on Hipcomix when I say these stories are crafted by a lot of time and effort. While it doesn't seem like much, a short comment here or there about our work really does encourage us to push on, hopefully improving as we continue onwards. Although I should warn you that "extensive" in my dictionary means Siberia-levels of vastness. I hope you don't get train sick riding the Trans-Platinum Express!

I have to get back to work now. I've actually been busy these past few days working on four Acts, burning the midnight oil, so to speak. You won't be seeing the fruits of this labor until sometime in April, but there's plenty to see in the meantime!
Now, I'm heading back to work, so please excuse me.

Sincerely,
Sir Willoughby

** MAR 8TH, 2009 UPDATE - ACT 08 **

Dear Reader,

Today Act 8 of The Platinum Earth is released. You can read it in the member's area here:

http://memberslogin.hipcomix.com/gallery2/main.php?g2_itemId=99552

The Challengers are the part of The Platinum Earth that represents the traditions of American comic book superheroines. Every member of The Challengers is a homage to my favorite super heroines of the mainstream US comic companies and a few of the smaller independent ones too.

I've told you that the main stage of The Platinum Earth is NE Asia, specifically Japan and we've seen some of that already. America however, is another important axis to this world and in the future we should see both areas intertwine themselves as threats spread across borders and new transnational friendships and alliances are forged.

We've only just scratched the surface, too. How many more villains are going to step out of the shadows in the coming months and how many unseen heroes are going to rise to the occasion? Well, I know for sure that THE CHALLENGERS will be there to meet whatever challenges may appear!

Sincerely,
Sir Willoughby

I just finished reading Act 8 and loved it. I love the idea of converting the heroines into statues. They both would look nice standing on separate pedestals in some art gallery. I hope this is a recurring theme that you use more in later series. Great job.

** MAR 22, 2009 UPDATE - ACT 09 **

Dear Reader,

The latest Act of The Platinum Earth is online and available for reading here:

http://memberslogin.hipcomix.com/gallery2/main.php?g2_itemId=99553

What I'm about to talk about covers some of the things you can read in this issue so a SPOILER warning is in order. After you read this Act and if you are interested in what I have to say, then continue reading below.


Well, as I mentioned last time, The Challengers represent the American superheroine tradition. I also said that each member of the Challengers was inspired by some of my favorite characters from mainstream comic books. Let me tell you a little bit more about these heroines and a bit about their creation:

SEA SAPPHIRE
Her real name is Stephanie York and she's the leader of this group.
She has super strength, durability and certain water-based powers. However, she cannot fly. I realized after I created her that she looks a lot like she could be the relative of a certain pointy-eared king of Atlantis. However, this was never ever my intention. Sea Sapphire is actually an amalgam of two female characters from a Detective-based comic company. One clue as to one of those characters lies in her superheroine name. Oh, and one of the two characters IS NOT a certain amazon princess.

NIMBUS
Her real name is Guinevere Fredericsson and she is a mainstay of the group. Her powers include the manipulation of plasma and the ability to fly. However, she cannot manipulate her plasma without regulators she wears on her costume that channel and direct those energies. I apologize you didn't see "Gwen" kick butt in these recent acts but she's really fearsome when she gets going! Nimbus is inspired by two superheroines from a Detective-based comic company, both of which wear (or have worn) similar white and gold outfits.

SIDEWINDER
Her real name is Minako Brandt.
"Mina" is not a veteran but has come to be a reliable sophomore of the group. She has no powers but wears a "Slip Suit", an invention by a famous technician that allows her to fly and fire force blasts from her gauntlets. "Mina" is inspired by a certain speedy character from a certain friendly neighborhood comic company.

UNION BELLE
Her real name is Kimberly Hale.
She's your basic tank with super strength and invulnerability. Along with Sea Sapphire, she forms the veteran core of the group. Secretary Moore ensures she's out there making positive PR for the group and acting as an American goodwill ambassador. Kimberly was inspired by a certain heroine from a comic company that makes lots of images.

CANDY
Her real name is Candice Mitchell, shortened to "Candy".
Candy is a rookie of the group that has a slight superiority complex but that may be understandable, given what she was before she was illuminated. She does have powers, it was just hard for her to use them when she had an electrified dildo stuck up her butt. Candy is inspired by a certain "sharp-edged" character from a marvelous comic book company.

VENUS
Her real name is Venus Saxon.
Venus is also a rookie of the group and her powers are telepathic, although she hasn't learned how to use her abilities to their full extent. You may have noticed Venus is a bit of a goth. Well, I wanted Venus to be the most relatable of The Challengers. She abhors spandex and shiny colors and the superhero tradition in general. She wants to help, but sometimes she doesn't actually want to be there. I hope through Venus we'll get a somewhat more grounded view of what it's like to be part of a super team. Venus was inspired by a certain character from the TV box.

ELYSIA
Not inspired by anyone, she's your basic eccentric villain, as are her henchgirls.
In a former life, she was a very competent chemist.



Thank you for the comment.
I understand a lot of people have various kinks and preferences when it comes to the whole heroine in peril sub-genre(?) and I'm glad you liked this little statuization story. I'll be trying to explore a few more kinks here and there but I have nothing on the cards for more statuettes, I'm sorry to say. However, Nimbus is still out there and who knows what will happen to her? Her fate is definitely something I will come back to, but looking at my schedule, we won't get back to Nimbus until Christmas.

Well, that's about all I have to say for this week and thank you for reading.

Yours Sincerely,
Sir Willoughby

Dear Reader,

Today a new chapter of my ongoing series "The Platinum Earth" is online for reading in the members area at the following address:

http://memberslogin.hipcomix.com/gallery2/main.php?g2_itemId=101992

This particular story and characters are somewhat of an indulgence for me. I wanted to make The Platinum Earth a Japanese-based adventure. Bits of that you've seen. My love of female ninjas? Tamika, Naomi and the Kagemorisato fulfills that love. Traditional US superheroines? The Challengers were created for that interest. Then we come to another love of mine - super robots. Well, Choutetsu Daimyo Granvion X fills in that gap.

The Japanese super robot animes of the 1970s are something else entirely removed from the western cartoon experience. Different underlying philosophies and sensibilities wrapped up in a 30 meter high robot with the power of an arsenal of atomic bombs. Opening each episode was a grand theme song in the big-band style, complete with booming male vocal and a back-up chorus of children. Mazinger Z, Getta Robo, Yuusha Reideen, Grandizer, Koutetsu Jeeg, Combattler V...the list goes on and on.

The main attraction for a slightly twisted youth was of course, the obligatory super robot heroine: companion and usually the love interest of the pilot hero. Every show had one, no exceptions. It was part of the formula. This young vision of beauty often got around in a miniskirt and knee-length go-go boots, always colorful and always at home in the cockpit of a jet or on a motorcycle. Yet they were never tomboys. Despite being able to blast away the enemy with a laser rifle, they were all imbued with the feminine sensibilities of a 1950s housewife. Sayaka Yumi, Michiru Saotome, Maria Freed, Chizuru Nanbara...again the list goes on.

And of course, curse those dastardly alien bad guys for capturing her. Curse them even harder when they manipulated her or brainwashed her for their own nefarious ends. Queue the twisting of youth. They honestly don't make heroines like that anymore. Choutetsu Daimyo Granvion X is my personal tribute to those super robot heroines with the funky hairstyles.

Thank You,
Sir Willoughby

While I do get a little confused trying to follow all the story lines you have going, I must say I liked the little bug you introduced this last episode. Keep it up.

P

Thank you for the comment.
In regards to the multiple story lines, all I can say is that it is going to get more complex before the loose ends start getting tied up. I think the best way to approach "The Platinum Earth" at this stage is to consider every new arc or every new set of characters I introduce as their own little self-contained stories. At least, this will mostly be the case until all the main characters have been introduced. After that, the threads of these separate stories will intertwine and some of the separate stories and characters (at this stage) will merge together. By the time the preludes are over (and these stories you are reading are introductions and preludes), there will be a much more amalgamated story line.

In addition, I'm dropping you right into the action with most of these story arcs, so you need to infer things rather than being told what the exact situation is. I figured it would be more interesting to the readers this way. But what do I know?

If the readers out there would like me to make a "Platinum Earth Primer" thread so you can understand more about the characters and what is actually happening in terms of background information, let me know.

Dear Reader,

Act 11 of The Platinum Earth is now available for viewing in the member's area at this location:

http://memberslogin.hipcomix.com/gallery2/main.php?g2_itemId=101993

Captured by an alien force that has occupied parts of Earth called the Ghaanites, the two female members of the Granvion Technologies team await their fate. The Ghaanites plan to revive an old bio-weapon and turn the tide of their struggle against the humans of Earth. By infecting female humans to become hosts for the Kuuntai parasite, the Ghaanites hope to create a core force of breeder/soldiers that will grow as the enemy is captured.

Originally this Act and the upcoming act (Act 12) were meant to be the same issue but the story extended out to the point where I could cut it right down the middle and have enough material for two installments. I hope you enjoy this story, I've written it for those that like the whole "hive colony inducts female victims" concept. Things will only escalate for this point on!

Kindest Regards,
Sir Willoughby Faulkner Sedgewick

I definitely love the squicky mind control parasites!! And nice build-up of tension. I know you like evil conversion -- and I agree it is hot too, but I wonder if some of the lower ranking hive daughters could have more of a mindless/zombie mentation, with the higher ranking enslaved "officers" being the evil converts. The foot soldiers/cannon fodder/breeders wouldn't need their minds, so they wouldn't need to be enthusiastic converts. Just a suggestion -- it's hot either way! Really looking forward to following the story!

- BH

I love the way this universe is developing. Keep up the great work.

Thank you for the comment.
With the field of mind control and manipulation, there are many varying sub-genres and nuances. I think you can break it up into levels of emotion and awareness, from a complete evil conversion to subservient obedience to mindless conformity. Then there's everything in between and to the side: personality change, bodily possession, irresistible impulse, memory manipulation, etc etc.

Let me say that in a hive scenario like the one developing with the "Kuuntai", mindless conformity is the most appropriate fit and I understand that. If we were to compare this to an insect colony, there would be drone workers that think of nothing else but the advancement of the nest, performing rigid set functions according to their role, becoming hostile to those that interfere.

All I can say is this - the current storyline, when it ends, will not truly end.
This is something I will come back to and will be a permanent fixture of the Platinum Earth and I think you will be pleased with the very last panel that concludes this arc.




Thank you for the comment.
"Slow boil" is probably a good way to describe the coming months as I introduce even more characters and situations. Also keep an eye out this Wednesday as I begin a new storyline with two familiar faces and a whole new cast of characters. This will be an ongoing story available in my FREE area. Are you getting overloaded on characters yet? How many have I introduced so far? Around fifty, I should think!

I really appreiciate the staggering diversity and complexity of your erotic universe. Fantastic work!

Dear Reader,

The Platinum Earth Act 12 has been released to the member's area of Hipcomix. You can read the story here:

http://memberslogin.hipcomix.com/gallery2/main.php?g2_itemId=101994

For me, this story was a little bit of a juvenile impulse. That is, it really is impossible to mix erotica and anime-style characters without including some tentacles. So I am just being true to form and hope that the hentai gods are pleased. Also, I would have liked the insectoid shell around Keiko to have been somewhat of a surprise on the last panel but the preview covers have been up for so long in the free area for Act 13 that it was pretty obvious she would undergo a transformation. One thing about reading The Platinum Earth: try not to browse over the issue gallery before starting to read. Sometimes I like to put "shockers" over the page and you kind of lose this impact if you already saw the miniature of it in the gallery and knew what to expect.

You may have noticed that Jo has an unusual way of controlling Granvion X: there is a chamber in which the world around him is replicated as digital data and he stands weightlessly inside it. Any movement he makes is replicated in Granvion X. If you have watched the G Gundam series, it probably isn't a new concept for you but my real inspiration to make the "holo-bubble" was the late 1970s robot anime called "Daimos". In that series, the hero Ichiro had cables attached to his limbs that Daimos used to move.

Sincerely,
Sir Willoughby

I love the tentacles. I loved the entire image of those two manipulated femmes just entering that mass of alien sexuality and allowing their bodies to be merged and seeded with a new life form. I thought that the villainous rant of making them "Breeder-Warriors" was quite evocative and never have scales looked so good on the female form.

I echo Vestia's comments. Awesome update! I really like the gloating over the enslaved women, and the tear-smeared mascara was a particularly hot touch.

Thank you for your comments earlier. Keep up the great work!

- BH

Hi, Sir Willoughby. I'm a working screenwriter with four low-budget sci-fi/horror films so far (and several "A" films in development). The first movie based on my work, the sexy sci-fi comic-book thriller ELECTRA starring Shannon Tweed, numbers 33d in Maxim magazine's list of "The 50 Coolest 'B' Films of All Time". I just want to let you know how much I enjoy your art, writing, and sensibilities. And I believe your corruption-mutation of the two women into "hive mothers" in your last chapter is the best erotic transformation sequence I have seen in any media. Keep up the outstanding work. I'll be in London the first week in June, meeting with my new agent and several producers. If you're anywhere near there, I would love to say hello.

Sir Willoughby,

I must say I like this story arc allot. The corruption and sheer suggested scope/size of the invasion was fantastic.

I was not a great fan of the new suits/morphs...don't get me wrong the tentacle scene was great, its just the simplicity of the naked female carrying out evil plans/actions has always been a favourite of mine. Obviously I am hoping for some more converts to the Ghaanite cause...lots more.

Please keep the story arc going, it is your best yet.

P