Welcome humble traveller to the official website to Darkspeeds' brilliant and promising manga project! This is your source to his latest web manga pages on his exciting cartoon series. Each chapter bringing you closer to the true meaning of fortune explored by the heroes and villains of this amazing world!
Ruby 'Locke' Steadfast, the super enthusiastic adventurer, will soon meet up with a wombat named Ashworth who will radically change her life. Though how is this likely when wombats (and the world 'ASHWORTH') are two of the greatest taboos to Gloreyans of this world?! One can only find out when they follow these two into their remarkable journeys to discover what fortune really is all about!!
Sydney, the prime location for hustle and bustle in Australia, it is my third visit by now.
The
latest trends in fashion, technology and lifestyle are ever present in
the heart of the city. Most of these elements (based on observation)
are derived from the Asian culture and influences of South East Asia
(including Singaporeans, Chinese, Philippinos, Japanese and
surprisingly a huge amount of Koreans). People chillin' at an Internet
cafe's watching YouTube movies with a Bubble Tea in hand (comes in over
40 flavours including Honey Melon, Chocolate Malt and Rose Petal),
mobile phones ringing away in a close by train station with an unusual
ring tone that is only familiar to Chinese Pop listeners, Japanese
Conveyor Belt Sushi stations in nearly every block of the street... I
feel like I'm living in the fast lane here, almost like Tokyo (but not
Sydney's not that crazy, yet).
So yeah it's exciting to be
strollin' around in the city as a tourist. For those who live there it
is almost a joy for them to have a lifestyle filled with conveniences
just about anywhere within two feet of their apartment, but then again
it isn't a city without it's faults either. People are generally more
rough, rude or threatening (though they are not as bad as in the more
Southern parts of America) and especially when it comes to driving in
Sydney's traffic you better not be the 'slow driver type' or be
prepared to get honked or get a nasty threat from the driver behind or
beside you. It's almost like you're in a GTA4 scenario and you have to
a Belic cousin to survive (okay just exaggerating there.. XD).
Still
Sydney is an awesome place to visit especially when it has some world
class attractions that are easily reachable by the convenient transit
system (train, bus, and ferry being their prime, though it's bloody
expensive nowadays to use either one - almost $2.20, non-concession bus
fare for just one way - 2-4 zones!! The 5-7 zones is almost double
that!) In addition to that Sydney has a rich and diverse geographic
including country hills, beautiful coastlines, wonderful mountains and
a bloody good wine country region.
I'm going to stop there let the photos speak of my trip. I had an extremely brilliant time with my sister Eleanor (the travel guru, she's a cool sister) and her wonderful friend, since high school times, Jacqueline.
Even though it's been 5 days (2 days in the city and 3 days at Hunter
Valley, wine region) we did so much and made full use of our time.
We've
eaten some of the most amazing food there especially when it came to
dinner at some of the finest (and casual) restaurants both in the city
and in the country area. I thoroughly enjoyed every cuisine I had in
Sydney, thanks to my sis and her friends for their treat and to the
staff at the restaurants (including manager, wait staff and chefs) for
preparing the excellent and tasty experience.
It is interesting
to note that of all my travels this is the first time I've ever spent
so much of my money during a visit to one city (I only took out $300
but spent only $120 on research and reference material for my
cartooning business, the rest was on transport, accommodation and other
expenses covered in the trip). I will speak a little more about the
books later but for now enjoy the happy snaps below! = )
Please Note:
On the first photo, my sister is the one on the right standing, her
friend Jacqueline is in the middle. The others are friends of
Jacqueline (as seen in Sydney's best Thai restaurant and the Chinese
Dim Sum restaurant at the Fish Markets).
Comics! Comics! And Books!
It is once said that 'a wise investment is the smart thing to do' and spending $120 worth of reference books, manga and western comics was something I feel was fulfilling and satisfying.
Here is a snapshot of my book collection from Kinokoniya, Comic Kingdom and Kings Comics in Sydney (excluding the Spider-man comics that were bought for entertainment reading):
By
the way the book and comic book stores were exceptional. I enjoyed
browsing through the diversity of products and unique services it
provided, the style and decor of the store, and friendly staff
accompanying the needs of their customers.
Book Reference Recommendations for Comic/Manga Artists
For
those who are really serious about their business in making and selling
comics or manga (on the web or by print), and understanding the wide
range of issues on how to best market your work in the ever growing
industry of comics and manga try the following books:
MAKING COMICS by Scott McCloud:
I
bought this one when I was in Sydney the last time I visited the
amazing and massive Kinokoniya bookstore. I remember skim reading it
through the highly attractive and simple to follow comic style lessons
on how to create an awe-inspiring comic. Scott's a genius, in fact his
dad was an inventor, you can say that he is a theorist/inventor/analyst
on how to 'do it, to it' on comics. I've read the book and find it
extremely entertaining and useful. Very handy for those who want to
understand how comics work for you and your readers. He's got some
comic techniques that will knock you socks off - for beginners to
advanced comic/cartoon artists. Thanks Scott for the handy tips!
The Complete Guide to MANGA by Jason Thompson:
I've
only just started reading this one. It is a book not to be missed by
manga fans and for those who would like to make their own one day and
find the right genre that suits your style and needs. I've enjoyed
their easy referencing system where it gives the reader a synopsis of
the most recently published manga titles in America (updated till 2007,
the top 200 or so in each respective area i.e. action/adventure,
sci-fi, thriller/horror, mystery, shonen, cooking, romance, sports,
business, pachinko (wait business and pachinko manga??)) and etc...).
The author also includes a 4 star ranking of each title he has written
about (based on various reviews and his own to keep it unbiased).
For
those interested manga such as Astro Boy, Ranma 1/2, ONE PIECE, Full
Metal Alchemist, Naruto, Eyeshield 21 and Death note got 4 stars,
whilst Love Hina, Initial D, Rave Master and Bleach got 3 stars, and
Gundam Wing: Endless Waltz, Raxaphon and Pokemon Adventures got 1-1.5
stars. I've still hundreds to go in reading his reviews and synopsis! XXD
Not
only does this book tell you about what's good and bad out there in
today's Westernised manga market but Jason also speaks about the
demographics, art styles and the publishers of manga. He also provided
detailed descriptions on the genre types as already mentioned above
(we've still got ninja, occult and religion, comedy and gag, children
and family etc...) As a bonus he notes the profile of the comic
artists, a brief history on manga and also other useful information
that will surely assist in the manga artist/reader connoisseur (e.g.
extra reviews, links to topic discussions on manga and much much more!)
So
if you think you've seen it all you ain't seen nothing yet without the
book. Use it to your advantage my dear manga artist or the reader (i.e.
the otaku, hate using the word! XXD)
Watching ANIME, Reading MANGA by Fred Patten:
I
have yet to read this book in full but I strongly believe that there is
something in this +370 page book that will hold the key to my knowledge
about the American manga/anime market. The author, Fred Patten, is an
acknowledged authority on manga and anime in the United States. He has
been a pro-active member of the fandom for decades even before manga
and anime became mainstream. He has been compiling information on the
subject based off a twenty-five year overview. Now that is impressive.
I
really think that this guy who has an abundance of experience and
knowledge on the anime and manga scene in America will teach me
something invaluable and I hope that I will use that knowledge to my
advantage and apply it with my current projects such as The Grand
ASHWORTH Fortune and GYROSHOES.
Just to give you an idea he explains in 63 articles on:
ANIME FANDOM
- The first ads in America
- Japanese recognition on American anime fans
- Anime Conventions
THE BUSINESS OF ANIME
- Soundtracks
- Licensing
- Home Video
- Theatrical features
- Simba vs Kimba
- Nadia vs Atlantis
- Anime Business in Japan
- Manga
- Refighting WWII
and much more...
And finally...!
A HISTORY ON WEB-COMICS by T Campbell:
THIS
was what gotten me into coming up with the concept of GYROSHOES. I was
really excited about the possibilities of the internet and how it can
be best used to the advantage of a proactive comic artist. The web has
unlimited possibilities people, it is only a matter of how your use
your time and resource on the technologies of the Internet available to
today.
What I've learnt from this book is that the inevitable of
the Internet has brought significant influences on the comics market
and industry today (manga included). Campbell has provided successful
examples such as VG Cats, MegaTokyo, Penny Arcade and Scott McCloud (to
name a few) to be pioneers and entrepreneurs to the web comic business
and today's fortunate technological era.
I wanted to make something like those mentioned by the author, you know 'start out early and see how it goes' approach. GYROSHOES will be ON HOLD for the moment.
It is a project I'm very interested in pursuing when I have the time
and motivation to do it. Right at the moment my ideas are too sketchy
and early for anything mind blowing to deliver. Probably in the next
month or even a year or so you will see GYROSHOES come to life in a new
form that is learnt from the applications of this book.
I
won't hesitate to recommend those who are serious about making comics
to get this book. It will teach you about how web comics history has
significantly influenced the industry and market of print comics and
how web comics can be used to make yourself enough money to do the
things you really enjoy doing - i.e. coming up with stories and drawing
them!
The Science Behind the concepts of 'Sonic The Hedgehog'
Ever wanted to go a little deeper in knowing what makes people tick when it comes to our beloved game/cartoon character 'Sonic The Hedgehog'?
Ever wondered why thousands and thousands of people around the world
have been at one point in their have been significantly influenced by
the fastest thing alive? What is the science behind this notion? What
are the answers? Are there any concrete answers to this?
Well
seek no further my friends, for there is an old website that is soon to
be (revived and) launched that talks about these concepts called Concept Mobius. This community and website is powered by the creative members, resource and knowledgeable staff of TechnoGuild). Be sure to check it out!
For more details be sure to read up on Chemb0t's latest journal entry about the website's exciting prospects from the team!
I had an interesting chat with Jason (aka
- humble genius and kind friend who also helped me built the TGAF
website) about the concepts on how Sonic influenced the way we are
today. I was attracted to his composure in the Sonic games, the style,
design and presentation of the character and the values taught by the
character. Because of those elements (fueled by compassion to re-create
my own kind of character and story one day - which eventually became I've been able to become the pro-active, enthusiastic, innovating and globtrotting Elson 'Darkspeeds' Wong that I am today. I couldn't be more proud and happier to be who I am right now. ^^
Thanks
to my family and relatives, my special friends and all of those who
have supported me over the years, I couldn't have done it without your
benevolence and support! Here's to another generation of inspired fans
of the Sonic series! *thumbs up*
Wonder
what happened to our beloved unlucky fortune hunter after the rather
unfortunate events that took place at Cape Locke with T.R.A.P. looking for the traitor Stream the Hawk? Well just ask Ruby!
And
also congratulations on unlocking the rest of the lost archives of
Darkspeeds concept sketches of TGAF during his world tour! Thanks for
all the visits! It's reached 7,000 hits and I can't thank you guys
enough for your show of support! See you guys on the next tour of sketches! *thumbs up*
21st May 2008:
Getting Shoed Up For This One...
What do you guys think of the new logo?
Any suggestions as to what this whole new concept is about? I'm actually curious to know what you think.
I hope to create something that is somewhat different from TGAF.
Cartoon design is slightly different in terms of character design but
the style of the comic is very different (i.e. the genre or nature of
the series). I will let you know that they do share the same
universe... Probably a spin-off? O.O
One can only find out when the website is open in which the next 10 web comic strips are too completed by yours truly first. After reading those through web comic strips you should get a clearer picture on what GYROSHOES is all about.
Once again I'm working with the talented on the website. It will be more simpler and easy to navigate (because essentially I want readers to focus on reading the comic ).
I'm sure I will have a great time working with him again! Here's to
bringing a successful result in the coming weeks! *thumbs up*
Also, a full update on my Sydney trip and projects to come for the month of June will be available during the end of Sunday. See you then! *thumbs up*
I share my thanks and gratitude to all of those who had contributed their time and effort into this month's contest!
I
shall be taking a break from the Creative Campaign for the month of May
and come up with a new and exciting challenge for the month of June.
The challenge will be hosted by the EASTERN KINGDOM while the WESTERN
KINGDOM get's a theory treatment (i.e. extra content about the TGAF
series).
It's been a fun and exciting ride for me so far
organising these events online! I shall be sending out the prizes to
the winners as soon as I get their details.
Darkspeeds Return To Sonic The Hedgehog?
Wow... After submitting my latest edition of 'How to Draw' Sonic the Hedgehog
tutorial it has reached a massive 500+ favs the next day! LMAO! XXD
Thank you all so kindly for the positive feedback on the tutorials. I
have plans to make some more in the near future so that I can help out
those Sonic drawing enthusiasts get started on getting the grips on the
basics of drawing their favourite hedgehog!
There is also a
reason behind the return of Sonic art and that is because I am warming
up for fully coloured official promo picture that will be dedicated to
the awe-inspiring event that is The Summer of Sonic (coming to London on the 9th August 2008 for a reminder! )
I shall do my best to honour this event with my artistic flair!
TGAF Projects
So far I've completed 4 sketched pages to the 5th Chapter to The Grand ASHWORTH Fortune comic series entitled: Ashworth The Wombat.
This chapter will be projected to have at least 25-30 pages or so. I
shall be working more on the pages to the chapter next week.
This week I have plans to complete at least 3 FORTUNE in COLOUR pieces to update the collection. So far I've finished 1 out of 3 and it's looking pretty sweet! Do look forward it when I come back from work tomorrow, I would have submitted it by then. = )
Thanks
again for sharing with me your support and enthusiasm for the series!
The fan arts I've been receiving have been a blessing, do continue to
send in your TGAF fan arts on DA or via
This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it
so that
I can have them published on the official website! Take care guys and
have a lovely week!
Oh and of course, hope many of you have
celebrated Mother's Day last Sunday and given thanks to them for their
amazing love and support over the years of your growth from childhood
to adulthood!
Mine has always been an awesome mom, if it
weren't for her I wouldn't be here sharing my talent and hard work with
my friends, fans and family from around the world. Thanks mom, with
much love and respect from yours truly. *thumbs up*
04th May 2008:
Behind The Scenes Stuff
Secret project in the works? What could it be? Let the photos do all the talkin'!
Western Kingdom Challenge 03 Entries Ready For Voting!
All the very best to all of the entrants who have participated in this month's Western Kingdom Challenge of the TGAF Creative Campaign! So far I've received a total of 15 entries and they all look spankin' cool! ^^
A CHANGE OF RULES:
I
will not have any influence on the final decision of picking the
winner! I have decided to let the public poll have full power to
determine the winner!
So please do what you can to spread the word to your friends, family
and relatives on making their vote count towards your final score. ^^
The reason being - I liked all the entries! XD Most shared a very similar theme of a failed attempt of romantic love from Parmir to Ruby,
however there were some that had something more unique than others in
their dialogues/narrative of the comic piece. Nevertheless I appreciate
the efforts put into each and every entry and I reckon each and
everyone should have the same opportunity to win. *thumbs up*
Just a reminder VOTING is due in a weeks time which is 11th MAY 2008.
Have fun reading the entries in the GALLERY SECTION of the TGAF Official Website!
^^ Please be sure to notify to me if there are any problems loading any
of the entries presented in the GALLERY! Thanks and good luck once
again everyone!
Eastern Kingdom Challenge 03
So far I've received 2 entries for this part of the competition. Please be sure to submit something like the sample below you. That is a perfect example of an entry to this month's Eastern Kingdom Challenge.
There
will be no voting or judging on this occasion. I will be picking out
from the hat the winner to this challenge! XD Be sure to submit your
entries! You've still got time till the announcement of the official
RESULTS which is on the 11th MAY 2008.
TGAF Creative Campaign Winners!!
With
much respect and appreciation I thank to the champs on submitting their
photo shoot of their prize along with themselves (or in one case a
group of friends!)
They totally deserve it and I continue to wish them all the best in their endeavors at school/college/work/life in general!
WESTERN KINGDOM CHALLENGE 01 WINNERS - Stephanie, Elly & Joe
WESTERN KINGDOM CHALLENGE 02 WINNER - Mayra A Hernandez (aka Lildarkangel99)
EASTERN KINGDOM CHALLENGE 02 WINNERS - Ana Ilda (aka Knux-the-killer)
Unlocking The Lost Art of World Tour Sketches!!
Well this image will pretty much explain it all. XD This time EVERYTHING REMAINING in the World Tour Sketches will be unlocked as soon as it reaches it's target. Be sure to keep an eye on it! ^_~
The Summer of Sonic
It
has been a very long journey for a top bloke who lives with his parents
and also his bro in the same room together in a small town called
Southend-On-Sea in the United Kingdom... But before I continue on with
the goods regarding this special upcoming event called 'The Summer of
Sonic', that is possibly the first legitimate and biggest Sonic
conventions ever held in the United Kingdom, I shall explain a little
bit about the man behind this incredible concept.
This highly
motivated man of prestige with his innovative approaches to market and
promote activities beneficial to the Sonic online community is named Svend Joscelyne (also known as Dreadknux - founder of one of the coolest and well acclaimed Sonic the Hedgehog fan sites in the world called The Sonic Stadium).
An interesting piece of history worthy of note is since it's official
launch in 24th October 2000 the website has a million hits only four
years down the track. This demonstrates his incredible potential and
capability to run a website that is attractive and can bring
significant influence to the world stage.
Also involved in the SoS is his bro Roarey Joscelyne
who can sometimes be seen as a counter part to Svend or a complete
opposite in terms of personality and visions of the video gaming
industry. In many cases he annoys the hell out of Svend in the most
uncanny manner during their infamous and immensely entertaining SEGA
Sonic radio show entitled 'The Sonic Hour' (every Sunday, 7:30PM GMT).
However
don't let Roarey's rather silly and troublesome nature fool you, in
reality he is one of the more mature, intelligent and talented people
amongst the Sonic online community (check out his dedicated Pixel Artwork resource, his own games radio show - The Tiger's Eye
(every Friday, 8:30PM GMT) and vocal recordings for proof). His
creativity and hint of innovation are also qualities that is share with
his bro.
Here is an photo that was taken during my World Tour in
2007. It was my visit to London for one of it's earlier Sonic meet-ups.
Pictured below your left to right are Svend, myself and Roarey.
So
now you have an idea of who the brothers are and how they have built
their reputation amongst the Sonic online community you will start to
get a better picture of why they are involved in a totally new and
exciting prospect that is coming this summer in London, United Kingdom.
Do you remember way back in 2006 I made journal updates about a special event called the Summer of Sonic 2006
that marked a celebration of Sonic the Hedgehog's 15th Birthday? Many
people from around the world, communities and fan sites of the blue
blur and even the talented artists of deviantART who had
admired the hedgehog for so long had an opportunity to pay tribute to
Sonic's 15th Anniversary by taking a proactive approach with the
guidance of the SoS event.
And
just to be clear what I meant by a proactive approach can include:
taking photos with you and your favourite Sonic memorabilia (such as
your very first Dr. Eggman plushie); drawing Sonic fan art; writing
Sonic fan-fictions; recording remixed music tracks that is attributed
to the already large and diverse Sonic the Hedgehog soundtrack and
sharing it with other like-minded Sonic fans by uploading it to the SoS
server.
Being proactive also includes participating in
competitions that won rare and noteworthy Sonic merchandise, reading
special articles of Sonic's history and publications and also unique
interviews conducted by dedicated fans (such as Adam 'T-Bird' Tuff of Newcastle) with key people in the Sonic the Hedgehog franchise (that could range from the music industry - Jun Senoue for instance - to the games makers themselves - Masahiro Kumono, Shun Nakamura and more...)
SoS
was loads of fun, full of interactivity and an experience to remember
by. It was also the idea of connecting with a like-minded and mature
audience that admired the fastest thing alive as if it was only
yesterday. SoS was a very important event that can be learnt from and
treasured for years to come. Heck it made me become closer to my
friends in the Sonic community, including the ones mentioned earlier in
my article.
This
reminds me also that because of SoS I wouldn't have been in touch with
a talented and passionate friend of the blue blur named Adam Tuff (well known as the 'Man With The Hat' who is knows his heavy metal music more than anyone else in the planet or T-Bird
- you can see a photo of myself and Adam during my visit to the town of
York where he studied in one of their prestige universities), and I
wouldn't have known the J Bros. any more better without experiencing their amazing journeys through the Sonic fandom.
Of
course it hasn't always been the best of times during the struggle to
make a positive outcome out of a recent releases of the games from the
Sonic franchise. There had been sweat, blood and tears trying to
withstand the repercussions of SEGA/Sonic Team's mistakes but it is
because of a few mature minded and proactive people in this vast world
we live in that make the difference.
And so it leads me to an exciting point about the new and upcoming event called The Summer of Sonic.
Keep in mind that everything that was done during the year 2006 was
purely online and the result of the concept was extremely successful.
Now is the time that the SoS event was taken to the next stage.
.........
.........
The
event that is now officially confirmed of it's venue and dates will be
real and it will be one of it's first in it's kind in Sonic fandom
history. Like I mentioned earlier it will be a Sonic convention where
real people will meet up and spend a quality day together celebrating
the best things of our interests in the Sonic community. This year's
SoS event will take place on a Saturday 9th August 2008 at the Covent Garden Dragon Hall Trust. Again as a reminder of the full details on this event it can be all found here (or by clicking on the image below you).
And so I shall end my discussion about the event and leave you with a strong recommendation.
If
you have been a respectable fan of the Sonic the Hedgehog series
(whether it be the game, music, toys, comics, artwork, story... etc),
whatever your sexual orientation, age and your whereabouts, if you have
the will, time and hard earned cash to travel make London city your
next stop on the 9th August 2008, because I'll be there - whether you like it or not.
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For comments, please contact Elson 'Darkspeeds' Wong The Grand ASHWORTH Fortune is a work of
fiction any similarity between events and persons living
or otherwise contained herein is completely coincidental.
[GUEST]Scytheholde : My god, i'm jealous of you! You've got some of the best drawings i've ever seen! Moreso than some manga authors...
[GUEST]Princesstik : yo!
[GUEST][GUEST]Vero : Hehe no problemo ;3
[GUEST]Imprena : I love your site so much! My favorite character is Fei! I also like Ashworth just as much.
[GUEST]Mesuta : Agreement, that would be awesome.
[GUEST]Ana-Mae : Oh yheah, AND GIRLS DO ROCK! ESPECALY RUBY! XD
[GUEST]Ana-Mae : This is my first time looking at Fortune, Darkspeeds, and may I say its AWESOME!! The music's great, the story's awesome, and I hope it becomes a game and anime(Or cartoon) like Sonic has!! ^.^
[GUEST]Darkspeeds : Thanks Ryu! I really appreciate how you pointed that out! It's fixed and good as new now. ^_~ And cheers Mesuta for your feedback! I'm glad you like Ruby, she is also one of my favourite characters in the series.
[GUEST]Mesuta : Well I just found the comic & now I am very much liking it! Ruby is probably my favorite character because she very determined, yet incredibly clumsy, I love that sort of thing. LOVE IT!!! Ok, I'm done now.
I've still hundreds to go in reading his reviews and synopsis! XXD
I couldn't be more proud and happier to be who I am right now. ^^ 
See you guys on the next tour of sketches! *thumbs up* 
*thumbs up*
