Hey all:
Wanted to pop in and thank you kind folks for the wonderful support of Blake's Revenge 2. Ponce did some truly cool things in this comic, as did the whole art team - and we're thrilled to be able to finally share it with you.
Some specific replies:
Great cover art and sample page.
Thanks for sharing them here.
Thanks, Mils - glad you dug them!
Hmmmm.... I just browsed through and saw those flexible suspensions (and tickling)... I'll be back!
It's always a pleasure to keep you in suspense....ha ha ha ugh. I need to stop doing that kind of thing. LMAO. You're the best, Bohy - always truly appreciate your incredible support!
So here we are, yet again, with another Tickling in Space comic from the fiendish mind of Bandito and the wondrous artistic skills of Ponce. At this point, we're, what, into the fifth release of this tandem in just over a year? In this scene, that's worth noting, not just because of how much quicker the turnarounds have been, but also because we can see in a short period of time just how much familiarity can work effectively in this medium. Too often, art teams change, or stories get thrown on a backburner for others. Thankfully, this isn't the case here, as the more Tickling in Space there is, the better it is for fans and people who might not have yet taken the plunge.
Thanks, my friend. Ponce is a freakin' rock star and we've been so happy working with him and the entire creative team. There's definitely been a lot of effort put into keeping that process as streamlined as possible so that nothing gets delayed. For the fans...but also for us! LOL. It's been so exciting to see the transformation that TICKLING IN SPACE has made throughout the years.
Blake's Revenge 2 is, obviously, the second part in a story arc that, well, who knows how long it's going to go. And, like the first, it's bite sized, probably for the aspect of quick turnaround times. Already, this series looks to be pretty ambitious within the medium, especially considering that time can be a factor in wanting to see things come to pass, as well as being a factor in the audience forgetting what is going on. It's hard thinking it's been two months, and geez, it makes me feel like Dusty's been in the clutches of Blake that entire time. Scary prospect. It's thrilling, though, as the seeds planted in the first are already starting to bare fruit.
Poor Dusty. Those are some serious clutches to be in. For a ticklish vixen like Dusty - I can think of few things that would drive her more CRAZY! Blake is NOT messing around - that's for sure.
If someone is on the fence, or they see “six pages, what the hell, that's so short,” it is. But not like you may think. It's not like you're getting cheated out of an all you can eat buffet; it's like you're waiting in anticipation for what happens next, for where it goes next. The actual meat of the comic feels longer than those initial six pages, because frankly, there isn't a wasted panel. That's not smoke up the ass; every panel in this comic serves a storytelling purpose as well as gives the audience the action it craves. We see what happens to some of the Danneskold crew as it is split up around the Atocha Mare, with Koki, Polly, Pookie, and Silki sent away to the depths of planetary Hell by Blake and one of her assassin cohorts (a Spadran who isn't named explicitly, but man, I loved how she looked. The dark eyes. That get up. I wasn't a huge fan of them in the past, but I really dug her). Blake's still got Dusty in an unwinnable, inescapable situation, and is exploiting it to the fullest extent with promising to tickle her to death, promising to do it nice and slow so she can glower over the captive captain about how thorough her conquest truly is. This serves as the narrative underpinning the comic, and the sadism it showcases with Blake is erotic, but also makes your skin crawl.
Thanks very much for the generous feedback, good buddy. The size of the comic itself is obviously by design: it's tough to tell a story as epic as we want the BLAKE'S REVENGE arch to be without adjusting the storytelling. The mini-comic allows us to focus on a single character on the crew and truly give them a diabolical laugh or two - while not waiting 6 months for the next installment.
We did try to make each panel as powerful as possible - as you very kindly illustrated - and I think it makes the BR comics definitely get the job done. They're incredibly erotic, they're action packed, and they're all going to culminate in a meta-story that I think fans will really enjoy.
And as for the tickling - what Blake has planned for Dusty is nothing short of merciless. Blake is literally going to tickle torture Dusty's entire glistening body, get inside her head, and take away everything she holds dear while the gorgeous alien has no option but to bawl in frenzied laughter the whole time. This is a revenge well planned, and will be the most fiendish encounter the Danneskold crew has ever faced.
The cover shows us who the target is, and our favorite little robotech, Jessie, is the unfortunate one. The ler is a Thompson Android named Glitch, who seems like every bit an inverse of Thompson, and given their run ins, essentially means that Glitch is the perfect candidate to wreck poor Jessie. And holy shit, does see. Suspension bondage. A little knife point. Casual stripping away her clothes. It's bad enough Jessie's figure has to fight gravity; when Glitch breaks out the portable bot cleaner to...uh...clean Jessie? It's vile. It's cruel. It's absolutely awesome fantasy fodder. All those sudsy bristles, hitting her armpits, sides, breasts, nipples, between her legs? It's bad. It's real bad. If you picked up Ship of Thieves and dug the pinup of Jessie trapped in the cleaner? This is that, on steroids.
There are few things hotter than a soapy, sudsy, sparkly, ticklish, butt-naked Robo-tech hanging helplessly and being tickled out of her curvy mind. And I'm not sure how it happened - but that bot-cleaner is becoming a virtual side character in the TIS universe. XD
It's a lot to get across, but it all unfolds well. The pacing never gives up. There's always action just around the corner. It's frenetic and it's well crafted. The fact that the crew is caught so offguard, that they are basically pumped full of krandaloozian phermones to make them not only insanely sensitive, but also wildly aroused just gets me. It's bad enough to have these assassins in play and essentially destroying the crew piece by piece, but the added betrayal from forces they've been breathing in for weeks? That makes the tickling scenes all the more desperate.
I'm hoping the sense of desperation and frenzy escalates as the arch continues. Ponce is ahead of our release schedule right now, which is awesome. So I've seen art from the next 2 comics and lemme tell you - it gets crazy. Sexy, sadistic, and crazy.
And as you know, my friend, I love the idea of edging these characters. I love the idea that not only are they being tickled out of their skulls, and not only are they trying to hold back and failing, but their bodies are already at the breaking point. The pheromones are kind of a Krandaloozian curse. The already naughty crew of the Danneskold is ridiculously sensitive as their default setting. But through in Shooter's scent, Blake's Assassins, and the mystery of the Actocha Marie and you've got yourself the perfect ticklish storm for these sexy adventurers. A storm which they may not survive.
Ponce's art is fucking amazing. Having looked back at Android Dilemma rather recently, I have to say, shit, this is some of the most crisp and vibrant art I've seen. Like through and through. The lines. The expressions of the characters. Jessie's eyes when she has the blade to her neck were so striking to me. The subtle smirks, the gloat of Blake lording over Dusty? The panicked looks in the faces of Dusty as she looks down her body as Blake threatens to pick her chastity coin with her nail? Ponce has always had the anatomy down, but you can see how real these characters are by just how well he draws facials and reactions. I don't know if he has this fetish, I doubt he does, but holy fuck, one of the biggest things is getting this aspect down in artwork, and he's gotten it down in spades. I could go on and on about just how stark and awesome and expressive his characters are, especially as a huge fan over the years, but that's kinda redundant because it's just purely astonishing to me. It's really high level and professional, something you can't say about every person who publishes. There's layers of details. Everything pops so damn well. Duarte's colors kill as well. Another thing that really popped in this comic? The lettering. Rostokfx, I dunno if he's new or I just hadn't noticed in the past, but damn son, the actual pop to the letters and the kinds of layered emphasis is reminds me of a comic book I should be getting off a shelf. Truly awesome stuff from the entire crew there, as you can tell there is a real rhythm to what they do and it is getting better and better every time out.
Thank you so much for all the generous praise of the art team. I agree about all of them. Ponce is the tits. His art has always struck me and knocked me back on my heels. From his page layouts and compositions, to his action scenes, to the perspectives he uses, to the camera angles and approaches, to the expressions of his characters....to....omfg....this guy captures our kink so well you'd SWEAR he had a tickling fetish himself. He gets it. His women are gorgeous. The way he captures that ticklish moment is just - it just feels right. And it makes all the difference in the finished product. I love working with him.
Duarte is the same way. Colorists rarely get a ton of notice, as hard as they work. But Duarte's colors really bring this world (and I think all the comic worlds he works on) to life. he makes TIS real.
Same with RostoKFX. His lettering gives these comics that final professional polish. He makes the dialog and writing come together with the art seamlessly. This art team is truly a joy to see in action.
Oh, and before I move on too much, BR2 continues the trend of absolutely breathtaking covers for this series. Holy shit, the scene it paints, the dread, the tone, it's gorgeous and stokes the fire just looking at it.
Wait until you see the cover for BLAKE'S REVENGE 3. You're gonna liiiiiiiiiiiiiike it! ;-)
I don't know what it is, maybe it's the water, but 2014 might be the best year of MTJ comic releases bell to bell that I can remember, and it's no shock that Tickling in Space has been so active in this year. Seriously. For what was supposed to be a fun thing kept private years and years ago, this series is really coming into its own this year, and Bandito deserves a piss ton of the credit. I love this universe. There isn't anything like it in this genre, and hell, maybe it is its own at this point. The development, the stories being told, and the frenetic energy being pulled in? It's a total team effort. Personally, this is essential. Must buy. Not just because of the series, but as a stand alone comic, you're not going to find something better on the market, especially at that price. If you love tickling art, if you love a kick ass story, this is a wonderful purchase.
Again, my friend - I can't thank you enough for the amazing review, and your boundless support of the TICKLING IN SPACE universe. The truth is that I probably DON'T deserve that much credit. I've had the chance to work with absolutely incredible folks over the years on TIS. From Ticklefur helping me bring the original comic to life, to the Mighty Scavenger giving the world a tremendous epic scope and sensational sci-fi flavor in INNOSAKA'S PARADOX and the VEIL OF QADESH, to Lotus and her help with EMBASSY HEIST, to Matias and Franco and their help with SMUGGLER'S MOON, and ultimately to Ponce, and Duarte, and RostoKFX, and Chicago Annie working on the last 5 titles. And of course the main guy who has helped this series become TIS is Jim himself. Without him none of this would have ever happened. He's the one who has helped facilitate most of these relationships and provided the entire foundation for this universe.
It's crazy to think about where TIS began and what it's become. And it's all because of these talented folks, the wonderful fans, and amazing folks like you. You're the ones that have made TICKLING IN SPACE the sci-fi tickle universe that it is. You're the ones that have brought Dusty and her sexy brigand crew to life. And I can't thank you all enough for that. It's been life-changing to be a part of it.
And...there's four other characters to go? Jesus. Hope to see the next one very soon. This comic is the absolute shit.
MUAA HAA HAAAAA! Trust me, there's a lot more to come in this story. A lot more in story for the purple pansy and her trembling crew. A lot more......
TICKLING IN SPAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAACE!!!!!!
To come soon. LMAO.
Thanks again, brother. Good stuff happening right now, my friend. Good stuff.
I'd have to say Tickling in Space is (alongside Annie the Amateur Pirate and Yoly) my favorite series to come out of MTJ. Its beautiful, its erotic (oh love those soft soapy brushes on Jessie's delicate parts) and its fun! Despite all the threats of 'tickled to death' you never get the impression these ladies are really going to suffer anything worse than intense intimate tickling and orgasm after orgasm which to me is important because i don't like tickle fetish when it turns sadistic.
All in all, keep it up, i Love this series!
How awesome is that? Thanks, my friend. Annie the Amateur Pirate and Yoly are two of my favorite series as well. Darkharp is just AMAZING and Ozzy....well Ozzy is...HE'S FREAKING OZZY, MAN! Both of their stuff is sensational - so thank you for the very generous compliment for TIS.
Thank you for the great feedback and support. And welcome to the forum, by the way. I'm sure you've been here a long time, but congrats on standing up publicly and saying 'hello' we all really appreciate it. Thanks also for the feedback about keeping it fun. I'm with you. I love this kink and enjoy it the most when there's a strong sexy element of fun. At the same time I've been trying to straddle that line between some pretty hard-core scenarios and that fun sexy side. So, I'm glad we all seem to be straddling it appropriately. Thanks for the wonderful input, and more TIS coming your way soon!
The suspense builds! This is an absolutely stellar entry in one of my favorite series, with absolutely the level of hotness we've come to expect from the TiS crew! Fantastic work!
You're wonderful, K! Thank you!! I have a feeling you'll really enjoy BR3. I think it's going to ring a couple specific bells for you. ;-)
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Thanks again, everyone!
Dusty and her poor crew aren't finished yet. Far from it.
Get your interstellar pirate hats on and get ready for more TICKLING IN SPAAACE!
Coming soon,
Argh,
Deet
