A listing of questions I've received a number of times, and answers to those questions, since I don't always feel like repeating myself. This will be added to over time, as you might imagine.

What inspired you to make this comic?

-Really, reading other comics inspired me. At first it was just kind of a "hey, I want to be in on this sprite comic thing" deal. But I eventually came to the realization that I could use a comic like this as a creative outlet. I'm a writer, but I can never stick to it long enough to finish a story... I thought being able to write a story with a visual reference to go with it would be nice, and it's kept me going for quite a while now.

How did you get visitors to your site when you first started out?

-I just plugged the site everywhere I could get away with it. Passed the URL on to friends, in chat rooms I frequented, and put the link in my signature on forums. I've thought about advertising the site somewhere, but I don't want to pay money to do it. I've got a lot of bills every month. >_>

Any advice for a new comic maker?

-My advice to new comicers is be as original as you possibly can, and be persistant. Read a lot of other comics to see if you can't pick up on some visual techniques, and (more importantly) to know beforehand what's been done to death. No idea is going to be 100% original, but try to put a new twist on certain things. Explore sides of a story that other people don't normally explore. Avoid the cliche "MegaMan is stupid and likes ice cream"-type material and try to come up with something unique. It doesn't have to be earth-shattering, but it always helps to have some defining element you don't normally find in other comics.

Since Zero is a girl in TOS, what happened with the Zero/Iris relation in the TOS version of X4?

-The same thing that happened in the canon storyline. There's a link to an oft-ignored timeline on the Archive page. Go read that if you have any other questions regarding this kind of thing.

(Any other question regarding the chronological flow of the games compared to the comic)

-See above.

Why the hell IS Zero a girl in this comic?

-The idea amused me at the time I started comicing. Besides, I like strong female characters. Also, the fact that I thought Zero was a girl the first time I played X1--a mistake common among many people, let me assure you--also influenced that. Besides, it eliminates the old stereotypical "X and Zero are gay" jokes, doesn't it?

Wait, Zero's a lesbian in TOS?!

-No. Bisexual.

That's sick.

-Then don't read this comic. Simple as that. I'm not going to get into any debates, but I don't think it's wrong for two people of the same gender to be in love with eachother, despite popular religious opinion.

Technically, couldn't that just be used to start a vicious string of "Zero and Iris are gay" jokes?

-It could, but I doubt it. The concept of everyone making jokes about it has been poked fun at, but seriously, who the hell makes fun of lesbians? Everyone focuses too much on bashing gay men to even pay any attention to gay women unless they're featured in porn.

But doesn't your comic have nudity in it? OMG PORN

-Yes, the comic has brief nudity in one strip. But given the circumstances in which it appeared, it can hardly qualify as porn. I did it to emphasize Zero's feeling of helplessness and vulnerability with what was happening to her in that strip. And frankly, if you're seeing evil versions of yourself looking back at you when you glance in the mirror, accidentally dropping your towel when you're alone in a locked room should be the least of your worries.

Hey, Blues never really worked for Wily!

-Technically, this falls under the chronological flow question category, but I may as well answer it. No, Blues never worked for Wily in the games. But my ideas were heavilly influenced by the old MegaMan cartoon that aired in the U.S. Yes, it was cheesy and lame, but it's what got me INTO MegaMan in the first place, so think of TOS as an homage to it, in a way.

Aren't X's eyes supposed to be green?

-Chalk it up to creative liberty. Right up there with Zero being a woman and Blues originally being evil.

Will you help me with my sprites?

-Ehhh. I give all the advice I can to people I chat with, but I'm really not the best spriter in the world. You're better off asking someone else.

But you have such sweet sprites in your comic!

-I'll admit I do have some talent as a spriter, but I'm still learning. Not everything in TOS was made by me. I've had a lot of help from a number of generous people.

Can I use your characters in my comic?

-Unless you're a friend, or someone who's helped me with TOS in the past, no. I don't just hand out my characters to random people. Sorry.

Please?

-No.

Pretty please?

-No.

With sugar on top?

-No.

You're a dick!

-Yes, I am. But the key to making a good comic is not the amount of popular characters you can cram into one place. It's about being able to come up with YOUR OWN unique characters and situations, being able to create good-looking visuals (backgrounds and sprites included), and most importantly, knowing how to WRITE. If you can't do any of those three things, then you either need to practice more and rely less on other people's work, or just stop comicing altogether.

I still want to use your characters.

-Yeah, well, tough cookies.

What's with this Alex guy randomly updating the site?

-It's because he hates you, and OH MY GOD IT'S A TRAP! ...Actually, he's my roomate and my best friend, and I also happen to (infrequently) update his half of this site at random, as well.

Can my character be in your comic?

-Well, that all depends. If you're some random jackass I've never met before trying to muscle in on a semi-popular comic, you can bugger off. If I actually know you and (here's the important part) like you, then maybe I can find a place for you. But I don't ask for cameos very often.

Why does Zero keep changing colors in the comic?

-She was originally built with black armor. She was rebuilt by the X Hunters with red armor. Then rebuilt again in X6 with black armor. NOW STOP ASKING THIS. >_<

What is this TOS:L you keep mentioning?

-TOS:L stands for The Other Side: Legacy. It's the sequel, obviously, though when I think about it, it's really more of a side story. It takes place around 2380, roughly 200 years after the lion's share of TOS happens. Bits and pieces of it will take place on Earth with recurring characters from TOS making brief appearances, but I'm hoping to take it in a new direction. The comic will star Jordan and Arylon Locke, Kivane's children, who've spent the last few decades out in space making some easy money partaking in both barely-legal and hardly-legal work.

Wait. If Kivane's human, and her kids are presumably human, how could they be alive 200 years later?

-If you read Kivane's cast page entry--particularly, the last two sentences--it points out that she's effectively immortal because of her cybernetic augmentation. Her children share a similar fate.