XCOM-ic #1 - "The Awakening"
Introducing here on Steemit for the first time, my spin-off webcomic, "XCOM-ic"...
XCOM-ic #1 - "The Awakening"
(Click on the image to see the full-size version)
This is the first in a series of spin-off comic strips based on one of my favorite game franchises, XCOM. In this case it's a parody of the newer XCOM franchise, specifically the events and story around XCOM 2.
For those who haven’t played the games, the first XCOM puts you in the position of Commander of XCOM, an international organization created to defend against an alien incursion. In the game you’re in charge of directing military squads in combat, researching new and alien technologies, and growing your organization into a global force to be reckoned with. XCOM 2, on the other hand, takes an interesting twist by assuming that humanity and XCOM in the first game actually LOSES, with the aliens subsequently creating a Big-Brother dystopian police state and the remnants of XCOM fleeing to the wilderness and becoming part of the human resistance effort.
Many who’ve played both the old and new XCOM games cite the immersive aspect of the game, as you grow attached to your soldiers throughout the game; reveling when you score a major win and advance your soldiers’ levels and skills, and grieving when you lose that same squad of seasoned veterans you’ve spent hours of game time building up from scratch. XCOM 2 was no different, and being inspired by XCOM fan fiction from the likes of the Fear the Boot podcast, my friend Doctor X, and many others, I thought there was ripe opportunity for a parody. Not just a parody of the gameplay, but also of the regular day-to-day life on the XCOM team; you know, those times when they’re NOT blowing up aliens and causing extensive property damage.
This webcomic series represents a divergent timeline from the Nerd By Northwest comics, and features the same characters. The character Ash is in the position of the Commander, with this strip corresponding to the start of the XCOM 2 game after the Commander is rescued from the aliens. The other Nerd By Northwest main characters… Dan, Cam, Jen, and Pete… will eventually make their appearances. Many thanks to Firaxis Games for bringing new life to the XCOM franchise, and I hope they and you all enjoy these strips as much as I enjoyed creating them. Now without further ado, I bring you Nerd By Northwest’s “XCOM-ic”…
_Want to see my other webcomic, Nerd By Northwest? Click right here to see the first comic.
The first time I played that game was back in the 90's, in my old and now defunct Amiga 1200. Best computer ever. Period. And this is a fact! No debate is acceptable!
Thanks for making me recall that awesome game again, @northwestnomad! 😉
I played the original XCOM on an old 486 if I remember correctly. But more than half of my friends were BIG time Amiga freaks when I was a kid, and while I didn't play XCOM on the Amiga I played countless other games on those computers. My faves on the Amiga were North and South, Nuclear War, and (of course) Wings!
Yep, I remember all three of them. I also loved Frontier: Elite II, Cannon Fodder and Sensible Soccer. ☺️
Nuclear War was incredibly funny! 😅