[Comic] Mega Man X: Unit 49

[Saturn]

Hey. I put the comic on a hiatus between December and early February while I was still making a bunch of new pages, summing up to 60 in stock. If I keep the one page per two days routine, Chapter 16 will end only around July. I don't intend it to be like that, or else Season 2 might last beyond this year once again. This schedule will change deppending on my productivity in the next two months:

Ch.15 Disturbances Pg 25-35 between March 11th to March 31st
Ch.16 Winged Rampage Pg 1-26 between April 2nd to May 22nd
Ch.16 Winged Rampage Pg 27-45 between May 23rd to June 10 (one page per day routine)

If it goes well, the one page per day routine will begin much sooner.

The is back, with a lot of details and techniques I have been experimenting. I realized the contrast between boss sprites and their backgrounds is something I need to pay better attention, but I think things are understandable at least.

Season 2, Chapter 15: Disturbances
Page 8 (dA) (SJ)
Page 9 (dA) (SJ)
Page 10 (dA) (SJ)
Page 11 (dA) (SJ)
Page 12 (dA) (SJ)
Page 13 (dA) (SJ)
Page 14 (dA) (SJ)
Page 15 (dA) (SJ)
Page 16 (dA) (SJ)
Page 17 (dA) (SJ)
Page 18 (dA) (SJ)
Page 19 (dA) (SJ)
Page 20 (dA) (SJ)
Page 21 (dA) (SJ)
Page 22 (dA) (SJ)
Page 23 (dA) (SJ)
Page 24 (dA) (SJ)

Also, I have made some attempts at revamping the designs of some of my characters, which are really off with the color and detail patterns of the X series. I wanted to maintain a style consistency through all the comic series, that's why I always edited old pages or even redone them when I changed designs, like with the government counsellors. However, characters like Saturn and Blue Knight have appeared in so many pages that is beyond my strenght to go back and redo everything. Because of that, I may only update their sprites when Season 3 begins. I ask you to pretend these were their looks since the beginning (click to open the big images in full size):

• Captain Elika
  
  Spoiler

  
  Okay, this drawing was really hard to do. At least the result was infinitely better than that early 2015 artwork I put there just for you to laugh at. This new appearance is supposed to look more like a high-ranked military/Maverick Hunter, and is notably inspired in the design of Signas, his mentor. There is a symbolic reason behind that, since Elika assumes the leadership of the Maverick Hunters in a certain way during the Neo Maverick War. The redesign started with me struggling to sprite Elika's P-Quadgun in different angles. It's nearly impossible to sprite the guns without distorting them, and so I began trying many different designs, and this is the attempt I most liked. (in terms of appearance, not "spriteability")
  
  
  
• Shad
  
  Spoiler

  
  Shad looks much more mature in his new design due to his enhanced armor and formal wear semblance. His hair has returned to its original form, that is, a single lock of hair instead of two. I was trying to avoid making him look like Shade Man and Dark Necrobat, but the similarities are inevitable. The wings are considerably flexible and each one can rotate in at least 45 degrees to adjust the flight, with each end being a thruster. The wings are detachable and maybe they'll be used as weapons in an alternative fighting style. I'd say they work more like the wings of Hellbat Schilt and a Gundam at the same time.
  
  
  
• Blue Knight
  
  Spoiler

  
  Like Saturn, Blue Knight had his design unaltered for more than 10 years. While I'm really very used to that look, part of me became unsettled with the fact that his design doesn't make me feel he makes part of the X series, so I tried giving details that commonly appear in X designs and made him look a bit more like a blue knight, while still maintaining his good old essence.
  
  
  
• Saturn
  
  Spoiler

  
  
  
  
  The old design was very minimalist and has been the exact same since 2006. In 2015, when the current version of MMX:U49 was started, I was still too attached to the nostalgia of my childhood stories and didn't want to change him and many of the main characters (like Blue Knight, which is as old as Saturn). 
  
  If I were to begin producing Mega Man X: Unit 49 today, not only the comic would have another name, but many of these designs would be completely remade. Saturn's flamethrower has been a joke inherent to him since his primordial times and many characters in the comic refer to him as "pipenose" and other funny nicknames, the possibilities are endless. I do like this comical factor and Saturn tends to show more of his funny side in the comics. However, he also has his evil, calculating and insane side, and he tends to be poetical in moments of inspiration. This new design makes him more fearsome, which should be expected from the man who wants to lead an army with the most bad-willed people in the world to destroy the government and rules imposed by the humans, while he still has his signature weapon, the "mouth flamethrower" - now he is able to hide it and assemble it only during battles or when needed.
  
  I guess the main change in his design is the addition of the handcuffs and shackles all through his body, as if he was to resemble some kind of prisoner. Saturn is a character immersed in obscure symbolisms, as you can see in his crest, which can be interpreted in several ways (the fact is that most of these interpretations are valid, since the symbol is a junction of four different things), and these new details also have their meaning. Saturn believes that Reploids are prisoners of their human creators and those who aim to pass beyond human limitations are, most of times, undeservedly labelled as Mavericks and executed. However, these chains also represent another kind of prison that holds Saturn, and it is all related to his own body and powers. The hints have already been given in Season 2's first arc, you just have to look closely.
  
• Cyclobbering Onimmer (he appeared in S1's ending and will be a boss in Season 3)
  
  Spoiler

  Yes, his name is a junction to form a double pun.
  Onimmer creates fire explosions when he hits enemies with his hammer.
  
• Chaotic Gargale (I haven't finished the artwork yet, so I will put it in a future update)
  
  Spoiler