Welcome to the official section for my upcoming Flash series, The Phoenix . This section will serve as a blog on the progress of the series for those interested. Also included will be character art, motion tests, and logos. Bear in mind that I'm a n00b when it comes to Flash, so my first several Flashes may not be great quality. As the series progresses, you'll probably see improvements in the graphics. As for the voices, my microphone is ass, and I'm told that the only way to get decent-sounding voices is by using a $100 studio microphone. I feel that the person who told me that is ill-informed, so if you know of a computer microphone that will provide decent quality recordings suitable for Flash movies, shoot me an email and I'll check it out. My price range is up to $30, although I may consider spending up to $40.
Currently I have my own voice for the male characters, and a voice for the female characters. When/if I decide to do casting for voices, I'll post an announcement.
I have also included on this page an explanation of what the series is about and a absurdly long history of the series.
Check back here every so often for updates on the blog.
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Blog
10/24/09
Progress is being made, I promise.
First, I have created what I am hoping will be the permanent logo for the series.
Second, the script for the trailer is 216% complete, and I intend to commence work on the animation soon. I'm not going to give any kind of timeframe, since I have no idea when it will be done.
I have also redone some key plot elements. The death of AJ's parents triggering his vigilantism seemed too similar to Batman's origins, so I added a second more important factor: The death of his girlfriend at the hands of a violent street gang. This wasn't just a random act of violence, and the entire circumstances surrounding the event will be explained in a future episode.
While I kept most of the original episodes, I decided to rearrange their order. I also pulled one episode entirely, taking a character with it in the process. To make up for it, I kept on a character that was going to just be a one-off character.
Over a year in the making, the trailer WILL NOT disappoint.
8/18/09
Some important updates on the series.
First and foremost, I've decided to change the name of the series. "Vigilante" is beyond unoriginal, and doesn't accurately portray the entirety of the series. I've decided to name the series "The Phoenix". This makes it much easier to create a logo that people can easily associate with the series (like the bat symbol with Batman). No, there will be no heroes in capes or costumes. I'm thinking the name is going to be a nickname the press has dubbed AJ with due to his penchant for leaving behind a calling card with the symbol of a phoenix early on in the series. The phoenix would symbolize the character's "rebirth from the ashes" after the events of the explosion which killed his parents.
The trailer, I am behind, mainly because both my laptop and my PC have decided not to recognize the drawing tablet at random intervals. Also, I don't want to release anything like the "Putin" short. It was worse than shit, and I'd take it down if it hadn't already been seen so many times. The trailer is going to be good, I promise you. The script is still being fine-tuned, and I also have a hunch some of the episodes listed in the last entry are going to change, namely the first episode. Be patient, the trailer is on its way, and it will blow you away.
As for the episodes, if they go the way I'm hoping they'll go, they will be at least 20 minutes long and probably have to be split into multiple parts because of size restrictions. I have intentions of putting them on YouTube as well as Newgrounds.
Just stay tuned, folks.
6/17/09
"He'd better have justification for not updating this section in three months!" I assure you, I do.
As I've said in the "News" section of the front page, I started work on a trailer about a month or so ago. Unfortunately, my laptop shit itself a second time. Thankfully I had backed up my work a month before that, and thus didn't lose much. I DID lose the script for the trailer, along with updated character art. After that incident, I've begun backing up my stuff on the server. I have completed a new script for a trailer, as well as two scripts for short clips. I've begun work on animating one of the short clips. I don't want to put out some rushed half-assed piece of shit like the "Putin" short from February. I can promise you that the series will be nothing like that, especially in terms of animation. I am aiming to have at least one short clip done by mid-July, and the full-fledged trailer done by the end of summer. I am also aiming to have the first episode up no later than December.
In my previous posting, I also mentioned the inevitable self-insertion accusations I'll face when this series begins. I've been attempting to distance AJ from myself as much as possible. I've abandoned his freckles, made him a bit more muscular, and have even given him more personality flaws. I've also tried to remove the notion that the series is solely about him. By the time the main storylines of the series are completely established, there will be five main characters, all of which will play large parts of importance. While a good portion of the focus will be on AJ, all of the other characters have stories, and the viewer will get to know those stories.
The series will start out relatively slowly, with most of the primary series elements being introduced across the span of Season 1. By the end of Season 2, everything of importance will have been introduced. I have episode concepts all the way up to Season 5, and I don't have any planned end to the series.
The episodes themselves, I'm aiming to be anywhere between 10 to 20 minutes long. I estimate one episode will take two months to produce, and most likely less time once I get the hang of Flash.
I don't have any pictures or videos this time, but I do have plot summaries for every episode of Season 1:
101- "Mugged"
Cate is mugged by two members of a local gang, and AJ confronts the muggers.
102- "Interdimensional"
A stick figure, Ned Granston, emerges from Carl's interdimensional portal and escapes onto the streets of Eagle City. AJ and Carl must capture him before he causes too much trouble.
103- "Manhunt"
Cate is attacked by a wanted serial killer. AJ and Carl attempt to track down the killer on their own while trying to stay ahead of the police's investigation.
104- "Battered"
A girl moves into the rental house next door to Carl and AJ, but her ex-fiancé is intent on tracking her down and killing her.
105- "Presidential"
A terrorist organization known as the "Order of the Serpent" storms the White House and takes President Harvey H. Harrison hostage, prompting AJ and the gang to mount a rescue operation.
106- "Vandal"
A disguised vandal is wreaking havoc in the neighborhood, to the displeasure of AJ.
107- "The Anatomy of a School Shooting"
Two students at Cate and Steve's high school go on a shooting rampage, and AJ and Ned must stop them.
108- "6th Street"
When a heavily armed street gang take up residence in a house across the street, AJ assembles a group of neighborhood residents to evict the gang by force, against the wishes of the District Attorney.
109- "Guardians"
A peaceful vigilante group known as the Guardians takes issue with AJ's assault on the drug house, and attempts to ruin his life when the police refuse to act.
110- "The Time Machine: Part 1" (Tribute to H.G. Wells)
AJ attempts to take Carl's time machine to the past to prevent his parents' death, but it malfunctions and travels to the year 802,701 AD where it explodes upon arrival. AJ must work with another time traveler from the 19th century to recover the traveler's own machine, which has been stolen by a race of underground cannibals.
Epicness is guaranteed.
3/20/09
I've rewritten the plot summary to more adequately reflect what the series is about. I'm also going to nip the Mary Sue/Gary Stu bullshit in the bud right now.
Yes, AJ is based on me in terms of appearance. Yes, Sara is based on my personal perference in women. I left these elements in the series because that is what they were in the comics I drew. I've already had to sacrifice most of the elements of the comics to make the series enjoyable to even myself, and I'm not going to change names and appearances just because some morons have a poor understanding of the term "self-insertion" or throw the term "Mary Sue" around like it's part of their everyday vocabulary.
I'm not making this series solely for the entertainment of potential viewers, I'm also doing it because it's something I've wanted to do for years. If you like it, great. If you don't like it, oh well.
That all being said, here's a couple of images I created.
The first is the logo for the Bureau of Non-Diplomatic Relations, a secret government organization that was founded to combat terrorism:
The glow is only to contrast the black background from the black circle. I'm satisfied with the logo, even though the phoenix can be compared to the United States Air Force logo.
The next logo is Carl's personal logo:
Most of Carl's inventions are going to be branded with this logo.
I'll be posting plot summaries for Season 1 soon, so keep an eye out.
3/4/09
Here's a quick drawing of Sara, one of the main characters:
I'm not very fond of the shape of the eyes, and the shape of the face could be just a bit better. Thankfully I didn't use the original way I was going to do the hair. As you can tell, I've also experimented with shading, which may or may not have turned out well. I'm trying to keep it simple to animate while making it look presentable. Don't expect a full episode for a while. I'm aiming to have the quality good enough that it won't be blammed on Newgrounds. Also, if anyone knows how to convert an SWF file to something I can upload to YouTube, email me and let me know. I've tried exporting the Putin movie as an AVI or a WMV with Flash 8, but the movie clip symbols don't work.
I've also written a plot outline for an RPG game, but I don't want to get too far ahead of myself. It will be made with whatever version of RPG Maker I can cop from The Pirate Bay.
2/11/09
The official debut:
I admit, it's ass compared to most of the stuff on sites likes Newgrounds. As I said before, I'm a n00b. This is the first real Flash movie I've ever done, so it's not going to be greatly done. I've pretty much gotten the hang of animating the mouth movements, but I'm not satisfied with the animation itself. Both the art and the movements of the characters are weak. I know what I'm trying to go for, but I'm having difficulty pulling it off.
As for the series itself, my goal is for it to be dark yet comical at times. For example, in one planned episode, AJ accidentally kills a child and is severely distraught by it, while another episode revolves around catching a goofy vandal who dresses like a cowboy and refers to himself in the third person.
As always, feedback is appreciated. I know it's hard for some of you to say anything more than "U SUK FATASS STOP MAKIN MOVIES", but at least try to be constructive with your criticism.
Oh, and the above episode is non-canonical (has no official standing in the series itself).
1/20/09
I made a logo for Vigilante:
If I can make a better one between now and the series' debut, I'll use it. Oh, and a side view of AJ's head:
Don't get a boner or anything. There's room for improvement.
I also promise a big update about Vigilante by Valentine's Day.
12/22/08
Thanks in no small part to Windows Vista, I lost all the data on Vigilante. This included drawings, plot outlines, scripts, character info, and ideas. In a way, this was a blessing. Now I can do a complete overhaul of the series, as I was not satisfied with some of the stuff. For me, it's easier to start from scratch than to edit stuff already done. I've added several new characters, scrapped a couple, and changed the elements of several existing ones. I also uploaded a Wiki to the site for my own personal use. By having the character data and shit on the site itself, I can avoid losing it a second time. On top of that, I've also wrote down the main info in a notebook. There's no way I'll lose that much data again. If you do somehow manage to find the Wiki, keep in mind that it's nowhere near complete, and thus blows chunks. Also, while the list of episode summaries is for the most part spoiler-free, multiple episodes are linked to each other, and thus the summaries of future episodes may give away information relating to the previous episodes. Emailing feedback is always appreciated, and don't waste your time trying to vandalize the Wiki, since it's impossible for anyone but myself to edit it. You can disregard the drawing of AJ in the previous posting, since the style has changed. Keep an eye out for more info as it comes.
10/5/08
Presenting the first sneak-peak of AJ, the main character:
9/12/08
The section for the series has gone up. I am currently working on a teaser trailer, character art, and several "still images" of future episodes.
Also, the plot summaries for all 10 episodes of Season 1 have been written. I plan to explain most of the important plot elements in this season. The season finale is a tribute to one of my favorite writers, and is going to kick your ass. It's a two-parter, with the second part being the first episode of Season 2. I'll be posting brief episode descriptions and character summaries eventually.
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About The Phoenix
Plot
Once a vibrant city with a rich history, Eagle City has become a blighted cesspool. Gangbangers and drug lords control the streets, their power unchallenged by the terrifed citizens.
Police Chief Gerald Walters is constantly under fire from the public and the media for not doing enough to combat crime. Among his biggest critics is the recently-elected District Attorney Leroy Johnson, who argues that rights violations by the Eagle City Police Department are the biggest reason criminals are walking free at trial. Mayor Scott White's pleas for both sides to work together appear to be falling on deaf ears.
Things aren't much better nationally. The Order of the Serpent, a terrorist group based around the worship of an Aztec deity, has experienced a resurgence after their 2002 bombing of North Creek Mall, a deadly attack which claimed the lives of over 500 people. Newly elected President Harvey H. Harrison has promised to eliminate the Order, but his critics contend that such an idea is easier said than done.
Among the survivors of the North Creek Mall Bombing is Anthony "AJ" Kirk, whose parents were killed in the explosion. After being adopted by Janine Calvin at the age of 15, AJ befriended her genius son Carl. At the age of 18, AJ and Carl purchased a house with money awarded to AJ by the government for the death of his parents.
Now, AJ is 21 and Carl, 20. After being forced to witness violent gang members disembowel his girlfriend, AJ decides that he must take action against the criminals destroying the city he grew up in. With Carl's help, AJ embarks on a mission to rid the city of its crime plague.
AJ and Carl are eventually joined by Ned Granston, a being from another dimension with a curse placed upon him, Sara Hutchinson, a young woman with a troubled past, and later Stephanie Schwartz, a mysterious girl who appears to be hiding something about herself. Together, they set out to not only clean up Eagle City, but to put an end to the Order of the Serpent once and for all.
Excessively Long History That You Probably Don't Care About
I'm the king of writing uselessly long background stories on things.
The series started out as a poorly-drawn two page comic involving me killing the Powerpuff Girls, with the fake company name "Anti-Hero Comics". After 9/11 occured and fair-weather patriotism swept the nation, I drew another one where I killed Osama bin Laden, with the title "SPECIAL EDITION: Anti-Villains!" My error here should be obvious, but for the slow, it was only my second comic in the series and I was already making a special edition. I showed it to some classmates, and they thought it was funny.
After receiving semi-positive feedback from the classmates, I decided to make more. I had been playing around on Zthing.com (site says they'll be back, but it's said that for several years now), when I found a series called "Ned." The main character was a stick-figure zombie with a half-circle head. Since he rarely faced forward, it appeared that he had only one eye. I admit to lifting the character, as it hadn't even occured to me at the time that I would be making the series public. If you're the guy who owns Zthing, send me an email with some kind of proof of who you are. I want to discuss Ned, since I think he kicks ass. I made my own version of Ned, an inter-dimensional zombie. Since I was only 14, I sucked, and gave no real detailed background for him.
The comic was mainly my way of venting anger or disapproval of stuff. I made several more comics, involving stuff like aliens, Lizzie McGuire, and Harry Potter. I realized that my comics no longer followed the "Anti-Hero" theme, so I simply changed the name to "Assassin Comics." After the 8th comic, I got writer's block and gave up for a year.
A friend of mine who was way more artistic than I was had his own series going on. This inspired me to redo "AJ the Assassin," or "ATA" as I had come to call him. I redid his appearance all throughout 11th grade, making sketches and doodles of the new AJ and his friends, Ned and newly-created Carl Calvin. During this time, I began toying with Flash, but didn't get anywhere, since I was such a n00b. It took me until 12th grade to actually draw another comic. I began "Season 2" of "ATA." AJ's friend Carl was never explained, simply appearing in the first comic of Season 2 as if he'd been there all along. After showing my comics to classmates at my new school (I had transfered from the last one because the niggers were bringing guns to school and shit), ATA found a small fan base. I would have people asking me if I made any new comics and looking over my shoulder to see what I was drawing. I still have no idea why, since it was shitty.
It was around then that the whole super hero movie craze was beginning to sweep America. I felt that since most comic book heroes have recurring enemies, ATA should too. I created the Order of the Serpent, a terrorist organization that worshipped the Aztec god Quetzalcoatl. I also introduced President Harvey H. Harrison, since I had already gotten in trouble with the Secret Service when my principal showed them a previous comic involving the use of President Bush. That incident gave a slight boost to my "fan base," as it was a small school and I was now well-known by teachers and students alike.
My girlfriend at the time practically begged me to include her in the comics, so I reluctantly agreed, making her Caitlyn Calvin, Carl's sister who had a crush on AJ. Obviously, AJ and Cate became boyfriend/girlfriend. After breaking up with the girl in real life, I had Cate killed off by the Order of the Serpent. Steve was also introduced as a random person who would alert AJ and friends of some kind of trouble. AJ's appearence was changed to better fit my "wannabe punk rocker" phase.
During Season 3 (started after I had graduated high school), I felt that ATA needed a female character. Since I had learnt my lesson about using real people, I created my own female character, Sara Hutchinson. I would later use her in stories and such. She wore a trench coat, had black hair and green eyes (a preference of mine), and was supposed to be gothic. Throughout the remainder of the series, romantic feelings between her and AJ were implied, but never truly confirmed.
I eventually introduced the leader of the Order of the Serpent, Damien Romanov. I also included the at-the-time Philadelphia mayor John Street as being a prominent member of the Order. I began planning to make some form of a mini-series involving Damien Romanov summoning Quetzalcoatl and AJ and friends stopping him. I also considered using a program called RPG Maker 2000 to create a couple of Final Fantasy-esque games. Neither was ever done though, mostly due to my laziness.
Finally, at Season 4, Comic 8, ATA looked like it was going to come to an end. I had outgrown the immaturity of the comic, and decided to focus more on writing. Half a year passed, and as I was cleaning out drawers in my room, I found the comics. I realized that if I cleaned up the shitty art work and added more detail to the plot, I would have a potentially good series. I redrew the characters, gave them better background stories, and started writing up plot ideas. I thought I should try again with Flash. I was on a spending spree, so I purchased a Wacom Tablet to draw better with.
Unfortunately, my job began to take higher precidence. After several different cooks had quit on my boss, he decided to just make me the guy who ran the kitchen operations. This meant more responsibility, and longer hours. My current relationship also began around that time, diverting more of my attention away from undertaking any projects that required more than a little effort. I continued to sketch pictures of the characters and potential new ones. I attempted to redo the series on paper, but it didn't come out like I wanted it to. I didn't want to give up, so I simply kept drawing the characters and refining their appearances and personalities.
I quit my job, but I was still occupied with planning for a possible business venture with someone. After a bunch of chaotic shit went down, the business venture was kaput. However, even more chaotic shit went down, and I left my family's house to avoid bringing shit down on them. During my road trip, I decided I should stop being lazy and work hard to make my idea come to life. I wrote up a list of characters, and important details about them. I then wrote brief plot descriptions for Season 1, with ten episodes in total. I saw that if I took time out of each episode to explain important plot elements, it would divert too much from the episodes. I then wrote brief plots for a bunch of "Explanatory Shorts" that were meant to be viewed before the episode they pertained to. During that month, I made more progress on a Flash series than I had in several years.
After writing the new plots, AJ wasn't an assassin anymore, so the name "ATA" could no longer be used. I needed a new name for the series. I settled on "Vigilante," since AJ was more of a vigilante than anything.
It's taken more than 7 years, but I'm going to finally make my dream come true. When I drew that first Powerpuff Girls comic, I never invisioned that I would be making an animated series that would be put on the internet for all to see.
TL;DR VERSION:
I created The Phoenix 7 years ago as a hand-drawn comic that sucked ass. It had a different name. Now, I'm making it into a Flash series.
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