While jefbot’s stories about Darth Vader/Baron Karza, the Atari 2600/Intellivision and the X-Wing/Star Bird are all true, it’s also true that I – and by association, jefbot – came to love those toys just as much as I would’ve had I gotten the genuine toys I requested. I suppose I don’t have to tell anyone who reads JEFbot willingly, but just for clarification: When a kid asks for a toy from Star Wars, Transformers, Robotech or any other movie/videogame/tv show/what have you, only a toy from those properties will do. Believe me: kids know the difference. They may grow to like the toys you give them, especially if they have no other options, but they will always remember. Always. Some of them might even use those memories as material for a comic strip of their own. Just sayin’.
—
author’s note: When jefbot says “EVERYTHING!” in that last panel, it should be considered in the same tone and manner that Gary Oldman says “EVERYONE!” in the movie Leon: The Professional. clip here.
So true…I know as a kid there were toys I wanted that were a particular brand. We weren’t well off when I was young, so I rarely got them. Always got the books I wanted, though. 😀
yeah, when i got toys it was definitely a special occasion, Tiana, which might explain my obsession with them even now as an adult. heheh. i was lucky in that my parents got me lots of books too, though! (they were both teachers, now retired.)
and what’s this? you’ve reclaimed your firsting throne? does this mean you’re gonna make a run at your record? regardless, wear these vintage Shades of Firsting, now with kung-fu grip!
😎
My mom always said that if she wanted me to learn something, all she had to do was find a book about it and leave it where I could find it, and I’d learn what she wanted me to learn. Since she told me that (when I was in my late teens), I’ve made a point of reading books she disapproves of (for example, the Harry Potter books) just for the lulz.
Oooh, vintage Shades! Neat! And this was actually an unintentional First; I happened to refresh the page just after you posted…
i think reading books that upset your parents is a total rite-of-passage, Tiana. that, and listening to music they hate. 😉
an “unintentional firsting”!? see, that’s how awesome you’ve gotten at firsting – you don’t even have to try anymore.
Ooooohhh Vintage Shades! With kung fu grip?! I totes need to borrow those!
Borrow whenever you like, dearest Pixie. 😉
Jeff, what subjects did your parents teach? That could explain a lot, too. 😉
*flails* Oh my gods! Young ‘bot is the cutest thing!
I’m glad you grew to like them & didn’t end up like Joan Cusack’s character in “Addams Family Values” – all it took there was a Ballerina Barbie/Malibu Barbie mix-up…
On a totally separate note – I had adventures at the weekend! I was almost passable for a normal person! I’m still exhausted from going out & things but the main thing is that I did it. I guess I really am making progress.
I also start my first session of CBT (that’s Cognitive Behavioural Therapy, not the other thing, you pervs) on Wednesday, so I might start regaining more independence & actually start being able to have some semblance of a life. Being well/normal is still a long way off but I’m finally making visible progress again. Let’s hope it sticks this time.
glad you like li’l bot, AdM! now that he’s appeared, i might have to bring him back for more strips later on.
and yes, definitely grew to like those toys. that Intellivision is still one of my favorite gaming systems of all time. still kinda wish i had gotten that X-Wing, though. 😉
WOOoOOOoOOOO! BIG congrats on the progress you’re making getting out and about! i don’t know a whole lot about what you’re going through, but i do know that i’m proud of you!!! 😀
You most definitely should! ^_^ So adorable!
*blushes crimson* Thanks.
It’s depression, severe anxiety & panic disorder. The thing that stops me going out is really the panic attacks & the anxiety about the possibility of having panic attacks. Also the anxiety of the possibility of running into specific triggers. I’m actually much more functional if I’m far away from the places I know ’cause then I only have to worry about things like crowds or getting lost or mugged or whatever. But worrying about that is far more normal than worrying about whether I’ll bump into someone from my past, have a panic attack & accidentally run in front of a bus. Of course, the safest thing to do is just stay inside. But I’ve been this way (with ups & downs) for a few years now – it’s incredibly boring & not a good way to spend your late teens/early twenties. I don’t want life to pass me by any more. And, for the first time in a long while, it seems like regaining a life of my own is actually possible.
…Wow, that was a heck of an essay. I promise to keep things lighter from now on.
I went through this a few years ago. I wouldn’t say everything is perfect now, but I don’t have to think twice about walking out the front door anymore, so just that is a huge improvement. It’s tough but it can get better. Good luck.
“It’s tough but it can get better.” <- congrats, Sharra. always good to hear that.
Sorry to hear that things have been bad, but glad you’re in a better place now. I hope things continue to improve. *hugs* Thank you.
thanks for sharing your experiences here with us, AdM, and glad to hear things are getting better! i’m sure reading about what you’re going through can be an inspiration to those readers who might be going through similar situations. 🙂
*blushes* If some good can come out of it then I’m glad.
My therapist told me to consider every step a step forwards, even if it seems a step backwards – you’re learning and working on yourself. (CBT was a big help with my depression, but if it doesn’t work for you, don’t feel discouraged. Sometimes it’s not the method but the therapist and you not quite in synch.
Been in and out of therapy since I was 9. I tend to be pretty hostile towards the idea ’cause it’s an awful lot of me talking to a person in a room about all the stuff that’s happened to me & only occasionally being asked how it makes me feel. I’ve always been a pretty smart girl & I’m quite introspective – I already know what has happened to me AND how I feel about it so that kind of “therapy” just frustrates me & I eventually stop going. But I’m told that CBT is more active & involves actually working through things, rather than just talking about stuff. I’m cautious but not hostile to the idea – I guess that’s progress in itself, maybe.
Yes, CBT was more helpful for me than some of the other therapy types I tried.
I wish you good luck.
Thank you. ^_^
And good to see you’ve got your avatar up now too. ^_^
That should say “Pretty, Smart girl” Her is allowed to make a booboo now and then.
Can’t be the Naughty Bunny of Perfection ALL the time!
Proud of you girlie!!!!
So tell me all about what you did this weekend?
USA Tour of Pestering…In the near future!!!
*blushes, plays with her hair* Thanks.
I didn’t do anything epic at the weekend, it was just a day out. But it’s been a long time since I was able to do something so simple, much less enjoy it or even SUGGEST it!
We (my mother, two of her work friends & me) went to a gorgeous seaside village in Cornwall, called Looe. We went into the shops, including one of the few (if not the only) puppet shops in the country – I bought a collie hand-puppet for a friend. We walked along the beach, we had a pub lunch, we mucked about in the amusement arcade (it’s really difficult to get 4 people into those booths where the machine “draws your picture” – but we managed it 5 times, in different arrangements) & we generally had a normal fun day out. When we got home, I made dinner, they started drinking & we played Band Hero.
It wasn’t really anything amazing. If anything, it was normal. But the fact that I was able to participate in something so normal IS amazing – it’s been a long time.
As for my US tour…
My mother’s getting married in November (on the 10 year anniversary of their first date) & she’s said I’m not to leave the country before that as I’m her maid of honour. After the wedding, I can start planning my first trip (I’m already saving up). Because I’m hoping to make these a fairly regular thing (if all goes well), for the first trip I’m only really planning stops in California, Montana or Oregon (depending on whether a certain friend has moved by that time), New York & Texas. But, if I handle it well, who knows? I might be back & pestering people all over the country before you know it! I can, after all, stay in the US for up to 3 months at a time! (Scary prospect, I know) :p
Awwwww That sounds like a great day! I haven’t done something like that in ages.
I love puppets! I did a pirate festival once where a vendor had a pirate puppet. I fwll in love with him and would play with him. I didn;t buy him and haven’t found him since. Still LOOKing for it though.
You had a great day and I am proud of you.
My favourite type of therapy is:
*I love my job. I love my job. I love my job. I love my job. I love my job. I love my job. I love my job. I love my job. I love my job. I love my job. I love my job. I love my job. I love my job. I love my job. I love my job…*
Yay, you! So glad to hear you made it out and about a bit, AdM! Best of luck to you that your progress will continue.
Is moving to another town an option so you can work on the panic-y stuff and get good at that before you have to throw in people from your past? I realize moving is no small thing, but if you could do it without moving itself being an issue, would it help? (Are you in London? I always picture you in London, but I don’t know if I made that up or not.)
Thank you. ^_^
I tried the moving away thing before but, without a viable support network or easy transport options (I don’t drive yet & there were only a few buses a day), it left me feeling pretty stranded. I think I just need to win the lottery & move to the US – that’s where most of my friends are these days.
I’m not in London. I’m from Liverpool originally (no Scouse accent though, unless I want – I’m good at accents), but I’ve lived in Devon since I was 9; mostly in the countryside but I also lived in Plymouth for a few years.
Hilariously, I wanted BOTH a Darth Vader and a Baron Karza.
I got a Baron Karza and a pair of socks. In the same box.
My parents, they are insane sometimes.
(on the other hand, that was the same year my mom banished someone from the house for ten years for doing the “this is for Christmas and your birthday” (my birthday is right after Christmas) and it wasn’t something worth the ‘both things’ situation – it was a Maskatron from the Six Million Dollar Man line, and just that.)
And the Intellivision was ahead of its time. Too bad it didn’t quite work out so well, but there were some good games for it.
Also, what does a guy have to do around here to put a photo in. 🙂
You want to head over to gravatar.com & set it up there. Then use the email address you set it up with to put in the “Mail” box here when you post a comment. Then we’ll all get to see pretty pictures of you… or of the thing you chose to represent you, anyway.
Mine is me. ^_^
Is there not an easier way? I tried to do it yesterday and got confused as to what to do. Not that I have the photo I want to use on this computer yet anyway, but still.
yep, Gravatar’s the only way at the moment, Fijiman. once you get an image you like, get signed up!
Again, couldn’t figure out exactly what I was supposed to do to sign up. May try again later, but for now I say to hell with it.
i learned to love that Baron Karza action fig, Mephron, but i never did get a Darth Vader figure. *sob* i did get a lot of socks, though, and to this day, still do! (Mombot gave me a pair of rad samurai and dragon socks just last year.) 🙂
wow! your mom banished someone for 10 years! sounds like she’s quite the stickler for tradition!!! and yeah – those Maskatron dudes were pretty creepy. heheh.
yeah – ended up loving my Intellivision. AD&D, the TRON games, Sea Battle, Burgertime, Astrosmash, etc. were all awesome. besides, my neighbor had an Atari 2600, so i could pretty much play Combat, Superman, TESB, Night Driver, etc. whenever i wanted. best of both worlds!
Actually, it was the fact Mom had decreed that they weren’t to do the “for Christmas AND Birthday” thing at all, and then it happened. Mom didn’t think I deserved that sort of stuff.
I had forgotten about the scene in Leon but I found this great clip for those who wonder what Gary Oldman sounds like:
Haha, and just now I saw the link to the very same clip XD
🙂
SO That’s what the ship is called! I’ve wondered for years. I had seen it at a friend’s house years (about 30?) but he didn’t know the name of it. Then recently I saw it while visiting a house we were thinking of buying, and I mentioned I had seen one like it when I was a kid, the woman who owned the house said it belonged to her kids as a hand me down from their father, but still no name attached to it.
So it is a Star Bird (odd name really) wow.
yep! Star Bird, Jason! it was actually a cool toy with some neat tech in it, which had the ship emit an electronic “acceleration” sound when you pointed the nose of it up, and a “deceleration” sound when you pointed it down. you could also detach the “head” of the ship, and combine it with a removable engine to create a smaller, shuttle-like craft which was kinda cool. all-in-all, pretty rad, and i had many adventures with it, but it wasn’t an X-wing. 😉
I think I might have had a Star Bird too, I did have a model X-Wing fighter that hung in the corner of my bedroom until my mother accidently broke it while vacuuming away the webs in the corner.
i wouldn’t be surprised if you had a Star Bird, matt – i think they were pretty popular at the time, and Milton Bradley ended up releasing another ship and huge command base for it. sorry ’bout your X-wing. 😉
I wanted the Star Wars fighters, too, but my grandma decided I should collect the Princess Leia figures, so that was that.
My first serious boyfriend — at the age of five — gave me his landspeeder and a shoebox garage to keep it in. That’s love, that is.
Never was there a truer and purer display of love.
Sadly, I’ve discovered that you’re right . . .
too bad Princess Leia didn’t have a starfighter of her own, Sarah W (the Blockade Runner she was in at the beginning of Star Wars notwithstanding.)
a landspeeder and shoebox garage!? brilliant display of geek love. 🙂
*scratches head* I don’t recognize a lot of those things, what the heck is a star bird and who’s Baron Karza? Word of advice to those people who have a problem with kids who are collectors and have limited budgets… Knockoffs are your friends! And if worse comes to worse and knockoffs aren’t available then there’s always the bargain bins.
if ur living where i’m living now, knockoffs are a part of life here.everything from underwear to software…u name it. u can buy a branded t-shirt for a fortune and the old lady selling knockoffs will shamelessly ask where u bought ur shirt that looks exactly like the ones she’s selling *snort*
back to topic, young ‘bot is soooooo cute!!! the chibi legs makes him all the more adorable kyaaaahhh!!!
>>>fyi:i have a weakness for little cute things…i cant help it
i, too, have a weakness for cute things, Aki, which is hard on the budget when there are so many toys and plushes out there for purchasing. and glad you like kidbot! maybe he’ll be something cute – like a plush or figure – i can offer on the site someday! 😀
so where do you live?
Baron Karza was the ‘bad guy’ leader of the Micronauts line of toys. It, like a number of others (Godzilla, Transformers, ROM Spaceknight) had series from Marvel Comics that designed entire universes around them with some fairly intense stories.
(ROM, for example, had evil alien creatures that could shapeshift into other humanoid creatures by sucking their brains out with a hideous barbed tongue. Micronauts had a nigh-on genocidal *war* happen.)
yeah, i figured some readers might not get some of the toy references, jiro. the Star Bird was a toy made by Milton Bradley in the late 70s – early 80s to cash in on the Star Wars craze happening at the time, and see Mephron’s accurate description of Baron Karza, above.
Thanks for clearing that up for me Jef. I don’t recall having that when I was a kid though although I did wreck one of those fighters from Battlestar Galactica. Most probably a knockoff.
As for where Aki is. I’m curious too although I have a feeling it’s either Singapore, Hong Kong or the Philippines
Oh totally loving this one, the Kidbot is awesomely drawn and I love the question at the end, plus the reaction is totally what I would have done. Why do people ask what would you want if they are gonna buy something totally different 🙂
thanks for the love, Eddie! and i’m happy you liked kidbot and could empathize with olderbot’s outburst in the end. heheh.
I always seem to notice that Bot receives the force, A.K.A: Glowing red eyes and a aura around his head, when he is angry. It’s always kinda funny! Makes me think he is Darth Vader waiting to happen.
Possibly powers inherited from the Axis of Evil?
Ha ha ha ha ah. Good one AdM!
*tips hat* ^_^
yep, his glowing, red pupils are a sign of his Nerd Rage erupting, ZachLight! and/or, as AdM mentioned, his axis powers showing themselves. heheh.
D’awwwwwww, lil’bot!! I know how you feel, I wanted a Darth Vader action figure when I was little and somehow I ended up receiving a action figure that was a cross between Darth Vader and Batman. I was gutted back then but looking back now that was probably the best present I ever got 😀
an action figure that was a “cross between Darth Vader and Batman,” StephenKaze!? what was it? i need to track it down on eBay and obtain it.
I can’t remember, it was one of those knockoffs you get in €2 shops 😛 I’ll take a look around for it and if I come across one I’ll let you know 😛
OMGOMGOMGOMG! Lil’bit Jefbot! I want to snuggle him up a bazillion trillion times! He needs a gajillion Pixie Kisses! (I do this with my best friends youngest daughter (11) and her (BFF’s) grandson (6). I kisses them a bunch of times and tell them I kissed thier brains out!)
I had intellivision! I loved that damn thing!
And truthfully? I’ve gotten beyond the label thing for the most part.
But as to the comic! OMG we need a Baby Bot Spin OFF!!!! It wiould be adorkable times infinity!
Oh ummm Good Morning JefBoteers!!!!
Sound OFF!
ha! li’lbot totally needs a bazillion trillion kisses and snuggles from you, Pixie! that would definitely ease the pain of him not getting the exact toys he was looking for. heheh.
and yeah – the Intellivision was pretty rad. so many awesome games on it. but young jefbot wouldn’t learn that for at least a few hours after that third panel. 😉
as for a spinoff – now that jefbot as a young tyke has made an appearance, i think we’ll be seeing much more of him in future strips; ideas have been flowing into my head since i first sketched him out!
and g’mornin’! 😀
Squeeeee!!!!!!! Little Jefbot is ADORABLE! It’s only fitting since the real little Jeff was pretty darn cute (go look at his facebook pics, people). 😀
Poor kid though. How tough to have a Dad who just doesn’t get it. When you want Darth Vader, no other bad guy will do!
awWw… thanks for the compliment on my younger self, shanna – in Real Life and in the strip! :”)
yes, as cool as Baron Karza was (and he actually was pretty cool), he’s no Darth Vader!!! (but who is?) heheh.
Aww the look of disappointment on lil’ bot’s face! I just want to give him a great big noogie!! I don’t know why…I just do.
MY MOM did the same thing to me!!! I wanted She Ra dolls and she got me Golden Girl and the Guardians of the Gemstones…bigger beefier dolls. I did end up liking them better…but they were obscure, not the cool popular thing I had in mind.
*sigh*
no reason to come up with a reason for the noogie, ESQ, just go with it! heheh.
and it’s funny how we, as kids, learn to love something on its own merits eventually, but that initial disappoint will always be felt. i guess that’s the stuff that they say builds character, right?
Oh, the memories this brings back. My parents always loved a bargain. I wanted a black leather jacket, I got a brown vinyl one (“it’s just as good”); I wanted an Atari 2600, I got a Sears Telegames clone (“it’s the same thing”).
*sigh*
By the way, not being a visual artist, I never realized that the design on JefBot’s t-shirt is the number 6 until I saw the reversed colors on young JefBot. I’m not geek enough to catch the reference. Is it a “Prisoner” reference or something else?
I always thought it was a lower case B 😛 As in ‘bot 😛
i remember those Atari clones, Mendur! they worked the same as the regular versions though, right? but yeah, i feel your pain – even if it’s the same hardware underneath, it’s the Atari 2600 that’s desired, not the Sears Tele-Games 2600!!! heh.
and i get a lot of readers asking what the design is on jefbot’s shirt (officially, it’s the “nega-six”), so you weren’t alone in wondering what it was, but as far as we know so far, it has no other significance other than being a design jefbot likes.
ahem… all those toys listed above. I WANTED THEM as a kid. I got the even cheaper versions.
i can understand why you’d want them, studiomilam – they were actually very cool – even though kidbot didn’t understand that, initially.
So many presents ended up that way for me… “what’s the difference??” GAH! Also, the jefbotling is SOOOOO CUUUUUUUTE!!! Must cuddle!!
HA Love Jefbotling!
I know right?? We should start a jefbotling fanclub.
“GAH!” is right, Psynapse!
and i love the term “jefbotling.” heheh. or “botling” for short. 😀
Yes I totally wanted the Dragonzord so I could assemble it with my other Power Rangers toys… and I got a Transformer… WTF??
And yes. I want a botling plushie. NAO!!!
Oh gods! *flails* A botling plushie would be so squee-worthy! Want! ^_^
MUST HAVE BOTLING PLUSHIE!!!!!!
I HAD ONE OF THOSE!!!!! Actually, I still have it, but I’m missing the parts…
It’s not an X-wing, but it is SO COOL!!
Besides, an X wing didn’t come with an escape pod and 2 mini-fighters!
Of course, in my case I wanted a Millennium Falcon, and Dad saw bird, only recalling that I wanted a Star Wars related Hawk thing.
He also always mixed up Star Trek and Star Wars. But, he wasn’t as bad about it as some I know.
yeah, i’m missing parts of the Star Bird too, Jacob. i wasn’t as careful with toys back then as i was a bit later so i pretty much lost the turret/escape shuttle as soon as i got the thing. later i lost one of the detachable fighters and eventually, the engine (though i found that later.) *sigh* might have to track a new one down on craigslist or ebay. 🙂
and i wanted a millenium falcon, too, since they were playing commercials for it constantly during cartoons and my friend had one. eventually, i did buy a reissue back in the 90s, which is now in my parents’ attic. sweet toy!
I guess growing up in my household was EXACTLY like growing up in your household. I wanted a Lego set with wheels SO bad, but nope — too expensive. Instead, I got a set of “Loc-Blocs” without wheels. Great name for a product, since once you put the “blocs” together, they were engineered and manufactured so poorly, that you couldn’t pull them back apart.
Oh, we DID get an Atari 2600 — but only the one rebranded by Sears. So instead of “Air Sea Battle” we had “Target Fun”.
heh. 🙂
dude, i remember those Loc Blocs! my friend had a bunch of those and duplos, and i agree – they were nowhere near as cool as LEGOS.
all i have to say is that i LOVE lil bot!!!!
woo!
Awwwww wittle bot is adorable
Love the evolution of the ‘6’ shirt too
glad you like “wittle bot” and his shirt, DJ! seeing as how i still have most of the old shirts from my youth (and still fit in some of ’em!) i bet jefbot still has that shirt around somewhere, too. 😀
Dawww. Lil’ Bot is cute.
And I know how he feels. Ask for this, somehow end up with that. Or you somehow give a look of “I want that” when you see what other siblings are getting and then getting the same thing, which you DID NOT WANT. >:O
Oh, what? Sorry. I’m not bitter in the least bit. *shifty eyes*
heh. luckily, my sister and i were on WAY different ends of taste when it came to toys, TCG, although i did play with some of her stuff when i was bored. this included her Pizza Hut pizza oven (which made horrible, undercooked pizza and was probably a serious fire hazard), another little oven for baking cakes and stuff (again, horrible and dangerous) and yes, even her Fashion Plates set, which was pretty girly but interesting for a budding little artist growing up. 🙂
BRILLIANT! I love the that we got to see young Jefbot!
Outstanding work as always…
thanks, Funnyshaffer! i had fun drawing the little guy.
Lil’ Bot is so damn cute I want to scream and I totally get his pain…my dad got me an Intellivision too!!
ha! scream away, JP! and even though you got the Intellivision, it ended up working out, amiright? 😀
Kill everyone. Everyone? EVERYONE!!!!!!!!!!!
Still one of the best responses to what ‘bot and I (with help from Baz Luhrmann) have come to call the “dare” (when a director dares an actor to make the director say he’s overacting).
Question is, who gave ‘bot the dare? Heh heh.
i think Popbot asking what the difference is between a Star Bird and an X-wing in that last panel gave jefbot an unofficial license for the dare, SL! and look for “the dare” to be worked officially into the strip at a later date. 🙂
Kidbot is awesome! Any chynce we see aliens zap him into his early years? Time travel or de-aging, doesnt matter, would be cool.
Kids NEVER get what they want as presents – for any ocesion – until they drag parents to store and make a deal to buy it themselves. Worked for me, as long as I wanted something not too pricey.
*Not that I care…* – Now why dont I belive that. And popbot totaly knew what he was doing when he asked that question and judging by mombos face she did too.
KUDOS!
i’m glad you like the botling, Maryz! and no promises of time travel or de-aging, but we’ll definitely be seeing more of jefbot in his younger years in future strips!
and it’s true about kids never getting what they want unless they make it absolutely clear to their parents what it is they’re expecting, and even then it’s a gamble.
as for whether Popbot was just prodding jefbot with his question in the last panel will remain a mystery. but it’d be funny if he’s doing it on purpose. heheh.
thanks! 😀
Hahaha, When I read the last panel I immediately thought of Gary Oldman, and then I read your artist note and had another laugh =)
i’m happy we’re on the same geek frequency (geekuency?), Twigus!
haha awesome. Love the Baron Karza reference. Micronauts FTW!
thanks, dude! yeah, the Micronauts were pretty awesome. i loved the comics. 🙂
Thank the maker my parents knew and loved Star Wars. That is all.
ha! you lucky devil! 😀
lmao that happened with me when Beyblades were popular at school, got something called a Spin warrior instead XD turned out although the spin warrior didn’t look as nice and wasn’t a brand name as famous, it DESTROYED everyone else’s beyblades, and actually could spin on gravel or dirt or my hand like in the old show. Even now, I’d rather have a Spin Warrior than a beyblade (even including an actual beyblade spirit that comes to life, just gimme the damn cheap knockoff)
I still have my Beyblades stuff. Of course, I only ever got three tops (an annoying electronic one, something with some sort of foldable creature thing that could attach on top, and a random third one) and a thing to put the small spin thing on. Come to think of it, I could launch those things with a fair amount of force. I think I launched one over twenty feet once. Although, Beyblade never was popular in school where I am. Still have all my YuGiOh stuff as well as a ton of other things.
Dude…How old ARE you?
Old enough to vote and to have to sing up for the draft. Why?
Cause Beyblades and YuGiOh are NOT that vintage. There were back in what? the 90’s? I have shoes older than you.
I do not doubt that, but around where I live fads don’t last long. Unless it’s Pokemon; that’s one fad that just refuses to die. Then again, the only people I was ever really able to play with for any of those things were my brothers and that can get pretty boring after a while.
i had to google “spin warrior” as i’ve never heard of ’em, Trojianmaru – looks pretty fierce, especially with that “spin dish” thing. if you ever come across an actual beyblade spirit though, let me know and i’ll trade you something for it. maybe a used Star Bird? 😉
You’d think that after having raised a geek, Popbot would know better than to ask “what’s the differance” between one thing or another.
that’s just what makes Popbot, Popbot, DK! he probably wouldn’t even understand what “geek” means. (at least the way we use it.) 🙂
Parents, they never understand do they? Never really had this problem as a little kid. My only problem was when the thing(s) I wanted were a bit on the expensive side.
And God #$%& it! It’s raining again. I swear it’s rained just about every day for the last week. Not fun.
heheh. nope, (just like Jazzy Jeff & the Fresh Prince used to say) parents just don’t understand, Fijiman!
and we’ve been having some weird weather out here in L.A. too – one day it’s raining, the next it’s sunny. last night it was cold and windy. strange.
Not the weirdest we’ve had. One time we had a month long period where various days would have a cycle of something like drizzle, pour, drizzle, stop, pour, drizzle, stop, ect. at random intervals.
Also, my desire to do horrible things to this computer when its usefulness has come to an end has just risen about 5% because it took me the better part of an hour just to write this comment. B(
D’awww little jefbot is adorable
I’ve had these discussions many times with my parental units. never ended well and it always ended with “you’ll just have to make due with it!”
but you gotta admit that star bird is pretty freakin sweet. not as cool as an X wing, granted, but still pretty cool.
another “like” for the nanobot! heheh. thanks, dude.
and that line, “you’ll just have to make due without it!” must be in the Parent’s Handbook, i swear.
agreed – the Star Bird was totally sweet. as a piece of tech, it was more advanced than the toy X-wing my friend had. on more than a few occasions, i just pretended it was a modified Y-wing and played Star Wars with it anyway. 😀
The Baron and Force Commander. With their robot horses. Baron Karza, centaur mode!
I had the Time Traveler micronaut with the sarcophagus. One day I realized the little symbols on the sarcophagus actually said something. The US version had hieroglyphs which may or may not have been meaningful, but my version had “Microman” written in Japanese.
i totally wanted that robot/centaur body for Karza, tudza! yeah, it was kinda weird, but in an awesome way. heheh.
and, not unexpectedly, i didn’t have any of the other Micronauts, so Baron Karza had to fight my lego people and R5D4. some of those Micronaut figures were pretty cool, though. i remember the Time Traveler you mentioned, and i wanted the one with the space glider thingy on his back.
For me, it was books. I had this one, “Zany Afternoons”, that disappeared years ago. I missed it badly enough that I eventually spent sixty bucks to get a copy off Amazon.
But there were also the Animorphs books, and Star Trek toys, and of course supersoakers were the only good water guns…
Wow! Isn’t that amazing how that works?! I thought I was the only one who did that. I found Sunglasses After Dark on E-bay years ago and had to get it. It was the first “Vampire” type novel I had ever read in high school. And I only got to read half because it belonged to a friend and they lost it. I was so sad, but the story stuck with me. Imagine my delight and pure glee when I realised the book I bought was actually the first three books in a series compiled together. Still looking for the other books but I’ve reread that book about 7 times. Love it.
When I was little, It was the Candy Witch.
to bad you cant put a pricetag on memories
Tell that to corporate executives.
I didn’t read more than the Magic Tree House series until the 7th grade. Since then I’ve read several awesome series. As far as supersoakers go, I was never really into those, mainly because there was no decent place to play with the things unless you wore shoes. Wet shoes are bad.
toys were one thing, but books were something else entirely, Drakey! my parents would always keep me content with a steady supply of books. whenever we’d go on camping trips in northern california, we’d always tour the local used book shops and they’d pretty much buy me whatever novels or comics i wanted! was awesome. 😀
and yes, supersoakers were amazing. once those came on the scene, you couldn’t get away with just owning a little, $1.99, plastic shooter from 7-11 on my cul-de-sac.
D’AWWW Li’l bot is so cuuute.
And I only just realized that the symbol on bot’s shirt is supposed to be a 6. owo
yep! seems a lot of people are seeing that “6” on bot’s shirt now, Rogue. and glad you find li’l bot cuuute!
Probably because having it in reverse colors makes it easier to tell what it is.
Wow a triple decker | a comic club sandwich | sir yes sir yes sir
Love how little-bot has exactly the same hair and eyebrows as adult-bot; he looks kind of like a dwarf in panel 3 with the long trunk and truncated legs… okay, just razzing you; I know drawing kids can be really tough!
The facial expression in panel 4 says so much: disappointment mixed with guilt about not being grateful toward Pop’s efforts. I can SO relate to the paternal “good-enough” gift syndrome; my dad tended to think that way, while Mom was a little more brand-conscious. Dad considered this as her “Cadillac tastes” while she felt “if you act poor, you are poor” and that Bargain Basement Bob was penny-wise and pound-foolish.
funny, once i was done with “The Last Arcade” storyline, i was looking forward to doing some simpler, 3-4 panel strips, Kim, but i can’t seem to get away from these big panels! glutton for punishment, i guess.
it’s not that drawing kids is hard, it’s more that botling needs to look like jefbot so we know who we’re looking at. if i drew him with the bowl cut i had when i was a kid, he wouldn’t be as recognizable. and the long trunk/short legs comes from my favorite comic strip, Calvin & Hobbes. Bill Watterson (the writer/artist) drew his characters that way, and i’ve always loved the look. oh, and botling’s hair isn’t exactly the same – it was actually inspired by Astro Boy. okay, enough of my inspiration and process! 😉
i so totaly understand that feeling dude….when i was twelve i asked fora sega 32bit n my dad bought a micro genius
was that the SNES clone, jf#300? ‘cuz i loved my SNES, probably even more than my Genesis. i guess it all depends on if it actually worked or not.
yes it was…love my sega though…..first game i bought for sega? Sailormoon….keeps crashing though…then i exchanged it for Vectorman…that game was awesome…someone needs to make a reboot.
Awwwww! Little bot is such a cutie. Okay THIS one is my favorite, until the next amazing strip comes my way. (:
Love li’l jefbot.