The Epilogue: "Literally, your actual ass."

[MSperoni]

maybe Black Mage could meet Strago then actually LEARN Blue Magic?

if it were FF8 he could maybe learn blue magic from Quistis but I don't think he'd be able to control himself.



Also, anyone notcied how Thief isn't being suggested despite once being voted 2nd most popular 8bit character?

Maybe Thief's character has just been taken to its dramatic limit? I mean, if he's King Elf now then it might be hard to get him to go somewhere else unless it's like to spy on somewhere for a war or something. Maybe have Princess Elf, Thief's spunky and mean spirited daughter tag along?

descendants of old characters are okay so long as ..erm.. I guess they're different ENOUGH to be a new character..

[ThatPoorMessenger]

if it were FF8 he could maybe learn blue magic from Quistis but I don't think he'd be able to control himself. If you kept Wm, then it'd be a mage between two women...and they both hate him. :sweatdrop
Edit: At least with female characters we've can get a good anti-romance sub-plot.

[Kim]

I'd say FFIV. No returning cast members.

It's a good game, most FF fans, AFAIK, have played it, and there's enough story there for Brian to make fun of. That and I'm kinda curious as to what Matt's version of the characters would look like.

[Terex4]

Whatever new project comes up, it should feature Messenger being chased by the guard at some point. Truth be told that was the best gag 8 bit had to offer and I was especially happy to see it in the epilogue =D.

That and Akbar selling a gunblade and buster sword as "not useless tools".

[ThatPoorMessenger]

Whatever new project comes up, it should feature Messenger being chased by the guard at some point.Speaking of them, do tehy ever sleep...or rest or do they always run?

[MSperoni]

Problem with FF6 with no returning characters is the lack of cutey tomboy type girls to draw. White Mage would fill that void. Sure it might be superficial, but I'm very fickle about that sorta thing. If I'm gonna slave away drawing a comic day in and out I want at least one or two girls I like in it! *slams fist on desk*

Terra and Celes are OKAY but aren't tomboyish enough. Look too much like pretty princess types.

[ThatPoorMessenger]

If I'm gonna slave away drawing a comic day in and out I want at least one or two girls I like in it! *slams fist on desk*Terra and Celes are sad now. :ohdear:

[MSperoni]

Well I meant like in a really lame superficial way, I like them as characters.

[ThatPoorMessenger]

Well I meant like in a really lame superficial way, I like them as characters.Considering the way they are presented, you can dislike them perfectly for that reason. They'll still be sad, though. :rolleyes:

[Amake]

Heh, I always pictured Terra as really dirty, twigs in her hair and dirt between her toes and generally looking like someone who's walked around the world twice and slept in tents or abandoned buildings all the way. Mostly cause that's what happens when I play. Then you look at those fancy-pants CGI renders and go "High heels? Wot?"

There's that pixel graphics being open to interpretation thing again.

[ThatPoorMessenger]

There's that pixel graphics being open to interpretation thing again. Nah, it's safer, and possibly a better step were the series to be continued, to follow a drawn-art style, or possibly a style concieved of the re-makes. It would work as an evolution. Remaining in sprite format, although it would allow interpretation, etc. would feel too static now.
But that's just this person's humble opinion.

[Amake]

I'm not suggesting Matt should draw a magicgirls pillow fight in pixel graphics. Just reflecting how different impressions you can get of a given character.

[ThatPoorMessenger]

I'm not suggesting Matt should draw a magicgirls pillow fight in pixel graphics. Just reflecting how different impressions you can get of a given character.Good point.
Edit: Then again, to kidnap another thread's horse (I will return it!), it does relate to the sprites vs. drawing question...

[MSperoni]

I could always just use a pixel filter on the drawings to make them SEEM like pixel art.

Like this!

http://i50.tinypic.com/1zzmhqa.jpg

[ThatPoorMessenger]

I could always just use a pixel filter on the drawings to make them SEEM like pixel art.

Like this!

http://i50.tinypic.com/1zzmhqa.jpgAck...
*Looks at corpse, with exploded head* :ohdear:
Keep it as normally drawn.

Then again, I have an anti-perchant for pixelated drawings.
Edit: It doesn't really add anything to the image of Black Mage there however, different examples might have a more noteworthy effect. It removes the smoothness of the drawing but that's what pixelation is, pixels, which aren't smooth, for they are quadrilateral.

[MSperoni]

Well then you get into a discussion about what exactly "pixel art" is... a drawing made of pixels? I do all my work digitally so technically all I use are pixels. Therefore, the Epiclogue actually IS pixel-art, just a whole lot of 'em. I guess then if the drawing is just a drawing "pixelized" it's not good enough.. but why? hmmm


If pixel-art means it has to look like NES or SNES graphics then is "pixel art" really a good term? Or should that be "sprite" art for that kinda stuff? So I guess there's a difference between "pixel art" and "sprite art"? What is a sprite? Just a miserable little pile of secrets?!

[ThatPoorMessenger]

Well then you get into a discussion about what exactly "pixel art" is.Which, could be extended into what is art, but that's going to far. Raise the stop signs there...no, a little to the left, back a bit...no, forward! There! Perfect.
I would still argue, that were the series to continue, evolution would be more greatly formed by a straight transition from pixels to drawn art. Yes, it's sudden, but well, the worst part of a werewolf is between it's forms, to used a fantasy-analogy. However, I suppose it's having seen the epilogue develops a bias within me.
That, and adoring the way WM was presented...Fighter seemed a bit fatter than muscular but I rarely look at muscle-headed characters purely on deference so it could simply lie in regions of being conditioned to other styles.

Edit: Along with every other question of continuing 8-bit in this thread, it would need a poll. And that's one big poll. Unless of course, you developed it to have allowing people to tick 3...rather than the option I was developing in my mind...especially since I came to requiring 54834options, just for characters listed in sardapedia alone.

[MSperoni]

That's a lot of options.....

if it were FF4 and one of the three characters was Dragoon and White Mage they could meet up with Kain and Rosa and that might be interesting :D

[ThatPoorMessenger]

That's a lot of options.....As I said, if it's possible to allow three options to be checked, it would be more manageable, but then you'd have to count every last character.
if it were FF4 and one of the three characters was Dragoon and White Mage they could meet up with Kain and Rosa and that might be interesting :DIt might get stale.

[Carteeg_Struve]

Incredible finale, and great artwork. I loved all of the Easter eggs and cameos, especially having Bard not appear in the scene with Fighter and Black Mage.

[Neni]

Good ideas so far, i like the X-2 one (yummm pretty girls :D )


This reminds me, I once had a fanfic story about something like this in mind...

Black Mage trying to sneak onto the White Mages' congress and first failing, then stealing FFX2's Yuna's Dress-sphere-grid, in order to dress up as a White Mage and sneak in. He gets accidently exposed by the White Mages and they first beat him till he's half dead, then they take away the grid from him, while he's still stuck in the White-Mage form, in order to punish him.


I was actually kinda obsessed with that idea for 3 days or so... Mostly because it would be a cruel thing to do to him. One which could drive him to deperate measures...



As for other FF-titles to do a 8-bit theater Spin-off with, Final Fantasy 3 would be the most logical one in my opinion, since it features just as exchanable cast members as the first one.

[FizzKittyX17]

I agree about the characters in FF3 being exchangeable. However, is the story compelling? Not so much.

However, the story to FF1 was convoluted, at best, and look how interesting Brian made it. Personally, I'd rather not have the stories of FF4 or FF6 tampered with. Maybe taking one of the less popular FF games WOULD be the best bet, because it'd leave more room for artistic license, and more room to make something out of a lackluster original plot.

[Green Spanner]

However, the story to FF1 was convoluted, at best, and look how interesting Brian made it. Personally, I'd rather not have the stories of FF4 or FF6 tampered with.

FF1 worked as a vessel for 8-bit's unholy formula because there was very little story and characterisation there, essentially making it a blank slate on which Brian could etch his wretched designs.

All (most?) other FFs after it are much more story and character heavy, and so would in no way work as well. For Brian to have the same creative freedom to keep a similar 'feel' to 8-bit, he would have to strip away all the story and charcterisation, at which point he might as well have created something from scratch, which would have the added benefit of being more creatively fulfilling and more likely to attract the elusive profit without any legal grey-areas.

Tl;dr: I'm not convinced any other FF would work in the same way 8-bit did.

[ThatPoorMessenger]

Tl;dr: I'm not convinced any other FF would work in the same way 8-bit did.I would claim some FF spin-offs lacked characterisation but close friends have made me swear not to even acknowledge their existence.

[Aldurin]

I do not want to see how Brian would pull off an FFXIII spinoff.

The story was already messed up with the whole idea "omg, we'll become monsters unless we do some undefined task in an undefined time period", then it advanced to "omg, our mission is to destroy our planet. But everyone would die." Then they advanced to "No, we'll find away around this." Then when they get to guy who powers planet "Now you die, regardless of consequences." And then when two of them caught the planet on a crystal spire (wtf?) everyone goes crystal. Then, without any explanation as to why, everyone and their families is normal without the curse. Can I get a big gigantic "WTF"?

[ThatPoorMessenger]

I do not want to see how Brian would pull off an FFXIII spinoff.

The story was already messed up with the whole idea "omg, we'll become monsters unless we do some undefined task in an undefined time period", then it advanced to "omg, our mission is to destroy our planet. But everyone would die." Then they advanced to "No, we'll find away around this." Then when they get to guy who powers planet "Now you die, regardless of consequences." And then when two of them caught the planet on a crystal spire (wtf?) everyone goes crystal. Then, without any explanation as to why, everyone and their families is normal without the curse. Can I get a big gigantic "WTF"?That'd be like parodising the 3rd spider-man film, it's already bad, don't beat the dead.

[Ilmoran]

Ok, first: Wow I'm sad how many references I missed the first, second, and third times I read the epilogue. I finally broke down and checked the Sardapedia to see what else I missed.

Now, for the discussion of hypothetical new FF comic, I present 2 suggestions:

1. Final Fantasy: Mystic Quest (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Final_Fantasy_Mystic_Quest)

2. Final Fantasy Legend (Pick one (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Final_Fantasy_Legend) from (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Final_Fantasy_Legend_II) the series (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Final_Fantasy_Legend_III)): It has mutants, aliens, cyborgs, and robots! (Although it wasn't an FF in Japan, it was retitled to have FF in the name for US).

I mainly suggest them because they're so damned obscure and Not-FF-y

[MSperoni]

I thought Final Fantasy Legends 2 was the hardest FF-based game there was.. Maybe around NES FF1 level in terms of difficulty, though I managed to beat FF1 for NES and didn't beat FFL2 so maybe it actually IS harder. I think the fact your weapons and armor dull and eventually BREAK really is fucking annoying.


What about Final Fantasy Adventure? :D

[Veho]

Nope, Speroni is obviously a hermit, living in a cave somewhere producing awesome art. Somehow, he has a computer in this cave, the logistics are beyond me. :rolleyes:

Matt Speroni drew this entire epilogue! In a cave! With a box of scraps! :aaa:

[ThatPoorMessenger]

Matt Speroni drew this entire epilogue! In a cave! With a box of scraps! :aaa:Why would Matt Speroni use a box of scraps? It's a webcomic, not a robot!

[Veho]

Why would Matt Speroni use a box of scraps?

Scrap paper?

[ThatPoorMessenger]

Scrap paper?:sweatdrop Yeah.

[Deborah]

A bit late to the party, but I'd vote for FF4. With Kain as a Thief-like character who's actually quite conscious about what he's doing, and stringing Cecil along the whole time by cleverly turning his head down and to the side when he confesses his evil plans.

[ThatPoorMessenger]

cleverly turning his head down and to the side when he confesses his evil plans. If I talk into my arm, no one will ever know...

[Neni]

I LOVED Cecil's little "Lower Head" animation.

It made him seem so much more broken! :-D (Broken, as in "Traumatized and an emotional wreck")

[Aldurin]

I thought that instead of using the game's actual characters for the comic, that the same thing that happened to the Real Light Warriors would happen to them, in terms of being beat to the punch or not being in the wrong place at the wrong time.

[ThatPoorMessenger]

or not being in the wrong place at the wrong time. Don't you mean...nah screw it, makes sense.

[Corrderio]

Sucks to see the story end, however I loved the references to FF7-11 at the last few panels.

[Johnny_Whoa]

Made this account purely so I could post here xD

Thanks for all the years of 8BT, Brian. It was the first webcomic I ever read, and easily the best of all that I've seen since. I'm sad to see it go, but good luck in all of your other projects.

[PurpleMage]

you know its sad I still check in to the site on saturdays for the comic.
Habits hard to break y'know?

[Naqel]

We need a new Saturday series on Nuklear Power.

Something that isn't prone to sudden months long breaks just cause somebody has a life, his own ambitions or other of that kind of crap.

[POS Industries]

Made this account purely so I could post here xD
Man, I hope you stay because your name is awesome.

[scrambled]

Thanks for a fantastic strip!

This is one of only three or four things i've ever read in my which can make me laugh at loud and get in trouble at work - which it's been doing since 2003. And thanks too for the awesome epilogue.

Also want to second the motion for seeing a book in print collecting the series. Just want it on my bookshelf when the world goes boom.

[guyy]

"Joined the forum just to post about the epilogue", meet "user who used to be marginally active but hasn't posted or remembered to look at the comic in 2 years, but temporarily reappeared by bizarre coincidence a few days after the comic's conclusion thingy."

Incomprehensibleness aside, the thing the comic is parodying has not been great for its entire absurdly long run--apparently collecting some fans like me who have never even played Final Fantasy (but make lame wisecracks about it anyway)--and the epilogue wraps things up well. So, well done, thanks for the epic comic, our rapidly evolving ape-language will forever lack the ability to accurately convey the infinite amazingness of your glorious creation without the use of hyperbole, etc.

Good lich luck with whatever it is you're doing next; not that you need it, what with your low-res-artwork-fascinatingifying writing skills, and your ability to use words that exist.

[...]

I always thought Thief would be hotter than Red Mage, but I guess I was wrong.
Great epilogue. This is literally the best work of fiction I have ever read in my entire life, and the ending was perfect in every single way. I've reread it about a thousand times more than I should have, and will probably continue my habit of constantly rereading it for a long while to come. Thanks for nine amazing years, Brian.

[Aldurin]

This is literally the best work of fiction I have ever read in my entire life

It . . . it . . . can't be . . . true. Just can't. It's too great to be fiction.

[Gadgeteer]

It's been a long, fun ride, but I guess it had to end eventually.

I've been reading since Thief and Black Mage had that talk about the importance of the Earth Orb way back when.

[Carteeg_Struve]

It . . . it . . . can't be . . . true. Just can't. It's too great to be fiction.


Bah. Reality is overrated.

[CDRW]

Incredible, wouldn't have had it any other way.

Nicely done Brian, Matt.

And thank you Brian for 10 years of hilarity. I hope to see more works from you, soon.

[dlong]

I've enjoyed the 10 years of 8 bit theater very much, I look forward to checking out the other works on Nuklear Power.

I don't suppose it would be possible for an 8 bit theater hardcover to come out, would it? I wouldn't think it would be much work (write a brief introduction, stick a couple of comics per page and get it bound), but I have no publishing experience and certainly could be wrong. I imagine the main obstacle would be copyright, but I would certainly buy such a book in a heartbeat were it to come out.

[Meister]

Copyright is an obstacle the same way the Pacific Ocean is an obstacle if you want to take a quick walk to Hawaii. Other obstacles include the probable price for 1225+ pages of professionally printed comic and the fact that the images as they're online would likely look awful in print because of compression artifacts, low resolution, inconsistent colours etc.

[tshadowdrag]

Good ideas so far, i like the X-2 one (yummm pretty girls :D )


The reason I limited it to three characters and not four was I figured that would avoid the Light Warriors all getting back together and resulting in kind of the same story.

The three I'd pic as cast members would be Fighter, BM, and WM, but that's just me :)


Don't worry about whether or not it makes sense continuity wise or not :D And yeah, we're also going to pretend I'm going to draw it no matter which one you pick, even if you pick one I don't like nor have ever played (like FF9)

There's also the extra dungeons from the remakes of FF1 and that could easily spin into FF2 since most of the game you have three characters until 1 shows up and then dies later.

The ending of 8 bit sort of hinted that. Black Mage and Fighter are still traveling and White Mage needs to find them. There's still adventures to be had depending on what happens next since they're the obvious ones that would still be up to adventuring. I know I might be late to that party but decided to throw some of my opinions in there.

Edit:

Copyright is an obstacle the same way the Pacific Ocean is an obstacle if you want to take a quick walk to Hawaii. Other obstacles include the probable price for 1225+ pages of professionally printed comic and the fact that the images as they're online would likely look awful in print because of compression artifacts, low resolution, inconsistent colours etc.


Personally I thought Matt's style would work for it than the sprites because it would be more consistent, not as much square enix because it does suit 8 bit while still having the feel of it. All the works could be done in volumes by plot points. That way it's not all at once plus ensures Matt or anyone else wouldn't be slave labored to do them. Not as much head asplodin' then from having to do so many at once.

[Solus]

From what I've seen, there hasn't been much of an issue with the resolution when printing the comics. They come out great. Colors can be inconsistent page to page, since the characters aren't always drawn in the same color, but that's not really an issue, IMO.
As for the other issues, that does sound like quite a hassle.
A real shame, since printing out all 1225 pages yourself would take _forever_, and cost a fortune in printer ink. (so much black... so much ink gone from 1 page at full quality...)

[32bit-RedMage]

The epilogue is simply BRILLIANT, I love it !

Brian... you are awesome, that was the awesomest EPIC-logue ever ! :cool:

[Bells]

There is really no point on working 8-Bit again.

However, if Brian ever feels the desire to work on Classic Fantasy setting again, now he knows that Matt's artwork works with his audience, and since most of the characterization of the world in 8-bit is Brian's original, he could simply jump a couple hundred years ahead (to avoid constant begging for cameos) and use it for a Original story.

So, it's a nice thing to have in your backpocket i guess.

[Lightnix]

I'm surprised Red Mage likes Goblin Punch. I hear that drink has quite some kick to it. :dance:

Am I late enough?

[Tempest]

I think that was a really fitting end, and I know some don't like the change of art style, but I think it worked :)

Theres only once thing I would have liked to have seen, White Mage whacking Black Mage with her hammer one last time :D

[Veho]

White Mage whacking Black Mage with her hammer one last time :D

Maybe that's why she agreed to go look for him. Sure, the White Mage Council wanted to recognize their efforts, but I'm sure WM has her own motives as well. Namely, hammer smashy.

[UndrDog]

I'm super late I know, but nobody cares anyway. ^_^

Anyway Red Mage was amazing. Clearly the greatest and most capable of the light warriors as seen in this Epiclog. White Mage looked just as I'd expect her to. Actually, seeing White Mage in this comic made me hate Black Mage even more for the way he treated her. She is obviously the sweetest girl in the 8-Bit universe and he had to treat her like that? He needed a good Red Mage stomping.

But yeah, returning to the focus of this comic, Red Mage. He was totally awesome with his nose and rugged good looks. Making all the other Light Warriors look pathetic by comparison. A good for White Mage for being genuinely sorry for what she did to Red Mage. Perhaps none of the other Light Warriors were good for anything, but Red Mage sure was.


But most importantly, thank you Brian, Matt, and everyone involved with all things 8-Bit! I'm going to miss these guys. And though I'm 100% happy with the ending, I don't see why a ambitious Brian couldn't, oh I'unno..., make a couple off-shoot stories about the Light Warriors. Like what "Field of Battle" is.

[Tempest]

Maybe that's why she agreed to go look for him. Sure, the White Mage Council wanted to recognize their efforts, but I'm sure WM has her own motives as well. Namely, hammer smashy.

I'm sure thats exactly it :dance:

[Lithp]

It was a little filler-y, but overall, I thought it was a good ending.

Heh, I'm just noticing all of the FF jokes & 8-Bit character cameos. That's awesome.

[Fishmeistercod]

Okay, so I haven't been here RIGHT from the start. I only came into the whole web comic story after seeing the first animated 8-Bit Theater.

Then I got hooked. Hell, I nearly failed an exam because I was reading their crazy antics instead of studying!

It's a day that I hoped would never come. But wait, there is still hope.

...after all, there's still Final Fantasy 2 and 3. Both were 8-bit! Brian, thank you for the many, many years of epic lols and alleged drama. It was well worth it. ^^

PS: Please make more. ._.

[Donomni]

I'd like more 8-bit one day myself, but the chances of that happening(with Brian, at least) is astronomically low.

Like, not scientifically impossible, such as pigs growing working wings that allow them to fly, but pretty close.

[Daimo Mac, The Blue Light of Hope]

Wild Mass Guessing time.

Black Mage is really Bolvar Fordragon, the new Lich King!

[Aldurin]

Wild Mass Guessing time.

Black Mage is really Bolvar Fordragon, the new Lich King!

No, he's really Chuck Norris after being subject to severe mental trauma that damaged memory and augmented aggression and hatred toward the world in general.

[Fenris]

No, he's really Chuck Norris after being subject to severe mental trauma that damaged memory and augmented aggression and hatred toward the world in general.

Well, Black Mage and Chuck are both pitiful, hollowed-out shells of men.

It kind of applies.

[Geminex]

Though I've never heard a black mage fact.

Edit:
Mind you, thank god for that. COM;COL is enoug indignity for that particular character. Sexy, sexy indignity.

[rpgdemon]

While other people HaDon'tken, Black Mage HaDokens.

[Lithp]

Ewww, bad pun.

I gotta say, I was hoping at one point that he'd go into II & maybe beyond that. It seems like there's a good deal of potential for lulz in the plotlines with our heroes(?). But, the more I thought about it, the more I thought that it was time for 8-Bit to end, especially since Brian seems to be a bit disgruntled over the fact that he can't really go anywhere with it.

I do wish that there would have been more jokes about the earlier FFs, but the lack thereof was caught too late. Oh well.

[Mr.man]

Thank you for all the lathes and the wounder full ending.

[Kurosen]

I choose to take the above as a dig at the spelling errors up and down the archives.

[Krylo]

I thought you had helped him procure tools for his woodworking hobby.

[Geminex]

Well, the dude quotes Pratchett, so I think this is less "stupid" and more "English as a second language". I did laugh at the woodworking comment, though.

[rpgdemon]

I choose to take the above as a dig at the spelling errors up and down the archives.

If you think that your Nuklear Power Forums banner is mocking you, just hit refresh, and it'll go away.

[...]

It's almost been a year since 8 Bit Theater ended...
my life has never recovered.

[burkey0307]

I started reading this comic in 2007, and stopped after awhile because of school. I just randomly decided to check out how 8-Bit Theatre was doing and found out that it's over :(

The last strip is more than what I expected, love the artwork, love seeing the characters de-8-bitized if thats even a word.

Hopefully 8BT will continue someday. A man can dream cant he?