Our Home Planet

Steven, We're Stuck in a Loop.

2012-12-30T07:19:34Z

Whoah, Episode 296? Rika and Mai-via-Ruby are still in pancake limbo, but a gnawing curiosity draws Mai deeper into Tammy's breakfast dungeon. Or, perhaps it's just a kitchen. Either way, it's gonna get messy. Pancakes and syrup flying every which way, bits of breakfast meat shrapnel peppering the walls and unlucky bystanders. Only one can emerge victorious, but it's going to be costly.

Time's really been getting away from me lately. I don't know how some of my contemporaries are able to juggle adult life with the whole cartooning thing, but I suspect this is one of those life lessons that you learn by tumbling head first into the deep end. On the plus side, things have been going really well. Moving into a new home has been a positive life change for both Rin and myself, and we're finally feeling like the place is "ours". There's a lot of work left to do, but for the first time in a long time, things feel genuinely stable.

Work has had its ups and downs, but employment remains steady in an incredibly tumultuous economy. 2012 seemed like the year the video game industry was going to (once again) collapse under its own weight, but here we are, limping into the new year. I spent most of the summer and fall going up and down the west coast, flying the Sega banner at our major trade shows. I've been told that working cons isn't fun, but truth be told, it's been a welcome change of pace. I think I like being in the thick of it.

My new year's resolution is to make a genuine effort to get back into the swing of things here. I miss having a weekly comic, and I'd like to make it to the finish line while I still have (natural) color in my hair. OHP has had an extremely long run, and it's grown and changed with me a lot over the years. While it's not the story I thought I'd write eleven years ago, it's the story I'm glad I did.

Happy 2013, folks!

'Ere I Am, J.H.; The Ghost in the Machine.

2012-06-25T08:55:21Z

Hello again! It's been a while, but here's Episode 295, anyway. Rika and her body-confused friend find themselves at a crossroads. Bacon or sausage? Pancake or waffle? One breakfast or two? This can only be settled with an eating contest.

As it turns out, I may have slightly miscalculated the amount of time required to get House GD in order. I knew home ownership was a parade of fix-'em-up projects, but I wasn't quite expecting a three-ring circus. We're still living out of boxes, but most of the furniture's arrived and there is a growing sense of stuff being where it ought to be, rather than spread out evenly across the floor. This is all well and good, but what scares me is that I'm finding myself getting excited over finding deals at the hardware store and the kitchen and bath outlets. I got old and I didn't even notice.

I made a brief appearance in Los Angeles, staffing Sega's booths at E3. Worked first party for the first time, which wasn't quite as fun as wrangling things in Sega's booth proper, but it was nice to see people genuinely excited about our games again (Jet Set Radio and Hell Yeah! in particular). Didn't get to see much of the South Hall between shifts, but we were right next to Atlus' booth in the West Hall. My greatest takeaway from the show? Zeno Clash II is finally coming. Yessssssss.

Ah yes, that "we" bit from earlier. Rin and I are currently trying our hands at domestic life, after a wild and crazy cross-country car trip through the deep south. Go say hi and ask her to draw things!

That's all for now! I'll be heading out of town to work San Diego Comic Con pretty soon, but once I'm back at basecamp, we can continue with these ladies. Stay tuned!

They Broke His Pelvis.

2012-03-06T10:34:24Z

Good morning, webcomics connoisseur! Today is your lucky day, because it just so happens that Episode 294 is ready and raring to go. After a brief interlude that involved plenty of gratuitous nudity (as showers often do), the girls begin the day's adventure as anyone would: in search of fried batter covered in hot sap. On the way, Rika's newly bruised behind becomes the subject of a heated royalties debate. Who really profits when your butt makes it big?

I must apologize for the lack of news and updates lately. As you may know, I've been looking into buying a condo for about six months. I am glad to say that my search is at an end, and I am now a homeowner. It's a huge step for me, and I'm hoping that this change in my life will afford me the extra peace of mind I need to get back to what really matters to me, which is my art, my friends and my family. It's been a... unique learning experience, and an expensive one. But at the end of the day, I'm really happy with what I've got. A ten-minute commute, a central location to the entire peninsula... Daly City, I think this is the beginning of a beautiful friendship.

Rather than giving you folks just the splash page (as is the OHP holiday tradition), I decided to go ahead and do the next page. Hopefully it was worth the wait! The holiday spread will be postponed until a suitably awesome holiday arrives in 2012. Prepare for it! On a similar note, it's been a while since oekaki happened. I'll rectify that, as well.

See you next page!

A Little Poker Tomorrow Night?

2011-12-21T07:31:52Z

Greetings, reader! Today I'm celebrating crawling one year closer to death by sharing Episode 293 with you! Mai uses the tried and true method of peer pressure to coerce Rika into a day of utter slacking... but at what cost? Will she ever know the gentle caress of a chair again?

It has certainly been a busy season. I am currently miles and miles away from OHP Base Camp, supervising holiday processions and ensuring the new year arrives without a hitch in West Virginia. So far, everything's gone according to plan; I've even been offered tasty treats by the locals. Combined with a mild winter, this truly is a Christmas Miracle.

I was pretty bummed to find out that Ricky Garduno is no longer with us. I never knew him personally, but I was a silent admirer of his work. Though his absence will definitely leave a void in the world of webcomics, one can hope that he's finally found the peace that he'd been craving. He was a talented guy and he will be missed.

On a less sad note, the Holiday Special will make its annual reappearance upon my return at ~~the beginning of January~~ some point. Until then, stay frosty and have a bodacious holiday season!

The Turkey Was a Trap.

2011-11-14T06:18:56Z

Happy November! Episode 292 is here to commemorate the occasion. It turns out that while Ruby is excellent at a great number of things (push-ups, pile drivers, sitting, and drinking included), preparing coffee is not among them. Mai has decided to share this knowledge as a courtesy... and a warning.

You may recall me singing the praises of The Binding of Isaac last time around. Those of you who resisted may be interested to know that a pretty big update came out on Halloween, making it even more awesome. Seriously, get it. On a related note, after about a year of trying on and off, I finally beat the Dark World in Super Meat Boy. You know what that feels like?

Satisfying.

I also saw Rubber recently. I'm not sure what to say about that. But I liked it. I think.

Thanks for reading, as usual! I'm gonna try to get at least a page and the special out before this year comes to a close. I feel like I've overcome a small hurdle by finally switching arcs again. Now I just need the free time to do it; hunting for a condo is a lot of work!

Until next time!

The Whirling Infinite.

2011-10-09T19:58:05Z

Hello again, readers! An Episode 291 is now available. Been a while since we've checked in on the rest of the girls, so it's high time we corrected that. You can learn a lot about a person observing them first thing in the morning. You can also trick them into drinking things that may or not be considered coffee by the strict definition of the word. But hey, what are friends for besides sharing pain in the name of love?

Speaking of which, you should probably play The Binding of Isaac if you have even a passing interest in The Legend of Zelda, Smash T.V. or Super Meat Boy. Just sayin'. It's great and it'll make you feel great.

More comics soon!

No Matter Where You Go... There You Are.

2011-08-19T16:57:23Z

Out of the wild blue yonder comes Episode 290, and no sooner does it show up than it takes off running. Like a full-on sprint, because dinner's on the line, here. And good luck if that red thing gets there first!

This is the last update in space for a while! Next page, we'll be rejoining the girls on Earth. Surely you haven't forgotten about Rika, Mai and Ruby! Shenanigans happen outside of the confines of space-faring vessels, too.

There were a couple of new gifts since last time! Stormbadger and Sigma serve up a double dose of Ruby, because there's a lot of her to go around. Ruby's doing battle with Cecil, there. May the most intoxicated win! Thanks again, youse guys!

This has been a good couple of months for games. My main man, Eric Chahi, finally released his newest thang. While I would have preferred a puzzle platformer (as I'm not super keen on strategy games or god sims), From Dust is proving to be pretty engaging... technical shortcomings aside. I also got sucked into Catherine for a bit, which is really goddamn good. When developers try to make "mature" titles, folks, this is what they're striving to be. Brutally hard puzzle games still have a market with many of us, Game Industry. Don't let the braying of a vocal minority stifle creativity!

Sega's sending me to Seattle to staff PAX, so I'll be out of town this week. New pages soon to follow!

Tragic... But Informative. Or So I'm Told.

2011-07-18T09:03:09Z

Hello again, startled reader! That strange sensation you're feeling is the unexpected appearance of Episode 289; the persistent rash is something else entirely. The Red Thing's hunger crisis may finally be at an end; the more edible members of the cast are no doubt elated. This may put something of a kink in Julian's well-oiled plan, but that mostly went out the window the moment the plan got dissolved in stomach acid. So now what?!

A couple of new oekaki showed up in between pages. Fancy! There have been several requests for OHP-related shenanigans, so I'll see what I can do about that. And my goodness, I've almost hit 250!

As always, thanks for reading! More soon, I hope.

Think About It, He Might Destroy You.

2011-05-18T21:06:56Z

Greetings, readers! Episode 288 comes out of nowhere! Thus ends the short and angry life of a tall and angry man; unfortunately, this really didn't do much of anything to stave off the hunger of a large and angry monster lady. Though we seem to have moved on from anger to grief at this point...

I must apologize for the extended radio silence. I hadn't planned on it, but a few weeks turned into a few months REALLY QUICK. I recognize how totally lame that is. On the plus side, I'm feeling much more energized and inspired than I have in a long time. Guess I just needed a vacation? At any rate, I will do my best to try to get back to a more regular schedule.

There a have been a few new oekaki since the last news post. Behold!

After you're done beholding those, behold these new gifts! Delightful things abound.

I am currently out of town visiting an awesome lady, but I'll be back soon to sling more comics in your general direction. As always, thanks for reading!

The Scissors are the Barbers.

2011-01-16T10:38:04Z

Hello, everyone! I hope you all had an excellent holiday. I didn't get a chance to post this in a timely fashion, but I wanted to make sure that OHP got its yearly winter treatment. Julian apparently got a nice sweater for Christmas that he's busy breaking in; Ruby, of course, always comes prepared.

New art and oekaki also happened! What a crazy world we live in!

More soon! As always, thanks for reading!

They Were Just Gettin' Ready to Swing, Knocked Me Out With a Baseball Bat.

2010-11-27T08:21:02Z

Out of nowhere, Episode 287 appears! Utilizing a secret technique handed down through generations of harmonic artists as a powerful hand-based emetic, Pepito and Zukie effectively ruin the appetites of everyone in the room. Nothing a quick shower wouldn't fix, though... right?

While OHP was asleep, gift art happened! Rin drew this very sexy Rika, which is not worksafe, but certainly is awesome. Thanks again, lady!

And thank you, reader, for checking back in! Hopefully there'll be another new page soon, barring any more graphics card meltdowns. Until then, stay salty.

Your Songs are Still Playing in my Mind.

2010-09-13T07:47:16Z

Episode 286 is locked and loaded, fearless reader. I don't know if you've ever tried to take food away from something hungry, but let me assure you that it's not as easy as asking. That's where martial arts come in. Did you know that striking the right combination of pressure points can cause your friends and colleagues to return from the digestive tracts of giant space creatures at high velocities? Now you do!

I'm pretty happy with how this one turned out. I was getting a little concerned with how static some of the recent pages were looking, so I decided to mix it up a little with a few unusual angles and some more of those bigger, juicier panels. We'll be returning to the drama unfolding on the planet's surface, soon; these slow patches always seem to hit poor Julian the hardest. Just a little more, and we can let him rest for a bit.

Things at work have been a little crazy lately. Through a series of strange events, I am now in charge of my test team. As in, the boss. Like whoa. On the one hand, it's a tad scary... but on the other, I've never been more ready to take charge, and everyone has been extremely helpful and encouraging. It's kind of cool to wake up in the morning on a weekday and feel a sense of excitement instead of the usual dread and regret.

Refreshing, even!

What's On Your Mind?

2010-08-02T07:29:44Z

Suddenly, an Episode 285 appears! Quick, Julian, grab those boots before they disappear!

I appreciate your continued patience, faithful reader! No-one likes webcomic droughts, myself included. Especially when the drought in question involves my own webcomic. Terrible! The good news in all of this is that I think I've turned the corner, as my Draw Power appears to be slowly returning.

You may have noticed that a new oekaki was posted, featuring none other than the star of a certain adult-themed comic. This has stirred all kinds of not-safe-for-work emotions within me, which will probably result in more naughty oekaki in the near future.

Finally, after 19 years, a worthy spiritual successor to Another World has been realized in Limbo. It's no small secret that I consider Another World to be the best game ever made (no, really!), so this sort of praise is not handed down lightly. Limbo delivers the kind of silent elegance rarely seen in gaming, much less puzzle platforming. The solutions to every obstacle are both logical and rewarding, which makes Limbo a pleasure to progress through. If you're a fan of the works of Eric Chahi, don't let the 15-dollar price point dissuade you. This is an absolute gem and it should not be overlooked.

MICMA!

2010-04-26T01:23:29Z

Well hello there, boys and girls. I've clawed my way back into your world from the clutches of death, and come bearing gifts from BEYOND THE GRAVE (cue lightning, thunder, etc.). First and foremost is a slightly dusty Episode 284, which has minimal shelf wear and is in near-mint condition. Just when things are looking grim for Jinny, Sarge finds he may have bitten off more than he can chew. Not Big Red, though, she can chew just fine.

Second, which you've probably already seen if you've browsed the comments on the last entry, is a couple of new oekaki. Jinny fans, rejoice! Zukie fans can also rejoice, but maybe slightly less, since she's no stranger to the oekaki scene.

Third, I finally updated the gifts page, because god damn was it out of date. Like, four years out of date? Really? Fuck. Despite my weak update-fu, Gabo drew a totally fantastic Ruby, as he's prone to doing. Thanks again, man! You rock my world.

Thanks for sticking around, attractive reader! I know sometimes it seems like OHP is on the ropes, but rest assured that I'm still at it. I have a bunch of real life stuff kicking my ass lately, but as I've found time and again, true happiness can be found only in the stylus.

I Will Die After You, I'll See to That!

2010-02-22T11:14:46Z

Good news, everyone! Episode 283 happened. In case you had any doubts, Sergeant Cueball is not a very nice person. When push comes to shove, he's usually ready with a shoulder charge. He's also been dying for an excuse to use that shiny new tactical baton. Stiff upper lip, private! Things always get worse before they get better!

I have got so much e-mail to catch up on. This week! Thanks for being patient.

You guys should check out Imaginary Monsters if you haven't already! It just got started a few months ago, so catching up is easy (also fun). You might even make a habit of it. Liberal use of the word 'dude' makes me feel right at home.