Inside The Poster's Studio

[trustyside-kick]

I just sent out a PM actually for a potential, new, interview.

 

[Gallagher]

Well you sent it wrong because I didn't get it

 

[Matt Murdock]

I lawl'd.

 

[wiegeabo]

I lawl'd.

Right in your pants?

 

[trustyside-kick]

Season III: "This, I command!"​

Welcome to Inside The Poster's Studio: Season III once again. I'm your host, trustyside-kick, and it's been a while since I've done one of these. My extreme apologies for having such a large gap between interviews, but I'm sure we all know what it is like when real life takes the wheel out of our hands. I hope to make this more regular as I did several months ago, and with my current schedule that should be doable.

trustyside-kick: With me today is bkhedr, which is commonly known for his portrayal of characters within the Marvel Universe. Now, before we officially get started on RPG-related questions...I've always wondered: what the heck does your username mean?

bkhedr: heh. I wouldn't be surprised if alot of people are wondering about that. Its just my name first name Basel last name Khedr. I know alot of people have comic book related names. That's probably why all the good ones were taken.

trusty: Well, some people like to put usernames that denote their "comicbook character loyalty". Curious. If you were to make a new account--where you were to choose a comicbook related name--would it be related to Thor?

bkhedr: Most likely. The ones I wanted were all Thor related and honestly, the character doesn't get the credit he deserves.

trusty: Yea. It seems that if a character isn't Spider-Man or Wolverine, they get no love. Although Marvel does a better job than DC with their "lesser known characters".

bkhedr: That's true. Though I was more referring to the fan base than the publishing houses. Overall I'd say Marvel pushes Thor as well as can be expected. His books (with the current JMS run being the exception) don't produce alot of sales, and that has alot to do with how the character is perceived by the readers. the readers of course being the people who post on the hype and people like them. So really I would say Wolverine and the Hulk. As in "if you think Thor gets respect; try asking a Hulk fan boy".

trusty: So how long have you been a Thor fan? Your extensive knowledge which is evident in your writing makes me deduce you are a lifelong fanboy. But I may be wrong of course.

bkhedr: Well I couldn't be a long term fan boy. I grew up in the middle east and didn't start reading comics till about the 6th grade. We didn't get alot of stuff back then but we had most main stream marvel and DC. This is the 90s so we're talking Peter David writing Hulk as the proffesor, Uncanny X-men kicking off, Venom and Carnage at the height of their popularity, and the Bob Harras Avengers with..the great arc centered around Sersi. All very exciting stuff.

when I picked up Thor it was while Eric Masterson (who would later be renamed Thunderstrike) was filling in for Thor. I loved the character right away and was actually very dissapointed to find out that he was not the real Thor and that most people wanted the real Thor back (interesting aside this is about the same time that Jim Rhodes was filling in as Iron Man for Tony Stark). I didn't care...for how haughty the real deal was at first but he quickly grew on me and I began to explore his history and supporting cast.

trusty: I see what you mean. I mentioned to you prior to this interview that I have recently barely read on Thor's history and am intrigued to check him out. What is it about Thor that you like so much? When looking at your posts, I can easily see "wow, this is a guy who really loves the character".

bkhedr: Well I love powerhouses. I love street level characters too but I just get a thirll out of the awe inspiring power of a superman, a guy who can really save/destroy/change the world. So I gravitate towards those characters, and I'm a history major, love ancient history and mythology so Thor naturally pulled me in. I mean before I read comics I was the kid who would look up Thor or Hercules or Alexander the Great just to read a cool story. So when I found Thor in comic book form that pretty much fit the bill for me. There are just so many exciting stories to tell when you consider a god, a warrior prince of the gods, walking among men.

trusty: Understandable. I love Greek Mythology and while Norse is different, that was the stepping stone for me to want to get to know Thor.

bkhedr: Yeah its all great stuff. Bear in mind though that while Marvel's Hercules is more or less the Hercules of legend; Marvel's Thor and indeed all the Asgardians are not at all like the myths. and I have to say, I much prefer Stan the Man's interpretation over the myths.

trusty: Interesting; didn't know that.

So, as it is expected, time to talk about the reboot. Can we talk about the reboot? Cause I've been dying to talk about the reboot all day with you cwink: to all you Always Sunny fans). What is your opinion on the reboot?

bkhedr: I like it. Honestly the old RPG was dead. I mean there were what? 4 people posting, 2 of them regularly. I wasn't even sure if anybody was reading our stories anymore. ( I know its supposed to be a role playing GAME but I'm trying to tell an entertaining story more than play a game as I'm sure most of us are).

Of course I was discouraged at first because I would have to give up my Thor continuity, and I thank everyone who said I could keep it, but I figured reboot means new people and new people shouldn't have to go looking for the old stuff to catch up. Isn't that why comics reboot? In any case I'm very excited about both characters i'm playing having passed Captain America on to the very capable Master Bruce and picked up Sabretooth.

trusty: Well I was shocked when you announced you would actually scrap your Thor continuity. I was briefly a part of Marvel, and that was only prior to the reboot, but I knew you did a lot of work with his history. I mean, I've only been working on Aquaman in DC for 2 1/4 Seasons, and I couldn't bear the thought of letting go so much cannon. So does this mean you plan to go a whole new direction with this new Thor?

bkhedr: Yes it does. The fact is that my old thor and his experiences wouldn't fit in the continuity we are starting in and he had baggage before I even got a hold of him (a marriage, an unborn infant by his evil brother, an embassy on earth, ect) and that obviously dicated alot of what I ended up writing. Like I told Keyser Soze, I was tempted to just steal from JMS to set up my status quo but I figured that would be boring for everybody, and since I had a clean canvas I resolved to come up with a new motivation and a new threat, and i'm glad I did because it's been rewarding.

trusty: Alrighty, enough about the God of Thunder. I think I've asked enough to make it flat out obvious that I should just pick up the book; which I plan to!

bkhedr: Go Get The Book!

trusty: In all of your SHH RPing experience, which poster(s) has been the most fun to work with?

bkhedr: Right now I'm really enjoying working with Keyser, (and I should always mention Johhny Blaze for his Thanos as well as Red X for his Iron Man) but the answer has to be Watchman. For two whole seasons he was my nemesis. He played Ultron to my Thor and Red Skull to my Captain Ameica. The one guy I wish I could get more work in with is Harlekin, him and Spiderman9x-17. Both of those guys I've only just brushed against, but I would love to work with them on something.

trusty: What has been, in your opinion, the best arc thus far you have read or been a part of in the SHH RPGs?

bkhedr: wow. tall order. I honestly can't pick just one but I definately prefer the more self contained arcs over the big earth shattering, game changing event type interactions.

trusty: If you had free reign over the RPGs, and every single character imaginable was available, who would you pick? Keep in mind you are not bound by DC Earth 1 or 616 Marvel.

bkhedr: After giving it some thought, I'd have to say Thor. Guess that makes me a happy camper.

trusty: I was actually afraid you would say that. But, were I to say you cannot say someone you already portray then I'd be a hypocrite in my question.

So let this be a lesson to anyone out there: should bkehdr ever go past the 2-week limit? Stay. The Hell. Out of his way. Cause he will utterly annihlate you should you take away his Thor.

bkhedr: haha. Well If I couldn't be anyone I've portrayed I'd be Exodus. there you go. hahaha! It's not that bad. seriously!

trusty: We've seen them come and we've seen them go...if you were allowed to create an RPG where you were GUARANTEED full activity and loyalty...what kind of RPG would you add amongst the ranks of the Hype Basement?

bkhedr: Robotech. no question.

trusty: For those of us who are not familiar, care to expand on the Robotech universe exactly? You never mentioned it in the RPG Concept thread, so for all you know you may have some possible candidates for it.

bkhedr: Well Robotech was an animated series that ran in the 80's I think. Its actually an amalgamation of three different japanese animated series so the story is told over three generations to make it fit. You'd think it wouldn't work but it worked so well that there are rabid fans to this day as well as mutiple models, comics, video games, novels, lunch boxes, toys, and even RPGs.

Its more or less humans with alien inspired technology and giant transformable robots (armies of them) fight invading aliens with similiar technology. as for what generation an rpg i'd like to play would be set in. Ideally the end of the third gen or "invid war" generation so the story of earth's future is ours to tell.

(I hope there are people out there who know what I'm talking about).

trusty: I hope so too. The last thing I wanna result from this, is everyone look at you funny.

bkhedr: no chance of that. they don't know what I look like.

trusty: You know what I mean.

And with that, we shall conclude the interview. Anything else you'd like to say before we depart?

bkhedr: Just that's its been fun and thanks for choosing me.

trusty: Well I suppose that's that. I'm trustyside-kick and I'll see you all around next time on Inside the Poster's Studio.

P.S. - Please take my warnings about taking Thor seriously. The last thing we need is for a fellow RPer to wake up with a paper masche molded Mjolnir hammer digged into their left shoulder blade. Rememeber...left shoulder blade should the time arise. So make sure your left shoulder blade is well protected.

 

[Keyser Soze]

Really good interview. Nice, thorough exploration of bkhedr's love for Thor. And thanks for the mention, bk, I'm having fun working with you too!

 

[Electro UK]

That was a great read, well done you two. bkhedr is always a guy I've wanted to see interviewed because of his dedication and consistent awesomeness in Marvel. Glad he finally got one.

 

[bkhedr]

Thanks guys, 'ppreciate it.

And thanks again for doing it Trusty.

 

[Matt Murdock]

Great read.

 

[Harlekin]

Yeah, good job trusty.

And I'd like to work with you as well, bkhedr. Hit me up if you've got ideas.

 

[Watchman]

Great Interview

bkhedr, it was a blast to play as your nemesis for those two season...even if not that many people were reading. I couldn't ask for a better rival.

 

[SuperFerret]

Great interview, glad to see this thing is still around.

 

[bkhedr]

Watchman - yeah man it was a real treat.

Harl - I'll give it some thought and PM you.

 

[Andy C.]

Good stuff, bkhedr. And for the record, I would be all about a Robotech RPG.

 

[trustyside-kick]

Season III: "Identity Crisis"​

Welcome to Inside The Poster's Studio: Season III. I am your host yet again, trustyside-kick. My apologies for running this interview a little late here, but at the same time there was some scheduling issues with the interviewee; aka he was never online when I was. But what matters is that we are here now, and ready to ge down to business.

trustyside-kick: With me today is the poster who has gone through more name changes than any other poster I know of. We've all wondered why such changes have come to pass, and perhaps today I will be getting those answers. He--sigh--actually just changed his name again today or sometime last night it seems so as far as "tagging" the interviewee's name is concerned, I'm going to identify him with his original Superherohype! screenname. Welcome aboard, SSF.

Spideyssuperfan: It's Matt Murdock now, Trusty. But it's good to be here just the same.

trusty: You will always be SSF. And, damnit...why is it that everyone always says "Trusty" when the "t" is NEVER capitalized?! Should I just go and change my name as you have so famously done often?

SSF: Well, that's always an option to be sure. I think it's just the "always capitalize names" rule that's been in people's minds since the third grade taking hold, though. From now on, though, I'll be sure to use the lowercase "t".

trusty: Well, I don't like it. Anyways, speaking of names...I finally get to ask the million dollar question: why have you changed your screenname so many times?

SSF: There's really no answer to that one. What a lot of people don't know is that I've had an additional name change, that the posters on SHH! don't even know about. When I signed up the first time, four years ago, my original username was supposed to be Spideyismyhomedog1. Which was, in and of itself, horrifying. The confirmation e-mail never arrived, so I ended up using spideyssuperfan. I got wind of folks changing their username's last year and, given my adoration of proper grammar, I changed it to the more punctuated "Spidey's Super-Fan." The change from that to "Matt Murdock" was due in large part to my picking the character of Daredevil up in the Ultimate Marvel and One Universe games. As an active participant in legal studies and moot court programs, I immediately identified with the character more than I had with many before. A name change seemed fitting. Then I hit a Spider-Man phase. Grew out of that pretty quick so, now, I'm Matt Murdock again. I always found a gritty, down-to-earth hero more in line with my overall character than the bubble-gum popping Spider-Man, anyway.

trusty: So...the Mods were okay with such a reason? I would imagine that messing with such things in the forums would be a hassle in a way. They didn't make you fight for it?

SSF: Haha, no. There weren't any duels in the colosseum for my name changes. In fact, I think the fact that "Matt Murdock" was one of my previous usernames was something they didn't mind. As for the 6.3 billion other name changes I've had... I dunno, I guess I just caught them on a good day.

trusty: Alright alright. Time to move away from the name-changing frenzy and on to some actual RPG matters. For those who do not know, let's do some digging real quick on such a player who has been around as long as you. When was the first time you joined the RPGs, and what got you into them?

SSF: The first time I joined the RPGs was in early 2007, as I recall. *I was looking through the Marvel Comics section of the Hype! for some info on Ultimate Spider-Man and I stumbled upon the OOC thread for the now-deceased "What If?" RPG. *As I recall, my first two characters were Iron Man and the Scarlet Spider. I remember that the notion of player-created continuity was a profoundly unique concept to me. *Primarily because the stories I read in the older seasons of the games were better than what Marvel had been churning out at the time. I'm a lover of the characters, books, and writing itself so, naturally, picking up more characters in the games came naturally with time.

trusty: So are you, would you say, a Marvel fan more than a DC one? You have seemed hesistant to stick around the DC RPGs in the past.

SSF: I wouldn't qualify myself as more of a Marvel fan, as every DC book I've picked up, I've enjoyed. I'd say that my knowledge in Marvel's publication history is far more in-depth and far-reaching than my knowledge of DC's. I mean, I was reading Stan Lee's biography, "Excelsior!," on the bust to school in 7th grade. Marvel has been what I've read since I was in grade school, so that's what I know and, by extension, what I stick with. The only real experience I have with the DCU is what I've seen on television and in film, whereas with Marvel, I've read every issue I can get my hands on, regardless of the character. Marvel is, quite frankly, where I hope to make a career for myself, and I've been that way for as far back as I can remember, so I just inherently stick with Marvel.

trusty: Out of curiousity then, who are your top 5 favorite Marvel characters? Then do the same for DC please.

SSF: For Marvel, I'd rank them as Daredevil, Norman Osborn, Wolverine, Captain America, and Spider-Man. As far as DC goes, my number one is The Joker, followed by Batman, then Lex Luthor, Superman, and probably Deathstroke. Deadpool and Captain America are interchangeable on the Marvel list.

trusty: I'm gonna have to ask you to re-list your top 5, sir. I don't see Aquaman on the list. While your at it, go ahead and kick off someone from your Marvel list and add Aquaman there too, cause he's just that awesome.

SSF: If you want to, go ahead and add Aquaman to my Top 5 DC characters. I really don't know a thing about most of the the entire DC universe, which is why I've kept away from the games so much. As for Marvel, though... 5 is almost not enough for me to pick my favorite characters in that universe.

trusty: Looking at your list of top 5 favorites...looks like you must be one happy camper. Correct me if I am wrong, but it looks as though you have portrayed each of those characters at least once.

SSF: I haven't portrayed Cap yet, but the other four (five counting Deadpool), I've gotten to play as. Which is really what's great about the games. There's always a character a fan can pick up who's available.

trusty: Who would you say, you've had the most fun portraying in your SHH RPG career thus far?

SSF: That's a tough one. I'd say it's probably a three-way tie between Ultimate Deadpool, the Joker, and any incarnation of Daredevil. I was able to break the fourth wall with Ultimate Deadpool (which I got some heat for, come to think of it) and had a good amount of fun doing it. I've tried to play the Joker up as a "is he or isn't he" type character, as far as his sanity goes, and Daredevil is... well... Daredevil. I've managed to keep things relatively simple with him.

trusty: Care to ellaborate on the "which I got some heat for, come to think of it" part?

SSF: Sure. There were certain folks over in Ultimate Marvel who thought that Ultimate Deadpool really had no place breaking the fourth wall. To do so, they argued, would be to make him too much like his 616-based counterpart. I argued that the Ultimate Universe is a re-imagining of the 616 universe and, as such, all the characters ought to maintain the core essences of their character in that transition. Ultimate Spider-Man still crawls on walls and swings from webs, Ultimate Iron Man still has powered armor, and Ultimate Daredevil is still blind. Those are defining aspects of such characters in both the 616 and Ultimate Universes. My contention was, and remains to be, that the defining characteristic of 616 Deadpool is that he knows he's in a comic book and, as such, that's something that should make the transition with him to the Ultimate game. Any character can have a healing factor and guns. Very few in number are the ones who know they're fictitious.

trusty: Ah. Well, while I'm not the biggest fan of Deadpool, I agree that for his Ultimate version to not have that aspect, would be odd. He would'nt be Deadpool then.

SSF: In your face, Byrd Man!

trusty: Well, speaking of the Ultimate RPG, would you say that is your all-time favorite RPG?

SSF: That's probably fair to say. Though, the newly rebooted Heroes Vs Villains Marvel game is steadily gaining on it.

trusty: Really? So an RPG you've played for at least, what 3 Seasons, might be replaced at being number 1 from an RPG that has just recently rebooted?

SSF: It'll take quite some time before I have the dedication to the HvV game, or any other game, for that matter, that I have to Ultimate Marvel. As I've told other posters, the last game I'd ever quit on the Hype! would be Ultimate Marvel. As far as my enjoyment of the games go, then, yeah, HvV is a distant second. I think that says more about my view of the other games in relation to Ultimate Marvel, though. It took an entirely new continuity and a reboot for me to even come close to enjoying any other game as much as I enjoy Ultimate.

trusty: Well, what is it about Ultimate Marvel that interests you so much? I know there is SOME comic-set-up continuity. But is it because of writer freedom? Because Ultimate DC for example allows even more imagination and freedom.

SSF: I've been told about Ultimate DC, and I've tried my hand at it, really, I have. I just don't have the amount of actual knowledge about the universe that I'd be comfortable with to dive in head-first. Plus, in a way I grew up with Ultimate Spider-Man. Right when the big, internet boom was finishing up, I remember reading the first several issues of USM for free at Marvel's early DotComics site. The Ultimate Universe was the first continuity I had seen develop from the very start, so seeing it continue on the Hype! is incredibly interesting to me.

trusty: Well, before we move on, let me just say that it is a common misconception that in the UDC RPG you need to know anything about the actual mainstream DCU. Some people choose to be similar to the mainstream DCU, while others make quite a few changes. I for one, have established Aquaman being NOTHING like his main DC counterpart.

SSF: That's a relief.

I kid, I kid.

trusty: Hopefully that will clarify for other people as well. UDC needs some new blood. MB's gonna start having sex with actual PEOPLE probably if UDC doesn't get new faces.

SSF: That day will never come. Poor MB.

trusty: So in all your RPG experience here on the Hype, what poster(s) have you had the most fun working with?

SSF: Everyone brings something unique to the table, so it's tough to say "this person has been the most fun experience I've had." Now that my ass is covered, I'd say that the most fun I've had in the games has been with Senseiofcheese, Catman, and Gallagher in Ultimate Marvel. For a year and a half, just about, we ran the Ultimates as I played Iron Man and they played Captain America, Hawkeye, and Thor, respectively. We had a great team dynamic and everyone's styles seemed to mesh really well together. What's more, each of those guys just got their characters and, while I won't speak for myself as Iron Man, they certainly did a fine job crafting stories. The tone of a plot could go from comical and lighthearted to serious and action-packed at the drop of the hat. That versatility is something rare in these games. That said, though, as far as the actual storytelling goes, I'd also say that the work I was able to perform with Keyser Soze's Harvey Dent in the One Universe game as Daredevil was some of the best stuff I've been involved in. He's a master of characterization.

trusty: I've heard that Ultimate Marvel has a sort of "motif" going on: each Season there is some large-scale arc of epic proportion. That said, which of those arcs have been your favorite?

SSF: I remember back in Season III, there was the "Coming of Gah Lak Tus" arc, and it was the first story I was able to play in on that scale. It was a great story that brought big heroes and veterans together with smaller-scale new players. Everything seemed to hit it's stride. I'll honesty confess here and say it was one of the rare arcs where I felt compelled to read everyone's posts, every time a post was made.

trusty: Huh, was that going on the same time the Galactus arc in the One Universe RPG was going on?

SSF: I think it might've been. Though, at the time I wasn't active in OU.

trusty: Alrighty. Well, if you were able to portray any character in any universe whether it comes from a TV Show, Game, Comic, Anime, Manga, etc etc...which character would it be?

SSF: If I were able to have the complete gang PC'd as well, I think one of the big characters I'd want to portray would be George Costanza from Seinfeld.

trusty: Gotta love Georgie Boy.

SSF: Exactly. I think that there's a lot of potential with a 40 year old who lives with his parents and is an architect for Vandelay industries.

trusty: I actually own a Vandelay Industries t-shirt. It's freaking amazing.

SSF: haha me too! I have a Human Fund one and a Kramerica shirt. I'm a huge fan of the show.

trusty: Same here. Well, I'm sure you recall the time period where RPGs were sprouting out of the ground like crazy. Any particular RPG you would like to see revived were you guaranteed 100% loyalty and dedication to it?

SSF: The Movie RPG, without a doubt. And, not just because I started it.

trusty: Well, it's time to wrap up things here. Anything you'd like to shout out to the readers before we conclude?

SSF: Dont hate on Joe Quesada. He's just a man with a mortgage. Sure, he might've butchered the Marvel universe in a few ways... but everyone makes mistakes.

trusty: ...don't defend that man on this show. SF and byrd would be rolling in their proverbial graves right now.

I'm actually wondering if I should edit that out!

SSF: Quesada sucks! Censorship! Censorship! Censorship!

trusty: Well, that's all for tonight folks. I'm trustyside-kick, and that was another interview courtesy of Inside The Poster's Studio.

 

[wiegeabo]

I haven't read it yet, but looking at the great title, you should keep changing his name between SSF, MM, and PP during the interview.

 

[trustyside-kick]

Damn, I should've.

And, yes...the picture I chose was perfect with the title.

 

[Blacklight]

Very cool read

 

[SuperFerret]

Good interview, but you should have killed him for saying good things about Joe Cheese on my brainchild.

*puts out a hit on the poster named Peter Parker*

 

[Blacklight]

Good interview, but you should have killed him for saying good things about Joe Cheese on my brainchild.

*puts out a hit on the poster named Peter Parker*

He's Matt Murdock now though...

 

[SuperFerret]

He's Matt Murdock now though...

Then it sucks for whoever signs up as Peter parker.


It was a "have the Rolling Stones killed" joke.

 

[Venom160]

*changes name to Peter Parker*

Good interview.

 

[SenseiofCheese]

Awwwww, I love you too, MM.

 

[Venom160]

Get a room you two.

 

[SuperFerret]

A room with a two-way mirror.