Marvel’s Avengers comic book celebrated its 60th anniversary at some time this month and I’ve got some new pixel art to honor the series and a group that is one of the secret main reasons why I got hooked on comic books (thanks to the Grantray-Lawrence Marvel cartoons that were still in syndication)) before I was even in school.
Custom Sprites – Marvel:
– Captain America: scratch-made sprites of a calmly standing Cap and the Avengers #16 cover pose.
– Thor: Mjolnir raise pose in a slightly different drawing style from the earlier sprites.
– Scarlet Witch: new poses in a style similar to my 2022 SW sprite
– Vision: Captain America and the Avengers fight stance and classic Vision in the John Buscema folded arms pose
– Black Knight: 1 pose, classic outfit and jacket outfit (like Data East’s “Avengers in Galactic Storm”)
– Kang the Conqueror: 1 pose
– Baron Zemo: 1 pose, 2 variations
– Mandarin: 1 sprite
As usual, all new custom sprites and mini-logos are in the image generators, where you can make your own graphics like the one at the top of this post. I also uploaded what should be a fix to an issue with the sprite palette feature, something that slipped through the huge site code fix session to get the entire site (and some of my other sites) ready for the PHP 8 upgrade.
Here’s a video showing the heroes’ new sprites, including some early animation work, and a preview of the 2024 Avengers Sprite Showcase video:
So, what’s new? Nearly the entire website. I’ve spent bits of the last four months having to get this site (and illmosis.net and Beans vs. Cornbread) ready for a server upgrade. That’s a nice way of saying “fixing up my old crappy code with new less-crappy code,” along with replacing depreciated programming that’d either carpet the site with warnings or make the entire website doo-doo on itself. The Image Generators were the toughest to fix, they’re more complex than the rest of this site, Illmosis, and BvsC put together, multiplied by five with cheese on top. To be honest, I spent a lot of time making sure this website keeps working and make sure it looks almost exactly the same. So what’s really new? Almost nothing. I’ll still have to keep an eye out for errors, so please let me know if you find any.
Custom Sprites: separated gallery pages for ESWAT, Kiki Kai Kai (Pocky and Rocky), and Taito’s Ninja Warriors. Also added today:
– Gain Ground (new gallery): redrawn sprite of Betty
– Pengo (new gallery): Pengo (and friends), Sno-Bees
– Marvel Comics: a new scratch-made Hawkeye sprite in his Avengers #189 cover pose, (drawn by John Byrne) to replace the old Capcom sprite edit
ToyBoss/Toybox: You can now see the new header for this section that would’ve been part of last week’s update, but wasn’t seen until now because part of its code was tied into the all-around site coding update.
(edit 2023 September 5th): All of these were added to the GFX Image Generators where you can make images like the one at the top of this post and this one…
… which mentions that I’ve added new colors to the ‘ScrollBoss bunnysuit ladies’ extra palettes, including some all-new skin colors, and even added a new ‘lipstick’ extra palette to let you choose that. Getting the image generators to work was probably the hardest task in redoing this site’s code, and I rewrote a lot of the extra palette code from scratch, so adding a bunch of new colors to the bunnysuit ladies seemed like a fun way to celebrate (and push the limits of the feature). Characters with that feature now have a special section near the top of the character list, too. Now that I know it works on the rewritten site, I’ll be adding the feature to more characters in future updates.
I know what some of you are thinking. “One of those sprites seems a bit out of place.” Well, just consider it a preview for something else I’ve been working on this year.
Elsewhere, Arcade Quartermaster’s new shrines of the month are in: Gang Wars (Alpha Denshi/ADK) and Caveman Ninja (Data East). Weird timing, because Shadi planned this out way in advance, at the same time I was working on this year’s Revenge of 1989 update with sprites of Jackie and Mike from Gang Wars.
The coding work to get this site (along with Illmosis and Beans vs. Cornbread) for the Dreamhost server update is FINALLY done, but I promised to have an update to the a ToyBoss section before that happens and here’s that update!
new:
– Jada Toys’ excellent Street Fighter Ryu and Fei Long figures.
– Golden Axe: added shot of Storm Collectibles Tyris and Gilius.
– X-Men (LJN) – playable heroes.
– Spider-Man and the X-Men get their own revenge of Arcade.
– an Articulated Icons/Fwoosh parts-swapped custom made to look like Ryu Hayabusa. They have pre-orders up for a reissued (and from what I’ve read, slightly retooled) Crimson Fury, the dark red ninja.
– The Marvel Super Heroes (Capcom) heroes team, with a work-in-progress custom figure of Psylocke!
updated group shots:
– Captain America and the Avengers (Data East) – heroes – added new Sky-cycle Hawkeye and a recently re-acquired Neo-classic Iron Man (retro card version).
– X-Men (Konami) – villains – includes a customized VHS Mystique and more added characters.
BTW: Articulated Icons/Fwoosh is still having a sale on “Sakit (Martial Artist)” and the “Arms/Hands/Wraps Pack (Red)” pack ($3.99!) and also put up have pre-orders up for a reissued Crimson Fury, the dark red ninja.
The big coding update will hit this site within the first few days of September, so if you really need something from the site I suggest you get it before then, because I really won’t know if everything works until it’s uploaded and tested. The site may be temporarily closed until it’s all complete, but it shouldn’t take longer than a day.
Oddly enough, I made a new header for the Toy section, but the coding is connected with the updated version of the site, so you won’t see it until then.
I’ve mostly been chipping away at getting this site ready for the server upgrade, but I couldn’t let August 9th go by without a little Revenge of 1989 recognition to honor a year that brought a lot of the games (and other things) that led to the creation of this site. That’s a literal statement, because the first version of this site were Sega Smash Pack shots of Golden Axe, Revenge of Shinobi, and Altered Beast for the Sega Genesis, all games that hit the U.S. in 1989. So here’s the newness:
Custom Sprites:
– Final Fight: Andore (Final Fight wait pose)
– Gang Wars: new gallery, starting with the heroes Mike and Jackie.
– Shinobi: all-new Kasumi (the Revenge of Shinobi)
– TMNT: NES 1989 game stance (with and without weapons) for Leonardo, Donatello, Raphael, and Michelangelo.
All new custom sprites were also added to the the main GFX Generators, where you can assemble your own fake screenshots and group pics.
The Revenge of 1989: A new timeline page was added, various adjustments were made to the articles, including the confirmation (thanks to an interview with Time Extension magazine) that Konami’s Crime Fighters was indeed their template for later games like Ninja Turtles and the Simpsons.
As I mentioned at the start of this post, I’m working on an all-around behind-the-scenes update of this site, using a hard drive copy of it that simulates the server update. I’ve got a lot of the site working and even the image generators are over 70% working before I stopped to do this update. This is some heavy work, and it’s costing me extra site host fees to run on the older server, so I won’t be doing much other than that until it’s done, trying to finish it (and fixes to my other sites) before the site hosting charge hits my wallet again in September. I started a separate post about that in this link to keep track of where I am in the upgrade project.
Despite that, there will be an update to the ToyBoss section this month because I’ve got that main page working with new code that works on its own and I’ve got some roster pics to update (especially since I got that new camera).
July 23rd 2023:
I’m making a post here to track progress on the site code work needed this year.
The announcement that the site host was upgrading the servers came right after I agreed to do commission work that took a bit over a month to finish and two months before the 23rd site anniversary. After completing the paid pixel work, I started seeing what could be done with this site’s most popular corner: the Graphics Section. I got everything (other than the graphics generators) working and the only bug I haven’t been able to fix is one that will repeat a picture or line of text in a gallery function. The image generators are probably more complex than every other part of the site put together, and I’ve only got them to a point where the simplest screenstyle, the 3-character MvC group shot, works. I mostly put that work on hold and started cooking up the 23rd anniversary update, which was much smaller than it would’ve been if I didn’t have to do this recoding. But I still chipped away at the image generators enough so that I could test the new characters’ basic features on my new work copy of the site. I also got the ToyBoss section re-coded, because it’s so self-contained that I could update and upload it to the web now and it wouldn’t mess up anything else. Also, the Minus World section was fixed because it’s just as self-contained and barely more complex than the version that was on Angelfire back in the early 00’s.
After July 19th update with the 23rd anniversary newness, I started working on the Info Center when I should probably be taking a break. During a site rewrite about 6 years ago, I merged a bunch of redundant features of those separate areas, and a few other parts of the site, into one system, so it’d be less of a pain the next time I had to upgrade things. Thanks, PrimeOp from 6 years ago, that was a good idea. Anyway, I just finished the entire Info Center a few minutes ago, so I’m going to spend the rest of this Sunday making progress on a custom action figure (she’s both comic-related and game-related), EXP-grinding in SF 6’s World Tour Mode, looking at the SDCC action figure pics in awe, and finally getting some rest.
It’s the birthday of this website, but the presents are for you! No, you can’t exchange them at the store if they don’t fit. First, thank you for visiting the site, whether you’ve been stopping by since the Tripod and Angelfire years or if this is your first time. It’s fun to make these things, but it’s even more fun when people other people enjoy it. But you know what? Instead of doing the usual thing with shots from the generator, I’ve got a short video with most of the sprites in it.
Custom Sprites:
– Captain Commando: all-new sprites of Captain Commando (1991 design), Carol, Brenda, Wooky, Eddy, Dick.
– Final Fight: Eliza (a.k.a. Elissa) and Mary from Final Fight 2
– Mega Man: original Mega Man robot master lineup is completed with new sprites of Cut Man, Guts Man, and Ice Man.
– Street Fighter: Kimberly
– DC Comics: Green Lantern Hal Jordan
– Marvel Comics: Shadowcat/Kitty Pryde
– Music: Wu-Tang Killer Bees
Mini-logos:
– Capcom: Street Fighter 6 cutscene style logos for Kimberly, Dee Jay, Juri, and Damnd
– Atlus: Atlus
– Marvel Comics: Shadowcat
– Music: Wu-Tang Clan
Custom Sprite Packs: (edit: 2023 July 22) Kitty Pryde and Shadowcat added to the X-Men CotA name graphics pack.
The high amount of new Capcom items is making up for the fact that I planned to do a bigger Capcom anniversary update a while back, but I had to concentrate on commission work. As usual, the new custom sprites and mini-logos are available to use in the GFX image generators
ToyBoss: A few new pics have been added, including that brand new side-scroller legend you see off to the side. Last year’s anniversary update featured a pic of my then-new Tyris Flare figure from Storm Collectibles and this update just happens to parallel that event with my new Gilius Thunderhead figure. I lucked out and caught one of the last sets on sale from Entertainment Earth, the online store where I got some of the luckiest finds of my rebuilt collection. Storm Collectibles is now exclusive to BigBadToyStore and you can find their Golden Axe line (and other Golden Axe items) here. Entertainment Earth still has one “Not Mint” Gilius left for $96.53 and free shipping, but it probably won’t be in stock for long. I also managed to get another figure I’ve wanted for years but aftermarket prices usually kept me away, until I found an incomplete one for a decent price: Sodom! It may have been a Street Fighter figure from SOTA, but we all know Sodom comes from the Final Fight series. I’ll probably have to customize a crest for his helmet and get a spare pair of swords so he can reach his full boss potential.
There’ll be more updates to the ToyBoss section soon because I need to update a few roster pics and my current customized figure project is about halfway done. I also got a new digital camera (on sale, of course) that won’t immediately murder its battery after being on for more than 8 minutes, so I’ll be having fun with that, too.
I mentioned a while back that I’ll have to rewrite a lot of code on the site to get it ready for the updated Dreamhost servers, and that’s going to be my main focus for a while. My hard drive has copies of the old and new code versions of the site running in two different XAMPP installs, which complicates adding new things to the online (and old) version of this site. So while site updates will be limited as I work on the new version of the site, I’m going add more things to the ScrollBoss YouTube channel on the side. Some areas may temporarily disappear when the site upgrade starts in August, so be sure to check out, enjoy, and right-click save what you want before then.
The commission work I mentioned in the May update, spriting key frames of 18 animated background characters for a fan project that I’ll reveal once I’m told it’s okay to do that, was finished on Sunday. Another artist will be adding frames, smoothing things out, etc. Can’t wait to see how they look in the game!
Now to today’s newness I made A LOT of G.I.JOE-related pixelart last year because it was the 40th Anniversary of G.I.JOE: A Real American Hero, possibly my favorite toyline ever. Two of the characters I didn’t have a chance to sprite then are getting sprites on the last day of Yo Joe June: fan-favorite Shipwreck (with Polly) and an all-new Zandar to replace the old Capcom-based sprite edit.
So now I’m back to trying to get this website ready for the site host upgrade, using a copy of the site on my hard drive to test in the new conditions. The good news: I already have 8 of the 9 areas of the Graphics Section ready for the upgrade with one weird bug I can work around. The bad news: the one section that doesn’t work yet is the Image Generators. In less than a week I’ve got the menus’ main functions working and some very simple screenstyles rendering, but it’s far from stable. So I have some big decisions to make about the generators’ future.
This site’s 23rd birthday is on July 19th, 2023. So the first decision I’m making is to pay extra to delay the site upgrade until August just so the site can be up and running through the site’s birthday month and make new things to show on the anniversary. So let’s party during the anniversary and I’ll see how things look in August. Just be sure to enjoy that update before August because there’s a good chance that at least part of the site will be down for a while, though it’s likely the non-generator parts of the Graphics Section can be still be accessed.
Jada Toys’ Ultra Street Fighter II Ryu and Fei Long figures are in stores now, and I got my pre-order from BigBadToyStore last week.
Ryu and Fei Long
Ryu and Wolverine in 1:12 scale form
These figures are great and I can’t wait to see how the rest of the Street Fighters (Chun-Li will be out later this year) and the upcoming Mega Man like turn out.
Custom Sprites: A Metall (a.k.a. Met, Metool) was finally made and added to the Mega Man gallery, because I had to do SOMETHING for Mega Man in May. I had plans to make more, but things got really hectic this month (see below for details).
GFX Generators: the next update to those “extra palette” functions that were being tested by two characters has been upgraded. They allow the “ScrollBoss – bunnysuit ladies” palette options to be expanded even more, and the optional tights colors blend with the skin colors and the “Monster (Illmosis)” Zombie now has a shadow option that darkens specific parts of whichever color options you choose.
Note: There is a bug that I just caught with these extra palettes, though: using the “Character swap selection” option will mess things up. I’ll work on that when I get the chance. Still, please let me know if you run into any other bugs with this.
This site won’t be very active for a while because I’m doing some paid pixel work and that has to come first. It’s for a fan project and I’ll be proud to have some pixels in it. I’m 2 for 18 on it so far, so it’ll be a while before I’m done.
Also, due to some very heavy behind-the-scenes work, this site will temporarily shut down at some point in late June. My current plan is to have a single page be a “mini-ScrollBoss” redirect page when the shutdown starts, then have the working sections return bit-by-bit as they’re redone. I already have the Custom Sprites section rewrite is about 96% ready now, with an error or two that need to get knocked out. If you’re even thinking of downloading something off this site, do it now before late June 2023, because I don’t know exactly when everything will be back.
We’re still in that month of foolery, April, so this update adds more pizzazz to the site’s image generators!
Custom Sprites: River City Ransom/Kunio-kun 8-bit: Kyoko and Misako (Shin Nekketsu Kōha: Kunio-tachi no Banka uniforms), Spider-Man custom Street Fighter Alpha/Zero 3 portraits: Terry Bogard (the portrait I teased in late March’s update) and a scratch-made Ryu Hayabusa (replacing the old edit). Illmosis – ScrollBoss: Two sprites added to what I’m calling the “archetype” series for now. First is a brand-new “Bunny Costume” Lady and the second is an Undead Zombie. Zombie (o’, Zombie) was originally made in 2020 for some merch, but I made a few adjustments and added him to the site and the generator. These two are also helping to test out a new feature I’ve just added to the…
GFX Generator: A new River City Ransom/Kunio-kun ‘scenes’ screenstyle has been added to the Fake Screenshot and River City Ransom generator pages. So, yeah, finally some beat ’em up in-game shots (but no combat… yet). I’m starting it with 16 background/set-up shots from around the map and two “crossover” backgrounds that I’ll let you find for yourself. I also added standing sprites of the lower enemies from River City Ransom, along with Misako, Kyoko, Misuzu, Kumiko & Miyuki from River City Super Sports Challenge for the PC.
Today’s update adds a new feature that I’m currently calling “Extra Palettes” that are sub-palettes beneath the main palettes that only change a part of the palette. So in these special characters, you pick the main palette and then use pull down text menus below those palettes to change hair, skin color, outfit part colors, and so-on. It’s almost like I’ve added a palette editor to the generator.
Two Illmosis section characters in the main generator have these palettes so far: the new Bunnylady and the Undead Zombie (found in the “Monsters (Illmosis)” character). In fact, the Bunnyladies were almost in the March update, but I ran into the problem I had with the River City Ransom/Kunio-kun Variable Color character (more info about this in the full post). The Fake Screenshot (8-bit) section’s River City Ransom Variable Color and the RCR/Nekketsu drone enemies have this ability, too. If this works, I’ll be adding more options to these characters along with adding these functions some other sprite sets where it’d make sense. I feel like there’s a specific 8-bit platforming character who could benefit from extra color options.
BTW: I’m going to be part of this Saturday’s Retro Roundtable on the Dire and Bette YouTube channel! I’m not sure if I can say what the theme is yet, but it’s a game subject that I like A LOT.
Street Fighter Alpha/Zero 3 portraits: Andore/Hugo (Final Fight/SF), Captain Commando, Harley Quinn (DC Comics), Spider-Man (Marvel), Black Widow (Marvel Comics)
Four of these were requests that I already wanted to make, but for various reasons (I had a Hugo/Andore sketched years ago, but didn’t like it) didn’t get done until now. Harley Quinn is just one I just had an itch to make.
Seeing my custom portraits in fake screenshots is one thing, but did you ever wonder how they’d look in the game? Using a new rendering technique, I made a short video using some of the older portraits I made from scratch:
What’s that rendering technique? I’ll tell you at the end of this post.
GFX Generator: The engine itself got some minor fixes, including a fix to some reflection effects. Also
– a “ScrollTech pattern background (added by request) added to the main generator
– The new portraits were added to the GFX Generators, mainly the SFA3 generator
