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Larry the Marine: World Premier | mrsmiley { January 01, 2008 }

It is with absolute pleasure and pride that I announce the official world premier of a brand new Halo-based comic series birthed right here at HBN. Say hello to Larry the Marine!!!

Click "more" for a full artist interview and more info!

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A chat with 2phast...
...the artist behind Larry the Marine

mrsmiley: As always, the first thing I must ask is how you came across Halo Babies. So, uh... how?

2phast: I learned about Halo Babies back in early 2004 from an article in Electronic Gaming Monthly. I made note of the URL and checked it out.

We were in EGM?! What the crap! No one tells me these things. What made you stay?

I enjoyed the artwork, and the quirky humor, and the site's community was very inviting, so after about 4 months of random visits, I decided to create my own account on the forums.

You are somewhat of a legend with MSP. What made you decide to pickup MSPaint and use it the way you did?

Truth be told, I didn't have Photoshop, or Corel, or even a scanner, so if I wanted to share my artistic prowess, I needed to use the only thing I really had: MSPaint. But, this created a new hurdle... MSP was an awful medium. It was old and clunky. And if I wanted to make good artwork, I needed to utilize it as best I could. So, everytime I created art using MSP, I wanted to try to 1-up myself each time, to do better and better. And later on in life, I learned that's what becoming a better artist is all about.

What is your past art experience and/or schooling?

I've been drawing and painting since I was even able to hold the tools to do so. My mother is an artist, as was her father, it kinda runs in my blood. I loved drawing pictures and doodling on paper. I took classes in Elementary school and Middle School, and through High School. Now, I'm attending college, hoping to get my degree in Illustration and become a graphic novelist, or the highly-coveted career of "concept artist". I'm a Sophomore at my current college now, and upon receiving my AA degree, I'm going to transfer to Western Washington University, and strive to get my Bachelor's there.

What are your inspirations for Larry the Marine?

Larry and the gang was the product of both my own humor and how I perceived the average-Joes of the Halo world. I wanted to make a story about the guys that aren't the heros, that aren't the tip of the spear, but still have an interesting story to tell, and how it even fits in with the general story of Halo. The original comics were made about 2 years ago, and become an overnight hit on the forums.

Larry was inspired somewhat by myself, and how I have a somewhat short attention-span, and how my timing is impeccable to make things humorous in the most serious of situations. Manny and T.J. became his companions, to affirm that the story needed the square-jawed gung-ho Marine who got stuck with two guys he hates (Manny), and the cool-laid back optimist who doesn't take his job too seriously (T.J.).

Sounds like winning sitcom idea! How has Halo Babies effected your artwork over the years?

Joel Casebeer (Grunstbane) is certainly one of my favorite artists, and I'm glad to see his career has taken flight. Halo Babies was a wonderful thing for me, and I could relate to it easily, being both an aspiring illustrator and a Halo-fan. I often saw through Joel's artwork, how with each comic his skills got better and better. I thought that doing the same thing might help me become a better artist too. Every time I make a piece of art and post it on the forums, I'm met with both praise and criticism, and I use both to make better art. And over the years, it's shown.

And that "better art" is what brought you to where you are now; your very own comic series! What are your future plans for Larry the Marine?

As far as the series itself, I'm excited to get it going, because it will challenge me to push myself, and make my artwork consistent and improve it each time. I'm excited to give something back to HBN, after all that it's given me. Grunstbane put us on the Halo-map with Halo Babies, so I hope we can do just the same with Larry the Marine. I have high hopes for Larry, Manny, and T.J., and their story will be quite enjoyable.

Stay tuned to both HaloBabies.net and LarrytheMarine.net for plenty of activity and future updates this year!