All CategoriesGeneral GTGSentinel Comics Lore › GenCon Annual The Letters Page! Discussion - "First Annual Letters Page from Gencon"

GenCon Annual The Letters Page! Discussion - "First Annual Letters Page from Gencon"

40 posts · 1032 views · started 2017-08-29 14:12 UTC
P2
Powerhound_2000
2017-08-29 14:12 UTC
#1

Link to episode - http://theletterspage.libsyn.com/first-annual-letters-page-live-from-gen-con-2017

Link to video -https://youtu.be/PJ4Vxu9-dFk

 

Per the show notes there are plenty of spoilers throughout. 

MA
Matchstickman
2017-08-29 14:16 UTC
#2

Two weeks in a row? I am going to have to find some other outlet for my rubbish puns.

SP
speedyolrac
2017-08-29 15:02 UTC
#3

So who is up next week? That is what i want to know.

MA
Matchstickman
2017-08-29 15:08 UTC
#4

Per RevoCorp and friends Haka is the next up.

MA
Matchstickman
2017-08-29 15:16 UTC
#5

RPG Twitch stream confirmed?

DP
dpt
2017-08-29 15:17 UTC
#6

Yes, that's what they dropped at 109:50. (You're not listening to the episode, right?)

MA
Matchstickman
2017-08-29 15:33 UTC
#7

No, I watched it.

It was that no one responded to it at the con that caused me doubt.

DP
dpt
2017-08-29 15:36 UTC
#8

From the show notes:

One of our favorite things that happened in this panel is that we drop a spoiler for our future plans at 109:50ish, but no one really seemed to pick up on it. Wonder what we meant by that… Probably nothing important! Right?

MA
Matchstickman
2017-08-29 15:43 UTC
#9

And?

I knew that and I still doubted it.

PH
Phantom5613
2017-08-29 16:22 UTC
#10

*Sigh*

Really no way to avoid spoilers in this one, is there? That sucks. :(

DP
dpt
2017-08-29 16:57 UTC
#11

I think it ought to be possible to go through and mark the spoilers. I'd be nervous about missing some of them, though.

JE
Jeysie
2017-08-29 16:59 UTC
#12

That episode was an absolute hoot from start to finish. Glad to see some of the regulars made it to the show. :D

Was great to meet Christopher's bro, he's pretty adorable.

I cheerfully dispute Christopher's notion that the meta layer in Sentinels was "unnecessary". Not only does it add a fun conceit that arguably makes Sentinels even more fun than if it was just a straight up fictiona universe, but it kind of shows what the writing process is like, that you can come up with five billion things readers will never see just so the things they do see hang together properly.

Really in a way this was kinda a podcast where we talk about the universe behind the universe of Sentinels Comics.

So, basically, much spoiler stuff as a result. So much.

I love how Sonvar has become a shorthand for asking too many questions, or that Christopher and Adam want to keep the podcast going just so they can find out the end of the Flesh War. XD Or how everybody in the audience seemed to be seriously considering joining the Cult of Gloom.

(I admit that wondering if there will be a Second Annual Letters Page made me want to start doing the math to see how many characters we actually have left to discuss to see if it'll go for another 52 weeks. I guess doing some of the environments might make sense too...)

P2
Powerhound_2000
2017-08-29 17:09 UTC
#13

Even if you did map that out it would be really hard to listen to this episode.  You'd be spending more time flipping to non spoiler sections than listening.  

P2
Powerhound_2000
2017-08-29 17:11 UTC
#14

For those not aware Sonvar is an alias I use as well mostly seen on Reddit.  

JE
Jeysie
2017-08-29 17:20 UTC
#15

Yeah, sorry. X3

I think I'm one of the few people who posts more or less equally here, Reddit, and Twitch, and gets a little confusing occasionally.

I especially often want to tell the guys on Twitch that it's OK if they just go "Jeysie" versus stumbling over putting the C on the end.

DP
dpt
2017-08-29 17:56 UTC
#16

I don't think it's so bad. I don't believe there are any spoilers until 35:20, right after the Ambuscade question.

P2
Powerhound_2000
2017-08-29 18:02 UTC
#17

I just know I wouldn't want to bother having to skip at various sections.   Which is why I'm glad I'm not bothered by any potential spoilers.  

RA
Rabit
2017-08-29 18:06 UTC
#18

Not everybody…  :wink:

 

It was highly entertaining to be there. We definitely had a good time!  :grin:  I'm really impressed with how the audio turned out! Trevor has really done an amazing job on this podcast. 

P2
Powerhound_2000
2017-08-29 18:08 UTC
#19

I will say the Spirit Island and Nexus of the Void explanation was lacking.  I was hoping for a bit more in depth answer than what we got.

DP
dpt
2017-08-29 18:12 UTC
#20

Ask followups! I think everyone there was surprised by the answer, and didn't have good followups ready. (I've already asked my followup…)

P2
Powerhound_2000
2017-08-29 18:43 UTC
#21

While there are some which seem obvious as A list heroes, all of Freedom Five for sure and I imagine all Base set heroes, I'm curious which heroes are considered to be the B and C list heroes that we have decks for.   I would guess Mr Fixer and Expat are the C level heroes only because they are street level heroes and don't have any superpowers exactly.  

JE
Jeysie
2017-08-29 19:21 UTC
#22

Yeah, now I actually want to know who is A, B, and C-list.

If only because IRL I have a tendency to have all my fave characters be C-list or lower, so I want to see how my Sentinels tastes match up.

Powerhound: Superhero letter lists are based more on prominence and popularity than actual in-universe power level.

P2
Powerhound_2000
2017-08-29 19:47 UTC
#23

I still would stick by what I listed as it's not power based.   Expat and Fixer are street level heroes so their popularity wouldn't be quite as high compared to Freedom Five or Prime Wardens.   

JE
Jeysie
2017-08-29 20:13 UTC
#24

Not necessarily. In Marvel at least there's street-level heroes who are B-list and cosmic-level heroes who are C-list or lower.

I actually would kinda expect the Prime Wardens to be B-list at best--which seems to match up with the whole "their dedicated title was relaunched then did much better" bit that was mentioned in the podcast--since they're a pretty quirky/oddball group on the whole. And as someone who's a fan of quirky/oddball groups and characters in RL comics, I find they almost never do well in sales/popularity.

One benefit I guess to Sentinels not being actual comics: I never have to worry about my favorite characters being cancelled. :P

P2
Powerhound_2000
2017-08-29 20:26 UTC
#25

Fixer and Expat have what seems like very short runs and then end up showing up here or there.  Compared to Ra which has multiple series shown in his deck and shows up in a lot of villain decks.  I'd also speculate that someone like Naturalist is possibly a B/C Level hero since it sounds like he shows up randomly even though he ends up being rather powerful.  Along with the fact he doesn't show up in many environments or villain decks.   Even Guise I feel might fall to C level just because his antics might capture only so many reader.   I could make up my own list of where I think they might each be but I would like to see their list and explanation.  

CN
cnranger
2017-08-30 15:50 UTC
#26

Guise is a pretty good guess for a C-lister. The Sentinels, for sure are on the C list. The Southwest Sentinels name always reminds me of the Great Lakes Avengers. Though it might be generous calling the GL Avengers C listers.

AL
Arcanist_Lupus
2017-08-30 18:37 UTC
#27

Their change from The Sentinels to The Void Guard was probably intended to bump them from C list to B list. We’ll have to wait for the Sentinels episode(s?) to find out of it worked.

TR
Trajector
2017-08-31 04:12 UTC
#28

So, somebody has been writing bullet point summaries of the podcast episodes? Seems like a great time to go on the wiki.

AL
Arcanist_Lupus
2017-08-31 04:27 UTC
#29

Too late!

JE
Jeysie
2017-08-31 10:22 UTC
#30

I now feel like there should be a way to make WalkingTarget's summaries more prominently displayed for more people to know about them. I didn't realize they were so obscure.

Alternatively everyone could come chat on the subreddit more often. ;3

SP
speedyolrac
2017-08-31 18:30 UTC
#31

TREVOR, please make that Bloopers Podcast.

 

We need it. I wanna hear there bickering and changing the stroy infront of our eyes

MI
MindWanderer
2017-08-31 18:43 UTC
#32

Finally got caught up!  (Takes me a while, I only listen to podcasts during my commute.)

I'm pretty sure Dark Watch would be considered B-list.  They're not central to most of the main story arcs, but they are peripheral to the main story arcs and central to several secondary ones.  Not counting the late-introduction heroes (the ones from OblivAeon and its mini-expansions), I think the C-list easily includes Guise, Scholar, Omnitron-X, and Sky-Scraper.  Chrono-Ranger, KNYFE, Parse, and Naturalist seem borderline B/C, with their popularity levels going up and down; all of them were given big things to do in OblivAeon or thereabouts but weren't major characters before then.  I get the feeling Ra ranges all the way from A to C and back to A again over the comic history.

I'm definitely looking forward to an RPG Twitch stream, or better yet, a podcast of that Twitch stream.  I'd certainly listen to any games run by Princess Cool or the other Letters Page regulars, but the real gem would be adventures Christopher ran, since one could consider them canon.  Although it would be hilarious to see a game in which Christopher and Adam were mere players, subject to the direction some other person decided to take their campaign world.

PL
PlatinumWarlock
2017-08-31 20:44 UTC
#33

I'm not sure about that assessment of Darkwatch.  The Nightmist episode showed her to be a wildly popular character, both with the creators and the readers, including runs on her own solo book.  Expatriette/Setback, as well, get their own duo book–Lucky Shot–which seems to carry into the new, split timelines.  Mister Fixer?  Yeah, probably B- or C- list.  Popular in his own right, but never enough to carry his own book after his Black Fist days.

And if someone's looking to do a live-play?  I'll gladly join in, either as a player or a GM.  

LF
Lord_Flash_Fire
2017-09-01 01:05 UTC
#34

This. I'm sold. Please include me on this.

TR
Trajector
2017-09-01 03:58 UTC
#35

Bwa ha ha haaaaa! I’ve tricked you into doing it for me!

:wink:

… Seems we should have a link to each relevant podcast off the character’s page, no?

But it’s on Reddit…

AL
Arcanist_Lupus
2017-09-01 04:01 UTC
#36

A) That wasn't me who created those.

B) Those were up long before you said anything.

JE
Jeysie
2017-09-01 11:49 UTC
#37

I was working on a redesign that would include that as one of the added features but it kind of fell off when I started having offline issues that are still ongoing. :confused: (A general lack of energy for anything at all for starters…)

Heh, I used to be afraid of Reddit too until I discovered that Reddit is basically just a massive collection of subforums so how people behave depends on the specific subforum rather than any overall "Reddit" persona.

MigrantP is a mod and occasional poster over there, and Christopher sometimes pops in as well. (Like I found out recently that Christopher used to sing barbershop in a convo there.)

BO
bobbertoriley
2017-09-01 15:21 UTC
#38

Christopher sang Barbershop? Now I gotta find out what his favorite polecat is...

WA
WalkingTarget
2017-09-05 23:25 UTC
#39

I should try to hang out here more often. I could at least link to the Reddit summary (or the Wiki version when I finish reformatting - why can't everybody just use the same formatting syntax?).

PH
phantaskippy
2017-09-12 01:21 UTC
#40

Finally getting caught up.  I find it interesting that the original story involved rewinding time and saving Rook City, and they later went back and explored Rook City being destroyed.  Usually time travel shenanigans changing everything is the retcon.