Megatokyo

I saw Megatokyo first time when I was still at compulsory school. I was fifteen and I had just discovered forums. Some other user pasted few of the comics in the "joke" topic. I thought the comics he put there ( the "does anyone here speak l33t" being one of them) were one of the best I had ever seen. I was idiot back then, so I asked where he got them. He laughed and didn't tell. I don't blame him. It took me few months to finally find the page on my own. I was thrilled. It was the first web comic I found and followed.

And follow it I did, for two years or so. Largo, the script monkey, left and the story got little confusing and the jokes changed. But it was still pretty good. At some point I got tired of waiting three days between each strip, and I started checking the archives every few weeks. And then every few months. And then I started taking only looks on the main page, now and then.

Now, it feels like its of something improper, taking a look at something that used to be so important and isint any more. It makes me feel guilty, to go check what the comic is up to now.

The art is more defined. The contrast between lines and white is more cleaner. Gallagher/Piro has clearly advanced, and the faces dont look so big anymore.
And the jokes are gone. I thought, "maybe its only this one". And I went back, read few earlier installments, and jep, the jokes were still gone.

When Iron Cat published the Megatokyo collection, I bought. It was a riot, very fun, and I like having it in my self even thought Dark Horse later brought out new edition with more pages and better paper. And I bought the Dark Horse volume two. Still some good jokes, but toward then end the evolution that leads up to now is clearly seen. When I bought volume 2, I decided I wouldnt buy number three, realizing that it probaply would be even more romance-like tpb and less of the gamer-comic. Wise choice, now that I look the comic again.

Since then books three and four have come out.. and Gallagher is now writing just for the trade. The pages don't work as single units no more, they dont make any sense. And the readers of the comic - the gamers, the rpg'ers, the anime enthuastics who like the jokes, those loving the mad action - have all gone, being replaced by those who love the manga style, those who love the romance the book now has and the soap opera.

And that's cool. Gallagher does something he loves. Apparently he and Largo (Castron) are still friends. Or at least they arent hating each other. Largo talks in his blog sometimes of Piro, and it dosent feel hateful. And Piro still defends Largo when someone tries to give all the credit of the comic for him.

But somehow Im still sad. I cant feel that Im part of the intended audience of the comic anymore. And I really loved Largo's sense of humour, and the humour Piro tried to impose on the comic after Largo left, before concentrating on the romance.

And I think I realize it only now. Before, the comic at least tried to stay true to its roots. There were jokes. The artstyle, while better, still was pretty close to the orginal one. But there isint it anymore. I could think that this was still the Megatokyo I loved. I cant see it anymore. Its a new comic, with the old name and old characters.

Something I really miss is Largo's sense of humour. I would love to see him write something again. But apparently he is content in being programmer in the Unix-environment, as told on his homepage. Maybe he does something in the future.

But I doubt it.