#my mini OP figure collection is finally growing

[kindledoeswhatever]

I’m pretty sure Wii Play is the free game that came with the Wii. I got my Wii Christmas of fourth grade so the memory is a little fuzzy, but this was either the pack in game, or a game another relative gave me that same Christmas. I remember it being pretty fun! It’s a collection of mini games that can be played alone or in co-op. I don’t think I ever played single player though because this is the game we’d drag out when my little sister wanted to play Wii together. She was a preschooler at the time, so she wasn’t very good. But that just means I dominated every game muhahahaha take that toddler! How dare you seal to challenge meeeeee!!! Hehe. Nah. It wasn’t that dramatic.

Anyway the cover is pretty standard for a mini game collection. The art divided into different sections with screenshots of some of the games. Out of the nine games, only six are on the cover which Bothers Me.

On the cover we have:

Billiards which is well… pool. If you’ve ever used a Wii remote it’s pretty easy to figure out how it’s supposed to work lol.

Pose Mii where you rotate the Wii more to get your Mii to match the position given.

Table Tennis which is also self explanatory

Tanks! Which is weird compared to the other games tbh. It’s a top down shooting game that just feels incongruent with the more light hearted and Mii based games. Like. Idk.

Find Mii is a Where’s Waldo like game with a crowd of Miis instead

And Finally

Shooting Range. Point the Wiimote at the targets and yeah you get it.

Not portrayed is a fishing game, and air hockey game which is very similar to table tennis and finally my favorite: Charge! Your Mii rides on a cow through a mario cart esq course. Ever since I have had a Might Need to ride a cow.

Overall it’s just a mini game collection, but I had fun with my sister and from most TV shows growing up I’ve heard that’s the more important thing lol

[braindeadmaggot]

I finally got Killer from the Statue 02 series gashapon to go with my Kid bust 💙🖤💙 I've honestly never been happier

Also got Kid and Barto cup hanger gashapon to go with the Luffy, Robin and Crocodile I got years and years ago.

[geekade]

PAX East is Fun

The beginning of “Convention season” always gets me excited for PAX East which fortunately for me, is in the first quarter of the year. PAX (Penny Arcade Expo) started out west in Bellevue, Washington for their first show in 2004. Then in 2010, it expanded to Boston for PAX East, and it has been growing ever since. What makes this special for me is that it’s a convention focused only on games, but not just video games. From hardcore D&D to casual tabletop games & card games, they have it all covered. Many of these truly wonderful tabletop game creators even allow you and your friends can try out whole games before you even buy them in a special section of the convention designated for that purpose. The people of PAX are a very friendly community and it is always an enjoyable experience.

PAX East is a much smaller convention than the ones I’m used to, which is a breath of fresh air. I only purchased a Saturday pass because I can normally get through the whole show floor in a day. This year there was a much larger indie gaming presence and while I couldn’t have been happier, it did present me with a challenge. Being the completionist that I am, I had to attempt to get to each booth and find something that would leave a lasting impression on me.

As soon as you get onto the escalator to the show floor, you immediately know where all the big-name studios are. What surprised me was that Twitch had a much larger presence this year than in 2016. They had a lounge where you could network with Twitch streamers and relax. It was a nice addition because all they did last year was hand out deodorant (which I certainly didn’t mind. It sometimes gets a little stinky at the convention) and pamphlets to let people know about Twitch. Then there was also a see-through box with a single streamer inside playing a game. People would press their hands and faces against the glass and watch them like they were in a human exhibit at the zoo. There was also an area where an interviewer would talk to people and developers from the stow floor, but I was more interested in the indie games.

My first stop of the day was at a gaming booth dedicated to Polish game studios. The publisher of the following games was 11 Bit Studios:

Digital Sun is the developer of a game by the name of Moonlighter, an Action RPG with rogue-like elements. You play as Will, a shopkeeper that dreams of becoming a hero. This was my favorite game at the booth. You’re told a story of how the village you live in was once a profitable merchant town and shop owners would venture into the caves and bring back supplies to fill their shop, but soon the caves became too dangerous and the merchants began to leave. You are a brave young hero who dreams of becoming a hero and vanquishing the monsters in these caves. It's a dungeon crawling game, bit it's also a shopkeeper simulator. When you get back from exploring caves you can put the items you find on sale.

Pixel Crow is the developer of Beat Cop, a game where you play as Jack Kelly, a former detective framed for murder. You are reassigned to a new precinct where you are stuck writing tickets. Yes, you read that right. This is a text-heavy, story-driven game with multiple endings and sadly I didn’t get enough time it. I’d love to sit down with this one some more and read every bit of the text I can find. Lucky for me and other fans of the game, it releases in Spring of 2017.

The final game in this booth was Tower 57, a top-down twin stick shooter with 16-bit-inspired pixel art, destructible environments, and a heavy focus on co-op. This game was a lot of fun, and the way the “display” was set up was very cute. There was a couch at the very end of the booth. I was handed a controller and taken to the character select screen. There are 7 different characters you can choose from with different abilities. I obviously picked a female scientist, steampunk Abraham Lincoln, and a detective. You pick these 3 character and they act as your lives. If your first character dies you switch to the 2nd one, and so on. This game took me back to my childhood where I’d play these types of games with my little brother. I loved the couch setup which made it seem like you were in a living room playing with friends.

My next stop of the day was the Shovel Knight booth which was oddly tucked into the back corner of the convention. There were only a few show-goers there so I decided to try out the new co-op mode. If you weren’t aware, like myself, Shovel Knight and all of its related DLC are available now on Nintendo Switch, including Specter of Torment, which is currently only available on Switch, and hitting all other platforms in April. Playing it on the Nintendo Switch wasn’t really my cup of tea because the Joycon controllers were a bit too small to work with. After beating the first boss, the trial was over and I left to pick up a Shovel Knight keychain.

My next destination was the Raw Fury booth. The games they had were GoNNER; a cute 2-d platformer with an award winning soundtrack, Tormenter X Punisher; a top-down twin stick shooter where the goal is to survive and you only get 1 life, Kingdom; a kingdom-building simulation game where you control a king or queen and spend your coins expanding your kingdom, and finally Dandara; a metroidvania gravity bending game based on an Afro-Brazilian woman in the colonial period of Brazil.

Across the way was an elaborate set-up of booths for Melbourne International Games Week, Asia Pacific’s largest digital games celebration featuring conferences, events and activities for the games industry, game enthusiasts and the general public. The game that stuck out most was a beautiful water-colored mobile game called Paperbark.

“Paperbark is a game that tells a playful short story of the bush, a wombat and a very hot Australian Summer. It presents a sincere representation of Australian bushland, which has been inspired by iconic historical and contemporary landscape Artists and Australian children’s literature. The player follows a sleepy wombat; who spends it’s day exploring, solving problems and foraging for interesting things. As the story unfolds and new locations are discovered, the adventure builds with the heat of the day. The game has been created as a love letter to wandering through the bush and can resonate with anyone who grew up in Australia, or is interested in it.”

It was a cute whimsical game where you would swipe the screen to make the wombat walk around and if you swipe over the white space that uncovered more of the area around you.

Afterwards I decided to switch gears and try out some VR games. My friend had been deciding between getting VR or the Nintendo Switch and this was a perfect place to try both. Unfortunately for her, she hates horror games which is the biggest genre in VR right now but, we were able to find a few games that were safe for her. The first one we found was called The Lab, a mini-game collection created by Valve. After putting on the headset I was told by the woman at the booth to select the “Longbow” mini-game which is a bow and arrow “shooter”. This game was pretty straightforward. You are perched on top of a wall in your fort and you must shoot at the stick-figure people who are trying to break down your fort’s gate to enter it. When you shoot the stick-figures they release balloons you can shoot to regain your health. It was a silly game but it did a pretty great job of introducing you to the VR world.

We moved onto another VR shooter called Dick Wilde on the Oculus Home. In this particular game you must shoot mutated alligators and other giant swamp creatures while actively dodging projectiles being shot at you. This one was a bit more involved than the other VR shooter, but also more difficult because you have to remember to move around shoot. At the end of each round your score is tallied up according to how many creatures you shot and how many projectiles you were able to dodge.

The Cartoon Network booth was my next stop. Grumpyface Studios, which brought us the critically acclaimed Steven Universe game Attack the Light, is releasing their sequel Save the Light on consoles this summer. I never played Attack the Light, but had heard nothing but good things about the game. It is a blend of turn-based and real-time combat, sort of like Paper Mario, featuring the main characters of the Steven Universe show. The game will still be co-written by the shows creator Rebecca Sugar and it looks like it will further explore the lore in the Steven Universe universe. The only other game at the Cartoon Network booth was OK K.O.! Lakewood Plaza Turbo based on an upcoming Cartoon Network show OK K.O. Let’s Be Heroes. This game is a beat-em-up featuring characters from the show. The portion of the game I played had rhythm elements to it almost like DDR or Stepmania which I enjoyed.

My final destination of the day was the IndieBox booth. I had been excited about this for weeks because there was a rumor they would have Jotun, an action exploration game where you play as a viking warrior who must prove herself to the Gods so that she may enter Valhalla. I grabbed the box and was on my way to purchase the game when a sales rep at the booth informed me that they were having a special deal that day. If I spent another $20 I would get one IndieBox for the following month and 5 game codes. Typoman is their game for the next month and after receiving such high praise I thought it was an amazing deal.

As I headed up the escalator to leave the convention I couldn’t help but feel a little sad leaving my favorite convention. It’s wonderful to be able to get through a whole convention in a day, but I always think about the games I had missed out on playing or the people I never got a chance to talk to. All in all this is a great way to start the convention season and I wouldn’t want it any other way.

[bigtinyworldtravel]

Unlike dogs, cats don’t usually travel very well.  So when we cat lovers are on the road, we rely on the local cat populations to get our purr fix.  With nine months and over twenty countries under our belts, we found some of the best cat hotspots on the world.

If you love cats as much as I do, these locations are sure to put a whisker-induced smile on your face!

Now, truth be told, we found cats almost everywhere we went.  Or rather… they found us (or perhaps just me).  We were even visited by felines in a couple camps in Namibia!  We used to joke that we wouldn’t see a cat all day.  The thought would strike me, and I’d casually remark, “where are all the kitties?”  And one would just appear!  Perhaps my clothes are secretly infused with catnip.

It delighted me to no end!  We even took to naming them in our Instagram stories.  I befriended over 160 individual felines (I kind of lost count after that).  But some places were more cat-saturated than others.

#6: Rome, Italy

The famous Colosseum is actually home to a number of cat colonies, and in Rome, any groups of five or more felines are protected by law.  However, cats aren’t too fond of large crowds (and neither are we), so with the throngs of tourists, they mostly kept out of sight.  They do get a mention on our list, though, for the cat-themed Colosseum magnets and official notices upon entering.

#5: Okonjima Nature Reserve, Namibia

I have to mention this gem for those seeking the big cats.  If you’ve been following our adventures, you’ll know we struck out on seeing lions and cheetahs when we spent a week in Namibia’s Etosha National Park.  Therefore, we went 8 hours out of our way to backtrack to the Okonjima Nature Reserve – a reserve specifically dedicated to education and rescue of large cats.

Mostly a sanctuary for leopards, the site also shelters cheetahs and lions.  If you want to see the big cats in their element, you have a much higher likelihood of seeing them on one of the game drives here.  You can read our entire leopard-seeking adventure here.

#4: Kotor, Montenegro

Now here, we saw lots of kittehs!  Known for its stray cat populations, this cute little town in Montenegro is also a charming place to explore in its own right.  Climb the fortress ruins behind the center of town, and you’ll have plenty of feline companions with whom to share the view.

Kotor even has a dedicated cat museum (that we somehow stupidly missed when we were there)!!

We also follow @kotorkitties on Instagram, whose mission it is to care for the Kotor cat population through a trap-neuter-release program and public education.

#3: Dubrovnik, Croatia

Also known as “Kings Landing” by Game of Thrones enthusiasts, this walled city on the coast of the Adriatic Sea quickly became one of our favorite places.  Not only is it a stunningly beautiful place to visit, it comes with some remarkable history and unique architecture to explore.

The main old town is centered around a plaza with narrow alleys ascending in stairs to the outer walls.  And each of these winding paths house dozens of nooks for kitties to take shelter, from which they’ll mew at you for scraps as you pass.  We got in the habit of carrying cat treats on us, and I stopped frequently for those who would permit my affection (much to Aaron’s chagrin).

From the bus stop to the local grocery, the bridge through the wall to the pier, we found feline friends around every corner!�� Our Airbnb in Dubrovnik was even bedecked in cat-themed linens and curtains!!

I should also mention that this was true for most of the places we visited in Croatia.  The large hill overlooking Split was sprinkled in paw prints, cats joined us at the sea organ in Zadar, and I had a kitty curl up in my lap in Trogir (I was chosen!!!).  This could be one of the reasons we fell so much in love with Croatia!

#2: Japan

It should be no surprise that Japan nears the top of this list.  With compact living – particularly in the cities – cats make the perfect small, low-maintenance companion for the hardworking Japanese.

Japan has a particular affinity for felines, and this can be seen in everything from the maneki-neko “lucky cat” welcoming guests into shops and “cat girls” at the maid cafes to cat-themed dishware and the original cat cafes that have now swept the globe.  We also saw them lining the Philosopher’s Path in Kyoto.

A cat is quite comfortable at Cafe Jalala Cat Cafe in Tokyo, Japan.

Japan is even the home of both Aoshima and Umashima – two literal cat islands!  These kitty havens are home to over 100 cats each, far surpassing the human populations of about 15 and 30, respectively.  We didn’t get a chance to see these last time, so you can bet that these are high on our bucket list for our return trip!

#1: Istanbul, Turkey

Istanbul (not Constantinople) has become world-famous for its street cats (possibly due, in part, to the cat-aholic’s favorite documentary, Kedi).  And it’s easy to see why!  Not only can they be found wandering the streets everywhere throughout the city, but they are actively protected and cared for (even during a pandemic!).  Local residents put out boxes for shelter and dry kibble for food.

Believe it or not, but there are actually more stray dogs in Istanbul than cats.  We saw our fair share of the former, but we never would have suspected, even after a local pooch followed us along the waterfront for well over a mile.  Perhaps I just have eyes for cats, because they appeared to be much more plentiful.

Why are there so many there?  This article actually answers that question quite well.  Evidently, cats are considered a very clean animal and are thus revered in Muslim communities.  It helps that they are also fantastic hunters, keeping mice and rat populations at bay.

If you want the full feline immersion, we found the highest populations on the Asian side in Kadıköy (Catikoy? :3).

Cat cafes

If you find yourself lacking in purrs and whiskers, try to find your closest cat cafe.  Originating in Japan, this idea of sipping a latte while playing with kittens has understandably become quite popular worldwide.  We have a cat cafe at home in Portland, and we also visited one in Bristol (in addition to two in Tokyo!).  This is a fantastic way to get your kitty fix without a large local stray population.

Cat Festivals

People love cats all around the world!  I definitely want to check a few of these out!

CatCon (Los Angeles, California, USA) – What could be better than an entire convention dedicated to CATS??   Famous internet cats, panels, and more cat photo ops than you can shake a feather toy at!

Edmonton International Cat Fest (Edmonton, Canada) – This festival is much like the convention above, but 100% of its profits goes to local cat rescues.  And great news!  They’re hosting a digital festival this year on May 30th for just $10.  We might just do that… :3

Kattenstoet (Ypres, Belgium) – This massive cat parade has a dark history, and I almost didn’t include it.  Originating in the Dark Ages, it is thought this cat throwing festival symbolized ridding oneself of evil spirits during a time of witchcraft.  Now, no cats are harmed, and only stuffed animals are thrown to expectant children below amidst massive cat floats and spectators bedecked in cat costumes.

Cat Video Festival (Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA) – The internet is made of cats,  right?  We love watching their furry antics, and this festival collects the best gems from the interwebs into a night of catertainment.  We were fortunate to attend a similar spinoff in our own city, where we got to see Moshow, the cat rapper live!

Catfest (London, UK) – Panels, kittens, vegan food, videos, shops, and all things cat – what’s not to love?

Housesitting

If all else fails (or if you’re like me and just can’t get enough kitties in your life), you can also consider housesitting during your travels.  Not only do you get to come home from each day of sightseeing to a warm fuzzball, but this type of arrangement has the added bonus of free lodging!  It is by far our favorite way to travel.

We loved the time we got to spend with Jack, Mr. Purrkins (yes, really!), Bille Sox, Marvel (I loved his antics more than Aaron did), Lola, Jackson, Dimka, Captain Ahab, Zissou, Blackie, Ron, Oscar, Kedi (in Istanbul!), and Chispo, and we miss each and every one of them.

You can read more about our experiences with housesitting and other ways we save on lodging here.

Final Thoughts

As some of you might have figured out by now, I am a tad obsessed with cats.  I dearly love our two little fuzz balls at home – so much that I crocheted little minis of them out of their own fur to take traveling with us.

We’re sad we haven’t gotten to Southeast Asia yet, as we hear places like Malaysia are also quite fond of cats.  Once we do, I imagine we’ll need to update this post with a few more!

I’m always looking for new cat experiences around the world, and I can’t wait to discover new kitty havens.  Someday, perhaps I’ll even find a cat who wants to travel with us!

Check out some of our favorite worldly felines in our latest video!

Where have you found the best cat spots around the world?

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  The Top 6 #CatHotspots in the World - If you love cats as much as we do, then you'll want to check out these top cat hotspots around the world. Get your cat fix where purrs abound! #bigtinyworld #catlover #worldcats @HeyKitties Unlike dogs, cats don't usually travel very well.  So when we cat lovers are on the road, we rely on the local cat populations to get our purr fix. 

[topicprinter]

Hey - Pat from StarterStory.com here with another interview.Today's interview is with Steve Watts of Slyde Handboards, a brand that makes mini surfboards (handboards).They also had success on Shark Tank, landing a $200k investment!Some stats:Product: Handboards.Revenue/mo: $80,000Started: October 2010Location: San Clemente, CAFounders: 2Employees: 2Hello! Who are you and what are you working on?My name is Steve Watts, I am the founder and co-owner of Slyde Handboards with my wife Angela. Slyde is based of out of San Clemente, California. Handboards are little surfboards that strap to your hand that give you more lift, speed and control when bodysurfing.Handboards have been around for centuries, nobody is quite sure where or when they started, but there is evidence of the ancient polynesians using palm fronds or drift wood placed on their hands to get more speed, distance and lift when bodysurfing. A handboard is the perfect ocean toy, which allows anybody no matter their age or skill level the ability to ride a wave like a pro. Handboards are the most portable and lightweight wave riding equipment, which means you don't have to be the local pack mule when going down to the beach It is a sport that is super easy to learn and safe for kids to get comfortable in the ocean, without having the worry of a big board. As with any awesome sport it’s fun to master, plus it’s perfect for getting barreled. Our handboards allow you to take your ocean fun to the next level. We also have pro-models that are ridden by the very best bodysurfers in the world at some of the best surf breaks, like Pipeline and Waimea in Hawaii to Australia, Brazil, and beyond.Since we LLC’d the company in late 2010, Slyde has grown. We’re doubling in revenue every year. We were on Season 7 Episode 24 of Shark Tank, where we were fortunate enough to land a deal with Mark Cuban and Ashton Kutcher, who are still both very much involved in the company.What's your backstory and how did you come up with the idea?The Idea of Slyde Handboards started back on the beaches of Cape Town South Africa where I grew up. My Mother would take me and my brother down to the beach a lot to get us out the house. We spent most of the time bodyboarding or bodysurfing. We used to find all sorts of objects that we would use as a planning device to get us a little more speed and lift on the wave from frisbees to flip flops, some worked well others not so much. It wasn't until my teens that I decided to break open an old surfboard and re-use the foam to shape into a mini handheld board that would later become the very first prototypes for Slyde.I figured we were the only ones doing this, but It wasn't until I went travel surfing around the world and met other surfers and water men and women and heard their stories of growing up using all sorts of found objects like lunch trays or even making boards themselves. It was then I realized there was a possible opportunity to create a brand around this awesome growing watersport movement, as no other company was doing this.There is definitely a defined problem that we solve, in that a handboard is easy to learn, hassle free and fun to take to the beach. The idea was really born from simple enjoyment that I was having using one. It felt almost selfish to not share it with the world. It turns out I wasn't wrong, because almost immediately we started to form a community and movement as more and more people started to find out about us either online or through friends.Describe the process of designing, prototyping, and manufacturing the product.I have a degree in Product Design so my strength lies in the creative design side of the business, from the start that has been my focus. I also grew up immersed in surf culture and it was always my dream to own a surf related company. Prototyping was obviously a huge part of this company. By the time I decided to launch it, I had been prototyping for 16 years and knew exactly which shape board we were going create.We live in a very connected world these days and finding manufacturers in general was not a problem. Finding the right manufacturer was a little more tricky and we have been through 5 or 6 Manufacturers since launch. We found that in many cases the small size of the boards was actually a problem. All the equipment was designed and made for bigger surfboards and our boards are no more than 19 inches. A full length surfboard can reach 12 feet. Also, I had always had the dream to be able to create boards with beautiful graphics, but at the time the cost was very prohibitive. This forced us to look at other manufacturing capabilities. In about year 4 we stumbled on a manufacturer that made snowboards and we figured out a way to mix the manufacturing process of a snowboard with a manufacturing process of a surfboard. It took a bit of tweaking, but the result was a board with the strength and durability of a snowboard and stunning graphics. This is why we offer a lifetime warranty on all our high-end boards.My advice for finding a good manufacturer is to do your research well and inspect prototypes thoroughly for quality. Beyond that make a point to meet face to face and make sure they understand your vision for the product. Watch out for manufacturers that look like they are in it for the short term.Describe the process of launching the online store/business.Starting Slyde in 2010 was a little different than it is now. Shopify was small, Facebook was still very new and Instagram had just started the month before.I knew online was the only way to go, so I taught myself basic code and we started our initial website on Big Cartel and had to patch in a cart. We then moved over to Squarespace, finally in 2013 we moved to Shopify where we never looked back.At the time of starting Slyde I was teaching surfing in Venice Beach. I had just received my green card to stay in the country and that also allowed me to legally start a business. While teaching a student, I told him all about this awesome company I was trying to start. About 2 months later we met for dinner. He loved the concept so much that he decided to invest right there and then, without even seeing a handboard. Russell is still involved and we are good friends 8 years later.In 2011 Russell and I bought a Dodge van and made our way across the country from California to Florida to our first Surf Expo. On the way I had a lot of free time and I wrote a lot of tutorial articles and taught myself SEO and those articles, to this day have, been a huge source of free traffic for the website.For a lean startup (apart from your time) it’s a great way to get free traffic until you can afford to pay for traffic later on. Also building valuable content for your customers is really important in creating engaged visitors to your site.Since launch, what has worked to attract and retain customers?Our biggest driver of revenue has been our onsite content. We now have about a thousand blog posts and around 20 long form tutorial type articles. These have helped us grow as we are in many cases the first position in Google and Bing for most of the relevant keywords.We have also become very efficient at getting press and have been featured in New York Times, Los angeles Times, Forbes, Huffington Post and Business insider. Shark Tank was also a massive boost for us that has helped put our story on steroids.Getting a really good story written about your company takes more than an email requesting a feature, it takes (in some cases) months and even years of back and forth. It’s important to know what is important to the writer in terms of if your story fits their narrative. Remember these are people that want to write articles that will further their blog or career, so its important to do your research and cater towards their requirements to get the most articles publishedWe also started using AdWords pretty soon, initially using a fairly modest budget to cover all the keywords that the organic traffic missed. Another core ingredient, has been collecting emails. We have a very solid subscription base that we segment to filter the best possible content into the right place of the customer's email life cycle.What are some of the metrics of the business?The sport of handboarding has grown exponentially since we launched in 2010. There are now competitions across the globe in Hawaii, Brazil, Peru, United Kingdom, Chile, Japan and Australia. We have now sold boards to over 40 countries and growing every month. We have 500k visitors a year to our website. We just got our first order from Dicks Sporting Goods this month.Through starting the business, have you learned anything particularly helpful or advantageous?Starting and running a company teaches you so much on a regular basis it's hard to list them all. I think above all it teaches you a lot about yourself and what you are capable of achieving.Olympic Gold Medalist Michael Johnson once said that the hardest thing he has ever done was to start his business.As for mistakes, we have been pretty fortunate that we haven't made any really big mistakes or I guess I wouldn't be writing this. Very early on learned the lesson of gross profit margin. It was kind of a funny "Aha" moment that was also the turning point for the company to becoming more profitable. I am sure we have missed some opportunities but none I can recall as very memorable. I prefer to work hard and always be looking for the next opportunity than thinking about the one that could have been. I think in general we have been very good at taking advantage of the opportunities we have been given.I really like the concept of 80/20. I try to focus on the 20% that are going to get the most return every day. It can get tricky when you have a lot of opportunities but generally it is obvious what is going to reap the most reward for the business in the end.The best decision I made was to bring on my, then girlfriend, now wife Angela, who was instrumental in helping to take the company to the next level by getting all sorts of awesome press, including Shark Tank. Bringing her on allowed me to spend more time on the design, marketing and branding.What platform/tools do you use for your business?We have been using Shopify for around 4 or 5 years nowWe use Klaviyo for email marketing which I can't recommend enough if you want to take your list to the next level.We use Yotpo for reviews which are great however for the starter they are a little expensiveWe use a few of the Bold Apps on shopify for cross selling and easy sale set upWe use Sumome for email gatheringOne of the biggest opportunities was given to us by Mark Cuban. He offered help with optimizing our Amazon and since that, we have continued to grow exponentially on that platform.What have been the most influential books, podcasts, or other resources?For product design and development I would recommend any of Tom Kelley books particularly "The Ten Faces of Innovation". I would also recommend In the “In the Bubble” by John Thackara.For good business advice "The Immutable Laws of Branding" by Al Ries and Jack TroutAlso I really enjoyed "Story Brand" by Donald Miller.My favorite podcast are "Master of Scale" with Linkedin founder Reid Hoffman and the NPR show "How I Built This" with Guy Raz.For Practical Facebook Marketing advice look no further than "Perpetual Traffic".Advice for other entrepreneurs who want to get started or are just starting out?Starting a company is not for everyone. Being an entrepreneur seems to be a buzzword these days. The media glorifies the very few billion dollar exits and CEO’s that it almost seems easy. In reality, it takes an enormous toll on you and is exceptionally hard. Don't take the idea to start a company lightly for the most part it isn't glamorous and it's downright hard work. However, if you are willing work hard for a very long time and put everything into it the rewards are amazing.My advice for anyone starting a company is to find your "why". What makes you keep on working when any sane person would have quit. That special something that fuels your passion and drives you to never ever give up no matter how hard it is.Another one is: Keep on learning. As a small business owner you need to be the jack of all trades. If it doesn't work, find a way to make it work by teaching yourself. Google is an incredible tool. We didn't know gross margin till 2 years in so go figure.Are you looking to hire for certain positions right now?Anybody who has experience with Facebook Ads, Google AdWords and email marketing on Klaviyo.Liked this interview? Check out more founders that shared their story on StarterStory.com.

[comiconverse]

The Massive: Revisited

Due to a cut back in new comic book reading, our contributor Darryll Robson has taken to re-reading chunks of his collection. In this Revisited series he looks back at a selected run of a particular comic to see if they are still worth reading and, for newbies, if they are worth seeking out

The Massive: Revisited

Every year I tend to find a comic that I really love, one that I wait for each month and read first before any other. At the moment this is Image’s Invisible Republic, I just can’t get enough of it, But from June 2012 to December 2014 it was Dark Horse Comics’ The Massive that I fawned over.

Written entirely by Brian Wood and illustrated by a number of different people but most notably by Kristian Donaldson and Gary Brown, The Massive was a tale of ecological idealism in a world on the brink of destruction. A number of characters’ histories are explored as they try to find their place in a new, harsher world.  Running through it all is a mysterious character called Mary.

Dark Horse Presents and Opening Salvos

I initially started reading The Massive from its first issue in June 2014 unaware that it originally started in the pages of Dark Horse Presents. In issues #8 to 10 of DHP three short stories introduced some of the characters and set the scene for the rest of the series. The feel and tone of the 30 issues that were to follow was set in place in those early 8 page stories. Although the story developed over the next 30 issues the layout of Brian Wood’s narrative approach and general pacing of the stories was evident from the very beginning.

Those opening shorts were collected firstly as digital special and then reprinted in the first volume of The Massive: Black Pacific

The first Monthly issue kicked off with a story entitled Landfall: Kamchatka. Brian Wood begins his opus by throwing the reader in at the deep end. The characters are all slowly introduced aboard the Kapital with a number of different flash backs setting the scene not only for the main cast but also for the world in general.

The central relationship between Callum Israel, leader of the Ninth Wave, and Mary, his mysterious cohort, is explored by a forced separation between the two in the first issue. Callum is torn between his need for Mary and his desire to find The Massive of the title; The Massive is the main ship of The Ninth Wave and has been missing since the crash. The Crash is a yearlong sequence of events that cripple the world and change everything. Callum feels lost without both the ship and Mary but his duty to his cause and his crew draws him away, prioritising the search for The Massive.

Mary, on the other hand, is a strong, independent woman; she doesn’t think twice about heading out in the ‘zepha’ and take the fight to the pirates. She is strong-headed and appears to have no sense of fear.

The other crew members of the Kapital include idealists, students, ex black ops hitmen and a range of people lost in an unknown world. Each of the central cast gets a spot in the lime light over the course of the run. None of the characters are two dimensional or insignificant.

The Descent of Callum

One of the most captivating elements of the overall narrative is the character development of Callum Israel. Any central character should grow and hold the reader’s attention and Brian wood does this brilliantly with a number of his characters but Callum stands out; Callum is a tragic hero figure. He starts off very strong, very determined. From the moment he is introduced the reader can tell what sort of person he is; a man of principles and beliefs; a man of honour and loyalty. His determination to find his lost ship drives him but he puts his crew first, even if they can’t see that this is what he is doing. He has their best interests at heart.

Unfortunately, this all changes as the narrative progresses. The loss of The Massive, the ever increasing uncertainty brought on by the Crash, and the breakdown of morale aboard the Kapital lead Callum down a dark path that is escalated by Mary’s disappearance and his own health issues.  He is a man on the verge of a breakdown and the majority of the Massive gives the readers front seats to his downward spiral. He retreats from the people he has sworn to protect, loses sight of the reasons he started Ninth Wave, and his faith in humanity diminishes almost to nothing. Callum Israel becomes a broken man.

However, Brian Wood deals with this decline with such emotion and empathy. You root for this tragic hero from the very beginning and stand shoulder to shoulder with him at the end. You want to see him emerge victorious, even when he’s at his lowest depths and, with the cancer eating away at him, it suggests that it can only end one, terrible way.  Callum represents struggle in the face of unsurmountable odds just as Mary represents hope. But more on her in a moment.

The Megalodon Metaphor

Issue 11 is a spectacular issue. It is the second part of the Polaris Arc and is illustrated by guest artist Declan Shalvey. It is called Megalodon.

In the main story, Callum’s obsession with tracing the Massive has shut him off from the rest of the crew. Mary has turned to Lars to prepare him for stepping into the Captains position if needs be, despite Mag’s obvious seniority; Mary doesn’t trust Mag, she knows what kind of person he is and respects him for it, but doesn’t trust him. A later helicopter accident and rescue brings Lars and Mary even closer, so close in fact that she shares Callum’s secret with Lars. It is a very gripping emotional drama with a tragic end for one of the extras.

However, it is the side story that is of real interest. In the depths of the ocean an ancient beast wakes. A Megalodon has risen from the depths and is being drawn towards the shore, surrounded by a fleet of sharks. In one exciting, nerve teasing scenes, Mary leaps in the sea and touches the leviathan before swimming by its side.

Not only is the Megalodon drawn exquisitely by Shalvey, with some real menace in the prehistoric like underwater scenes, but narratively it is very interesting. The whole sequence acts like a metaphor for the larger story, for The Massive as a whole. The ancient shark represents the Crash, the Earth fighting back against Mankind and attempting to return to an early, simpler time. The scavenger sharks that follow in its wake are the human survivors desperately trying to salvage something from this unstoppable beast that has significantly altered their lives. And Mary is Ninth Wave; continuing to fight its corner while being on the side of nature. Ninth Wave, and Callum Israel especially, have found themselves alone in a vastly altered ocean but their determination is strong, they believe what they stand for is ‘right’. When Mary faces the Megalodon, when Ninth Wave face the after effects of the Crash; they stand firm and strong. And there will be some loses, some battles that can’t be won but it doesn’t alter who they are or what they have to do.

Megalodon is a superb stand-alone issue but is also a magnificent piece to the larger puzzle. It’s about Mary and Callum but more importantly, it’s about the larger narrative. It’s what The Massive is all about.

Sahara

This three-part story is my favourite arc in the entire 30 issue run. It’s part environmental drama, part Mad Max adventure and all Mary centric.

The story sees Mary away from the Kapital and traveling with an all-female security detail escorting a four-mile-long convoy of water trucks, all driven by men. There are some very strong gender politics being played in this arc. The women do the hard work, for the least pay and are expendable. In the convoys hierarchy the water is the most important, followed by the drivers (Men) and then the women. Mary however has other ideas.

Throughout all three issues the narrative is gripping and deals with some difficult issues which reflect almost too closely ideals that are still held in some areas of society today. Wood doesn’t shy away from the mistreatment of the women but he uses his central character as a way of empowering the others. He also adds to this the complication of child birth which is depicted as another trail that women have to go through. At moments it seems like a weakness but only because of forced social beliefs, in reality it’s nothing that can’t be handled and just another part of the women’s lives.

As with the other arcs in the series, one of the true highlights is the artwork. Danijel Zezeij creates tension with a series of close ups and long shots that illustrate the barrenness of the world and the character’s futures. Add to this the amazing color work of Jordie Bellaire and you get some outstanding scenes. There is a sandstorm scene which looks like it came straight out of Mad Max and a night check point sequence in issue 23 that is one of the tensest scenes in the entire run. The unease and fear from the characters is illustrated with harsh black and white visuals. This is perfect comic book story telling.

Sahara is the battle between Man and the environment and Mary is the victor of both.

Ragnarok and the End

The final six-part arc, Ragnarok, ties everything up and in ways that you probably weren’t expecting. With the end in sight it’s not surprising that they find The Massive and a number of Mary’s secrets are finally revealed but to the nature of both, well that is surprising.

The end is quite catastrophic which is befitting the story of The Crash. However, it also allows for some of the most beautiful published comic books. The combination of Wood’s script and Gary Brown’s art produces heart stopping scenes.

The Massive is a story about journeys and endings and how they don’t always link in the way that you would expect. It is character driven and beautifully illustrated by each artist that worked on it.

But is it really the end?

Probably.

Although, there was a six issue prequel mini-series, The Ninth Wave, so maybe this is a world that Brian Wood may return to in the future. If he does, I for one, will be reading.

The Massive is available in a number of collected editions. Ask your local comic book store for them. Darryll Robson is a Contributor to ComiConverse. Occasionally he remembers his Twitter account: @DarryllRobson

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