It's Brawlin' Time!

After over 2 years waiting, I finally got my hands on a copy of Super Smash Bros. Brawl! I'll gush later, but for now I need your help.

If you have Brawl, & would like to VS. me, Michael J. Ruocco, in a match or two through Wi-Fi Play, email me by clicking on the link in my profile & we can transfer friend codes.

Can you kick my ass? We'll have to wait & see for ourselves!

How I Became a Deviant...

No, no... I didn't smuggle drugs across the border or caused any sort of trouble to the establishment. I set up an account on deviantart.com, a big art showcasing site.

A few of my SVA friends, Chris Niosi & Chris Zito (a lot of Chris' around here) influenced me to start an account on deviantart, where they post a lot of their artwork, cartoons & gags up for all to see. Even though For the Birds is my #1 place to show my stuff, I thought "Why not?" & set up an account there.

From what I've seen & experienced so far, it happens to be a pretty nice site. From now on, everything I post here will eventually be put up there, too.

& for my first "deviation" (& my first posted art of 2008), I put up this:

Chris Zito (the guy I mentioned above) has asked a bunch of his collegues, friends & other deviants on deviantart to submit artwork relating to the upcoming, highly-anticipated game Super Smash Bros. Brawl for the Wii. He's taking all the submissions sent to him & posting them up in a big collage-like thing on his page. You can check out what he's got so far HERE.

He asked to include a character from a SSB game, an item from any of those games & a character to represent yourself. So, I drew Donkey Kong with one of his barrels nearly slamming a fowl version of me into submission. It's basically Steve-O with hair, glasses & clothes. I rushed everything: the drawing, inking, scanning & coloring. Either way, I'm satisfied with what finally came out.

Anyway, make sure to check out my deviantart page once in a while, & while you're at it, check out Chris Niosi's & Chris Zito's pages too! There will also be a link to my profile in the links column.

More to come soon!

First Week at SVA

I'm BAAAAAAAACCCCCCCKKKKK!

I survived Orientation Week, so now I can live to tell the tale:

On Sunday, I waited in line to move into my dorm on E 23rd St. It was like waiting at the deli counter in a supermarket: you get a number & wait 'til it's called. I was #91. LOOOOONG wait.

So I finally get in, & I finally meet my roommates. They're all really great guys (& talented to boot).

Luckily for myself, I wasn't stuck with a bunk bed. I was the only one with a single bed.

I ate pretty well this past week. No ramen noodles & PopTarts for me!

I'm glad that we all share some interests. Two of my roommates are huge fans of Super Smash Bros. like I am. We played a few rounds throughout the week, & we're all equally matched (well...almost). I look forward to have them as my first battlers once Brawl comes out!

When not strolling the area, eating or going to Orientation-related gatherings, I just sat on my bed & drew. New ideas & storylines popped in my head while listening to the work of Bach, Beethoven, Billy Joel & Bob Seger.

Some things didn't have to make sense...

...& I got a fantastic view outside my bedside window.

In less than a week's time, I learned to live in my new surroundings, made new friends, seen new things, & began to know my way around the labyrinth that is the Big Apple.

& that's just Orientation week! I'll be starting classes on Tuesday. & don't worry, the computer is coming back with me this time!

***By the way, I've got a HUGE surprise in store for the next few posts. You shouldn't miss 'em, loyal blog fans! See you tomorrow!***

Super Smash Doodles

To continue from Wednesday's post (sort of), here's a random page full of quick, Smash-related doodles I shelled out. Enough crap, clutter, cross-outs & complete cartoon carnage to make your brains dribble out your ears.

Surprisingly, Pikachu is the hardest character to draw. One wrong move & he's fat, or thin, or constipated. Kirby is no picnic either.

Samus is a little tough, but it's better off keeping her simple than to draw all those detailed lines & curves & make her into a giant, scribbly person-shaped ball of dryer lint . Same with Bowser, Wario & Pit. I like to keep the details to a minimum, so you're eyes don't get to distracted by all the clutter. Less is more in my book.


The only drawing here I'm really proud of is Mario's head in the top right corner. To me, it's the closest thing to Mario himself, instead of a demented, beaten incarnation of him like the one throwing the Koopa shell below him. Shameful, shameful.

More to come soon. Remember to comment!

Donkey Kong & Yoshi: A Life-Long Rivalry?

As some people might know, I'm a HUGE fan of the Super Smash Bros. series. The thought of beating the crap outta my favorite childhood characters with baseball bats, guns & explosives just makes my heart all aflutter. Nothings more satisfying than sending Jigglypuff careening through the stratosphere with a well-delivered uppercut by Mario. & I can't wait for Super Smash Bros. Brawl to come out in December.

Recently I discovered this picture on the game's website:

I have no clue what this picture is supposed to suggest, but the cogs & wheels in my head began to turn...

I imagined a long-lived rivalry between the two. Almost like they've been at each other's throats ever since they first laid eyes on each other. Yoshi had to carry a certain heavy Italian man for games at a time, & that probably left a heavy burden on his subconscious mind as well as his aching back. & DK, being a supposed territorial gorilla, would find it intruding if Yoshi took his secret dream a little too far into his personal space. Punches would be thrown, tongues would flail, hurtful things said... it would get a little out of hand.

Then it came to me... it's in their ANCESTRY! Ever see King Kong? It's living proof that dinosaurs & apes have fought each other countless times in the past. It's like dogs & cats... except with simians & reptiles. Lizards & Monkeys just don't get along.

While thinking this retarded crap up in my head, my hands were busy shelling out these quick sketches.

Yeeck! Dino spit! Well, better the attic than the basement.

See ya next time!