Kid Radd
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Kid Radd is a finished pixel art web comic created by Dan Miller in February 2002. It was related to the sprite comics but the sprites involved were created by the author instead of being ripped from video games. The comic's design allowed for complex animation while keeping the associated file sizes small.
The comic's plot started in observing a fictional 8-bit video game of the same name. It then began to rapidly evolve as the characters found themselves not only out of the control of the player and their programming, but in a ROM image on the Internet instead of their original cartridge. The increasingly convoluted plotline developed continuously and consistently since 2002 and the strip ended at its 601st strip on 13th of September 2004.
Kid Radd was mainly humorous, with most of the jokes coming from character interaction and the setting. The setting also lent itself to a more serious side, though, with dark introspection and small amounts of angst.
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Plot
The story involves video game characters (known as 'sprites') who, for unknown reasons, are sentient, but have a limited understanding of their reality, much less of the human one. From their point of view, humans are strange beings who amuse themselves by forcing them constantly to run through the same dangerous situations over and over again (when the games are being played; humans are unaware that the sprites are alive).
Eventually, a group of sprites named The Moderators found a way to open rifts in the ROMs that contained games, and used it to help other sprites escape their games so they could live their lives freely in the Internet, in a city called Hopetown. Radd is one of these, but he soon finds himself disenchanted with life outside of the games, as he must now do things such as work for a living.
He takes up a job working with humans (being a chatroom avatar), and receives his paycheque.
While discussing the amount earned with Bogey, he confuses the binary number system with the decimal number system and thinks he received $1000. In reality, he had only received $8 for the work he had done.
Sheena, meanwhile, had taken up a job with the Moderators. She was offered the job once she came out of the game due to the fact she was an NPC (Non-player character). Her job was to rescue sprites from games, using the Moderator's access technology.
Radd, disillusioned with his job and his life, meets a shady character down the alley next to Itty Bitty's bar, and cuts a deal where he sneaks into a game, with help from pirated source code.
Unfortunately, he took Bunny and Chick Playland to mean a game with lots of girls. So he is horrified to discover that the girls were all in Playland 2!
Radd manages to escape courtesy of his chatroom job, and is beamed back to his default location: Bogey's apartment. He then plots revenge on the sprite who sold him the access in the first place.
Radd meets the character again, and threatens to knock him to pieces. The sprite then offers him the code to Playland 2, but in reality it was a virus.
Radd then collapsed in the street, and was retrieved by Bogey... and promptly arrested once he had recovered.
Radd then was knocked out again and was forced to work as a Microsoft Office Office Assistant. Radd was very unsatisfied with this job too.
Upon a query: insert images?, Radd promptly replies to close Mi'growsoft (parody of Microsoft) Excel by tapping Alt and F4.
Sheena, meanwhile, becomes disenchanted with her job as she is afraid that non-sentient sprites may not be rescued, and the game would collapse on those particular sprites.
An ex-enemy(?) sprite, Crystal, goes to the Seer, an omniscient computer virus, and was given instructions which she kept to herself. One of the instructions involved killing Radd. She discussed this with Captain QB, but Sheena accidentally overheard as she was going to hand in her resignation notice.
Captain QB delegated the job of hiring a hitman to kill Radd Radd finds out too, and that forced him and his friends to flee Hopetown and to wander the Internet seeking some way to defeat them.
They go to see the Seer, an omniscient virus who gives them advice on beating the Moderators, and giving sprites the choice to choose their own future.
The Seer advised them to go into games and gather together an army of sprites with unusual and interesting abilities, like NPCs who can directly attack, a hero with telekinetic powers.
During a failed recruiting mission in the game Old Daedalus, Radd became immobilised by an Avacado Slime Creep (monster), and Sheena and Bogey had to go and take the Nurse from the Nurse's Station.
Characters
The protagonists and those on their side during the final battle have been titled "The Rulebreakers" by the fans. No equivalent was mentioned in the comic itself.
Kid Radd
Originally the hero of a platform-type game called Kid Radd (similar to an actual NES game called Totally Rad), Radd is a teenage boy sprite who just wants to have fun, and to kiss his 'girlfriend' Sheena, but is frustrated by circumstances. Despite this, he earnestly dedicates himself to help others and to stop the Moderators. Radd possesses the ability to fire "radd beams"- energy bursts that can damage others. He can also increase the power of the radd beam by focusing his energy- the longer he focuses, the more damage he does. In addition, Radd takes only one point of damage from ANY attack. Unfortunately, he only has four life points. He survives mostly by dodging very well. (Note that since Radd is no longer in his original game, if he were to be 'killed' he would not be revived again.)
Sheena
Originally Radd's 'girlfriend' from the KR game, where she did nothing but wait to be rescued by Radd. This annoyed her, and she was glad to be freed. She lets Radd know she's NOT interested in him as anything more than a friend (though she obviously likes him) and joins the Moderators in trying to rescue other sprites. Sheena is presented as an intelligent and concerned person, though the foolishness of people like Radd gets on her nerves occasionally. Sheena is a NPC (non-player character) who was NOT programmed to take part in battles. Therefore she cannot be harmed, but also lacks any attack powers. Later, when Sheena and Radd enter the ROM for a sequel to their game, she ends up merged with her alter-ego, who was a playable character in the game. Due to the nature of the merging, Sheena could switch between her normal invulnerable NPC self, and a Hero sprite who can attack.
Bogey
Bogey was one of the minor monsters in the KR game, a spherical plant creature with eyes, a mouth and feet (but no hands) who did nothing but walk in place waiting for Radd to touch it so he could damage him. Bogey adapted to life in Hopetown better than Radd did, and became Radd's best friend. Bogey is more savvy than Radd is, and has a secret crush on Sheena. Bogey has a 'touch of death' that damages anything he touches whether he wants it to or not, except invulnerable things like NPCs. He also has only one life point, so his friends are reluctant to let him fight.
Gnarl
Gnarl is Radd's 'Evil Older Brother' and the final Boss in the KR game. Actually he has nothing against Radd, but opposes him simply because he doesn't know what else to do with his existence. He can fire energy bursts like Radd, and can change into a larger, robotic form (with no legs).
Captain QB
A superhero-like sprite from a fighting game, QB is one of the main administrators of the Moderators. It was he who freed Radd and his friends from their game. QB is dedicated to 'doing the right thing'... even to the point of fanaticism. He has the ability to freeze people.
GI Guy
The founder and leader of the Moderators, GI Guy is also a 'Hero' type sprite from an action game. He has a grim view of existence. He looks like a soldier with a skull for a face. Like Radd, he was extensively played, so he has great powers and skills.
Crystal
A former 'monster' sprite from a Final Fantasy-like game, she existed only to be killed over and over again so the game's player could 'level-up' his playing character. As a result she's bitter against everyone. She became the second-in-command of the Moderators; after speaking with the Seer, she decided to use the Moderators to gain ultimate power. Ironically, she's a sadist, who enjoys hurting others herself. She looks like a beautiful faery.
The Seer
Originally the Doomsday Virus, a computer worm created by some hacker for the purpose of destroying all of the world's computers on the eve of the year 2000. However, after infecting all the computers, the virus achieved sentience and decided not to fulfill its programming, but instead set itself up as a seer, giving advice to others (since it literally knows everything). There is a rumor that those who follow its advice always die. Despite this, both Crystal and Radd consulted it. It appears as a floating grey eye.
Kobayashi
A "discount ninja assassin for hire" Kobayashi is another sprite who finds life outside his original game very difficult to adapt to. He was hired by the moderators to kill Radd, since he works for quite small pay. His aim, though, is extremely poor. He also has a hobby of building robot-type Bosses to use against his foes- who aren't much better in their duty than he is. Kobayashi is a rarity in the world of KR. He is not from an old, outdated video game, but a web-based game called Ninja Bash, where the player simply selected one of several ways of killing him. If the player took too long to decide, he would attack, and the game would end with a snide remark. The website that Ninja Bash was located on is a direct reference to Newgrounds, a Flash game/cartoon site aimed towards teenagers and adults.
Doctor Amp
A sprite from a puzzle game, Amp is a scientist who understands the nature of the video game universe and comes up with all manner of inventions. He was the one who invented the means to rip open ROMs for the Moderators. A nice man who is often baffled by the behavior of others. He looks like an old man with a perpetual smile on his face (he can't change his expression) and moves by flying around on a small flying saucer (he can't get off).
Joule
Amp's "daughter" from the same game, where her duty was to destroy blocks to hinder the player. She looks like an obese teenage girl in a bumblebee costume. She has a short temper, and a crush on Radd. She can fly and sting people.
Itty Bitty
Originally an 'item' shop owner in a Final Fantasy-like game, Itty runs a similar shop (also a diner and bar) in Hopetown. He's a very cheery fellow, always ready to hear about his customer's woes. He befriends and aids Radd and his friends. Although a NPC with no attack powers and invulnerability, Itty can also hold an infinite number of items and weapons. He looks like a bespectacled, obese black man, except he has no visible lower body. This is because he was designed to be seen only from behind a counter.
Several other, minor characters also appear in the strip.
External links
- Kid Radd (http://home.att.net/~miller.daniel.r/index.htm)
- the official Kid Radd Forum (http://s3.invisionfree.com/Kid_Radd_Forum/index.php)