MECHO_014: emulation (Patreon)

In today's strip, shit gets real. Also, I think at this point I should mention that I don't usually draw robots. I grew up on G1 Transformers so long ago that they were just called Transformers. You didn't need specification because there were no other Transformers series, unless you count Go-Bots, which nobody does because Go-Bots are stupid.

Anyway, my point is that detailed mechs aren't my thing artistically for the same reason vehicles aren't. There are just too many straight lines and rigid angles and interlocking parts that all need to make logical sense. I just recently tried to draw some Voltron parody and scrapped it because trying to draw it properly was a pain, and trying to adapt it to my style just made it look lazy and rushed. Mecho works for me because I made him little and round and expressive. 

When I draw him doing crazy robot things like in this strip, I can pepper it with metallic shading and little details like panels and rivets. But the actual workings of Mecho are pure cartoon nonsense. His insides are apparently just handfuls of gears. If I had to compare him to a cartoon from the 80s, it wouldn't be Transformers, it would be Inspector Gadget. You don't worry about how a helicopter fits in his hat. It's all about intent.