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Added 07-08/2001 and 09-10/2001

Jumping ahead into 1999 with the second comic featuring Space Port! Page 1 Page 2 Page 3 Page 4 Self-destruct button I've been doing some housecleaning in the Brickshelf folder, so here's links to the two and a half comics we have that come right after this one: Page 1 Page 2 Page 3 Page 4 Page 1 Page 2 Page 1 Page 2 Page 3 Page 4

Added 5-6/99,1-2/00, 3-4/99, 11-12/00 to my post above.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yg2u_De8j5o

Yup. demo video:

It's interesting how the responses over on Eurobricks are very different to the majority of responses here. On the linked EB topic, someone mentioned Maggie having new legs. Is this true? I can't tell from the image.

Let's see how Egotistical Firefighter feels about the forest fire. Page 1 Page 2 Page 3 Page 4 As you may note, the middle two pages are from a while ago. EDIT: Looks like we may be treated to some continuity next issue, judging by what Johnny Thunder says. Page 1 Page 2 Page 3 Page 4

I may know little about crocodilia but that looks more like a green alligator than a white one to me.

BUT WAIT, THERE'S MORE! The house looks great, and so does the car, but the fact that TLG has gone so low... I mean, why didn't the DeLorean get this kind of special treatment??? The only reason I'd buy this set is for the house. They should make a good CITY house instead of this. Now I'm ranting so I'll just leave this here: Sources: http://www.groovebricks.com/images-of-the-interior-of-the-lego-simpsons-house/

Ah, well, what to say about this? The existence of a "Simpsons" theme perturbs me, as it seems the result of hypocrisy on the part of Lego. Mind you, I have never watched the show, but it does have a reputation for containing "adult" (or as the RRU guidelines put it, "not safe for work") content. Indeed, the heated debate(s) that have occurred as a a result of the announcement of this theme seem to confirm this reputation, with those many of those defending the theme admitting it, arguing that it will not lead children to watch the show or arguing that the violence of franchises such as Star Wars and Lord of the Rings is much worse. Mind you, I don't expect Lego to conform to what I consider appropriate, but I do expect it to adhere to its own guidelines. I would respect the production of this theme if Lego formally changed its guidelines, provided that the change seemed sincere. However, these guidelines have not been formally changed, and Lego has been pointing to them constantly over the past few years in regards to Cuusoo. In fact, a Lego Simpsons project on Cuusoo was deleted for not following the guidelines. So, what Lego is doing seems the equivalent of the old sitcom trope of parents chastising one of their children for lying, only to tell a falsehood to get out of a bridge game, or some such appointment. If Lego does not respects its guidlines, what do they mean? But, enough ranting. On to the actual set: It's not abominable, though given the size it seems to lack much "bang for its buck." I would imagine that a set presumably costing well over $200 would be something spectacular, something that a lesser piece count could simply not do justice. This set however, seems simply an enlarged (perhaps bloated) and grandiose version of something that I would happily buy with less than a thousand pieces. It doesn't even seem that much more impressive for all its size. Granted, it's not bad, just impractical. That said, the design seems decent, with coloring and structure that it are easy on the eyes. The car does seem a bit gaudy and awkward, but the picture on the back of the box shows it in a more favorable light. The minifigures have been one of the most controversial aspects of this theme, with many complaining about the over-sized heads. While they do seem a bit odd at first, I think they are still an adequate design, especially given that they portray cartoon characters. What bothers me most about them is the cynical expressions that all save the baby and Flanders possess. They may be accurate to the television characters, but they are nonetheless rather unpleasant. All in all, not a set I would feel compelled to buy, though given the overwhelmingly positive reaction on Brickset I suspect that I am in a minority. Indeed, it seems that even those who are not Simpsons fans want to buy the set and use it for normal minifigures. On a side note I should like to ask why Lego thinks that this theme will be particularly profitable. While, as I noted above, the house has garnered mostly positive reactions, it has the appeal of size that most other potential sets in the theme would lack. The theme may be profitable, but it hardly seems that it will be profitable enough to justify the controversy surrounding its very existence. Simpsons merchandise used to be quite common, but the last major wave of merchandise for the franchise that I can recall accompanied the release of the Simpsons movie in 2007. The appeal of such products seems to have died down since then. I may be mistaken, of course. I suppose that it is also possible that the Simpsons has a huge following outside of the United States.

Nice to see a classic lego game on a tablet! I own a windows 8.1 tablet , and I just tried LOCO on it. It works very well with touch controls.

Prologue Every day is a new adventure. Every breath we take could potentially send us right into the void of space and time, to a realm far beyond human understands where all has happened becomes irrelevant, and all that will happen has no meaning. In a single millisecond, so many variables change that we are the sum of billions of calculations a minute, riding a giant rock flying through the vast and dark coldness of space. And yet, to be human is to forget yourself in the moment, and focus on only what's important. What a great thing none of us are human. Chapter One - The Cycle RRU Corp. A giant civilisation under the guise of a "business" within its own state of Australia. Leading provider of data solutions. Antique collecting and restorations. Loony bin for the criminally insane. Having the great privilege of working there is like being handed the keys to a zoo, only too find out that you're working with a pack of monkeys; insanity breeds. Thankfully, insanity is one of the great commodities traded within RRU Corp, among other meaningless properties. Labels have no meaning when everything starts burning. My name is McJobless, and most of those fires are caused by me. Recently promoted to Editor, and renown for being the main generator for RRU's second most precious resource; flames. I dish it out hard and fast. It's the only way to survive amongst the constant rage of RRU's giant wheels that are the rest of the community. Of course, some might disagree, but we can cover them later. Every day starts the same way; the new kids on the block run one step in the wrong direction, and the flood of alarm bells ring. Waking up is a slow, annoying process, especially considering how heavily wasted I usually get every night. Sometimes it's the only way to get past every horrible action that goes on in the seedy underbelly. My room is nothing particularly fancy; a simple desk setup with a bed nearby, some drawings on the wall and computer parts scattered everywhere. It's not uncommon to find the occasional missing LEGO brick right where you least want it; under your foot. Organisation and cleanliness are the least of my concerns, though, and especially after clearing away the entire hanger that used to occupy my floor, things have become increasingly more simple and slow-going; a side-effect of maturation, no doubt. Entering the elevator, one can always be greeted with a few "friendly" greetings from other employees; if Joe decides to wake up, he's usually touchy-feely, to the detriment of Zeph. Antillies sits in the back, waiting for somebody to mess up before he slams them with a bout of logic and common sense, something lacking in the RRU commodity pool. Jamesster tends to be fairly useless, having spent most of the night before devoting his little sanity left into producing a parody that will rip the world apart. Alcom is Alcom. Other members sometimes come and go, but the classics seem to stand far above the crowd, none moreso than Cirevam the Omnipotent; likely due to some ancient ritual he performed after being ordained by the now-retired Cyrem. We ride that single elevator down to Level 2, the main working level. The atmosphere in this level is mostly oxygen, but occasionally somebody'll pump something a little more potent into the mix, just to see the results. The space itself is fairly open, with each person regularly swapping desks in favour of one day finding the "perfect spot". Considering that the RRU building is more like Howl's Moving Castle than a stationary thing built to purpose, it's unlikely one would ever keep such a spot for longer than the time it took to claim they found it. We all get on with out work, which mostly consists of file research, posting, moderation and so on. A pretty relaxed day of work, if you're not me. Of course, by this time, eyes are all staring at me; the regular members are ready to see the most exciting thing that'll happen all day, the moderators are standing-by with hammers and first-aid kits in case the fire rises, and Cirevam sits in shadow, deciding on what side-burn wax would suit him best. Frankly, he's got better things to do than deal with petty online arguments. Justice is swift, and a flood of animated images tends to shut the new kids up fast. They work on Level 1 for protection, away from the majority of the other members who openly celebrate every tiny victory over the League of Mind-Numbing-Failures. Most of them don't survive long; the shock of being hit by a wall of fire tends to send most of them away. Some braves souls fight back, but it doesn't last long. Needless to say, I've done this for a long time. The mornings pass quickly after that. Inactivity is regularity. Most of the day's work is done within the first few hours, and the rest are spent partying or organising raid parties on places such as LNA. It's easy to pick on those who make themselves targets. The hours pass by. Addict pops in with his Linux-for-Life speeches, and others listen in trance, wondering what would be good for lunch. It's not uncommon for science discussions to rage, alongside just about any other topic; just be careful on what you say, though. There's many a sore point between members, such as telling Antilles about why Breaking Bad is better than Game of Thrones, or telling Le that he sounds exactly like Spongebob, to the point where one might actually think he is the voice actor. Eventually, many head back up to their levels and sleep. Some are in the barracks, others have purchased real estate. It's not much, but it's home, and with an interest rate of 1000%+ (courtesy of the Imperial Bank), you better damn well like it. The rent is expensive, but it's better than being lost in an eternal loop of pitch-black space. Most days run like this; a cosmic cycle that never breaks, except when things go to their absolute worse. Unfortunately, that happens quite regularly, and the moderators have a code for it. "Drama." Little did I know that the next day, I would be dragged right into the bloody middle of it. Welcome to RRU.

The finalized version of the next LEGO Cuusoo set, the NASA Mars Science Laboratory Curiosity Rover, has been revealed over at the official LEGO Cuusoo blog. There's multiple pictures of the model, box art, and creator of the LEGO Cuusoo project (Stephen Pakbaz, a mechanical engineer who worked on the real rover) building the set. Check it out! Sources: Official LEGO Cuusoo Blog

This is to poorly written LEGO fan fiction as Legos in Space: The Game is to poorly designed LEGO fan games. It's not specifically targeting anything or anyone, and most certainly not mean spirited, it's just poking fun at the whole of it - including things I've created, like that video, and some certain audio tapes which shall never be released. ;P