tJY: Halobabies.net recently moved to a new server. How are things working out for you there?
Gruntsbane: So far, so good. Absolutely no problems and the new web design is fantastic.mrsmiley: Bandwidth was a huge issue for Halo Babies early on. The comic just got too popular too fast, and the site couldn’t handle the traffic! HBN sucked up its 25GB monthly bandwidth allotment in about 2 weeks on more than one occasion. I just randomly ran into another member of Bungie.net, by the nickname of Gholsbane (James Wheare). To make a long story short, he decided to make a completely new Halo Babies site from scratch - all I had to do was find (and purchase) server space somewhere!
We both searched for the best web host with the best plan, and landed on dreamhost.com. This place rocks! HBN currently pushes out over 1 GB of bandwidth every day without any problem. Between that, and about 25 times the amount of server space than what we had before, the new HBN is very stable, and very accommodating!
tJY: There's a lot more to Halo Babies than just comics; there is a myriad of other artwork including sketches, desktops, and fan art. What's next for Halo Babies?
Gruntsbane: I would like to make more desktops and there's always that Bungie.net theme that was held up by the site redesign. I also would like to try translating some of the characters into 3-D and make some short animations.
mrsmiley: A hand-drawn, Halo Babies feature -length film! Coming, June 2035!
Well as far as the art goes, how this site progresses is up to Joel. He already released a hand-drawn animated short, and I hear he has some Halo Babies: 3-D plans, but stayed tuned. Now me on the other hand…
Ever since HBN was created, I get e-mails all the time from fans asking when we will have merchandise available to purchase. I have been really looking into this, and Joel and I have already thrown around some t-shirt prototype ideas. Hell, I even called Lorraine McLees at her Bungie office and chatted for quite a bit one night. Obviously, the main issue is copyright infringements, which are a real pain, but I really don’t want to tangle with Microsoft! There are always ways around these things though, and I intend to find those ways.
tJY: Do you have anything else that you'd like to say about Halo Babies or the Halo community in general?
Gruntsbane: It's been surprising how the site has taken off and I'm glad that so many people like it. We'll be around at least until Halo 2 comes out, then we'll have to see how much time I have when I'm not on Xbox Live!
mrsmiley: Can you feel the love? I can! HaloBabies.net has received nothing but love from the Halo community ever since we launched last June! I don’t just mean financially. Joel and I both receive encouragement in the form of e-mails, messages, and love letters all the time from fans of the comic. It is really the fans that keep me doing my thing on HBN, and I can’t thank you all enough! Also, big props to The-Junkyard for being the first site (aside from HBO) to support the comic! I love you Ryan! (Strictly paternal, of course!)
tJY: On behalf of the Junkyard, I'd like to thank you guys for taking part in this interview. Now get back to work!
Gruntsbane: Thanks for the interview, those were some great questions!
mrsmiley: Thank YOU! Glad to be of service!
Final Thoughts:
If you've ever wondered what went into creating a "simple comic strip", well, now you know. You'll definitely want to check out the latest Halobabies comic and the latest desktop that have been posted up.
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