About the Author
DOB:
October 31, 1980
Height: 6'0"
Weight: 175lbs
Blood Type: A+
Marital
Status: married
Occupation: United States Air Force
Favorite
Animes: Dragonball, Vampire Hunter D, Millenium Actress, Azumanga Daioh,
Excel Saga, Fruits Basket
Favorite
Video Games: Final Fantasy VII, Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time,
Silent Hill
Rather than give my life story here, I figure I'll just give what's relevant to Dragonball in my history.
I got to see Dragonball at a young age and Yamcha was my instant favorite. I had limited interest in DBZ when it was released here in the US, but when I'd catch it every so often, I'd always keep a look out for Yamcha. Every so often I'd read up on DBZ on the internet once I started wondering where my favorite character had gone, since his presence in DBZ was almost non-existent. After a long while of sifting through all the trash-talking, outrageous rumors, and finally discovering that all the pictures I *thought* were Yamcha were actually of Gohan in the Buu saga, I started seriously watching the show to see what was up. It wasn't until Viz started releasing the translated manga volumes that I found a reliable source of information.
Naturally, I can be rather obsessive about things, especially when it comes to something I believe should be corrected- not so much what Toriyama didn't do, but what the fan community has done. I started reading everything I could find to help me understand what was going on in the true version of Dragonball- not the dub script, or the rumors, or what some guy on some site/message board said.
With that, I decided to write a Yamcha story- one that would do his character justice. Even though I wasn't interested in the saiyans and whatnot, I watched the anime, both english and japanese to make comparisons, and I read everything I could find of the manga. I studied everything about the DB world- the battles, techniques, magic, science, timelines, gods, mythology, personas, architecture, maps, fashions- literally everything, so that I could craft and weave my new story into this fictional world flawlessly.
Four years later, I deemed my story ready to have the first issue drawn, as correcting a comic error is much more difficult than a written one. And here we are now.
Am I the final authority on all things Dragonball? No, absolutely not. Only Akira Toriyama himself is and ever will be able to say what is and isn't plausible in the world he created. However, I sincerely believe I have my act together. When I do a fan project, I would never be so disrespectful as to disregard what the original creator has established. I don't do alternate reality "what if" stories, as I see them as pointless ventures with no real clout or significance. I do everything in my power to conform the look, feel, and flow of my ideas to the canon story for both the purpose of respect and believability.
In the end though, only Toriyama's approval would give any of this true value, and I feel the fan community would be wise to keep that fact in mind about this project just as I do, and also concerning their own opinions within their fandom.
Well, I hope it all wasn't too boring. Thanks for reading. ~RMK
If you wish to
contact me, you can try the following means:
Email:
rmk@rmkworld.net
AIM: ArchangelYamcha
YahooIM:
SeraphYamcha
MSN Messenger:
zackknightblade@hotmail.com
Links to my other stuff-