Hey Poptropicans! Remember Bucky Lucas, the washed-up contest winner on Reality TV Island? Poptropica fan artist Cherry (cacaocheri) recently made a comic imagining his life after coming home from losing the game show, and with their blessing, we’d love to share it with you!
(Content warning: Contains references to alcohol.) Enjoy the comic below:
Aww, you’ll be okay, Bucky! 🥹 Speaking of comics, we’re pleased to announce that we’ve updated our Poptropica comic strip collection with better quality visuals, courtesy of HPuterpop. Enjoy all the adventures with Oliver and Jorge from our Comics page! 💥
Howdy, Poptropicanos! I’m thrilled to let you know that the entire collection of Poptropica’s graphic novel series is finally available on our Comics page for your viewing pleasure. 😄
The Poptropica graphic novel series, written by Jack Chabert (aka Max Brallier, for the first installment only) and Mitch Krpata (aka Captain Crawfish), with vibrant illustrations by Kory Merritt, takes readers on an exciting journey with Mya, Oliver, and Jorge in the magical land of Poptropica.
You might be surprised to learn that the characters from the comics, conceived by Jeff Kinney, almost became an animated series. However, while that didn’t pan out, we were gifted with the beloved graphic novel series we all adore today. Although it was intended to span 12 volumes (according to former Pop CEO, Jess Brallier, in this Q&A), only 4 were ever published.
Enough with the chit-chat, LJ. Go ahead and get right to the exciting stories by clicking on any of the links below for the volume you’d like to read!
If you’re someone who enjoys having physical copies of the series, you can easily find them for sale on Amazon. Check out the links to the listings below.
I trust this delightful news has sprinkled a bit of brightness into your day. We have a lineup of exciting posts coming your way in the next few weeks, so keep an eye out for them. In the meantime, dive into some reading—I certainly plan to! 🤓🍀
Hello again, Poptropicans! Dropping by with a few updates!
Unfortunately, the Creator’s Blog still hasn’t been active since the end of February, but there have been small updates on social media and additions — or in one case, a subtraction — to the game itself.
First, let’s show off some wonderful fan art features from the official Pop Instagram. Click the artists’ names to view the original posts!
The Creators also announced this month’s member gifts: a WhitePhantom Rogue costume, White Phantom Rogue Power that turns you partially invisible, and a White Phantom Butterfly Follower. 🦋
The ensemble is a little unusual compared to most other outfits in the game, particularly because of its monochrome color palette. Nonetheless, it’s interesting and quite refreshing!
Meanwhile, non-members and members alike can go shopping with the new rotation at Adventure Outfitters, now stocked with swords aplenty. If only these Astro-Knights came with the long-lost island itself! ⚔️
Have you been keeping up with the Daily Comics from the in-game map? After 300+ strips from the series which began its daily showings in July 2022, the comic strips have been reset. So rather than continuing on with the story, which had ended on a cliffhanger, the strips have been removed and are now being re-uploaded from the beginning. Seems like this was just another way for Pop to manufacture novelty!
Finally, long-time Poptropica CreatorJonathan Pitcher posted a couple tweets on his personal account related to his work for the game: a piece of concept art for the Multi-Tool in Steamworks Island, and compliments to pop band AJR for being his muse as he works.
There's something to AJR. Those guys never fail to help me get my creative juices flowing while I'm working on Poptropica. #AJR#poptropicapic.twitter.com/3Fjz7pO31O
So, are you about to joinamasquerade while donning your phantom costume? Will you listen to the music of the night as you work late into the days on fanart? Are you interested in going down once more into the antics of Jorge and Oliver?
Whatever you plan on doing, all I ask of you is that you think of me and the PHB team as you continue on your adventures!
Hey Poptropicans! The Poptropica comic strip is back! 🌪
Starting this week, Poptropica is posting a daily comic with one strip each day in-game, which you can access by clicking the top banner on the map. However, the PHB will do you one better: you can read ALL of these previously released strips on our Comics page! 👀
Follow along on the adventures of Oliver and Jorge as they hop from island to island trying to make their way home — outside of the wacky world of Poptropica! You might recognize these boys from the Poptropica graphic novel series, which (as the Creators’ Blog realized) is not the same as the comic strip, and actually came out after it. Mystery of the Map, the first graphic novel, just won “Best Comic” in the Poppies — and is also fully archived on our Comics page! 🌟
Speaking of the PHB’s archives, some of you may know that we saved many of the old Pop strips through the efforts of one super-fan back in 2020. Just recently, however, the rest of the missing strips have been uncovered thanks to another fan, Nezt50! 🥳 You can find these recovered comics in Part 3 in our Comics archive, involving adventures in a few worlds that seem to parallel those from the game, like the underground mole people of Crisis Caverns, years before its release.
Poptropica’s comic strips ran daily for a period of time from 2014–2016 and were available on various online platforms. They were written by Paul Gilligan and illustrated by Kory Merritt, who is also the artist for the graphic novels.
Although the comic strips ended on a cliffhanger with the boys arriving on an island of Dr. Frankensteins, there’s no indication yet of whether the story will continue. However, with over 300 strips to share, Poptropica could be posting for a while before we get to that point — though we may have our answer by this time next year! 📅
In other news, enjoy Poptropica’s latest Instagram stories. Thanks for showcasing (and visiting) the Poppies awards, Pop Creators! 🥳
Hello once again everyone! Spotted Dragon here bringing you the February recap for Community Creations. February’s theme was Comics, so be sure to check out all the featured artists!
The Super Power Island villains are taken a step further here with a Swap AU in which the villains are actually the good guys! Bashful Sword, usually a heroic popsona, is turned Mafia leader in this universe. A wonderfully intriguing story, heightened even more by a wonderfully dynamic composition! The border breaking of the panels and dynamic poses of the characters adds an excellent sense of movement to the whole page. My eyes can’t stop taking in all the little details! Find her DeviantArt here.
Cryptid Comic by Tilly Meow Jings ARSB
So… do you believe in magic? Poptropica definitely has its fair share of unexplainable supernatural phenomena, but our heroes seem to be able to handle it. I love this scene from Cryptids Island, and the comic format is perfect for it! Not only is the coloring and line art super clean, but the composition and speech bubbles add an excellent sense of flow to the panels. Find their Tumblr here.
Merlin AI Comic by BunniesNBowties (Planet-Poptropica)
Imagining Merlin as a more humanoid robot really interests me right off the bat. For this comic, a community member asked “How does Merlin AI eat his foods, especially robot mice?” I love how these panels are educational yet retain a sense of humor and playfulness. The gridded background and square speech bubbles especially add to Binary Bard’s “logical” tone. There’s great attention to detail, from the texture of the chalk to the smooth, clean coloring! Find their Tumblr here and their side blog here.
The Worldly Games by Bronze Socks & Smart Icicle
SATURDAY AFTERNOON, ON THE OUTSKIRTS OF PIGLANDIA.
Smart Icicle: Hey Bronze Socks, have you ever wondered if there is another world besides Piglandia.
Bronze Socks: I am sort of wondering the same thing. Hmmmm??
Bronze Socks picks up a clock that looked like it came from Steamworks Island but different. The clock had a purple aura around it with a note attached to it.
Bronze Socks picks up the note off the clock and reads it.
Bronze Socks: DO NOT USE! MAY END YOUR LIFE!
Smart Icicle: Well that was certainly ominous, I don’t think we should take the chance.
Bronze Socks: Are you kidding? This could be our answer to what we have been wondering about for years! Wait, what is happening to Piglandia!
Bronze Socks points to Piglandia as it starts to turn dull and gray. Bits of buildings in the town were starting to crumble…
In the plot of this short story, “two young adventurers set on a quest to find their crystal pig to restore their world, Piglandia. In order to find their crystal pig, they must compete in a series of death defying games against other infamous villains. Can the two adventurers make it and restore their world? Or will it be Game Over?” Dramatic, action-packed writing like this is certainly a huge part of the world of comics! With a dash of Squid Game and a whole lot of Poptropica, it’s quite the exciting read. And I love the spirit of collaboration between these two authors! Keep reading their story on DeviantArt.
The Adventures of Ruby (Part 2) by PegaKid (Muddy Kid)
This cute comic strip makes me super reminiscent of playing Poptropica as a younger kid. And this is just part 2 in a whole series of adventures! The project is very ambitious and clearly fits our comic theme. I love the hard work put into this story and the engaging format of panels and speech bubbles. In fact, Muddy Kid’s story is featured in a series of Creators’ Blog guest posts, where you can catch up and read from the beginning.
Honorable Mentions
Silver Sorceress by Pink CrushTime Traveler by Pink CrushBabysitting by sleepybikerThe Poptastic 4 by Bronze Socks and Smart IciclePop Comic Craze by Lucky Joker
You guys submitted real page-turners this month! I wonder what action-packed artwork awaits us next month issue?
March: How Do I Participate?
Community Creations is a cool series for anyone in the Poptropica community to join in on. To sum up what it’s about, it’s basically a chance to show off your artwork, creepy fan-fics, Pop clubhouses, costumes, and anything else that pops into your mind.
If we really like the piece you submit, we will feature it here on the PHB! As long as it relates to that month’s theme. So what is March’s theme? March’s theme is…
💚🍀 Going Green! 🍀💚
I don’t know about you guys, but when I think of March, I think of the color green. St. Patrick’s Day being a big reason for that! But when I think of something “green” I don’t just think of the color, I also think of being environmentally friendly.
So for this month, I challenge you guys to “go green!” That could mean making something totally monochromatic with green colors, OR it could have all the colors of the rainbow but be centered around the environment. It doesn’t have to be both, but it certainly could be!
Maybe draw your favorite green-themed Poptropicans, like Speeding Spike or Sir Cador the Astro-Knight! Perhaps write a fan fiction about your Popsona getting really lucky on St. Patrick’s day and a villain getting green with envy. Or design your own IRL Poptropica art using recycled materials? Maybe take a crack at both challenges and draw an environmental scene from Twisted Thicket! It’s all up to you.
Enchanted caverns (Twisted Thicket Island)
Submit: Comment below with a link to whatever you’ve created, email it to the PHB team on our Contact page, OR share it with me (SydVC aka Spotted Dragon) on DeviantArt, Twitter, Tumblr, or Discord.
Results: Next month, I will feature 5 submissions that stood out to me the most as well as some honorable mentions.
Limitations: Just make sure you relate to both the theme and Poptropica (and nothing NSFW or otherwise inappropriate).
Due Date: I will take any entries before the end of this month. Submit as many things as you’d like!
I will be sure to let you know I have seen your creation. While quality counts, I’m mainly looking for something to simply catch my eye, so don’t be afraid to join in!
So what are you waiting for? Go make something awesome!
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