news { affiliates }

You CAN has Recon... in 2009 | mrsmiley { October 09, 2008 }

Put down your fake plastic guitar, and check out Bungie's next project. NOW.

New Bungie Teaser + Analysis! | mrsmiley { September 25, 2008 }

Bungie released a teaser for their new project this morning (if you haven't seen it yet, shame on you!). To follow this, Maj Williams of GruntsRUs.com just posted a FANTASTIC frame-by-frame analysis of the video.

You can also discuss the video on this post in our forums!

Update: And if you're looking for a slightly different take (but without pretty pictures) check out Jordan 117's frame-by-frame here.

Happy Bungie Day! | mrsmiley { July 07, 2008 }

Join in on the festivities and head on over to Bungie.net for information on FREE STUFF! As in: a dashboard theme, gamer pics, and a FREE NEW MAP (to be available hopefully later today on XBL). W00T! I <3 Bungie. :D

Also, the Spetagon Gazette released a special Bungie Day Issue. Check it out all the BDay goodness!

Also, bs angel posted a HUGE Bungie <3 letter over at HawtyMcBloggy. Its pretty incredible, and worth the read. I even offered a few of my own words. :)

The Septagon Gazette: Flagship Issue! | mrsmiley { June 10, 2008 }

June 8th marks the day of something great in the Bungie community: The Septagon Gazette. Scruss and Just Another Fan collaborated to bring a self proclaimed "bathroom reader" to the Bungie fans. Basically, it's a the equivalent of those gossip rags you see at the checkout of a grocery store, but for Halo!

I think this is a fantastic idea, and will be offering my own services if needed. From what I'm told, the "mag" will include interviews, comics, and other interesting articles as the project progresses. All with loving sarcasm and whim I'm sure. Go give it a look, and leave some feedback!

You can tell the kind of humor involved in this publication by the image to the right. Classic.

Arby n the Chief: The Movie | mrsmiley { May 26, 2008 }

Rather than his normal episodes, Digital Ph33r just released a rather epic 2-part Arby n the Chief movie! It's pretty awesome, and definitely worth a watch. It clocks in at about 30 minutes, so sit back, relax, and prepare for some EPIC LAWLS!!!

Arby n the Chief: The Movie

Goodbye Frankie | mrsmiley { May 17, 2008 }

In yesterdays Bungie weekly update, the beloved Frank O'Conner announced that he is moving on from Bungie. I must say, this one ranks up there with Matt Soell on my sad-o-meter. Both of these guys were true gentlemen, who not only cared about the community, but provided fresh ideas and insight on Bungie and it's inter workings. I know Frankie will be dearly missed.

Here's pouring out a bottle of Halo fuel to you Frankie.

Another Halo Comic Strip Hits 100! | mrsmiley { May 15, 2008 }

ZZoMBiE13 posted his 100th strip today. I won't lie, I'm feeling all warm and fuzzy after reading the first panel. Looks like he's taking a much deserved break for a while. I know first-hand... this is important to a comic artist! I hope you get plenty of rest buddy, we'll be behind you when you come back! :)

The Hushed Casket has been opened | mrsmiley { April 02, 2008 }

There is a nice couple page update over at Halo Comic. VERY nice stuff as always. I wish this series progressed faster, cuz it looks so good! Of course, artwork of that quality takes time. Go give it a look. :)

It's a Wonderful Live | mrsmiley { March 26, 2008 }

Digital Ph33r launched a brand new machinima series this month, and it strikes a very personal (and hilarious) note. It's sort of a reality series of sorts, that documents his personal experiences on Xbox Live since his jump to internet fame.

There are currently two episodes, and both them had me cracking up!
A quick warning: both episodes (and pretty much all of Ph33r's videos) contain strong language.

- Episode 1

- Episode 2

Halo Comic: The Fan-Made Halo Graphic Novel | mrsmiley { March 14, 2008 }

I've already gotten a few responses to my invite to Halo comic artists who want to affiliate with HBN, and this is by far the most awesome out of all of them... and possibly just in general! A fellow by the name of Dan Baker has just started a new project, simply named: Halo Comic. Check it out now, or read on for more info!

According to the artists, this series "follows the original plot line, and is done in the professional style: pencil, ink, scan, digital paint, digital lettering, graphic design." I couldn't agree more, with how professional this series looks! Bungie, you guys see this!?

You can read all about his reasons for starting this project in the design notes section of the site. I dare say he gives some pretty good reasons to embark on such a lofty goal! I'll be posting updates here and there, so check HBN, or bookmark Halo Comic for future updates! As dan puts it:

"...unless Bungie asks me to stop or finds someone who can actually give us a GOOD Halo comic, I'm in this for the long haul, so keep watching!"

I R F4MUS!!1 | mrsmiley { March 06, 2008 }

For some reason, ZZoMBiE13 decided to use my sexy mug in this week's AHC strip! Considering the news post below this one, it really is an honor to be in this with Stuntmutt... too bad I'm a big jerk to him! ;) It's very funny so be sure to go check it out if you haven't already!

Goodbye One One Se7en... *sniff* | mrsmiley { March 06, 2008 }

Stuntmutt made a very emotional (at least to me) announcement with strip #777 a couple days ago. If you haven't already seen it (I know this is a tad late!), go check it out. Halo Babies has always been a friend of Stuntmutt and One One Se7en. I'm really gonna miss the classic weekly Halo entertainment in the form of cheesy puns and copy+paste brilliance... but after all these years I really do think deserves a nice long retirement!

(read on for more sentimental gibberish, and a look back at his Halo Babies guest strips!)

One One Se7en started in April, 2003, and immediately became a hit with it's off-the-wall simple humor and MSPaint-style artwork. It inspired many other Halo comics, and continues to do so to this day! Stuntmutt set the standard in releasing weekly comics that were consistently funny and timely. It goes to prove that there is practically a limitless amount of fun to be had with Halo, Bungie, the community, etc. Stuntmutt's strips covered a huge range of topics and ideas from these themes and beyond.

Halo Babies was released a few months after One One Se7en, and being among the first halo-based strips out there, I always felt a sort of kinship with the series. For those that don't know, Stuntmutt stepped in a few times during a time when Grunstbane was gone to fill in a few Halo Babies strips! Although at the moment our Halo Babies strip archive is down, you can get to those two strips directly here and here.

He is truly one of the most well-known names in the Halo community, and I can't imagine the hours of work, and the strain on his fingers from constant ctrl+c and ctrl+v use. Our deepest thanks and prayers go to you and your new family member, Stuntmutt! If you're ever in California, look me up and I'll buy you a pint. :D

Halo Babies on "Inside Halo" Episode 7 | mrsmiley { March 04, 2008 }

I'm only mentioning this because it's my favorite Halo news show ever (albeit it's pretty much the only Halo new show...)! Because of our in-depth interview with DigitalPh33r (Arby n the Chief, Master Chief Sucks at Halo, Deus Ex Machina, etc), we were plugged at the beginning of the increasingly famous Halo show! Good times.

Working Class Halo has been... working | mrsmiley { February 29, 2008 }

The boys over at WorkingClassHalo.com have been keeping themselves busy since we last mentioned them. There are three new comic issues out (yes, they are actually issues, not just individual strips!), as well as a video section, and some other cool stuff. They do a really great job in stylizing these H3 screenshots to really look like a modern comic series. Kudos!

New Comic Series: Working Class Halo | mrsmiley { February 02, 2008 }

WorkingClassHalo.com brings a very unique kind of comic to the table. As explained to me by the founder, Doubleshot Mike, they basically play Halo 3 online, then go back and turn the match into a comic strip. Because of the high-quality screenshots and great editing, this could turn out to be a pretty sweet series. There are have been 2 "episodes" released so far (each comic is more than one page), so be sure to swing by the site and check them out!

Larry Cameo | mrsmiley { January 29, 2008 }

It turns out the Larry the Marine is getting around these days (no, not like that!) He makes a stand-in appearance in today's Another Halo Comic Strip episode! This is an awesome series, so be sure to check the rest out after looking at today's. :)

The Symbol Life | mrsmiley { August 06, 2005 }

You've got to check out this fresh new webcomic by long-time HBN forum-goer, Murph MacManus! Murph recently informed me that he has been using his LiveJournal account as a hub for a clever new web comic series that revolves around the use of "symbol people" (you know, the kind you see on restroom signs?).

The strips are not all entirely Halo related, but many do relate to gaming. I think this one is one of the funniest so far - it had me rolling! Be sure to swing by the main page and tell Murph what you think! It's an honor to see one of the original members of this community striking off on his own webcomic endeavor. The best of luck to you!

H2Press Toolbar | mrsmiley { June 09, 2005 }

I may be a bit late on this news, but H2Press has recently released an awesome Halo Toolbar for Internet Explorer. The H2Press toolbar features an RSS news ticker from both HBO and this site, as well as quick links to Bungie.net, HaloBabies.net, Redvsblue.com, and more! The FireFox version is coming out in August, but for all you IE users, download the toolbar here! (This toolbar is COMPLETELY spam free, so no worries!) H2Press has also been added to our affiliates page!

Got a comic? Get a site! | mrsmiley { April 14, 2005 }

Akba and Boxer of AIDComics.com have extended a hand of generosity to all you aspiring webcomic artists out there. They are offering free hosting for your online strip! I had a brief chat with akba, and he tells me they have a top-notch programmer working on the site, and that he plans on there being plenty of admin options for members, as well as your own subdomain! The site is currently under construction, but definitly give it a look, and get your comic submitted early!

Pampers Purchases the Buttsock! | mrsmiley { April 01, 2005 }

About 2 months ago a marketing representative from Proctor & Gamble somehow stumbled upon our website, and was delighted by our second comic. After about a month and a half of business exchanges and licensing, we are proud to announce this site's first breakthrough into the retail market!

[click to enlarge]

That's right, Pampers has bought the rights to use our "Buttsock Marine" as the logo for their newest line of baby diapers! Why would a diaper company want a baby marine as their product logo? We asked the same question. Here's what Pampers marketing director, Yvonne Solbein, had to say:

"Over the last five years, male parenting has increased quite dramatically in Germany, and many other countries in Europe. We recognize that "cute and cuddly" may not always be the first thing on a father's mind as he walks the diaper isle. With a simple name like "Buttsock," and a soldier on the package, we believe this product will appeal to both sexes, and in turn create a bigger market for our products."

Joel and I decided not to argue, and anxiously jumped into the business process. Starting towards the end of this month, Pampers Buttsocks" will hit the market in Germany. If they go over well, they will start being released in other Europian countries, and eventually America! (At least that's what we've been told.)

Joel and I were hoping HaloBabies would catch on... but like this? Who would have guessed? So for those of you who live in Germany, check the diaper isle in a few weeks, and get yourself some Pampers Buttsocks"!

Joel and I are not allowed to reveal the financial benefits of this business action, so please do not ask.

UPDATE: I just wanted to give a special thanks to Menace for giving me the idea for this April Fools joke over a year ago!

The CJ Way | mrsmiley { February 25, 2005 }

In the theme of finding lesser known Bungie folk and bringing them to the light, cmwak1 of MSXL just posted an interview with Bungie's CJ Cowen! This interview is a very good read, so be sure to check it out!

Finding Our Soell | mrsmiley { February 04, 2005 }

An exclusive interview with Bungie community legend, Matt Soell. Need I say more? Check it out at MSXL.

Halo4U Being Sold | mrsmiley { February 03, 2005 }

For anyone interested in a good investment, Scott is selling his website, halo4u to the highest bidder. He is not selling a domain, but the actual site itself! The layout, design, and all the content! This is a well put together website, that is loaded with cool stuff. If you have the funds, he will hand over the password and username of the server, giving you instant access. He has a been a supporter of Halo Babies, so I said I would return the favor by letting people know of his situation. the bidding is currently at $50, but i'm sure it will go up. Check out the site for more info. Send him an e-mail if you're interested! HALO4U(AT)gmail.com

Dream On! | mrsmiley { December 03, 2004 }

I just had to post something today about our current webhost. THEY. ROCK. Ever since we got plugged in Halo 2's credits, I have been paying for going over our bandwidth every month. We were alloted 64GB a month, which I thought would be fine! Not so. Well, all that to say, DreamHost just tripled the bandwidth for all their plans... FOR FREE! We now have almost 200GB of bandwidth to serve, with no worries in the world! If you guys are planning on building a new website, go with Dreamhost. Right now they have some insane deals going on, so be sure to check them out! (If you do decide to go with them, be sure to us "mr_smiley" as a referrer!)

Grunt Brigade is Back! | mrsmiley { November 28, 2004 }

And looking better than ever! The old site design was scrapped, and a new, much simpler one, is up now up and running (some links still don't work, though) along with an awesome new strip! It looks like Justin may be going more serious with these, and it's a great start!

HBN in Halo 2's credits! | mrsmiley { November 10, 2004 }

I just received an e-mail from ripper714, informing me that this site made it into Halo 2's credits at the end of the game! I have not confirmed this, since I have yet to beat the game yet (damn legendary!), but apparently there were a bunch of fan sites listed at the end. Pretty sweet! No wonder we got over 10,000 hits yesterday! ;P

Mark VI? | mrsmiley { October 22, 2004 }

MCandCortana.net has a great new strip up today. Check it out!

MC and Cortana: The Interview | mrsmiley { October 15, 2004 }

MCandCortana has been around for quite some time now, and has created a real buzz around this, and several other Halo online communities! It's combination of simple Microsoft Paint graphics and hilarious writing, has made it a winning combination among Halo fan strips! If you ever hear someone mentioning a "w00thog" or a Wendy's in relation to Halo, you now know where they got it from! I just recently got to speak with Junpei and Murph MacManus, who are both involved in the strip...

Strip #16 from Session 1 of MCandC

NOTE: For a nice and short interview, read Junpei only. For a more in-depth interview, read Murph only! (Or just read both! =P)

What first inspired you to start an online Halo comic?

• Junpei: I made one, and people liked it. So I decided to make more and post them on the net
• 
  
• Murph: To be perfectly honest, the original idea for the comic was created by my friend Junpei. We are both members of a clan called The Halo Ministry. He kept sending me links, attempting me to go view his comics. Eventually I gave in, and visited his Freewebs site. I saw how creative and original it was, being in MS Paint and all. I bought him a domain name, which is the one we still use today. Then I realized that I had this hidden passion to write out short comic scripts. I shared some with Junpei, and soon after we formed a partnership and became "The MC&C team".

• Describe the process you use to make a strip.
  

• Junpei: Well Murph and I make a script, if either of us don't like something about it, we change that little bit. Then I go into Microsoft (C) Paint and make the comic.
• 
  
• Murph: A. We pretty much always plan our comics out through AIM. We find it's too difficult to do this in person, since there is usually a lot of distractions. An AIM window provides a nice convenient way for us to talk about our comic and write it out at the same time. What happens is that I will usually write up a 5-panel script and send it to Junpei. Then he looks it over and edits it to how he likes it. We usually go back and forth like this until we have found a script that we both think our fans will enjoy. Then Junpei works his magic and draws up the comic using MS Paint, of course. After he has completed it, he sends it to me and we go over things we want to change. After it is in its final version, I take it, clean it up to perfection, and post it on the site!

• What roles do each of you play in the strip's production?
  

• Junpei: I play the comic maker, and the storyline editor, Murph plays the script writer and fixes the mistakes I made in the comic.
• 
  
• Murph: The simplest way to break it down would be this; I write the script and Junpei helps me, Junpei creates the art and I help him. Basically, we both have our areas of expertise, but we make sure to always work together. We share web and forum responsibilities.

• Aside from Halo, do you draw your ideas from any other source(s)?
  

• Junpei: Nope, except the joke between you and sketch.
• 
  
• Murph: The greatest source for our comic is, of course, Halo Babies. We know why it is so popular, and we try to create a similar effect, but at the same time remaining original. I also draw some inspiration from Red vs. Blue and Penny Arcade, and a lot of TV cartoons I watch.

• So now you are starting Seaso- I mean, Session 2.0, anything special planned? ;)
  

• Junpei: That is classified information.
• 
  
• Murph: We try not to plan too far ahead, because then we would have to change our comics according to what is coming in the future. I like to write my scripts on the spot, as inspiration hits me. There are, of course, certain ideas lingering in the back of my mind, but I won't disclose that information as of yet ;)

  Will there be any major differences between Session 1.0 and Session 2.0?
  

• Junpei: We wanna make it funnier than "Session 1.0," maybe some more cameos along the way. Hopefully we could even star in some other Halo comics.
• 
  
• Murph: The first season/session was based off of the level "Keyes" and ended when the game ended. We spent a lot of time going over what we wanted to do with the new session. We thought we might go back in time, maybe do a dream sequence thing. In the end, though, we decided that these gimmicks just wouldn't work and we had to move on. So, as some people may have noticed, Session 2.0 is loosely based off of "First Strike". This is, by far, my favorite Halo book and I am thrilled to be able to create some humor from it. A lot of the story is going to be altered and changed, so people have to understand when something shows up that doesn't belong. Like a Wendy's, for example ;)

  
  What are your overall plans for the comic and it's site?
  

• Junpei: My brother is currently working on a new design, and we plan on getting more webspace so we can only have one site for the series.
• 
  
• Murph: Hopefully, we can have our custom site up and running soon. I've seen the design, and it looks really sweet. The problem is that Junpei's brother, who is creating it, is currently away at college and is quite busy. Oh, did I mention he is also lazy, which plays a big part in it too. I also hope we can move into a new and cleaner forum that will attract more fans and create a bigger community.

• Any final comments?

  As I've said on the site, I can't thank our fans enough for supporting us. I'd also like to thank Bungie for creative a great game. But then again, I've also done that with all the money I've spent on Halo, Halo 2, and Halo related paraphernalia. And a great big thanks goes out to the team at Halo Babies; Smiley, Gruntsbane, and all the forum members. I love you all! *sniff* Seriously, you guys rock, and I'll see you all on November 9th,.

  I juat want to thank Mark and Matt for letting me bug them a bit about their awesome strip. If you haven't already seen Mc and Cortana in action, go check out the first session, and then start on the second! It literally has me laughing out loud!

  *More interviews of local artists are coming, so stay tuned!

Mister Chief's Mayo 2 | mrsmiley { October 12, 2004 }

Justin, of the currently halted Halo strip "Grunt Brigade", has asked me to post a little something about the game that he and partner Jeff Kamovich are making. Apparently they are having a real problem with Halo fans stealing their ideas for the game, and claiming it as their own. So here is a bit of info from the game, to prove that they did what they did first!

Mister Chief's Mayo 2

Take on the role of Mister Chief, a comical parody of Master Chief, as
depicted in Frank O'Connor's "Bungie Weekly Update". Fight hoards of evil, foul smelling planet-attacking Covenant bastards with your trusty Battle Rifle, and an array of Assault Vehicles.

Screenshots

• 
• 
  
• 

• Their site is currently under construction, but will be up soon!

Finally, a Game Even Baby Chief Can Play... | mrsmiley { October 02, 2004 }

In my write-up of MLG's Seattle Downpour event about a month ago, I mentioned an awesome new game that I was allowed to play, but that I wasn't allowed to talk about...

The game has been announced for some time now, and is getting rave reviews by critics! It is called Greg Hastings' Tournament Paintball. It is the first EVER FPS paintballing game ever made! Gruntsbane and I got a chance to play it for quite some time in Seattle, and had nothing but good things to say about it. It is awesome. I told the awesome people at WXP that I would plug their game on this site, not because I wanted something from them, but because of how incredible the game really is!

I know this is not directly related to Halo Babies... but it could be! I mean, how else are baby marines supposed to train for the "battle field"? They need their paint-balling skills to be top notch when those Covies come around to play! ;P

Although the game is, unfortunately, set to be released in mid November (hmmm... may be a bad strategy...), I encourage all of you guys, paint-ball fans or not, to give it a try! IT supports Live play, and up to 14 players (1 per screen) over system link. If any of you guys have parents that freak out about violent games, be assured that this game is the coolest Wal-Mart friendly title out there! =) So there are my two cents. I was absolutely blown away by the depth of this game, and simply how cool it was when I played it.

Check out this site for more info!

MC and Cortana Season 2! | mrsmiley { October 01, 2004 }

Finally! Season 2 of the beloved MS Paint series has arrived! Go check out their 2 newest strips! (The first gives just a tiny reference to an inside joke between me and Sketchfactor. More info can be found in this thread at MSXL...)

Planet Halo Babies | mrsmiley { September 29, 2004 }

W00t! Rams of HaloPlanet.com has just informed me that the current Halo Babies strip will now be viewable from the HP main page! This is something that has been in the working for about a month, and has just now been released. HaloPlanet has always been a strong supporter of this site (since the "3dActionPlanet/halo" days!), so go check out the new feature!

MLG Halo 2 Action! | mrsmiley { August 24, 2004 }

Last weekend, Gruntsbane and I were invited to hang out at MLGPro's "Downpour" event. A write-up of the event from our end is coming soon, but until then, Dolbex just posted a 20 minute, hi-res video of me playing Halo 2 with the rest of the event "staff".

UPDATE: For those that are interested in details about the video, I just made a lenghty Q&A post at the HBO Forum!

You can find info on getting the video here. But before you do that, let me set a few things straight about the movie.

1. The teams were: The MLG Crew vs. Me, Gruntsbane, Miguel, Randall Glass, and my "tagalong friend," Jordan Davis.

2. Every time you see me with the plasma sword, I die. Why? I got mixed up with the controls, and kept thinking that the right trigger was the primary attack. In reality, the melee button does this task, and I was actually doing the lunge attack over and over! So I pretty much get creamed with the sword. Ouch.

3. My character in the game was "Ralfia", while Gruntsbane's was "Guest".

Other than those clarifications, be sure to go check out the video for yourself!

MCandC Season 2 Postponed | mrsmiley { August 19, 2004 }

Junpei of MCandCortana.net writes:

"Due to my sucky computer and my brother going to college, MC And
Cortana Season Two is delayed. Could be a few weeks, could be a few months.
Who knows, but it will be revived!"

Apparently he has been receiving quite a few e-mails regarding when the strip would start back up again. I was personally one of them! If you haven't already checked out the strip, do it. They are hilarious!

Capture the Flag! | mrsmiley { August 18, 2004 }

A new Halo comic has been brought to my attention by Justin of GruntBrigade.net. It is called Capture the Flag, and looks to be a very promising project. Be sure to give it a look!

Our list of known Halo comics is now at ten; if you know any more, let me know!

Wow. | mrsmiley { August 17, 2004 }

I normally don't post mirrors of Bungie.net articles, but this is an exception! The incredibley talented "Zoe" is leaving Bungie studios as of today, and she left behind an insanely incredible desktop for us to enjoy! It is called "Desert Brigade", and you guys are gonna trip when you see it! =D

PLEASE NOTE that this in no way represents what Halo 2 looks like. It is merely Zoe's artistic talen combined with requests from fans to see the Chief in this way!

Halo: On Vacation | mrsmiley { August 15, 2004 }

Check out this cool-looking new adventure strip that is being featured on an equally cool site, The7thRevolution.com!

Listen Up! | mrsmiley { August 11, 2004 }

Dolbex of MLGPro.com has just posted a downloadable version of a radio ad they are currently running for their Seattle stop of the famed Halo50K event! Take a wild guess who gets a plug towards the end of it! ;P Download it here! (right click, save as)

HBN Featured at MLG Pro | mrsmiley { August 04, 2004 }

My pal Dolbex, over at MLGPro.com, has just posted a feature article on our participation in this year's Seattle run of Halo50K! It contains some info on what we will be doing while we are down there, as well as a quickie interview with Gruntsbane! Go read the article!

Halo Babies Rains | mrsmiley { July 30, 2004 }

Ever heard of a small little gaming league called MLGPro? These guys have been helping to host a string of "Halo50K" tournies in various cities around the US. Their next stop? Seattle; the 'rainiest' city, and a conveniently close location to Bungie HQ! My good friend Suckbe- I mean, uh... Dolbex invited both Gruntsbane and I to hang out at the event to sign autographs, answer questions, etc.

This is easy for Gruntsbane to do, since he lives in the area. However, I need to drive for about 9 hours. O_o If any of you plan on going to the Seattle stop (August 21 and 22) of Dolbex and MLGPro's Halo50K tour, swing by and say hi! We will be selling/giving away exclusive Halo Babies merchandise at the event! And if that doesn't entice people to visit, Joel and I will have to rely on our boyish good looks. (And you don't want that.)

Grunt Brigade Online! | mrsmiley { July 22, 2004 }

After a short downtime due to bandwidth (sound familiar?), GruntBrigade.net is online with a new server. This hopefully means that it won't be going down any time soon. There is also a new strip up, so go check it out!

New Halo Comic Found! | mrsmiley { July 21, 2004 }

Ok, well actually he e-mailed me. Either way, Grunt Brigade looks like a promising new Halo comic! The author (I do not have his name at the moment...) sent me an e-mail informing me that he plans on on a 2 strip per week release schedule. The first two comics are up, and are pretty good! Check it out!

[UPDATE:] There is even a badass "Official Grunt Brigade 3D First Person Shooter of Doom!" Rock on!

[2nd UPDATE:] Apparently the Grunt Brigade site has already run out of bandwidth! That's geocities for you! Be sure to check back soon, and I will be in touch with the author for furthur updates!

MCandCortana Ends 1st Season | mrsmiley { June 23, 2004 }

After a couple months of virorous activity, MCandCortana.net has finished up thier first comic series, and will be taking a break for a bit. If you haven't checked out their comic yet, do it NOW! Don't let the MSPaint graphics throw you off, it is very funny, and well written! Junpei tells me that they are expecting a brand new site design, so expect to see a feature on the 2 talented minds behind this comic right here on HBN soon!

The Adventure Continues... | mrsmiley { May 30, 2004 }

The team has been busy over at MCandCortana.net! They are currently on strip 14 of their continuing stick-figure Halo saga, with an exceptionally funny 15th strip on the way! Check 'em out!

Oops! | mrsmiley { May 19, 2004 }

I forgot to post some news about McandCortana.net, who is now up to strip #11 in their series! Check it out!

Har Har | mrsmiley { May 11, 2004 }

Apparently Stuntmutt has resorted to using our own artwork against us! Does this count as a fan comic? =P

Halo50K3!!! | mrsmiley { May 05, 2004 }

Dolbex asked me to inform our fans that Halo50K3 is around the corner! What is Halo50K3? It is the third installment of the huge nationwide Halo competition based in Atlanta, Gorgia. For more info, go here.

BGH Comics | mrsmiley { May 04, 2004 }

It seems that Battleground: Halo has jumped on the comic bandwagon with a new one from HBN forum goer, Big-Ern. Although not a completely Halo-related comic, the first one is great!

Interview at the Junkyard! | mrsmiley { May 04, 2004 }

A few days ago, Gruntsbane and I sat down with The-Junkyard's Ryan "Mhaddy" Matthews and answered a whole lotta questions regarding Halo Babies. Ever wonder how Joel makes the strips, or how we got started? Check out the extensive interview! (There's even a bit of new Halo Babies artwork along with it! ;P)

Poor Wendy's | mrsmiley { April 27, 2004 }

MCandCortana.net has posted a couple new comics since the last update. I don't know what it is about Junpei and Murph MacManus's style, but I love these! Go check 'em out!

I'm Starving! | mrsmiley { April 21, 2004 }

A new fan strip (that I announced a few days ago) now has it's own url. That's right, www.MCandCortana.net is now open for business! They already have 3 comics up, with a 4th coming this Friday. Although this is a simple stick-figure comic, I find it pretty dang funny! Stay tuned for a future site remodel as well!

'Stick' it, Master Chief! | mrsmiley { April 13, 2004 }

In my browsing, I happen to come across a brand new Halo comic, titled The Adventures of Master Chief and Cortana. It is a stick figure comic with only one strip so far. I found it pretty funny, and the young artist promises more. Check it out! (Hey, at least drawing fan art for that will be easier than ours, right? ;P)

New Bungie.Net Released! | mrsmiley { April 12, 2004 }

Go to it right now and be absolutely blown away.

UPDATE: Oops! Apparently the site wasn't supposed to go public yet. We had this problem when this site was being released as well.

"It should be up soon, we're just not finished with all the migration and account stuff for the 7th column" -Sketch

2nd UPDATE: It has finally been released officially! Check it out!

Gruntsbane Interview | mrsmiley { November 22, 2003 }

Gruntsbane was recently interviewed by MSXL staff member, Yoozel. The interview was just released today, and can be found (at MSXL) here.

Speaking of 7... | mrsmiley { November 21, 2003 }

I have just added 7 new icons to the Cool Crap section! You're probably wondering how I came up with so many ideas! (Ok you're probably not, but work with me here!) The truth is, I didn't! All the new icons were requested by members of MSXL! Members send me icon ideas and also request icons to be made for their chapter via a special database creatively name "AIM Icon Requests." Every couple weeks I purge through the list and make the icons. I edited some of the chapter icons so that they can also be used by those not involved in the chapter! Enjoy!

Carrots and Mr. Potato Head | mrsmiley { November 10, 2003 }

Believe it or not, that is the subject of one our new AIM icons, located in the Miscellaneous section! 2 of the new icons are for MSXL. There is one for the Shadow Jackals, and the other one was actually a request from one of MSXL's members. Don't get it? Neither do I...

Friends are Good | mrsmiley { August 22, 2003 }

HBN has now been linked at The Junkyard! I also added a link for them in the sidebar.

In the Spotlight | mrsmiley { August 22, 2003 }

Both Gruntsbane and I have been spotlighted at the Junkyard Click the link below to view mine. UPDATE: Gruntsbane's is now up as well!.

What Is MOXC? | mrsmiley { July 25, 2003 }

MOXC stands for Members Only eXclusive Content, also referred to as just "MOX". When you see a news post or a link with this symbol next to it, you know it is only for members of MSXL, or for members of our Forum. For slightly more info, go here.