Okay, I’ll get the high concept out of the way first, then I’ll explain why I’ve fallen head over heels in love with the web-comic Bastard Galaxia.
The titular Bastard is a space-faring pirate and generic sci-fi baddie very much in the mould of Skeletor (from Masters of the Universe), who unbeknownst to his loyal band of henchmen, including his own brother Kevin Galaxia, has secretly sold their likenesses to a toy company. The story basically follows Galaxia’s exploits as he has to satisfy the contractual obligations of his sponsorship, including use of obscure and impractical accessories, and starting a feud with a heroic He-Man analogue, Brosef Manstar, without ever letting his gang figure out the truth of what’s actually going on.
As far as hooks go, it is solid gold. But the creators Steve Gregson and Matt Simmons deserve credit for taking this concept and spinning it into a sit-com master-class. Bastard is an archetypal comedy anti-hero, up there with Basil Fawlty, Alan Partridge and Arnold Rimmer; he’s really quite hateable and has few redeeming characteristics, but you somehow want him to succeed anyway. As this is a web-comic, and was originally released online a page at a time, the gag-rate is consistent and high; and yet the creators also put the effort into crafting an overall arc which is compelling and takes a few unexpected twists along the way.
I should explain that toy-lines were absolutely massive back in the ‘80s; much more so than they are now or will ever be again. Not to sound like an old man, but we didn’t have computer games to bond over back then (unless you had a mate that was lucky enough to have a Nintendo Entertainment System with Duck Hunt), so instead I would take my He-Man figures through to my next-door neighbour, who had Battle-Cat and the Castle Greyskull play-set, or a couple years later to the girl up the road who had the She-Ra dolls. The characteristics, the features and the gimmicks of this particular toy-line are emblazoned in the memories of a generation of kids that grew up with them. Bastard Galaxia chops those memories through with the course humour of Beavis and Butthead and Southpark, and re-presents them with the aggressive originality of Rick and Morty, to create a true indie classic.
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6vODueF0jXY&w=560&h=315]
Greyson and Simmons have clearly put a lot of work into this project. Apparently they initially were going to pitch it as an actual animation series; which explains perhaps why the concept is so polished and the execution so efficient. But the amount of background material and supplemental content is staggering; enough to warrant a 100% Official Bastard Galaxia Bootleg Fanzine and a line of official trading cards. You can check out the treasure-trove of material on the Facebook page (@BastardGalaxia), and you can read the (at time of writing) first three chapters of the epic on the official website here. But take my recommendation and keep an eye out for the creators at a local comic convention near you; as I can guarantee you’re going to want to take a piece of this Bastard home with you.
