‘Homestuck’ Animated Pilot: The Ultimate Nostalgia Trap You Can’t Escape
Hello everyone. Gather round while I dissect this curious specimen that just crawled out of the bowels of Internet history – the Homestuck Pilot. Yes, you heard right: the webcomic you vaguely remember from that one weird Tumblr phase, now manifested into an animated form courtesy of Vivienne Medrano and her Spindlehorse crew. Because clearly, the internet demanded it. Or at least the 0.01% of the population still roleplaying as trolls in Discord servers did.
The Resurrection Nobody Asked For, But Here We Are
For the uninitiated, Homestuck was Andrew Hussie’s sprawling, hyper-meta webcomic launched back in 2009. It combined MS Paint visuals, absurd plot lines, and your daily recommended allowance of chaos. It ended in 2016, though “ended” is a loose term here – much like a JRPG that still throws optional bosses at you after you’ve killed God twice. Fan projects have kept the flame alive, and now Medrano’s Spindlehorse is taking the wheel… possibly into a wall.
The Voice Cast – Gotta Catch ‘Em All
We’ve got Cherami Leigh (Cyberpunk 2077), Adam McArthur (Jujutsu Kaisen), Brandon Winkler, Richard Horvitz (a.k.a. Tails’ voice and Helluva Boss alumnus), and the indie darling Toby Fox – yes, the Undertale and Deltarune guy who used to do Homestuck music before deciding to traumatize us with dog jokes. Talent? Absolutely. Will that stop it from being a self-indulgent nostalgia trip? Not necessarily.
The Plot – Someone Pressed “New Game+” on Reality
John Egbert – played by Toby Fox because why not – gets a copy of Sburb for his 13th birthday. It’s basically a life-endangering mod of The Sims that lets you bend reality. He ropes in his friends: Rose, Dave, and Jade, which promptly escalates into ‘oops, we broke the universe.’ To fix it, they must beat the game so they can create a brand-new universe. Standard fare, really – I’ve seen Dark Souls plots with more grounded setups.
The Nostalgia Play – Or, How to Farm an Internet Cult
Let’s be honest – this is a nostalgia nuke aimed squarely at the old guard of MSPA fans. Medrano’s animation style fits the chaotic tone, and the cast list sounds like a Comic-Con panel fever dream. But will it appeal to anyone who doesn’t already have a shelf of Homestuck hardcover books and an alarming memory of shipping wars? I’m skeptical. This is the entertainment equivalent of rebooting a long-dead MMO server for “the fans,” then wondering why the player count is still in the double digits two weeks later.
The Distribution Mystery – Cue X-Files Theme
The pilot drops on YouTube in September, which is fitting – a platform where forgotten franchises attempt to rise from the grave like necromantic Kickstarter campaigns. And thanks to Medrano’s deal with Prime Video, there’s a chance this becomes a full series. Or it might vanish faster than your Steam library backlog enthusiasm. The fact that “it’s unclear” feels less like an official statement and more like a heads-up that no one at Amazon knows what Homestuck is, and they’re terrified to find out.
Final Diagnosis
As your friendly doctor of both entertainment and the questionable life choices of creators, I can say this: The Homestuck Pilot feels like reviving a patient long after the coroner signed off. There’s surgical precision in the casting and animation techniques, but I’m not convinced the heart’s still beating. Fans will eat it up because they’re wired to, but this won’t create a new wave of diehards. If you loved Homestuck, sure, dig in – but don’t expect this pilot to convert anyone who doesn’t already speak fluent “Hussie.”
My verdict? Intriguing nostalgia artifact with high production values, but largely fan-service fluff. Nothing wrong with that, just don’t pretend it’s for everyone.
And that, ladies and gentlemen, is entirely my opinion.
Note: The above images depict cosplay and fantasy elements associated with geek culture and sci-fi fandoms, evoking the spirit of conventions and fandom gatherings similar to where Homestuck thrived, though not directly illustrating the Homestuck pilot itself.
Article source: ‘Helluva Boss’ Team Breaches Tumblr Containment With ‘Homestuck’ Animated Series, https://gizmodo.com/helluva-boss-team-breaches-tumblr-containment-with-homestuck-animated-series-2000641158
