The Dynamite Twins and Friends (also known as TDT and Friends and affectionately known as the TDT-verse and internally known as the Critterton Universe) is a transmedia meta-franchise and shared fictional universe created by Jordann William Edwards. It is produced and maintained by Critterton Concepts, a unit of ColorWorld Productions. The franchise includes features films, television series, comic books, songs and music videos, video games, and digital shorts, all of which share continuity with one another, supervised by the Critter Parliament.
The main series of stories within this universe, The Dynamite Twins, is centered around a pair of super-powered twin foxes and their friends.
This universe also includes four other series: Midnight Fox, Fae of Avalon and Dragon Mages, and The Jilted Ones. These stories mainly stand alone, but some characters from these series encounter the Twins and their friends at various events, and vice-versa, resulting in numerous crossovers.
Background[]
Jordann Edwards, from the time he was 10 years old, wanted to make his own animated cartoon, so he made a series of "crappy" fan animations in Adobe Flash, and did a ton of fan art.
After being persisted that he make something original, he initially refused, but a few years later, that would all change...
History[]
In the summer of 2008, when Edwards barely started middle school, he started doodling two crudely-drawn foxes on notebook paper. He then decided to make a series of comics; after seeing the first Iron Man, he started formulating long-term plans for them. In October of that year, after finding that his great-grandmother had died, he stopped.
2010 came along, and he started getting back into the characters. He bought a tablet and worked on a series of drawings. He even joined the art community website DeviantArt to put up his work online. His work would gain a growing following over the years, and he would learn a lot about the biz.
In 2013, he finally got to making comics full-force. He then started expanding his series by revitalizing his YouTube channel, but as he was still in school at the time, he put the channel on indefinite hold. He had an idea for a crossover called Slugger Slackers, which he states is merely a favor for his friend; as such, it is non-canonical, but some elements were crossed over later on. That particular comic has now been shelved.
Recently, after a "falling out" with one of his friends, he decided to change up his storylines, and evolved his Universe plan. This Universe would have been anchored by The Dynamite Twins, as well as Space Pirate Captain MacTaggart and Ghosts of Earth. This has since been rebranded into the ColorWorld Universe, after a new creative group formed by Edwards and Elizabeth Mogan.
In 2017, as he was trying to build the universe, there were creative differences among Edwards and the creative team of MacTaggart. Around the same time, he had gotten backlash and criticism for his material (or lack thereof). By the end of the year, he re-grouped the Universe into a collection of brands created by Edwards, including TDT. He re-assembled Critterton Concepts, bringing in Craig Black, Jacob Elmer, and a few new recruits as "creative contributors".
The series[]
The Dynamite Twins[]
The Dynamite Twins is the main series in the franchise. It is divided into two banners that share a single continuity - Brotherhood Legacy and Life in Critterton. It also includes spin-offs set in that continuity. At the epicenter of the action is the City of Critterton, a seemingly normal city in the San Francisco Bay Area that is anything but normal. It is a hub of critters of all shapes and sizes, but it is also a lightning rod of magic, otherworldly creatures, and weird science.
Midnight Fox[]
Midnight Fox is a series of stories. Set in San Francisco, it deals with a young fox who has extraordinary abilities and uses them to fight crime in the inner cities.
The Jilted Ones[]
A group of misfit outlaws traverse across the cosmos to uncover the mystery of an intergalactic conspiracy.
Fae of Avalon[]
Three superbeings (faeries) forge an unlikely alliance to help defend their realm from threats emerging from outside and within.
Dragon Mages[]
In the realm of Draconem, many races of dragon guard and protect the various corners of the Universe.
Crossover events[]
The franchise crosses over many characters
The Franchise[]
As a ColorWorld brand, Edwards has had an ongoing plan to create a franchise for the series, utilizing transmedia storytelling across multiple media, as well as clothing and toys through the various MajesticBlue businesses.
Music[]
Groups[]
Brand extensions[]
- TDT Legends
- The Dynamite Twins: The Regulators
- The Golden Dragon
- Nightmare in Critterton
- TDT After Dark
- Rodger's Mouse Pad
Crossover apearances[]
Edwards has also been working closely with his friends, contributors, and fans to have their characters and associated elements cross over into this storyworld. Such elements include:
Cancelled/shelved projects[]
Webcomics[]
Books[]
- Slugger Slackers
- Buck Wild Bash
- Numerous stories that have been re-purposed into Life in Critterton episodes
Bunny and Bear[]
Two best friends learn about the world them and meets colorful people along the way. Unlike TDT, this series is significantly more kid-friendly. In mid-2019, Edwards fully separated this series into its own franchise.
Influences[]
The series has many influences:
- It takes its inspiration from many 80s, 90s, and 00s cartoons, in addition to certain classics.
- There's a major influence of the hip hop culture, including graffiti (which influenced the art style), and the music. Likewise, the electronic dance music scene has added a bit of "energy".
- Back in 2009, Edwards became obsessed with Kesha's breakout hit, "TiK ToK". It's simplistic, brash, over-the-top, party-goer themes became commonplace in almost all stories present.
- It has a significant amount of Japanese influence, from the ancient folklore of kitsune spirits, to popular anime such as Dragon Ball, Naruto, One Piece, etc.
- In terms of comedy, it was mainly the likes of South Park for its off-colour style and its social commentary; in addition, the series has some of the comedic timing of the Marvel Comics character Deadpool.
- The fantasy elements were based on Edwards' love of ancient mythology, such as Greek, Celtic, Native American, and the aforementioned Japanese.
Links[]
- Official website
- Facebook page
- Twitter profile
- Tumblr page
- YouTube Channel
- TV Tropes page
- WikiFur entry
- Patreon
Comics[]
| The Dynamite Twins and Friends | ||
|---|---|---|
| Characters | Main | Jacqui ● Maxie ● Rodger ● Shirley ● Carmine |
| Major | Blackmask ● Terri ● Mallie ● Ritchie ● Derek | |
| Stories | Comics | My House is Your House ● The Great Critter Heist ● Lost Vegas |
| Film and television | The Dynamite Twins: Brotherhood Legacy | |
| Video games | Action | TBD |
| Immersive experiences | TBD | |
| Music | Artists | PurpleSkies ● Critter Girlz ● Field Marshals |