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swiftspark.bsky.social
Swift Spark and the Defense Five
@swiftspark.bsky.social
1.2K followers 120 following 120 posts
A teenager takes on the mantle of his missing superhero father, hoping to find out what happened to him, and learning what it means to be a hero along the way. Created by @pan-tastique.bsky.social! PILOT OUT NOW! Indefinite hiatus.
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swiftspark.bsky.social
Swift Spark and the Defense Five @swiftspark.bsky.social · Oct 30
"Swift Spark and the Defense Five" is an action-comedy superhero series about a teen hero trying to solve the mystery behind his father's disappearance.

The show's self-funded, animated by one person, and features "Phineas and Ferb" stars Vincent Martella and David Errigo Jr.

youtu.be/b8CXxxY97BQ
Swift Spark and the Defense Five: Back To School (FULL PILOT EPISODE) | Pan-tastique
YouTube video by Pan-tastique
youtu.be
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swiftspark.bsky.social
Swift Spark and the Defense Five @swiftspark.bsky.social · 27d
Stayed up until 1 AM to get this out, so you could say I'm excited about this.

Fuck you 𝙥𝙪𝙩𝙨 𝙌𝙏𝙀𝙨 𝙞𝙣 𝙮𝙤𝙪𝙧 𝙞𝙣𝙙𝙞𝙚 𝙘𝙤𝙢𝙞𝙘

This was all done in my first week ever using Unity. Aside from that one week in 2012 where I was gonna make the next Slenderman clone.

www.patreon.com/posts/swift-...
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Reposted by Swift Spark and the Defense Five
pan-tastique.bsky.social
Pan-tastique @pan-tastique.bsky.social · Aug 22
𝘞𝘦𝘢𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘚𝘵𝘰𝘳𝘮

Dunno, no meaning behind it other than I felt like painting something that matches my current mood.

#SwiftSpark #IndieAnimation
Indie animation superhero Swift Spark is flying upwards, gold trails surrounding him as he breaks through dark clouds. His teeth are bared in a scowl, yet his eyes glitter with determination. Digital paint style.
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Reposted by Swift Spark and the Defense Five
pan-tastique.bsky.social
Pan-tastique @pan-tastique.bsky.social · Aug 5
Wanna add - the full post is free. It's just easier to post longform content like that. Idk maybe I'll post the full thing in a thread tomorrow anyway.
swiftspark.bsky.social
Swift Spark and the Defense Five @swiftspark.bsky.social · Aug 5
The storm in my personal life has somewhat settled, finally - it may be the eye for all I know, but for now... I feel like I'm ready.

It's not a post I ever hoped to make, but it needs to happen. Otherwise I'll be stuck in this awful place forever.

Full post: www.patreon.com/posts/admitt...
Since my income requires me to register as a sole proprietor, my income isn’t based on what I make – my revenue or turnover – but what I keep. Anything I don’t spend on my business. Profit. You guessed it – Swift Spark is part of it. And that presents me with a problem – if I keep spending money on Swift Spark, I’ll be stuck in social housing forever. Stuck in place, living in a village I hate, surrounded by people I can’t stand, because my income is low-low. How is this relevant to Swift Spark? Well, as I just mentioned – Swift Spark is my primary business expense, but... that’s it. It’s an expense. I accidentally let my YouTube channel become demonetized after 7 years because I didn’t upload for six months. The Patreon makes €18 a month. The shop hasn’t had a single sale in 2025. I don’t work with volunteers. I’m the only person working on this series – writing, boarding, directing, everything. I’ve already come to accept that it's not a job and I shouldn’t treat it like one. But now there’s the issue of money. I had no idea I was actually painting myself in a financial corner doing this – previously, I could set a good amount of money aside – some months as much as $1k! – for emergencies and Swift Spark funding. I guess there’s a benefit to that social housing thing. How much I’m able to put aside, however, doesn’t matter – if I spend it, it’s a detriment. If I make €25k, and then spend €10k on Swift Spark, my income is recorded as €15k because that’s that year’s profit. See the issue? In addition my country divides social housing into three income-based tiers. As long as you fall under those tiers... forget renting privately. So the lower your income, the smaller the "pond" of available housing... and while the pond may be much smaller, the amount of fish in there is much bigger. I’ve decided I don’t want this to be my future. Not after the miserable two years I’ve already had. But that means having to make some changes and cutting some cords. My main focus will be building my income back up. Autism has led me to a … rather shit track record on my resume, so I’ll be sticking to my freelancing stuff. It’ll just take a while. (That being said, if you know of any paid indie shows that don’t require fancy names on your resume or 5+ years of industry experience, feel free to pass me a link). • I need to limit how much I spend on my business if I want to be able to get out of this apartment. The first income cap only allowing you to rent tiny run-down apartments like mine is €29k annually– and my entire turnover is still below that, let alone profit. I was hoping to finally pass it this year, but with my income being slashed again... I’ve got some work to do… and the more I spend on my business, the harder it gets. I’m going to limit myself to 10% of my turnover going forward. That's less than €3k. So… unfortunately… I think you can tell where this is going. I never needed Swift Spark to turn a profit – I was never expecting it to. The way I was envisioning this initially was that no matter how much Swift Spark made, I’d always put it back into the show. Unfortunately, Swift Spark makes no money. 18 bucks a month on Patreon. In total, Swift Spark has generated just below 2k in revenue – and that’s in nine years. The pilot alone was more than double that to produce. Other indies have opted to make fun of me over this, but it was never about turning a profit for me. It still isn’t. I was happy to keep self-funding the project, even though since moving out it’s caused me more stress than before. That’s mostly due to some money-related anxiety that was embedded into me as a kid. I’m always afraid I’ll end up going broke somehow, no matter how much money I save. But now it’s different. One of those things no adult thinks is relevant to tell you. To get out of this income tier, I’d need to increase my turnover by almost 50% - and that would be with 0 spending. So it’s not that I want to… but I have to. One thing I feel is important to address is the following: What will happen to the five episodes you currently have in pre-production? The voice actors will be paid. Not all roles have been definitively cast yet because of this exact reason. For what remains of 2025 I intend to record with every role that has and loop back to the rest in 2026. After that, it's over for the time being. The episodes will likely not have any music, as that would be an additional $10-15k (total, not per episode). I can guarantee the episodes will not be fully animated, due to time constraints. But I’m not sure how far I’m able to take them yet. I’m going to put the comic on hiatus after I finish Episode 2 and work to finish the storyboards for all five episodes in 2026. So… what about a release date? There is none. The episodes will come when they’re done. The comic also isn’t tied to a set release schedule anymore. I simply don’t have enough time in the day to guarantee that. I get that this isn’t what any of us were hoping for, including me. But it is how it is – I need to stop fucking around and get my shit together if I want my life to get better. And that means having to cull things that are hold me back, whether I really want to or not. I hope and fully intend to get back to Swift Spark someday, in full force – with fully animated content. But for now, I can’t afford to. I'm... sorry.
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swiftspark.bsky.social
Swift Spark and the Defense Five @swiftspark.bsky.social · Aug 5
The TL;DR is that I have to choose between self-funding Swift Spark or having a shot at renting a better apartment / buying a place. Right now I don't make enough for either, but continuing Swift Spark in its current state makes both impossible.

I... have to do what's right for me in this instance.
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swiftspark.bsky.social
Swift Spark and the Defense Five @swiftspark.bsky.social · Aug 5
The storm in my personal life has somewhat settled, finally - it may be the eye for all I know, but for now... I feel like I'm ready.

It's not a post I ever hoped to make, but it needs to happen. Otherwise I'll be stuck in this awful place forever.

Full post: www.patreon.com/posts/admitt...
Since my income requires me to register as a sole proprietor, my income isn’t based on what I make – my revenue or turnover – but what I keep. Anything I don’t spend on my business. Profit. You guessed it – Swift Spark is part of it. And that presents me with a problem – if I keep spending money on Swift Spark, I’ll be stuck in social housing forever. Stuck in place, living in a village I hate, surrounded by people I can’t stand, because my income is low-low. How is this relevant to Swift Spark? Well, as I just mentioned – Swift Spark is my primary business expense, but... that’s it. It’s an expense. I accidentally let my YouTube channel become demonetized after 7 years because I didn’t upload for six months. The Patreon makes €18 a month. The shop hasn’t had a single sale in 2025. I don’t work with volunteers. I’m the only person working on this series – writing, boarding, directing, everything. I’ve already come to accept that it's not a job and I shouldn’t treat it like one. But now there’s the issue of money. I had no idea I was actually painting myself in a financial corner doing this – previously, I could set a good amount of money aside – some months as much as $1k! – for emergencies and Swift Spark funding. I guess there’s a benefit to that social housing thing. How much I’m able to put aside, however, doesn’t matter – if I spend it, it’s a detriment. If I make €25k, and then spend €10k on Swift Spark, my income is recorded as €15k because that’s that year’s profit. See the issue? In addition my country divides social housing into three income-based tiers. As long as you fall under those tiers... forget renting privately. So the lower your income, the smaller the "pond" of available housing... and while the pond may be much smaller, the amount of fish in there is much bigger. I’ve decided I don’t want this to be my future. Not after the miserable two years I’ve already had. But that means having to make some changes and cutting some cords. My main focus will be building my income back up. Autism has led me to a … rather shit track record on my resume, so I’ll be sticking to my freelancing stuff. It’ll just take a while. (That being said, if you know of any paid indie shows that don’t require fancy names on your resume or 5+ years of industry experience, feel free to pass me a link). • I need to limit how much I spend on my business if I want to be able to get out of this apartment. The first income cap only allowing you to rent tiny run-down apartments like mine is €29k annually– and my entire turnover is still below that, let alone profit. I was hoping to finally pass it this year, but with my income being slashed again... I’ve got some work to do… and the more I spend on my business, the harder it gets. I’m going to limit myself to 10% of my turnover going forward. That's less than €3k. So… unfortunately… I think you can tell where this is going. I never needed Swift Spark to turn a profit – I was never expecting it to. The way I was envisioning this initially was that no matter how much Swift Spark made, I’d always put it back into the show. Unfortunately, Swift Spark makes no money. 18 bucks a month on Patreon. In total, Swift Spark has generated just below 2k in revenue – and that’s in nine years. The pilot alone was more than double that to produce. Other indies have opted to make fun of me over this, but it was never about turning a profit for me. It still isn’t. I was happy to keep self-funding the project, even though since moving out it’s caused me more stress than before. That’s mostly due to some money-related anxiety that was embedded into me as a kid. I’m always afraid I’ll end up going broke somehow, no matter how much money I save. But now it’s different. One of those things no adult thinks is relevant to tell you. To get out of this income tier, I’d need to increase my turnover by almost 50% - and that would be with 0 spending. So it’s not that I want to… but I have to. One thing I feel is important to address is the following: What will happen to the five episodes you currently have in pre-production? The voice actors will be paid. Not all roles have been definitively cast yet because of this exact reason. For what remains of 2025 I intend to record with every role that has and loop back to the rest in 2026. After that, it's over for the time being. The episodes will likely not have any music, as that would be an additional $10-15k (total, not per episode). I can guarantee the episodes will not be fully animated, due to time constraints. But I’m not sure how far I’m able to take them yet. I’m going to put the comic on hiatus after I finish Episode 2 and work to finish the storyboards for all five episodes in 2026. So… what about a release date? There is none. The episodes will come when they’re done. The comic also isn’t tied to a set release schedule anymore. I simply don’t have enough time in the day to guarantee that. I get that this isn’t what any of us were hoping for, including me. But it is how it is – I need to stop fucking around and get my shit together if I want my life to get better. And that means having to cull things that are hold me back, whether I really want to or not. I hope and fully intend to get back to Swift Spark someday, in full force – with fully animated content. But for now, I can’t afford to. I'm... sorry.
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swiftspark.bsky.social
Swift Spark and the Defense Five @swiftspark.bsky.social · Jul 23
I had to fight YouTube Content ID tooth and nail to get this uploaded...

I've wanted to do this for years, Frederator prevented me from using copyrighted music. Now that my channel's been yeeted from the YPP I can make whatever I want again.

#IndieAnimation #SwiftSpark

youtu.be/YUBB5OMk35w
One-Way Dream - Swift Spark and the Defense Five (Animatic) | Pan-tastique
YouTube video by Pan-tastique
youtu.be
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swiftspark.bsky.social
Swift Spark and the Defense Five @swiftspark.bsky.social · Jul 19
Please add the free product to your cart manually and the discount code will be applied!
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Reposted by Swift Spark and the Defense Five
pan-tastique.bsky.social
Pan-tastique @pan-tastique.bsky.social · Jul 19
Because of Fourthwall's kinda clunky design with multiple discount codes, you have to add the plush / poster you want to your cart manually.

Otherwise it will KEEP chucking a poster into your cart unsolicited lol.
swiftspark.bsky.social
Swift Spark and the Defense Five @swiftspark.bsky.social · Jul 19
My birthday's coming up, and that means YOU get free stuff from ME! From now until August 2nd, pick your favourite discount:

-A free 12x18" poster (30x45cm), pick your favourite!
-A free plush! ($50+)
-Or 25% off your whole order!

+ free shipping over $50 on all orders!

shop.swift-spark.com
Shop ad for shop.swift-spark.com depicting three Swift Spark posters, indicating the customer can pick their favourite when they shop for $25 or more. Sale lasts until August 2nd. Shop ad for shop.swift-spark.com depicting the official Swift Spark plush, indicating the customer gets a free plush when they shop for $50 or more. Sale lasts until August 2nd. Shop ad for shop.swift-spark.com indicating the customer can also opt for 25% off on any order of $25 or more. Free shipping starts at $50. Some territiories may be $60. Sale lasts until August 2nd.
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swiftspark.bsky.social
Swift Spark and the Defense Five @swiftspark.bsky.social · Jul 19
Worried about tariffs? Don't worry. Out of all products in my shop, only five of them are US-only.

The rest are produced locally (US, UK, EU, CA, AUS), meaning lower shipping costs AND no customs hassles what-so-ever!

The products that are US only have warnings in the product description.
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swiftspark.bsky.social
Swift Spark and the Defense Five @swiftspark.bsky.social · Jul 19
My birthday's coming up, and that means YOU get free stuff from ME! From now until August 2nd, pick your favourite discount:

-A free 12x18" poster (30x45cm), pick your favourite!
-A free plush! ($50+)
-Or 25% off your whole order!

+ free shipping over $50 on all orders!

shop.swift-spark.com
Shop ad for shop.swift-spark.com depicting three Swift Spark posters, indicating the customer can pick their favourite when they shop for $25 or more. Sale lasts until August 2nd. Shop ad for shop.swift-spark.com depicting the official Swift Spark plush, indicating the customer gets a free plush when they shop for $50 or more. Sale lasts until August 2nd. Shop ad for shop.swift-spark.com indicating the customer can also opt for 25% off on any order of $25 or more. Free shipping starts at $50. Some territiories may be $60. Sale lasts until August 2nd.
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Reposted by Swift Spark and the Defense Five
pan-tastique.bsky.social
Pan-tastique @pan-tastique.bsky.social · Jun 19
Imagine how insufferable and unstoppable they would be together
Sonic the Hedgehog and indie animation superhero Swift Spark running side-by-side, referencing the Sonic Generations cover art.
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Reposted by Swift Spark and the Defense Five
swiftspark.bsky.social
Swift Spark and the Defense Five @swiftspark.bsky.social · Jun 12
In my AMV era ~ #IndieAnimation #SwiftSpark
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swiftspark.bsky.social
Swift Spark and the Defense Five @swiftspark.bsky.social · Jun 12
Gonna be a while until this one's finished lol... I've wanted to do something with this song for so long but never could because Frederator wouldn't allow copyrighted content on my channel. Now that I've been separated from them & nothing's monetized anymore, it doesn't matter anymore what I do haha
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swiftspark.bsky.social
Swift Spark and the Defense Five @swiftspark.bsky.social · Jun 12
In my AMV era ~ #IndieAnimation #SwiftSpark
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Reposted by Swift Spark and the Defense Five
pan-tastique.bsky.social
Pan-tastique @pan-tastique.bsky.social · Jun 6
Welcome back, boys! #PhineasandFerb #SwiftSpark #IndieAnimation
Indie animation superheroes Swift Spark and Phantom carrying Disney characters Phineas and Ferb on their backs. These indie animation characters have the same voice actors as Phineas and Ferb!
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swiftspark.bsky.social
Swift Spark and the Defense Five @swiftspark.bsky.social · May 15
Want to get into voice acting? Mikey's available for voice acting coaching through his website, www.mikeyreid.com/coaching !
Coaching and Classes | My Site
www.mikeyreid.com
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swiftspark.bsky.social
Swift Spark and the Defense Five @swiftspark.bsky.social · May 15
I'm still working on those five new Swift Spark episodes in the background, and recording just wrapped on a new character!

Meet SUPERSOAKER - he'll turn the hose on you if you give him attitude.

He'll be played by @themikeyreid.bsky.social - actor, comedian, writer, and voice acting coach!
Concept art for Supersoaker, an upcoming character for "Swift Spark and the Defense Five", an indie animation superhero series. He's a long-haired redneck with a goatee; his pale belly sticks out from under his grey wife beater. Photo of actor, director, voice actor and acting coach Mikey Reid, who will be playing "Supersoaker" as well as additional voice "Concerned Parent" in Swift Spark and the Defense Five, an indie animation superhero series.
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Reposted by Swift Spark and the Defense Five
pan-tastique.bsky.social
Pan-tastique @pan-tastique.bsky.social · Apr 30
I didn't even notice because I've been travelling for the past 2 days BUT WE DID IT!!

The Swift Spark webcomic reboot now has surpassed 51K page reads in 2025 on Comicfury!

That's 13k in April, and 313k all-time reads!

Thank you so much 🥹 and here's to hitting 100k by ... August? 🥂
Indie animation and comic superhero Swift Spark struggles to hold back his love for his audience whilst surrounded by speed-blurred heart emoji
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swiftspark.bsky.social
Swift Spark and the Defense Five @swiftspark.bsky.social · Apr 30
The reboot surpassing 50k reads in just 4 months when the original got ~30k a YEAR is crazy. Thank you guys so much ❤️
pan-tastique.bsky.social
Pan-tastique @pan-tastique.bsky.social · Apr 30
I didn't even notice because I've been travelling for the past 2 days BUT WE DID IT!!

The Swift Spark webcomic reboot now has surpassed 51K page reads in 2025 on Comicfury!

That's 13k in April, and 313k all-time reads!

Thank you so much 🥹 and here's to hitting 100k by ... August? 🥂
Indie animation and comic superhero Swift Spark struggles to hold back his love for his audience whilst surrounded by speed-blurred heart emoji
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swiftspark.bsky.social
Swift Spark and the Defense Five @swiftspark.bsky.social · Apr 24
You've all been reading the comic like crazy, thank you!
pan-tastique.bsky.social
Pan-tastique @pan-tastique.bsky.social · Apr 24
Swift Spark has reached 10k page reads in April on Comicfury! Only 2k left until we reach 50k page reads in 2025 :D

The comic's now past 310k all-time page reads since 2017!

#SwiftSpark #Indiecomics #Indieanimation
Cover of "Swift Spark and the Defense Five: The Adventures Continue - Back to School, Part One", the first issue of the webcomic reboot of indie animation and indie comic series Swift Spark and the Defense Five.
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Reposted by Swift Spark and the Defense Five
pan-tastique.bsky.social
Pan-tastique @pan-tastique.bsky.social · Apr 24
Swift Spark has reached 10k page reads in April on Comicfury! Only 2k left until we reach 50k page reads in 2025 :D

The comic's now past 310k all-time page reads since 2017!

#SwiftSpark #Indiecomics #Indieanimation
Cover of "Swift Spark and the Defense Five: The Adventures Continue - Back to School, Part One", the first issue of the webcomic reboot of indie animation and indie comic series Swift Spark and the Defense Five.
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swiftspark.bsky.social
Swift Spark and the Defense Five @swiftspark.bsky.social · Apr 7
#indiecomics #indieanimation #swiftspark
Page from indie comic Swift Spark: The Adventures Continue - "Introducing: The Defense Five!" Anna: Maybe you're overreacting to all of this a litle bit. Just take some time to think it all over. James: I mean... maybe you have a point. But still, I- James is interrupted by BEEP BEEPs coming from a phone. Anna's phone. James: Uh... Anna: Ugh. Anna grabs her phone and silences the alarm. Anna: Duty calls, unfortunately. James: ...I see. So... see you tomorrow, then? Anna: Of course, nine o'clock sharp. Anna heads inside and James walks down the sidewalk, slouching. As James walks away, a mysterious figure appears seen from behind, the same red-headed woman that had been watching them earlier. Meryn: It's now or never. Meryn chases after James. Meryn: Hey, kid! Hold up! James looks back as Meryn comes running. Meryn: You're james, right? Angelo's nephew? James: Eh... that depends on who's asking. Meryn: Oh, wow. Sorry, kid. I didn't mean to startle you - I promise I'm good folk.
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swiftspark.bsky.social
Swift Spark and the Defense Five @swiftspark.bsky.social · Apr 1
If Spark ever gets popular and I get sick of the "hurr flash" comments I just might though
pan-tastique.bsky.social
Pan-tastique @pan-tastique.bsky.social · Apr 1
I still feel bad about this one
A blue version of Swift Spark's costume, with a change in the lightning bolt pattern A blue version of the Swift Spark logo. James / Swift Spark is flying next to it.
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Reposted by Swift Spark and the Defense Five
pan-tastique.bsky.social
Pan-tastique @pan-tastique.bsky.social · Apr 1
People were so hyped for the design and I actually like it a lot myself as well

But
Lightning McQueen Lightning McQueen, but blue
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Reposted by Swift Spark and the Defense Five
pan-tastique.bsky.social
Pan-tastique @pan-tastique.bsky.social · Apr 1
I still feel bad about this one
A blue version of Swift Spark's costume, with a change in the lightning bolt pattern A blue version of the Swift Spark logo. James / Swift Spark is flying next to it.
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