NEW WEEKLY VOTING INCENTIVE! VOL 2 PREVIEW!!
Follow along as I draw the cover for Puck Volume 2! The second entry is up now, so…
VOTE FOR PUCK AND MAKE RUTABAGAS EDIBLE!!!
ALSO…
I recently put a bunch of work into updating the PDF collection of voting incentive images, and the results are finally assembled! This new PDF volume contains all the voting incentives from 2011 all the way to 2017 (including some that never even ran) in a print-ready high resolution! That’s almost 200 pages of stuff! So if you’d like to buy a copy, please do!
As for this comic…
No offence to Boba Fett fans out there, of course. But he’s become the New England Patriots or the Manchester United of the Star Wars bounty hunter world.
As per usual, I spent a rather ridiculous amount of time drawing various background nerd store details, only to have said details almost entirely obscured by characters and dialogue boxes. Oh well. For those who are interested, I’ll post a shot of the full background art on Patreon and you can play the ‘recognize the nerd refs’ game that a lot of people had fun with last week.
There is some evidence, by the way, that this store is the source of Daphne’s shirts. One of her previous tops (featuring yet another Star Wars bounty hunter) hangs on the back wall.
Hmmmnn….
It appears to me this is a COFFEE SHOP posing as a Nerd-Heaven.
Hmmmnn….
(don’t really care as long as Emily makes another appearance)
It’s a coffee shop, clothing shop, cosplay supply store, and … whatever else it needs to be, depending on the plot, I guess.
Poor Cy !
One of these days he’ll realize the prime source of his INVENTORY ATTRITION is standing right in front of him.
You’re just lucky that he didn’t mention Dog.
The answer ‘Dog’ is proof positive that one is not a nerd.
Well, at least he didn’t ask the length of the Enterprise from first to last starting with the first one.
@pat
12 parsecs ?
There’s being a nerd, and then there’s being an obsessive numbers-obsessed weirdo. I put those people in the same camp as those sports nuts who can tell you the batting average of every player in the major leagues. For every year. Since 1971.
CRAZY. And with too much time on their hands.
What, they gotta talk about something in their respective off seasons. Besides, how else are you going to get lunk headed jocks interested in higher math?
No love for GREED-O ?
(apt name)
Greedo is an unorthodox yet acceptable answer. Few people like him now, especially what with his sudden ability to shoot first which developed in the late 90’s.
That’s more against Lucas changing the basic premise of Solo’s character as well as ret conning a low level Jedi instinct.
Yeah, but poor Greedo was sort of caught in the crossfire. Literally.
Well, personally, I’d like a better look at the objays-de-nerd on the shelf, and the blackboard menu, too. But I’m on my laptop now; I’ll try a bigger screen tomorrow.
I don’t think a bigger screen will help, what with the awful resolution here. A bigger image (and the full background pic) are up on Patreon now, so you can make better use of that enormous screen there.
Yeah, it’s an easier squint, but it’s still not there. Two emojis, if that’s what they are, a monkey, a dinosaur, and something that looks some kind of scale model of a tank (with tread, wheels, and a buzzsaw.) (I’ll look into Patreon when my post-retirement finances stabilize.)
So much nerd stuff in this comic. I love it.
It was fun but kind of maddening to draw and color.
Sorry, *real* nerds answer the question “Who’s your favorite bounty hunter?” with an eye-rolling sneer and, “John Gaunt.” Then we give the questioner a wild-eyed manic grin and ask, “Why, who’s yours and how much is he worth to you?”
Well, you’re obviously too much nerd to handle.
“We also would’ve accepted ‘Spike Spiegel’ or ‘Samus Aran.'”
Agreed.
What about Roronoa Zoro, Lobo (at least in Superman: TAS), Sparky Sparky Boom man, or John Marston?
Okay, there are just too many choices that are valid. Let’s just say ‘every choice except Boba Fett’ is good.
Jack Skellington, Monster Machine, Yoda, Pokémon, Godzilla, Diddy Kong, Pac-Man
Oh crud.
I neglected Godzilla’s Egg.
(she clearly just laid one)
And, and …. “Brick Beast”.
(Clinging to the wall to the right of Pac-Man)
That’s not Jack Skellington. It’s a deeper, nerdier cut than that.
@EG
Oh yeah .. it’s JAUNDICE JACK from the failed sequel “The Nightmare before Breakfast”.
Skull Face, from the Madballs.
YES!!!
And while we’re add it, the tank identified as “Monster Machine”, is specifically Monster Mind leader, Saw Boss. (Jayce and the Wheeled Warriors)
You are a gifted, special nerd of a rarefied air.
This guy is a FRAUD.
Not a ROBOT in sight.
Clearly you’re not looking hard enough. Take a look at the coffee cup in his hand!
@Crazy Lou
That’s just Astro Boy
There are only FOUR worthy Robots, IMHO.
Maria, Robby, B-9, and The Iron Giant !
You have a very narrow definition of worthy. I mean, you forget the greatest, most imposing robot of them all: Cy-Kill.
Salem, you’re forgetting Fred Saberhagen’s Beserkers, Johnny Five and Wall-E. Even R2-D2 qualifies as a robot, regardless of what George Lucas called him.
BTW did you mean K-9 from Dr Who?
B-9 – The robot from the TV series Lost In Space.
I still prefer Robby.
@Mark Christianson – You Nailed it !
@Lokitsu –
R2D2 is ok, but not in my Worthy Four due to lack of coherent dialogue combined with fairly simple design.
Johnny Five and Wall-E are wayyyyy too cute to make the Worthy Four.
C3PO might have made the cut, but he is essentially a simple homage to Maria.
All these would be in the Top Ten, no doubt. I’ll admit that.
I would also consider K-2SO.
I’d stick Cy-Kill in the Top Ten, but you know, he’s not real (don’t tell EG).
Pish, tosh! You are leaving out TOBOR THE GREAT!! I saw him on TV in Ft. Worth when I was about eight and have never forgotten. WALL-E, pffft!
@Susan
TOBOR = ROBOT spelled backwards.
Poor Susan !
I was fortunate that as an itty-bitty I was introduced to “FORBIDDEN PLANET” long before “TOBOR-the-not-so-great.”
TOBOR as a movie – meh. But I have reconsidered opening up spot No.11 simply for the COOL POSTER. Not as cool as THIS ONE, tho.
TOBOR hails from 1954 – ROBBY from 1956. Until this moment I had no idea Robby was a KopyKat.
BTW, FORBIDDEN PLANET in the UK is the largest NERD STORE on this planet !
I watched Forbidden Planet many, many times as a kid, though I honestly found it too cerebral and boring for my kiddie tastes. The fact that the monster was invisible really irked me. I always disliked invisible monsters: the sure-fire sign of low production values. (See ‘Golden Voyage of Sinbad’ for more info … though ‘Golden Voyage’ does make up for that by starring Caroline Munro, which can save ANY movie.)
A pretty girl in his arms won’t save this Turkey The Day the Earth Stood Still
Uninspired, slow, dull, PREACHY – this movie sux.
The rubber suit passed off as a robot – GORT, is not worthy to oil R2’s Butt Vents.
No Top 100 for GORT !
@EG
“I still prefer Robby.”
Both B-9 and Robby were designed by the same Japanese-American – Robert Kinoshita.
Of course, as a mere TV Show prop, B-9 was made on a budget. Robby alone cost more than the average film of the time !
Some have asked “If Robby and B-9 fought, who would win ?”
The answer HERE
Awesome Robot TRASH TALK !!
I especially love the Electronic Music as Robby enters the arena.
Forbidden Planet was forbidden to list MUSIC, due to a dispute with the Musician’s Union.
Instead the Credits Listed “Electronic TONALITIES by Louis and Bebe Barron”
Re: Robbie the Robot: I saw him on several TV shows way before I ever saw “Forbidden Planet”—including appearances on “Lost in Space.”
Well, we haven’t seen the whole shop yet. And one of the shirts (that we can’t see in the comic because Colin’s rudely standing in front of it) is a Transformers shirt.
@EG
CAROLINE MONROE
Purrrrrrrrr………. (X10)
Purrrrrrrrr……… (X20)
Oh… MUNRO (not Monroe)
“A Rose by any other Name…”
I’m a fan of Samas Aran myself.
That is also a reasonable answer.
If I had, by hook or crook, been inveigled into that store, and some loathsome nerd asked me who my favorite bounty hunter was, I would stand on my tippy-toes to my full five foot three inch height and say, “Josh Randall, because nobody *ever* has been as cool as Steve McQueen.” {the rest of this post has been redacted by my bf because he doesn’t like me to post on the internet while drunk}
You are obviously not nerdy enough. Only nerds who want to gain cool points like Steve McQueen, king of cool.
@Susan
BF = Lieutenant Buzzkill
Well, considering what I was about to post, I have to admit that he had a point.
@Susan
Mebe something about Fur Wristlets ?
No, it was contemplative violence against a certain snarky jackal-girl. I am really glad I didn’t post it. Anyway, who says “original trig?” It should be “original tril”!
It’s pronounced “oridge tridge” and it’s a standard fan shorthand. Though yeah, it’s a little weird and doesn’t entirely make sense.
@Susan
Oh…THAT.
Unfortunately if CY hasn’t caught on that DAPHNE is wearing Tees that he cannot recall her ever actually PURCHASING by now, I fear he’s too chill to ever catch on.
And even if he did, he’d just present her Guardian with the bill. And sadly, that would be Colin and not Robin – the person who actually adopted and raised the dear sweet pup 🙁
Prolly HUNDREDS OF THOUSANDS of Canadian Dollars by now.
So, like, $29 American?
When did Daffy ever “purchase” anything? Shoplift, maybe! 😛
Daphne would definitely pay real money (stolen from other sources) at establishments she believed in. We’ve already established that she’s fairly lawful and caring to people she actually knows and cares about. She seems to have an established friendship with this shop owner. I think we can assume that she pays real (stolen) money for her goods here.
*snarl* If you say so. *looks unconvinced*
A bit long so I cut or rearranged a few words (my working out follows): “An alien refugee teams up with the human bounty hunter who almost annihilated her species to prevent a doomsday weapon falling into the hands of an evil empire. “Alien refugee is interesting enough without bounty hunter but human isn”t, so i switched it (if human not a bounty hunter then write in what he DOES do). Almost sounds better than nearly, but that”s subjective. A doomsday weapon clearly poses a threat to her home and the rest of the galaxy, besides which the logline is getting too long. The HOOK is the alien teaming up with the person who (tried to) wipe out her species, like the panda teaming up with the Chinese medicine man. That”s your most original element, that”s what I”d emphasize.
Been meaning to ask (because I keep forgetting, thanks brain), is the city that Puck:co a real one, a fictional one or a fictional one based of a real one?
As for the comic, I’m not a Star Wars fan and even I know that no one seems to like Boba Fett. That’s… Kind of weird for me to know, come to think of it. Huh.
In regards for the voting incentive, your wife is correct: it was a cute picture.
The city has been expressly identified as Hamilton, my hometown, within the comic. Some elements are fictional (like the nerd store, which is really an amalgamation of about five or six stores in the area), and some are real life places (like Hutch’s, the burger joint that Puck has visited). Some are real places that have been renamed. For instance, Puck went to McNiven University, which is an off-brand rendition of McMaster University, Hamilton’s big place of higher learning.
The issue with Boba Fett was that too many people seemed to like Boba Fett (despite the fact that he did very little in the movies), and then there was a sort of Boba Fett backlash. He’s just overexposed. It’s cooler (and nerdier) to identify an incredibly minor character who only gets three seconds of screen time as your favorite.
I believe the real problem with Boba Fett is that in the original three movies, he’s an “Informed Bada$$”. We never see him do anything particularly impressive in the movies other than stand there and look vaguely intimidating. And in Return of the Jedi, he is dispatched bumbling idiot style by just being accidentally pushed off a platform.
Boba Fett was, as I heard someone on YouTube recently say, a cool helmet. That’s all he was: a cool helmet. You can love that helmet, but it still doesn’t take you very far.
@Katrina
I loved Boba Fett’s death.
He was so annoying. and deserved the death of a FOOL.
No awe-inspiring final battle for him – HA !!
ROTG – so many classic scenes !
(and ewoks – yuk)
Yes, it is ROTG.
They are GEDI, not JEDI.
(kat stubbornly defends his error)
In the lower case:
C3PO, Nerd Stash, Pokémon Sleepag, Tradis, Sextoy, Dick Tracy, R2D2, Meowth, Planet of the Apes Board Game, Turkish Fez
Some of those are right. Some wrong.
@EG
At least I got the really hard ones.
C3PO and SexToy are pretty obscure.
(BTW – the unobstructed view of the lower display case is visible, enlarged, in full glory, on EG’s PATREON PAGE. $1 a month is all it takes)
And on the shelf, to the left of Godzilla, and behind Colin’s melon: TEEN TITAN CYBORG MIB !
Gotta Get Them All !
Given that this is a webcomic, the answer, of course, is Jevee Ceeta
I wish I had a wiki.
@EG
Oh, those things always seem like a good idea at the time.
Later you have to pay triple what they cost up front to have them removed.
Now don’t tell me that COLIN and CY don’t visit the same Barber !
In fact, they look so much alike, it is almost like they had the SAME FATHER.
No one else immediately recognized the Jayce and the Wheeled Warriors Saw Boss ? Man, I’m getting old.
@Randew
I suppose EG’s drawing could be interpreted as SAW BOSS.
The LEGO version is pretty impressive.
That is correct. You got it.
Related point: I am currently working on a LARGE Lego MOC of Saw Boss. It is a slow-moving project due to my lack of free (non-comic) time, but I hope to put pictures up eventually.
You and me both, friend. You and me both.
Hmm, I wonder if “IG-88” would grant access to this nerdy land… Because after Fett, Greedo, and Bossk, it seems to be the last one that I can remember from Star Wars…
Yes. Yes it would. (It’s listed as one of the official alternates in the alt-text.)
What about the shape-shifting bounty hunter from Critters 2?
There was a second Critters movie? Wait, it was an 80’s movie. Of course there was a sequel.
If Troll can get a sequel, anything can. I’m surprised we haven’t gotten The Room 2 yet… unless they’re waiting for the reboot to do that.
I think there were four of them!
Now what about Jubal Early? He was really freaking creepy for a bounty hunter!
Four is too many. And almost any non-Boba choice is appropriate.
EMBO!!!!
(I like his sombrero thing…)
That’s even deeper cuts, man. Deep dives on Wookiepedia.
EMPEROR’S BOWELS man! How did you answer that in NINE MINUTES!?!?!
I’m imagining some kind of bat-puck signal lighting up on your desk and making violent noises.
I’m on it. Sometimes. Other times, days can go by…
His name is Cy… his favorite bounty hunter is a droid… he must be a cylon!
P.S. Does 4-LOM really mean “For Love Of Money”, or is that a backronym?
P.P.S. What’s Cy’s ethnicity supposed to be? He looks Indian to me. (Or Pakistani.)
More on Cy’s name later. You’re not far off.
4-LOM really does stand for ‘for love of money’ and was intended as such. By whoever came up with the name, anyway. I don’t think the name was revealed until the action figure was released.
And Cy would be Indian.
All are equally nerdish under the malignant eye of George Lucas.
George Lucas has gone so PC, that he’ll soon be re-shooting every Star Wars episode, replacing every violent confrontation with a SLAP-FIGHT.
It’s for the children.
If I had had George Lucas in the room with me the first time I saw Greedo shoot first, I would have bitch-slapped him silly and stuffed him into his custom pizza oven.
Favorite bounty hunter? Hrrm… several spring to mind, none of them from Star Wars…. will have to go with Alita, she hunted bounties in the first book…
I don’t know the source property much. I’ve only really seen the previews for the totally horrifying James Cameron-produced CGI nightmare movie that’s coming out. I can never unsee the eyes.
I greatly enjoyed the manga, and the sequel series. The anime basically covers the first book, can give a solid idea of what you’re getting into. The live action…. yeeeeah… I’ll see it, but I don’t hold high hopes.
“Crowded Cast”? O.o
You really think so? For a comic that’s been running 20 years (discontinuously).
I counted 10 in my head before having to head to the cast page for a few more minor characters like relatives who have only appeared once or twice.
Compare your work to “Negima: Magister Magi” who presented us with a seating chart for a class of 30 students right in chapter one (along with more than a handful of non-student characters).
Your cast is quite modest.
I’m actually glad to hear you say that. I really dislike comics with an insanely large cast of characters. I chalk it up to many webcomic types simply not understanding how narrative works. In a comic especially, you always have limited time to explore things. More development to fewer characters is ALWAYS better than less development to more characters.
Webcomics do have the advantage of you being able to go back and read the archive to remind yourself of characters, or you can check the character page, but I feel strongly that if a comic requires you to know more than ten characters to really understand what’s going on, it’s probably somewhat flawed in execution.
I’m only talking recurring characters, though: characters who show up and their very presence should be understood and should mean something to the reader. So for instance, Newman from Seinfeld is a character that, though minor, will generate laughs just through his appearance because we already know what’s coming. If a character is an incidental figure who only occurs in one story arc, they don’t count.
An example (in my mind) of a failed minor character in this comic is the Hotdog Guy. He’s too minor and his appearances are too rare, so every time he appears, I always get people asking, “Wait, why does Puck have a hot dog and why is she in a psychiatrist’s office?” That is an example of failed character bloat, courtesy of yours truly.
*cough*Frivolesque*cough^
@Susan
Oui
Frivolesque gets a pass from me because its very, very large cast of characters consists almost entirely of cute female characters. That’s one of the few scenarios where there really cannot be too much of a good thing.
*cough*malechauvinist*cough* 😛 That’s the very reason I pick on it. On the few, rare, occasions that I drop in on it, I never can tell who half the characters are. I usually can pick our Mary Neigh, because she makes my annoyance meter go crazy
I am NOT a male chauvinist! A male chauvinist (by definition) is a male who believes in the inherent superiority of men, and actively prefers men over women, whom he deems inferior. I really don’t like men. I spend very little time with them. And (though this current comic is unusually out of character on this front) I tend to give them very little attention in my comic.
The complete old school term, though, was ‘male chauvinist pig’. And though I am not a male chauvinist, I will admit to sometimes being an unabashed pig.
Ain’t CHAUVIN the guy who wrote THE CANKLEBERRY TAILS ?
@Salem https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nicolas_Chauvin
@Susan
oh
Sorry, Friendo, the best mercenary is clearly Grayson Carly-
Wait, bounty hunter? That’s still a very obvious answer: The Bounty Hunter. The original, not Vic Tavers or “Walt Urizeman”.
Incentive alert! Phloebles is wearing Report Lawren two-piece platform sandals that I saw last weekend at Macy’s. https://www.macys.com/shop/shoes/all-womens-shoes?id=56233 And now I regret not buying them!
Come on, Susan !
Those would be PERFECT for U !
Sale ends 3/11/18
And while you are there, bring along a pic of Phoebe’s outfit – and ask if they carry that, too. Heh Heh Heh.
But seriously, those are nice shoes.
Yeah, that’s pretty close. Though her heels are counter-shaded.
I’d like to see Phoebe in THIESE.
(I’m uncertain whether it should be THIS or THESE, so I made up a word.)
Those are dumb shoes.
@EG
But the rest is ok, right ?
All I saw in the incentive was those ridiculous shin windows. Maybe it’s better they weren’t in the strip, we’d have talked for days about how insane that choice was.
The correct terminology is “shindows”. And you must just be jealous because they’re so awesome.
So jealous. I’m sure shindows would look great on my hirsute man legs.
I’m sure they would too.
Jaycee and the wheeled warriors ftw!!! No one ever knows what I’m talking about when I describe that show.
@Zyphyer
What are you talking about ?
(heh heh heh)
I do. It’s just you and me.
hmmmm…. Coffee, Games, and Cosplay girls abound. All the nerd shops I know of round here are missing 2 of the 3 key ingredients!
That’s it, I’m moving to Hamilton!
If only this shop actually existed…
I agree with Daphne, some people should relax a bit about the original trilogy, even if I think it caught lightning in a bottle.
I definitely get that from younger types who weren’t around for it. And I must admit that I feel a little less connected to the property now that Star Wars has swollen to market saturation the way it has. I feel saying (to rip off Brian Regan), “Okay, calm down Mr. Star Wars Man. You take your sales trophy and have a vacation.”
Charlie Siringo, the real deal.
“Bounty hunters go back to 1872, when the Supreme Court ruled they were part of the U.S. law enforcement system. Thus, the bounty hunter was pretty much a free agent; he was not held accountable to the rules of due process as sheriffs and marshals were.”
History nerd.
A true geek would also have accepted the Bounty Hunter kit from the D&D 2nd edition “The Complete Thief’s Handbook,” pages 29 through 31.
Although not a “named” Bounty Hunter, knowing that would definitely prove your geekdom. lol
Indeed. Anything to do with D&D earns you a pass.
Ick, Yoshimo, the awfullest NPC in BG2 was a Bounty Hunter. I learned the hard way not to pick him up in Caasa Irenicus! Nalia is not as good at first, and you can keep her all the way to the end of ToB!
(did I sound nerdy? Oops!) *embarrassed*
Oh, well, Mara Jade is the awesomest character in the Star Wars Universe, and she wasn’t in the “Original Tril” Disney is dumb for not inserting her into bombs like “The Last Jedi” 😛
I know a lot of Mara Jade fans. I never read any of the Expanded Universe books, so I can’t personally say. But right now, I must admit that you’re sounding like a serious hardcore nerd. Your frilly shirts and cool dance moves can’t hide it.
It’s my bf’s fault, he got me into BG when they came out with the EE, and I went through the whole saga. Three times. I can pretend to be a nerd with the best of them, but you won’t get me into a dumb cat outfit with furry bracelets.
Mara Jade can beat any bounty hunter in the ‘Verse. In fact, she did it in Heir To the Empire.
…Did I come off that way on the last comic? 🙁
What way?
What, no love for Dengar? Now there’s a guy who should get a spin-off movie.
Dengar is just so sad and disappointing. He is the Tito Jackson of the Star Wars bounty hunter world.
While I never considered myself an “Old School Geek”, this is the first time I’ve ever seen the term “Orig Trig” to refer to the first three Star Wars movies. (The Gs are soft, right?)
Yes, the term (widely used on YouTube) is pronounced ‘Oridge Tridge’. And is always said with a certain reverence.
‘Orig trig’ reminds me of a Thatababy strip. Mom, lying awake at night, worried= Will he make friends at school? Will he get into a good university? What will the job market be like when he enters? Dad, lying awake at night, worried= Do I tell him there are only three Star Wars movies, or admit there are others?
Tough, especially since a lot of us are in denial about Jedi.
I’m still recovering.
Yeah. I suppose those ARE the big questions.
Okay, then if Eps 4-5-6 are “the Original Trig” then the prequels are “The Original Tripe” and “The Last Jedi” is “The Latest Tripe.” only fighting an image, forsooth! 😛
Sigh, not a single Colt Seavers fan in the house.
No, I have love for the “Unknown Stuntman” even if only for the association with the good-looking Heather – Thomas, that is. But you did have to jog my memory. Wasn’t Markie Post on that show for a while, too?
I still don’t know what everyone’s talking about. Google is unhelpful.
“The Unknown Stuntman” is from “The Fall Guy,” which I never liked. You all are on your own from here.
My continuing nerd traumatic memory is attending Mid AmericCon the summer before Star Wars came out. There was a small display with movie posters that looked interesting but I didn’t know enough to ask for some bling (“bling” was not even a word then) or take a photo. The next summer the movie came out and I realized my mistake. Ah memory!
@rewinn
Life is full of regrets, eh ?
I’ve a few….
The old word for bling was the acronym ‘swag’ – stuff we all get. Then Justin Bieber suddenly made ‘swag’ a short form for ‘swagger’ and the world got slightly dumber.
But your story is a true tragedy.
…but then again, too few to mention…
Who am I kidding?
I refret that my father didn’t buy me 10,000 shares of MIcro$oft for my first birthday instead of that dumb doll.
Nice! I see Pac-Man on the shelf! And you’ve got to teach me how to do those cool clothes texture patterns you do so well 😀
The clothing textures only work sometimes. I use a vector-based wrap technique. It’s best if it’s on a relatively flat surface, like the front of a shirt. When it’s on an arm (especially a bent arm) it sort of falls apart. If there are too many contortions to the plane, the whole vector breaks down and turns into visual gibberish. But I’ll be damned if I’m drawing actual hound’s tooth on a jacket, so I keep falling back on my cheap techniques.
Personally, my favorite Bounty Hunter is Samus Aran.
You pass.