MAY VOTING INCENTIVE! MAY FLOWERS!
It’s tasteful and bucolic! Vote! QUEEN VICTORIA WANTS YOU TO VOTE!!!
ALSO…
And as for the comic…
Hey, we’re actually at the point where we’re heading to Canada’s Funderland! It only took a month to get there! Sometimes I worry about the pace being too slow for the comic, but then I read a newspaper comic like ‘Between Friends’ (which I actually quite like), and I see Susan deciding whether to eat a piece of cake at a restaurant for twelve straight strips (okay, it was only four comics, but it felt like twelve), and I think to myself, “I ain’t doin’ so bad.”
My wife gave a big ‘thumbs up’ for Puck’s outfit here, which always means I’m on the right track. I didn’t to manage to get any reaction from her regarding Phoebe’s outfit, though which means one of two things: she’s growing inured to my nonsense, or I’m losing my touch.
Phoebe’s top…
Shows a lotta skin? Check!
Inexplicably figure hugging? Check!
Defies physics? Check!
Nope, haven’t lost your touch here, you wife must be getting used to the nonsense.
I am more annoyed that the daughter of Satan does not go driving around town in a car from hell like either a ’58 Plymouth Fury, a ’76 Ford Pinto or a Porsche 550 Spyder (Although the 550 can’t be blamed for the accident that gave it fame…)
Nah, she drives a normal car. When I decided what car they’d drive, I planned around the type of car that girls like Phoebe actually drive, but a Pinto would have been probably a more poetically appropriate choice.
This one of those cartoons about Puck’s abysmal parenting skills? Should not the crazy parenting brigade go wild about Puck not having her kid in a reward facing baby seat in the front passenger’s side ?
Of course, when I was growing up, you had the the baby in the back seat, rode a bike without a helmet, and walked by yourself to school each day…
Nowadays, you wonder how did we survive to see double digit ages as kids with the uneducated parents we had growing up…
Well, the kid is definitely in a car seat, and the car seat is rear-facing, but at least around here, putting the car seat in the front passenger side is a HUGE no no. The air bag can seriously endanger the kid, even with a car seat present, so the rule is a rear-facing car seat on the passenger side in the BACK seat. And trust me, riding squished up next to a car seat sucks.
Both my girlfriend and I are used to Phoebe’s (borderline) impossible clothes (we both love stuff that defies the laws of physics). Or we’re just used to non-sensical stuff. I dunno.
However, I do have a question about Miranda: did you decide from the start they’d have a daughter or was it just a spur-of-the-moment thing? Just curious!
As for the comic you mentioned (I have never heard of it personally), it did remind me of one I read a while back (I forgot the name), in which the main character took 6 strips (in a row) to decide if he should punch a person in the face or just ignore him. It ended with said guy being punched in the face by another character. I was like “…And people find this funny because…?” So, no, your tempo is perfectly fine (at least you show what happens before they go there – not just go ‘YEP THEY’RE TOTALLY THERE ALREADY AND HEY, TYLER IS HERE AS WELL, WHY IS HE? I DUNNO HE JUST IS’).
There was a bit of a debate in my household about the gender of the child. But my wife said this: “If you make the kid a boy, then it could potentially alter the very fabric of the comic’s dynamic in a major way. If you make the kid a girl, it’s going to be basically status quo.” That made the answer easy.
And I did consider suddenly jumping to the amusement park, but that felt … rushed.
It’s PCDM-631. Which, if you want the hidden meaning, stands for ‘Puck, Colin, Daphne, Miranda’ and Puck’s current(ish) age of 631. Though it’s not a vanity plate; that’s just the weird logic I used to come up with that. And it’s a green ’99 Chevy Malibu. It’s a car I know well. I drove it for over a decade. It died on me a few years ago. I mourn its passing, but I get to rekindle my bond through this comic.
Totally with you there. Girls like Phoebe drive VW Rabbits or Jettas or something like that. I said in a MUCH earlier strip that Tracee probably drove a Jetta. I stand by that claim.
I know a lot of girls like Tracee here in California, Gecko… and they all drive BMW convertibles, Mercedes Convertibles, or if they are from the poorer part of town Mustang Convertibles.
I couldn’t even imagine Tracee in any vehicle that the top wouldn’t come down with!
True. To be honest, my VW Jetta classification for Tracee predated the revelation that she was a … fan of money and those with money, shall we say. If Tracee were buying a car on her own steam, it would probably be a Jetta. Now, though, with Tracee having access to Satan’s coffers? Any of your suggestions would probably be more accurate.
I wish I could really take the credit on the backgrounds, but the backgrounds are reused from a comic I did over three years ago. The first panel has the same bg, but I’ve warped the vectors to vaguely make it work with the shot. It still doesn’t, really, which is why the second vanishing point is behind Puck’s head when it really should be off the panel. (That’s why I added the citrus-y colors in that panel: to try and mask the perspective flub.)
Seriously, I’m SUPER LAZY, But if it’s not evident at a glance, then I’m happy.
Yeah, it’s been not that long since I figured that blank spaces could be really disturbing in a comic. It’s mostly bothering in action-packed sequences.
Nowadays, I still usually don’t mind the lack of backgrounds in stories where the action stays in the same location because it doesn’t matter that much, but it’s an extra I always appreciate.
Side-note: there’s something in the voting incentive from this month that gives me strong déjà-vu vibes… it smells like hotdogs, for some reason :p
Pucks pretty brave taking off with the whole crew for the day with a crackhouse next door. Although i suppose even the sketchy clientele that frequent it would think twice about robbing Puck….maybe. I hear that stuff does make users very stupid.
Yeah, to be honest, I’ve known people who live in these neighborhoods, and while they can be actually quite nice in some respects (affordable property values, nice people), the big negative is certainly the fact that you get robbed. A lot. For storytelling purposes, I don’t think Puck and company are going to suffer that fate any time soon, though in reality it’d be a pretty common occurrence.
I keep waiting for Phoebe to pull a Linda Blair (a la Exorcist, not her later moves) but it never happens.
Apart from her father being the Prince of Darkness, she seems like a pretty nice, normal gal.
BTW, peerless author, if you like semi-fantasy with a weird theological twist (which is what considering the Puck series got me thinking about,) try getting your hands on two books by James Morrow – “Towing Jehovah” and “Blameless in Abaddon” – damnedest stories…
And once you’re on that reading path I’d suggest an oldie but goodie – ‘The Screwtape Letters’ by C.S.Lewis and a tasty little novel called ‘Black Easter’ by James Blish.
There are two things noone mentioned in the comments, therefore I would be remiss in my duties were I to let them go unmentioned.
Firstly: Why did Daphne let her hearts get so low when she has a fairy handy?
Secondly: Phoebe is a pair of spandex pants, and thigh high boots with 6 inch stiletto heels away from being a X-Man
MAY VOTING INCENTIVE! MAY FLOWERS!
It’s tasteful and bucolic! Vote! QUEEN VICTORIA WANTS YOU TO VOTE!!!
ALSO…
And as for the comic…
Hey, we’re actually at the point where we’re heading to Canada’s Funderland! It only took a month to get there! Sometimes I worry about the pace being too slow for the comic, but then I read a newspaper comic like ‘Between Friends’ (which I actually quite like), and I see Susan deciding whether to eat a piece of cake at a restaurant for twelve straight strips (okay, it was only four comics, but it felt like twelve), and I think to myself, “I ain’t doin’ so bad.”
My wife gave a big ‘thumbs up’ for Puck’s outfit here, which always means I’m on the right track. I didn’t to manage to get any reaction from her regarding Phoebe’s outfit, though which means one of two things: she’s growing inured to my nonsense, or I’m losing my touch.
I like phoebe’s dress, too!
with that being said, EVERYONE IS ALL TOGETHER IN THE FIRST PANEL! This is going to be great!
Only time all of those characters have been in one panel. It’s a rare, rare event.
Indeed.
I just realised, that for some reason, I typed Pheobe. I meant to say I like Puck’s dress, but Phoebe’s top is nice, too.
Just wait and see what happens when they get there.
We shall!
Phoebe’s top…
Shows a lotta skin? Check!
Inexplicably figure hugging? Check!
Defies physics? Check!
Nope, haven’t lost your touch here, you wife must be getting used to the nonsense.
It happens after fifteen years.
You always want that buddy with the better car to come with you. Either that or its drawing straws for the middle seat.
Exactly. Middle seat sucks. And middle seat next to baby? VERY sucks.
I am more annoyed that the daughter of Satan does not go driving around town in a car from hell like either a ’58 Plymouth Fury, a ’76 Ford Pinto or a Porsche 550 Spyder (Although the 550 can’t be blamed for the accident that gave it fame…)
Nah, she drives a normal car. When I decided what car they’d drive, I planned around the type of car that girls like Phoebe actually drive, but a Pinto would have been probably a more poetically appropriate choice.
This one of those cartoons about Puck’s abysmal parenting skills? Should not the crazy parenting brigade go wild about Puck not having her kid in a reward facing baby seat in the front passenger’s side ?
Of course, when I was growing up, you had the the baby in the back seat, rode a bike without a helmet, and walked by yourself to school each day…
Nowadays, you wonder how did we survive to see double digit ages as kids with the uneducated parents we had growing up…
Well, the kid is definitely in a car seat, and the car seat is rear-facing, but at least around here, putting the car seat in the front passenger side is a HUGE no no. The air bag can seriously endanger the kid, even with a car seat present, so the rule is a rear-facing car seat on the passenger side in the BACK seat. And trust me, riding squished up next to a car seat sucks.
Both my girlfriend and I are used to Phoebe’s (borderline) impossible clothes (we both love stuff that defies the laws of physics). Or we’re just used to non-sensical stuff. I dunno.
However, I do have a question about Miranda: did you decide from the start they’d have a daughter or was it just a spur-of-the-moment thing? Just curious!
As for the comic you mentioned (I have never heard of it personally), it did remind me of one I read a while back (I forgot the name), in which the main character took 6 strips (in a row) to decide if he should punch a person in the face or just ignore him. It ended with said guy being punched in the face by another character. I was like “…And people find this funny because…?” So, no, your tempo is perfectly fine (at least you show what happens before they go there – not just go ‘YEP THEY’RE TOTALLY THERE ALREADY AND HEY, TYLER IS HERE AS WELL, WHY IS HE? I DUNNO HE JUST IS’).
There was a bit of a debate in my household about the gender of the child. But my wife said this: “If you make the kid a boy, then it could potentially alter the very fabric of the comic’s dynamic in a major way. If you make the kid a girl, it’s going to be basically status quo.” That made the answer easy.
And I did consider suddenly jumping to the amusement park, but that felt … rushed.
And Miranda is going with them, too.
The Ontario licence plate to the green Ford is that “PCM-53”?
It’s PCDM-631. Which, if you want the hidden meaning, stands for ‘Puck, Colin, Daphne, Miranda’ and Puck’s current(ish) age of 631. Though it’s not a vanity plate; that’s just the weird logic I used to come up with that. And it’s a green ’99 Chevy Malibu. It’s a car I know well. I drove it for over a decade. It died on me a few years ago. I mourn its passing, but I get to rekindle my bond through this comic.
It really says something about you if you can out-selfish a spoiled princess cambion. >.<; What a pity that it's a lot of no good…
Puck is consistently the most selfish character I’ve ever created. It’s one of the many reasons I love her so much.
Oh my god, I love how Phoebe’s glasses mirror her outfit. Or, vice versa. Or…or…Oh my god, I love Phoebe! (There, I’ve said it)
Phoebe’s glasses always echo the lines of her outfit. I pay attention to this stuff.
Of course, everybody loves Phoebe. What’s not to love? BTW, the closest girl to Phoebe I ever knew drove a VW Rabbit
Totally with you there. Girls like Phoebe drive VW Rabbits or Jettas or something like that. I said in a MUCH earlier strip that Tracee probably drove a Jetta. I stand by that claim.
I know a lot of girls like Tracee here in California, Gecko… and they all drive BMW convertibles, Mercedes Convertibles, or if they are from the poorer part of town Mustang Convertibles.
I couldn’t even imagine Tracee in any vehicle that the top wouldn’t come down with!
True. To be honest, my VW Jetta classification for Tracee predated the revelation that she was a … fan of money and those with money, shall we say. If Tracee were buying a car on her own steam, it would probably be a Jetta. Now, though, with Tracee having access to Satan’s coffers? Any of your suggestions would probably be more accurate.
Tracee – Top DOWN ?
That’s all I need to know.
TRACEE!! WHERE?! I DON’T SEE HER! WHERE IS TRACEE! (ComedyHobo wanders off looking for Tracee) TRACEEEE!! WHERE ARE YOUuuuuuuuuuu………
@CH
Yeah !
Not much I can add.
Pee soaked, the badge of parent hood.
Wear it with pride!
I thought the badge of parenthood was a bit more… pasty… and could come from either end
So we have both Chekhov’s pee AND Chekhov’s vomit.
Are we missing any other scented bodily fluid?
We try to cover the bases.
OMG, those surroundings! I mean you put a lot of articulation in these panels, EG. And those citrus-y colors!!!
I’ve been staring at them off and on all day. 😀
I wish I could really take the credit on the backgrounds, but the backgrounds are reused from a comic I did over three years ago. The first panel has the same bg, but I’ve warped the vectors to vaguely make it work with the shot. It still doesn’t, really, which is why the second vanishing point is behind Puck’s head when it really should be off the panel. (That’s why I added the citrus-y colors in that panel: to try and mask the perspective flub.)
Seriously, I’m SUPER LAZY, But if it’s not evident at a glance, then I’m happy.
At least there IS a background. I like reused bg a lot better than floating bodies in a blank space.
Well, that’s MY opinion too, but I know that’s just a matter of taste.
Yeah, it’s been not that long since I figured that blank spaces could be really disturbing in a comic. It’s mostly bothering in action-packed sequences.
Nowadays, I still usually don’t mind the lack of backgrounds in stories where the action stays in the same location because it doesn’t matter that much, but it’s an extra I always appreciate.
Side-note: there’s something in the voting incentive from this month that gives me strong déjà-vu vibes… it smells like hotdogs, for some reason :p
How about having Puck and company learn self defense.
Pucks pretty brave taking off with the whole crew for the day with a crackhouse next door. Although i suppose even the sketchy clientele that frequent it would think twice about robbing Puck….maybe. I hear that stuff does make users very stupid.
Yeah, to be honest, I’ve known people who live in these neighborhoods, and while they can be actually quite nice in some respects (affordable property values, nice people), the big negative is certainly the fact that you get robbed. A lot. For storytelling purposes, I don’t think Puck and company are going to suffer that fate any time soon, though in reality it’d be a pretty common occurrence.
I keep waiting for Phoebe to pull a Linda Blair (a la Exorcist, not her later moves) but it never happens.
Apart from her father being the Prince of Darkness, she seems like a pretty nice, normal gal.
BTW, peerless author, if you like semi-fantasy with a weird theological twist (which is what considering the Puck series got me thinking about,) try getting your hands on two books by James Morrow – “Towing Jehovah” and “Blameless in Abaddon” – damnedest stories…
Phoebe is a pretty nice, normal gal. She’s never shown any real flash of evil. Never heard of Morrow, but sounds cool.
Go. Read. Them.
You won’t regret it.
And once you’re on that reading path I’d suggest an oldie but goodie – ‘The Screwtape Letters’ by C.S.Lewis and a tasty little novel called ‘Black Easter’ by James Blish.
Puck’s shoebox?
There are two things noone mentioned in the comments, therefore I would be remiss in my duties were I to let them go unmentioned.
Firstly: Why did Daphne let her hearts get so low when she has a fairy handy?
Secondly: Phoebe is a pair of spandex pants, and thigh high boots with 6 inch stiletto heels away from being a X-Man
I really should have made that Phoebe outfit black and yellow.