Head On.

 

Part 2 of the “Occupational Hazards” Story Arc.

 

Personally, I find those Head On commercials to be pretty goddamn annoying, but I find their advertising strategy to be effective. It’s like hypnotism, except without the act like a chicken part.In addition, the first panel includes a lot of references to past comics: Aaron’s bong as a decorative flower vase and the Xbox 360.

Also, if you haven’t noticed, I started using a different font for the comic’s text; “Comic Sans” was just getting stale. Anyhoo, I’d like to thank the good people at DaFont for providing the new font.

Occupational Hazards.

 

Part 1 of the “Occupational Hazards” Story Arc.

 

Yes, I am going to draw comics full-time again now that I no longer have to worry about school (although finding a real, professional job may take some importance — but not really). As such, this entire storyline revolves around the search, the discovery, and the trials of working. The arc will tie up some loose ends from other arcs, create new plot threads, bring back some old characters, and introduce new ones. I have a lot in store for this comic, so be prepared… or afraid…. well, whatever emotion comes naturally to you.

And Happy Birthday to TWLSB Friend, Tom and fellow cartoonist, Marty. May old age bring wisdom and happiness to your remaining years.

Retorick.

While stalking some of my creative writing friends on Facebook, I’ve noticed some really glaring spelling errors in their profiles. In the past, I’ve always thought that misspellings and typos were just limited to my one, creative writing major friend, Zach (what can I say, he was dropped as a child), but after reading other rhetoric majors’ written drafts as well as anything written on their MySpace/Livejournal/Facebook stuff, almost all of my creative writing friends aren’t the most accurate spellers. I suppose rhetoric classes are not about writing properly but rather how well you can incorporate the themes of sex, death, and/or depression into your work.

Love is in the Air.

The thrilling conclusion, kinda! More characters, more questions, and more lovesick drama with a mix o’ humour!

I really enjoyed drawing this comic, although inking everything was a bitch — especially when my hand and arm were a little shakey after drinking a lot of caffeine (damn your delicious addictiveness, Full Throttle!). The guns, in particular, were really fun to draw just because drawing firearms asserts my masculine and violent side.

Other small details:

The boarded up hole in the guys’ apartment is a result of a giant, toaster-headed robot breaking through the wall.

The “Doran” sound in the fourth panel is a tribute to fellow cartoonist, Pat Doran.

Both Kyle and reincarnated ZCC are visible in Chris’s photo, indicating that Chris and Lizzy have retained their friendship after “The Rules of Attraction” Storyline (in which Lizzy hardly makes an appearance after its conclusion).

There is a Broken Social Scene poster on Chris’s wall. I am seeing them tomorrow, and I am very excited.

I just started watching “Veronica Mars.” Damn you Christina and Shane!

Though I do want to slowly ease myself out of the usual college humor of my older comics, it’s obvious that all events still take place at my University, U of I.

Random, non-linear comics starting Friday (minus Randy of course), so stay tuned!

Cherub Downe.

Sorry for the delay. A certain coffee-shop manager had my sketchbook, in which she ransomed it for 100 dollars and my formula for eternal life. Next time you see Christina Head, remember the only way to kill her is to chop off her Head (Head, get it?)

So I introduced a new character, Cherub Downe. She’s the young, overly cute and adorable intern of Oakley Cupid who talks with a heavy lisp and wears a Rambo-style headband. She was definitely a fun character to develop, and hopefully you’ll enjoy her as this particular storyline progresses.

Also, this comic marks the reintroduction of Chris and his crew. For those of you who’ve missed the human aspects of the comics, don’t worry; they — under Oakley, Nigel, and Randy’s meddling — all have a major role in the future.

Carded.

So how evil is Caitlin? Well…

And yes, the real ZCC was a bar bouncer for some time.

Second String.

Cluckin’ Tattoo Regrets.

Go Go Power Rangers!All the roommates are featured in this comic — Aaron, Mike, Indie Rawk Jeffro, Kyle the Duck, ZCC, and Chris.

Erotic Kitchen Appliance Stories.

This marked the first appearance of ZCC as a toaster since he was initially killed and reincarnated. It was also the real ZCC’s birthday.

We Need a Toaster / The Sixth Roommate.

The Sausage-Fest crew gains a 6th roommate, ZCC. In later comics, however, ZCC’s face appears on the toaster; I love drawing his face, namely stippling in his beard.

And so ends year 2.