Their Reasons (Or An Introduction to IPAWD).

 

Part 11 of the “Occupational Hazards” Story Arc.

 

So here we go again after a week-long hiatus.

I wanted to have Joe Stalin, an old fan favorite, make an appearance after his departure as Chris’ roommate. I also wanted to further explore Chris’ rationale for getting a job and introduce IPAWD as an up-and-coming evil organization that will be the driving antagonistic force behind the comic.

In regards to the first panel, a friend told me she went to a shooting range that offered zombie targets. I think that is awesome.

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.

New Years 2007!

Happy New Years to you all! And check out both the newly completed Story Arcs and Extra & Goodies sections.

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.

Hiatus Daze #3.

Whatever did happen to Jimmy?

Mallard About You.

Ever made out with a duck? IT’S AMAZING.

Meet My New Boyfriend.

Oy! Sorry for the delay. I was swamped with graphic design work yesterday, not to mention that it was also my 23rd birthday.

Jeffro and Caitlin are an even match for each other — at least when it comes to fighting. But, according to the first panel, where does one necessarily find a wrench and a hunting knife in a bar?

On the other hand, Caitlin and Kyle the Duck are a perfect pair: both are moderately sinister and both like to wear black.

Speaking of fashion, I have placed an order to the good people at PureButtons.com for 100 Nigel and Randy 1″ pins. These two are new designs apart from what I had drawn a year ago, so whoever owns the old Nigel and Randy buttons (Pat Doran, I’m looking at your general direction) you may wanna get a hold of these:

Cyrus is in the Game.

I cheated on this one; I used old stock images of some of the characters to produce this comic. Very “I Hate Pam”. This was also the very first appearance of Kyle’s Smashtastic Destructo-Bot, the killer senior engineering project who plays a pivotal role in “The End of the Road” story arc of Spring 2005.