Santa Squatch

Introducing the odd-but-beloved holiday icon in Walpurgis: Santa Squatch!

~ to the tune of "Jingle Bells" ~

Santa Squatch, Santa Squatch!
He is Santa Squatch!
One half jolly old St. Nick, and the other one's sasquatch!
Santa Squatch, Santa Squatch!
Gifts and toys, he's makin'!
Bringing love and joy to all,
and he really enjoys bacon! 
 

• I'm not sure where to begin on how this idea came to be. Boredom, probably, or that I like Santa Claus and Bigfoot (Sasquatch). Knowing my warped imagination, it'd be the perfect combo for something to show up in "Quacktown".
• To keep it simple, he's a sasquatch who acts like Santa Claus and gives presents to all the good children in Walpurgis, so the real Kris Kringle doesn't have to worry about getting attacked by any paranormal threats during his own route in the city. 
• Because of his obscurity, Squatch is somewhat of an urban legend. He leaps from rooftop to rooftop and down chimneys, and while he likes cookies and milk, he much rather have bacon and ginger ale (or bacon cookies if you have and/or make 'em). Oh, and he doesn't need reindeer, what with him being able to climb and jump high- that, and he's respectful to fellow woodland creatures, like Harry from "Harry & the Hendersons".
• Like with "Extra Value Real", I decided use traditional media for this strip, only this time, the watercolor set made its return to the drawing board. I used a Koi water brush for the line-art and random places, and a large, broad brush for the splotches of background. The inked lines were done with two new PITT pens (a fine tip and brush pen).
• The font in the dialogue bubble was one called, "Tall Paul" (pretty fitting for both Bigfoot's height and guttural language).
• I gave him a Chuck Jones-style grin for added whimsy, and made him very ape-like compared to other portrayals (hence the gorilla/chimp-like nose and gnarled hands and feet). 
• One day, I'll explore the mysterious origins of this gentle holiday wood-ape (maybe next year!). Until then, be sure to leave that plate of maple smoked bacon strips out with a cool glass of ginger ale 'cause you may get a visit from Santa Squatch himself!

* MERRY CHRISTMAS, HAPPY HOLIDAYS & HAPPY NEW YEAR, EVERYBODY! *

You're a Dour One, Mr. Quack

To get into the Christmas spirit, here's the first of a few holiday-inspired strips.

Quacklad's quite the Scrooge without his smokes.

• I didn't think it could be done, but it's actually possible to combine the titles of three of your favorite Christmas specials/movies ("Dr. Seuss' How the Grinch Stole Christmas!", "The Year Without a Santa Claus", and "The Santa Clause") and three of the ones you don't like ("Santa Claus Conquers the Martians", "Nestor the Long-Eared Christmas Donkey", and "Santa Claus: The Movie") into one big spoof title.
• The initial concept for this strip stemmed from a doodle I made in my sketchbook as a joke with the Duck in a chimney, posed like the Grinch as seen on the video cover, with the caption, "How Quacklad Conquered the Martians on the Night Before Christmas". The only differences between the two are obviously the other joke title was used and that this one was colored/altered with GIMP.
• I nearly wore the bejeebus out of an old VHS of the original Grinch cartoon watching it over and over to get the appropriate colors. 
• To make this strip even "Seuss-ier", I used a font called, "Grinched", for the mock title.
• As I did with the Halloween strip that had the "Peanuts" reference, I added a "- With apologies to..." credit in respect to Dr. Seuss and Chuck Jones. I'm starting to feel like the more pop culture tributes that are made in this webcomic, particularly the ones that hit closer to home with the original source material/creators, the more I should tip my hat to it/them in a "no hard feelings" kind of way.
• Quacklad's probably the first one ever to use an Elmo & Patsy song as a legitimate threat. 
• The word, "dour", suits the Duck just as well as the word, "hyper", suits the Husky. Dour Duck. Hyper Husky. Alliteration at its oddest, folks. 

'Tis the season! Tune next time to see Walpurgis' own unique holiday icon for the season!.

Extra Value Real

What's this? A realistic Quacklad and Tyrra?! Oh, the horror!

Once again, everybody, I apologize for being so slack on updates. The last half of November's had its ups and downs. My job pretty much ended for the season, and I've been back on the close-but-no-cigar search for work. Hasn't been a complete bummer, though. Thanksgiving was nice, and we got to go the Carolina Renaissance Festival. I met one of my favorite fantasy artists, Ruth Thompson, there, and she signed a print of a dragon I bought from her. I had been going through a pretty bad art funk, but thanks to a new sketchbook, looks like it's passed.

• I got inspired by the sixth Sidebar comic of "Meowington" to draw the Duck and Husky this way; Holly drew her characters, Greg and Kimberly, as realistic kitty-cats. Check out more of "Meowington", along with Holly's stuff!- http://meowingtoncomic.blogspot.ca/ & http://lunardawn.deviantart.com/
• Realistic art styles and me have not had an understandable relationship, and despite how artists, as they get older, feel the need to try something they're not used to, I was a bit nervous. All and all, I think it turned out okay; Tyrra looks neat, but Quacklad scares me.
• Traditional media's been set back on the burner in my art-making for a while, but since I've been doodling around in my sketchbook, I thought it'd be cool to whip out a regular .05 mechanical pencil, some colored pencils, an a Stylo sketch pen on this strip for a change.
• I got stumped on what to title this strip, so I just settled on a playful jab towards McDonald's "Extra Value Meal" (again, sorry for the corniness- and I've been cravin' Mickey-D's like crazy lately).

Now that December's here, expect some holiday-related strips this month. Hoping to try my hand at finally doing holiday commission work soon to help with bills and Christmas shopping, so if anybody's interested, just e-mail me. 

See ya next time, guys! Good to be back in the artist's saddle.

Día de los Muertos

Day of the Dead (Día de los Muertos) has come and gone, but I worked hard on this, yet couldn't get it done on time for said day due to other engagements at the time (mostly running errands and early Christmas shopping/browsing). Better late than never, I guess.

• Wikipedia describes Day of the Dead (Día de los Muertos) as "a Mexican holiday celebrated throughout Mexico and around the world in other cultures. The holiday focuses on gatherings of family and friends to pray for and remember friends and family members who have died." It's celebrated on November 1 and 2, and often summed up as "the Mexican Halloween". There's a lot of great macabre imagery found in the celebration, and I tried to capture of those visual elements in this strip. Needless to say, much fun was had with this strip's layout.
• Now before anybody freaks out, let me put your wigged-out minds at ease: the Duck and the Husky are NOT dead. They are have NOT ceased to be; it's just for THIS strip. I drew their skulls because I couldn't think of any other way to have them in this strip while still keeping with the Day of the Dead theme. I could've had them celebrating the holiday while in Mexico for an assignment (maybe hunting down a chupacabra or something), but in my twisted head, it seemed neater to have them be a part of the celebration's decorations.
• I had to look at the "Evil Dead II"-inspired teaser image for the webcomic's launch for reference when it came to drawing Quacklad's skull again. 
• For Tyrra's skull, I actually looked up photos of a Siberian Husky's skull through Google. I actually like how hers turned out since it's the only time (so far) that she's been drawn partly realistic.
• According to the celebrations beliefs, private altars honoring the dearly departed contain their favorite foods and beverages, along with photos and memorabilia. The two items one could easily associate with Quacklad and Tyrra are his touque and her necklace.
• The Mexican Marigold is the traditional flower used for Day of the Dead. I ended up drawing stylized marigolds with major emphasis on the puffy look of the flower's petals.
• The cross was a last minute addition since I wanted something Christian/church-related to make the setup look more like it's on a decorated altar.
• I've always liked skulls and skeletons, and Día de los Muertos skeletons are my favorite stylized type of skeletons, but since the focus is on Quacklad and Tyrra's skulls, I opted to put some in little framed portraits behind them. My favorite's the one in the sombrero, along with the little sugar skull in between the Duck and Husky's noggin-bones.

Halloween 2012

I can't believe Halloween's already here (next thing you know, Thanksgiving's over, then Christmas pops out its jolly old elfin head). Well, without further ado-doo, enjoy this strip for your Samhain celebration. Mine's gonna involve getting pizza and watching cheesy horror movies with my family.

• "It's the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown!" (1966) has got to be, hands down, my favorite cartoon to watch on Halloween, so it was inevitable that I pay a playful tribute to it in a themed strip. I chose to spoof the "I got a rock" scene, but only because I thought of a dumb pun to play off with it. I could've easily done a Scooby-Doo scenario with Tyrra, but then I thought, "Nah, too easy."
• Get it? 'Cause he got a ROCK, and Tyrra got a ROC (which is a giant bird of prey from Arabic mythology). Heh, heh... I'm such a dork.
• I added the "- With apologies to Schulz & Melendez!" credit due to seeing Frank Cho do this whenever he made pop culture references in "Liberty Meadows", and since I'm paying tribute to the Great Pumpkin special, I wanted to handle it as respectfully as possible.
• For anybody who's wondering, Tyrra is dressed as Dynomutt, Dog Wonder (one of my favorite Hanna-Barbera characters) and Quacklad's supposed to be Ash in his medieval outfit from "Army of Darkness" (1993). Groovy!
• Tyrra's line had to be that right amount of funny and dark, all tied together with a little grin (just something you'll expect from the horror comedy aspect of this here webcomic).
• "As big as a battleship."- another reference made to that cheesy giant monster movie, "The Giant Claw" (1957).
• Once again, I had fun playing around with the gradients and coloring to give the background a nice autumn night for trick-or-treating.

Happy Halloween, everybody! Eat, drink, and be spooky! Take care and stay safe, East Coast!

Pumpkingeist

pump·kin·geist
Noun: A unique type of ghost known for dwelling within jack-o'-lanterns. Very mischievous, but overall, harmless and friendly to the owner of the pumpkin it's haunting. 

• Tyrra, unlike Quacklad, isn't gung-ho about "busting first, asking questions later" when it comes to encountering spirits. As a dog, it plays into the old myth of animals being able to see ghosts when humans can't, and as a young character, it plays into her love of scary things.
• I like to think that due to different visual interpretations of monsters and ghosts, there would be a variety of different "breeds" and classifications of them based on habitat and existence within the "Quacktown" world. I've yet to explore it within the comic, but the look of ghosts will be based on memory, how well they remembered their past lives. The more they remember, the more they look like the spirits of human beings, and the latter resulting in odd-looking ones with unusual quirks like the Pumpkingeist here.
• It's recently occurred to me that I love the traditional bed sheet template for cartoon ghosts. Maybe it's because they're so amorphous in appearance or the template itself being classic, but it's a fun design to doodle. I'm even proud to say that I own a bed sheet ghost costume that I'll sport this Halloween.
• I love playing around with the Brush tool in GIMP for smoke and glowing effects. I did a yellow glow on the jack-o-lantern's eyes, nose, and mouth before adding the ghost's ectoplasmic green one. The smoke effect was added as a little nod to dry ice smoke effects at haunted attractions.

Who Goes There...?

Hard at work on some short "Quacktown" comics for my favorite holiday coming up soon. Until then, enjoy some candid Samhain-inspired drawings featuring the Duck and his Dog.

After watching some scary movies back to back to get into the Halloween mood, I got inspired to draw Quacklad during his younger/early days of monster-hunting again.

• Me wanting to draw Quacklad during his younger/early days came about after watching "The Woman in Black" again (hence the hatchet and lit candlestick). Nothing gives off a mix of spooky and retro cool like a Victorian ghost story.
• The demon's design was inspired by Henrietta's stretched-out neck/skull face form from "Evil Dead II". A cycloptic eye, exposed gums/nasty teeth, and jutting cheekbones were added for extra creepiness. The ectoplasmic drool? Well, why not.
• Serious fun was had playing around with coloring and gradient effects, not to mention drawing the ghostly demon and the Duck in his prime. 
• Quacklad's old/Victorian outfit has color elements of his current one (mainly just the orange vest and purple tie as a nod to his usual orange hoodie and purple tuque). The demon's coloring scheme was bluish green for its spiritual aura and mix of light/dark tan shades. The Paintbrush tool was used for the glowing effects.

Jonesing

Sorry for the long break, guys. I've actually been booked solid during the last half of September. I got a new part-time job at an apple orchard/cider mill, then went through a bit of an art block (that's over now, thank goodness). Oh, and I'm going to be a proud uncle. "Uncle Scooter"- I'm already diggin' the sound of it.

With all that being said, October is here, and with that, the door's open on spooky encounters and Halloween thrills for our Duck and Husky! Our first strip for the month pays tribute to the style of the late-but-great animator Chuck Jones, whose 100th birthday is is this year. Chuck Jones is not only my favorite "Looney Tunes" director, but also one of my major influences as an artist.

•  Jones' birthday was September 21, but better late than never (I had actually started on the layout the week before that day, but got swamped with other things before actually drawing/inking it). Jeff Goldblum had it right, folks: "Life, uh, finds a way."
• I had the most fun drawing Tyrra in the Jones style, sticking her with a Wile E. Coyote/Ralph Wolf-ish appearance. I had thought about making her look a little like the wolves from Jones' adaption of "The Jungle Book", "Mowgli's Brothers" (1976), but the initial sketches didn't translate well with aspects of her usual design (mainly that hair of hers). 
• Tyrra being in charge of the explosives is something I plan to exploit in future strips.
• Drawing Quacklad was easy; I just basically drew him like Jones' take on Daffy Duck while exaggerating the quirks of his wardrobe.
• The kid decoy/trap was loosely based in appearance on Ralph Phillips, the little boy who liked to daydream from two of Jones' cartoons, "From A to Z-Z-Z-Z" (1954) and "Boyhood Daze" (1957).
• The witch and vampire were inspired by Witch Hazel of "Looney Tunes"/"Merrie Melodies"-fame and Count Bloodcount from "Transylvania 6-5000" (1963). I drew them both with the notable "skin tooth", and made the vampire a bit like Count Orlok of "Nosferatu"-fame.
• To give the background a more cartoony look, I watched a good number of Jones' "Looney Tunes" shorts and Maurice Noble's background/layout work, then settled with flat coloring with minimal digital altering and effects. To give it that right amount of spooky and funny, I watched "Transylvania 6-5000" again ("Abraca-pocus!").

Tyrra's Huskyshines: Disguise

And now for something kinda different: a new series of filler strips featuring everybody's favorite paranormalist talking dog, Tyrra the Hyper Husky, cooking up her usual monkeyshines (or in her case, "huskyshines") around Walpurgis. In this first installment, our canine heroine pays tribute to that classic trope, the "Conspicuous Trenchcoat".

• I got inspired to do this after watching the first "Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles" movie with my bro-in-law, and we started riffing on why not-so-ordinary characters in movies, TV shows, cartoons, and comics use this type of disguise. It then hit me that Tyrra could be such a character, as it could be the only way (in her head) that she could get away with being herself and not draw attention.
• Originally, Tyrra was supposed to be wearing sunglasses, but goggles turned out to be more fun to draw. The bizarre gradient coloring on them was something I played with.
• Fedoras have always been a challenge to draw. I started researching characters who wear that type of hat, like Indiana Jones and the Spirit, but then I looked at Agent P (Perry the Platypus) from "Phineas & Ferb" and noticed how slightly exaggerated the look of his fedora was, so Tyrra's ended up with a toony-but-still-stylish design.
• "Jekyll Park" is a playful nod to Hyde Park in London, England (Get it? Heh, heh...I'm such a dork.). 
• Damen und Herren, I present to you: Tyrra's catchphrase! It's from a 1939 "Merrie Melodies" cartoon by Tex Avery called, "Fresh Fish"; a two-headed fish voiced by Mel Blanc, in a running gag, keeps asking the narrator where it can find Robert L. Ripley of "Ripley's Believe It or Not!"-fame. It seemed like a funny line for the Husky to say as an icebreaker for people reeling in shock at the sight of a talking dog.
• Not sure why, but I thought the guy reading the newspaper came out kinda looking like Leonard MacLeish from the new "Pound Puppies" cartoon. Probably just a weird co-inky-dink, then again, I have started watching that show.
• Not only are we introduced to Tyrra's snazzy catchphrase, but also to "The Walpurgis Oracle", the city's newspaper. The photo of Quacklad on the front page was cropped from an old drawing I made for Halloween last year showing the Duck and Tyrra fighting a parody of the Great Pumpkin (the Scarecrow King) while a Linus-type kid, unaware of the battle, is patiently waiting for his beloved made-up holiday icon.
• For anybody  who can barely read the headline tag on the front page of the newspaper, it's "Half-man, half-duck creature lurks in city!" I look at Quacklad's existence as known only to those who have had a past acquaintance with him or seen in him in action with Tyrra, yet he's still considered an urban legend to the outside world. The other lines are "I've seen him!" and "more will-o'-the-wisp sightings!"
• I was a bit wary on using the photo of Bat-Boy of "Weekly World News"-fame, but seeing as how Bat Boy is in the public domain, what with him appearing in PRACTICALLY EVERY MEDIA outside of his usual printed sightings, it seem legit to pull off. Also, look at it as a playful tribute to both the horror comedy element of "Quacktown" and the 20th anniversary of the character's first appearance in 1992.
• Under the photo, we're introduced to Quacklad and Tyrra's unofficial phone number for their freelance paranormal investigation services, 555-GHUL (a nod to Daffy's number in "Daffy Duck's Quackbusters", 555-KWAK). Their business motto's a rephrasing of Van Helsing's last lines in the last chapter of Bram Stoker's "Dracula".
• Our good friends at Wikipedia define a "ghoul" as followed: "a type of jinn that feeds on human corpses, abducts young children to eat, lures unwary people into abandoned places, often classified as undead. The creatures usually dwells in graveyards and cemeteries." Gruesome, isn't it? Even weirder is this: "Ghoul is from the Arabic ghul, from ghala 'to seize'." The "GHUL" part of the number only came to be from me remembering the word's constant usage in all the "Scooby-Doo" incarnations in both normal and abbreviated pun-form.
• I'm happy with how the background's mid-afternoon sky turned out (nice blend of blue and pink, like cotton candy).

More huskyshines to come, folks!

Quacktown + ZombieToons MUST DIE! - Page 5 (AM Guest Strip)

And now the conclusion of the of the five-part guest/crossover strip with "ZombieToons MUST Die!" by Aaron Mocksing.

• Aaron had originally wanted this to be a fan-comic for "Quacktown", which explains why this was short and ends on a cliffhanger. We're both hoping that this will pique some interest to continue the story.  
• Aaron told me on dA that he wanted to make this crossover more of a moody, disquieting mysterious sort of piece, and that he wanted to revisit Lenny and Miko while "Keeping Up with Thursday" took off. 
• Hey, look! Quacklad's fold-out crossbow pistol made another appearance (it's his favorite weapon and we will be seeing it again).
• I like how nonchalant Lenny is talking to Tyrra. It always annoyed me in some movies and cartoons where people would flip the frak out at a talking dog. Seems like kids tend to have the most realistic reaction; they think it's the coolest thing ever. Based on what Lenny's used to, it's no different from the anthropomorphic toon characters he interacts with.
• Too bad that the Z Warriors and Justice League left; that would've been interesting to see: them teaming up and fighting zombie cartoon characters. Oh, well- we can still dream, can't we?
• "Heh...there goes my faith in superheroes."- I find that funny because when Quacklad was first being developed in high school, I had him in mind as a superhero's-sidekick-turned-detective character, sort of like something out of Brian Michael Bendis and Michael Avon Oeming's series, "Powers", and before that, the comic was a "Skyrim"-type fantasy story. A horror comedy/dark fantasy just seemed like the more fun/easier way to go.
• Zombie Sentry- another nod to the "Marvel Zombies" series (you're making me want to check out that series more and more, Aaron).

Thanks again for taking up my offer on doing a guest-strip and whipping up this five-part coolness, Aaron. One day, we've got to continue this, but for now, it's a pretty good hook for potential. I'll return the favor of a guest strip real soon, good buddy!

Later, guys! When we come back, I'm goin' back to writing/drawing duties, plus maybe some more guest comics. Take it easy; I'm out like a boozehound at closing time.

Quacktown + ZombieToons MUST DIE! - Page 4 (AM Guest Strip)

And we're back with Page 4 of the five-part guest/crossover strip with "ZombieToons MUST Die!" by Aaron Mocksing. Here we we get our grand (and by that I mean, "epic-as-holy-heck") entrance of Lenny Pools and Miko Duck in the Ecto-1 of "Ghostbusters"-fame.

• Aaron, on dA, said that if a zombie apocalypse ever happened, he'd go to Universal Studios and nab either the Ecto-1 or the Bluesmobile from "The Blues Brothers" (1980) (smart choices, yo!).
• Also on dA, Aaron said that his vectors of the Ecto-1 were so good, that somebody asked if they could use them for something "My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic" related with Ghostbusters (way to go, Aaron!). Those vectors really did turn out nicely- I can't draw a car to save Alderaan's population. I've been trying to practice, though, but not much progress has been made.
• Looking at the remains of the Rangers' HQ and the Ranger Plane make me think of a dark outcome for Zipper, the weird green housefly with a dog's face/Monterey Jack's sidekick (he probably hanged himself to escape a grisly death like Monty's). Aaron, through dA, later told me that Chip gave him to Dale to eat, but the little guy just wasn't enough to satisfy his zombie cravings (he's probably a light appetizer compared to a heaping helping like Monty).
• Tyrra's smug smile on the third panel is too adorable for words.
• "You've got red on you."- as a big fan of "Shaun of the Dead", that made me smile a lot, even more so that Aaron had Tyrra quoting it (thanks and kudos, dude!).
• You'd think Quacklad would invest in getting some custom-made sandals to prevent unwanted blood splatter and rough terrain, but I like to think his webbed feet have the incredible durability of a hobbit's.
• Not sure why, but I thought Quacklad looked kinda like Darkwing Duck on the fifth panel, but in a cool way.
• To satify the curiosities of fans who were wondering why the Ecto-1 survived, yet Gadget Hackwrench didn't, Aaron stated that while everybody was watching the "Rescue Rangers" cartoon at the time, he was watching "The Real Ghostbusters" show as it was wrapping up on ABC ("I preferred the cooler programming."). I watched both, but again, only watched "Rescue Rangers" 'cause I had a crush on Gadget (haters, kindly take it to the left and keep it there, thank you). 
• I have yet to see any of "The Expendables" movies, yet have heard nothing but kick-ass things about them.
• While we're on the subject of anthro girl cuties, Miko's pretty hot for a duck- just don't get any ideas about shipping her with Quacklad (he's in the mindset of, "No time for love, Dr. Jones", when it comes to romance).

 To be concluded with Page 5 tomorrow!

Quacktown + ZombieToons MUST DIE! - Page 3 (AM Guest Strip)

Page 3 of the five-part guest/crossover strip with "ZombieToons MUST Die!" by Aaron Mocksing is here! Looks like we got some butt-whupping on this page.

• Tyrra's husky senses are tingling! Aaron did a great job on the first two panels, focusing on the Hyper Husky's keen scent and hearing.
• "Nostalgic decay"- "Your childhood is dead", indeed.
• "Hrrm.."- Quacklad doing his best Rorschach impression. Funny, considering that character had some influence on the Duck's creation.
• I like how in the fifth panel we, as a reading audience, don't get a full view of Quacklad's face- very mysterious. For all we know it's probably a look of glee at getting the chance of killing something that's already dead (Quacklad lets his hate motivate).
• Hmm, Tom and Jerry would be a tough zombie duo to fight, but at least they didn't run into Itchy and Scratchy, then they'd be screwed big time.
• Poor Gadget. Aaron mentioned that she could go on to have a Reed Richards-style role, like in the "Marvel Zombies" series, but after considering Quacklad's punt, doubted if there was anything left of her. If so, consider it an accidental mercy killing on the Duck's part.
• Looking back at some of those old cartoons where Chip 'n Dale made Donald Duck's life a living hell, you could say that this is karma's way of biting them back in their little striped butts.
• "SPLRURRRKK!!!"- such a nasty-but-cool sound effect.

What happens next? To be continued with Page 4...!

Quacktown + ZombieToons MUST DIE! - Page 2 (AM Guest Strip)

Here's Page 2 of the five-part guest/crossover strip with "ZombieToons MUST Die!" by Aaron Mocksing.

• Yeah, "Chip 'n Dale: Rescue Rangers". Aaron did mention that the tagline for ZTMD is "Your childhood is dead." 'Nuff said!
• In the vein of "Marvel Zombies", Aaron made the right choice of not sugarcoating the obvious outcome of Gadget here (still, poor girl; she was my favorite character on the show). I was more of a "DuckTales"/"Darkwing Duck"/"Gargoyles" fan, but she was pretty much my only reason to watch "Rescue Rangers" (yes, it was a cartoon crush- your jokes 'bout it are invalid).
• Aaron did a great job designing the zombified Chip 'n Dale- those blank, lifeless eyes really sell it, along with the gory deterioration and flies.
• After Aaron had e-mailed me this page, I got honestly got weirded out reading Chip 'n Dale's scenes and imagining their lines in the "Rescue Rangers" voices- but that's how effective horror-comedy can be: scary but fun. Picturing Tress MacNeille, Chip's voice-actress on the show, say the line, "...Get back up there and finish off Monty, you dumbshit..." in that sped-up/high-pitched voice is hilarious.
• The fifth panel where Quacklad and Tyrra come into the story has a cool Spaghetti Western entrance: shadowy silhouettes and something blowing in the wind (a piece of paper instead of your run-of-the-mill tumbleweed).
• Quacklad more worried about running out of his "coffin nails" than the post-apocalyptic surroundings and Tyrra zinging him is true to the characters. Aaron was a bit worried that they looked off model, but they look fine to me, just as long as they act like...well, how they act.

 And we'll return with Page 3 tomorrow- later!

Quacktown + ZombieToons MUST DIE! - Page 1 (AM Guest Strip)

And we rise from the grave (quite literally, regarding the context) after "Shark Week" with a special five-part crossover guest strip!

The mad genius culprit behind this is Aaron Mocksing, creator of "Keeping Up With Thursday". He took up my offer for a guest strip spot, and he whipped up five pages of monster-mashing-in-Toontown-goodness. In a nutshell, it's a crossover between "Quacktown" and another neato webcomic of his, "ZombieToons MUST DIE!" with the protagonists, Lenny Pools and Miko Duck, teaming up with Quacklad and Tyrra against a threat that can be described as "Who Framed Roger Rabbit" meets "Dawn of the Dead" with a dash of "Marvel Zombies". 

Here's a list of the zombified toons Aaron featured on this page:

• Miranda Wright ("Bonkers")
• Longarm ("C.O.P.S.")
• Bonkers D. Bobcat ("Bonkers")
• Koko the Clown (Max Fleischer)
• Cleo ("The Catillac Cats")
• Jessica Rabbit ("Who Framed Roger Rabbit")

• Since Aaron works primarily with Flash for his art, I helped him out with adding our logos together using GIMP. He wrote and drew all four pages while I served as a "creative consultant" for Quacklad and Tyrra.
• His zombified take on the toon victims is a legitimate mix of creepy and cool. The zombie Koko the Clown and Bonkers were the best, and I liked seeing the Dour Duck and Hyper Husky in his style.

Stick around for Page 2 tomorrow, folks!

Case #1890: "Finger-Lickin' Good"

For tonight's strip, here's something a little different I wanna try: a cryptid moment in Walpurgis' history.

•  "Case #1890"- a little nod towards the year in which two cowboys in Arizona claimed to have killed a creature that matched the description of a pterodactyl. The idea in the story that they had taken the creature's body back home and sent in a photo to their local newspaper served some inspiration here, too.
• "a bird as big as a battleship"- if you ever seen or heard of the movie, "The Giant Claw" (1957), you'll get the joke. Coleman's first name, "Mitch", is a nod to Jeff Morrow's character in the movie.
• Coleman's last name pays tribute to Loren Coleman, a Bigfoot researcher and cryptozoology author who wrote about a series of thunderbird sightings in the 1940s.
• Another reference to the Rowling Woods. We'll definitely continue to hear and see more of this strange place; it's chock full of spooky activity.
• The roc of Arabic/Persian mythology and the thunderbird of Native American folklore are both giant birds of prey, so one could assume that despite differences in their habitats, they share a common ancestor or species.
• Garudas tonitrus - the faux Latin name for a thunderbird. The genus, "Garudas", refers to Garuda, a giant bird-like creature from Hindu and Buddhist mythology, and the species, "tonitrus", is actually a Latin word meaning, "thunder".  
• "Donut" was the name of a mutt we owned when I was a kid. The comic Donut here wasn't based on the appearance of the real Donut- only in name. The real Donut looked more like a scrawny mix between an Old English Sheepdog and a Pointer (I can't remember). A pretty generic design was given to this dog here (those eyes).
• Don't even begin to ask where a thunderbird, as big as they've been made out to be in folklore and eyewitness accounts, would stay in the Rowling Woods- I'm not even sure if the storytellers and the people who claimed to have seen one knew either. Let's just say this one had been on migration from Alaska or Canada for a change of scenery, and it happened to be in the wrong place at the wrong time.
• Trucks- and lots of them. That's how they got that thing to Coleman's house- 'nuff said!
• At first, I hated the idea of altering the original drawing to make it look like an old photo, but for authenticity purposes to the time, it had to be done. Glancing at it a second time, I'm starting to like the sepia tone of it.
• Oh, GIMP- I've only begun to discover your full potential. Keep doin' your thing, baby.
• There's only so much barbeque sauce can do, folks, and it certainly can't make thunderbird meat taste any better.

Sparky Writer

Y'know what I enjoy? Tributes to classic strips from the funny papers. Enjoy!

Yeah...Tyrra's best novels never get off the ground (lousy publishers).

• Snoopy's one in a handful of characters that served as inspiration when I created Tyrra, so it was inevitable that the Husky would get drawn in that classic style.
• "Sparky Writer" is a tip of the hat to Charles "Sparky" M. Schulz, creator of "Peanuts"- I'm a BIG fan of the strip, and Schulz happens to be one of the major influences on me as a cartoonist since childhood.
• The design of Tyrra's laptop is loosely based on my own (a Compaq Presario)- it's been my personal working system for six rough-and-tumble years.
• For anyone not hip to Japanese, a ninjatō is a type of short, straight-bladed katana (sword) which ninjas tend to wield in pop culture (movies, TV, anime/manga, etc.).
• I find garter belts/garters to be very sexy pieces of lingerie. They're even sexier when they've got something like a hidden weapon or flask in them.
• "shapely thigh" and "luscious lips"- I'm so...so sorry. Looks like Tyrra's writing a saucy action-adventure.
• "jive turkeys"- this term, boys and girls, refers to one who likes to talk the talk, but can't walk the walk. In other words, Chump don' want no help, chump don't GET da' help!
• Tyrra's "alternative" take on Cinderella was just something I made up as I was typing (it happens!). The premise of a lady in a ballgown kicking ninja butt and looking good while doing so was inspired by "Pride & Prejudice & Zombies".

Undead Whippersnappers

Greetings, fellow ducktectives! In this strip, we return to the ongoing storyline that was left off from "Fast Food Puppeteer". 

Quacklad starts to feel bummed out about the past, and Tyrra does her best  to make her ducky buddy lighten up- however, bringing up a fairly recent case with a borderline-immortal slasher doesn't exactly help.

• Quacklad's sulking pose/expression was based on one I made in the mirror as I drew it. Having a mirror on or near your drafting table's a great way to study expressions, plus it helps put a personal touch to the characters you draw.
• A reoccurring element will be Quacklad's longevity and past. One day, I might explore just how long the Duck's been in that line of business, but for now, let's just say that he's old enough to personally remember when Teddy Roosevelt was in office.
• "Occult ducktective" is Quacklad's self-described profession. He's a freelance monster hunter/paranormal investigator, and in a place like Walpurgis, he makes a very successful living. Tyrra is his partner/apprentice, but she's also his closest friend/confident. The word, "ducktective", is a nod to the Daffy Duck cartoon, "The Great Piggy Bank Robbery" (1946) (oddly enough, Daffy fought creepy and weird gangsters, which I'll admit, served as some inspiration).
• The Rowling Woods, the enchanted forest outside of Walpurgis, is my little tribute to J.K. Rowling, the author of the Harry Potter books (also, the Forbidden Forest from said book series). 
• Even when she's stuffing her face, Tyrra's cute!
•  "Things that go bump in the night."- one of my favorite classic phrases about the supernatural.
• I'm not entirely sure why Tyrra's burrito puppet has a thought bubble, but those thoughts are making fun of a line Rorschach says near the end of "Watchmen" (I dunno- just go with it, guys!). 
• Kane Cunningham is my spoof of Jason Voorhees of "Friday the 13th" fame (well, duh). His appearance was inspired by how Jason appeared in "Friday the 13th Part II" with the Elephant Man-style sack mask (I gave him the machete just show people for sure who was being spoofed). With the coloring I gave him here, you could say that Kane was more of a burn victim than one of drowning (maybe that was me subconsciously working some Freddy Krueger influence in- I like the "Friday the 13th" series, but I prefer "A Nightmare on Elm Street" more).
• Originally, I was trying to get this strip done and posted by Friday the 13th of this month, but wouldn't you know it? I spent the whole day watching all of the "Friday the 13th" movies, starting with the first one up onto "Jason Goes to Hell: The Final Friday" (1993). That part of Tyrra's line, "that one Friday", was left unchanged because it serves as a bit of an inside joke to both that personal situation and the movie series itself.
• "Kane Cunningham" is a combo nod towards Kane Hodder, the stuntman/actor famous for playing Jason in "Friday the 13th" Parts VII through X, and Sean S. Cunningham, the director of the first "Friday the 13th" movie. I also thought the last name, "Cunningham", would make people think of Richie Cunningham from "Happy Days".
• "Have a permanent sleepover at Cousin Dirtnap's house," is my own twisted version of saying, "Kicked the bucket". 
• Same as before- had serious fun with those gradients and brush effects!
• Tyrra mentioning a revenge-crazed imposter and a telekinetic girl's wish is my personal potshot against "Friday the 13th Part V: A New Beginning" (1985) and "Friday the 13th Part VII: The New Blood" (1988). I would've made one against "Jason Goes to Hell: The Final Friday" (1993), but I actually liked that one for its ridiculousness. 

Quacklad & Tyrra's Excellent 7th Voyage

Yeah, sorry for another-and-longer hiatus, guys- but we're back! "Back", as in the here and now, not "back" as in that weird animated movie from the '90s involving dinosaurs who eat cereal to to become smart/anthropomorphic, something about time-travel and kids in New York and Walter Cronkite, I dunno... Huh... my train of thought got derailed again. Sorry 'bout that.

The last half of June was pretty inspiring. I went to Heroes Con 2012 with my big sister and bro-in-law. We met and got our photos taken with Stan "The Man" Lee, the co-creator behind Spider-Man, the Fantastic Four, Iron Man, the Hulk, the X-Men, and others. It was pretty overwhelming to finally meet one of my biggest comic influences- very nice guy, too!

I took a small portfolio of some of my best works from 2011 and this year, including three "Quacktown" strips. Got great feedback from my favorite artists who were there, so that meant a lot; Dusty Higgins, the artist/co-creator of "Pinocchio, Vampire Slayer", really motivated me and Jill Thompson, the creator of "Scary Godmother" and artist/co-creator of "Beasts of Burden", said that Tyrra was cute (I mentioned to her that Ace from "Beasts of Burden" was an influence on the Husky, and she doodled him next to her signature in the BOB issue I brought). Best of all, though, Mike Mignola, the creator of "Hellboy" himself, said: "A duck and a dog who fight monsters? Cool!" Next to meeting Stan Lee, that made my day 'cause I'm such a ginormous "Hellboy" fan.

Lately, I've been busy with getting some free art requests done on deviantART, not to mention reorganizing my studio from top to bottom. Hope you don't mind seeing more filler strips 'cause these are fun to do!

Anywho, enough of that personal tripe- onto the comic!

• The design of the Cyclops and the name of the isle, "Barani", are both nods to one of my favorite fantasy adventure movies as a kid, "The 7th Voyage of Sinbad" (1958). "Barani" was the name of the little genie boy in the movie (who, by the way, had a cool Auto-Tune-ish voice). The Cyclops was my favorite monster brought to life by the great Ray Harryhausen, and I've been wanting to draw the Duck and Dog encounter such a wondrous monstrosity. The title of this filler strip is also a nod to the movie, along with "Bill & Ted's Excellent Adventure" (1989), another cinematic cult classic!
• The hand was based loosely on reference of my own left hand, albeit me hiding the pinky to get that just-right humanoid hand anatomy. Just so everybody knows, my nails aren't long, sharp, and yellowish, nor are my hands scraped up like I double fist bumped Edward Scissorhands.
• Only Quacklad has the guff to stare right back at a gigantic creature of Greek mythology and act like it's a schoolyard showdown. To Tyrra, it's pretty "meh"-inducing.
• Originally, Tyrra was supposed to have a scared/nervous look on her face, but I thought a semi-casual/uneasy expression would suit her best. She's the kind of sidekick/partner who can save your bacon in the nick of time, but has more fun being the Greek chorus to your mishaps and eventual screw-ups.
• I am very happy with how the coloring turned out on this. I love playing around with gradients, and I ended up using them the most on the Cyclops- my personal favorite of them were the ones on his big, bloodshot eye.

Flesh 'N Blood Husky

After a brief hiatus, we're back! Long story short, it's been a busy/stressful month so far- but I won't bore anybody with the details. Onto the comic!

To keep things fresh and fun without getting burned and stressed out with a storyline-in-progress, this strip will be the start of some filler strips: one-panel comics that aren't part of the story, just something extra for everybody.

Here we see Tyrra partaking in the good ol' past time of goofing off and enjoying some classic music: Oingo Boingo's "Flesh 'N Blood".

• I'm a BIG fan of Oingo Boingo and of Danny Elfman's work. The spooky/quirkiness seems to have a nice place within "Quacktown" (most of my "art-inspiring tunes" playlist consists of Elfman's scores and my favorite Oingo Boingo songs, not to mention Voltaire, Alice Cooper, and of course, my hero, "Weird Al" Yankovic).
• Tyrra singing along to "Flesh 'N Blood" was inspired by a trade I did with "Wickedinnocence92192" on dA. She drew an anthro Tyrra singing and dancing to the song while I drew her Cheshire-style kitty fursona as a curvy pinup girl.
• The poster in the background is the original theatrical poster for "The Phantom of the Opera" (1925). My world came crashing down when I found out that movie is currently in the public domain in the US, alongside other horror classics, like "Nosferatu: A Symphony of Horror" (1922) and "The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari" (1920), which is pretty much why I couldn't resist sneaking it into the strip (Quacklad's a fan of classic horror movies, a duck with good cinematic taste). 
• Tyrra's anthropomorphic actions as a dog tend to border on the lines of the ones seen in "All Dogs Go to Heaven" (a scene in the movie inspired her casual pose in the chair, by the way).
• A reoccurring element in the comic, along with my artwork in general, is the color green, due to it being the favorite color of my late paternal grandmother (in tribute, I've also made it Tyrra's favorite color, hence the chair and her MP3 player/earphones).
• Tyrra's MP3 player is based on my own (a 3rd. Gen. iPod Nano- except the case is clear/white).
• The little music notes were created entirely with GIMP using the Pencil and Eclipse tools.

Fast Food Puppeteer

Time for a late night funny page! I've gone back to the drawing board and I'm not quite sure what I've unleashed upon this not-quite-ready world!

Making poor excuses of modern monsters give up the ghost can really work up an appetite, so Quacklad and Tyrra stop by their favorite fast food joint, Kamehameha Taco. Noticing that the Duck has been acting disappointed since taking out Teddy Sulkin and Ricky Grey, Tyrra decides to cheer him up with one of the many things she knows best: playing with her food.

• "Kamehameha Taco" is a nod to the fictional Hawaiian-themed fast food chain, Big Kahuna Burger, from Quentin Tarantino's movies ("This is a tasty burger!"). We will definitely be seeing more of this interesting eatery.
• I'm VERY stoked with how the restaurant's sign/logo turned out. I drew the mascot in the style of Akira Toriyama, the creator of "Dragon Ball" and "Dr. Slump", as an inside joke, since "Kamehameha" is the name of Goku's signature energy wave attack and the first king of the Hawaiian Islands (anime and history: it's a winning combo!). My brother-in-law's a BIG fan of "Dragon Ball Z", and he has some of the old episodes on VHS.
• Back in high school, I had a weird habit of getting nachos for lunch, then dumping a load of pineapple chunks from the salad bar right on top of it all. That's pretty much where the idea of Tex-Mex/Hawaiian cuisine came from for me. It was actually quite tasty; don't knock it until you try it!
• I hope no one will get offended at me taking an important historical figure from Hawaiian culture and using him as a fast food mascot in a comic, not to mention making his mahiole (feathered helmet) into a taco- I have the utmost respect and admiration for Hawaii and its wonderful culture.
• "88 Midian St." is named after the underground city of monsters from Clive Barker's horror novella, "Cabal" (1988) and its film adaption, "Nightbreed" (1990). The movie was a big influence on me to have a big city with supernatural creatures living among the unknowing human citizens (Walpurgis, NC- I'll explore more of the setting's background, including the name, in the future).
• One of my top 10 favorite movies of all time, without a doubt, is "Pee-Wee's Big Adventure"- I had to make a tribute to the famous "Mr. Breakfast" scene. 'Nuff said!
• I'm...not sure why Tyrra gave the burrito a cowboy voice (that's just how Tyrra rolls).
• "Duckaroo": real word, just like "ducktective" (thank you, "Looney Tunes" and "Merrie Melodies"). 
• In my original layout, Quacklad was smoking with his head resting against his left hand, but it seemed funnier to have him looking genuinely confused at Tyrra's burrito antics. The Duck's fought vampires, ghosts, and such, but a burrito puppet with a cowboy voice operated by a silly husky: that is some scary shit...

 

The Pow-Wow, Part 3 (Ric-M Collab)

Here it is: the conclusion of a 3-part collaboration I did with my buddy, Ric-M, from deviantART.

In a rare moment for these two, Quacklad and Tyrra cement their friendship...yeah, I know it's schmaltzy. Let's just bring this bitch home, okay?

• My favorite panel on this last page has to be Tyrra's sad face. Rick did a great job on emphasizing her uneasiness and embarrassment, from her lowered head to her ready-to-well-up eyes and lowered ears.
• To answer anybody's question of how exactly old Quacklad is: VERY.
• I, for whatever messed-up reason, LOVE using the word, "tush" (it rolls off the tongue so nicely...no pun intended)- and as a side-note, whenever I draw anthro girl pinups, THAT certain part of the female anatomy is what I tend to focus drawing first, aside from obvious big boobies and more curves than a road on a mountain (curse you, Milo Manara, Frank Cho, and Budd Root!).
• FACT: the occupation of freelance occult detective/monster hunter is one of the world's most stressful and heavy-endurance jobs, next to single mom, birthday clown, naked sushi performer, and comic book store owner.
• Despite how many times Tyrra can piss him off, Quacklad loves his doggy, even if he's not comfortable shouting it from the mountain tops.
• Quacklad's "rough fellow" line is a paraphrased quote by Quincey P. Morris from Bram Stoker's "Dracula" (Chapter 25); I feel like it nicely sums up how the Duck views himself.
• Take a good look at this, folks: Quacklad being open with his emotions to a close and personal friend (as rare as a shooting star or having lasagna over the chicken and fish).
• I actually have a rough idea for an origin storyline that shows how Quacklad met Tyrra in that "frozen road to nowhere". I'd really like to do that in the future (all I need to do is write and draw it, and then we'll be getting somewhere).
• Hmm... Tyrra armed to the gills, wearing two bandoliers strapped with grenades and explosives. That image...needs to be seen.
• "The Deathcoaster" is a nod to Ash's rebuilt/reinforced car from "Army of Darkness" (don't be surprised at an abundance of nods to the "Evil Dead" series in this comic).
• Quacklad and Tyrra's mode of transportation, the M-22, is named after my late grandpa's own race car, back from his young stock car racing days. I have yet to draw or design it because I to work on drawing cars (I suck at drawing cars).
• Again with the coffin nails, Tyrra! Quit being preachy! He fights better without a nic-fit.
• The smoke forming into an abstract skull COULD have a foreboding meaning, but to tell the honest truth, I just thought it would look cool. 

- Thanks for accepting my invitation to play in my comic playground, Rick! I'll be back with next week's strip, guys! Looks like it's back to the drawing board for me...

The Pow-Wow, Part 2 (Ric-M Collab)

Part 2 of a 3-part collaboration I did with my buddy, Ric-M, from deviantART.

The Duck and the Hyper Husky bicker some more, then Tyrra has a confession to make...

•  "Coffin nails" is an old slang for cigarettes. I figure Tyrra would be a character who tends to use outdated words. Her knowledge of the English vocabulary is a bit rough, what with her being a dog and all. Knowing her, the Husky probably learned most of it from Quacklad, not to mention watching a LOT of TV shows and movies, kinda like Madison (Daryl Hannah) in "Splash" (1984).
• I have this one idea for a running gag where Tyrra keeps trying to get Quacklad to quit smoking, but since the Duck's been lighting up those rolled-up tobacco paper sticks so long, he's sees no point in quitting (there are worse things out there that can kill him apparently).
• Ectoplasm: it's not just good on toast, but it also makes a great stylish hair gel!
• Having Tyrra make a reference to Rufio (Dante Basco), the leader of the Lost Boys from "Hook" (1991) is a line that still makes me chuckle when I read it out loud (it's one of my favorite movies from nostalgic childhood).
• One of these days, I've gotta show these two interacting with some of "Walpurgis' finest". I was originally going to have Quacklad and Tyrra work with a detective on the city's police force who secretly gives them paranormal cases, but it's more fun to have them be legit, freelance paranormal investigators.
• "Hot Topic groupies"- again, no disrespect to the Goth crowd nor that store; I very much enjoy getting pop culture swag there.
• The last panel has to be my favorite of this page. The way the POV from Tyrra's angle looks from the left side has a bit of mystery to it, like we're not sure what expression the Husky has she's about to tell Quacklad what's on her mind. Nicely done, Rick!

 - Stay tuned for the conclusion tomorrow, folks! -