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! -

The Pow-Wow, Part 1 (Ric-M Collab)

And "Quacktown" is back! Sorry for the sudden lapse of activity, guys; I needed a break to create. You'd think it'd be easy to think of some wacky adventures for these two- but, no, it's actually pretty challenging.

Here's Part 1 of a 3-part collaboration I did with my buddy, Ric-M, from deviantART. He drew and colored the artwork while I provided the script and the lettering. Check out his stuff; Rick's artwork is all sorts of coolness. Nice guy, too!

• Rick did a great job drawing Tyrra with a typical ashamed/sad dog face in the first panel, and major kudos should go out to him also for the look of the ectoplasm globs. The bright coloring on the characters contrast nicely against the spooky atmosphere of the background. I like how Disney duck-ish his take on Quacklad looks, too. 
• This story's just a one-shot plot; there's no connection to the first two strips. It was something I wanted to practice my writing skills with and explore dialogue between these two characters (they fight a lot, but they're still close friends).
• The ouija board:  harmless board game or powerful occult tool? You decide...
• Regardless of Quacklad's distaste for them, I'm happy to say that most of my friends in high school were part of the Goth crowd. Pretty interesting crowd once you get to know some.
• Ectoplasm ("ghostly snot") may leave nasty stains, but it's quite good on toast... 
• ACTIVITY TIME: take a glob of Vaseline and mix it together with some neon blue and green food coloring, then smear some spots of it onto an old white shirt. Put the shirt on, then go down to your local laundromat. Walk up to the counter and tell whoever's working, "I got slimed!" They'll respect you for your creativity.
• As a fan of history and the macabre (or "macabre history", if you will), I couldn't resist squeezing in a line about killer spinster Lizzie Borden.
• Tyrra's got a whole box full of collars, not just her usual Tiwaz rune necklace. Oh, goodness...she's NAKED now!
• "King's Tower Cemetery" is a nod to Stephen King and his dark fantasy/Western book series, "The Dark Tower". I could say it's also a nod to another King story, "Pet Sematary", but it's not that kind of cemetery.
• "Gak" was a toy that was in no way welcome in our house when I was a kid, mainly due to my habit of throwing it against the wall or on the carpet.
• Not sure what brand of smokes Quacklad likes, but they're REALLY cheap.

 - Stay tuned for Part 2 tomorrow! -