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.