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.