“UPTOWN GIRL CROSSOVER”–pg 11(of 11), also: a word from Bob Lipski

    THE END, indeed.  Sure, that was a pretty much pointless story, but it was fun to finally get out of my system.  I thank BOB LIPKSI for having the good humor of allowing me to post the implied defiling of one of his characters here.  Thanks, BOB! (More from Bob in a second…)    As for that nebulous last panel, what they are referring to are events take place prior to the CONTINUITY GUY graphic novel, and when that comes out in print in April 2010, the above panel will finally be explained….maybe.   Unduly confusing?  Yes.  But thats how I like to do it.

   Also,  there is no Daily Goal Sketch today, cause I didn’t have work Thursday (and don’t today, so no DGS on Monday either–sorry).  Instead, allow me to introduce UPTOWN GIRL creator BOB LIPSKI who has some thoughts on UPTOWN GIRL, and the crossover you just read.  Bob…

      Uptown Girl was never supposed to be the main character in a comic book. 

     She started off, in my head anyway, as a supporting cast member in a comic called “Punk Love”.  I was drawing a webcomic called “Fake Farm Landscape” at the time that was very off the cuff.  Sort of a biographical comic, lots of swearing, talking about sex and everything else.  “Punk Love” was originally going to continue the foul mouthed fun but more fictional. 

     “Punk Love” never saw print…and I never created anything more than a few character designs.  But it was supposed to be a back up feature in the original ‘Tommy Chicago’ series.  ‘Tommy Chicago’, created by Brian Bastian, is now in its third series and is drawn by Danno.  I drew the second series which ran for 12 issues and also had a few anthologies stories here and there.  The first series didn’t, and will never see print.  I drew about one and a half issues and that was the end of it.  This was back in….2001, I think.  The art was horrible, and Brian and I just didn’t have the discipline to follow through with it.  Too bad, the second issue started off with how Tommy Chicago met his sidekick Jimmy. 

      Anyway, in the cast of the first ‘Tommy Chicago’ series was a guy named Jake who had a mohawk and was just a scrappy punk rocker.  I thought it’d be fun to spin Jake off into his own series.  I stared to jot down ideas and I thought it’d be fun to have the series take place in the uptown area of Minneapolis .  One of the supporting cast members was a girl named ‘Uptown Girl’, a very happy and helpful person who was friends with Jake.  Soon Uptown Girl became more appealing to me and I started to give HER supporting cast members. 

      Bored at work one day, I drew the entire first issue of “Uptown Girl”.  And the characters literally came alive on the page in front of me.  Whereas I thought Uptown Girl’s world would be the same R-rated world that “Punk Love” was going to be, Uptown Girl’s world was sweet, innocent, funny and a little naïve.  I fully intended to bring the debauchery to her world, but dammit, it just wouldn’t work. 

      I get criticized a lot for how squeaky clean my comic could get, but I didn’t mind.  I saw the “all ages” feel of it a challenge to tell entertaining stories.  I felt a little silly for…I dunno, “rejecting” Danno’s story because of the…uh, escapades in his comic.  But the audience of ‘Uptown Girl’ also dictated the writing.  ‘Uptown Girl’ attracted a very young audience early on.  My first piece of fan mail was from a nine year old girl.  After I started getting letters and parents buying books as gifts for their kids, I just couldn’t taint Uptown Girl’s world…even if the closet stuff was very open to interpretation.  So I always erred on the side of extreme caution.  Maybe becoming a parent has changed me more than I thought. 

     So I always felt bad for not publishing Danno’s story.  I am very happy to see it here and I’m glad he has the chance to show it off. 

   Thanks again, Bob!  You said ‘taint’, by the way…pervert.  As for next week…umm…I’ll think of something.  Maybe I’ll get back on track with posting the MANLY TALES OF COWARDICE series.  Yeah, that sounds like a good idea.  So be back here Monday for MANLY TALES OF COWARDICE #4–featuring some thoughts by me and guest writer for that issue BRIAN BASTIAN!  See you then.

“UPTOWN GIRL CROSSOVER”–pg 10(of 11), also: Doc Ock

    Hey, Happy Thanksgiving America!  Now get out there and stuff your fat faces.  You’ve earned it!***

   Also, what says Turkey Day, thanks, and family-time more that today’s Daily Goal Sketch character DOC OCK?  Answer: Nothing.

 

***This has been a paid message from our Chinese Overlords.

“UPTOWN GIRL CROSSOVER”–pg 9(of 11), also: Catwoman

    The UPTOWN GIRL CROSSOVER nears its conclusion with a loving tribute to the JOHN MADDEN series of videogames.  Anyone who knows me know I despise organized sports in all of it’s forms.  One notable exception is the John Madden games.  I don’t play it regularly or anything, but back in 2001 the PLAYSTATION 2 debuted and my buddy/roommate DAN “THE DON” ADAMS bought the PS2 and the Madden game.  I was all “BAH!” and “NO THANKS!” attitude with Madden at first.  Within a week Don, myself, our roomates Pat and Nels, and our buddy Matt were in a season-long head-to-head battle.  We did maybe 4 or 5 seasons total over the next few months and I won 2 of them!  WOOT!   So, even though I could care less that these digital footballer avatars were based on actual humans who are over-payed and unrightly taxpayer endorsed while thousands starve to death,  MADDEN will always have a special place in my heart and thumbs.

   Also, here’s the Daily Goal Sketch (with some thoughts afterwards):  CATWOMAN!

    If I had my druthers, this is NOT the Catwoman I would have drawn.  In fact my client had pre-selected Catwoman days ago (just as he has all his sketches planned thru next Friday), and I had been thinking about WHICH Catwoman I was going to do(there are so many costumes to choose from, ya know).  And then today he dropped the bomb: “CATWOMAN WEARS GOGGLES” he said.  I was blown away!  He knew about the the ultra-cool DARWYN COOKE/ED BRUBAKER Catwoman—sweet!  But after discussing it a bit more I soon realized the Catwoman with goggles he was thinking of was not the same one I was thinking of.  He was thinking of the one from the cartoon THE BATMAN, which I have never seen.  But I wanted to make him happy so I drew the one he liked best.  And I like how it turned out, but it’s not the one I would have chosen.  Cause for me there is only ONE Catwoman….OLD Catwoman!

photo: by Marypants

“UPTOWN GIRL CROSSOVER”–pg 8(of 11), also: “Continuity Guy” and posion ivy

     This was the definative “RED-FLAG” page for “Uptown Girl” creator BOB LIPSKI, and probably the reason it never saw print within the pages of an UPTOWN GIRL book.    In my own defense, nowhere on this page or anywhere in this story do I come right and SAY that Party Girl and Bitterness are having sex in the closet.  It’s implied…maybe.  But the way I see it:  Party Girl likes to party.  However far one cares to take that statement is up to the individual reader.

   Speaking of the individual reader, you are an individual and you should go read the newest page of CONTINUITY GUY–the ongoing graphic novella by BUD BURGY and myself.  Here’s the spiff new logo Bud made for it.

   Lastly…here’s todays Daily Goal Sketch…and our first lady:  Poison Ivy!

“UPTOWN GIRL” crossover–pg 7(of 11), also: The Vulture

    Oh Spin-The-Bottle…That most cherished of pre-to-early teen games.  I sadly never got around to playing it until, like Mullet Clown says, I was probably way to old to be playing it.   Not 25 years too old, but older than I should have been, none the less.  But what happens in the mid-90’s stays in the mid-90’s.  Anyway, I should point out this was also a questionable scene in the UPTOWN GIRL morality.  Nothing too terrible, mind you…but that can wait until tomorrow.

    Also, here’s last Friday’s Daily Goal Sketch, that rounds out the (almost entirely) Spider-Man villan week.  THE VULTURE!

   My client who earns these drawings and picks the character had the wonderful insight regarding the Vulture of: 

   “Isn’t he a little old to be a villan?”

   I thought this was genius.  It’s something that always bothered me about him as well.  Later, I realized he probably just lifted this line from one of the many Spider-Man cartoon series’ he has seen.  But still…funny!

Weekend Pin-up: round 2–LANCE WARD

    Sometimes pay-back is a bee-och.  Sometimes its awesome.  The above pin-up is an example of the latter, and was done by LANCE WARD (who I did a pin-up for and posted yesterday).  As you can see the pin-up features dear old FLEMING HAZMAT, Kevin Cannon’s wonderful ARMY SHANKS, and Lance’s own KLONKO.  By the way, a lot can happen in 24 hours and in addition to doing this pin-up Lance also scanned in and posted the entire KLONKO graphic novel, and you should go read that right now.

   Thanks Lance!

weekend pin-up: “KLONKO”

   Sorry to interrupt the UPTOWN GIRL CROSSOVER, but I just did the following last night/this morning, and I really like it so I thought I’d do a special weekend post.  So, here’s…KLONKO!

    KLONKO (and his buddy BUG) are the creations of one of the newest MPLS/STPL Conspirators–Mr. LANCE WARD. 

    KLONKO was a comic Lance started YEARS ago and just recently got back to after a lot of “life” got in the way.  Lance had printed the first two chapters of the KLONKO graphic novel just prior to “joining” the Cartoonist Conspiracy  about a month ago, but has been so inspired by finding a group of like-minded artists that he was inspired to finish the whole damn thing.  Thats so awesome.  I love the Conspiracy. 

     Anyway,  Lance asked me to do a KLONKO pin-up the other day.  Frankly, its such fun stuff I probably would have done one anyway.  Hopefully Lance’ll get a website soon and you can enjoy his work for yourself!