Archive for ‘July, 2012’

9 results.

Ain’t No Cure For A Summertime Bruise 1

by JayFosgitt on July 30, 2012 at 12:01 am
Ain’t No Cure For A Summertime Bruise 1

Hey, all you necrofowliacs! Welcome to the first installment of this “Dead Duck” episode, “AIN’T NO CURE FOR A SUMMERTIME BRUISE!” Here’s your trivia fix:

  • This one is in my top three favorite “Dead Duck” stories, and at eighteen pages, it’s my second longest one, right after “One Toy Soldier Rides Away” (19 pages).
  • The title is a riff on the classic song, “Summertime Blues”, co-written and recorded by Eddie Cochran in 1958.
  • This was one of the very first “Dead Duck” stories that I came up with. Because it was going to be very involved, and very deeply rooted in Dead Duck’s origin, I dragged my feet on writing it before it felt totally ready. As such, many other stories got written and drawn before this one finally came together.
  • I have my own traumatic memories of forced camp experiences, and they play heavily into the plot of this story.
  • As I reference both the Borgo Pass and Transylvania, it should be obvious which famous character is bound to make an appearance in this story. If it isn’t obvious, you really need to get to the movies more often.
  • This was the second appearance of Dean in a “Dead Duck” story. If I had more time and space in the first “Dead Duck” graphic novel, I would have given Dean a whole story of his own. I do manage to sneak Dean into one more story in another small cameo role. But there are plans on my drawing board to have a very Dean-centric “Dead Duck” story in the coming year.
  • Li’l Gypsy’s Pizza is a parody of Little Caesar’s Pizza. I always loved the UPA animation-style design of their mascot, and it was a blast trying to recreate that in Gypsy form.
  • After publishing this story, I found reader response towards Little Dead Duck to be as glowing as the fandom for Zombie Chick. There have been many requests for future Little Dead Duck stories, and I can tell you that there’s one already written and drawn, which will be posted towards the end of 2012. I love writing and drawing little Dead Duck’s adventures as much as folks seem to love reading them.
  • I made a point to suggest Dead Duck’s obsession with Big man on Campus at every opportunity I could manage. He wears that BMOC shirt for the bulk of this story.
  • Though he only appears at the start and the end of this story, I really think this one has the funniest dialogue that I’ve ever written for JP Yorick. Watching him clumsily relate to little Dead Duck is as humorously awkward as watching my own dad trying to relate to me as a kid, and it’s moments like that which really flesh out this story.

See you on the next page!

–Jay

8 Comments

All Along The Lunch Counter 6

by JayFosgitt on July 26, 2012 at 12:01 am
All Along The Lunch Counter 6

Hey, all you necrofowliacs! Welcome to the final installment of this “Dead Duck” episode, “ALL ALONG THE LUNCH COUNTER”, or, “All Quiet on the Western Omelette!” Here’s your trivia fix:

  • The biggest challenge with drawing this page was re-drawing the middle and bottom row of panels. I used to think it was a sign of a lazy artist when they’d photocopy a panel and use it a few times in a sequence. Now I see the logistics of at least re-using a background, and with Photoshop, there’s plenty of ways to do it. While I still like to keep things fresh in my drawings, I might be easier to convince next time repeating panels become necessary.
  • I love the little silent drama played out between Dead Duck and Zombie Chick in this middle row of panels. As acting goes, I think my characters give some of their best performances in this story.
  • I love that Zombie Chick manages to diffuse Dead Duck’s depression with out-of-left-field weirdness. I’ll say it again, we all need a friend like this.

See you on the next page!

–Jay

2 Comments

All Along The Lunch Counter 5

by JayFosgitt on July 23, 2012 at 12:01 am
All Along The Lunch Counter 5

Hey, all you necrofowliacs! Welcome to the next installment of this “Dead Duck” episode, “ALL ALONG THE LUNCH COUNTER”, or, “All Quiet on the Western Omelette!” Here’s your trivia fix:

  • Again, I’m very proud of the passing of time in these panels. I attribute it to studying European cartoonists like Moebius and Dave Gibbons who really knew how to draw the tiny blips in a moment’s radar.
  • Gavrilo’s expression in the third panel was totally inspired by a scene in “The Road To Perdition” (2002), where the gangter Michael Sullivan (Tom Hanks) delivers a note to speakeasy owner Tony Calvino (Doug Spinuzza). Unbeknownst to Michael, the note says that if Tony kills Michael then and there, that all his debts to the mob are paid. The look in actor Doug Spinuzza’s face, as it slowly twists from confusion, to gradual realization, then cold blooded hatred without speaking a word, is awe inspiring. I had that in mind to the end as I drew this panel.
  • German lugers are about the only type of pistol I can draw from memory. I used to have an orange and purple squirt gun when I was a kid that was in that style of gun. It wasn’t until years after that I realized how weird it was that they sold a gun based on what German soldiers used.
  • It was with this story that I started realizing the subtle nuances you could get from drawing eyelids. I’ve always been capable of drawing the heavy lidded expression to show boredom or skepticism. But around this time I began noticing how animators drew bottom lids to show fear and sadness. It really helped me convey the shock and horror that Franz and his wife must have been experiencing, as well as the hatred that Gavrilo must have felt.

See you on the next page!

–Jay

5 Comments

All Along The Lunch Counter 4

by JayFosgitt on July 19, 2012 at 12:01 am
All Along The Lunch Counter 4

Hey, all you necrofowliacs! Welcome to the next installment of this “Dead Duck” episode, “ALL ALONG THE LUNCH COUNTER”, or, “All Quiet on the Western Omelette!” Here’s your trivia fix:

  • I really love the visual storytelling of this page. In some stories where it’s pretty dialogue-intensive, I sometimes resort to talking heads with little action. But with this scene, I wanted it to be cinematic, showing the slow progression of events that gradually unspools into one of the most significant moments in world history.
  • It was a real trick drawing the car carrying Franz and his wife. I studied a photo of the actual vehicle, then attempted to render it in my own style. Inevitably, I succumbed to a more rigid design than I otherwise would have drawn if this were something I came up with myself. Cars are always hard for me to draw.
  • Much as I didn’t want to get too exaggerated in Gavrilo’s design, the deeper he got into the action of the story, the more my drawing of him looked like Little Richard on a coke binge.

See you on the next page!

–Jay

3 Comments

All Along The Lunch Counter 3

by JayFosgitt on July 16, 2012 at 12:01 am
All Along The Lunch Counter 3

Hey, all you necrofowliacs! Welcome to the next installment of this “Dead Duck” episode, “ALL ALONG THE LUNCH COUNTER”, or, “All Quiet on the Western Omelette!” Here’s your trivia fix:

  • I studied a photo of Gavrilo Princip to get his caricature just right. I wanted to get his look as accurate as possible while retaining my cartoony style.Ex-football player Brian “Boz” Bozworth starred in the action flick “Stone Cold” (1991), with one of my favorite character actors, Lance Henriksen as the villain. I still stand by Zombie Chick’s assessment that Lance is the balls.
  • Roofie=date rape drug.
  • “Retsyn makes me horny” is in my top favorite things that Zombie chick has said. if Certs ever agreed to a sponsorship deal, that t-slogan would be key to a Zombie Chick-themed ad campaign.
  • Zombie Chick is confusing Pants Hamburglar for Franz Ferdinand. I have a heated fanaticism for the McDonaldland character, and if I had my way, Ronald, Grimace, even the Fry guys would be out on the streets. Just gimme the Hamburglar hunting Mayor McCheese while being  pursued by Big Mac, and you’ve got the recipe for perfect fast food mascots.
  • I used to know what it was that Zombie Chick was eating in this story, but I’ve long since forgot. To the best of my recollection, it’s some kinda cereal. Probably Cap’n Crunch, though I can’t imagine where she found it in early 20th century Bosnia. But if anyone could find it, she could!

See you on the next page!

–Jay

4 Comments

All Along The Lunch Counter 2

by JayFosgitt on July 12, 2012 at 12:01 am
All Along The Lunch Counter 2

Hey, all you necrofowliacs! Welcome to the next installment of this “Dead Duck” episode, “ALL ALONG THE LUNCH COUNTER”, or, “All Quiet on the Western Omelette!” Here’s your trivia fix:

  • I often think that there’s nothing I’d rather do than to play with a room full of puppies, which is where Dead Duck’s introspection comes from. If anyone knows of a job like that, send me an application.
  • Maybe Dead Duck’s response in the second panel is a little too “on the nose” as far as plot exposition goes. But your average citizen wouldn’t have any idea who Franz Ferdinand was if you asked him, so I felt justified in spelling out the historical connection. Plus, it was a terrific set up for Zombie Chick’s “Emperor Palpatine” response.
  • By now, I should have instilled in all my readers the history and significance of Golems to the Jews. if not, go back and read “Dead Duck: Golem Girls” or “The Immoral Adventures of Gabriol and Clay”.
  • Zombie Chick is obviously confusing JRR Tolkien’s Gollum with the Golem. I made a similar joke in “Golem Girls” when I had Zombie Chick confuse Rabbi Gabirol for Gandalf the wizard.
  • This story was also a good opportunity to revisit one of the biggest rules of being a minion: they cannot tamper with the intended course of history. I first dealt with this in “Dead Duck: Four Score and Seven Bullets Ago”, having Dead Duck screw up Lincoln’s assassination, and Dean the History Cleaner fixing it up. I go into much greater detail about the rules of minioning after the next few “Dead Duck” stories.
  • “What? You mean that morose looking fella sitting next to Dead Duck and Zombie chick isn’t just a background character?” Nope. He’s the reason behind everything, and you’ll see next time…

See you on the next page!

–Jay

2 Comments

All Along The Lunch Counter 1

by JayFosgitt on July 9, 2012 at 12:01 am
All Along The Lunch Counter 1

Hey, all you necrofowliacs! Welcome to the first installment of this “Dead Duck” episode, “ALL ALONG THE LUNCH COUNTER”, or, “All Quiet on the Western Omelette!” Here’s your trivia fix:

  • After tackling Lincoln’s assassination in the pages of “Dead Duck”, I was eager to put my characters into another significant historical moment. Knowing the darkly serendipitous chain of events that sparked off World War I, I felt it was the perfect cloth to cut a history-rooted “Dead Duck” story from.
  • This may be the one “Dead Duck” story I put the most research into. I’m closet history buff, and wanted to make sure I hit all the key points on this significant moment in history. For example, I made sure to reference the actual cafe where it all took place (Moritz Schiller’s Cafe).
  • I did research photos of Sarajevo, and used them as springboards for my background designs. In the end, the buildings and neighborhoods are mostly my own invention.
  • “All Along The Lunch Counter” is in reference to the Bob Dylan song, “All Along The Watch Tower”. I understand Dylan had his own influences for the song, but for me, it made me think of war due to its use usage in 60′s counterculture protests, which made it appropriate to this story.
  • “All Quiet on the Western Omelette” references the great anti-war novel, “All Quiet On The Western Front” (Eric Maria Remarque, 1929), which took place during World War I.
  • The comic strip character “Little Orphan Annie” (created by Harold Gray in 1924) was almost exclusively drawn without pupils, and had pale, blank eyes similar to Dead Duck.
  • Barrow, at the very top of Alaska, has a two-month winter period where the sun doesn’t rise. Hence, the Alaska reference.
  • I love the racially confused names that popular products sported back in the day. They’re the perfect fodder for Zombie Chick’s ramblings.
  • The second panel really defines Dead Duck’s relationship with Zombie Chick. Despite her inane ramblings and crazy actions, he never insults her, never talks down to her, and always gives her his utmost respect. That’s the kind of friend we should all be so lucky to have.
  • The idea of “faking it” is most associated with orgasms, which is why Zombie chick makes the connection to Dead Duck looking her in the eye.
  • I’m a very introspective person, and constantly question my own motives and decisions. So in the bottom panels, that’s really me there in a Dead Duck suit.

See you on the next page!

–Jay

10 Comments

Ballad Of The Lotto 6

by JayFosgitt on July 5, 2012 at 12:01 am
Ballad Of The Lotto 6

Hey, all you necrofowliacs! Welcome to the last installment of this “Dead Duck” episode, “THE BALLAD OF THE LOTTO”! Here’s your trivia fix:

  • For The Lotto’s first vengeance-filled outing, I felt it best to not show him committing the violent acts. It seemed far more powerful (and fun to draw) to show the mass of gore left behind in his wake. There are few things I enjoy drawing in Dead Duck as much as spinal columns.
  • When I first signed on with Ape Entertainment to publish “Dead Duck”, the agreement was for a 120 page book. Having only created a few stories at the time I signed that contract, I felt I needed to get a move on, and wrote and drew like mad for the next two years. Somewhere along the way, I lost track of how many pages were actually required for the book, and got it into my head that the number was 148 (Ape never corrected me on that). So this was one of two stories that I came up with to cover the remaining page count (even though I didn’t actually need to). It wound up being one of the best stories in the book.
  • There is a slight inconsistency here. It’s suggested in this story that J.P. lost his cloak to Rooster/The Lotto. But way before I wrote this story, I’d already created “The Soul Taker’s Apprentice”, which clearly showed J.P. wearing a cloak when Dead Duck was at the age we know him to be now. I now justify it to myself by saying that Death can certainly own more than one cloak. But it did kinda gnaw at me the first time I realized the continuity error.
  • J.P. does not like to be one upped, or to be embarrassed. He’s Death, after all, so it’s like pulling one over on god or the devil. For the time being, J.P. is going to stick to his bullshit story about what happened to Rooster and his cloak, just to save face. But rest assured, The Lotto will return in the pages of Dead Duck, and J.P. will be there to meet him, with his mind set on payback.
  • This was the first time I showed Estelle as a surrogate mom figure for Dead Duck. It wasn’t something I’d thought of until I was trying to come up with a capper for this story. I ended up liking the angle so much that I wrote and drew a ten page story exploring their relationship much further. It hasn’t seen print yet, and will be unveiled here sometime in the coming year.

  See you on the next page!

–Jay

4 Comments

Ballad Of The Lotto 5

by JayFosgitt on July 2, 2012 at 12:01 am
Ballad Of The Lotto 5

Hey, all you necrofowliacs! Welcome to the latest installment of this “Dead Duck” episode, “THE BALLAD OF THE LOTTO”! Here’s your trivia fix:

  • In all the years since I created The Lotto, he never had a concrete origin. Nothing I came up with ever seemed worthy of the character. It wasn’t until I decided to put him in a Dead Duck story that his origin came to me. Having it tie into the continuity of Dead Duck via J.P.’s cloak was a stroke of inspiration that I never could have planned.
  • When I first created the Lotto around 1989-1990, the original concept for my character was a cowboy villain with a split personality, who wore a Lone Ranger-type costume that was half black and half white. He decided if he was a good guy or bad guy with a spin of his gun chamber, similar to a lottery game. This version of the character never made it past the initial drawing in my sketchbook.
  • My second try at developing the character had him as a straight hero with a sidekick called Kid Raffle. In that incarnation, he wore a domino mask, a trench coat, and had a heavy artillery machine gun that fired lotto balls. The character would evolve further in the years to come, but the lotto ball gun became a permanent fixture for the character.
  • A little after I created The Lotto, I began reading “The Shadow” comics (based on the classic pulp and radio character), written by Andy Helfer and drawn by one of my favorite artists at the time, Kyle Baker, and published by DC Comics between 1987-1989. Kyle’s run on the book was very influential on my development of The Lotto. Not long after The Shadow ceased publication, Kyle would go on to draw the Dick Tracy comic book mini-series (1990) for the short lived Disney Comics publishing line, which was also a huge influence on both my art and my development of The Lotto.
  • Yet another inspiration for The lotto came from reading the crossover comic, “Batman/Judge Dredd: Judgment on Gotham (DC Comics/Fleetway, 1991). Artist Simon Bisley’s interpretation of the Batman villain, The Scarecrow, in a frayed and baggy trench coat with a huge slouch hat, forever influenced the way I drew The Lotto. At this time, I also switched his domino mask to a bandana-type mask, similar to what the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles wear.
  • From the late 90′s until I began work on the Dead Duck graphic novel, I’d been drawing The Lotto wearing a brown hooded cloak, similar in style to what minions wear in Dead Duck. He still wore an oversized hat and had his lotto gun, but I removed his mask and instead drew his face in a constant shadow. Once I began writing this story and connected The Lotto to J.P. Yorick, the Lotto’s outfit was officially black from that point on and his look was complete.
  • I came up with the name Rooster Harlin not long after I first created the character. I know I got the name Rooster from the Alice in Chains song “Rooster”. I think I got the name Harlin either from director Renny Harlin or sci fi author Harlen Ellison. Whichever the case, I wasn’t a fan of either creator’s work, but I did like the name Harlin for a character.
  • It was a conscious decision to be ambiguous about how J.P.’s cloak transformed Rooster into The Lotto, as well as being very nonspecific about The Lotto’s abilities. I figured it made him all the more creepy and mysterious by leaving out such details. I also thought that if I continued The Lotto’s adventures beyond this story, there would be plenty of stuff to reveal over time.
  • Having this character inside my head (and inside so many sketchbooks) for so long, it felt very cathartic to finally get him down on paper, in a manner that said once and for all, “this is who the character is.” Considering the many different directions I almost went with The Lotto over the years, I’m very thankful that I waited it out until the right time and place presented itself to show my character in a way that fit him best.

See you on the next page!

–Jay

2 Comments