Issue Four, Page Two Done! The Many Firings of Psychoboy!

Here's the page with commentary below... 

 

 

Panel 1- The color scheme and uniforms are based on Mooby's in Kevin Smith's movies (most notably it was used as the setting for Clerks 2), again with the idea that my characters occasionally wander into the View Askew universe.

 

Panel 2- I kept trying to think of inappropriate bands/musicians for a Catholic church when Marilyn Manson popped in my head. I chuckled and that's usually when I know a gag works for me.

 

Panel 3- It was a real thrill drawing Green Ranger here. Obviously this is Psycho getting fired from his position as Lavender Ranger in Super Rangers (as seen in issue three). The kitten orphanage was the worst possible thing I could think of he could have stepped on with his zord.

 

Panel 4- Who could resist a Miley Cyrus VMA gag?

 

Panel 5- I love this monologue.

 

Next up, page three and Stickboy!

Issue Four, Page Two Colors...Purple Bears and Green Rangers

Here's the colors on page two.  You can probably tell who Psychoboy is getting fired by in most of the panels by now. I'll be lettering and finishing up the page today hopefully.

 

Page Eight Finished!

Page eight is a rap! I've reached the staples down the middle of issue one...I'm half way through the first story!

 

This page is one where color becomes a gag in itself. Cheap Ass Video is inspired by a locally owned video rental store that was near my college, Cheap-O-Video. I could never remember its exact name, so I always called it Cheap Ass Video. Its interiors had a dull and bland color scheme so I planned to do the same for its fictional counterpart.

 

But then I got to thinking about how I modeled the clerk after Dante Hicks in Kevin Smith's amazing first movie, Clerks. It's just a passing  physical resemblance based off memory,  but I still liked the idea that maybe this guy's Dante (after all, he did have to run the video rental place when Randal didn't show up). So it occurred to me not to just make it dull, but do it in all whites and grays so it looks like it's right out of Clerks (which was a black and white movie). And I love the results. It looks like my guys got lost and wondered into a cut scene from the movie.

 

As for the video references: The Matrix was super hot at the time. The Crow is one of my favorite movies and this gag is assuming the Crow sequels were actually good too (yeah, I'm using A LOT of artist license there, "Would You Stay Dead Already?" would've actually been an appropriate title for the real Crow 4 that came out later).

 

And I'm not knocking Power Rangers: the Movie. It was actually an enjoyable, fun, action flick but it was old by then and Stick and Psycho had watched it to death at that point (as had I) and it's just not on the same level as the other movies mentioned (again, assuming The Crow sequels lived up to the original, in actuality the Power Rangers movie kicks the crap out of Crow 2-4).

 

So now there's only seven pages to go in the first story! Snootchie Bootchies!