04/29/2014
Okay, so this is going to sound odd and way off-topic, but today’s comic actually features a Calvin & Hobbes homage.
In an early C&H strip, Calvin pretends to be a zombie and hungers for…a peanut butter and jelly sandwich. He devours it in a suitably ravenous manner, leaving his face a sloppy, gruesome mess. It’s one of the funniest pictures Bill Watterson ever drew, and I still crack up like a hyperactive child every time I see it.
I don’t think Babirus’ filthy mug is anywhere near as funny as the jelly-slathered zombie Calvin, but I did have it in mind when I drew it. You can read more about the Calvin & Hobbes influence on SCAPULA in this blog article, Farewell to the Funnies.
I still have the compilation book those strips are in <3
Aww! I still have the old paperbacks and “Complete” hardcase books those strips are in, because I’m that much of a fanboy!
…wait, you’re talking about Calvin and Hobbes, right? Because SCAPULA is also available in book collections, donchaknow.
Can I have one of your life-sized Scapula statues? How is it you have so much Scapula mercandise, anyway? You know the artist or something?
That answer is nothing less than I’d expect from the ever-practical Toxsick.
Scap will probably give Babirus a slinky or something and he’ll be perfectly happy.
But what of the uncharacteristically stalwart Throgor, hmm?
I say Throgor walks. And Scapula promptly shoots him in the back of the head to reinforce his hollow point. See what I did there?
Y’know, a Slinky can be a deadly weapon in the right hands. I don’t know if those hands belong to Babirus, but I’m sure he could find some unpleasant use for them.
I figured Toxsick would be in as soon as he learned about the revenue, which was all he ever wanted anyway.
I’m looking forward to seeing how the “generals” start molding their troops. I’m picturing Tigerdactyl’s taking on a kaiju theme.
That would be a fun idea, but pity the three poor kids in the kaiju club who have to squeeze into a Ghidorah outfit!
If it still spits lightning, I’m game!
He’s keeping up to two slices of pizza on his face for later.
Reminds me of when Calvin’s Mom was wiping ice cream off of his face and shirt, to which Calvin remarks, “Rats. I was saving that for later.”
…okay, I don’t know why I’m on a total Calvin and Hobbes kick today, but why knock a good thing?
Am I allowed to write what my head reads in that last pic?
There’s only so many cuss words you can fit into a thought balloon…
Caracan… Ha! Yah… Me, too! “I don’t always say ‘yes’ to insane monster gang propositions… but when I do…”
Dada… you are going to have to change the tagline to your comic strip… Scapula appears to no longer be the “World’s Worst Villain.”
… and the C&H reference is adorable… Me loves me some C&H.
But then who IS the World’s Worst Villain? Is it one of the guys at the table? Perhaps it’s me or one of the readers? Maybe it’s even [insert name of your least favorite celebrity/politician/coworker/classmate/family-member/anyone].
Based on the next strip, maybe it’s Oliver. He doesn’t get a place at the table. He doesn’t even get an entry in the “New Reader” page. Then again, he’s still mobile, whereas The Miscreants… of course, they do have an entry on that page.
So I’ll say Dog Doo Doug.
I second this vote. It’s hard to be worse than a corpse associated with canine dung.
I don’t believe any of the guys can afford to turn this deal down. It sounds like, if you’re not on board, you’re gonna automatically be considered an enemy.
Considering that Babirus is the most enthusiastic, he may also be the one who would turn on anyone not in on the deal. Trust me, you never want to have to deal with a slop-covered human orangutan going crazy on your ass!
Once again, Toxsick comes across as the old pal with an intolerable buddy he just keeps giving chances to. “Sure, I’ll give this criminal army thing a shot. Again.” It’s not like he can’t blow the whole deal to smithereens if Scapula gets on his bad side…….. he’s done so to bigger fish.
I’m not surprised Throgor is the hold out. He’s worked with Scapula a lot and often for little more than sandwiches. He knows that things go wrong around Scap in a big way once they start sliding. I wouldn’t be surprised if he chose to vanish into central park for a couple months while this all blows over.
As for Babirus and Tigadactyl……. what else are they gonna do with their time? Tigadactyl could go back to japan I guess, but otherwise they’re more or less stuck working with whoever will tolerate their shennanigans.
*sigh* Once more wishing my Calvin and Hobbes collection wasn’t back in the states still.
You should be able to rebuild a Calvin and Hobbes collection fairly easily; I don’t know what the deal is abroad, but most any bookstore here sells the individual books for about five bucks. I’m such a nostalgic mess that I’m sorely tempted to keep rebuying them, if only for the naive hope of recapturing some of that old happiness back when I bought them for the first time.
…gaaaaawd, that’s sad.
Anyway, very good assessments of the villains at the table. Recruiting these guys is nowhere as difficult as keeping them working for you (and, of course, not against you)!
Trying to recapture the joy of Calvin and Hobbes isn’t sad. The fact it’s almost impossible to do is.
Babirus probably never even knew about Scapula just using them to get back at Moony, and even if he did he probably didn’t really care. He probably just likes to be working in a team. Together, Like they used to. Like a family.
Chances are that bullet is still lodged in his skull and he’s plum forgotten about it.
He is definitely the closest thing this group has to an “optimist”, and if you apply the family analogy to this group I guess that would make him the happy toddler.
…a happy, filthy, crap-coated, disgusting toddler.
So, a toddler. 😉
Why is my own mouth watering suddenly?
You bit a water balloon, ya mook.