BONE CHINA pt.10
Oh no! There’s a new SCAPULA collection in the works; like the first book, this will be a “best of” compilation. Unlike the first book, however, this will be a slightly smaller collection at a much lower price (and for those of you who did buy that first book, you have my sincerest, heartfelt gratitude…and hold on to that thing, it’s gonna be worth a lot someday!).
Although I was just going to cherry-pick the stories that I felt were the best, I thought it was time to get you dear readers involved and have you all decide which SCAPULA stories you enjoyed the most or felt best represent the series as a whole.
So, if you care to participate, simply cast your vote for the three best SCAPULA stories to be included in this volume. However, please do not vote for SINISTER MONSTER DOOM LEGION (this is already included in its own volume) or BONE CHINA (since it’s still on-going). For a list of SCAPULA stories, simply refer to the ARCHIVES page.
…and although a “Worst of” book would be funny, it wouldn’t make any sales, so don’t bother voting on that!
Man…peeing on your costume. That’s the absolute worst. You can’t stand tall and make a retributive strike when your costume is ripped up and smells of pee….. :/
That’s the reason why Scap doesn’t own any pets. Believe me, it’s mighty hard to look badass when the clothes you’re wearing are covered in cat hair and weewee!
Well, that is messed up, I must say. BC looks the best thing to happen to Scapie this week. Scapie seems more bitter and rotten than he is truly EVIL.
Very true; we’ve had many debates here in the comments section about whether or not Scapula is a bad person or just a person with a lot of bad luck. I leave the choice up to the readers.
As for what kind of person Bone China is…well, that’s also for you to decide.
Ohhhhh…. Scap…. you have no ideas on what to do at HER place?!? I have this book, its called “Canoodling for idiots” if ya need it! o.O [smirk]
DO they have that book in a “For Dummies” version? Keep in mind Scapula is really, really stupid!
If the Bearman makes it into the book I will buy it. Otherwise psssss haha
Bearman died while returning to his home planet.
But if he comes back from the dead (as comic characters have a tendency to do) he could return as ZOMBEARMAN!
hmmmm….what the hell kind of planet would want him back?
If crap gets stuck to his fur, then maybe he’s a Klingon.
It’s so sad he shared the same fate as Poochie…
90’s Simpsons quotes have become such a close-knit part of my brain that I often slip them into my everyday conversations. It gets a little awkward sometimes.
HAW HAW!
Even tho we’ve all got a pretty good idea how this story arc is gonna end? I still can’t help but hope for Scap to get a bit of pale, pasty booty.
Pale, pasty booty? Good Lord, does that mean Scapula’s going to hook up with Marilyn Manson?! YEEEECH!
But who knows? Could this mean a NEW costume design for Scap??
I’m going to go with the “Scarlet Spider” route: torn tights and a hoodie. Classic.
Wow, guys…when you put it that way, it sure does take all the sexy out of the canoodling gig. :/
“Canoodling”…I have never heard that term before. It’s like canoeing, only with those “noodle” pool toys, maybe? Well, summer’s coming up and there’s one way to find out!
Quit splashing!
IF BC truely is the leader of these goons then the old saying of keeping your enemies closer is about to take on a whole new meaning.
I don’t know if Sun-Tzu had spooning in mind when he coined that phrase…then again, who knows how close Sun-Tzu got to his enemies?
Scap, are you just gonna trust this person? Come on, maybe your misanthropic instincts are worth hanging onto at least once…
His antisocial tendencies may have kept him alive for this long, but the promise of hugs and acceptance is a strong temptation. Better to be grouchy and alive or snuggled and stabbed?
being snuggled and stabbed is still better than being stabbed without the snuggle. might be worth a try, maybe you’d like the relief, Scap… *sinisterwink*
There are some ladies who will do both! And not always for a price!
I had some Coheed and Cambria playing in the background coincidentally while reading this strip, so it seemed extra emotional to me. I love it, although I did laugh at the “peed on my costume”. That was messed up, but I still laughed. Sorry, Scap.
I really hope he gets laid tonight, then gets his mojo back to work to take on these scrubs. I wanna see Scap show some vengeance and win, dammit!!!! I know it’s gonna take a awhile to build up, but I’ll be waiting throughout all the training montages a la Rocky-style. 🙂
“We’re gonna need a montage (montage!), even Rocky had a montage (montage!)”
Glad to hear that you and some of the other readers are emotionally investing yourselves in the characters; it’s one of the strongest rewards for a cartoonist to have (the other great reward, of course, is people buyin’ some books, a-COUGH COUGH COUGH!). It means a lot.
Hey, maybe I should start attaching a “soundtrack” to these comics. What would be Scapula’s theme song?
“Ice Queen” by Within Temptation was the first thing that came to mind… it his a hauntingly sad melody, with just enough of the heavy rock riffs and parts to showcase that while Scap has all this crap happen to him, and he may have lost his faith several times, he never truly gave up for too long. The lyrics portray his struggle in a lovely, philosophical(?) manner, and describes pretty much the story of a guy who has been betrayed SO much, who has had EVERY thing backfire so many times that he should be beyond paranoid, but he IS willing to trust again…. to find true acceptance from the embrace of another and hope it’s genuine….hope it doesn’t hurt anymore….
WOW, great write-up! I had to go look up this song on the ol’ YouTube and, oddly enough, it feels appropriate for both Scap and Bone China. Plus I got a kick out of that music video.
There are a number of songs that sort of get to the core of who Scapula is, namely an obscure Alice Cooper song called “Nobody Likes Me”. I think it wraps up the humor and misery that comes from being a neglected child.
Thanks for commenting, and for the song recommendation!
Gotta wonder what Bone China’s angle is. From all appearances, she is simultaneously spearheading the campaign against Scapula while boosting him back up. Whatever happens, I’m sure it eventually end poorly for Scap. -_-“
Gabe, buddy, would I ever end a SCAPULA story on an unhappy note? Have a little faith in the guy! He might survive another night or two!
Spearhead.. no BC is more likely second in command. Dex in pt4 looks alot like Homophobe and the tall MO-Fo in shadow behind him is probably Rhino. I think she was sent to learn of Scaps plans so her organisation can undermine his efforts to bring him down.
Jim
But who could have sent them? Who can it be? Who? WHO? WHOOOOO?!!
Or maybe it was a coinky-dink.
Okay, my votes for top three story lines:
The Neglected One, Gangway, and Science Fiction Doubles Feature.
I was going to say Dadaman, but Scap only had limited bearing on the storyline there so……. to be fair to the poor guy (SOMEone’s gotta be from time to time).
Also…. new costume for Scapula? I’m interested to see where this ends up if he does a redesign! As a small note bullet resistant clothes aren’t that expensive these days…… Just try not to get shot with anything TOO big. Actually, try not to get shot, period, no matter WHAT you’re wearing!
All right, someone’s finally voting! Thank you, Jenn, your requests will be considered (i.e. written on a napkin and tossed on my “To Do” pile).
No matter what kind of kevlar or bulletproof armor he wears he’s still going to end up pretty hurt; he has the physique of a flabby smoker (because, um, he is). Maybe he could just ride around in a small tank like a Dalek?
Hehehehehehehe! The ultimate threat!
“EnScapulate! EnScapulate!”
And worst of all, they painted that pentagram upside-down 🙁
They’re really, really, really stupid.
Incidentally, have you ever tried to draw a swastika but get mixed up and draw one of the little “feet” pointing in the opposite direction?…anyone?…okay, this can’t just be me who’s had that problem!…um….yeah, well….I’ll be going now.
stumbling swastica – how’s that for a symbol… classic!
Ah, so I’m not alone in my mistrust of the China Bone… Good, then.
How do you do it? Make us sympathise with creepy sad*ss like Scapula? Make us feel protective of his fragile explosive ego. However you worked your magic on us… thanks! ;`)
“China Bone”…it’s like that one girl in ‘Peanuts’ who keep saying “Brownie Charles”. It’s cute, if you don’t mind getting your name flipped over.
The only magic is that somehow people are reading this rot!
Oh man, Scap…finally something to boast about (for better or for worse) in the way of spoils, and it gets smashed up. Guess he was just lucky he himself wasn’t there at the time…or was it really luck?
Whoever this head honcho is, he/she/it clearly has a few screws loose to think Scap was any threat worth taking down. I have a good idea he wouldn’t have posed much threat to anyone’s operation if left alone – at least not without making a walking pincushion or swiss cheese of himself…
Hmmm, if I was to make prediction #830 at this point, I just can’t picture Bone China jumping Scap, and, at this point, he probably knows better than to try it since he probably couldn’t get it up right now (if he ever could at all). But she might encourage him to go for revenge, and Scap will, of course, do so. Only for the Miscreants to finally lose it and wind up killing each other before he even arrives. Bone China has then covered up all the loose ends and promptly vanishes from Scap’s life, last seen accepting a payment from the shadowy head honcho…and Scap finds her apartment empty and the landlord in a pool of his own blood.
Oh come now, Treike; that’s not a bad idea at all, but Prediction #830 was already used on ‘Full House’ (and let me tell you…best damned episode ever).
Personally, I love hearing how people are guessing this story will turn out, so feel free to be creative, folks! Throw a time travel scenario in there!
I don’t know if I’ve ever commented on Scap’s…uh…ability to get it up, but who knows? Maybe he’s a dynamo in the bedroom! Sure, just look at him, he’s got to be…well, ‘passable’!
That costume really tied the museum together, did it not?!
*in my best Walter Sobchak’
🙂
SHUT THE F__K UP, ROB! You’re like a child who wanders in to the middle of the comic and wants to know–also, dude, Chinaman is not the preferred nomenclature.
Awesome… If they’re looking for something to do back at her apartment, they could try Jenga or maybe even Uno… wholesome family entertainment!
Dude, it’s all about Hungry Hungry Hippos!
Nowadays everyone plays that ‘Apples to Oranges’ game, or whatever the hell it’s called. I don’t know, the kids like it.
By the way: my vote for ‘the neglected one’ cause it shows pretty well how down on everything Scap is, ‘the cupboard of dr. calibani’ cause I just love the look and feel of the old silent movie masterpiece, and ‘science fiction doubles feature’ because it contains the sweetest suicide I’ve seen in a long time (Well done, Inverto!).
I’m actually kind of surprised someone would vote for Calibani; it’s not really mentioned much to me by readers, but I am glad you liked it.
“The Neglected One” is a possibility, and “Science Fiction Doubles Feature” is probably a large enough story to be included in its own volume (with some filler, of course…I’ll download some public domain poetry and stick it in the back. Heh heh heh.).
Voting for my favorite Scapula comic is better than voting in any election.
My first vote goes to #9 Dada Man & #10 The Cupboard of Dr. Calibani. Okay, fine. I’m cheating by using one vote for two comics but including one without the other would feel like a letdown. To me, this shows your best work in terms of writing and illustrations.
My second goes to #7 The Neglected One.This one showcases Scapula the best and gives us insight to his motives and inner workings.
And my third goes to #11, Gangway. It tells a good story while setting up the criminal underworld of Scapula plus we get to see fan favorites Gemini and Seal Sakuro in action.
Interesting choice in combining #9 and #10; this was one of the first times when the ending of one story went directly into the beginning of another (okay, Scap is in jail in #9, following his arrest in #7, ignoring #8 because it was non-canon…wait a second, I got confused…).
I’m glad readers can still enjoy “The Neglected One”; this one’s kind of hard for me to read again, mostly because it was my first time trying to put pathos in the series and I fear it comes across a little too heavy handed. It’s kind of like watching an old video of yourself acting in a high school play: you really put your heart into it, but damn, you sure got better as the years passed!
yeah. but it shows so nicely how pathetic Scap is. in full hd and dolby surround cliché.
you have to admit, it’s so over the top, it fits Sap all right, and people like it.
Funny you mention the ‘full surround’; I still get complaints from viewers over all the screaming I did in both the SCAPULA animations (see VIDEO section) and my own occasional appearances.
What can I say? I’m a loud, loud, loud person! AAAAAAAAAAAAAAUGH!!!
Wait a second – torn up thrown aside costume? That has a Spiderman vibe to it.
How many times has Peter Parker thrown his costume into that same garbage can? Better yet, how many times has that scene been parodied?
One of my favorites was in “Sergio Aragonés Massacres Marvel”: after tossing his costume, Peter realizes that he’s throwing away millions in merchandise deals. He runs back to reclaim the suit, only to find an angry bum who isn’t willing to give it up!
No… I am not distrustful of Bone China… no… I think she might have something she’s gotten herself into… but you don’t say the above comfortive speech and fling poop at the same time… unless you have multiple personalities… Maybe BC has multiple personalities.
And my favorite Scap episode? hmmm…. it makes me wanna go back and read them all!!!!! again…. maybe I’ll do that. Yah.
Oh, there we go: Bone China’s multiple personality is the one who’s causing all of this…and she’s her own grandpa, too! As long as we’re using that chestnut cliche, let’s throw an ‘evil twin’ element into the plot as well! Heck, let’s even use that most horrid of plot devices, “It was aaaalll a dreeeeeeaaaammm…!”
Good Lord, I really am an awful writer.
Aw, come-on! You’re the one that created that Multiplicity machine thingie! sheesh!
Now I’m just afraid that readers wont take character’s deaths seriously, since there’s always a duplicating machine to potentially make another copy of someone.
Rest assured, folks: in SCAPULA, the dead stay dead!
There you go, Aidan, you’ve broken Scap down into a gibbering mash of snotty tears now, haven’t you. He’s so vulnerable, he’s even taken off the costume. Why do I get the feeling someone’s about to dropped into a crawfish boil? On top of that, you generated a spritz of mist in my tear ducts. How could you? I’m supposed to not like this guy!
Aww thanks, Mark. “Snotty Tears” would be the perfect name for my new folk album (I let my hair down, strum a guitar and blather on about failed high school romances). Hey, if I want to horn in on Jewel’s territory who’s gonna stop me?
Well, maybe Jewel, but I think I can take her.
Sounds like Scap is gonna bone. Awwwww, yeah!
Well, SOMEONE had to make that joke sooner or later!
Those pentagrams seem to liven the place up at least.
That Satanic rug really tied the room together.
hum, the weak point on this story is how scapula quickly deduced “it was that gang, I saw them on the news”. Because there’s absolutely no reasons to deduce this.
It might be the people from the party that peed on is costume. Or dadaman. Or a cat. Or whatever.
Could have been a cat. They are rather mischievous creatures!
First, the band’s name is written on the wall, so there’s that.
Second, Scap didn’t deduce anything. He’s an emotional wreck lashing out the first target that comes to mind. It just so happens he’s correct by coincidence.
…I believe it fits perfectly well, PersonwhoseemstohaveNOTreadtheseries. You realize who you’re talking about…. Paranoia and Jealously at defining traits of Scapula, and either one could be his middle name, if not BOTH (with a hyphon “-‘ ofcourse)
Omg he’s completely breaking down, I feel terrible for him but then I remember he’s an evil villain =P. Hmm now the house looks like the inside of a crack house!
Well, it’s a pretty ‘cracked’ house now! Although I think Scap prefers to read MAD.
(…that’s a joke that no one but we children of the 90’s will understand).
It’s good to feel both ways about him: he’s a sad, sad man who also hurts people for a living. Can you have it both ways? You can when it’s a fictional character!
I thought “canoodling” is where you draw pictures while on a canoe. I mean, that’s how Scapula gets drawn, right? Way down upon the Swanee River…
Egad! The secret is out. I draw Scapula whilst camping in the woods. It would be a lot easier if I chose a more secluded spot; on one side of the hill there’s campers getting slashed by that Voorhees boy, and on the other side there’s those two cowboys who mutter a lot and do God-knows-what in their tent!
Stop, stop, you’re breaking my back!!
I can sympathize with both of them here. I’ve had days where the whole world falls on your head and everything you’ve had is gone. I’ve had days where it’s happened to people I know and I’m the only one there to get them back on their feet. Neither one is easy in any way. I suspect Bone China is much more genuine than most people are giving her credit for because you cannot fake that unless you have the kind of method acting skills Patrick Stewart has.
Votes cast: Identity Theft, One Flew Over the Ku Klux Nest, Science Fiction Doubles Feature.
Word to that, homie. These sort of life problems are always easier to deal with when there’s someone by your side…well, provided that said someone isn’t a big jerk. In which case your life might get much worse.
Heyyy, someone casted votes for “Identity Theft” and the KKK story! I didn’t think anyone liked those stories, but they both remain near and dear to my misanthropic heart!
For what it’s worth, the efforts are appreciated. No matter who is picking you up.
Great one.