GANGWAY pt.4
North Beach, San Francisco, always seemed like the perfect exercise in dichotomy: to one side you have the clean-cut Italian diners, yuppie coffee bars and gelato shops, and to the other side you get the mecca of Bay Area strip joints, whore houses and sleazy porn shacks. I always wondered if this was set up intentionally (maybe Two-Face was involved?) or if it was all just a great big coincidence. You have to see it to believe it, folks.
On an unrelated topic, today marks the twentieth anniversary of the passing of Jim Henson (I don’t think ‘anniversary’ feels like the best term, but anyway…). Jim Henson is one of those wonderful creators who really did change the world for the better just by being imaginative and kind, sharing his gift and happiness with everyone. The Muppets are among the earliest happy memories of my life that I can still recall, and while I never really pursued much of a career in show biz (…yet), I’d like to believe it was Henson who first stoked the fires of my imagination.
Anyone who’s ever known me personally will see the Fozzie Bear resemblance, as I have been, and always will be, an awful, awful comedian!
Man, Aidan, this is a good story. I can tell when I’m diggin’ a story because I forget about the artist himself and just accept everything as it’s given out as law. I don’t know if that makes sense or not, but that’s how I see it. 🙂
And those lips in panel 3 just spoke to me. Nice lighting!
I really like Scap’s dialogue in the 2nd panel. That’s what I always ask too when I ride with someone. Mom hates it, but that’s just how I am.
That brothel entrance panel reminds me a lot of Sergio Aragones (that’s a compliment).
Overall, this was one of my favorite Scapula installments. Great work, man!
He had trouble with the code word before. Now he is really in trouble.
Hahaha … hopefully Scapula isn’t too distracted to remember the raven!
Love the lighting, Aiden – and everything else – as always – hard rockin’ man! 🙂
@George Ladies and gentlemen, the Nicest Cartoonist on the Internet has spoken!
I’m very glad to hear that the art and story are going over well (and the silly dialogue…I dont know whether or not you actually say that to your mom but it made me laugh when I heard it!). And of course any comparison to Sergio is a compliment.
…and if Jemini’s lips speak to you, it’s because she’s whispering, “George…come to meeeee…” in a low, throaty whisper.
@Bearman Say…there should have been a password! Dagnabbit, I knew I forgot something!
@SpilledInky He forgot the raven, but as for the spoojing…uh, well, moving right along.
Thanks for the kind words, Robert!
ah, I see Scapula’s got his priority straight!
LOL love it!
haha i’m excited. STAY THE COURSE, SCAPULA!
@David Damned right! He’s a paying customer, ain’t he!
@Danielle Thank you! Glad to have the master of Death approve.
@Ash If Ash commands, Scapula obeys! Little Miss Miserable has decreed it!
“a purple raven…” was the password.
No, “purple raven” is the code to get the guns.
The password to get into the whorehouse is something you say at the door; y’know, like, “Swordfish” or “Walt sent me”.
Getting in the front door is the main thing. Now all they want to see is how many bills he’s got in that jacket of his. I can see a lap dance in the very near future!
@Nate Hmmm….sounds like you may have had some experience in this department? Heh heh.
Of course, anyone who thinks Scapula is going to get money or lovin’ is the very definition of an optimist!
I love the code words.
And /sadface for Henson, his works were a big part of my choldhood.
@Chris Nice to meet you, sir! Jim Henson was also a big part of my childhood (and for children of several generations the world over), so a good part of all humanity is united by the Muppets!
As for my comics and their dirty code words…well, hopefully a couple dozen people are getting a chuckle out of ’em!
I clicked over here a week or so ago from “Legend of Bill,” and have since devoured the archives (sorry if I left crumbs everywhere). Your storytelling and artstyle provide the same kind of fun that I’ve gotten from Phil Foglio’s work (not saying you’re a Foglio knock-off, just that I find a similar enjoyment).
As for Henson, I’m old enough to remember the original Muppet Show on prime-time television, and have loved the Henson studios work ever since. The world lost a wonderfully creative person twenty years ago, but thank heavens for the miracle of recording, so that we can still continue to enjoy the legacy he left behind.
Wocka wocka wocka.
@Hoomi So nice to meet you! I’m trying to think of what the culinary equivalent of a Scapula comic would be….mac and cheese? Spam? Old Halloween candy? Probably a mix of the three…
I wasn’t familiar with Phil Foglio when you mentioned the name, so I searched it and, yes indeed folks, he’s the creative force behind “Girl Genius”, a popular webcomic that I occasionally place bids on with Project Wonderful (he actually doesn’t charge too much).
The loss of Henson was very heart-breaking; YouTube has the entire memorial service posted (in parts, natch) and it really gets you deep down. I can’t imagine anyone who can resist from crying when all the puppeteers sing “Just One Person”…it’s nearly impossible.
Glad to have you around, and grab some Pepto-Bismol if you’re snacking through the archives again!
One of my first introductions to Foglio were his comic adaptations of Robert Lynn Asprin’s “Myth Adventure” series, published by WaRP Graphics in the 80s. He took hilarious stories, and adding his own humorous touches to the illustrations, made them even funnier. If you can pick up copies of them, I highly recommend doing so. Advertising on “Girl Genius” is a good pick, as I really think there’s a good match in audience appeal.
I need to play on Gravatar a bit more, trying a different computer or browser. When I went to set up an avatar last night, it wouldn’t allow me to crop any photos, so I went with Snoopy for the temp.
@Hoomi What’s wrong with Snoopy?
I’ll have to look into those Foglio comics sometime. It might give me ideas to steal…I mean, inspiration. Yes, inspiration, that’s what I want…heh heh heh…
I love Snoopy, and the writer comics are some of my favorite (being a writer myself), but I also feel a bit funny using someone else’s material. Gravatar worked fine in Google Chrome, so my next avatar should be my own artwork. (We’ll see if it pops up on this post.)
Now that Sergio Aragones has been mentioned – I think the pimp/beehive woman/beanie boy group in the first panel looks like it could have been taken straight from the margin doodles in MAD. (This is meant as a compliment).
@Hoomi “It was a dark and stormy night…” I don’t know if that particular writer got much further than that.
@UnReal Any comparison to the Usual Gang of Idiots is a compliment of the highest level!