DORIS DANGER!

THREE VERSIONS!

First draft, Laguna Beach, CA

Chris Wisnia talks about the format that Atlas Giant Monster comics by Stan Lee, Jack Kirby, and Steve Ditko had, and how he used that format in his Doris Danger comics. Filmed in Laguna Beach, Southern California in June 2017.

Alternate take:

Second Draft, Griffith Observatory, Hollywood Hills:

Under the Hollywood hills (and a VERY tiny view of the Hollywood letters in the background!), at the Griffith Observatory (where we most famously saw James Dean in “Rebel without a Cause”!), in June 2017, Chris Wisnia discusses the chapter structure of “Doris Danger’s Giant Monster Adventures!”

COMMENTARY:

Inked by DICK AYERS!

SOUND EFFECTS!

More exciting sound effects in panel one, including “Buh-Choo”, B-CHOW”, the “chugga-chugga” of a railroad train, “guh guh guh”,  and karate noises such as “pok” and “buk”. And bullets riccocheting with a “vip vip vip” (pronounced “Vee Aye PEE”).

PANEL COMPOSITIONS

Narratively, I wanted to show that Doris was trying to take pictures in every panel, but I needed to leave room for all the action she was taking pictures of. I was new at drawing comics, so you’ll notice I just crammed her very similarly into the left corner of the first three panels.

“THE FEZZIES”

Panel two introduces what I’ve come to call “The Fezzies.” However, the more politically correct term that I often use is “The Fez-Wearing Men.” I didn’t ever read up much on secret societies, however the image of a Fez-Wearing Man in Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade, and this idea that he had this secret order to protect who-in-the-hell-knows-or-cares-what, and he’s doing it by sneaking around through ancient catacombs and labyrinths deep below all our prominent buildings around the globe, and he’s supposedly so secret that no one even knows about this ancient order, even though he’s running around with a fez on his head and there isn’t one other person in history that ever did that, let alone now, so he sticks out like a sore thumb – I thought this was such a fun and ludicrous and exciting idea, and it just seemed to fit perfectly for these Doris Danger comics.

(Above: Still from Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade (1989), dir. Steven Spielberg

“AT LEAST THREE” SPLUHH MONSTERS

You’ll notice they talk about “the others.” My thinking at the time was to imply there were many giant Spluhh monsters, and that would explain why I had introduced so many other names (Asploop, Splazoo, and on the next panel, Spampoo). I hammered this home in panel three, with Doris believing she saw some other giant monsters in the cave. And of course the dialogue we overhear, referencing “we seven”.

However (SPOILER that may not surface for years!), I’ve since realized (i.e., “decided”), that when you hear “We seven may proceed”, this voice emanating from the cave is actually NOT the monsters talking to one another!  It’s NOT a stuttering voice, right?  Someone ELSE is talking in there!  This is a reference to something else, something very specific that is a major part of the Doris Danger story.  And who knows, it may never be revealed, at the speed I’m going – unless I can tell an awful lot more of stories.

HOW THE DORIS DANGER STORY DEVELOPS

But this is kind of a major idea-generating concept of the creation of Doris Danger. The comic’s structure is such that I can basically stream-of-conscious brainstorm kooky ideas and just draw them as I go. And later on, while mulling over all these disparate and insane and often really stupid elements, it becomes a brain puzzle, trying to make sense of it all.  So that I can say, Well, as dumb as that is, it WOULDN’T be dumb if THIS is why it’s happening.  And then it would tie in with THIS.

Now keep in mind, I’ve basically had all these stories stewing in my head since 2002, and even though I’ve done many other projects, Doris’s adventures are always lulling in the background of my mind. I’m constantly realizing connections or explanations for scenes, and jotting them down in a notebook that is literally hundreds of pages thick now. All plots, gags, story ideas, explanations, or greater details of what has come so far. And it’s all pretty carefully mapped out and explained in my head at this point, and fitting together mind-bogglingly well, considering the way I just described of making it cohesive. But even so, just yesterday (December 2010) I found myself realizing there was yet another hole that needed an explanation, and realizing the hole was an opportunity to brainstorm about it and come up with a solution.

ORIGINAL CONCEPT, BEFORE IT DEVELOPED TO WHAT IT IS NOW

But none of this was my intent at the story’s conception, while I wrote and drew this page. During this earliest stage and first story, I was just trying to come up with whacky, seemingly idiotically random events that made the story look like there was a bigger picture that the reader couldn’t possibly know in entirety, because that’s what I thought you were supposed to do when you write conspiracy-theory fiction where “perhaps this is only the TIP of the iceberg!”, AND I was pretending the story “had been running so long in Tabloia Weekly Magazine, and you were just getting one of possibly hundreds or thousands of on-going chapters.”

GIGGLING SCIENTIST

I found there to be something unnerving about a scientist in a lab coat, wielding some odd mechanical remote-control or joy-stick type device, amidst all the crazy action – to suggest he may be orchestrating or controlling some of the madness.  I just threw him into the story, not really aware yet how his character would evolve into something big.  I took his likeness from Jack Kirby and Stan Lee’s “Vandoom, the Man who Made a Creature,” from Tales to Astonish #17 (Atlas Comics, 1961).

 

ED WOOD INSPIRATION

As for panel four, it was heavily influenced by the 1994 Tim Burton biographical film of filmmaker Ed Wood. Ed Wood (played by Johnny Depp) was trying to raise money for his next film, (Bride of the Monster – probably my favorite Ed Wood film) and he found a financier, but this guy felt the film should end with a really big explosion. This guy, he didn’t care what the story was, or what it was about. He just wanted to see a big explosion at the end. Romance? Comedy? Tear-jerking emotional drama? Didn’t matter – let’s see something blow up. So in the film, Bela Lugosi (played by Martin Landau) fell into what looked like maybe a drying creek-bed, and then was eaten by an octopus, and something huge blew up and the titles announced, The End. What a film!

Here is the full ending to Bride of the Monster on Youtube (the utterly unexplainable explosion is at 2:45, and you can witness just what a laughably terrible climax this is, with Bela Lugosi rolling in a puddle with a fake octopus.  So this all made me understand, that producer was absolutely right! A big explosion is a fantastic way to end ANY film! So I wanted an explosion in the end of this story! And I thought, what better explosion than a volcano exploding! And wouldn’t it be even COOLER if UFO’s were flying out of the explosion??! What imagery!

THE SHOCKING CLIFFHANGER ENDING!

And as for panel five … what a shocking twist (!!!), if it appears that some strange, giggling scientist (wearing a stereotypical white lab coat) is holding a remote control, and could possibly be controlling the UFO like children in a playground with model airplanes!… What could it possibly all mean??! As I mentioned, I didn’t care at the time what it meant, although now it’s all become basically the whole reason for the whole story.

And what a cliffhanger on panel six, with the FBI catching Doris! He didn’t even SEE the scientist, who’s bolting away from the scene with his remote control!

Panel seven, all text. I had planned to do this from the beginning. In fact, it was the first thing I wrote in my notes, after the text for the splash page. (See page 005 – Script for those notes.)  This is a technique that appeared in particular in the comics Kirby wrote himself.

YOU CAN’T DARE MISS NEXT ISSUE!

Here are some samples, from Miracle Man 8 (DC Comics, 1972), New Gods 8 (DC Comics, 1972), and Kamandi 31 (DC Comics, 1975):

Using these as my model, it was important to me to reiterate as many of the mysteries in the story as I could in that last panel.  Because I’d created a story that a reader, hopefully, couldn’t possibly follow it all. And the thought at the time was, most likely I’d never explain any of them anyways. It was my way of saying, “Look at all these crazy plot twists! What in the heck could possibly be going on??! I don’t even care, so long as you thought it was fun! Aren’t we all enjoying ourselves, everybody?” And it was an exercise to see – CAN we enjoy ourselves, if we don’t know what’s going on? Can we enjoy just seeing a piece of a story so big and crazy that we can’t possibly have any idea all the absurd plot elements streaming through it?

I tried to make sure the reader was asking her/himself: who, what, why, where, when. Looks like I didn’t fit in “when,” but I managed to add the recurrent question, “did?”

DICK AYERS INKS

I sent this five-page story to Dick Ayers on 11/1/02, Basically having completed it (the whole Doris Danger idea and brainstorms and themes, writing and drawing this five-page story) in a month. They came back in the mail 11/11. When I got the inks back from Dick, I really enjoyed what he’d done. On the giant monster splashes, page two and four, he added all those cross hatches and blackness in the sky. On page three, first two panels, he added all the black in the background. Generally he blacked more areas out and used more feather-lines to shade. It was interesting as an artist who was only beginning to make comics, to see the choices he’d made.

When Dick returned the first story, he included a note that said how much he enjoyed inking the story, and how it took him back. He said if I wanted to do any other stories, he’d be up for it.

That was kind of my fantasy, that we could continue this feature. I immensely enjoyed the concept, story, and my tries at emulating the King Jack Kirby’s artwork. I had already begun brainstorming other kooky ideas for kooky stories. I immediately replied I’d put two more five page stories in the mail as soon as I could finish them.

Here is my original script for this five-page story. I’ll interpose my commentary on the script with parenthetical italics.

10/2/02

(Notice my excitement to create this story was such that I had begun scripting a couple sequences the same day I started and finished the plot – 10/2/02. I finished drawing the splash the next day, 10/3/02. I scripted pages two through five (everything besides the splash, which didn’t have much script to write) on 10/6/02 – AFTER I’d finished drawing the splash. This is telling that I was truly just seeing where the story led itself, without premeditation or a finished script.  That same day, I also drew the first page. I didn’t date the third or fourth pages, but the final page is dated 10/29/02. I had a day job, so I was producing the most work on weekends, and did the five page story in under a month.)

SPLASH:

ROB ODER PRESENTS: THE SHOCKING TRUE-LIFE EXPLOITS OF DORIS DANGER . . . AS SHE EXPLORES . . . WHERE GIANT MONSTERS CREEP AND STOMP

(This text got moved off the splash, to the second page.)

SPLUH!  THE THING WHO BURST/OOZED/ERUPTED FROM THE ERUPTING/LIVE/EXPLODING VOLCANO

(Sometimes I can’t decide on word choice, so I just jot down whatever comes to mind and decide later. Burst. Oozed. Erupted.  Where I would ultimately pick ONE for the finally, Stan Lee made this a part of his writing style – “I was so hungry, so starving, so famished, so desirous to eat something, so in the mood to put food in my mouth!”  I didn’t pick up on this style to parody it for these early stories, however.)

ORIGINALLY PRESENTED IN TABLOIA WEEKLY MAGAZINE #136 JUNE 1953

WISNIA & AYERS

(See how I actually put in the script for the page to be signed “Wisnia and Ayers”??! And how I already knew it had to have been “originally presented” in a previous issue of Tabloia??  See my page 002 – Commentary)

FLEE FOR YOUR LIVES!

FLEE FROM SPLUH!

* * *

(After the very brief text and dialog of the splash, the first script I wrote out was for the last panel of page five, which was a text-only panel):

WHO IS THE MAD SCIENTIST WITH THE REMOTE CONTROL?

HOW IS HE INVOLVED?

WHY IS HE GIGGLING?

WHY ARE THE MYSTERIOUS MEN WHO HELP HIDE MONSTERS WEARING FEZZES?

WHY ARE THE ARMY AND FBI WORKING TOGETHER TO COVER ALL THIS UP?

DID . . . DORIS REALLY SEE MORE THAN ONE MONSTER?

WHERE . . . DID THE UFO COME FROM?

WHERE . . . DID IT GO?

WHERE . . . DID THE MONSTERS AND UFO GO?

WHAT . . . IS THE MOTIVE OF THE RENEGADE TEAM KNOWN AS THE MLA?

WHAT . . . IS THE MONSTER’S SECRET AGENDA?

WHAT . . . SECRET AGENDA ARE THE MONSTERS PLANNING?

WHAT . . . IS GOING ON?!!

FIND OUT ALL THIS AND MORE NEXT WEEK!  ONLY IN TABLOIA!

HOW CAN YOU DARE MISS OUT ON THE ANSWERS TO ALL THESE QUESTIONS AND MORE?  YOU CAN’T!  JOIN US NEXT WEEK!  ONLY IN TABLOIA!

* * *

(The second chunk of text I wanted to figure out was what different things the monster might say with his stutter. You can see my priorities with the script):

SPLUHH monster speaks:

FOO . . . FOO . . . FOOLS!

YOO . . . YOO . . . YOU ARE DOOMED

PYOO . . . PYOO . . . PUNY MORTALS . . .

HYOO . . . HYOO . . . DETESTED HUMANS

YOO . . . YOO . . . YOU JERKS . . .

HYOO . . . HYOO . . . HUMANS ARE MEAN . . .

* * *

(Then for some reason, I wrote out the last text panel of page five again, changing some, changing the order. I guess this was a key panel for me.):

WHO . . . IS THE MAD SCIENTIST WITH THE REMOTE CONTROL?

WHO . . . ARE THE MYSTERIOUS MEN WEARING FEZZES

WHY . . . ARE THE MYSTERIOUS MEN WEARING FEZZES HELPING THE MONSTER OR MONSTERS?

WHERE . . . DID THE UFO COME FROM?

HOW . . . IS THE UFO CONNECTED WITH THE MONSTERS?

WHERE . . . DID IT GO?

WHAT . . . ARE THE MONSTERS UP TO?

HOW . . . MANY MONSTERS ARE THERE?

WHAT . . . IS THE GOVERNMENT’S INTEREST IN ALL THIS?

WHY . . . IS THE FBI TRYING TO COVER EVERYTHING UP?

HOW . . . DID THE ARMY KNOW WHERE THE MONSTER WOULD BE?

WHY . . . ARE THE ARMY AND FBI WORKING TOGETHER?

WHAT . . . IS THE MOTIVE OF THE RENEGADE TEAM KNOWN AS THE MLA?

WHAT . . . IS GOING ON?

10/6/02 SCRIPT

DANGER: SPLUHH

PAGE TWO

PANEL 1

TABLOIA PRESENTS ANOTHER SHOCKING TRUE-LIFE ACCOUNT.  ACE PHOTO JOURNALIST DORIS D SAYS GOODBYE TO HER BOYFRIEND, STEVE W. BEFORE EMBARKING ON AN ASSIGNMENT THAT WILL UNWITTINGLY LEAD HER WHERE GIANT MONSTERS CREEP AND STOMP.

STEVE: I WISH YOU WOULDN’T GO, DORE!  THE WEIRD ___ TREMORS OF THE VOLCANOES ON THE CAYMAN ISLANDS ARE MYSTERIOUSLY EMINATING “GASSIGINA RADIATION”!

DORIS: I’VE GOT TO GO, STEVE.  OH, STEVE, PLEASE DON’T.  IT’S AS IF FATE IS PULLING ME THERE.  I’VE JUST GOT TO.  YOU KNOW I’VE JUST GOT TO GO.

PANEL 2.

DORIS: YOU’RE THE ONLY ONE I’VE TOLD ABOUT MY RECURRING NIGHTMARES.  ABOUT HOW I BELIEVE THEY MAY BE REPRESSED MEMORIES OF MY CHILDHOOD.

STEVE: THE WAY YOU DESCRIBED THE GIANT CREATURE, AND HOW IT ABDUCTED YOU, CONTAINED TOO MANY DETAILS NOT TO HAVE BEEN REAL.  AND YOU SWORE YOU COULD EVEN SMELL THE TOXIC “GASSIGINA” WHILE THE THING PROBED YOUR BRAIN WITH A “VACUUM NEEDLE.”  NO I UNDERSTAND WHY YOU MUST GO, BUT BE CAREFUL, DORIS.

(I had to really trim down all this text to get it to fit in two panels. After brainstorming it all out, I rewrote some of the above into the following sentence:)

HOW IT PROBED YOUR BRAIN WITH A “VACUUM NEEDLE,” THE SMELL OF TOXIC GASSIGINA PRESENT . . .

I LOVE YOU, STEVE.

PANEL 3

SOON, ACROSS THE GLOBE, AT THE BASE OF THE ISLAND’S MASSIVE VOLCANO . . .

DORIS: THIS IS WHERE THE STRANGE TREMORS HAVE BEEN REPORTED STRONGEST.  I TOOK THIS ASSIGNMENT SECRETLY HOPING IT MIGHT LEAD TO MY MOST DESPERATE DESIRE: PROOF OF THE EXISTENCE OF GIANT ALIEN CREATURES!

BUT WHAT IS THE UNITED STATES ARMY DOING HERE?  AND WHAT ARE ALL THESE BARRICADES AND TANKS?

PANEL 4

YOU CAN’T COME THROUGH HERE, MA’AM.  SORRY, MA’AM, THIS HERE’S A DANGER SITE.  YOU GOTTA STAY OUTSIDE THE BARRIERS.  BY ORDER OF THE U.S. GOVERNMENT.

BUT I’M A PHOTOGRAPHER FOR TABLOIA MAGAZINE.

NO PHOTOS, MA’AM.  FER YER OWN SAFETY, BEST YOU OUGHTA GO BACK HOME.

PANEL 5

PSST.  HEY LADY.  WHITE MEN ARE TRYING TO COVER UP.  THEY SAY RADIOACTIVE METEOR FALLS FROM SKY.  NOT SO.  DON’T BELIEVE THEIR LIES.

DOES METEOR LEAVE A FOOTPRINT?!

VOLCANO GOD RETURNS!

AFTER MANY GENERATIONS, WHITE MEN ANGER HIM!  VOLCANO GOD!

PAGE THREE

PANEL 1

MA’AM?  AGENT SLICK/FLEET/SLEAT/SKEATES, FBI G DIVISION.  I’M GONNA HAVE TO ASK YOU TO GIVE ME THAT CAMERA AND COME WITH ME.

PANEL 2.

HEY!  HALT!  HALT!  THAT’S A RESTRICTED AREA!  YOU’RE IN BIG TROUBLE, LADY!

PANEL 3

BING BING BING!

SIR: THE GASAGINA RADIATION METER IS SUDDENLY GOING BONKERS!

– HALT HALT

PANEL 4

WHAT’S THAT SMELL?  GOOD GRACIOUS!  WHAT THE!

FOO FOO!

SARGE: OH MY GOD!

BING BING BING!

PANEL 5

HOLY CRIPES

MEN GET IN POSITION

G DIVISION WAS RIGHT – THIS IS WHAT WE’RE TRAINED FOR, BOYS!

WHERE’D IT COME FROM?!

IT WAS A MONSTER ALL ALONG!  WE’VE FOUND HIM AS G DIVISIONS’ RESEARCH SCIENTISTS EXPECTED!  RIGHT WHERE G DIVISION PIN-POINTED HIM ALL RIGHT – HE’S MADE HIMSELF KNOWN!  REPEAT PROJECCT UNEARTH HAS

TURN THE ARTILLERY AROUND!  QUICKLY!

PAGE FOUR

PANEL 1

PWEE PWEE!
DOOSH!
ZWAZWAZWA!
BWEE! BWEE!
SPWAH!
CUNCH!
CUNCH!
COO!  COO!
COCKACOCKA!
KAKAKAKAKA!
BUGGABUGGA!
BUGGABUGGA!
POOP!  POOM!
POOP!  POOSH!
PYOO!
PYOO!
SPAH!
SPAH!

(Notice the excitement for coming up with exciting (i.e., “dumb,” childish, “unrealistic,” (hopefully) funny) sound effects!)

PANEL 2

YOO . . . YOO . . . YOU JERKS!

HYOO . . . HYOO . . .

PANEL 3

. . . HUMANS ARE MEAN . . .

DORIS: I CAN’T BELIEVE MY EYES?!!! AM I TRULY . . . ACTUALLY SEEING . . . ??

WHAT THE . . . ?!!  WHO ARE THESE RENEGADES?

PANEL 4

WHAT THE –?  WHERE’D THEY COME FROM?!!

IT’S THE DREADED INFAMOUS MONSTER LIBERATION ARMY!

THE M.L.A.!

BACK DOWN, YOU BLOODTHIRSTY GOVERNMENT LAP-DOGS!  OR YOU’LL FACE THE WRATH OF THE M.L.A.!

PANEL 5

OPEN FIRE, BOYS!  THIS OUGHTTA TEACH THOSE INBRED RIGHTWING MURDEROUS LACKEYS NOT TO BULLY ANY POOR INNOCENT MONSTER!

ARMY: RETREAT!  FALL BACK!

PAGE FIVE

PANEL 1

IN ALL THE CONFUSION, THE MONSTER IS GETTING AWAY

PANEL 2

HYOO . . . HYOO . . . HUMANS ARE MEAN

QUICK!  IN HERE!  WHERE’S HE GOING?  I LOST SIGHT OF HIM, BUT . . . WAIT, THERE HE IS!  BUT WHO ARE THOSE MEN WEARING FEZZES?

PANEL 3

AT LAST!  SPAMPOO HAS ARRIVED.  NOW ALL SEVEN OF US MAY PROCEED!  HE’S HIDING IN THAT CAVE AT THE BASE OF THE VOLCANO!

I SWEAR IT LOOKS LIKE I SAW  . . . AND I COULD HAVE SWORN IN THAT CAVE WAS  . . .  ANOTHER/AT LEAST TWO GIANT MONSTERS!

PANEL 4

SUDDENLY . . .

THE VOLCANO IS ERUPTING!

RUN!  RUN FOR YOUR LIVES!

SPLOOH!
ZWEE!
RUMBLERUMBLERUMBLE

PANEL 5

TEE HEE HEE!

IT’S THAT GIGGLING SCIENTIST I SAW HIDING UNDER THE PILE OF CLOTHES AT THE CARNIVAL!  HOW DOES HE FIT INTO ALL THIS?

PANEL 6

WAIT!  PLEASE.

AGENT SLEET, FBI G DIV.: THAT’S ENOUGH.  YOU’RE COMING WITH ME, MA’AM.  AND I’LL BE TAKING THAT CAMERA.

WHY DO I GET THE FEELING THIS IS JUST THE BEGINNING?

(You can tell I was really intent about this final panel, because here I’ve written it out for a THIRD TIME!):

WHAT . . . IS GOING ON?

WHO . . . ARE THE MEN IN THE FEZZES?

DORIS RECOGNIZED?

WHO . . . IS THE MAD SCIENTIST WITH THE REMOTE CONTROL?

HOW . . . MANY MONSTERS FLEW OFF IN THE UFO?

WHERE . . . DID THEY GO?

WHY . . . ARE THE FBI TRYING TO COVER UP THE SIGHTING?

WHAT . . . IS THE MOTIVE OF THE MYSTERIOUS TEAM KNOWN AS THE MLA?

WHY . . . DOES . . . THE MONSTER HAVE THREE NAMES, OR ARE THERE THREE OR MORE MONSTERS?

(There it is: I was trying to really spell out, “Hi, readers, there are more than one monster. Even though I only SHOWED one.  Get it? Get it?”  And of course, you will recall that the original idea for page 002 (see the page 002 – Commentary) cover was to have two monsters, but I ran out of room!)

HOW . . . DID THE ARMY KNOW A MONSTER WOULD BE THERE?

WHAT . . . IS THE GOVERNMENT INTERESTED IN ALL THIS?

WHY . . . IS THE ARMY ATTACKING THE MONSTER?

Panel 4 ANIMATED! MLA and KARATE GUY

(Click “published” above to see the published page 005, inked by Dick Ayers!)

Panel four introduces THE M.L.A.*! (* “Monster Liberation Army”, fans!):

(NOTE: Watch TWO commentary videos about the Monster Liberation Army: Monster Liberation Army and G.I.Joe, and Monster Liberation Army and the A-Team (both for $7 Patrons).

The creation of the team, and the name, “M.L.A.” PROBABLY dates back to James Bond’s villainous nemesis, S.P.E.C.T.R.E. (Special Executive for Counter-intelligence, Terrorism, Revenge, and Extortion – which made its appearance in Ian Fleming’s James Bond novel, Thunderball  in 1961), or the popular The Man from U.N.C.L.E (United Network Command for Law and Enforcement) tv series (1964).  But MY influence was Marvel Comics’ S.H.I.E.L.D., H.Y.D.R.A., A.I.M., DC Comics’ S.T.A.R. labs, and so on.

 

Of course, visually and thematically, the MLA is highly influenced by the A-Team, the 1983-87 tv action series about a colorful assortment of mercenaries framed for crimes they did not commit, and who now are dedicated to noble causes as they choose their assignments as soldiers of fortune.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Another important influence is the G.I. Joe line-up of colorful army characters.  I owned a couple of the original 1964 dolls (hand-me-downs from older cousins or uncles, perhaps?), but the influence on the M.L.A. was the 1982 action figure line, with each figure exerting his or her individuality thru necessarily more and more production of additional product to sell, and therefore need for recognizable diversity, in costume design and color, unique weapon choice, and a handy file card detailing their personalities and specialties.

 

 

 

 

The final influence was Mattel’s 1976-1981 “Big Jim” toys, particularly the P.A.C.K. series, whose unique characters spell-bound me as a child, and only as an adult looking back did I realize that their packaging was drawn by Jack Kirby!

 

 

 

 

 

 

There was a period where I fantasized about making business cards that said “I’m a card-carrying secret member of the Monster Liberation Army (your name here)”, or MLA hats or t-shirts.  I printed a few out one year, but I wasn’t happy with the design.  I’ll have to re-visit that merch brainstorm…

The idea of the M.L.A. jumping out from the ground (in panel four) was stolen directly from the John Milius film, “Red Dawn” (1984) in which Russians invade America, and a few teenagers (including Patrick Swayze and Charlie Sheen) shoot off their big guns, single-handedly stave off the Russian armies, and save … AMERICA, AND democracy! 

I FEEL like I watched that popping out of the ground scene A TON, but I may not have seen it, more than a couple times.  That said, it IS in the trailer, right about at 1:45:

SOUND EFFECTS

First and second panel of page five, I tried to give the sound effects a similar kind of humor to what I was attempting with the monster names. You know when you’re a little kid, or when you’re watching a kid, playing with toy army guys or cars or whatever, and you always come up with the coolest sound effects for your guns. I remember as a kid pretending I was riding a motorcycle around and going “bwa-na-naaaaa, bwa-naaah!” I wanted the stories to feel like a kid was in the bullpen writing them, making all these noises out loud with his mouth, going, “Oh, yeah, THIS is what a gun sounds like.  This sound effect is SO cool! And realistic!”

(above) David Lloyd talks about how doing “V For Vendetta” (1989) with Alan Moore, they thought it was amateurish to include sound effects, because if you saw, for example, a gun firing, you should be able to realize it’s making a “BANG” sound, and hear it in your head already, and therefore the word “bang” on the page is redundant. They did the whole book off this theory, eliminating sound effects, as well as narration, so that the only thing you read were words people spoke aloud. Just like it would be in real life (or a movie).  That’s a great exercise. It makes the comic very cinematic, and can raise some narrative challenges, to convey a story without relying on these (frankly) cheats. But I made the conscious decision to do the opposite of this. To accentuate and exploit the “crutches” of the comic book language. Make everything sound effects and narration, to the point it just sounds silly.

So in my original script, I brainstormed maybe twenty or so sound effects for this gun-shooting scene – most of which I would have gladly included if only there were more room in the panels. In addition to the realistic”bugga bugga, pwee pwee, cuh cuh, koom, pyoo pyoo, boosh, bloosh, and doosh” gun sounds you see on the page, I also listed :

ZWAZWAZWA!
CUNCH!
CUNCH!
COO! COO!
COCKACOCKA!
POOP! POOM!
POOP! POOSH!
And SPAH! SPAH!

 

ASKING QUESTIONS?!

Along this line of pushing the absurd conventions of comic language, in panel three, Doris says, “I can’t believe my eyes?!!” That’s not a question, but I felt it was appropriate “comic book language.” I’m sure I make editorial mistakes in my comics (mis-spellings,poor grammar, whatever) – but more often if you see this sort of “mistake” that makes for awkward reading, it’s actually very purposeful, to put the stories in keeping with the history of “comic book language.”

Download a HIGH RES FULL COLOR print of this image at Patreon.com ($4 patrons – check it out at the “pre-edits” link below)

INTRO   Chpt. 1

Mimicking the retro art style ($7 Patrons)
SPLASH PAGE ($2 Patrons)
TEXT FEATURE