Vs. Current Events #5: The League of Outed Unfaithful Spouses!

Did you know Tiger Woods held a press conference this morning and made a public apology for his marital transgressions? I don't know if it made headlines. Even less public is this meeting of the League of Outed Unfaithful Spouses (L.O.U.S.) that was held last night. Fortunately, someone chronicled the whole thing in comic strip form.

Okay, seriously, I cranked this out last night/this morning to beat the press conference, and I had some fun with my new pens and markers in the meantime. I was going for that old Cracked magazine watercolor look. No need to beat me over the head about it -- oh, what?! Too soon?

Vs. Current Events #4: Star Trump!

I'm still working on saving the file in a way that makes the shading and the lettering look as good as they do in the original Publisher document; .jpg files pixelize the lettering, and .gif files muddy up the shading. I'm not a tech guy. Any suggestions? More commentary coming soon. Hopefully the comic speaks for itself.

Vs. Current Events #3: The Plastic Wars

Last week, Michael Jackson announced his "final return" to the stage, presumably an attempt to raise the money he needs to buy back his estate, currently slated for auction, which includes life-sized statues of Superman, Batman, and Spider-man. In unrelated toy news, on Monday, Barbie celebrated her 50th birthday. So, I couldn't resist the opportunity to pit these two plastic icons against each other in a comic. The parallels are vivid, and it seems overdue.

FACT! Last year, Mattel released "Space Barbie." FACT! Michael Jackson invented the Moonwalk. Need I say more?

I reformatted this "Vs. Current Events" to exclude a title at the top, because I didn't want to give away my plastic punchline. Also, I've been drawing these strips on comic book backing boards, so when I scan them, the light reflects off of their shiny surface, which is why the shading isn't always solid. I kind of like the effect. I imagine that both Barbie and Jacko would reflect the light in real life, anyway.

Vs. Current Events #2: Rush to Judgment!

Last weekend, Rush Limbaugh gave a speech that has sparked controversy about his role as the voice of the Republican party. In short, Rush has publicly expressed that he hopes President Obama fails -- pretty much at everything. The thing is, however you feel about Obama, the anomaly of his race and his well spoken demeanor has brought the kind of celebrity to politics that has attracted the interest and excitement of younger, presumably previously apathetic voters. You can disagree with him, but to hope for outright failure? Nothing will alienate that generation more than partisan politics as usual. Three years ago, Republican pundits were claiming that the Democratic party was dead in the water; now that the roles are reversed, the GOP should follow the Dems' example and find some fresh blood. Ironically, Rush threatens to slow their resurrection down.

Incidentally, I feel compelled to explain this comic, as the few people that read it before this post failed to grasp the punchline without some conversation. Basically, Rush realizes that having a deadline inspires him to produce his best work yet, coincidentally about a speech against Obama's withdrawal from Iraq deadline. I know Republicans have expressed concern with publicizing a withdrawal date, because it empowers terrorists to think ahead, like, "America's out of here August 21? Let's attack on August 22!" Yet, any procrastinating college student knows how one can produce their best work against a deadline. If our military marketed this pull-out plan effectively, it would exude the kind of confidence that elicits fear. The message shouldn't be, "We're out by August 21," rather, "We'll be done with you by August 21 -- and we're going to leave some troops behind to make sure you stay down."

From an artistic standpoint, this "Vs. Current Events" series is fun, because its reactionary tone toward news demands an immediacy in production. If I don't finish it within a day of its inspiration, it's outdated, so I'm forced to draw it, post it, and be done with it. I'm enjoying the use of shading, too, which is something I've never tried before. It distracts from some of my imperfect inking and adds an independent quality I dig. Of course, I think I overindulged in this sophomore effort (resulting in poor resolution on my lettering), so we'll see what the next headline brings. Rush would attest -- projects like this are about finding your voice. Fortunately, in this case, I can speak for myself.

Vs. Current Events #1: Never Toy With An Octomom!

The media's willingness to call Nadya Suleman "Octomom" is a comforting notion for fanboys like me eager to see superheroes in real life someday. I mean, if real news people can say "Octomom" with a straight face, names like "the Shocker" or "Bronze Tiger" would roll right off the tongue. Considering this connection to comics, I thought I'd draw one about the infamous Octomom, in her inherent role as a super villain. I called the strip "Vs. Current Events" with the hopes that in the future other celebrities or fame-seekers will adopt aliases with similar appeal. Fingers crossed!