Holiday Break

After much internal debate, I've decided to take the Holidays off.  So this is the last Quixote Coyote Strip until January 4, 2016.  Enjoy!

One of the things I've been toying with on this strip is the "Static Camera" approach.  On a lot of my comics, the "Camera" (or POV or Panel SetUp or whatever you wanna call it) tends to zoom around a lot, like it's been attached to a remote controlled helicopter pumped full of Sugar.  Although I sometimes switch camera angles on this strip, a lot of the times I just like to leave the camera stationary, because I think it aids the storytelling and it facilitates the jokes a little.  I dunno, it's just something I've been trying.

Also, I always like it when one of the characters in my comics isn't "Into it".  I mean, seriously Zombie Ghost, show some enthusiasm!

Happy Everything, Everybody!  Later!
Joseph Morris

The Baseball Is Not Real

Today's Quixote Coyote strip:

I honestly can't remember how or why I came up with the whole "Fake Autographed Baseball" story arc.  I just know that I wanted Panda Jackrabbit to come off like a naive rube, and that was how I ended up showing.  Since then, Panda's dogged pursuit of showing everyone his prize baseball not only his firmly established the good natured pig-headishness of the character, it has also proven to be a fairly deep well of comic possibility.  Still, eventually, I needed to wrap this bit up, and at some point in the progression of the story I came up with this gag.  I think it's a pretty good gag, even if there's no actual Logic to it.  I mean, why is there the Ghost of a Famous Baseball Player hanging out in some random Haunted Mansion?  It makes no sense, but it doesn't have to because this is a silly Cartoon Strip.

Speaking of Silly Cartoon Strips, what I like about working on one is that you can have a lot of fun with Facial Expressions and Body Language.  Everyone on this page has some good moments, just in terms of their expressions or the positions their bodies assume, and that's really fun for me to draw.  I also am growing to love Panda's ears, as they seem to be able to move completely independently of the rest of his body.

Physics Schmysics

Today's Quixote Coyote:

When I figured out that Sancho was a RoadRunner, one of the first ideas I had for his character (besides his negative disposition) was that there would be a running gag in the strips where he would have the ability to run really fast, but not have the ability to... steer well.  You saw this in action when Sancho first appears in the Haunted House and goes barreling into both the ghost on this page and (within the same strip) Quixote as well.  On this page, he tries to kick in the afterburners (or the NOZ for you Fast and Furious fans) and slams into a small table less than a foot in front of him.

(Interestingly enough, this would happen to me on a regular basis when playing Mario Cart.  I would hit one of those accelerators and just go flying right off the track.  Speed kills)

Not really sure about the physics on this page.  The way things are moving is a little suspect (especially that candle).  On the bright side, this is a Comic Strip, so Physics are kinda pointless anyway.

Lack of Focus

Today's Quixote Coyote strip:

What I like about today's strip is that even in Panel 4, Panda fails to grasp the level of danger he's in.  And you could argue he is, in fact, in no danger at all, since this is a silly strip and obviously I'm not going to kill anyone off just to demonstrate that the Ghosts are capable of killing anyone (which, traditionally, is how you show that the Threat is Real).  I feel like the old Mickey Mouse and Popeye strips could create a sense of tension without having to execute anyone, so that's what I'm trying to do here myself.

To the Rescue! (Kinda)

It's Monday.  Time for work.  On the bright side, new Quixote Coyote:

When I got ready to put this one in the Scanner on my Printer, I almost got confused because Panda is upside down in the first two panels.  I also think it's funny that even with his life in peril, Panda is still excited about his (obviously fake) Autographed Baseball.  I think we all do that from time to time.  Reminds of that movie "Nebraska" where the old guy travels cross country to win a prize that everyone knows doesn't exist.  Which I suppose is a continuation of the theme of this comic in a way, considering "Quixote" is in the title.

Huh.  Didn't really think about it like that.  Weird.

The Gang's All Here

Ha-ha!  It's Friday!  I don't know why, but I have been largely useless this week.  Just tired and shot all week.  The only thing I've had the guts for has been these Quixote Coyote strips (well, and dragging my butt to the Sawmill for my typical 9 hour beat-down), so I'm hoping I can recharge the batteries a little this weekend.  Anyway, new Quixote Coyote:

What I like about this strip is how Panda can go from being legitimately terrified (perfectly reasonable given the legitimate peril he is in), to being incredibly happy to see is Pal Quixote Coyote.  And he's still obsessed with that (obviously fake) autographed baseball.  Oh Panda.

Patience Is Not My Strong Suit

Today's Quixote Coyote:

When I first created Sancho, the original plan was for him to debut much, much later than he did.  In the beginning, there was just supposed to be Three Nights in a Haunted House, then a couple of simple strips to introduce Wanda Wolf, then a story arc featuring Panda, and then, finally, Sancho was supposed to debut.  Obviously, I wasn't interested in waiting until Spring for this guy to show up.  Also, in the original Psychic Draft, Sancho and Quixote didn't know each other.  In this version, it's obvious that they've known each other for awhile.  Ideas are swell, but you never know what's gonna happen once the Pencil hits the Page.