Ref: How Percy is paying for it (and why Jorocks doesn’t know yet)
323 happens to be my favorite number, by the way. Clearly that is the only significant thing about this comic.
Chapter: SR: On the Origin of Santa Claus
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An Unexpected Guest
Ref: Jorocks the Ninja 1 | 2 | 3 | 4
I debated about leaving clues as to how Jorocks would have pulled this off, and some earlier edits of the script did have these present. In the end, I decided to add to the mysticism of Jorocks’ fine ability to pop up when you least expect him and not elude to it. There was one very subtle hint, however, and you will also notice that he is the only main character to not appear yet until now…
…Okay, there were two hints. The splash page had Jorocks in it as well, so you knew he was coming some way or another.
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On Dasher!
Ref: First time heard | It adds dramatic effect
And we’re finally off to Russia!
Couple of fun notes about this strip. First, the obvious: After nearly three and a half years, Spoofy Randomness finally has SPEECH BUBBLES! This is another vital step in bringing you color comics (which I hope to begin as early as the next story arc). That was my biggest complaint with my previous attempt at a color arc (color was discontinued at the time due to time constraints). The other thing isn’t quite as noticeable, but I did buy some blue pencils and bristol board. It’s been a while since I hand-inked comics and I am a bit rusty, so a bit of patience please. Also realizing that I need to use a lighter pen weight… Anyway, this has a couple advantages. I enjoy drawing by hand MUCH more than on the computer (even if computer errors are easier to fix), and I’m faster at it. The faster I can make comics = the more likely I will eventually start coloring again. You’ll remember that I used to hand-ink before, but I used regular pencil and editing out smudges was a PAIN. So yeah, there’s your behind-the-scenes look at Spoofy Randomness!
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Valentine’s Day
Ref: Sorority Dinner
Happy Valentine’s Day, all! Hoping to feel some love for the strip in the comments section! 😉 That is one of my favorite features of the new website; I had requested a forum over at ComicGenesis, but they never gave it to me in three years (or anyone else, to my understanding. You get what you pay for, I guess). Soon I hope to have Gravatars based on my characters so that you will be represented by someone with your posts! However, feel free to enjoy the default pics while you comment on this strip and past ones! Let me know which is your favorite!
Percy is maybe a little too trusting of his sleigh, given it’s past history. I certainly wouldn’t want to be in that thing flying over the Atlantic. And I can’t imagine the in-flight meals are to great, either, unless it’s some of Percy’s salsa.
The font I used for the Happy Valentine’s Day wish is “Santa’s Big Secret” from Blambot (you’ve seen it before). However, since it’s Valentine’s Day, clearly we are going to have a war of the holidays. Ichabod shall lead the fight, and Santa Claus shall become the anti-hero…wait, Sluggy Freelance already did that. I guess I’ll just stick to awesome comics about Santa Claus being a Commie, like in the reference link above.
Lastly, be sure to check out the links to your left; SR: Scouting and the extras have been transferred. I should have a home page for each soon.
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Occam’s Razor
Welcome to the first INDEPENDENT Spoofy Randomness comic! This is the first strip to be loaded onto spoofyrandomness.com that did not originally appear over at the old ComicGenesis site. Cool, huh?
For those of you who are unfamiliar with Occam’s Razor, it essentially is that the easiest solution is usually the correct one. Usually.
This comic really shows the advantage of going to my three-panel strip format; it gives me so much flexibility! You will also notice that the strip is a little larger than before; I’m letting WordPress decide what the best size for the comic is based on the format of the site and I think it looks a little better. I may go back and adjust the old comics someday…if I get REALLY bored…
Ran into a minor problem while editing this comic; I had nearly finished when I realized I had forgotten to make a new layer for drawing over my sketch. While I don’t think this error is actually noticeable, when blown up to the size I edit with it certainly was and I was a little worried for a bit. But the crisis turned out to be no big deal.
Also, don’t forget this is Scout Sunday! One of my goals for today is to figure out how to get SR: Scouting over here.
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Adventures Untold
Refs: Finding the key | Light-sensitive switch | Last reference to the Tower Room story arc
Panel 2 is an entire story arc summed up in one panel. This was meant to be an actual story, and evidence of this can be seen in the Tower Room and Secrets of the Tower Room arcs, which were laying the groundwork. It would have worked well too, had I stuck to three comics a week. Pacing is a little different with only posting once a week (silly real life getting in the way), and I felt that it was best to drop that story arc in order to keep the story moving.
I also decided to switch back to three panels (which I have not done since halfway through the first arc; appropriately enough, the strip was about Communists). I felt it matched the quicker wit of a weekly comic better than the four-panel layout. With a bit of luck, it will have the added benefit of being able to produce two comics a week eventually (although I will require a big buffer before I risk that).
Finally, if I ever make a Spoofy Randomness book, you can bet what the bonus story will be!
Have fun!
~Stretch Longfellow~
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Ambition
Flashback Refs: Chris | Nikki | Jorocks
It’s not often I get to reference a comic from way back in 2009 as well as one from the more recent 2012! On the note of years, I actually remembered to change the copyright, even though technically I drew this in 2012. Happy New Year, all!
Couple of notes here. The character in Panel 3 right next to Percy is, of course, Matt Smith. Since that one actor that shares his name changed costume for the most recent Doctor Who Christmas special, Matt of course felt the need to change his as well. He’s done this before. He naturally would be curious about how Percy plans to deliver ALL of the presents, as it likely involves time travel. Sally (Nikki’s roommate) at the other end has no idea that Percy wants to be Santa, so you can imagine her confusion.
I believe I’ve mentioned several times, especially on Twitter, that I dislike drawing sitting people. And I also don’t like drawing crowded panels. So what did I do for Panel 3? Yeah… That panel took me about as much time as the other three panels combined. While not perfect, this version satisfied me much more than the other versions.
Have fun!
~Stretch Longfellow~
