Crying Purple Gorilla Comix

Back in the day at DC Comics, someone in editorial (I'm not sure who, but I think it was Julius Schwartz) noticed that comics with covers featuring either (a) a gorilla (b) the color purple or (c) someone crying experienced an otherwise inexplicable boost in sales. Supposedly, these attributes were each allowed to appear on only one cover a month so as not to generate internal competition amongst the company's titles. That restraint is to be commended, but imagine the sales on an issue of Crying Purple Gorilla Comics. I mean, I'd buy it.

BTW, Alan Moore did this joke in the background of Top 10. I'm totally ripping him off.

Howler Monkey Reading Nikolai Dante: Too Cool To Kill

What's that you say Bubbles? That this is the very finest piece of graphic literature that you have ever seen? Wow, that's saying something, because you've read them ALL Bubbles haven't you! Oh really? It's 208 pages and available from Simon & Schuster this July? What did you say the ISBN number was ? 9781907519895  and it's available from Amazon for a measly $16.31 , why that seems like an absolute STEAL!  And what else? Oh the creators are particularly handsome and charismatic people, especially the artist? What's his name again? John M. Bur....!!!!!


   .....very funny! 
That's the last time I'm helping you with your Tax return buster!


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Monkey reading his/her favorite book

Nathan wanted us to draw a monkey reading it's favorite book
for some reason.
He must have some amazing sketch in mind for this!

Captain Mal Reynolds-- He aims to misbehave

It's "Firefly" day here on Drawbridge, not "Inara" day, just sayin'. Someone had to draw the Captain, and that someone was me.

So here's how Firefly day came about: we all love Firefly here at the Drawbridge studios. LOVE IT. But especially me.

A while back, the old fogies with whom I share this blog wanted to do a "Space 1999" day, which was some old sci-fi show from before my time. It meant nothing to me, so I asked, "Couldn't we do a 'futures of the past' day instead? You could draw Space 1999, and I could do, like, I don't know, 1984 or 2001: A Space Odyssey or something?"

"NO", said they, "It's Space 1999 day. Suck it!"

"Suck you!" said I, and drew this Firefly piece instead, because, as mentioned, I LOVE Firefly. And lo and behold, my Firefly piece got a whole lot of hits, way more that their Space 1999 pieces did, because people love Firefly. So then, as we all love Firefly, we figured, let's make a whole day of it.

And there was much rejoicing, hallelujah!

Inara Serra - Morena Baccarin - from Firefly

Frankly this got a bit out of control.

So for my sketch today ( cough) I had initially thought of doing Zoe Washburn, all leather and attitude. Then I cracked and did this instead. My excuse if that I'm trying to teach myself to paint better. Yes that's my excuse for burning a whole morning. It's not as if I have to make a living or anything....(sob)

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"Firefly" Inara, Morena Baccarin

Today the theme is "Firefly!"
A favorite show to many including me.

I decided to draw the very cute rough and tough
ship mechanic Jewel Staite who...
Wait, I'm told this is NOT Jewel I drew.
I actually drew the very beautiful
Morena Baccarin who played the companion Inara Serra.

Sorry, I really didn't mean to draw another cheese cake
type sketch!! Damn! Stupid me!

If we do a Firefly day again I'll try to
do better.

Sigh

FAVE SONG

I meant to post this on Monday but went to bed and forgot. I'm a little late.

Ipad vs Kindle

This is what popped into my mind...

iPad vs Kindle-- the battle continues...

See? All they needed was a common enemy.


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Ipad vs. Kindle

Last received communication from Private Ligan.

Day 129 of the Ipad Kindle conflict.
March 29th, 2189
I've been separated from my platoon for
7 days now and survived 5 separate Kindle attacks.
I sent 4 of them to their maker, but the 5th one
still hunts me night and day.
Low on food...and free books to read...
Wait...something coming my way....

End transmission

iPad vs Kindle

There are a whole bunch of reasons to choose either platform, because in reality they don't really compete very directly. If I had to choose one though, it would be the Kindle.

Favorite Song

Favorite Song

I know I shall not be disputed in saying that "Coal Miner's Daughter" by Loretta Lynn is the best song in the universe.

Anthems for a 17 Year Old Girl

Not necessarily my end-all, be-all favorite song, but certainly it's one of my favorites.

"Favorite song" was my idea-- I really enjoyed making a comic strip of another of my favorites when we did "Radiohead" as a topic a few weeks back, and I wanted to try it again. I might make this a series, who knows?


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Wandrin' Star

My favourite song that I inherited from my Dad.

I was born under a wanderin' star
I was born under a wanderin' star

Wheels are made for rollin'
Mules are made to pack
I never seen a sight that didn't look better looking back.

I was born under a wanderin' star

Mud can make you prisoner 
And the plains can bake you dry
Snow can burn your eyes
But only people make you cry
Home is made for comin' from 
For dreams of goin' to
Which with any luck will never come true

I was born under a wanderin' star
I was born under a wanderin' star

Do I know where hell is?
Hell is in Hello
Heaven is good-bye forever
It's time for me to go

I was born under a wanderin' star
A wanderin' wanderin' star

Mud can make you prisoner 
And the plains can bake you dry
Snow can burn your eyes
But only people make you cry
Home is made for comin' from 
For dreams of goin' to
Which with any luck will never come true

I was born under a wanderin' star
I was born under a wanderin' star

When I get to heaven
Tie me to a tree
Or I'll begin to roam
And soon you know where I will be

I was born under a wanderin' star
A wanderin' wanderin' star

Your favorite song

Well I had a storyboard job that went through Sunday night and into Monday morning.
So for the first time ever I think, I'm posting after the noon hour.
I see Simon ignored the theme and posted a free for all Sunday or something. (!)

Anyway, as most of you know, picking an all time favorite song is near impossible.
Mood, age and even time of year could play a part in what your favorite song
is at any given time.

So I just thought back to when I was 5 or 6. My favorite movie and
music at the time was "Chitty Chitty Bang Bang!"
Based on a book written by Ian Flemming if you didn't know.
I loved the movie (way too much) but often wondered about the kids lack of
seat belts. I didn't like that open cockpit!

Thus:

Maleficent, record holder for skimpiest Maleficent costume eva

Seeing as today's topic was "Your favorite song", I decided to draw the big bad from the Disney classic, Sleeping Beauty.

I didn't really add much of my own style to this, as the original design is so flawless. In my opinion, she's the greatest of the Disney villains. I know in some circles Sleeping Beauty is considered a flawed film: Its medieval-tapestry-inspired design is too stiff,  it has boring leads, it's too dark (true fact- every shade of paint used in the film was mixed with some black), yadda yadda.

I have my own theory for the criticism against it-- O'Connors gotta hate.


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For the context to this ridiculous nonsense go here

Sleeping Beauty: Male-Lucy-ficent

Seeing as today's topic is "free for all Saturday I decided to draw the big bad from the Disney classic Sleeping Beauty, Maleficent.

In my opinion Sleeping Beauty is considered a flawed film: Its medieval-tapestry-inspired design is too stiff. it's too dark.

I have my own criticism against it--gotta hate.


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Elizabeth Taylor - A Day Late...

I'm not crazy about this drawing and wasn't going to post it but after all the wonderful birthday wishes I felt I should.

I remember hearing something about Elizabeth Taylor having stage fright. I tried to locate documentation on it but couldn't find anything on the internet. Perhaps I hallucinated that fact up.

Either way, Elizabeth Taylor performed in theatre so she DID have to make entrances. I imagined the moment before she stepped out on the stage.

Wonder Natalie

Natalie and I often share a similar mindset, a trait I chalk up to our both having survived being raised on Long Island.

Natalie's been a voice here on the Bridge since before there was a  'Bridge proper, when we would just post our warm-up drawings on each others blogs, and she brings a much-appreciated sense of whimsy and relative non-geekiness to the proceedings hereabouts. I drew her as Wonder Woman because, on top of her cartooning, she's also a successful writer, comedienne, actress, and mom. She can bench-press a Volkswagen beetle over her head, eat half her weight in birdseed every 24 hours, and I once saw her catch a bullet in her teeth. Additionally, she knows pi to 13000 places, can actually speak binary code, and is the last living stage assistant of Harry Houdini, DESPITE THE FACT THAT HE DIED OVER 80 YEARS BEFORE SHE WAS BORN. Truly a Wonder.

Happy (belated) birthday, Natalie!

My homage to gangsta bitch supreme Yo Girl!

Happy Landings, Natalie

Natalie, I drew you what really happened at the end of Laika for your birthday. Have a great day!

Happy Birthday Natalie ( sorry it's late..cough )

Natalie Kim's Birthday

I know it's Natalie's birthday, but I'm
too polite to guess how young she is,
and thus figuring out what year she
was born in.

So I will simply have to assume
she was born in...

THE YEAR OF THE RAINBOW UNICORN!

Happy Birthday Natalie

Liz Taylor

Liz Taylor made an impression on me in my senior year English class when we watched her in Taming of the Shrew. She was so much hotter than Bianca, it simply made no sense.

farewell, rest in piece

Elizabeth Taylor's Eyes...

...were violet.

I know, scientifically speaking, this was because she had blue eyes and a surplus of vascular tissue running through them, making them violet, but still-- Violet eyes. Pretty cool.

I was sorry to hear of her passing, even though, given my age bracket, I first knew her as that older lady who got married a lot that Michael Jackson would hang around with. As I grew out of my callow youth, I learned the true depths of her star power. Rest in peace, Ms Taylor.


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Elizabeth Taylor

Elizabeth Taylor - Siren

I have to admit defeat on this one. This drawing has gone from Paulette Goddard to Ava Gardner and nowhere did it really get Liz Taylor just right. That Hollywood high glamour thing simplifies the face so much that you have a very tiny amount to work with. I couldn't really pin down the softness of Taylors face. Interestingly this drawing came out looking like an Andrew Loomis sketch.  Anyway, you live and learn.

Elizabeth Taylor: Rest in Peace

kirk n spock

hooray!

William Shatner & Leonard Nimoy - Happy 80th Birthdays Gentlemen

There are simply no more iconic screen presences than these two. They have lived long , gone boldly and I wish them the very best on their continuing voyages.

Shatner and Nimoy

Or Nimoy and Shatner.
They both celebrate their birthdays
this week so we put them in one post!

In real life I've heard that the two of them fought,
loved and became jealous of how the other looked
with out a shirt.

In the show Star Trek the two of them fought,
loved and became jealous of how the other looked
with out a shirt.

The scene below is an actual scene from an
actual Trek episode called "Patterns Of Force."
They dealt with space Nazis. Yes, space Nazis.

Here they are shirtless and locked up in the
pokey as they dream of their star ship...

Mr. Miyagi's Brazilian Karate Wax Works Part 2!

Mr. Miyagi's Brazillian Karate Wax Works Part 2!

A few moments later...

Me as the Karate Kid

When I was kid, there were probably 2 "moves" from movies that I enacted repeatedly. One of them was Luke hanging upside down and using the force to have his light saber come to him. I would actually hang upside down with something just out of reach, though I would still imitate this even right side up when something was out of reach, like at the kitchen table. Anyway, the second was obviously the Karate Kid crane kick. So therefore, here is me imitating the kick. Which would also explain why the posture isn't quite as good as it should be.

The original Karate Kid

No, I'm not talking about Ralph Macchio here (although he is todays' warm-up topic).

I'll swoop your leg, sucka!

Created in 1966 by a then-13-year-old Jim Shooter for the Legion of Superheroes, Val Armorr of Earth is a master of every form of martial art that will be invented by the 31st century. In his initial appearance, he convinces the Legion of Superheroes to allow him onto their team when he uses his "super-karate" to beat up on Superboy. Despite that impressive feat, he's pretty far from my favorite member of the Legion, and I think he unofficially holds the record of having been killed off the most times. Some writers (Keith Giffen) just hate this guy.

Although the movie character has almost nothing to do with Val here, if you watch there is a prominent credit thanking DC comics for the use of their character's name. So now you know.

Ralph Macchio - "I have these Orangutan arms"

Ralph Macchio

Yes,
Ralph Macchio. He filled our childhoods (except yours Sarah Crowe) with such movies as "The Outsiders" and then the the Karate Kid trilogy.

Now I hear he recently wowed America on "Dancing with the Stars!"
I didn't see it, but the internet told me this.

Anyway, my memories will always involve Ralph, Mr. Miyagi and wax...

Persian Warrior

Happy Persian New Year

Nowrūz

Nowrūz

Nowrūz (Persian: نوروز, IPA: [nouˈɾuːz], or in Kurdish Newroz "New Day", originally "New Light") is the name of the New Year in Iranian calendars and the corresponding traditional celebrations.[2] Nowruz is also widely referred to as the Persian New Year.

This usually occurs on March 21. Today!

Thus I have drawn Haji Firouz. He symbolizes the rebirth of the Sumerian god of sacrifice, Domuzi, who was killed at the end of each year and reborn at the beginning of the New Year.

He's depicted here as he usually appears, with his face and skin painted black (black is an ancient Persian symbol of good luck) and wearing a red costume.

Then that horse got in the frame some how!

Happy Nowrūz!

Tim Hamilton, brand new record-holder for skimpiest Carnival costume eva

'nuff said.

Happy Berfday Nathan! (one week late)

Or maybe we're just idiots? We here at the Bridge finally paid birthday tribute to Draw-Bridge exile Nathan "Power Out" Schreiber yesterday, almost a full week after the actual anniversary of his birth. All except for me, who was away yesterday, so here I am posting my birthday tribute to the Schreib a full-on week late. Yay me, I win!

For those unfamiliar with what I've drawn here, This is Russ, a clock-obsessed supporting character from Nathan's Xeric grant-winning Power Out Comic. The day after a massive power out knocks out all electricity on the East Coast, Russ, who looks forward all year to giving a speech about the role his hometown played in the invention of standardized time, posits a theory that since the power has stopped, perhaps all time has stopped as well. It's at this point during his speech that Nathan's sock-challenged lead Justin wakes up from having passed out.

It's too bad that a power outage doesn't really stop time, as at least then I'd have a better excuse for this late celebration of Nathan's special day. Well, if there had actually been a power outage, I might've. Guess I'm just an idiot.

Malefi-Cent

I didn't really add much of my own style to this, as the original design is so flawless. In my opinion, she's the greatest of the Disney villains. I know in some circles Sleeping Beauty is considered a flawed film: Its medieval-tapestry-inspired design is too stiff, it has boring leads, it's too dark (true fact- every shade of paint used in the film was mixed with some black), yadda yadda.

I have my own theory for the criticism against it-- Haters gotta hate.


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Sleeping Beauty: Maleficent

Seeing as today's topic is "free for all Saturday(or...Nathan thought George was his friend)", I decided to draw the big bad from the Disney classic Sleeping Beauty, Maleficent.

I didn't really add much of my own style to this, as the original design is so flawless. In my opinion, she's the greatest of the Disney villains. I know in some circles Sleeping Beauty is considered a flawed film: Its medieval-tapestry-inspired design is too stiff, it has boring leads, it's too dark (true fact- every shade of paint used in the film was mixed with some black), yadda yadda.

I have my own theory for the criticism against it-- Haters gotta hate.


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Happy Birthday, Nathan!

Nathan Schreiber - Feliz Compleanos

I drew her slightly older looking...almost legal. Hope you had a happy one Nathan.

Power Out! Nathan schreiber's late birthday

It's Nathan schreiber's late birthday post!

Before Nathan left Brooklyn to roam the American back roads hunting down
crack dealers and bringing in their severed right hands so he could collect the posted
50 dollar bounty, he roamed the New York streets as the hero know as
"The Cast!" A tragic accident involving a vacuum cleaner and under the
counter hoover attachments broke Nathans arm in six places, and bruised
his upper thigh. After that tragic twist of fate he began to hunt down rogue
robots in the Gowanus area of Brooklyn. Smashing their heads in with
his his power cast and trade mark cry of "POWER OUT!" Thus, he made Brooklyn
safe for older cartoonists.

In his spare time Nathan reads Doctor Who fan fiction (mostly involving the
teen companion Adric) and collects Judy Garland "Bear doodles."

Happy Birthday Nathan.
We salute you!

The truth behind St Patrick's Day

Decided to draw a whole comic explaining the story of St Patrick's day.

Check out here for another in my extremely occasional true history comics, this one about Benjamin Franklin.

Feeling the Heat!

A little NBA commentary for you. Probably not very common on this blog. I don't know why this just came to me, but I had to go with it. And my first color post as well.