Bad Dragons #2

From now on the Bad Dragon strips will appear exclusively over at baddragons.com.

Bad Dragon's Holiday Strip (The Teaser)

The Heartwarming Story of the Christmas Monkey

Happy Holidays everyone!

The Battling Bug with the Mighty Big Mouth

Randy Ricardo is a typical suburb teenager. He parents are divorced. He is out of shape and could stand to loose a few pounds. He plays too many video games and talks nothing but trash all over the internet. He has several very close friends, none of whom he had ever seen on anything but a webcam. Randy was unremarkable in every way... until he inadvertently got involved with the video game company WacCo.

Randy was chosen along with several of his online "friends" to preview a new video game at the WacCo company headquarters. Once dropped off by his estranged father who only sees him on weekends Randy and the others quickly realized that WacCo is really a front organization for an alien race known as the Jid'vvad. The aliens, who all resembled 7 foot tall yellow preying mantises, kidnapped the teenagers in order to create a new battalion of hybrid super soldiers. Mistaking their video game skills for virtual combat training the Jid'vvad deduced that replacing their doughy underdeveloped bodies with state of the art android war shells would result in a master race of unstoppable hybrid soldiers. The Jid'vvad was half right.

Once the childrens' brains were placed inside their new bodies the teenagers, led by Randy, turned on their Jid'vvad jailers and made their escape. In retaliation the surviving aliens activated a mind controlling failsafe installed within their rebellious hybrid soldiers. One by one the children succumbed to the failsafe until only Randy alone was left unaffected.

With no where left to run Randy returned to the safety and normalcy of this Mother's home and pretend none of it happened. Randy went to school and was shocked to find his brainwashed internet buddies there as well. Now Randy must juggle a normal school life with covert battles against his former alien controlled friends all the while keeping from his mother that he is actually a super powered half-alien insect warrior with the ability to gather and compact inorganic matter into super dense makeshift boulders only he is strong enough to lift and throw.

Dispite the odds Randy is quickly gaining a reputation in the superhero community. his unorthodox powers and origin along with his habit of trash talking his enemies has labeled him:

Frost Park Art Memorabilia Sale at Feed>>Tacoma

Just in time for the holidays. I am releasing several Frost park related items for sale over at the Feed>>Tacoma shops. If that kind of thing interests you I am the featured shop there today and now is a perfect time to set up an order. Payment is through Paypal. I'll ship, but you are footing the shipping bill. I ain't Amazon.

GO HERE TO BROWSE MY SHOP

GO HERE TO CHECK OUT FEED>>TACOMA

Beware the C.L.A.W.

On Wednesday, December 10th, 2008, in the backroom of the Mandolin Café in Tacoma, Washington, four cartoonists wearing burgundy colored fezzes gathered and signed the charter of The Cartoonist’s League of Absurd Washingtonians, otherwise known as The CLAW.

And so the great book says: exiled by the masses into the bowls of the internet, the lone warrior, Electric Elliot, approached Tacoma’s own benevolent white knight of cartooning, RR Anderson. Referencing an existing notion to start such an absurdly ridiculous group, the two blew the horns of shadow, calling upon the greatest cartoonists the South Sound had to offer. Within moments (days to you mere mortals) two had become four, now joined by the cartoonist from the eighth dimension, Mark Monlux and the ever-present threat to humanity STOWE (me! cue girlish squeal of delight). With their unruly powers combined, the band sought to establish themselves so that all marks of disinnovation and anti-creativity (or antivity) were isolated and abused to destruction while harnessing humanity’s last breaths to welcome in our future robot overloads. “More than anything else I think we were all looking for an excuse just to sit down with other artists and have fun doodling,” said Mark Monlux. “Oh, that and wear fez and have a secret handshake.”

This not-so-secret secret society does have at its heart a nobler goal then a bunch of man-apes chanting about zombies and robots in its semi-cryptic rituals. The CLAW Scholarship will be granted to art students of merit who have shown and interest in the mystic study of sequential art and dragon slaying.

The CLAW meets twice a month on the second and fourth Wednesday of the month. To find the current venue details, or information on becoming a member, visit http://www.cartoonistsleague.org or pay the ultimate price!

For Lynn's Birthday

It is my friend's birthday today so I asked her if she wanted me to draw anything...

She responded with this:

Quick doodle idea...Fiona as some type of girlie, fairy, princess monster. I had to throw the monster part in there to see what comes out of that twisted mind of yours...

And here it is:

I can't believe I forgot about this...

Last week I drew a Wolverine/Darth Vader mash-up for a friend having a birthday. A day or two later this gem arrived in my email box from veteran illustrator and all around grand poobah Mark Monlux:

I mean seriously... jsut look at that damned thing.
Savor it.
It is rare treats like these that really make me love maintaining this blog.

If you are interesting in seeing more of Mark's work (and you really should, The Return of Stickman alone is worth the trip) then you should go to http://www.markmonlux.com or http://www.markmonlux.blogspot.com/ if you are so inclined.

A HERO ALIGHT WITH FILAMENT

Johnny Tesla was a brilliant, young scientific mind. He was the great, great grandson of Nikolai Tesla, the discredited innovator of the victorian era. Johnny sought to reestablish the Tesla name by becoming a pioneer of theoretical engineering. His company, Marvelous Innovations, was poised to become a leader in nanotechnology research and alternative energy solutions. The future seemed limitless for the brash, young genius... until he ran afoul of his partner's greedy ambitions.

Vernon Wells was Marvelous Innovations financial backer. He was a shrewd man and a genius in his own right. Twenty five years Johnny's senior Vernon staunchly disapproved of the philanthropic direction his intrepid partner envisioned for their company. Secretly Vernon began selling the company's patents to Trainer Defense Solutions, the world's leading arms manufacturer. When Johnny discovered Vernon's deception the two men finally had it out with each other. The resulting argument threatened to tear the upstart company in two.

Determined to maintain his lucrative defense contracts with Wallace Trainer Vernon plotted to ensure that Johnny Tesla would no longer interfere in his plans. Vernon hired a mercenary cult figure known only as the Turncoat to attack Johnny in his private lab. Surprised by the Turncoat and his thugs while working on a radical new nanotechnology process Johnny was beaten severely and left for dead. The Turncoat then stole hundreds of irreplaceable files and set Johnny's home ablaze with him in it.

The resulting inferno activated the experimental nanotech. The microscopic machines quickly began to replicate, exploding free from their container and covering Johnny's battered and broken body.

Hours later Johnny was rescued from under the ruined remains of his home without a scratch on him. The nanotechnology had saved Johnny's life, but at a terrible price. Designed to assimilate and convert any machinery the microscopic machines that now pervaded Johnny's body reacted violently to any contact with modern technology. The very thing that was keeping Johnny alive forced him to avoid any device created within the past 100 years.

Dedicated to stop Vernon from destroying his legacy and desperate for a solution to his nanotechnology dilemma Johnny sought out the long sealed lab of his great, great grandfather Nikolai. Once there Johnny used his ingenuity and his ancestor's long forgotten genius to construct a containment suit for himself using Victorian Era engineering, technology safe from the ravenous appetite of his bodies new nanotech protectors.

Johnny Tesla entered his great, great grandfather's laboratory a wounded and desperate man. He left as:

The Miraculous Brass Marvel was suggested by Josh if Ironman was repackaged as a Steampunk hero.

WILL HUNT CRIMINALS FOR FOOD.

As a young boy Bryce Trainer was kidnapped by a crazed underworld figure known as only as the terrible Turncoat. His father and renowned industrialist and weapons developer, Wallace Trainer, spent years and a considerable fortune searching for his only son. Heartbroken and without any leading in their son's disappearance the Trainers eventually gave up any hope of seeing Bryce alive again.

Abandoned to his fate young Bryce joined many other children taken by the Turncoat and raised underneath the streets. Deep within the bowels of the city Bryce and his adopted brothers and sisters were brutalized and brainwashed into a army of thieves and street thugs. After many years a teenage Bryce became the Turncoat's number one apprentice.

In a final test of loyalty the Turncoat sent Bryce and his charges to rob a mansion and kill everyone within it. Only after his thieves breached the walls did Bryce realize that he had been led back into his childhood home and that his would be targets were, in fact, his own long forgotten parents. unable to convince his fellow thieves to abandon their mission Bryce turned on them in order to save his relatives. His skill and determination held off his former teammates until the terrible Turncoat himself entered the fray.

A terrible battle ensued. Bryce fought to protect his parents like a man possessed. In the end the Turncoat proved to much for his young protégé. Beaten Bryce was left for dead in the husk of his family's estate.

Bryce was found by his parent's loyal manservant Arturo. He survived but his parents were dead. Recognized as the soul heir of his family's considerable fortune and granted access to his father's business enterprises Bryce is reborn into another life. Now Bryce Trainer is a long lost media miracle. He must face legal hurtles and public scrutiny. He must adapt to survive in teh alien world of high society and instant celebrity. he is no longer welcome upon the nameless streets of his adolescence.

But Bryce Trainer has a score to settle. Knowing he can no longer pursue the Turncoat himself he adopts a new persona to enact his vendetta. Armed with his father's bleeding edge technology and wrapped in the trappings of the urban underworld Bryce Trainer has become:

The Homeless Man was suggested by John and is a repackaging of Batman if that hero had a transient/hobo motif.

WEEKLY PROJECT: The [BLANKITY] [BLANKS]!

This is going to be a weird one and super comic book geek so bare with me...

So I was looking at some artwork from Dave Gibbons' awesome concept art book for The Watchmen called Watching the Watchmen (excellent Christmas idea... hint) and it reminded me that the Watchmen were originally supposed to be Charlton Comics characters (Peacemaker, Blue Beetle, The Question, Etc.) but were changed to unique characters when the character rights were deemed to expensive (or some other b.s.).

Comics have done this character concept repackaging forever. I can't tell you how many Batman analogs are out there. So... here is the assignment: You provide me an existing superHERO (no villains) and a basic theme I will repackage it to fit with a new name, picture and costume. Got me? Good... start submitting your hero ideas. If I get enough of them I'll make a team.

It is a pointless exercise... but those are my favorite kinds!

December's Meaties Poster

and while I am at it... cause I think they are strong on their own:
The original Keylines

The first ever... Bad Dragons strip

Let me know if this is something you'd like to see more of.

Happy Birthday Justin

I am surprised this one hasn't been done before now.


I give you Darth Vaderine!
He is the best at what he does and what he does is Force Choke chumps that get between him and his cantina brew.

This opens up a whole field of X-Men/Star Wars hybrids.

I am giddy with the possibilities.

HAPPY THANKSGIVING!

A long gustating Work-In-Progress

intrigued... aren't you?

THERE'S NO PARTY LIKE A T-TOWN LEGO PARTY

A PICTORIAL

TABLETOP HEROES (Character Creation)

Session 1: Character Creation

GM invites his friends to play in a Superhero RPG
knowing his friends don't like Superhero RPGs

Its okay says the GM... we will play it really realistic in a world
with no actual superheroes
no costumes and no secret identities
but everyone needs to make a totally normal person
with no knowledge of their own superpoweredness
cause that is how the world is

The players all agree that that does, in fact, sound pretty cool and start making characters

Player 1 is a super hero geek at heart
Player 1 also knows how to break superhero games
Player 1 wants to make a teleporter/timetraveller
GM says fine
but his character has to be an overweight office worker
Player 1 agrees as long as the character can also be Asian
Player 1 thinks being Asian is super cool
GM says fine

Player 2 hates comics cause comics are stupid and juvenile
and aren’t nearly as cool as fantasy settings
Player 2 is also a rule monger
Player 2 picks the Power Mimic ability
Gm says fine
but his character is a male hospice nurse who has no idea how do use his power
Player 2 complains ALOT
GM says deal with it and gives him some power bonuses like range and crap to shut him up

Player 3 is a veteran Vampire roleplayer
Player 3 doesn't care what power he gets as long as he gets a lot of political influence
GM says fine
GM rolls randomly on the Power Acquisition Table
Player 3’s character is randomly assigned Flight
Player 3 also wants a hot wife with a tragic flaw like a terminal disease or something
GM gives him a wife who is crippled
Player 3 makes sure that the wife is still really hot even though she is crippled
GM assures Player 3 that she is
Player 3 thinks it would be a great idea if it was his character’s fault that she was crippled
and goes on and on about it to the point of absurdity
GM tells Player 3 that that is a great idea just so he can move on

Player 4 totally wants to be a brick with super strength
and doesn’t care what kind of character he plays
GM says fine
but his character has to be a low income single mom with a mental illness
Player 4 gets pissed
Player 4 threatens to quit
Player 4 says if he has to play a crazy MILF then she has to be a stripper from Vegas
GM sighs and says fine

Player 5 is the GM's girlfriend and doesn't really know how to play or what kind of character to make but she is just so happy that she is being included
GM makes her a hot teenage cheerleader who is also Immortal
Player 1, 2, 3 and 4 exchange a glance
GM also gives her a NPC protector who is a secret agent bad ass who is also her dad
Player 1, 2, 3 and 4 exchange another glance
Gm secretly decides that the NPC protector is not really her dad just in case he can convince her to hook up with him in character at some point
GM loves the NPC protector character a whole bunch and although he doesn't have a name or backstory he is so seriously Boba Fett style cool that the GM decides that the NPC is going to know each of the characters and have a way to keep tabs on them with a near omnipotent knowledge and access to their lives

GM silently celebrates his cleverness

GM needs a bad guy
GM takes some of the most broken powers in the book like Telekinesis and Cold Control plus the absurd Power Leech power with a ‘flaw’ that anyone subjected to the power immediately dies by having their brain sucked out or something and although this character is ridiculously overpowered and impossible to kill the GM is very pleased with himself and his ability to make interesting well rounded NPCs

Gm realizes too late that he really doesn't have any plot and that his characters are all starting out in different places around the world and don't know each other

GM panics and makes Player 2 and Player 3's characters related so that they can start in the same place

GM picks New York City cause that is where Spiderman is from

GM thanks everyone and can’t wait until next week

To be continued...

Legendary Kung-Fu Warrior Turkeys!

Well, it is almost Thanksgiving and that reminded me of one of my favorite after school cartoons I used to watch as a kid: The Legendary Kung-Fu Warrior Turkeys. They were awesome in a way that I can only barely hint at here. Go find some old U-Tube clips. They will be worth the search. It was all 70's Kung-Fu movie action mixed with all the horrible stuff that I loved from the 80's. The villains were the best... Agrocult, Space Metal Heavies, The Gator Guard, Tsunami-man. Man, I loved that show. Sure there were stupid bits... like Rambozo and Teenage Keith Lu, but I still love it.

Here is a bit of fan art to rekindle those memories. Master Respendant Tailfeather was by favorite.

Obviously I haven't captured the exact look of the show here, but honestly, I always thought the cartoon was animated pretty poorly.

Self Obsession : The Before and After Photo

No comment... just documenting.

Tryptophans — A Holiday Meaties Social

Everyone is so concerned with where they are going for Thanksgiving dinner they haven't given any thought to what to do with their bloated greasy selfs afterwards.



Don't become a statistic... Be a Tryptophan instead.

If you are not a local Tacoman Meatie organize a Tryptophans event in your area.

Followed by Evolution of a Blue

(Click for full size animated gif.)
He oozes sleaziness... and methane.

EDITED: to avoid potential seizures.

Evolution of a Red

(Click on the image for full size animated gif)

I'm not sure I am 100% there YET... but this is the closest I have been.

Seriously... 5 Days of Donutsmas?!?

Yeah, I know... no posts, refresh only to stare at the Donutsmas sign. Where is the freshness? Where are the boobie paintings, monster doodles and superfluous super hero sketches?

Well, tomorrow night is another super secret meeting of a super secret thing
that I am happily a founding member of. It is so secret I can't even tell you what it is called.

But after tomorrow night... I'll post everything I've prepped for it (which includes a bunch of logos and playing cards).

Until then... here is a kitty cat that may (nor may not) have ever been posted here before.

I'm making my own holiday

I've had such a shitty day I can think of nothing that will turn it around SHORT of declaring tomorrow a national G-Damned holiday.

So, for everyone out there, and especially Maya, I give you all...

DONUTSMAS!

In case you were curious...

And for no other reason than I agree with him.

ELECTION DAY!

Whether you support the Republicans or Democrats...

I urge you to vote.

It is your right and duty as an American citizen.

Once you've voted feel free to tell the world with your flavor of voting illustration:

(Free to download and distribute. Please give artistic credit if reposted on another site.)

(I am) THE GREATEST ILLUSTRATOR IN THE UNIVERSE (of Tacoma)

It's Official. With last Friday's Frost Park Chalk-Off win secured I broke the three way tie for first place and have become the Greatest Illustrator in the Universe (of Tacoma).

This is how I did it:

Win One

Win Two

Win Three

Win Four

Win Five

Win Six


I think I will celebrate with a commemoratory tattoo. Something simple.

This year's halloween costume

I went as myself from 7 months ago. Clever, clever.

For a Friend...

...who is having a pretty rotten Halloween so far...


Hopefully this helps.

And for the record, real monsters don't sing showtunes.

In the Spirit...

Here are some old fantasy/horror RPG illustrations I've done in the past.

This is a Illustration for the Promethian RPG done in my MILKING THE CRAP OUT OF ILLUSTRATOR phase. I am proud of what I could, in fact, milk out of the Illustrator program.

This is another Promethian Illustration. I love this sucker. It may not be my best illustration and the levels are all screwed up, but I love the look of this guy. If I played Promethian this would be me.

This is a one of my favorite illustrations ever. It was for the Werewolf reboot. The idea was a pain spirit possessing a dumptruck. It is exactly how I saw it in my head. I can't tell you how rare that is.

This is a Illustration done for the World of Warcraft RPG. At the time I was the only artist not actually working for Blizzard working on the game. On my imaginary artist badge sash of pride... you'll find this illustration.

This is an excellent example of me using friends in my Illustration work. This is Eric Crews (guy with unfortunate chest carving) and David Fischer (ghost). I don't talk to either of them anymore but they will always exist for me like this... which is kinda weird and cool. Better than pictures. Also, that is real paint... which now a days is SUPER RARE for Stowe.