Archives: Comics
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The Life Of Jorocks
Ref: Jorocks and Holly
This comic is probably my favorite of this story arc, so it gets a panel-by-panel explanation. In the first panel, Nikki knows about Percy’s mad science and will put up with it, but she does worry that he will hurt himself. Panel two does not show all of the band members; there are two more. I have several friends who play in various bands, so this is a tribute to them. This might also have some significance in the future… Also, although it is hard to see, all of the band members are wearing Stein Auf shirts. Panel three was a tribute to the origins of Jorocks. He originally was modeled after one of my best friends (by the time the comic started, I had made an effort to separate his character, though). My friend used to work at The Quilted Kitty, a quilt store. Not the most manly of jobs… Admittedly, he was their computer technician and the company is owned by family friends, but it still provided us with a plethora of jokes to heckle him with. Thus, Jorocks wound up in a flower shop (plus he’s fun to draw with flowers). And finally, the reference to Holly is something that was brought up back in the early days of Spoofy Randomness, but never was touched on since. I figured it was time to mention it again.
Also, the quote is from a close friend of mine. There are several meanings that can be attached to it (we had a long discussion about what it means at one point). To me, it means that if someone can see the humor in life, they will get more out of it. What do you think? Drop me an e-mail at spoofyrandomnesscomic@gmail.com or post on the Facebook fan page!
Have fun!
~Stretch Longfellow~
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Oblivious Jorocks
Ref: Acquiring technology
This comic serves as a couple reminders as well as talking about Percy’s summer. For one thing, Jorocks is still in the room, despite being off-panel for the past two weeks. For another, it is a reminder that Jorocks (and Chris) do not know about the alien technology or what Ichabod really is. And finally, it reaffirms that Percy, despite realizing that not every chemical reaction results in explosives, really loves making things go boom.
This comic had several minor glitches in production. Jorocks was drawn too small and too high, so he had to be enlarged and I had to draw his fedora with a computer mouse (believe me, that turned out well given past experiments). I also accidentally flipped panels 1 and 2. Whoops. On the plus side, we now have a Google Sketch-Up of the Whitebucket house (with an updated look), and I’m getting much better at it!
Have fun!
~Stretch Longfellow~
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A Quiet(?) Summer
Ref: Megan | The sheriff’s office | Ichabod
I think Nikki has worn more outfits than any other character. Actually, I’m pretty sure this comic alone puts her well in the lead with four, and I know she has at least one long sleeved shirt. And pajamas. Wow. That is a lot for a comic where a certain fluffy-haired guy wears the same shirt all the time (even under the Santa suit). Actually, he has multiple Stein Auf shirts. Otherwise that would be disgusting.
I had finished editing this comic when I realized something. I forgot to draw Nikki’s head for the top speech bubbles. Oh well.
Have fun!
~Stretch Longfellow~
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Jorocks In A Tux
Here is an early sketch, circa July 2009. I can tell because if you look in the background you can see the outline of a sketch of this comic.
Nikki was one of the first characters to be developed, and yet she is the one that has been the hardest to really bring out as a character. Even now, she is not as fleshed out as the rest of the main cast. In addition to her personality, I struggled with her design. This was an early draft for her (I believe this is the first time I dropped drawing her with glasses), giving her a more elfin appearance to tie in with her bookwormish personality. This is also a reference to her playing video games with Chris, which was shown later, much to Chris’s dismay.
And yes, I too find the idea of Jorocks in a tux hilarious. How can you not?
Have fun!
~Stretch Longfellow~
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A Typical Summer Camp
This is a bit of a crossover with Spoofy Randomness: Scouting, which features a younger Chris’s involvment in the Scouting program. Coincidentally, this comic occurred while I was teaching the periodic table unit while student teaching. Specifically, I have been focusing on alkali metals. Completely unplanned!
And yay for cameos! It’s been a while since I did that. All were selected for two reasons: They worked at the same Boy Scout camp as I did and they are all fans of the comic. From left to right: Travis, who has been pestering me for a cameo since I started the comic, Stephen, our Scoutcraft Director, Jessica, who I’ve been trying to get to make some SR fan art (maybe this will give her some incentive! 😉 And yes, girls can work at a Boy Scout camp), and Jeremy, who also worked in Scoutcraft.
Have fun!
~Stretch Longfellow~














