Location: The Tower Room
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Return To The Tower
Ref: Bottom bunk 1 | 2 | Percy’s problem
Trying out a new strip format, making it literally a strip as opposed to the page format that I was using previously. There may be small adjustments, but I’m liking this format already! This comic wound up a little late not because of this, but because I forgot to load SketchUp back onto my computer after the reboot… This was drawn using plain ol’ pencil and paper because I forgot the iPad at work…
Also, Jorocks, you’re a jerk.
Have fun!
~Stretch Longfellow~
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Rescue Mission
The sky’s gotten dark at Greenpath now as the storm rolls in. I probably could have made that clearer, but meh.
As you’ll notice on the calendar, there was no update for Thursday. I have two very good reasons. One, grad school is intensive, especially with 12 credits in six weeks. Two, I got a job! I’m FINALLY employed! So I consider that a very legitimate excuse.
Have fun!
~Stretch Longfellow~
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Realization
Ref: The headphones and hat left behind
Commentary
I wanted to use a comedic effect to actually be applied realistically, so in this case I used the comedic “run away while leaving hat/headsets behind” and had it actually happen. I also like the effect of Panel 4. It has a good sense of doom.Also, it came to my attention that this comic is the first time in an actual comic that Percy has been seen in the new hair drawing style (even though it’s practically entirely covered up). I’ve used it in splash pages before, as well as the recent bonus comic (which is where it was pointed out). I have been sketching him like this for over a month, but between the arc being focused on Nikki and Chris lately and the far-too-long hiatus, it hadn’t been shown yet. Jorocks also has a new hair drawing style.
Have fun!
~Stretch Longfellow~
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Murphy’s Law
And things are getting interesting! I finally busted out the raincoats seen in the splash page; Chris is too cocky to wear one, but Nikki and Percy don’t care much for the wet stuff. For those unfamiliar with my vernacular, getting a ducking basically means that there wil be heavy rain.
Back in my early days of storm spotting, I had a partner my age who fulfilled a role similar to Percy. She would tell me what was going on where. The only trouble was that while I have a near-perfect mental map of my county, she was quite unfamiliar with all the small towns and side roads and often pointed me in the wrong direction. This resulted in quite a bit of confusion, and since then I’ve gone solo. I sometimes miss having my “eyes” (knowing what is on the radar), but I’m perfectly okay with staking out my spot and waiting to see what happens.
This comic was delayed by my loss of my inking pen and my spare being dry. Previous to this comic, I was using a fairly generic felt-tip pen for all of the comics; I finally went into the city and invested in five different weights of fine line markers. I’m going to be playing with line weights a lot coming up as a result; I’ve really enjoyed having these new pens already!
Have fun!
~Stretch Longfellow~
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Tornado Warning
This one was originally slated for Tuesday, but I decided at the last minute to throw in the previous comic to add a more realistic view of storm spotting. This is particularly evident in Panel 3, where it is difficult to tell that Chris has pulled over to the side of the road and had his flashers on. Originally, Percy was going to be giving them directions to the site, and so only the right blinker was needed. However, a good storm spotter would have already been at his or her site, so the change was made. I was quite satisfied by the radar hook echo over the road map on Percy’s computer screen; it’s not often that I draw using only the computer and I thought it turned out quite well. And while I’m throwing out terms, the low hanging cloud in Panel 1 is a wall cloud. Rotation is taking place in this area of updraft, but no tornado has formed.
And speaking of tornadoes, the NWS radio reference to “Hallam County” is a tribute to the town of Hallam, Nebraska, which got decimated during the May 2004 tornadoes. I have been to Hallam since, which has recovered nicely (although the lack of large trees is definitely noticeable) and I participated in some of the clean-up near Fairfield, NE (about two hours west, but still hit pretty hard). I also did my student teaching at Norris High School this past semester, which had been hit by the same tornado that hit Hallam as well.
Have fun!
~Stretch Longfellow~
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Preparing For The Storm
A nifty little preparation montage as the storm brews… I should note that I myself am a storm spotter (and yes, my training did involve videos of what not to do, as referenced in Tuesday’s comic). I should also note that there is a difference between storm spotter and storm chaser: storm spotters stay in strategic locations and report what they are seeing, while storm chasers are actually out driving, getting too close, thrillseekers, etc. Storm spotting, if done right, should be much less dramatic.
And yet this arc is the most dramatic yet. I feel slightly hypocritical.
Have fun!
~Stretch Longfellow~
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Plans
And we have a segway into the next story arc! While this is the last comic of the current arc, I have decided to stop with the quotes at the end. They are neat, but they were becoming a hassle.
And yes, I had to get one final static electricity joke in. Also, in case it isn’t obvious, the “LALALALA” is coming from Percy. He’d prefer not to know what Jorocks and Holly are doing, even if it’s innocent.
Have fun!
~Stretch Longfellow~
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Frizzy
I. Hate. Mirrors. That mirror caused so many redraws… But on the plus side, FRIZZY! Nikki’s hair is based on another real life experience; my little sister and I spent the entire two hour drive home from Grandma’s generating static electricity with blankets one Christmas several years ago. Mom was less than pleased when she tried to comb my sister’s hair.
And in case you didn’t get it, this “power glove” is made from a material that Percy either found or synthesized from Ichabod’s ship, hence his rapid changing of the topic.
Have fun!
~Stretch Longfellow~
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Shocking Lessons
Ref: Ba-doom-tsh | Zot
After reading the previous comic, one of my friends made the joke of “power glove”. A minor script edit later, and you see the result. Also, Jorocks is just too fun to look at when he gets electrocuted. Poor guy, that means it’s likely to happen repeatedly.
Also, I had a small cameo over at Louis and Pi’s comic (and Louis was nice enough to plug ths strip!), so you should go see it.
Have fun!
~Stretch Longfellow~