3rd Party Fantasy

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#24 Nice Defense

Evil Emperor Nick

on Feb. 8, 2006

I had considered re-doing this page as there are many things I would like to fix in it but I decided against it because then I would have to redo the one after this as well do to the fact they share many of the same visual elements and, while this one seemed funnier late at 3 AM back in 2003 when I first made it, I still like the next issue a lot. I’ve actually tried to minimize my edits to the series. I tend to dislike it when comic redo their first chapters or similar things.

Rant

I’m still working on some bonus comics, I have some fairly random ideas but the going is slow. Honestly I have little artistic talent, and my artistic motivation might just be a taaaaaaad on the low side compared to my motivation to write (which has its good days and its bad days). Larely my artistic style if find a picture I like in my “how to draw generically” books and then draw my character’s head on them. Luckily Eggbert of Eggbert (great and rather silly comic BTW) was so good as to make a ‘how to draw me’ sheet for me.

Now most characters I draw like a bloated sumo wrestler consisting several semi-connected circles, but being both vain and self important I tend to be a little self conscious about how MY character looks. (When I draw myself my head tends to look like a water-balloon being hacked apart with a buzz saw.) So I really appreciated the insight.

Seeing yourself as a caricature (aside from nurturing your ego the way only a post make out flattery or small cults can) give you a little creative flexibility to do things you want to do but never would in real life. It is a strange thing how people who are afraid to talk to girl are suddenly willing to detonate thermonuclear devises once they get into a comic, there is something Freudian there but I’m not sure what.

Anyway it is always been my concern that while comic me has an exaggerated, overly motivated and more obnoxious version of my basic personality he lacks a lot of my idiosyncracies. So here is a guide on how to act like Nick.

1. Shout out random words in other languages rather then using the normal english word - This one had died down a bit as is frowned on at my new work place since it (by design) confuses the heck out of most people. Common words used this way were (Note not even attempted to be spelled correctly) Arigato (Japanses Thanks), Nien (German No), das vey danya (Russian Good Bye), shnell (Geman Faster), stille (German Silence as a noun so it is improperly used), oi (Herbrew expression I guess I got it from Ivoniva on B5), as well as Frell, Grudd, Goram etc. etc. (Gibberish for swear words)

2. Over dress or under dress to all occasions, never come appropriately attired. While long black coats are my trade mark in real life I have a great tendency to just wear whatever I feel like. Work has made this habit much worse as no one cares what people wear there. I’m told I have no sense of occasion having shown up places wearing a long black coat, suit coat, blacks shirt, grey slacks, and my favorite biker boots. (Not I don’t ride I just like their boots.)



3. Over complicate any non-order statement. I have a somewhat annoying (actually very annoying) habit over indulging in my thesaurus and saying even the most simple statements with an vast and complicated series of both completely unnecessary, obscure, irrelevant, and ‘long’ words to articulate my various standings on anything from the current phase of the solar day to my standing on the ideal degree of molecular agitation needed to cook a slab of bovine corpse to its ideal flavor.

4. Whatever/same difference. With these two statements dismiss any grammatical, factual, or conceptual error made in conversation (Not that this EVER happens).

5. Refer to one’s self in the collective we when one wants to emphasis a statement. This one also has been curtailed a bit by work but we still like it. (Important note this has the opposite effect if done in the voice of Golumn from LotR)

6. Quote personal mildly sadistic proverbs like it was Chinese fortune cookie wisdom. I have several of these such as “Nothing makes my day better then knowing someone else’s is a little worth”, “Stupidity should be painful”, “Sarcasm is its own reward” or “The best way to feel better about yourself is to lower your opinion of others” (I stole that last one from an acquaintance I confess)

Well there is more but I’m watching Let Li movie and all my right now all my subconscious is giving me is Jet Li with the kicking and the punching of ninja’s. Good stuff actually but lousy rant material so I’m going to wrap up here. Take care everyone and remember “If it is for art it’s a dream, if its for money it’s a scheme (and if you sell a drawing a blind 6 year old could do your either of great artist or a scam artist)”. and “Its only trash if you can’t sell it on E-bay.”, I’m off to buy one of those ‘How to Draw Generically’ books.