THE LAST MIDLAND STUDIO DEAD DUCK STORY....

I've got something very special here. This is the last complete Dead Duck story that I'll ever create in my old studio before our move to Ann Arbor. I wrote it in my studio, I drew it in my studio, and I colored it in my studio. This is the story I've been talking about that taps into my childhood love of old 60's cartoons. It turned out to be better than I ever could have possibly imagined, and I'm thrilled that my last story created in my beloved studio could be THIS story (NOTE: This is only my last story created in this studio. I've got forty-plus pages of material yet to create for the book). And because I love you guys, I'm saying to hell with "sneak peeks" and I'm showing you the story in it's entirety right here and now. You can just scroll down to view it right here, and click on the individual pages to make them larger. Enjoy, and please let me know what you think.

DEAD DUCK: Special guests stars, new site and more!!

So I'm having a bitch of a time trying to stay on top of packing for our big move to Ann Arbor, hold down my day job, my freelance art job, get all the red tape cleared away that moving brings about, AND work on Dead Duck. If someone could ask the 900 pound gorilla who's sitting on my head to at least change his diaper, I'd appreciate it.


That said, I'm still diligently plugging away at ol' Dead Duck (I adamantly refuse to call him DD or Zombie Chick ZC, though others are free to do so if they wish). I just began my latest story, one that's been in the back of my mind for a few months now. I wanted Dead Duck and Zombie Chick (eff you, abbreviators) to make a pick-up in the limited animation world of early 60's cartoons. I had a character all made up, Chutney Baboon,
who would be their contact. I even wrote up a script that was quick and to the point with a great concept and punchline. At best, the story was going to be one fully illustrated page, making it the shortest Dead Duck story yet.

But then the insomnia hit and changed everything.

I'd been nailed with two bouts of insomnia in the past week, several days apart. The second bout woke me up at 1:00am. Since I couldn't sleep, I decided to fret and fuss with this new story. I tinkered with the script, even penciled out and partially inked the first page.

Then, when 6:00 am rolled around and I had to leave for work sans a good night's sleep, I began to hate everything I did that night. I decided to leave it alone for awhile.

A few days passed, and finally I returned to the drawing board. I had this elaborate scheme involved with the illustrating of this story where almost everything I did for the art would be filtered through Photoshop somehow. I ended up hating that idea, decided to stick to my organic cartooning guns and just draw it out like I usually would. But then, today, a crucial change in the story came to me that made all the stuff that wasn't working suddenly work very well.

First off, I ditched Chutney and the nameless female protagonist that accompanied him in this story. Instead, I brought back two very old and very popular characters of mine from my days as a cartoonist for CMLife. The story itself stayed the same, almost word for word, but the inclusion of these characters really fleshed it all out for me. Suddenly this story seemed valid and fun.

And who are the characters in question?



None other than The Krazybread Man and Snow White, two of the main characters from my comic strip "Mother's Goofs." For fans of my old strip, hopefully this will be a nice little reunion that you'll enjoy. However, you may find that these aren't entirely the Krazy and Snow that you used to know. I purposefully drew them in a UPA style, which is a term for the flat, angular, simplistic look that a lot of 60's cartoons had. It was necessary for this story, it's whole purpose, really. My style is very much in that realm already, but I had to push my art to be even flatter and sharper than usual. The other thing that's different is the spelling of Snow White, which is now Sno Whyte. It's a kind of urban thing that I'd wanted to do since I was still working on the strip four years ago, but by then her original spelling had been well established.

But beyond that, they're the same ol' characters you knew and loved. This being Dead Duck, of course, means someone is going to die. It's part of his job. It's no big mystery since Dead Duck and Zombie Chick are already dead, but it does kind of narrow down the odds a little for who it'll be.

Now, to people unfamiliar with the characters, it doesn't matter. You needn't have known them before to get this story. It's just a fun cameo for me and just a couple characters to anyone else. They could be anybody really. It's the story that will count.

So here's a sneak peek at the first page. It's going to probably be two or three pages when finished, which is nice since it gives me more room to have fun with the illustrations.

Here's some trivia on this story: As a little kid, I'd wake up at the crack of dawn, shuffle into the living room with a bowl of cereal, suffer through the tail end of the WNEM TV5 morning farm report and then bask in the greatness that was Rocky and Bullwinkle reruns. So that's me in the front of the TV in the first panel. This whole story is a tribute to those pre-dawn cartroon experiences. The conflict between Krazy and Sno on this page was inspired by the old Fractured Fairytales (as was Mother's Goofs before it), particularly the Rapunzel episode.

There is some deviation from the Rocky and Bullwinkle motif. The name of the animation studio I created, for example: PB&J. Very briefly in 2006 I signed my work PB&J, and when creating this story, it seemed reflective of the old H&B Cartoons logo found on most Hanna Barbera cartoons in the 60's. You'll find later on in the completed story that I make a direct reference to Hanna Barbera character Fred Flintstone as well. Both Jay Ward studios and Hanna Barbera Studios really shaped my art and imagination in those early years. Heck, they still do today. So this story, dark though it may be when fully read, is still a loving tribute to both animation giants' creative output and my youthful enjoyment of them.

Beyond the comic itself, Webmaster Foco (which makes him sound like the sensei of my dojo or something)and I have been busting out asses to create a very cool Dead Duck website within my old website, and the grand unveiling will most likely happen sometime in August or September. So far it's looking sweet. It'll have this blog as its news center, links to my other outlets for Dead Duck (Deviantart, Myspace, etc.), and even some free downloads like wallpaper and avatars. But finally, Dead Duck will have a home of his own that isn't sponsored by an outside website with shitloads of limitations and no shortage of pop ups and spamming.

So that's it kids. Check back for more news as it comes! Laura and I are hitting the road on July 25th for the big pilgrimage to Ann Arbor, so you may not hear much from me around that time. But rest assured I'll have plenty to show you when we're back up and running. Peace and love until we meet again!

--Jay

Just a few pages shy of THE 100 PAGE MARK!!!

Yeah, I was pretty excited when I finished my latest Dead Duck story, convinced I'd surpassed the 100 page mark. With 44 to go, I felt like I'd made a real achievement. That is, until a sobering moment brought forth by my trust college calculator gave correction to my assumption, and proved I was only at around 97. Still, I'm closer than I was when I drew that first three-page Dead Duck story back in the fall of '06 (Heck, I didn't even have a publisher back then)!

And speaking of my latest story....

I'd teased this tale in my last couple blogs, but here it is, a sneak peek at the first page (click on it for greater detail). When completed, it was about six pages, which was pretty good for working from a two-page double spaced script. It could have been much shorter, but once you read this story, you'll see how I really worked on the pacing. There's no shortage of my standard truck load of dialog, but there's also plenty of wordless panels, where hopefully body language, expressions and subtle changes from scene to scene carry the story along as effectively as I hoped when drawing it.

The story is about Dead Duck and Zombie Chick having to make a pick-up in circa 1914 Bosnia. Dead Duck is forlorn about his job, believing it to be of no positive service to society. However, upon discovering that his pick-up is none other than Arch Duke Franz Ferdinand (whose assassination is the primary impetus for World War I), Dead Duck decides to go against his professional ethics and change history by saving the Duke and erasing the history of war in the 20th century. For her part, Zombie Chick is left alone in a cafe to make friends with the Bosnian locals, specifically a morose young man who is lamenting his own failed mission in life....

The first thing I hope you'll notice is the title. "All Along The Lunch Counter" parodies the song "All Along The Watch Tower" by Bob Dylan
(Yes, I know Hendrix most famously sung it, but Dylan wrote it). And my subtitle "All Quiet On The Western Omlette" parodies the book "All Quiet On The Western Front"
which is my wife's favorite book and is set in WWI.

Using parody titles is a device I've employed in several of my Dead Duck stories, if not all of them. And where did I get inspired to use such a device...?

By the most irreverent, satirical and brilliant cartoon of the 1960's, ROCKY AND BULLWINKLE
(originally known as Rocky and Friends until Rocky's rock-headed sidekick took center stage). After each Rocky and Bullwinkle serial, the announcer would always end with "Be here next time for..." and give a parody title followed by a parody subtitle. It was genius stuff, and stuck with me since I was a four-year-old kid watching Bullwinkle reruns (having to suffer through the pre-dawn farm report to watch the show on WNEM TV 5. Saginaw, represent).

Part of what inspired me to do this story was my growing fascination with history. During my college years I was given a far better historical tutorial than high school provided, and became fascinated by the quirky facts behind the Duke's assassination. The young assassin to-be, Gavrilo Princip, had failed in his initial attempt to off the Duke, and wandered into a local cafe for some lunch. Just then, the Duke's car, lost in the unfamiliar Sarajevo neighborhood, fatefully drives past the same eatery. The rest is history. I don't know which professor to credit with teaching me this fact, but whoever it is, many, many thanks. It's a wonderful basis for one of my best Dead Duck stories to date.

The other part of inspiration came from one of my favorite books, "Ragtime" by E.L. Doctorow. It's a fictional story of the dawn of the 20th century as told through the eyes of some fictional and some historical characters. Upon my fifth or sixth reading of the book, I decided it was past due for me to drop Dead Duck into the biggest event of the early 20th century and see what transpires. I'd love to show this story to Doctorow one day and see what he thinks (hopefully he isn't one of those high-browed authors who equates comic books with outhouse toilet paper).

Lastly, I'd like to discuss the backgrounds and architecture I've drawn for this story. Now, I pride myself on my research. I was careful to study each historical figure before drawing them, researched the gun Princip used, the name of restaurant he was eating at, even the car the Duke and his wife were shot in. But people visiting modern day Sarajevo will be hard pressed to find architecture as I've drawn it here. My knowledge of turn of the century buildings is limited to countless excursions around Bay City and Saginaw. So, drawing from my memories of those places while letting my imagination run wild, this is what I came up with. I tried to create an old world sensibility with the industrial monster of the 20th century encroaching just beyond the horizon, but still, I hope I didn't offend anyone's sense of historical accuracy.

So there you have it. I'm currently in the midst of choosing which story to do next. I'm caught between a vigilante story, a story about J.P. Yorick's history, another story about Dead Duck's secret background, and a story about a circus strong woman who incites Zombie Chick's wrath. Yes, I know. When in doubt, go for wrath. We'll see.

In the meantime, Ape Entertainment is telling me we're in the process of developing an online Dead Duck comic, so more news to follow. Thanks for sticking with me, kids. There's more news on the horizon, and I'm anxious to tell you about it as it unfolds!


--Jay

Nothing special....

...just an update because it's been awhile since the last one.

Just to get you all up to speed on Dead Duck, I've completed the last story I mentioned, which involved Dead Duck's youth at Camp Scholomance, a retreat for the potentially evil run by the devil. It turned out to be my second longest story, coming in at nineteen pages. What made this story so long was the timing in the story. I've been trying to stretch my storytelling with more visuals than text when possible, and in this story it really paid off. A single sequence, perhaps showing Dracula shaking down Dead Duck for his lunch, which could easily be done in half a page, instead lasts two pages so I can show the evolving action panel by panel, minute action by minute action. Believe me, it's cooler and less boring than it sounds. Anyway, the story turned out very cool, and even managed to surprise me in the end, which is a real trick since I created it. I am, however, hoping to fill the rest of the book with shorter stories, just so I can have a wide variety of adventures in the book rather than just two or three big ones.

I have a backlog of story ideas to pick from for future Dead Duck episodes, but as is sometimes the case, a fresh idea comes to mind and takes precedent over an older idea that's been fermenting for a year. Such was the case with my current Dead Duck endeavor. I've been re-reading E.L. Doctorow's novel Ragtime (one of my favorite books), and was inspired to give Dead Duck and Zombie Chick their own turn of the century adventure. Without giving too much away, I'll divulge that this story concerns Dead Duck's internal conflict with his job, as well as Zombie Chick's unintentional involvement in the origins of World War I.

The script came to me very quickly, which usually means it's going to be good and a hell of a lot of fun to create. I find in my older age that I'm becoming more interested in history, and though it was never intended as a tent pole for Dead Duck's adventures, I'm finding historical events and characters fit into Dead Duck's formula quite nicely and are a ton of fun to work with. I'm toying with the possibility of Dead Duck meeting Ben Franklin at some juncture, since he's one of my favorite historical figures (and potentially the first American editorial cartoonist!). Time will tell....

I've been in touch with Chris Sanders, and he's still dedicated to creating a Dead Duck pin-up for the book, much to my delight. I have no doubt that Zombie Chick will take center stage in his piece, since he seems to favor her (and who can blame him? Hell, I favor her!). I tell you though, he's really going to set the bar high for me to up the level of quality in my work for this book. I'd hate for people to read the book, see my art and say "Huh. Not bad..." then see Chris' pin-up and then say "Jesus Christ! When didn't HE just draw this book instead? That other guy ain't nearly as good!" Actually, I have no doubt that I'll be the one saying that, since Chris' work is just untouchable. All I know is, when I grow up I want to be Chris Sanders.

On the home front, I'm gradually packing up my life, storing some of it in my grandma's attic, pitching a lot of it in the dumpster, and trying like hell to hold on to as much of it as I can (which AIN'T much) for our big move to Ann Arbor in late July. I'm trying to get as much done on Dead Duck before the move, and as of now I'm almost at 100 pages, with just 44 left to go. I feel pretty good about that. But still, trying to give birth to a comic amidst a life altering move is no walk in the park. I'm doing my best, and with Laura close at hand, I know it'll all come together just fine.

And on a parting note, I just received the news today that one of my heroes, make-up special effects genius Stan Winston has passed away from a long fight with cancer. I've admired Stan's work since I was twelve and saw his work in the Wiz. But it was his sci fi creations, particularly the Predator, that always blew my mind. I'm just at such a loss over Stan's death. I've been coming to grips lately that almost all of my heroes are dead, and that's a tough pill to swallow. Thank god for guys like Chris Sanders, who still give me idols to worship and aspire to emulate. But Stan, I wish you were still here, man. I wish. I wish.

So as updates go, it ain't much, but it's something. Sorry for the lack of "pictures" this time around. Man, haven't called my drawing pictures since I was five, and even then I thought the title was a bit degrading. Still, you'd be surprised how many older folks still use that vernacular. Anyway, I hope to have more stuff to share soon, with actual samples for you to see rather than just a load of blabbering text to slog through. Thanks for sticking with me, kids. Talk to you more later.

--Jay

GUESS WHO'S CONTRIBUTING TO DEAD DUCK???

If you check me out at Myspace.com, then you probably know where this is going. If not, then you're in for a pretty juicy bit of Dead Duck news....!

Over the course of the past couple to a few weeks, I've sent out e-mails to a handful of cartoonists whom I absolutely worship, asking them if they'd be interested in drawing a pin-up for my upcoming Dead Duck graphic novel. The list was short but specific, and each artist was chosen for the inspiration they unknowingly contributed to the development of my creation.

Out of that exclusive selection, one cartoonist, the guy, in fact, who I thought the least likely to respond, the guy who was by far the biggest name and biggest long-shot in my cartoonist wish list, actually wrote me back. He was extremely nice, and shockingly said he knew of my work (likely through Myspace), really enjoyed it and LOVED Zombie Chick! He suggested he'd be interested, but wasn't sure if it was something he could have ready immediately because of his busy schedule (and man, does he EVER have a busy schedule!). So I shot him another e-mail, telling him my deadline wasn't even until March of 2009, so there was plenty of time. After that, I left town to see The Kids In The Hall with Laura in Royal Oak. By the time I got back home today, there was yet another e-mail from the man, saying that YES, he would be able to draw the pin-up!

And who is this awesome cartoonist that I'm so completely head-over-heels for who's agreed to draw a pin-up of my characters? Well, let me put it this way...













You ever see the Disney cartoon Lilo and Stitch?

Chris Sanders, the film's creator, writer, designer, co-director and voice of Stitch himself (and now, the hilarious and gorgeous online comic Kiskaloo) has agreed to take on Dead Duck through his own gorgeous artistic vision. It will be featured prominently in the Dead Duck graphic novel which again, will be released in November of 2009. I am so gloriously excited about this, folks. To me, this is huge. And it's the biggest compliment someone's paid my work in a long time. Chris is now in an exclusive club of established cartoonists who dig Zombie Chick (Groo the Wanderer-creator Sergio Aragones conveyed his own love of my undead chicken when I met him last summer at the Motor City Comic Con).

So that's the news, folks! If any of the other's I'd written happen to get back with me, I'll let you know. But seriously, I'm on such a cloud right now that I don't feel I need anyone else. Chris is the ultimate!

More news later, kids!