This is really interesting, though I'm learning to appreciate how difficult it is to make anything decent that's 3 panels long. I'll learn to make something okay, though, if it kills me.* My favourite I've seen so far was posted under the "worst comic" thread - it's the one posted by andydougan called "Hopefully the worst comic I'll ever make". Of the few I've made so far, the only one I kind of like is this one:

The Holidays by speedboat_lou 7-10-03

That ostrich is spoiling my Christmas Day. I wonder if I had better go inside. SHAKE IT DON'T BREAK IT BAY-BEE!!! *sigh* I can remember Christmas when it filled me with wonder. The exquisite waiting for morning to come...Oh, how I wish the clocks would advance. "I suppose it's time itself that's to blame, really... Who can say? Funny how things go. I'd help myself to some festive spirits, but I've never been much for drink. Still..."

I like the first panel of this one, but I'll have to work on how to end things.**

Robots were not built for this. by speedboat_lou 7-10-03

AAAGH!!! According to current reflective data, B0XB9 has been able to observe and chart the cumulative, robot-oriented effects of hitherto uncalculated hardship and woe. You must help me escape.

* but only if.

** (morbid tautology)

I didn't like "Robots Were not Built for This at First," but after re-reading it, I realize it's just more than I've come to expect on this site and is actually very, very good. Bravo.

"The Holidays," however, is wierd. Normally pointless non-sequiturs happen at the end of a comic as an excuse for a punchline. You have a great punchline, but the FIRST panel doesn't seem to do much for anything. I don't know if it's a non-sequitur or just vague.

Anyway, I think you're going to be a great stripper. More, please!

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peddling the funny around since 09/24/2002

Are you a speed GRAVY boat?

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Batman created by Bob Kane

Hi! Thanks for reading them - I really don't know what I'm doing! When I've started making these, at the first panel, I haven't yet had any idea how any of them will end. I find I really flinch with punch lines - for some reason, I almost don't want to have the LAST panel in "The Holidays", except that you're right - the first panel is the odd one, and it messes up the structure. Something about even putting a punch line in the last of 3 panels makes me squeamish, but when I see a great punch line like the one at the end of "Psychology Experiment: Can Robots be Gay?"*, I realize that I'm probably squeamish about floundering around with an idea in the rest of the comic. I'll have to make some things and see what I think of them after a few days. Maybe I'll just re-work something after that.

Here are 2 that I tried somewhat later today that I don't mind - I wanted to try making something more conventional and get the hang of structuring things, punch lines and all. I tried another one called "Travellin' Matt" with terrible 'non sequitur after the punch line' , which ruined the whole thing for me.

Helen (episode 1) by speedboat_lou 7-10-03

Heavens! Now I'm going to have to go the other way around. I've never liked going down this passage... ...it's too dark. I might as well admit it: I'm not that sure where I am.

Helen (episode 2) by speedboat_lou 7-10-03

Hello! Someone's left their Jack-o-lantern here. Hooray! Finally - someone to SING to! I suppose I should turn it over to the authorities. What should it be? "Carmen"? "La Traviata"? RITORNA VINCITOR! E DAL MIO LABBRO... USCI L'EMPIA PAROLA! VINCITOR DEL PADRE MIO... I hope you know that this is all your fault.

Dcomposed - I've tried one of those speed gravy boats, but I got flour all over my shirt. I traded with my dog for that little chuckwagon he was always chasing around the kitchen, and he's never looked back. *sigh*

*the robot's whole expression - even his arm, which I'd not noticed much before - becomes funny.

Here's one I like more today than I did yesterday. I don't know why. I screwed up the lettering a bit.

Hunters of the Deep by speedboat_lou 7-10-03

Arrrgh!! Where ya going? Into the... ...future, to bite your ass! Not so fast - I'm going to... Change into you - so now I get to bite YOUR ass instead! No - wait! How does this work? I hope it works where you end up biting your OWN ass, but you got me all messed up now, and I don't know.

Yeah, I like that one.

Dolphins are always funny...

I 'specially like the little noises they make when they're caught in my uncle's fishing nets.

I'm really creepy, by the way

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[i]"For the love of beatings, I plunder until my loins find satisfaction!!" [/i]

Pleased to meet you, Boritom - I have the recording your uncle made that was included in an issue of National Geographic back in the '70's. The sound quality suffers considerably on those old flexi records - I've often wondered if there should be a remake in the works, but then I think to myself "you know, good luck getting those dolphins back together".*

*if you know what I mean.

This is the first comic that I've tried where I've actually thought about what was going to happen before I started making it - doing that cures my squeamishness I was having about punch lines. It's a pretty mild series, but I don't mind that, and I want to finish it.

Helen (episode 6) by speedboat_lou 7-11-03

Here's a friendly-looking fellow. I wish I could ask for help, but I'm running out of air. You won't last long down here - if it isn't the water in your lungs, it'll be the cold. Climb into my stomach and we'll see if we can't get you to an island or something. *sputter* That was a tight fit. At least I can breathe in here for a while. I'd better find a seat - we're beginning to move. I wonder how long it will take us to find an island? Pft! I stopped wondering that twelve years ago.

July 12, 2003 by speedboat_lou 7-12-03

Sugar - ba ba BA ba BA BA... Oh, Honey, Honey - ba ba BA ba BA BA... You are my candy GIIIIIIRL... ...and I ...uh.. Keep doing it - that was pretty good.

I'm doing more reading of other people's comics than comic-making the last couple of days, but I liked this and thought I'd post it.

I'll post this one, and cut back on coffee tomorrow.

July 14, 2003 (2:50 a.m. - can't sleep) by speedboat_lou 7-14-03

BZZZT! BZZZT! *click* BZZZT! God damn it - what do you want now?

They nothing funny about cancer. Or that comic. Especially that comic.

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What would I do?

what the hell are u talking about.

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cunt of the day: all you dumb niggers

I'm talking about safety, and it's okay to have sex as long as you use a condom. C'mon, I'll treat ya to a smoothie.

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What would I do?

your on babe :-). ill wear the dress

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cunt of the day: all you dumb niggers

I like July 12, 2003 quite a bit.

I'm kinda hot and cold with your comics at the moment speedboat_lou, I either really like them or I don't understand them, but they are still a lot better than some of the shit the's been posted recently, keep up the good work, this thread is good.

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Dad was flammable

Thanks for commenting... There were a few I made earlier where I was just experimenting. The "Holidays" one that I posted first, I realize, may have been too vague in the first panel (I had thought that the "whoosh" also looked like the back end of an ostrich, but that was probably too much in my own head - in the "Helen" series, I'm trying to use the dialogue to make what I imagine happening more clear) - then there are some that didn't make sense at all, and aren't worth looking at. I'm going to post another one that I just made, though.

Don Kirshner Presents! by speedboat_lou 7-14-03

Tonight we're gonna rock it - all the way to the moon! Yes, you know we're going to rock it! We're gonna be there soon! We're never gonna stop it - we're gonna rock all night! Uh-huh - the keys are in his pocket! That's what he said last night! Later... T. N. T. ... Oi! Oi! Oi!

Okay... *#$@*!! If you didn't read that last one, please read this one instead, as I'm an editing freak, and this dialogue is 2% better.

Don Kirshner Presents (slight revision) by speedboat_lou 7-15-03

Tonight we're gonna rock it - we'll rock it to the moon! Yes, you know we're going to rock it! We're gonna be there soon! We're never gonna stop it - we're gonna rock all night! Uh-huh - the key is in his pocket! That's what he said last night! Later... T. N. T. ... Oi! Oi! Oi!

You can take the whole family to this.

The Feel-Good Hit of the Summer! by speedboat_lou 7-15-03

Hey - what say we get down and show these folks what a couple of old jitterbugs can do? I don't see why not... lead the way, muchacho!

I'm having, like, the worst insomnia.

July 15, 2003 by speedboat_lou 7-15-03

I know you'd tell me if there was something wrong... That's right. I would tell you, and what did I say? But it doesn't feel right. You know when it just doesn't feel right? It LOOKS right, so just stop it already. He took too much off the back, didn't he? Jesus, will you just take some of mine?

hahaa i like that one

The latest strip (July 15, 2003) really is rather clever. However, I can't say I really enjoyed the "Bob Kirshnir Presents" strip(s).

Oops. Don Kirshnir... Sorry..

I like this one:

Robot Heaven by speedboat_lou 7-10-03

*Robots have wasted time on senseless Hoo-Ha!* ~That's right, Earth Potatoes! We don't have to make SENSE anymore!~ *But then we didn't do a backup and are now left on this hostile planet without a mission.* ~Oops! Robots have chucked the cheese!~ *Nonetheless, we can host parties as if we were made of ham! We can shake our donuts!!! ~I'm about to do my OLD job until I fall apart!~

The last line delivered by a smiling Clango is really sweet, he seems geniunely happy to just do what he was designed to do until the end of time.

Perhaps I'm reading too much into it.

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Dad was flammable

Originally I had him upset, but then I looked at the comic and thought "why would he be upset about that? He's a robot - usefulness and monotony would be the "real" robot heaven - none of that "freedom" garbage". Changing his expression gave me a punch line I could live with, and a title. I like the idea of that comic, but it bothers me that I didn't consider the whole thing better - I don't know if it works well enough in 3 quick panels.

Does anyone notice how a comic can change if you read it quickly or slowly? There's a brilliant comic I saw (that I'll post in that other thread if more people think it's okay) that works if you look at it as one panel (all at once) or 3 panels consecutively.

I'm beginning to wonder some things. Comics are kind of new to me, and, in all other aspects of my life, if I were making, say, a guy-with-a-rocket-sidekick-doing-a-concert-on-TV-in-the-70's joke, based on a stupid pun and working in an awkward double entendre, an AC/DC reference and some appropriate background changes, I'd only do it if I were, say, hanging out with 35-year old record store employees. On the other hand, I'm pretty sure I'm not just doing things that can ONLY be funny to me, and complete randomness to everyone else. How do other people sense what they can get away with, audience-wise? Has it been an issue for anyone? This, to me, is the "brutal" aspect of comic-making.