If I could embed sounds into the comic, it would be this:
So I’ve posted 250 of these strips now. TWO. HUNDRED. AND. FIFTY. Holy crap. That’s a lot. I’ll be drawing page 258 after I finish posting this, because I’m super far ahead on my War of 1812 comic and figured I’d build up the HEAT buffer some more.
TIGER UPPERCUT.
Next Week: Flashback!
It’s Christmas Eve, so count this as my gift to all of you. Ignore the fact that the Monday schedule was set forever ago with no awareness that Christmas Eve would be a Monday, and with the assumption that I would have gone on break by now. Check back tomorrow for a special bonus update with the annual Christmas Special, and then on New Year’s Eve for the last page of Volume 2!
Next Week: VICTORY!
A friend commented on how bloody the match had gotten a few weeks ago, and I told him that he hadn’t seen anything yet. This page nearly grosses ME out, and I’m the one who drew it. If I ever draw some sort of death match in this comic, I think it’s going to end up looking like the wrestling equivalent of a Rob Zombie movie starring Abdullah the Butcher.
Also, I really need to start drawing this year’s Christmas special. It may or may not involve the Krampus.
Next Week: The Cup.
I just wrote and deleted about 6 different Iron Sheik-based title jokes. Also, this page is about two hours late because… I forgot it was Monday. Despite watching part of RAW earlier, I completely forgot it was Monday, because I’ve been off since last Wednesday, and have hit the point where I only vaguely know or care what day it is.
So here’s something I didn’t know: if you Google image search “Camel Clutch,” not only do fewer pictures of the Iron Sheik appear than one might anticipate, but you also end up with what I believe is intended to be pornography. I say “believe” because, like many forms of pornography, I totally don’t get it. I am, however, now far more likely to dig into my magazine stack than I am to go to Google when I need to reference a wrestling hold, because the internet is weird. The reference I used was a combination of the Iron Sheik humbling some guy I didn’t recognize and two luchadors that I also didn’t recognize, but appeared to be from the ’70s or early ’80s.
Next week: If you’re anti-blood, you maaaay want to skip next week. Just sayin’. If you’re not anti-blood, definitely don’t skip next week, and then tell your squeamish friends what happened.
Ragnar’s Revenge is a move that is really simple as a pro wrestling move but kind of difficult to draw. Unlike a lariat, the running headbutt requires the top of the head to hit the opponent’s face, but the attacker’s body needs to end up slightly to the side so that the move doesn’t end with him bowling the other guy over and then tripping over him and face-planting. It’s also hard to make it visually distinct from a diving shoulder tackle, but that’s the lesser of the two problems.
We’re in the home stretch of volume 2! And I’m already halfway through drawing the first chapter of volume 3, in which we’ll be seeing our first female wrestler in the comic (who is not a particularly good representative of that group – females or female wrestlers), and a battle royale. Because I’m an idiot and keep writing things that are hard to draw.
Next Week: Well now there’s twice as much blood as there was a few seconds ago, but will it be enough to earn the Super Max Challenge Cup?
Clearly I chose the Exploder to be one of Dick the Bastard’s signature moves based on really liking the move in motion and with absolutely no consideration given to how difficult it would be to draw. I know I’ve complained about this before, but seriously, why is it so hard to find photo reference for a move that Jun Akiyama does in EVERY SINGLE MATCH HE HAS!?
Also, I’ve now uploaded all of the comics that are part of HEAT volume 2, and have discovered that the last page of volume 2 will be posted on December 31st, so my annual Christmas break will be more of an early January break. And again, I will try to post things for your amusement in that time, but let’s face it, I’m pretty awful at that.
Next Week: Ragnar Rasmussen gets a lot of revenge on people he’s never even met, which I’m sure must be confusing for him when he gets hate mail from people with broken faces.
The Sickle Hold returns! And is slightly better drawn than last time. It’s also countered much better than last time… in that it is countered at all. Also, in talking to some people at Pure Speculation this weekend, they noted the recent level of gore in HEAT. Man, they don’t know the half of it. By page 233, which is the end of volume 2, there’s going to be more juice than an elementary school at lunch time. I’m talking Cactus Jack goes to Japan juice. THERE WILL BE BLOOD. Daniel Day Lewis will not be present.
Speaking of Pure Spec, I might do a blog post about it, but the short version is that people actually came to see Dan and I talk about comics and somehow making money arting.
Next Week: The most disappointing unmasking since every unmasking in wrestling ever. Also, explosions.
I’m on a big run of making up moves here. Naturally, all of them are pains in the ass to draw, because apparently my brain hates me. Thanks a lot, brain. Unlike the rope snap thing from last page, I think it’s pretty clear why the tiger lungblower isn’t a thing that wrestlers use, since it doesn’t seem like it would be possible to do without injuring somebody. It did give me an opportunity to make a Rice Krispies joke, though, which I enjoyed.
News time! This weekend I will be appearing at the Pure Speculation Festival in Edmonton, Alberta doing a panel talk about making comics (and also selling things). If you’re in Edmonton, you should stop by and come see the panel. Or buy things. Or both. Actually, do both.
More news time! I’ve finished drawing HEAT Volume 2, and doing a lot of the layout work. It’s weighing in at 172 pages right now, and will feature back-up stories from Ted Seko and Dean Stahl! It will hopefully be out around April of 2013.
Next Week: Can Vinny LaGrazo lock in the Sickle Hold and capture the Super Max Challenge Cup?
I think I made this move up, which makes it even worse that it was really difficult to draw. It seems like a move that somebody should have used at some point, though, especially considering the backwards rope stunner has become a go-to move. In any event, I’ll definitely be thinking twice before drawing something like it again. Oof. Took forever.
I’m halfway through the final page of HEAT Volume 2, so after I’m done that I think I’ll tackle the second back-up story myself. It’s a lot less hassle than trying to find an artist to do it. Turns out that writers trying to find artists really do have it rough, so my advice to writers out there: learn to draw and just draw what you’re writing yourself. It’ll save you a lot of hassles. “But learning to draw will take too long!” Not as long as finding a decent artist who will work for cheap on your thing instead of working on their own ideas.
Unrelated to comics, I just finished downloading DDT Apartment Complex 2011 from Rudo Reels. Kota Ibushi fights through an apartment building because DDT is an amazing, completely absurd promotion. I’m excited to watch it, especially if it’s anything like the bizarre match Kenny Omega had at some guy’s lake house.
In news that is once again related to comics (suck it, sensible transitioning of ideas), I’m doing a panel discussion with Dan Schneider at Pure Speculation 2012. It’s about comics and getting paid to make them. Or, if it’s anything like our last panel discussion, there will be a 15 minute interlude where Dan talks about cattle and I don’t know what’s going on. Seriously, that happened last time we had a panel. James Davidge and Dan talked about cattle while Bob Prodor and I looked at each other in confusion.
Next Week: I make up more moves that are hard to draw, because apparently I hate myself.
Apparently prison wrestling doesn’t have a lot of rules regarding headgear that is allegedly protective but mostly a weapon. Also, this is both the longest and bloodiest match in the series so far. Incidentally, if you’re anti-blood, the next ten pages or so are probably not for you. Although that begs the question how did you even get this far? Chapter 2 featured a veritable blood ocean. Not the Dethklok movie.
Next Week: I come up with an idea for a spot that is really cool in my head and then a huge pain in the ass to figure out how to draw. Which, to be fair, could describe most of the spots I come up with.
