Overly Complicated

The drop panel in the opening row (the one where Moe screams "YAAGH!") was in my original sketch for the strip. I decided to move it to the potentially removable top row to make more room for the rest of the strip. Even so, I needed to stack two panels on top of each other to make a bit more room.

Showoff

One thing I like about this strip is that Merlin was extremely careful about his painting and it turned out a bit pathetic; Bob, on the other hand, was almost careless with HIS painting, and it turned out like a photograph.

They Told Me Never, Never, Ever, to Disengage My Hair From My Head, or I Would Die

The post title is a reference to a line from Portal 2.

After I made this strip, I started thinking, "What if Erica said something like, 'What's a haircut?'" to justify the fact that she had NEVER had a haircut.

That Must Be One Big Back Fin!!

C-3PMerlin and R2-Bob2

Merlin's line is an actual line from Star Wars IV.

It All Makes Sense Now!

Long Fur

Bob's fur is actually much longer than the original sketch. Here it is:

When I drew this strip, I thought I'd make his fur a bit longer to emphasize Merlin's reaction. Then it came time to color it, and I thought, why not color outside the lines and make his fur even longer?

Worst Joke Ever

The Lightsaber With The Goofball Goes Vroom, Vroom, Vroom...

Just like Thursday's strip, the lightsaber is glowing. I decided not to color in the blade itself this time, to make it look more like the way they look in Star Wars.

Ostracized

Or Was It An Insult?

My brother said this to me one time, and I started to wonder this.

Moe's lightsaber is glowing.

Whoa, Einstein was Right!

This idea came into being after I heard some friends of mine discussing this saying. I felt that I wanted to have Charlie do something EXTREMELY stupid. At first I wanted to have him be about to accidentally walk off the roof blindfolded. Then I wanted to have him be above a bed of nails, but I figured that wouldn't work, because the house would be in the way. So I changed the roof to a tightrope, held to the wall by only a piece of tape. Also, if you look closely at Charlie, he's gripping the tightrope with his toes.

No, Something Else

I had finished this strip–color and all–when I decided to totally redo all the dialogue. Here's how the original dialogue went:

MOE: Ow...

MOE: There's something wrong with my eye.

CHARLIE: Your finger's in it.

I changed it to this because I felt that some people may not be able to connect Moe's line and Charlie's line.

Um, Yes, I Did

As a matter of fact, I did use that "excuse" last year.

This is our 1700th post! And to celebrate it, we're going to show some...

UNUSED HOLIDAY THEMED LOGO BOXES!

The text inside the stocking reads "And more and more attention!"

The text inside the turkey reads "With tons of food!"

The text on the candy bag reads "The scariest comic in town!"

So If They Started Talking, What Would Happen?

For every strip this week, I decided to use a different shade of orange for Moe's shirt.

At first, I was going to actually show the crowded room with the talk bubble crammed in there in the last two panels, but then I figured it'd be a little less obvious, so I changed the last two panels to me and Moe talking about it.

I think Moe was sick that day.

Something Hard to Pronounce

Copernicium

That must be a pretty recent "old Advanced Chemistry textbook."

The reason is because Copernicium (element 112 in the Periodic Table of Elements) was known as Ununbium until last year, when the discovery of it was made official and the name Copernicium was selected.

I was originally going to say that Copernicium is the one ELEMENT that c.g.f. won't affect, but then I figured that c.g.f. would also affect the oxygen around the reaction, as well as the surface it is resting on (I'm never going to explain the actual effects of crystallic geomoptic fusion are, like the meaning of "snake tulip," as well as Tom's appearance and voice). Then I figured that I'd better make it a bit more specific, so I looked up which group Element 112 was in in the Periodic Table of Elements, and I found out it was in the metals group.

So, crystallic geomoptic fusion will affect every metal known to mankind except Copernicium.

Nanoscope

I'm not sure why I decided to have David answer these questions. In fact, I wasn't even planning on using him beyond the two strips of last week.

I used the term "nanoscopes" implying that they were supposed to be a more powerful microscope (I used the term "nanoscope" because "nano" is smaller than "micro." I was planning on using "yoctoscope," but then I figured that would be too obscure, so I used the smallest easily recognizable unit of measurement). But then I was looking online and I found out that someone really invented something and called it a nanoscope, and that it was supposed to be a more powerful microscope. From what I've read, it could be powerful enough to see inside human cells.

Wow; if you need nanoscopes to get proper results in crystallic geomoptic fusion, that must be a molecular-level reaction!

Googupchupah

Sorry about the late post.

There Has Been a Flight Change; This Double Post Will Now Depart from Gate 6A3.

"6A3" in the post title is actually not just random numbers with a letter. It is actually this post number (#1693) in hexadecimal form. Why you would actually use hexadecimal numbers is beyond me, though.

Okay, here are the strips:

Sunday's is actually what my dad did once to my brother. I added in the last panel, though.

Also, here are the Double Post strips we've done so far:

Psshhhh! The Double-Post!
Another Double-Post
Yet Another Double-Post
Here's Another Double-Post
Double Post...Again Again
Here At I.W.M.A., We Commonly Create Double-Posts.
I'll Take the Late-Double Post Combo, Please.
Who Ordered the Double Post?
I've Got Another Double Post, Ready For Bids! Any Takers?
There Has Been a Flight Change; This Double Post Will Now Depart from Gate 6A3.

Why Does That Happen So Much?!

I drew this strip literally three hours before it was posted today.

Expired Milk

This strip is based off of a real thing one of my friends said (we weren't playing kickball, though; we were playing dodge-stuffed-animal). As Jim Davis once said, "you can't make up this stuff!"

There Goes the Trick

This was originally coupled with a different strip, but I decided I'd put it here to fill the gap I had today.

Ophelia's A Winner

Cool Ol' David

The book they're reading is called "Coolness." Originally Moe was going to say his line in the last panel, but for some reason, I figured it would be better if he thought it.

DodgeBall

"Weirded out" in the last panel is a reference to the Homestar Runner cartoon "Teen Girl Squad Issue 4."

Moe's dialogue was originally a little bit different. In the first panel he said, "We are." But I thought that this would counter his later line "so instead we're going to play...", so I changed it to "Yeah." Also, his first word in the second panel was "unfortunately." I can't remember why I changed it to "but."

Where Is Candy, Where Is Candy...

I made this post with the newer Blogger interface. I must say, it's interesting.

The original strip didn't have the second panel in the bottom row. I added it to add to the slowness of his hiding.

His Tail is Deceptively Huge!

I don't know why I chose 473 as the number of urchins. It just seemed right.

One of my idea sketches for this strip was to actually see the urchins in his tail, with Nemo's face coming into the compartment. But then I thought that would ruin the suspense, kind of like the interior of Snoopy's doghouse, so I changed it back to this.

Digital'd!

In case you're wondering where a white-out is, look at the pointer of my talk bubble in the last panel.

"Digital'd!" is a reference to the Homestar Runner running gag "-'d".

Are You Even Listening?

I was just thinking that it's pretty interesting that, throughout the almost five and a half years of doing this blog, and the almost 1700 posts, I have never used identical titles; each title is unique.

I'll Get You Next Time; Mark My Words!!

This is the first time I actually drew Gwendolyn's division line. I specifically said "division line" because, in past strips, we have seen her back; but never have we actually seen the division between skin and scales.

Caw Caw

Several of those stuffed animals in the third panel are some of the stuffed animals either I or one of my siblings owns. Also, to make it look more like Angry Birds, I put a crown on the whale.

Yeah, Why DIDN'T You?

This strip was based off of a FoxTrot strip I remember reading, but the ending was based on one of my own thoughts.

You're Not Carrying Handcuffs, Are You?

NEVER Again

The thing he's holding in the middle panel is a TV remote control. I wasn't sure at first if I should put it in, but then I figured, since Labor Week was ending, he shouldn't just be lying there doing nothing. He should be lying there doing something. (Watching TV counts as doing something, right?)

Also, happy 9/10/11!

If Only He Were This Cooperative In The Other Strips

Too Much Work

I thought it would be too much work to actually scramble a cube just for this strip, so I just copied a scrambled cube from the cover of a Rubik's Cube book.

Yippee

Boring Insanity

You Set Me Up! YOU SET ME UP!!

This Is Gonna Be A Long Week

The title is a repeated title of This Is Gonna Be A Long Drive.

I really have no idea where the idea for a Labor WEEK came from.

Ouch...That Must've Stung

The title is a repeated title of Ouch...That Must've Hurt.

Another punch line idea for this strip that someone had stuck an ice cube in the seaweed. But I thought this was funnier, so I did this instead.

Right Back At You!

Off With Its Head!

This happened to me once when I was sharpening a colored pencil.