UPDATING OCCASIONALLY (FOR NOW)

9 thoughts on “558 – Cotton Clad Calamity”

  1. Raznaak

    Yup, he’s a bastard XD

  2. Dr. Norman (not a real doctor)

    Are those pajamas available in XXXL in the gift shop?

  3. Otaku

    It’s been a while, so let me ask: Did we get a reason for him to WANT Susie dead? Not to backseat, but if we didn’t, I’m worried were about to move into “Stupid Evil” territory. Now, stupid happens, don’t get me wrong. It’s not bad storytelling for that to be the case here.

    You’ve just done a good job NOT having that be a driving factor, so the “Kill off the stars of my successful reality TV show.” seems shortsighted, otherwise. Oh, I guess I could be mistaken about the in-story reality TV show’s success. Like, if the company behind them is losing money, or they think a change in management at the ranch would make the whole thing more popular/profitable, then I can see the above scenario happening as well.

    I REALLY think I’m just forgetting something important, but that I don’t have time to deep dive to remind me of, hence the comment. >_<

    1. Deoxy

      It certainly has been stretched out over quite a while, but there have definitely been hints from quite near the beginning that whoever is running the reality TV show definitely wants her dead.

      But I certainly don’t recall any reason why.

      1. Clint

        Yeah it’s fair to not remember since it’s been a hot minute (many, many minutes) but if you feel like a refresher the most relevant bits would be the beginning of Episode 8 and the end of Episode 15. We haven’t explicitly spelled out exactly what The Exec means by his “side hustle” or who was on the other end of that phone call, though.

        I’m hoping that when the whole thing is eventually available it will make sense, or at least enough sense to have hung this narrative on.

        1. Otaku

          Thanks for the replies, Deoxy and Clint. Yeah, I’d totally forgotten about those things. Good to know!

  4. Evervigilant

    Seems about time for the two people who aren’t there to make a surprise entrance as the ace Susie didn’t even know she had.

  5. Scarsdale

    There’s still 3-5 people on her side that might be planning something. This guy is a megalomaniac with a god complex, so letting him think he’s the sharpest tool in the shed sets him up for a fall. Everything depends on those cameras, and I suspect their little stop over by the charging coffins had something to do with her actual plan, not the one the a-hole thinks it is.

  6. lyra

    Really enjoyed the opening of Zombie Ranch. I like the combination of the western setting with the zombie concept, it gives the story a really distinctive atmosphere. I’m a freelance illustrator and animator, and I’d be interested in seeing how some of these scenes could translate into motion, especially as a short animated teaser or character scene.

    If you’re ever interested in something like that, you can reach me here:

    IG: eve_verse_
    Email: [contact.lilaclines@gmail.com](mailto:contact.lilaclines@gmail.com)
    Discord: Lyralilac_

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558 – Cotton Clad Calamity
Posted on August 26, 2026 by Dawn

What would you call this? Armchair assassination? Merk-from-home?

Well, Suzie ain't dead (or undead) quite yet, so we'll just have to see if his gloating is justifiable.

The changing face of comics

Posted on May 7, 2014 by Clint

 

What’s the  image that first comes to mind when you think “comic book fan”? Is it something approximating this guy?

The_Simpsons-Jeff_Albertson

That’s pretty much the stereotype, isn’t it? Some fat balding white guy (technically yellow here but you know what I mean) in their late 30s or beyond, probably still dwelling in their parents’ basement. Do people still buy into that image? Well, there’s that infamous anecdote from Paul Pope regarding DC editorial, where they as much as told him they weren’t interested in any comics that wouldn’t appeal to 45 year olds. “Straight white male 45 year olds” was not specifically mentioned, although possibly because all those attributes are just assumed. The offerings of DC’s New 52 era by and large seem to back up that demographic assumption, even though the reboot was (very ironically) touted as being something to attract new fans. How else to explain what they did with Starfire, who with the Teen Titans animated series could have served as a gateway drug for an entire generation of girls? Yes, historically speaking Starfire in the comics showed skin and liked her some sex, but given how comic characters mysteriously morph to resemble their cinematic versions in the wake of a successful movie, a reboot would have been a perfect time to change things up. Give those girls (and women) the continuing adventures of the character they fell in love with and it’s basically a license to print money, right? But present them with dull, stripperific sex dolls, and… well, suddenly it doesn’t seem too welcoming to anyone but those middle-aged men.

Which is funny, because as a fat straight white man who just turned 40, I didn’t find it too welcoming either. I couldn’t understand the thinking, but then, I’m not a professional marketing strategist. I don’t get out to my local comic book store all that much. If the only real paying audience for comics is 45 year olds, then I guess that’s the end of the story, even though it seems like a market that’s going to, forgive the phrase, die out eventually. That’s a depressing thought, isn’t it? All these superheroes we love disappearing as the industry collapses because there just aren’t any more customers?

But here’s the thing. Dawn and I were guests this past weekend at Player’s Dugout Comics & Cards in Riverside, California for Free Comic Book Day, and despite its name, from my observations over the years FCBD tends to see a lot of people spending money on comics as well as picking up the freebies on offer. This outing was no different.

You know what else I observed? Families. Women. Children, including (gasp) girl children! Caucasians weren’t even close to being in the majority, either. Now sure, maybe out in the rural midwest you’re not going to see so many fans of color, but according to the stereotype demographic this shouldn’t be happening at all. And yes, some of the little girls wanted sketches of Hello Kitty! or a Disney Princess, but others wanted Supergirl, thankyouverymuch. I believe there actually was a Hello Kitty! comic available amongst the FCBD offerings, and more power to that because comics aren’t all about superheroes. Hell, as a kid I started out on Archie digests long before I stumbled across the X-Men.

I looked at that excited crowd of all ages and races and genders packing a comic book store, and it gave me hope that comics does indeed have a future. If we’re just willing to acknowledge it.