Hmmm, I wonder if Sedona has stopped by again to check on her brother. I wonder if they have any "reloads" for when Sandusky comes in the house. Sandusky is going to want a nap and everyone else is going to want to welcome him home.

Another random thought. How good is Sierra at video games? I just realized this. She seemed to really have her "game face" on in strips #347 and #348. So my guess is, "quite a bit better than Bunker".

I wonder if Scott will put a decoy Sandusky out in the enclosure in case the ALF comes back again. I'm sure Sandusky would LOVE to say thanks to those guys for his whole trip.

I could understand Sandusky wanting to relax for a while after all this excitement and just go back to doing random things again

Oops, looks like Scott forgot some important details.

Yesterdays comic (#434) reminds me of how humor is allot like cooking. A really good cook can take mediocre ingredients and make something absolutely delicious.

Looking at the comic in it's parts, there really isn't anything funny. Just a filler piece. Scott is tired, Kashmir wants to hear about Sandusky's "adventure", there is still a hole in the fence.

Mix all the parts together and do it with the right presentation and you get strips like this where I'm laughing and I don't know why. I've been trying to figure out why it is funny for the last day and a half now, but I can't. I look at the parts by themselves, but find nothing funny. I don't know why I'm enjoying it, but I am. Moreso than the elaborate scenarios and stories that I come up with.

I think it once again demonstrates why I and many others like webcomics so much. (Sandusky and Freefall being my current favorites.) The big blockbuster movies and TV shows have the budget for the top notch ingredients, but they don't know how to mix them together into something that tastes good. They can mix it into something that LOOKS good, but the "taste" is often mediocre.

Like a bag of jelly beans that has some really crappy flavors that you pick out and give to someone who actually likes them. They try to include something for everyone and in the end please very few. Like the version of "Pearl Harbor" that I made on my computer where I cut out all the romance and filler scenes and kept the parts where the suspense is high and things are happening and/or blowing up. Makes for a much better and shorter action movie IMHO, but someone who is into romance would probably be completely disinterested in it.

With webcomis, you have to work with what you have and a big budget isn't one of those things. You aren't saddled with the expectations of pleasing everyone, you're just trying to get some sort of an audience, so you can afford to specialize. Instead of having something bland that most people will think is OK, you can have something that a good portion of people will completely dislike, but another good portion will absolutely love. If it "tastes" good enough, most people will be forgiving on how it looks.

Of course as time goes on, the cooks "cooking" will look better AND taste good. John's drawing and Howard Tayler's drawing (Schlock Mercenary) are good examples. The "look" was "meh" in the beginning, but the "taste" was superb. Over time the "look" improved to match the "taste".

From what I can see, it's not talent, though that can help, but skill as we can see a definite growth and improvement over time. Talent has a limit, but skill does not. They can augment each other, but most of the time skill beats out talent over the long run.

I have no idea where I'm going with this pointless rambling. I just felt like writing this all down. I normally try to foresee where John is going with things, but right now I can't stop trying to figure out why I find this comic so funny. Hopefully tomorrows comic will snap me out of it.

The Comic Genesis updater is not working right now, so the main page update is still in the queue.  I'm not sure how long it's going to take to fix, so I'm uploading the strip here for your viewing pleasure.

I think Cesar Millan will have his hands full with Dickens!  I wonder what the solution would be?  I see they didnt mention what kind of cat Dickens kidnapped!

Whats wrong with laser pointers?  I love trying to catch the illusive laser pointer!

*twitch* Lasers!

Thanks John, you broke my "why is this funny" mentla loop I was in.

Dickens is SOOOOOOO cute when he is angry.....Which makes him more angry.....Which makes him cuter......Which gets him angrier....etc. Hmmm, if cuteness could be used as a fuel source we might have solved our energy crisis using a self sustained cuteness reaction.

Two things could happen now. This would be a perfect spot to end this story OR we might get to see Sandusky on TV.

I have this to say say about the "punishment" for Dickens:


Brilliant!!!

We will see on Friday what your plans are. New story or Sandusky on TV? (Or something in between.) I can just see the camera guy getting some funny closeups of Sandusky asleep. Sandusky accidentally takes out Cesar Millan with his tetherball. Sandusky mistakes one of the mini-mics for a whopper. A whole room full of possibilities. Who knows.

Quote :

Whats wrong with laser pointers?  I love trying to catch the illusive laser pointer!

The problem I have seen is that sometimes the cat/dog/whatever gets REALLY hyper and goes bonkers trying to get the laser. This can result in claw marks on the walls and other property damage. They stay hyper and searching to try and find "where the dot went" long after the pointer is turned off.

As for the update problem. Do what Doc Nickel from "The Whiteboard" is doing. Blame it on the Metric system.

Awwwwwwww, happy endings for everyone. Sandusky is obviously putting WAY too much thought into things in the last panel. He is so hopelessly confused it's adorable.

If the rancher is such a bad shot I suppose it would be cheaper to cure the BC than to try and keep shooting at him.

Great... more cubs... what happened to the LAST ones? I've got my paws full with just one!

do I read " the and" at the and of today's strip?

You must be kinding john

it s the end of the current story line .. plz say yes!

Sandusky is one of the only 3 webcomic I read

Quote :

do I read " the and" at the and of today's strip? You must be kinding john   it s the end of the current story line .. plz say yes! Sandusky is one of the only 3 webcomic I read

Nothing to worry about.  It's just the end of the Rocky Mountain storyline.

There will, however, be some major changes come Monday.

Ive been wondering, how long was this storyline? (# of comics, timespan within the comic, and timespan outside of the comic)

Oh so is the cougar in the story the one that licked duskers or is she sedona?

I imagine that the female with the kittens is the Colorado fem, as she probably mated with the blind male some time after Sandusky left.
 As for future drama storylines, I'd like to see Sandusky meet his father, or perhaps we could see his sister's mate 'Le Puma' having some adventures with the border patrol or even better yet, those 'Minutemen' idiots. :P  I still see 'Le Puma' as being voiced by Antonio Banderas. Le Puma would likely decide that the border 'wall' is just an annoyance to cougars.  Or, perhaps another wandering 'haguar' might enter the picture (as long as this one has a better fate than Macho 6)  

--Last edited by Wotan on 2009-05-09 07:08:00 --

Quote :

There will, however, be some major changes come Monday.

Oh no, you mean Bunker will learn how to play FPS games without freaking out?
Bunker and Sandusky go on a Mario Kart/Burnout videogame spree?
The world runs out of whoppers?
Sandusky finds more catnip and gets lost in the attic?
Bunker has to have surgery and wear a head cone for a few weeks?
A burglar breaks into the house and Sandusky sits on them while the cops come?
Scott drops the SUV off for maintenance and didn't realize that Sandusky was sleeping in the back?
Scott has to leave on a business trip, leaving Sandusky and Bunker in Ashley's care?
We find out about the railroad bridge incident? (Please don't I love leaving that to my imagination.)
You start updating the comic daily?
You make the site flash based? (Boooo, hisss)
You start drawing the comic in MS paint?
Sandusky and/or Bunker gets into a burr patch and comes out cuvered in burrs?

I guess only time will tell.  

--Last edited by Crosshair on 2009-05-09 08:53:18 --

Alright, I haven't written anything here for awhile, just been lurking.

Got to say that Dickens' fate came as a real surprise, at least to me, and maybe it was also a little less harsh than what I imagined.   Then again, Sandusky is supposed to be a cheery comic, so any harsh fates would not really have fit anyhow. But, at least it looks like the fates of BC and FC went pretty much like it was speculated here - not that speculations weren't rife.

However, Scott's comment makes me think that we might not have seen the last of Dickens yet... the likes of him are more likely to fool people who try to 'cure' them, methinks. Besides, why waste a good villain?  

I seriously wonder what'll happen next - so many possibilities, and besides, I love to see some feline females join the permanent cast.