Lights Out!
Fun with Panels
I tried another playing with panels sequence. Hopefully it makes sense without explanation. The intent was to show Spike’s fading vision of what appears to be…. the legendary Goat Man? Stay tuned to see!
Fun with Folklore
The Goat Man storyline came from my fascination with folklore. It is so relevant in the Information Age to look at stories to try to critically think the truth (or truths) out of them. What are the elements of (for example) a ghost story that make a story memorable? Have you ever noticed that many ghost stories pivot around parts of history that society would prefer you not forget? Just as nature abhors a vacuum, the human mind hates not knowing, and will supply answers, sometimes fantastical, that admitting there are somethings that we just do not know. Maybe the unscientific explanations serve as a bookmark to Things That Have Explanations That We Haven’t Figured Out Yet. It gives me comfort when I reminded that we as a human race do not know everything. It takes the pressure off my vast ignorance.
Spike and Norville
Whenever Spike and Norville disagree, the dialogue pulls heavily on conversations I had with my brother when growing up.
The OG
ComicsOnline.com posted the first draft of this comic strip, all ink and pencil colors, on April 11, 2022. I added a box to the black out sequence, but otherwise kept to the first edition in composition. With the latest version, I accidently closed both Spike’s eyes in the first panel. I went back and fixed it so the rest of the panels came closer to making sense.
Want more Critters?
You, too, could join the #crittertribe! Follow on Instagram (@joe.iconic) or TikTok (@notesfortracy) for more Critters! For Critter Stickers and Gear, go to Redbubble and look for the JoeIconic store. All proceeds (about $17 so far!) go to buying stickers and making coloring pages for the children who come through our local crisis charity. Also, fans take the stickers and send in pictures of Critter Sightings from London to Amsterdam to Rome and Carolina Wings in Lexington, South Carolina! Critter Sightings are usually posted on social media on the weekends. This “Director’s Cut” of the cartoons is exclusively on ComicsOnline.com! Come back to ComicsOnline for Critters, Comic Book Reviews, and Everything Geek Pop Culture!
