Kings of Jing-a-ling

     Nothing quite says Christmas like the classic Rankin/Bass specials. Last year, I drew just a few of the characters and this year I decided to go all in.

Half the Battle

     There comes a time in a person's life when they asks themselves, "Who are my favorite G.I. Joe characters?" Then they draw those characters as adorable penguins.

That last bit is just a thing I do. It doesn't necessarily apply to everyone.

ReBoot (1994 - 2001)

     I noticed that there’s a new series on Hulu titled Reboot. As far as I know, this show has nothing to do with the original ReBoot but nevertheless, my mind instantly defaults to Saturday morning cartoons. So, with that, we have another installment of the Saturday Morning Kablama Slam! 

     Oh… and the fact that we now live in a world where the term ‘original reboot’ is an actual thing feels weird to me.

   

The Premise: Set within a computer, a guardian named Bob protects the city of Mainframe by fighting in games or fending off viruses such as the sinister Megabyte. 

     ReBoot was created by a Canadian company called Mainframe Entertainment (Hey! Mainframe! Just like the show!) It ran in Canada on YTV and in America on ABC, and will go down in history as one of the first EVER computer animated television shows! You may notice that the show ran for seven years, which is a little misleading. The series actually only consists of 4 seasons. After its first season, the Walt Disney Company bought ABC and subsequently canceled the show. Maybe they were clearing room for Pixar to make its way around the bend. I dunno. 

     It continued to run for a second season in Canada and was… REBOOTED in 1997 for a slightly grittier third season. Finally, in 2001, ReBoot was REBOOTED yet again for a fourth and final season in the form of two direct-to-DVD movies. Boy, they sure got a lot of mileage out of that title! 

     ReBoot, for me, tapped into that love I had for Captain N: The Game Master and this whole pre-Wreck-It Ralph concept of people living inside video games. The other allure, of course, was the computer animation. As I understand it, the show’s creators had been developing the show for 10 years prior to it actually airing, just waiting for the technology to catch up with their vision. It’s cutting edge stuff and, in my opinion, they don’t get near enough credit for what was accomplished! I mean, this was the first computer-animated TV-series and no one ever really talks about it! The only time I ever hear it referenced is in comparison to CGI that’s pretty bad by today’s standards. 

- Ha ha! That looks like ReBoot! Remember THAT show?

- I absolutely remember that show! That show was ahead of its time! Is that what you’re saying? That this pharmaceutical ad is ahead of its time?!? 

- I’m sorry… I wasn’t talking to y... 

- Because that would certainly be a hot take if that is what you’re implying, and one that I’d be inclined to argue with considering it’s an ad that only utilizes the bare minimum of technology available today and is void of all personality as opposed to the adventures of the stalwart Bob the Guardian which was, in fact, ripe with it!

- Dude! This is a Wendy’s!

Kablama Slam! Fun Fact: I just found out that ReBoot was rebooted yet AGAIN in 2018! 

Shut up, already!

Mickey's Boo To Oogie Not So Boogie Bashtacular!!

     Disney parks raised ticket prices, did away with free Fastpasses, got rid of Magical Express, Dining Plans, AND canceled the construction on that cool two-story thing in Epcot! 

But hey! The characters in the parks match the ones on all the merch, and I see that as a win.

Happy Halloween?

The Star Wars Afternoon presents... BATINE & PRINCESS WYNDLYN GALE

     The concept of swimming in a giant money bin doesn't really fit into the Star Wars universe,  so I decided to instead have Scrooge's counterpart's one love be a small, but prosperous, moon called Bindo. And since Scrooge's favorite color is probably gold, I gave the people of Bindo gold skin, as you can see here with Mrs. Beakley and Webby's counterparts.

Batine and Princess Wyndlyn Gale

Batine is the chief handmaiden and loyal bodyguard of Princess Wyndlyn Gale, heir to the throne of Bindo. During the attempted occupation of Bindo in 35ABY, tragedy struck the royal household. Though the First Order was ultimately driven from the paradise moon, the young king and queen were killed in the skirmish, leaving none but their infant daughter Wyndlyn to assume the throne. Until the young princess is of proper age, Baron Ansil Maddoc, one of the few outsiders welcome on Bindo, has been tasked as the small moon’s steward and protector. 

Although Batine and the baron may clash from time to time, they both have Wyndlyn’s best interests at heart and do their best to make sure the kindhearted princess grows into the wise and powerful queen that the people of Bindo need.

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The Star Wars Afternoon presents... CHOLIE PADLAP

My idea here was simply Launchpad... but as a gungan. 

Cholie Padlap

Very few gungans are capable star pilots, and Cholie Padlap is definitely not among them. But if there’s a high level of risk, and a low level of expenditure, then there’s no one better suited for the job! 

Always on the lookout for a bargain, it was Cholie’s nominal fee that first drew the attention of Baron Ansil Maddoc. The baron originally hired Cholie to deliver supplies to his estate on Bindo. Complications arose when a band of marauders attempted to hijack the shipment, however the gungan pilot managed to scrape his way through with the cargo mostly intact! What Maddoc admired most about Cholie though was his unwavering courage and ability to see the job through to the end; something that, in a galaxy of scoundrels and reprobates, is difficult to come by. Despite his reputation for calamity, Cholie was soon hired as Maddoc’s personal courier, and it’s a position that the gungan has never taken for granted.

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The Star Wars Afternoon presents... DV-40

I thought I'd keep this one short. Based on Scrooge's butler, Duckworth, ...here's Deev!

DV-40

DV-40, also known as Deev, is the chief protocol droid and personal operations manager for Baron Ansil Maddoc. Most protocol droids tend to stand on ceremony, operating with an over-abundant sense of pleasantry and decorum. Deev, however, does not. Curt and forthright, he manages the day-to-day operations with brutal honesty. Although this may irk Maddoc on rare occasions, the baron prefers Deev exactly as he is and never questions the droid’s devotion.

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The Star Wars Afternoon presents... BARON ANSIL MADDOC

     I'm back with more of what I'm calling, The Star Wars Afternoon! I'm shifting into DuckTales mode for the next few posts, starting with a character inspired by the famous Scrooge McDuck! Scrooge has always been my favorite Disney character, so naturally this entire fan-fiction universe of mine will revolve around his counterpart in some capacity.

And just for giggles, I thought it'd be fun to make this human interpretation resemble Ebenezer Scrooge. You see what I did there?

Baron Ansil Maddoc

The wealthy elitists of the Corporate Sector often hail from somewhat pompous upbringings, but not the Baron of Bindo, Ansil Maddoc! Raised on a quaint farm on the agriworld of Lazgo, Ansil has always known the value of honest work. As a boy, young Ansil once shined the boots of a deep space pilot, for which he was paid with a single ingot of Republic credit. When Ansil later found out that Republic credits were worthless on Lazgo, he was furious. He vowed then and there to always keep his guard up as to never be outsmarted by others, no matter how trustworthy they may seem. It’s a somewhat callous philosophy, but one that’s served him well. 

Ansil left his homeworld at a young age in pursuit of fortune and adventure. After a series of unsuccessful endeavors on every freighter, shipyard and spaceport from Boz Pity to Black Spire, the exhausted Maddoc eventually turned a handsome profit mining coaxium on the desolate planet of Lonkada III. Through shrewd thinking and pure grit, Ansil quickly transformed that small mine into a lucrative venture, and thus Maddoc Industries was born. Over time, his company grew even more, eventually expanding into a number of other fields such as ship building and cargo transport, and making Maddoc one of the wealthiest barons in the galaxy. 

As fond as he is of his acquired wealth, Ansil’s true love is and will always be Bindo: a small moon on the furthest edge of the Outer Rim virtually untouched by civilization. This peaceful world’s vast resources and kind inhabitants hold a special place in the baron’s heart and he’s fought hard to protect it from invading forces on several occasions. It is in this paradise, among these people, that Ansil Maddoc has permanently taken up residence, managing his ever-growing wealth while clinging to the philosophies of his modest youth; believing that anyone, if they work smart and stay tough, can find success.

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Engage

Happy Star Trek Day! 

     I'll be celebrating by doing the same thing I do on just regular days: watching random episodes of TNG and DS9 out of order while thinking to myself, "What does raktajino taste like? Actual coffee is vile. Would Klingon coffee be more vile? Or is it more like an opposite kind of thing and actually pleasing to the palate? Also... if Montgomery Scott, or Ambassador Spock, ran into Lwaxana Troi... would they mistake her for Nurse Chapel? Did Spock mistake Nurse Chapel for Number One?? I think I'd enjoy sleeping in a bucket."