Episode 32
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Hey, isn’t that the guy from that thing? Why, yes. Yes it
is. That’s Patrolman Kelton as played by actor Paul Marco, who appeared in Ed
Wood’s “Bride of the Monster,” “Night of the Ghouls,” and, best of all, ‘Plan 9
from Outer Space,” his finest performance. It seemed fitting for Officer Kelton
to join Marge in her quest for aliens, for reasons that will become obvious
later. Marco died in 2006. To learn more visit his website at: http://www.winvisual.com/marco/index.html
Episode 31
Episode 30
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At last, the Men In Black have arrived! But these MIBs, unlike the ones in the popular films, are not here to help. In fact, they are not quite human! Certainly, they are from no government agency on this planet. Most of the literature dealing with this phenomenon suggests that these mysterious creatures as closely related to the UFOs that they are “investigating.” They are often described as having a strange appearance, wearing clothes and driving cars that are out of date, yet in pristine condition. They sometimes have difficulty speaking or breathing. Some sound as if the words they say are only memorized and are foreign to them. Some reports mention that they do not move their lips but their robotic-like voices are heard telepathically. Simple concepts are unknown to them, and they generally act strange. They come and go quickly, leaving no trace.That describes these MIBs. The poor dopes don’t realize what they are up against, never having threatened a cranky old zombie before. Join us next time and see who intimidates who.
Episode 29
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Now it’s a party! The Grays have arrived, let the fun begin.These little creatures have been popping up for decades. They were first described in literature by H.G. Wells in his 1901 book The First Men in the Moon. They were frequently portrayed throughout the 1930s in science fiction pulp magazines, like Amazing Stories. But by the early 1950s, they were closely associated with UFO-related phenomenon. Stories of the Roswell crash include claims that small pilots were recovered in the wreckage.
Many cases of alien abduction include these greys carrying out the tasks of experimenting on helpless victims. As if they were not already ingrained into pop culture, they got a boost in popularity in 1987 in the book, Communion by Whitley Strieber, who claimed repeated visitations from them.
Extraterrestrial anal probers or mass hallucinations? Whatever these strange creatures may be, it seems likely that they have had many disguises down through recorded history. Could this same phenomenon be responsible for stories of angels, demons, fairies and leprechauns? Could be! Could be!
Episode 28
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One of the common elements of the alien abduction encounters is the trip in the space ship to other worlds. It was first suggested in the 1930s in the science fiction pulp stories. Then abruptly in 1946 the fiction became real when George Adamski began seeing flying craft regularly in and around his home at the Palomar Mountain area. George was an unremarkable Polish immigrant who settled in California and an avid reader of pulp magazines.On November 20, 1952, Adamski claimed he was given a ride in a flying saucer by a friendly Venusian named Orthon. He wrote about his voyages in many books. He was never deterred by those who insisted he was a fraud. Until his death in 1965, George made a successful career lecturing about the experiences.
Since we are touching on all facets of the UFO phenomenon, it’s only fair that Marge gets a lift in an alien craft. For a zombie, she gets around. Next week, Marge has a close encounter of her own. Will there be any probing involved? Join us and see!
Episode 27
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Though less well known to the general public, holes in the ice are a phenomenon closely linked to UFO appearances. Like crop circles, large perfectly round holes in the ice have appeared in areas of unexplained activity.Fortean author Ivan T. Sanderson made the connection between UFOs and bodies of water in his book “Invisible Residents” in 1970. While others were watching the skies for signs of the unknown lights, Sanderson speculated that their point of origin was below the oceans. He saw the strange craft as a terrestrial phenomenon and tied it to the appearances of elusive monsters like the Loch Ness monster and other strange lake creatures.
This seemed like a dramatic entrance for Marge’s first encounter with these unknown forces. I also wanted this flashback to be a different style than the rest of the story and chose to render it entirely in Adobe Illustrator, without ink lines and in a blue monochrome. Her tale continues next week.
Episode 26
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Boy! Compared to last week, was this strip ever hard work. But loads of fun. I don’t think there’s been a Zombie Marge episode with as many different characters on one page.From the beginning, I’ve dropped hints that Purgatory Park, and Tanglefoot Cenetery in particular, were special locations that just invited the paranormal to come on in and make itself at home. Strange things are always happening there. That’s why Marge is so comfortable in the town. Suddenly all that paranormal activity has taken the form of unusual lights in the sky and all the related phenomenon. The locals have gathered at the pub to swap stories of the latest odd events, in this case, the UFO sightings and extraterrestrial visitations. Everybody is trying to one-up the others. It seems like the whole town has had some sort of unexplainable experience or another. But Zombie Marge has them all beat. With a little luck, this story will try to get around to answering all of these various mysteries. Except maybe how to make a proper Manhattan. The truth is out there!
Episode 25
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Oh boy! This new format is liberating. I'm moving at such speeds that I'm seven strips ahead already. At this rate I should be able to post once a week, at least until I slow down.So join us next time as the town is buzzing about all the strange events. Even Marge has a story to tell.
Episode 24
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Buckle up! Here we go! The first thing you’ll notice is that I redesigned the
format of the strip. While I liked the looks of the Sunday comic page-style I
was using, it was a great deal of extra work to restack it for a comic book
page. It was also very restrictive to write and draw as well. This opens up new
possibilities of layout and storytelling. Look for more innovative narrative as
this tale goes on.
A couple of weeks ago, I admitted to not having an ending
for the Hawking story when I began posting it. That is not the case this time
out. I’ve plotted this little epic completely from start to finish. Which is
not to say that there isn’t some room to improvise in the middle. We will see.
The story will last most of this year. I intend to give it
the space it deserves to play out. Everything will change by the end. Enjoy the
ride!
Happy Ides of Marge!
Join us next week for the first episode as Marge Madness
continues.
Episode 23
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And here we are, at last, at the final episode of this storyline, as we quickly approach the one-year anniversary of the strip. I want to thank my faithful readers who've stuck it out. It's been a fun year, full of ups and downs. I have big plans for the next series of stories, but with this episode, I wanted to bring everything back to the status quo. Valuable lessons are learned and the after life returns to what Zombie Marge calls normal. But her version of normal won't last for long.Stop by on March 15th to celebrate the Ides of Marge and get a little peek at the new adventure.
Episode 22
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It seems like the strip is settling back into a regular schedule as my arm continues to heal. This story line is winding down and a new adventure begins on March 15th.
For those of you who like to see behind the curtain (you know who you are), I will admit that I had no idea how this story was going to end when I started it. It's a terribly unfocused way to work, but it produces some surprising results often. But back in September I attended an Ad Club luncheon where we viewed award-winning work from around the world. Included in the commercials and campaigns was a documentary on the making of the Tupac hologram at the Coachella festival. It was a tailor-made solution to my Hawking problem. Marge wouldn't have to actually eat Stephen's brain after all.
Episode 21
Happy New Year!
Sneak peek 2013
First up is Midnite Matinee Comics #1. I've been working on this project off and on for the last couple of years and it's finally finished. The idea was to recreate the Saturday afternoon movie experience of yesterday. The book takes films from the public domain and rewrites them for satire in a photo funnies style. It begins with a super violent Rickey Rodent cartoon, a government propaganda film, "Hemp For Victory," and a chapter of a movie serial, "Bolt Uprite & The Crossdressers from Space." The feature presentation is "Island of Lost Gorillas," a bromantic comedy/action/horror/ musical adventure starring the comedy duo Wanker & Goombah as a pair of familiar looking lounge singers stranded on a mysterious LOST island with danger at every turn. I will be posting links for ordering and preview pages soon.
SHAM Comics #3 is nearing final edits and should go to press within a couple of weeks. This time out, it's an anthology issue featuring "Skunky McGee" the smelliest private eye ever. Several short horror and sci-fi tales are included, such as "The Girl of my Screams," "Hilda Hogthrottle's Haunted Honeymoon," and "The Planet of the Pooches." The issue also features the epic story of "Conad the Aryan Barbarian" as he goosesteps across the ancient world. Rounding out the issue are some new ads for old products, like the Gahoon, government surplus Body Bags, the Buck Wilde Bully-in-a-Minute Method and live animals through the mail. Watch the blog for more news on this one.
Finally, production is nearly complete on "Zombie Marge Comix & Stories." All the strips from the past year have been reformatted into a comic book with other new features like zombie-related ads, pin-ups, interviews and behind-the -scenes stuff. I will be posting more on this comic as it nears publication.
This looks like a pretty good year!
Episode 20
Episode 19
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It’s been over a month since the last Zombie Marge comic went up, so I guess I owe her loyal readers an explanation. I’ve tried to stick to a bi-weekly schedule for the strip, and for the most part have managed that. But a month or so ago the arthritis in my shoulders, that I had learned to tolerate, moved suddenly and dramatically down into my right arm. This made drawing painful, if not impossible. But I worked on this episode in little bits and pieces when I could, while I sought some help. I’m on the mend, not quite back to normal, but having longer and longer periods of drawing time each day. I'm nearly back up to speed and should have the next one up within two weeks. I've missed posting. It's good to have this one finished at last.
How To Go To The Doctor-part 3
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