the science project #1

it's funny to go back and look at early SP episodes (this one having been done in early 2007) knowing where the strip is now. so, let me start at the beginning so you can understand...

the original idea for the science project was that it was going to be a "dilbert" for service industry people. working in a bar, you hear people griping about things on both sides of the wood. having the perspective of the bartender, i thought an outlet like this would be great. however, it quickly became very inside jokey and i realized that, if this was going to be successful at all, i couldn't take it in the direction i had initially wanted because i was going to alienate most of my potential audience telling them how they sucked in a number of ways. SP#1 is a perfect example of this.

living in chicago, the idea for this specific episode was how most non-wrigleyville (maybe even some wrigleyville) bartenders hate cubs fans and frat guys. they're loud, obnoxious, lousy drunks, and really exp;ain the need for our "adult babysitter" role. that being said, most bartenders like the ones i described above (sometimes secretly, sometimes not so secretly) fantasize about these types of customers spontaneously combusting (or something along those lines). so, i took that idea and ran with it.

the main character in this one is "bob" (a not-s- clever alias, considering he looks exactly like the guy he was modeled after). the cubs fan guys he's talking to were drawn to look as generic as possible, while keeping the accents that help define them as this type of customer.

i don't think i need to explain what's happening, but i will. for some reason, some bar patrons (at least one's that i've found) don't listen. when you tell them you're out of something, or you don't carry something, they sometimes keep asking anyway. in this episode, the main cubs fan is doing just that: asking for a beer the bar doesn't carry. the bartender explains just this, and it escalates to where "bob" gets mad and uses his "scanners" power and makes the main cubs fan's head explode. "bob" asks them again what they'd like, and one of the cubs fans was already out the door, as to not end up like his friend. i still think it's funny. but like i said, it's a fantasy.

if i had to change something specific, it would be to make the tiny panels in the middle (the ones that zoom toward "bob's" and the cubs fan's eyes) move in rows vs in columns. it just made it awkward.

there was an alternate idea for this episode. "bob" was going to uppercut the cubs fan's head off in a very flashy japanime style move instead of using mental telepathy. the other way would have been funny too. maybe i'll still use that somewhere.

anyway, this is where it all started. *sigh of nostalgia*...