Home on the Strange: It's Good To Be Thin King

109d It's Good To Be Thin King

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The Script For Today's Comic!

IT’S GOOD TO BE THIN KING

Scene:
Tanner in his ratty little apartment again, depressed for reasons that will shortly be explained. He is staring at the wall, hunched over, desperate. There is a bottle of booze next to him, but it’s obviously untouched and/or full.

There is a knock at the door. He gets up, reluctantly, to open it.

Karla breezes in, holding a large tureen and a shopping bag.

TANNER: Karla, I –

KARLA: Don’t feel like going out, I know. Amy just dumped you again, and you feel that nobody in the world loves you.

TANNER: Karla, I –

KARLA (bustling about, straightening things off, very much playing Mary Poppins): Don’t want to talk about it, I know. Otherwise, you would have called Tom. But you never eat well when you’re down - so here’s a pot of home-made chicken soup, and here’s Tom’s Planet of the Apes boxed set.

(Which was what was in the shopping bag, incidentally.)

TANNER: Karla, I –

KARLA: Don’t have a DVD player, I know. Not a problem.

(Tom walks in behind her, carrying the DVD player.)

KARLA: Anyway. You have a nice evening recovering, and when you’re ready call us.

(They leave, which may or may not be a separate panel depending on the flow of things. If she does leave, she’s covertly taken the bottle of booze with her.)

TANNER (stunned, a little happy, thinking as he settles into the couch, the booze gone): You know, if you need to be alone, it’s good to do it with friends. 21df

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Ferrett Says

Today’s title sucks. I’m sorry I inflicted it upon you, since I generally go for an obscure reference or a double entendre, whereas this is just a stupid play on words with no particular meaning at all.

My titles aren’t meant to be particularly user-friendly – while I recognize that Seinfeld, Nov. 18, 1992 isn’t an easy one to crack, those who chose to research the date would get it. Likewise, I can reference old Chinese menus that aren’t in fashion any more, Ramones lyrics, 80s videogames, and even old D&D character types. But this doesn’t even make sense, aside from a passing reference to The History of the World, Part I.

What was I smoking?

Occasionally, you realize that there was a better title – but dammit, it’s too late. For example, I was quite pleased with myself in referencing the Bloodhound Gang in The Slap Dance Is Always Better When The GM’s Crying, but I realized given the subject material, it would have been much better to title it Sorry, Honey, I Have A Haddock. But time has passed.

Likewise, next Friday you’ll see a strip title that works on three levels, pulling off an amazing hat trick – You Gotta Have Faith - but I guess you’ll have to wait.

Speaking of waiting, some people have said that Karla’s coming across as mean and manipulative, only half of which is true. Karla’s always going to be manipulative, but hopefully here you begin to see how she can use her powers for good. Next week, we explore a little more of the Karla/Tanner dynamic, and then we launch into some of the most ambitious storylines that we’ve yet attempted.

Stick around, and I’ll tell you about the Comic Writing Revelation I had this week. But since we’re living in the future, you’re gonna have to wait until we get there.