Die Now, Die Later! Page 7
It’s the return of Ambassador Martin… and we meet his “mod” son, Ascott Martin. To refresh your memory, we first met Ambassador Martin here.
Without giving too much away, Ascott Martin is a character I’ve been looking to put into a comic for years. I was drawing him in the late 90’s, but never quite figured out what to do with him until now.
An Announcement: I have decided that Bunny Wiggins is now officially “Rated R”. I do this for two reasons. The first is creative – I don’t want to be restricted by whether or not something is PG-13 compatible. In the past, I’ve censored a bit more to stay within that self imposed guideline. The second reason, is that it more accurately reflects the bent and subject matter of the strip. You can’t really do a strip about someone like BW, and have it remain PG. Since I’ve occasionally included stuff in the strip that might be considered “NSFW”, this rating should probably come as no surprise. If there should be any NSFW content in the future, I will put it in the posting title, and on the top of the comic itself. I will also go back into the archives and do it with pages that might fit into that category.
Note, I don’t do this to alienate any readers. Just because I am rating the strip “R” doesn’t mean that there will suddenly be rampant nudity, and constant swear words… though there may be partial nudity. It just means that I will censor less. When I asked my wife about the change of the rating she responded “well, it’s not like it’s a comic for kids anyway!” and this is true.
Anyway, thanks to those who have been following the strip, and especially to those leaving comments, as I like engaging the readers about the comic. I hope that you will continue to read Bunny Wiggins. I have enjoyed creating it for you. There’s lot’s more to come!
Ascott is a great character, can't wait to see what you do with him. More power to you for the rating. Make the comic you want, that's all that matters.
Thanks Mark! There are big plans ahead for Ascott… ideas well beyond this current story. Some that probably won't be seen on the web for a year or so! I thought with the rating it would be fair warning to the readers as to what they can expect.
Ascott looks like John Lennon from the TV cartoons!
I think that’s a bit of the influence… I’m a Beatle fanatic that knows a crazy amount of Beatle trivia! Ascott is my oldest character that appears in the comic… I was drawing him back in the 90’s, but could never find a vehicle for him. He comes back in the story “On Her Majesty’s Customer Service” a bit later.
And thanks a lot for reading through and commenting…I greatly appreciate it!
You're quite welcome on the comment – it was deserved, as were many more I thought of during reading. I just discovered your comic – yet I'm certain I've seen reference to it in others or comments over the past +/-5 years.
I'm enjoying it – and have already sent out a couple of fandom notices to those I know that read web comics with the same fervor that I do. (I'll admit, it was boobs first, then bunnies, that made me keep reading!)
I love an evil pair of boobs! I must – it seems to be the only kind I ever date or married (groan).
🙂
Again.. thanks a bunch… especially for spreading the word! Folks may read it for the boobs… I'm fine with that…. and some of the ads I've run for the comic emphasize it. It's a hook to bring people in. I just really enjoy doing pin-up art, and Bunny Wiggins gives me an excuse. The story is a structure to hang it all on.
Somebody's having a change of plans. I love the name Ascott (quite fitting). As far as going to an 'R'-rating, that's fine with me. BW always walked the line, and with his personality and the adventure he gets into, it's not easy to keep within a certain 'safe' parameter. Everyone who reads this series with any regularity knows that this strip can be spicy and we don't want you to keep having to restrict yourself from telling what has, so far, been a very exciting tale.
Thanks, George! I've always appreciated your support… I think many other webcomickers can say the same!
the R-Rating is really just to give me some latitude. It's not going to substantially change the content of the strip. It's more of an overall "heads-up" for when there is the spicier material comes along.
I can understand that. Not everything in my comic is over-the-top, but I wanted to have a special rating to cover me, just in case I do feel a lil' randy with the writing. 🙂
Rated R is probably the best way to go for your particular story. Probably the biggest liberation of webcomics is being free to make them as you see fit, without editor interference. As long as it suits the purposes of your storytelling, making an R-rated comic shouldn't be so taboo. It's all about what best serves the story, and in this case, it's best to have free reign without too much self-censorship.
I was thinking it over last weekend, and it was one of those decisions that felt right. After doing webcomics for five years, I've come to realize that what I do isn't mainstream anyway, so I might as well do what I want.
It was after I drew a page (that is now about five weeks away) that I decided that I'm done with the censorship. I think the rating will serve the story telling… I enjoy the spicier pages, as they are fun to draw, and hopefully, fun for the reader. The story telling is something I spend more and more time on now, and that I don't have some sort of PG-13 guideline, it is liberating.
By the way, I've often admired your writing on Scapula. It has a certain frantic energy, both in art and writing (it reminds me of early MAD comics) that I really dig!
The hard part about self-censorship is that, as fledgling artists working on the 'net virtually for free, we want to please everyone and alienate none.
Personally, I get afraid that if I brand my comic a certain way, I'll lose readers or turn people off from the jump.
I had to make a decision to not care about that and just create what makes me happy. If I'm pleased, then some readers will see that and want to accompany me for the roller-coaster ride I promised to take them on.
I think when I first started Muddlecreek I had that fledgling artist attitude, too.
I did alienate some later because I had some comics with a fairly strident political view, which is one of the reasons I steer clear of politics with BW. I may just offend people in a different way, now, though. Like you, I also have decided to create what I like, and hopefully readers will want to come along for the ride. We'll see what happens. I still have yet to get that first complaint email. Whoops! I shouldn't jinx it..
Hey George I'm still waiting for the wild rollercoaster ride with Mrs. A!!!
A majority of comics are read by adults anyways, shouldn't we focus our attention on subject matter that engages them? Bunny Wiggins, pious he is not! This kind of comic demands as much freedom to create as you desire, I say its a wise and entertaining decision on your part.
Also, if the Franc is back, it means the Euro fell apart. Don;t tell the french! o.O
Thanks Scott. I agree. I have an easier time doing a strip for adults (although my wife says she wants to see more "beefcake" in the strip to balance things out!), and I try to do stuff I also would find entertaining. A big part of doing this, is drawing stuff I have fun drawing.
There was an interesting interaction I had with a guy about halfway through Muddlecreek's run. He was putting together a site that featured webcomics for kids, and approached me about participating. I didn't do it, because it made me uncomfortable, and I felt the subject matter unsuitable. I think Tom from Marooned participated in it. It wasn't for me though.
Good point about the franc… this raises something that the readers have not yet commented on. I've never really specified the time period BW happens in… intentionally! Most of the clothes and hairstyles (you may have noticed Titania's Palinesque doo) are of the early to mid 60's. I've tried to keep the time period in the strip ambiguous. I think portraying 60's type tech and style to be more fun, but I also have never specified that it does indeed take place in the 60's, either!
So is Ascott going to be a James Bond type character, and seek revenge for the killing of his brother? I guess we will see!
I think you may have already figured out the answer to those questions!.. but the answer will unfold over a VERY long time. Hopefully, it will be fun to watch it all unfold!
Great page! I like the gloomyness and the semi-comical look of the Ascott character. He reminds me of the original Arthur a bit so far.
Thanks! His look will change a bit… right now he is a bit of a "Mod". He has a destiny that will soon change him. I had looked into one of my books on the Beatles, and checked out some online photos of the mid 60's Rolling Stones to get his look!
Oh ya… I can see a bit of Ringo. Great job.
Thanks! I guess I could also say there's a little Mike Nesmith (from the Monkees) in Ascott's appearance, too, but since Ascott is a Brit, I should probably stay away from that analogy.
20,000 francs. Is that about 7 bucks in real money??? Maybe Ascott is about to get a reality check from Dad. Could his high rollin' playboy life be all but over???
…Or it could be 50,000 in real money! Since it is in an undisclosed location in Europe, it is probably in some fictional country, we don't really know… and in the BW reality they still use the Franc, and not the Euro. I think Ascott is going to get a BIG wake up call from Dad… let's just say that there will eventually be alternatives suggested to his high rollin' playboy life!
All in good time, Mr. McGurk… all in good time! 😀