Tag: comics

Posted on July 25, 2020 by softmanpillowboy

Here’s Part 3 of our surprisingly long journey towards giving Dirk a humanoid form. You can check out Part 1 here, Part 2 here, and Part 4 here. I hope you all like constantly changing character, background, and prop sizes! (Let’s be honest. You’re here for the story. Not the art.)

Fun fact: In case you didn’t know, Softboy’s miraculous conjuration of a rainbow while saying the word “imagination” is a reference to a famous and oft-memed scene from Spongebob Squarepants. Dirk calls it stealing, but I call it an homage. 

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Posted on July 18, 2020 by softmanpillowboy
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Things get a bit more interesting (and meta) in Part 2 of our current multi-part comic. You can read Part 1 here, Part 3 here, and Part 4 here.

Fun(?) fact: It is indeed very hard to draw Dirk. Sometimes, the look of an entire comic will change just because I’ve realized that I just can’t draw Dirk at certain angles. It also doesn’t help that only one side of him can visibly emote.

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Posted on July 11, 2020 by softmanpillowboy

It’s time for another multi-part comic! It looks like business between Dirk and the Chrisville Theater Society isn’t quite finished yet. You can find Part 2 here and Part 3 here.

PLEASE NOTE: Softboy Pillowman and the toys of Chrisville want to remind their loyal readers that you shouldn’t be ashamed of the way you’re shaped, no matter what your body is like. As you’ll see in the next parts of the comic, this is more of a playtime-related issue than any actual issue with Dirk’s form. 

If you like this comic, make sure to follow the blog, or consider visiting my Ko-Fi page!

Posted on July 4, 2020 by softmanpillowboy

Kids can get some fascinating new interests during the quarantine…

Here is our first look at Chris’s mom and dad! Just like Chris, we’re going to call them “mom” and “dad” for now. 

Fun fact: The Chrisville Theater Society’s costumes are inspired by my favorite production of Don Giovanni, which was performed at the Royal Opera House in 2008. Softboy Pillowman is playing Leporello while Dirk has landed himself the lead role as Don Giovanni. Leo Lion is dressed as the Commendatore, although he was considered for the role of Don Ottavio, and would probably play that role in other Chrisville Theater productions. 

Also, Chris’s dad is supposed to have a decent amount of scruff and chest hair, but I quickly learned that I am not a good enough artist to portray that. Until then, Chris’s dad has taken up shaving during the quarantine.

If you like this comic, make sure to follow the blog, or consider visiting my Ko-Fi page.

Posted on June 27, 2020 by softmanpillowboy

Finally, our first multi-part comic comes to an end! You can read Parts 1, 2, 3, and 4 over here.

Fun fact: I realized that in the previous parts, there were a few moments where Softboy wasn’t holding the Dick Deadeye hat. I decided to make these errors an official part of the comic by having Softboy canonically drop the hat.

Also, this is the first real story-related appearance for the Butterfly Bear! Their Josephine costume is based on the HMS Pinafore production that inspired this whole comic.

If you liked this adventure and want to see more, make sure to follow this blog, or consider visiting my Ko-Fi page. 

Posted on June 20, 2020 by softmanpillowboy

We’re back to our regularly scheduled programming with Part 4 of our first multi-part comic, in which I apparently decided to not use any backgrounds whatsoever. You can find Part 1 here, Part 2 here, Part 3 here, and Part 5 here!

Fun facts: If you’re wondering who is directing the Chrisville Theater Society’s production of HMS Pinafore, it’s (obviously) Chris. However, it’s not unheard of for a toy to direct a show. 

In panel 5, Chris is reading the Gilbert and Sullivan treasury that can be spotted in Part 1.

Since I was running out of time to finish the comic this week, the penultimate panel contains a modified reused illustration from my thesis project, The Adventures of Softboy Pillowman.

If you don’t want to miss the next part, make sure to follow this blog! And please consider visiting my Ko-Fi page. 

Posted on June 6, 2020 by softmanpillowboy

It looks like today, we have a very special comic indeed.

From the ages of 5-12, I wanted to be a police officer. For years, I dreamed of this because I wanted to save people. I wanted to defend my community from “bad guys”, to help bring justice and order to a chaotic world.

Now, I’ve grown up and I know better. 

Racism and police brutality may be hard to talk about, but it is utterly cruel to condone their existence in our lives. Our police system has become so racist and corrupt that countless officers mistreat and murder innocent people of color, and now they are attacking peaceful protesters without a shred of guilt or hesitation. It’s impossible to believe in the forces of law and order when these deaths are allowed to continue with little justice done in their aftermath, or when police assault protestors and reporters with tear gas and brute force, all to make way for an egotistical idiot’s photo-op.

Parents, talk to your kids about this. It’s a heartbreaking subject, but it’s an important one. Teach them that while racism and police brutality are undoubtedly a part of our lives, they don’t have to be. Teach them that they can fight to make things better, even if they are unable to attend a protest. Teach them that they have the right to grow up to be respected adults in a much more peaceful world.

If you have the money to spare, then please consider donating to charities that support the black community (such as Black Lives Matter, Color of Change, and Black Visions Collective) and bail funds for protestors, as well as the George Floyd Memorial Fund to support the Floyd family. Feel free to find and share even more places to support in the fight against injustice and oppressive systems.

Posted on May 30, 2020 by softmanpillowboy

It’s time for part three of our first multi-comic story, in which I realize that it’s hard to keep coming up with exciting angles for a conversation between two people. You can find Part 1 here, Part 2 here, Part 4 here, and Part 5 here.

Fun facts: Here is the first appearance of another background character: Wagon Wheels the Yeti. She is a very sweet cryptid plushie and another blatant Classic Doctor Who reference. She has been cast as a member of the female chorus for this production of HMS Pinafore.

The Chrisville Theater Society’s production bears many visual resemblances to a version of HMS Pinafore that I was in a year ago. (In fact, Softboy is playing my role as a member of the chorus.) The costumes in the comic are only half-finished, but most are clearly inspired by what we wore then. However, Madame Croc’s Little Buttercup costume and Wagon Wheel’s sister/cousin/aunt costume are of my own design. 

If you don’t want to miss the next part, make sure to follow this blog! And please consider visiting my Ko-Fi page.

Posted on May 23, 2020 by softmanpillowboy
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Here’s the second installment of our first multi-part story! You can read the first part here, the third part here, the fourth part here, and the fifth part here.

Fun fact: If these comics were allowed to go into PG-13 territory, Dirk would’ve used a much more obvious and naughty insult for the HMS Pinafore’s name. (Actually, if you would like to see a “Softboy After Bedtime” segment featuring jokes that were cut for being too mature, let me know!)

If you don’t want to miss the next part, make sure to follow this blog! And please consider visiting my Ko-Fi page.

Posted on May 16, 2020 by softmanpillowboy

Get ready for our first multi-part comic everybody! This takes place before the residents of Chrisville learn about the lockdown, which can be seen here. You can find the second part here, the third part here, the fourth part here, and the fifth part here.

Fun facts: As you can see, a couple of new (as in, not previously introduced) residents of Chrisville are in the male chorus of the Chrisville Theater Society’s production of HMS Pinafore. Their names are Velvel Fox and Jamie McBear, and they actually play a small part in the original Softboy trilogy I wrote for my thesis. I didn’t write/draw individual introductions for them, though, because I haven’t yet planned for them to have major roles in the comic. 

Also, the book the Theater Society is reading from is based on a real collection of Gilbert and Sullivan music and librettos that I have at home. 

If you don’t want to miss the next part, make sure to follow this blog! And please consider visiting my Ko-Fi page.