Cast Pic by Jason Thompson
Shaenon: You thought last week’s cast pic by Dirk Tiede was awesome? Well, it was. But so is this Oz-themed piece by my dear friend Jason Plumly Thompson! (Note: Jason’s middle name is not actually “Plumly.”) I think this might be my favorite drawing of Sweetheart ever. Also, I’m fascinated that everyone puts Dr. Lee in the cast pics even though she’s been absent from the strip for the better part of a year now. All will fall before her tsundere-style magnetism!
Jason’s graphic novel King of RPGs is out from Del Rey in January. And, yes, that’s me modeling twelve-sided-die jewelry on the King of RPGs blog. Also keep an eye out for the upcoming graphic-novel collection of Jason’s classic adaptation of H.P. Lovecraft’s Dream-Quest of Unknown Kadath.
Channing: Yeah, everybody thinks Dr. Lee is part of the core cast. You poor, poor, deluded boogers.
Anyway! Jason T. here brings his wonderfully biological style to our characters. I am so very happy to have him amongst our fan-art stable. And massive congratulations on the upcoming books!
Shaenon: Don’t listen to Jeffrey. I’m totally into Dr. Lee and will seek out any excuse to bring her back. She’s my second-favorite character in the strip.
Who else caught that Tip was named after Ozma?
Actually, Unity would be better as the Patchwork Girl.
Yeah, lots of people don’t know about the Patchwork Girl. Or any character that wasn’t in the Judy Garland Wizard of Oz movie.
BTW, nice shout-out to Ruth Plumly Thompson, one of the authors who carried on the Oz books after L. Frank Baum died. 😎
Shaenon has said the characters don’t map completely on to the Oz characters. It’s more complicated than that.
Unity may be patchwork, and has made an oblique reference to the Patchwork Girl in the comic, but she has traits of the Scarecrow too. Both are patchwork beings made from unliving material that others put together and gave life. Like the Scarecrow, Unity seems to be the dumbest member of the group… except when she’s the smartest.
Unity also wants a brain.
Unity wants brains, yes. But she actually already has a brain. It is the only part of her that is technically “alive”.