2014-08-25
Interlude time! So far, “Grillo Parlante” has been a tremendous lesson in working with, and seeing my own scripts in the hands of, various cartoonists across an entire spectrum of experience. Let’s mix it up again! For just one week, six days and a Sunday, we are putting the strip–scripting and drawing and everything–in the hands of novice cartoonist and “Skin Horse” fan Artaban, who brings us this distressingly charming tale of the fate of the now-nonexistent millipedes in the Annex One basement ecosystem. Can you handle this much fan labor? Yes you can. Give Artaban a warm welcome, and as ever, if you want to check out a higher-resolution version of this strip, you may check out the GoComics mirror.
In other news, I am excited to report that Shaenon returns to full active writing and drawing duty on September 15. I suggest you get hype.
Hmmm, what are these small things on the bodies of the non-existent millipedes? They neither look nor speak like silverfish…
*opens the finely-crafted link to the high-res version*
*finds it still has Saturday’s strip as last one*
Guess I’ll have to wait to find out…
Yes, it has a different update time! One hour later, IIRC. I am almost always asleep at that point.
They look like RIFA ants, though there also weren’t any ants in the basement when Tip went down there. They do seem to have the attitude of RIFA ants.
They could be those mites that often infest millipedes. That said, ewww they’re so cute.
I’m really not sure I get this one.
“Now-nonexistent”? Tsk. Spoiler.
“Non-existant” in the sense of “Not Recorded”, perhaps?
Cryptozoic intelligent millipedes that have avoided interacting with the other denizens of Annex One.
(TUNE: “Lemon Tree”, Will Holt)
This week, we bring a story by
Cartoonist Artaban …
A quite enthusiastic and
Creative Skin Horse fan!
So here’s a tale of millipedes,
Presented just for fun!
What sort of dark and dirty deeds
Took place in Annex One?
[CHORUS:]
Millipedes, in the shadows
Are escaping quietly …
But they are also a part of
Basement’s own ecology!
‘Midst silverfish and zombie heads
And Amish centipedes,
The ruling Crystal Entities
Supply the people’s needs!
So do we stay away from lights,
Avoiding their attacks?
Or fight for rights of parasites
Who live upon our backs?
[repeat CHORUS]
Sorry for the confusion folks. As irdburns guessed, the little things crawling on the millipedes are, in fact, the symbiotic parasites found on millipedes. They are normally pale grey, but if I colored them gray it would just look like the millipedes had boils or something. 😛
Thank you for the lyrics Eddurd!
That is AWESOME.
So today’s XKCD is all about Wikipedia article titles that can be sung to the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles theme song, thus this:
Shaenon returning to writing!
Shaenon returning to drawing!
Shaenon going back to full-time!
Shaenon had a baby! Turtle power!
I’m totally digging your drawing style here, Artaban. Nice work.
Not shown due to problems of scale: the sentient-mesozoan parasites on the Red Millipede-mites putting their oar in.
“Big fleas have little fleas,
Upon their backs to bite ’em,
And little fleas have lesser fleas,
and so, ad infinitum.”
Mairzee doates an dozee doates an lidda lamzee divey?
Darn it, Robert Nowall, you stole my quote! Ah well, back to the poetry archives.
And it took me till after five (Eastern) to get to the site, too…