January 2016 Wallpaper: Book Collection
Shaenon: Ages ago, Jeff and I were discussing what the titles of the Skin Horse books would be if we’d followed the classic 1980s-era Andrews McMeel naming convention, where comic-strip collections are named after quotations from the strip. You know, like how the Calvin & Hobbes books are called things like Something Under the Bed Is Drooling and Why Am I Peeing on a Ford Logo.
Somehow that conversation led to this month’s wallpaper, featuring Skin Horse Volumes 1-5 as they might have appeared in earlier eras of comic-strip history. The main lesson I took away from this is that I’m disturbingly good at drawing Cathy characters.
Anyway, if you make a donation in any amount to the Skin Horse Tip Jar, or contribute any amount to our Patreon, we’ll send you a link to the wallpaper. Patreon contributors will continue to receive new wallpaper for the length of their contribution.
As a bonus, you’ll also get the “Rock Band” wallpaper, one of the first designs I did, which is also chockablock with pop-culture references mostly of interest to me.
Channing: I still feel that “The Snack of Destruction” would have been an excellent title for Volume 1. Man, I love the Killotron robots. I should totally write them into the next storyline or something.
I like the both of the Peanuts style and really like the one in the Doonesbury style.
:>D
Except Pogo books never used the convention. And I like the Pogo one. (But I *really* like the Doonesbury one … which always did use the convention.)
Now I want the Peanuts specials retold with Skin Horse characters
So Unity or Virginia Lee plays Lucy?
Yes!
I think I’ve got all of ’em in their original incarnations except the Doonesbury, which I didn’t much like then and I’ve since come to loathe.
I think a lot of people have come to dislike Doonesbury. It’s no longer poignant satire; just bitter ranting.
It had its influence on me, I admit that…but after 2008 I decided to read it no more—not an easy thing to do with a newspaper comic, but I’ve held to it.
Snarkiness is a genetically modified puppy.
Y’know, the Skin Horse books *are* about the same size as an Andrews & McMeel collection…
Hm. I can place three of these quotes, but the ‘Them hills’ and ‘joy and magic’ ones stump me.
“Joy and Magic” is from “My House is Me”, “Them Hills” is most likely from Dead Dogs/Big Bad Wolves
For “Joy and Magic”, see “I’m always on some other mission entirely”. The quote’s from http://skin-horse.com/comic/Unity-hoped/, anyway.
The “hills” one is from http://skin-horse.com/comic/evidence-of-his/, and it’s Nick talking to Unity.
Please do.
I collect the Doonesbury books, so that one blew me away, but really they’re all pretty awsome. Your John O’Neill-style illustrations for Jeff’s Narbonic story were wonderful—consider doing one of these styles for a bonus or Coucous Collective story. (BTW, can’t wait for Monsters.)
Okay, I’ve got all of these except the “Big Bad Wolves” one. I feel like I should know the style, but for the life of me I can’t place it.
Damn good Doonesbury pastiche, though.
While one of these books is based on my all-time favorite Skin Horse quote—as an engineer, I’m contractually obligated to be fond of “There’s a party in my toolbox, and SCIENCE is invited!”—I have to say that “I Got Barfed By A Goat!” wins for the best title here.
Coming as I do from the wrong side of the pond, most of these art styles are unfamiliar to me – but my parents have dozens of those Peanuts volumes. I don’t know where they came from!
I would totally read I Got Barfed By a Goat to my four year old niece as a bedtime story.