Art - Christmas Special: 12-20-16 - MK Stangeland Jr.

(I wound up liking my Christmas Script for this year so much - the relative simplicity of it helped - that I felt driven to do art for it as well.)

(So here, Merry Christmas.)

Christmas Stories – 12-20-16 – MK Stangeland, Jr.

(1 Panel)

Panel 1: Two small trees, similar to the one CHARLIE BROWN adopts from A CHARLIE BROWN CHRISTMAS, after it’s been spiffed up. A stick sits between to connect them, which WOODSTOCK is sitting on.

To the left stands SNOOPY, who is looking at the display with one hand to his chin in a pondering fashion. WOODSTOCK looks in SNOOPY’s direction.

SNOOPY: (Thought Balloon) No, I’m not sure it works as replacement for a pear tree.

(END PAGE)

Klondike Gold Rush – 8-16-16 – MK Stangeland, Jr.

(3 Panels)

Panel 1: SNOOPY is walking along, outfitted with assorted prospecting gear, with WOODSTOCK and a team of birds following behind carrying other supplies.

SNOOPY: Here’s the world-famous Gold Prospector, marching to the Klondike with his loyal prospecting team.

Panel 2: SNOOPY and the BIRDS stop and watch as LINUS walks on by.

LINUS: You’re going to need a lot more clothing if you don’t want to freeze in the frozen wastes of the Klondike.

Panel 3: SNOOPY and the BIRDS keep on marching forward, a large smile on each of their faces.

SNOOPY: Beagle fur and bird feathers are far more potent than any clothing we could possibly be carrying.

(END PAGE)

Wolverine - Duel - R.A. Wonsowski

Layout: 2x3, done in the style of Charles Schulz's PEANUTS.

Panels 1 through 4 - Close-up, profile shot of LOGAN (looking to the right side of the panel).  His teeth are clenched and bare.  Sweat drips from his forehead, his hair is blown back in the wind, eyes a little wide.  Copy as follows:

Panel 1 - CAPTION 1:  Lost count of how many times I faced down situations like this.

Panel 2 - CAPTION 2:  Especially with Charley's crew.  How often it came down to me.

Panel 3 - CAPTION 3:  Now here I am with Hudson's A-Team.  Just like coming home.

Panel 4 - CAPTION 4:  Here we go...fastball special...


Panel 5 - Pull back.  We see LOGAN swing his baseball bat, connecting solidly with the ball.

SoundFX:  CRACK!!!


Panel 6 - Logan jogs to first base, fist pumping in the air. He's wearing a baseball cap, white t-shirt, shorts, and shoes like dinner rolls.  In the background, we see BEAST in his catcher's equipment, mask up, two blue fingers up, standing in front of CHARLES XAVIER, on the pitcher's mound in his wheelchair, wearing a yellow shirt with a zig-zag stripe, looking right at us, baseball cap brim to the side, and a nauseous look on his face.  There is a scoreboard that reads A. FLIGHT 12 - VISITORS 0.

LOGAN - ANOTHER HOMER FOR THE WOLVERINE!

CHARLES - Good grief!

BEAST - (small lettering) Oh my stars and...ONE finger means the high straight ball, TWO fingers...

It Was A Dark And Stormy Night - by Snoopy and R.A. Wonsowski

Panel 1 - SNOOPY sitting on his dog house at his typewriter.

CAPTION:  It was a dark and stormy night. 

Panel 2 - Crime Alley.  THOMAS WAYNE steps in front of his wife MARTHA and young son BRUCE, as JOE CHILL shoots him in the stomach.

CAPTION:  Suddenly, a shot rang out! 

Panel 3 - GREEN ARROW kicks open a door, arrow nocked in his bow, as BLACK CANARY lets loose a sonic scream, blowing everything back.

CAPTION - A door slammed. The maid screamed. 

Panel 4 - PSYCHO-PIRATE on a Carnival cruise ship, laughing as everyone panics.  WONDER WOMAN swings in from behind from her golden lasso.  

CAPTION:  Suddenly, a pirate ship appeared on the horizon! 

Panel 5 - On Apokolips, hundreds of HUNGER DOGS worship a giant statue of DARKSEID.

CAPTION:  While millions of people were starving, the king lived in luxury. 

Panel 6 - Looking up, high above the roof of a barn and silo, a young CLARK KENT launches into a clear blue sky like a streak.

CAPTION:  Meanwhile, on a small farm in Kansas, a boy was growing up.

Panel 7 - Back to SNOOPY on his dog house at his typewriter, still typing away.

SNOOPY (thought balloon):  Still classic, but next time, I'm working with Stan Lee...

Peanuts - So It Begins... - J.D. Coughlan

Panel 1: Mid-shot of Lucy, kneeling and holding the football, waiting for Charlie (off-panel) to kick it. A little angel of herself is on her right shoulder. Lucy is smiling.

ANGEL: What a great idea! A friendly little game of football. I bet Charlie kicks it so far; that'd be super!

Panel 2: Closer on Lucy, just her head and shoulders. A tiny devil version of her has appeared on her left shoulder in a puff of smoke. Lucy looks at the devil, blank-faced.

DEVIL: Of course, it would be a shame if someone... spoiled that for him. Maybe by moving the football at the last second?

SFX: poof

Panel 3: The angel waves her arms in panic. Lucy looks at the angel now, unsure.

ANGEL: No! That would be terrible! Charlie would slip and fall!

Panel 4: The devil shrugs, Lucy looking at her.

DEVIL: Exactly. Hilarious.

Panel 5: Lucy and the devil look back to the angel, who is deep in thought.

NO TEXT

Panel 6: The angel shrugs. Lucy and the devil have wicked expressions.

ANGEL: I got nothing. Go for it.

END OF PAGE

Peanuts – Contacts - Shaun Richens.

1. Peppermint Patty sits at her school desk. She is turned facing the desk behind her. A perplexed look on her face, she strokes her chin as if trying to solve a complex riddle.

         PEPPERMINT PATTY: What’s different here?

2. We pull back to see MARCIE sat behind Patty who still looks puzzled. Marcie is not wearing her glasses but does have a lovely smile on her face.

         NO COPY.

3. Close up on Marcie.

         MARCIE: I got contacts Sir.

4. Repeat of panel 2. However now Peppermint Patty has turned to face away from Marcie.

Peppermint Patty has raised her hand.

        

         PEPPERMINT PATTY: Ma’am, Marcie is acting weird. 

Peanuts- We Meet At Last -Dan Hill

Panel 1
SNOOPY in full ‘Flying Ace’ get up sits atop his kennel. Bullet holes riddle the side of the kennel with black smoke pouring from each one.

Snoopy turns towards someone approaching from off panel, their shadow falling across the kennel slightly.

Panel 2
Manfred Von Richtofen (aka THE RED BARON) has entered right from off panel. He shakes the paw/hand of SNOOPY.

RED BARON: Well played, Sir.

Panel 3
RED BARON exits the panel stage left. SNOOPY turns towards us.

Panel 4
Snoopy, now alone, stands on top of his kennel, arms flung wide open.

SNOOPY (thought balloon) See!

Peanuts - Wherefore and Why - Grant McLaughlin

1 - Charlie Brown and Linus are standing behind that brick wall (you know the one), talking.

CHARLIE BROWN: Every year you go to that pumpkin patch to wait for the Great Pumpkin, and every year you end up spending the night out in the cold for nothing.

2 - Still behind the wall, close-up of Charlie Brown.

CHARLIE BROWN: Why do you bother when you know that nothing is going to come of it?

3 - Pull back out, Linus and Charlie Brown look at each other.

LINUS: You never know, Charlie Brown.

4 - Switch scene.  We're now in the pumpkin patch.  Linus sits alone among the pumpkins.  Waiting.

LINUS: You never know.

Peanuts - At What Price? - Ben Rosenthal

1.  Charlie Brown is actually kicking the football as Violet looks shocked.

2.  Charlie Brown is celebrating, jumping up and down as he has finally kicked Violet’s ball.

CHARLIE BROWN

I DID IT! All of my training paid off and I DID IT!

3.  Charlie Brown is sitting in a room full of people dressed in suits.  It is an inquiry.  They are questioning Charlie Brown.  There are TV crews everywhere.

LAWYER

And can you tell the Inquiry where you got these ‘supplements’ from Mr Brown?

Those of you outside of Australia may not necessarily get where I am going with this - our national sporting games of AFL and Rugby have come under fire as of late with a big media blow up about drugs in player's supplements.  

Peanuts – 3/17/2013 – MK Stangeland Jr.

(9 Panels)

Panel 1: Opening Title Block. Snoopy is writing while on top of his dog house – but instead of typing on his typewriter, is instead trying to type on tablet computer.

MAIN TITLE: Peanuts

SUB-TITLE (1): Featuring Good Ol’ Charlie Brown

SUB-TITLE (2): Created by Charles M. “Sparky” Schulz

SUB-TITLE (3): Written By MK Stangeland Jr.

Panel 2: LUCY is walking in front of CHARLIE BROWN. She is carrying a football.

LUCY: So I’ll hold the football, and then you try to kick it.

Panel 3: LUCY has turned to face CHARLIE BROWN. CHARLIE BROWN looks defiant.

CHARLIE BROWN: Oh, no. I’m not falling for that again. I know how this works!

Panel 4: LUCY holds up a generic smartphone and shows it to CHARLIE BROWN. CHARLIE BROWN looks contemplative about what LUCY is saying.

LUCY: Nonsense, Charlie Brown. I’m planning to record it and put it online. You don’t think I’d save the moment if it meant there was video evidence of me pulling the football away, do you?

Panel 5: CHARLIE BROWN is thinking to himself as he walks away from LUCY.

CHARLIE BROWN: She’s right. She wouldn’t embarrass herself that way if millions could watch it later.

Panel 6: CHARLIE BROWN charges in LUCY’s direction.

CHARLIE BROWN: This time I’m sure to kick that football! 

Panel 7: You know the drill – as CHARLIE BROWN reaches the football, LUCY pulls it away, sending CHARLIE BROWN up into the air.

CHARLIE BROWN: AAAHHH!

Panel 8: CHARLIE BROWN comes crashing to the ground on his back.

SFX: CRASH!

Panel 9: CHARLIE BROWN lies on the ground, his face has a ‘I can’t stand it’ look. LUCY stands over him, holding the smartphone up for CHARLIE BROWN to see.

LUCY: Sorry Charlie Brown, but videos of people failing at everyday activities are more interesting than people succeeding at everyday activities.

(END)

Why Peanuts?

When considering the topic of the greatest comic ever written - provided that you're not simply talking about comic books and are referring to comics as a medium - the late great Charles M. Schulz's classic title is inevitably among the contenders.

And not for no good reason. For nearly 50 years, Schulz both wrote and illustrated the daily title by himself almost until the day he died, with the final comic - a thank you letter to the fans explaining his inability to continue the comic - infamously appearing the day after his death. And in that time, the characters and reoccurring themes that Schulz wrote into his comic have become unmistakable icons, from Snoopy and his vast imagination, to the philosophical musings of Linus, to the self-proclaimed fussbudget know-it-all rants of Lucy.

Last but certainly not least, there was also the loveable looser known as Charlie Brown, with his back and forth mix of optimism towards his ability to succeed and pessimism about the reality of the world in which he lives.

And of course, among the most unique aspects of the comic was that the entirety of it was told through the eyes of children, none of which ever reached even 10 years of age. Adults were present, but never seen, never heard, and only got an opportunity to ‘speak’ when their words were repeated by the children who were the stars of the show. And in doing so, the Peanuts came with a deceptively child-like innocence – because lets face it, kids left to their own devices can be far more cruel than people would like to admit sometimes - even as it dolled out immensely insightful snippets of wisdom and philosophy.

With all the iconic imagery and reoccurring themes that still find their way into the funny pages through re-runs (how many comic strips can you say that about?), Peanuts stands out as a masterpiece of the comic medium.

And it even comes with its own iconic theme music, too.