There’s no real reason for me to have done this comic other than it was what my brain was thinking at the moment, so I ran with it. After I did it, I liked it; especially the “Roman Holiday” one.
Hear it!
Oddballs: Manatees on Mopeds
Month: October 2023
Oddballs: Dr. Sus Books
When I picked up the pencil to draw this, the first thing that came to mind was “Mocktor Seuss Books,” yet “mockter” isn’t a word, at least not that I’m aware of. So I put down the pencil. As soon as I did, the word “Sus” came to mind. Now, I’ve never used that term, but I’ve heard kids at the middle school use it. And so I drew.
Hear it!
Oddballs: New Seasonal Lawn Inflatables
Do you have any inflatables? I’d like to see them. Seriously! If you have them on your IG or someplace like that, let me know and I’ll give a like… as long as they’re proper inflatables. Some people put up weird things on their lawns.
Up until last year, I had never had a lawn inflatable; never felt the need. Then I had a kid. Now, we’re the first one on the block to have the inflatables up. I never thought I’d be that guy, yet now that I’m a family man, I love it!
Hear it!
Oddballs: Types of Turkeys
I have no idea how many species of turkeys exist. Heck, I don’t even know if turkey is its own species and, if so, what are the variations of that species. Much like dogs. Dog is the species (or canine, if you will), and there are breeds of dogs. Are there breeds of turkeys? And, if there are, I want to see the pug version.
Hear it!
Oddballs: This Page (From Issue #14)
Obviously, neither Samuel Kurtiss nor Joey T. are real. Well, they’re not real in the sense that they’re images created with AI. Yet… could they be real? Therein lies the so-called truth in fiction. Deep stuff, eh? Like getting to the fruit on the bottom of a big vat of flavored yogurt. Profound, I know.
AI sure does add some weird stuff. Look at the items on the shelf behind this dude. also, AI did a strange job of not tapering the hair down in the “party” side of the mullet. I guess I could have gone in and done that myself, but that’s not my job! I pay AI to do that for me! Good help is so hard to find!
Here’s fake Joey T. before I added a bigger plate and a fish head in Canva. Full disclosure: I created the fish head in Midjourney as well. I didn’t want to use some random fish found on the internet and then have that fish find out I used him without his permission and get his fish lawyers to sue me. That’s never fun.
Oddballs: Page Two (From Issue #14)
My wife absolutely hates the gummy cockroaches idea. Yet, she seemed to like the weird coins. Go figure!
Oddballs: Cover (From Issue #14)
Get ready for turkey time! November’s issue of Oddballs has all the turkey we can stuff into it. Get it? Thanksgifing? Turkey? Stuffing? The bad jokes just keep on flowing like gravy. Get it? Gravy?
As with Issue #13, this is another color cover with the background created with Midjourney. Of course, I’d love to have drawn the background by hand, yet time is a scant resource in my world and, to be honest, I suck at backgrounds.
Well, I shouldn’t say that I suck, as much as I don’t know when to stop; thus creating backgrounds that have too much detail and take way too long.
Bash (who is four years old as of the time of this post) has a Batman bedspread. The artist drew just enough detail to give the indication that it was a cityscape; somewhat minimal, yet conveyed the point excellently. I’m always in awe of comic book artists who can draw backgrounds that fit the energy and theme of the comic while staying… um… in the background. Too much detail takes away from the characters.
Sure, AI kicks out detailed backgrounds, but I blur them so that the detail is obscured.
At this point, at my age, with the lack of practice time and whatnot, I figure that learning how to make amazing backgrounds is not feasible. And, quite frankly, I’d love to pay artists to create for Oddballs. But, until that day arrives, AI backgrounds will suffice.
A quick video of me inking this page:
Random Humans: Bully
Card #9 in the Random Humans series
Front of card:
Back of Card:
Random Humans #9
“Bully”
The Bully is a strange figure. He sits outside of the social circle and relies on his girth or fighting ability to remain relevant. A guy like this is usually working with less brain power and can easily be diffused or manipulated by even the scraggliest of wimps, provided the wimp is intelligent and manipulative. It’s always funny to see a bully get handled by a brain.
Random Humans: Karate Instructor
Card #8 in the Random Humans series
If you have not yet watched “Cobra Kai,” go do so right this very moment!
Front of card:
Back of Card:
Random Humans #8
“Karate Instructor”
The Karate Instructor leads something of a double life. In one aspect, he is trained to fight and possibly cause injury. On the flip side, he is an instructor which means he has a heart for teaching. I wonder if he feels that internal conflict. I also wonder if that internal conflict is a Karate match.
Random Humans: Male Ginger
Card #7 in the Random Humans series
I created this card in 2014, about 10 years ago. I don’t think “Ginger” is offensive at this point. We’ll see in another 10 years.
Front of card:
Back of Card:
Random Humans #7
“Male Ginger”
After I drew this, I thought to myself, “Is ‘Ginger’ a derogatory term?” We use it nonchalantly these days but will there come a day when we look back and chastise ourselves for using it? And will we have to stop telling the story of the Gingerbread Man? Only time will tell.
Jason Salas 