Natalie.ayerdis

As a child, I loved seaplanes, that is, planes where the fuselage was shaped like a boat, enabling the plane to take off and land on water. I think it comes from watching the show Tales of the Gold Monkey as a child (it was one of the spate of knock-offs that came out the year after Raiders of the Lost Ark was a hit.)

I still like seaplanes. The Grumman Goose, the Grumman Albatros, the Catalina PBY. I have little or no interest in floatplanes, which are regular planes with pontoons for landing gear. For many years, any time someone referred to a floatplane as a seaplane, I would correct them. I only recently let that go.

Why do I bring that up? No reason. Hey, on an unrelated note, I suspect Missy might have something to say about this comic.

Note from Missy: BLAAARRHGHLEBARGLE! Dang “factoid”! Coined in 1973 by Norman Mailer, it originally meant “invented facts that are believed to be true because of repeated use,” but as the years rolled on, and people used it incorrectly to mean “a brief and often trivial fact,” the wrong has become the right, and now both definitions are deemed acceptable by dictionaries. I know that language has to evolve, but when words take a complete 180 (like how “literally” is now defined as “figuratively” in some dictionaries), you’ll still find me over in the corner, cringing.

On the plus side, a discussion about factoid caused Scott to make me LOL: “Actually, it's only a factoid while it's still in space. Once it hits the ground it's a factite.”

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Here it is! The very first appearance of Rocket Hat and the Emperor of the Moon, and the Moon Men! I don’t want to toot my own horn, but I’m pretty proud of what I did with my motley crew of useless superheroes and villains, and this is where it all started.

A couple of interesting notes. The name “Rocket Hat” doesn’t appear anywhere in this particular comic. Also, I dropped the running joke of having the Emperor shout “the details are unimportant” after this comic, but readers continued quoting it to me in e-mails for years.

Note from Missy: I do like how the Moon-Minion’s outfit is more fat-Elvis here, as opposed to the adult-sized Onesie it evolved into.

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Aziz and Jimmy take turns reading real Yelp reviews and replies with a dramatic flourish...(Read...)

I once had a job that involved standing in a prominent, but non-specific spot for an extended period of time. As long as I was easily visible and could see a specific area well, I could stand anywhere I wanted. It was not a job with a demanding list of qualifications.

Anyway, I had one coworker who insisted on standing right next to me, within my personal space. They often stood so close that we were touching. Again, bear in mind, they could stand anywhere in a thirty square yard space, and they chose to stand on top of me.

I did the only think I could do. I made a game out of it. I would slowly move away, forcing the other person to follow me. Once, when I got tired of just doing laps of the area, I got them to follow me in a figure eight pattern.

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I am not what you’d call “outdoorsy.” My father is. As such, when I was a child, most of our family vacations involved fishing, clamming, crabbing, or picking blueberries.

For the first few years of my life we would sleep in tents, but then dad made a sort of home-brewed RV by building plywood furniture in an old van he’d bought as surplus from the phone company.

When I pointed out that our vacation consisted of spending our days looking for food, and our nights sleeping in a windowless van, I was chastised for my poor attitude.

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The specific model this comic was written about is no longer available, but a similar product can be had for under $50.

On a related note, I think that seeing something really cool exists, and knowing that you could buy it, but choosing not to because the item serves no useful purpose in your life is one of the hallmarks of adulthood, and also is one of the reasons kids find adults insufferably boring.

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I don’t trust birds. I think it has to do with the fact that we raised peacocks when I was a child. They were not pleasant.

Later, when I lived in Seattle, all I ever saw were seagulls in the distance and pigeons on the sidewalk. Over time, my mistrust of birds receded into the background.

Then we moved to Florida. There are birds there that are brave enough to walk up to you when you’re sitting down outdoors, like at a café, or in a parked car, and tall enough to look you in the eye when they do it. The first time I was confronted by one of them, my peacock-driven mistrust came roaring back. Then I attended a wildlife show where live birds of prey flew inches over the heads of the audience.

The next day, I wrote this comic.

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“ROFG”: The best four letters I ever wrote.

I not only remember exactly where I was when I came up with ROFG, I remember telling the idea to Missy when she got home from work. It was one of the best laughs I’ve ever gotten out of her.

Note from Missy: I seem to recall that when that cat passed away, and we let people know, we got more than one ROFG in response. It was oddly comforting. (And it’s hard to remember the cat being that hugely fat, because he got very thin by the end. Mew.)

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"A brand new series of Doctor Who, coming soon... "..(Read...)

I remember where I was when I thought of this comic. Funny how memory works. Of course, it was shortly after the first time I saw a stall at Walt Disney World selling toy bullwhips. That makes the whole thing a bit more memorable.

As a longtime Indiana Jones fan who remembers what it was like to be a kid, I was delighted and envious. As an adult, and (at the time) a Walt Disney World cast member who was charged with helping maintain order, and often found himself having to deal with cranky kids who were Indiana Jones fans, I was less enthusiastic.

Note from Missy: the nephew in question will be old enough to drive a car next year. Hopefully, he won’t do it in the Batman mask and gloves.

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When you think about it, not having any seasons has got to be one the real drawbacks of living on a starship. “Day” in and “day” out, there’s just that same view of cold, dark space through your viewport. And how can anybody get in a festive mood when interstellar travel pretty much abstracts the very notion of a calendar year? Well, if you’re of an iron will like Jean Luc Picard, then you’re just going to force it to happen. You’ll simply… make it so.

Game developer James Covenent has applied his own mandate to The Next Generation, dicing up and re-editing countless clips to make it look like the ever stoic Starfleet Captain is finally letting his hair down (well, in a manner of speaking, at least). The montage sees him lead the whole Enterprise crew through a delightfully authoritative riff on a classic holiday jingle. For any Trekie who’s ever noted that the chorus of “Let it snow! Let it snow! Let it snow!” rhymes quite easily with Picard’s catchphrase, here’s the oh-so-silly supercut to make you smile. It even manages to fit in gags about the Captain’s highly-specific tea preferences and Wesley Crusher’s… interjections. Please, enjoy.

Alongside footage of video games he’s developing, Covenant’s channel features plenty of other montages wherein geek movie ensembles “sing” pop songs together. He’s made the Lord of the Rings cast do some Ke$ha karaoke and the Star Wars crew cover Carly Rae Jepsen. Most relevant, though, is this clip where the Avengers (and a surprise “evergreen” guest) sing a whole medley of Christmas carols.

Did this goofy little video “make” your day? What other geeky holiday edits are worth streaming? Please share in the talkback. 

Featured Image Credit: Paramount

"Rogue One: A Star Wars Story" star Alan Tudyk plays K-2SO, an Imperial droid who was reprogrammed and finds himself with the rebellion. Alan explains what it was like controlling K-2SO, and how they went about making the best movie they could...(Read...)

One interesting thing about being a morning person is that enjoying mornings makes the other people around me enjoy their mornings even less. As the people around me get grumpier and grumpier, it tends to put a damper on my good mood, which acts as sort of a natural braking mechanism, stopping the vicious cycle before someone tries to strangle me.

Another interesting thing I can tell you is that in the first panel my left hand appears to have been replaced by some sort of trilobite.

Note from Missy: I don’t have much recollection of these old strips, so for the most part I’m reading them again for the first time. And for some reason, me in that second panel running the same checklist and announcing it made me laugh until tears squirted out my eyes.

The latest "How to Dad" series...(Read...)

Jimmy and Keith Urban sing real entries from the site FMyLife.com as country songs...(Read...)

This comic is still one of my favorites, and has permanently altered my perception of the Muppets.

Note from Missy: I feel like this might be the first appearance of my “rooster hair.”

Note from Scott: I believe you're right.

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"Gotta go fast go fast go fasterfasterfaster "..(Read...)

Phil Collins once told a story that I think about often. He had read an interview with Roger Waters (formerly of Pink Floyd) in which Waters said something less-than-complimentary about Genesis. Phil called him and asked what the big idea was.

Waters said, “I’m sorry. That comment was supposed to be off the record.”

Phil pointed out that that didn’t really do anything to minimize the insult.

I don’t know why I like that story so much, other than that I find it comforting that these super-successful rock stars still behave just like the rest of us.

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Geeky clothes are great. It’s awesome to have something that you can wear to show your love for your favorite fandom. The only problem is that the more feminine-leaning geek-wear isn’t always the cutest on the planet. Ashley Eckstein saw that huge gap in the market, and created Her Universe, a fashion company to provide geeky and fashionable clothing for geek girls everywhere. Her Universe has exploded since it first hit the scene in ’09, and now the company has partnered up with ThinkGeek to bring us a fashion line that will compel us all to just toss our wallets at our computer screens.

To celebrate the Star Trek 50th anniversary, the two geek product powerhouses have created a fashion line to celebrate the ground-breaking sci-fi series that would make Lieutenant Uhura and Vice Admiral Janeway proud. And before you make a grumbly comment about how you can never let your geek flag fly at work, fear not, this line is perfect for everyday wear, parties, and even the office.

Take a peek at the gallery below to check out some of the awesome styles in this collection, and check out the full line over at ThinkGeek. But be warned, once you start looking, get ready to shout “SHUT UP AND TAKE MY MONEY.” From the Star Trek blazer to the Tribble-inspired coat (yep, I said Tribble-inspired coat), there is a lot to love here. Seriously, you’re gonna have a pretty full wishlist. But hey, at least the holidays are coming up, right?

What are your favorite pieces from the new line? Where will you wear your new Star Trek gear? Tell us your outfit plans in the comments!

Image credits: Her Universe/ThinkGeek

This is one of the few comics that where I can remember exactly where I was and what I was doing when I came up with the idea. As with many comics, the idea for the third panel came to me first. It is one of the best ideas I’ve ever had.

While making custom Infini-Tees for people didn’t work out, I am proud of the fact that I gave it a shot, and seeing my shirts on Wil Wheaton and Adam Savage was a big thrill.

And before you ask, no, I’m not making them anymore. As I said a few commentaries ago, it was just too challenging making acceptable likenesses of people I’d never met. The problem was even worse on the Infini-Tees, because the image was repeated six times at different scales.

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I’m not going to get into a lot of detail here, because I don’t have to, but we’ve all seen an example or two of the classic, “I’m sorry people’s feelings were hurt” apology recently. It’s a gambit that works beautifully, as long as the person you’re apologizing to isn’t listening, or thinking much about what they hear. If they do listen, or apply even a little bit of critical thought to what you say they’ll realize that you might as well have told them that you’re sorry they caught you.

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President Hillary Rodham Clinton’s First Day in Office

7:15 AM: Wake up ready to change the world…collapse due to frailty, sleep for 3 more hours

10:15 AM: Grab breakfast burrito from one of the taco trucks located on every corner

10:30 AM: Abolish FBI

11:45 AM: Sweep up remnants of glass ceiling

11:00 AM: Create cabinet of diverse individuals each with differing viewpoints and backgrounds who know how to keep their mouths shut

11:30 AM: Select a couple Supreme Court nominees, instantly throw names into garbage to save time

12:00 PM: Send Donald Trump a consolation gift basket of deplorables

12:30 PM: Lunch with Bill, promise to use the best parts of his presidency to help guide decisions

1:00 PM: Hire attractive male interns

1:15 PM: Send “Thank You” cards to numerous supporters, read the many “THANK GOD” cards sent from other world leaders

2:00 PM: Google “Is there such thing as a SUPER private server?”

2:10 PM: Fix all the problems with Obamacare such as the name, draft new ClintonClinic® legislation

3:00 PM: Eliminate college tuition fees and legalize marijuana–turning the whole of America into a party school

4:00 PM: Secure equal pay for both genders by forcing Marvel to finally make a Black Widow movie so Scarlett Johansson has a shot at Robert Downey Jr. money.

5:00 PM: Stop the uprising of Trump supporters by banning the use of capital letters on social media

6:15 PM: Ask Tim Kaine to pick up coffee so he has something to do

7:30 PM: Eat a healthy meal of vegetables from Michelle Obama’s White House garden to gain her strength and vitality

8:15 PM: Secretly kill a couple of enemies to stay in practice

9:00 PM: Give motivational speech to the drones getting ready to fight overseas  

9:30 PM: Get ready for an early bedtime, because not looking your best in the morning means not being taken seriously as a human being

10:00 PM: Say a quiet prayer of thanks that she’s beginning her job with a 35% approval rating, as opposed to most female managers who are usually much less popular  

Grand Czar Donald Trump’s First Day in Office

9:23 AM: Wake up late, blame crooked alarm clock

9:45 AM: Eat healthy Dr. Oz-prescribed fast food

10:20 AM: Fire all the current generals, divorce all current wives

11:00 AM: Begin peaceful round-up of all illegal aliens, use secret list that tells government exactly where they are and how to remove them in such a way that they will thank us for the free trip

11:30 AM: Throw Hillary in jail (Consider having trial at a later date)

12:00 PM: Stop by Burger King for lunch, replace current crown with the one they provide

12:30 PM: Make it legal to sue media for saying mean things or recording mean things that the president says

1:00 PM: Replace current inscription on Statue of Liberty that says “Give us your tired, your poor…etc” with the phrase, “Give us 50 people, tops”

1:30 PM: Begin draining the swamp in Washington by removing environmental standards on industries…thus destroying all swamps

2:00 PM:  Re-marry

2:20 PM: Create legislation to protect all religions that begin with the letter “C” and end in “-hristianity” while consulting favorite Bible passage, Crustaceans 11:34

2:45 PM: Put an end to all disastrous programs he insulted during the campaign: NAFTA, Obamacare, the United Nations, “Saturday Night Live” and the Republican party

3:30 PM: Plan to reinsert 9-month-old baby being ripped out of woman’s womb, learn that practice isn’t actually done…place hands in that position anyway, brag about it to Secretary of State Billy Bush

5:15 PM: Beat old buddy Putin in beer pong, sign autographs for Russian hackers

7:00 PM: Have romantic dinner with Sean Hannity at Wendy’s, rate the attractiveness of Wendy

10:00 PM: Begin drafting State of the Union tweet

11:59 AM: Go to bed unsatisfied, as this new accomplishment will never bring back the happiness felt riding childhood sled.

_________________________________________________________________

C.J. Tuor is currently at sea performing with Second City Theatricals. 

The post Sliding Polls: Two Vastly Different First Days in Office appeared first on The Second City.

Yet another character who only appeared once or twice because I was never happy with the quality of my artwork. That’s a big part of the reason I discontinued doing custom portrait shirts and social-media profile images for people. My quality was so hit and miss, and it was always just painfully awkward when it didn’t work out.

“Thank you for your support. Here’s your drawing.”

“I look like a monster.”

“Yes. That is true.”

“I’d like a refund.”

“Really? I mean, I understand that you feel insulted by my drawing, but I don’t know that a full refund is fair. I mean, I did put a lot of work into crafting that insulting drawing of you. Look at the gaps between your teeth. That’s a lot of fine detail work!”

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Jimmy and Benedict Cumberbatch perform an intense scene they've written together using Mad Libs...(Read...)

It was a Thursday night in 2001. My friends and I were gathered in a dark, dormitory lounge in Ithaca, NY. Ithaca didn’t carry UPN, so my mother would tape three episodes of Buffy The Vampire Slayer on VHS and mail them to me at college so my friends and I could watch. Everyone had heard about this “Buffy musical,” but we were skeptical. A musical? Seriously? Had Joss Whedon lost his damn mind?

And then, Sarah Michelle Gellar sang her first note, and the world changed.

We sat in the dark, delighted by the clever lyrics, stunned by Amber Benson’s beautiful voice, and enthralled with the story. The people of Sunnydale were randomly bursting into song, and sometimes bursting into flame. A demon was forcing everyone to sing their darkest emotional secrets, sometimes in a retro pastiche that’s never going to be a breakaway pop hit. Xander and Anya revealed their mutual fear of getting married, Giles soliloquized about leaving Buffy on her own, and Tara discovered that Willow had been using magic to alter her memory.

In the climactic number “Something To Sing About,” Buffy finally admitted the secret she’d been keeping from her friends this whole time: When they resurrected her at the start of the season, they ripped her out of Heaven, not some Hell dimension.

And of course, this happened:

It was 15 years ago today that “Once More With Feeling” premiered. It was the first time a musical television episode didn’t feel like a gimmick. There was nothing spoofy about it because, although witty, it was produced in complete earnest. There was a reason why people were singing rather than “just because we can do it.” In an episode about a lack of communication, music was a unique way to force that communication. The plot–

Sorry, I’m getting distracted by that GIF.

The plot was deeply integrated into the overall story, and it brought to light the issues these characters had kept inside all season long. It was a pivotal episode to so many storylines. It was the first time the audience learned that Xander had doubts about Anya which culminated in him leaving her at the altar later that season. Giles and Tara both decided that they needed to make the difficult decision to leave loved ones behind.  We were all stunned (and delighted and maybe even a little turned on) when Buffy and Spike kissed, which started an entirely new B-plot that was so right yet so wrong. Although as an audience we wanted to see Buffy with Spike, we also knew that she would never love him like he loved her. And at the end of the series, when she tells Spike she loves him, he replies with, “No you don’t. But thanks for saying it.” To this day, it’s still heart-wrenching and beautiful.

15 years later, Buffy fans still remember “Once More With Feeling” fondly. They still rewatch the episode on its own. They still play the soundtracks in their cars. They still sing the songs at karaoke night. They still put on secret underground productions because 20th Century Fox won’t release stage performance rights. They still create ballet choreography for Willow to “Under Your Spell.”

Oh, that’s just me? Hmm.

What made “Once More With Feeling” special to you? Share your favorite moments in the comments!

Image credits: 20th Century Fox

These are the upcycled retro dinosaur earrings made and sold by Hong Kong based Etsy shop OOOWORKSHOP. They're little plastic dinosaur toys that have been cut in half and made into earrings. They come in five different dinosaur varieties and cost $13 per earring. They look cool...(Read...)

Beat Down Boogie put together entertaining musical highlight reel of the best cosplay costumes from the recent 2016 edition of New York Comic Con...(Read...)

The post Very gross. Very, very gross. appeared first on Indexed.

Calm Owl..(Read...)

The dialog in the first three panels of this comic are made up of what I call “The Moby Dick Joke.” It was my favorite thing I ever wrote as a stand-up comic. I would stand up in front of rooms full of drunk people and share this complex analogy about a famously long, dense novel. More than one of my fellow comedians expressed amazement at it, but they were mostly impressed by the fact that I talked at length about Moby Dick in my act without ever mentioning male genitalia.

Note from Missy: And incredibly, those crowds of drunks usually enjoyed the joke! Scott Meyer, ladies and gentlemen, bringing fine literature to the masses.

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