The Naturals - Episode 1 - Catch a Wave

Eddy “Captain TieDye” Scott is on his way to work when fate takes an unforeseen turn. Eddy finds himself in another confrontation with the law. Eddy is forced to call upon his friend, Keith “BigFoot” Hotternell for help, but not before his unique abilities are noted by a mysterious member of the BigTown underworld.

Notes to The Naturals #1

Episode 1 “Catch a Wave”

Cover

Why is it called The Naturals?

The title was originated by my friend Keith Kitchen, who claims that the original comic was drawn by a kid in his 5th grade class. Keith remembers few details of the comic, save that he was portrayed therein with the superhero code name “BigFoot” because of his, you guessed it, allegedly big feet. Keith’s description of this comic was without a doubt the inspiration for everything that follows. The logo, “The Naturals” is an homage to the font used by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby for The Fantastic Four, which was the first comic book I ever bought, in 1968, which I still own, and which has subsequently been signed by Stan “the Man” Lee himself.

Why are they Desultory?

Another homage to the wonderful Marvel comics of the 1960’s. Marvel titles were never simply the name of the characters. They were always preceded by an adjective. The Mighty Thor, The Uncanny X-Men, The Mighty Avengers, The Spectacular SpiderMan, etc. So, too, The Naturals require an adjective to describe them. However, their adjective changes with every issue, and is always slightly self-deprecatory. In keeping with the long-standing tradition in Marvel comics, wherein the dialogue often contained complex and melodramatic verbiage as well as lots of words that required little kids to consult a dictionary, many of these adjectives may also require a quick trip to Google.

Why does the comic cost 10 cents?

Early issues of Fantastic Four cost 10 cents. The price was soon changed to 12 cents, where it stayed for many years. There may be a transition in the future.

Who is the silhouetted character in the title block?

In the 60’s and 70’s, Robert Crumb wrote a counter cultural comic called Mr. Natural. The primary subjects were, not surprisingly, Sex, Drugs and Rock ‘n’ Roll. The Robert Crumb character, as such, does not appear in The Naturals, save but for his silhouette on the cover of the first issue. There is, however, a Mr. Natural in the bERSerker Comics version, whose nature will be revealed over time.

What does bERserker Comics mean?

The word Berserker refers to Viking warriors, but also to a sci-fi series begun in 1981 by Fred Saberhagen. I use this name as on online alias. The letters ERS are capitalized, because they are the initials of my name.

Who are the characters on the cover?

BigFoot on the left, Captain Tie Dye on the right.

Why is the cover in black and white and only partially coloured?

The Naturals is a black and white comic, but each page features a splash of colour. This is partially to draw attention to the coloured object, but is also because I’m colour blind and would find it impossible to author a truly colour comic book.

Where is the background scene?

The scene is from a back alley in Shenandoah, Iowa, a town that holds many special memories for me.

Page 1

Panel 1

What is KRSH?

In the 60’s and 70’s, all rock ‘n’ roll radio stations had 4 letter call signs, and virtually all of them used a musical ID that stated the call sign, followed by the name of the city in which it was located. KRSH is no exception. KRSH is short for “KRASH” which is reminiscent of the post-apocalyptic nature of the story that follows.

What is BigTown?

It is the city in which The Naturals predominantly takes place. It was once known as Kansas City, my favourite American city.

What are the pillars in the background?

They actually exist in Kansas City, but they also contain foreshadowing of future events.

There appears to be damage to some buildings in the Cityscape. What gives?

The Naturals is a post-apocalyptic story. ‘Nuff said.

What is the significance of the butterfly?

It is foreshadowing of The Butterfly Effect, which is a theory that states that small, seemingly insignificant, even random events can have a profound impact on the future. This is nowhere more true than in The Naturals.

What are the birds on the roof in the foreground?

Foreshadowing.

What is the logo on the skyscraper in the right background?

Foreshadowing.

What is the tent city in the right foreground?

A side effect of the Krash.

What is the graffiti on the building in the right foreground?

It is the gang sign of “The Otics”. In the original Grade 5 comic, the Otics were the bad guys. Same thing in The Naturals.

Panel 2

Who’s here?

Introducing “Sunny Bob” the mysterious DJ on KRSH. Inspired by the DJ in “The Warriors”, as well as Wolfman Jack in “American Grafitti” Sunny Bob provides a backdrop to the plot by spinning a tune and making a comment appropriate to the current situation. The tune du jour is often the title of the current episode. Episode 1’s introduction is lifted directly from Mark Levin, who is one of the gurus of conservative talk radio.

Panel 3

Who is portrayed in the statue in the square in the left foreground?

Foreshadowing.

Who is the figure in the centre foreground?

Mr. Kitzel, the hot dog vendor. Foreshadowing.

Title Block

Why 1313 Mockingbird Lane? Is that a real address?

The address of The Munsters in the eponymous 60’s TV show. Also one digit different from the author’s own home street address at the time.

What is 101084058 SK LTD and why is that where the action is?

The actual name of a numbered company that specialized in world class innovation and cutting edge marketing. The fact that I owned it should not in any way cause the reader to succumb to cynicism or incredulity. There is plenty of time for that, considering we’re still on page 1 of issue 1, for crying out loud.

Is this story really not original?

Gentle reader, I’ll let you be the judge. Everything in popular culture has been largely derivative since Adam named the animals. My blessing and my curse is that I remember everything that even mildly amuses me, and The Naturals is my way of paying homage to virtually anything that I find funny, touching, or cool. I hope you will find The Naturals to be fresh and original, while you enjoy a wide variety of references familiar and obscure. If you take the time to look stuff up, you might even learn something.

Page 2

Panel 8

What’s up with the colourful vehicle?

A 1968 VW microbus. The ultimate ride.

Page 3

Panel 1

Who’s the Dude?

The Dude, indeed. That’s Captain Tie Dye (CTD), one of the stars of the Naturals.

Panel 2

“Visualize Whirled Peas”?

I love bumper stickers. Get used to it. It is one of multiple recurring themes and running gags. This one is a play on the ubiquitous liberal slogan “Visualize World Peace”. You’ll get used to CTD’s cynicism.

What is the Airtight Garage?

A reference to “The Airtight Garage of Jerry Cornelius” the classic sci-fi fantasy serial by the genius Moebius, reprinted in the 70’s fantasy magazine Heavy Metal.

Panel 3

What is folk/roots music?

It’s what BigFoot plays. Not surprising that you’ve never heard of it. That’s part of the point.

Panel 5

What is “Happy, clappy surfin’ tunes and good time pre-apocalyptic rock ‘n’ roll”?

The real BigFoot once accused me of having musical taste limited to the above. As usual, his point escaped me.

Panel 6

What song is playing?

“Catch a Wave” by the Beach Boys. Also the title of this episode. The Butterfly Effect has started a “wave” or chain reaction of events with far reaching consequences.

Page 4

Panel 3

What’s the car wreck all about?

Old damage, not yet cleaned up. More evidence of the Krash. Either that or it’s based on actual footage from Detroit.

Page 5

Panel 5

What does the officer’s badge say?

BigTown Sheriff Service. “Opus enem liberabit vos” which is Latin for “Work Sets You Free” which is German for “Arbeit Macht Frei” which was the motto of the Auschwitz Nazi Death Camp.

Page 6

Panel 1

What is the logo on the building in the right background?

Foreshadowing.

Panel 3

What’s playing at the Orpheum Theatre?

Someone or something different every time. Another running gag.

Page 7

Panel 1

Who’s this guy?

This is the other star of The Naturals, BigFoot.

Panel 3

How can it take 2 hours to shave?

When one of BigFoot’s many obsessions, (in this case the use of a straight razor for shaving) is involved, time loses all meaning.

Panel 6

What’s on BigFoot’s shirt?

It’s a dial on a guitar amplifier which goes up to 11. Hat tip to “Spinal Tap”, the cult classic Heavy Metal Music spoof.

Page 8

Panel 3

“The Weed of Crime Bears Bitter Fruit”?

From The Shadow, the 1940’s radio serial.

Panel 5

“Sgt. Plod”?

In England, the Police are aka The Plod, inferring to their slow, methodical, somewhat dim-witted ways.

Page 9

Panel 1

“Keith”?

We learn that BigFoot’s civilian given name is Keith. In a few pages we learn that Keith’s last name is “Hotternell”, which is taken from “Who Framed Roger Rabbit”. During the Baby Herman cartoon, Roger rescues the Herman from being burned on the stove, who’s brand name is “Hotternell”.

Panel 4

“Eddy Scott”?

We learn CTD’s civilian name. Eddy, the author’s first name, has long been a secret alias, as I generally go by my middle name. Eddy also refers to the motorcycle riding Frankenstein’s monster played by Meatloaf in The Rocky Horror Picture Show. In the movie, we never learn Eddy’s last name, but his uncle’s name is Dr. Scott, so we extrapolate.

Panel 5-7

What’s going on?

CTD’s hapless cellmate, learns that Eddy Scott has a mysterious super power. In this scene, he disappears and then reappears wearing an equally loud, but differently patterned shirt. Very strange.

Page 16

What is this “interlude”?

The interlude, featuring Your Humble Narrator, is also taken from The Rocky Horror Picture Show, in which the plot is interrupted from time to time by “The Criminologist”, who endeavours to enlighten the audience with behind the scenes information. I will let you, Gentle Reader, be the judge as to YHN’s efficacy in this regard.

Panel 3

YHN’s wall chart does reveal the name of the arresting officer, Corporal K. Bacon.

Page 17

Panel 1

Why is Keith driving such crappy cars?

Because that’s what he does. Another running gag, complete with extensive descriptions of terrible cars, with ongoing homage to Top Gear, the British car show.

Page 19

Panel 4

What is happening now?

Eddy’s cellmate has been released on bail, and has clearly noticed Eddy’s special abilities. For some reason, he is taking a special interest in this, which may not bode well for our hero.