+ 6 - 2 | § ¶Making Of Another Hatbag
Before having the idea that became the Dec. 28 Hatbag, we worked on doing a strip in honor of President Gerald Ford, who died two days before the strip was published. Here's is the iChat transcript of that conversation.
Lain: hatbag thoughts for tomorrow?
Lain: i have one topical idea
David: i'm fer it
David: oh?
Lain: Guy: Did you see that Gerald Ford passed?
Lain: Seth: Yeah.
Lain: Guy: Say what you will about Ford, he stepped in when a troubled predecessor's own character faults forced him out...Ford took on a heavy burden in a troubled time.
Lain: Seth: Uh, yeah. I guess. Your point?
Lain: Guy: You're being replaced by Herbert
Lain: Herbert: Our long national nightmare is over.
Lain: Jenny: OR SOMETHING FUNNY
David: hrm
Lain: Or a new year's resolution strip
David: or a punchline revue
David: or what they got for Christmas
Lain: In which we run the first three panels real pixel-y, and then get crisp new year's resolution for the final one
David: I'm not opposed to the Ford strip, but for some reason it's just not flowing for me
David: heh
David: maybe more transition would help
Lain: Let's just do random Ford-era references
Lain: Seth: I've got the Swine Flu!
Lain: Guy: Uh....let's Whip Inflation Now.
Lain: Jenny: THis sucks.
David: And then Herbert falls down some stairs
Lain: and then Seth says: "I'm Hippie Seth...and you're not!"
David: lol
David: thankyou
Lain: "Live, from your computer, it's HATBAG!"
Lain: "Unless you're reading it in book form!"
Lain: "Due February 2007!"
David: wow
Lain: Check your local listings!
Lain: Not for the hatbag book, just good advice.
David: heh
Lain: EDITOR'S NOTE: There was some debate about whether to do a traditional end of the year strip, or, alternately, to honor the late President Ford. The final script reflects the deadlock which always looms as a possibility in a two-man operation. Please enjoy!
Lain: Guy: Another year behind us./p>
Lain: Seth: He had a full life.
Lain: Guy: Time to make some New Year's resolutions, I guess.
Lain: actually i have nothing further with this concept
Lain: Guy: Sure, his heyday was long behind him, but he was still respected.
Seth: He stepped up and worked hard.
Guy: I'll always connect him with the vibe of the 1970's.
Seth: He was even spoofed on Saturday Night Live.
Guy: Who can forget his enthusiastic live performances, clad in a bright velvet robe?
Seth: Who can forget his controversial pardon of Nixon?
Guy:.... James Brown pardoned Nixon?
Seth:....Gerald Ford wore a velvet robe?
David: Seth: So President Ford died Tuesday
Guy: Yeah. So I heard.
Seth: I don't know how to feel about it. On the one hand, it seems like it should be a big deal, because he used to be president.
Guy: Right.
Seth: But on the other hand, I'm too young to have any memory of his administration, so it's hard to feel too strongly about it.
Guy: That's understandable.
Seth: On the other hand, I do love the Mustang and Indiana Jones.
Guy: Even you're not that dumb.
Seth: No, I was just trying to end with a punchline.
David: jrj
David: heh
Lain: Seth: I like to envision James Brown and Gerald Ford sharing an elevator ride to heaven together.
Lain: Guy: That's nice.
Lain: Seth: My theology is a bit murky.
Lain: Guy: Church of Otis?
Lain: Otis: Did you call me, Mr. Loo-thor?
Lain: Superman: Luthor!
Lain: Luthor: Superman!
Lain: James Brown: I feel dead!
Lain: Gerald Ford: I'm a Ford, not a Lincoln, and now I'm dead.
David: Seth: So Ford's dead. It's still hard to believe he had the guts to do that.
David: Guy: Pardon?
David: Seth: Yes.
Lain: heh
Lain: Seth: Hmmm. Coincidence? Or not?
Lain: Guy: What's that now?
Lain: Seth: James Brown's big hit "Get Up Offa That Thing" came out in 1976.
Lain: Guy: Yeah?
Lain: Seth: The same year Gerald Ford was president.
Lain: Guy: And?
Lain: Seth: And now they're both dead.
Lain: Guy: But that was ONE hit that Brown had, in ONE of the years that Ford was in office. What does that prove?
Lain: Seth: Oh, you're so shortsighted. Clearly someone is picking off the superstars of 1976.
Lain: Guy: Where are you going?
Lain: Seth: I'm going to see that new Rocky movie before someone kills off Stallone.
Lain: Guy: That could have been funnier.
Lain: Seth: Yes. Yes it could have.
Lain: or
Lain: Guy: That could have been funnier./p>
Lain: Seth: Well, PARDON ME!!
And, at that point, we kinda gave up on doing a Ford strip and came up with the idea that became this week's strip.