The Unwelcoming Cruise

Most crews aboard a cruise ship typically would try and hold their tongue when handling rowdy and uncooperative passengers, especially if said passengers are affecting the safety of others. Keep in mind, you’re not in a theme park or a hotel where you can easily be kicked out and have to drive back home. You’re stuck in the middle of the freezing dangerous waters of the ocean, with the only thing holding you in are the handlebars looped around the top deck of the vessel. If anything were to happen with your tickets when riding aboard the cruise, most of the time, you'd be asked to either pay right up or leave, typically before the cruise had left the arms of the dock.

So… how on god’s green earth did Tom and Betty get themselves stuck in a situation like this? Who really knows. Bad luck probably. The only kind of cruises where passengers would be forced to walk the plank are those Barbados-based pirate-themed cruise lines that have a surprisingly large number of good scores on Tripadvisor. But you gotta admit, the crew’s pirate outfits are a perfect 10/10… even if they’re most likely REAL cutthroat buccaneers. Betty’s kind of fancy, but not really what she wanted on a relaxing vacation with her boyfriend.

 A Little Push for a Quick Dive

As the final weeks of the warm season come approaching, everyone tries to scratch off their final itch to go swimming. Now, of course, a good amount of people (usually either more careless mid-teenagers or insane people; you know exactly who I’m talking about) prefer to spice up their water aerobics session by skipping the left turn where the beach is and to make a sharp right turn over to… the nearest cliff.

Completely isolated, unsupervised, without a single eye in sight. Though, there are the occasional small school of fish swimming around the bends of the sharp rocks that's poking out of the blankets of water. There’s also the rare flock of birds, refilling their free subscription of Liveleak as they get a crisp clean view of the next new idiot who decides it’s a good idea to bungee jump something that couldn’t be more of a death zone even if it wasn’t trying to (Mother Nature forms her earth the way she decides, though it could be argued she makes a game out of it and does her spells blindfolded). Or even worse and more often the case, the victim of intense peer-pressureing by the group of Fair-weathered “friends”. Sure, they’re chant for the kid to dive right in, but there ain’t no way from Hell and back they're gonna pay for the huge hospital bill after all of the surgeries.

Of course, Tom isn’t that type of guy. He just likes to have fun… while not fully knowing the outcome of what’s about to come. Betty knows Tom like a book and loves him to death, but even she can agree Tom can be the handful sometimes. Tom doesn't have to worry about any hospital bills, but he may have to worry about Betty beating his ass when she climbs back up the cliff. A perfect life-lesson lol.

Donald and Fethry; Fethry's Raffle (1977)

Synopsis: Fethry wants to sell Donald a raffle ticket, but he isn't interested.

 A Rifa do Peninha (B 760317) | I.N.D.U.C.K.S.

“A Rifa do Peninha” is one of the many MANY early brazilian stories starring the pinnacle of raw unfiltered energy, Fethry Duck, one of Donald’s many relatives. Unlike his other cousin, Gladstone, who’s the antithesis of Donald who, instead of an unlucky job-applying fellow is one who’s so filled with luck and so stuck-up about it that the mere idea of having to own a job is something more private than what’s inside pandora's box, Fethry has the exact same kind of hobby-seeking skills Donald processes. However, Fethry mainly prefers to obtain as many jobs and hobbies as he can, not for the money (though it never hurts to get some kind of paycheck from it) but more for the thrill of it. Tom Kenny voicing his only animated appearance in the Ducktales reboot is as fitting as you can get, as he’s how Spongebob adores his one and only workplace, but this time, he takes that raw dedication to any kind of occupation he can find.

Now why is this an issue for Donald? Because just like all of his other relatives, they really like dragging him into the picture for some reason. Fethry, in this story, is hosting a raffle and wants to get people to get tickets to bet on their winnings, but aside from the only other person he picks (which turns out to be the punchline of the short story) he dashes over to Donald’s house and does EVERYTHING he can to get Donald to buy at least one of them. In typical Brazilian fashion, as you'll soon see over time, it’s set more less like an epic Dell Four Color story, and more like cleaned up storyboards for a late 40s slapstick cartoon. There’s alot more action around Fethry getting kicked out and Donald hustling to get him off of him and later his TV.

As for the actual artwork, while it’s not like the previous Brazilian mickey story where it feels more like a cleaned-up S-code story, alot of these early Donald and Fethry stories have nowhere similar looking to the original Fethry stories Al Hubbard did. Those were ultra sketchy and rough looking while these Brazilian stories have more polish and solid posing.

Not sure how others would feel, but I honestly adore how much of a dick Fethry's being here. "C'mon Don, be a good sport and get yourself a ticket. You know I ain't gonna move if you don't.."

You know, Fethry, considering how much you really like tracking down Donald whenever he so much as breathes, You REALLY should've known that was gonna happen. Or at the really least, knew that letting Gladstone bet was game over automatically.

 Wildwood Doodles

There’s (almost) an entire world to run out to explore and tour, especially if you’re planning on a short-and-sweet vacation. But to most people, they typically prefer to relax and enjoy the warm sandy beaches… depending on if there’s one in their area. For me, I usually like going to New Jersey for vacation. More specifically, the edge of New Jersey; Wildwoods. Not only is it just the perfect kind of relaxing mid-year entertainment I always wait for, but it’s also perfect material for writing gags and storyboards. That’s what these are; goofy looking doodles around some things I got out of one of my many trips over there.

 Summertime Music

Most people don't mind alittle bit of noise while they’re done for some fun under the sun at the beach, rather it be the rushing roaring sweeps of fresh saltwater, the cheerful sounds of children (where they’ll seen playing in the water, drawing Illuminati signs and symbols across the sands, or begging their parents for that $9 Sonic popsicle from the traveling Ice cream man), or, in this case, music to ease the mind while you’re enjoying yourself. Now the question on if the selected music is actually good… yeah, I ain’t got an answer for you on that.

Gyro Gearloose; Lunch of The Blue (1996)

Synopsis: Gyro’s little helper accidentally launches Gyro’s fresh batch of frankfurters into space. And without any mustard on it!

 Launched Launch (D 92186) | I.N.D.U.C.K.S.

“Frokost i det blå” is one of those comics that's just perfect for the warm season, if for any reason other than having Gyro grilling up some Hot Dogs. Except, these AREN'T Hot Dogs, but rather a more unique dish more commonly eaten in Europe, like Denmark and Germany (which is where this scan comes from), Frankfurters. The main core difference between the two is that while Hot Dogs are made up of different kinds of meats, like Chicken and Beef, that’s been blended into the Pork that’s tucked in with a 6/10 bun, Frankfurters is 100% pure pork with a couple of spices like a KFC bucket of Chicken that’s been stripped down to nothing like it’s working at the Gold Club in Philadelphia.

You do gotta love how completely disarranged Gyro’s workshop is when he literally raw rocket fuel in colored bottles that can easily be mistaken for condiments that’s RIGHT NEXT to a flaming grill. Doe.. does Gyro not have a backyard he can cook in?... he can’t just ask Donald if he can cook in his backyard? Pretty sure he’ll be cool with it considering he’s not after his house payment like Scrooge. You’re telling me this dumbass can afford to make all of these insanely complex, sometimes unneeded inventions in his workshop but can’t afford to get a landscaper to give him some grass behind his house, so he doesn't burn his house down?! 

Also, those astronauts are seriously gonna risk getting their lungs blown up like discounted firecrackers that’s at the back of a Walmart over some $5 sausages?! Then again, if I was stuck in outer space with nothing to eat but flavored pills and all my drinks were in weed packets that’s been sanded off to where you would mistake it for leftover rock particles, I also would risk it for ACTUAL food.

 Red, White and Blue All Over

There have been many stories around the Revolutionary War, one of the most important roles in forming the United States of America to make it the way it is in the modern era (for better or worse depending on your point of view). The many members of the war between red and blue, like any battle or war, have their own horror stories on their experiences out at war. Some longer than others, and some with either a depressing ending or a… slightly depressing ending (again, depending on how you feel). Even the mascot of Great Britain, the brave and mighty lion, the very one titled “king of the beasts”, has his own nightmares he tells his therapist on the weekends. Take a WILD guess as to who’s to blame?!

Now, this isn't THE trio of rubbery donuts we all know and… hopefully know. These are some of their many ancestors. Three of the many soldiers and civilians ready to help up their friends in need and defeat the multiple numbers of oncoming enemies.

Now I will admit, this isn't the BEST piece of mine. Using pencil and erasing on thick cardboard-like watercolor paper is like a strong mixture of raw gasoline and a lit Duck match. The areas I erased ended up becoming slightly torn and messy, so I had to go from wanting to do traditional art to digital art. Because of this, some of the actual linework on the layouts were abit off, forcing the digital linework to be altered in order to savage the piece before the 4th of July holiday. So… my bad on this one lol