Another Haunting Tribute!

Some time ago, a young lady I know, who relates very much to my character Iris from The Inquiring Minds, approached me with an idea.  She was proud that she had faced her fears, and finally went on the Haunted Mansion ride in Disney World, and loved it!  She then had her mom take a photo of her in front of The Mansion, posing as a hitchhiker.  What a cool idea, and she deserves all the credit for it!

Now, she's been adamant that Iris is based on her, and has requested that I put her in a comic strip.  After seeing the photo of her in front of the Haunted Mansion, and letting it simmer in my mind a bit, I decided to draw Iris in the same pose.  After all, I'm in the midst of writing and drawing the Knight and Day Family Vacation, in which the Knights go to Disney World. So, the illustration works for me, and at the same gives this young lady the proof she required that her and Iris are twin souls.

I am very happy to present the original art to her, to reward her inspiration, and very cool idea.

The illustration was based on her photograph, and then turned into a postcard, which I then made into a Knight and Day panel.  This is, quite fittingly, my 13th Knight and Day panel! Don't you just love coincidences like that?
All the best,    JOHN :0)

PS On my iPod?  Hugh Laurie, Let Them Talk
PSS How fitting that Iris appear in a tribute to the Haunted Mansion, since her fellow Inquiring Minds, Bobby and Albert, appeared in a haunting tribute last year! (Available as a fine print in our shop)

Knight Family Vacation Page

Just a quick note to say that I've moved all the Knight and Day vacation strips to their own page at the website.  This way you can read them all at once, and in order, and it's easier for me to update.

http://www.happyglyphs.com/vacation.html

A new Knight and Day was just added, and believe it or not, but the Knight's are finally leaving!  Well, they're in the car, anyway. :0)

While you're there, check out the rest of the site and see what's new.

Cheers,    JOHN :0)

Knight Family Comic Strip Vacation: Florida Road Trip! [updated! (6)]

Okay, I've mentioned before that as I currently create Knight and Day, it is with a second comic strip collection in mind.  Like "Take Me Away From All This!", the next collection will basically cover a year or so in the lives of the Knight family.  However, due to surprises in life (see previous posts), that story is not always created in a linear fashion.

So, in this blog, I am introducing the Knight's forthcoming road trip, starting with the first strip that actually leads into the future storylines dealing with Snowie and her kittens.  Before Iris can have a cat, she needs to 'want' a cat.  Get it? :0)

Either way, all my strips are designed to be enjoyed independently, but once you know the characters better, it's fun to see how things change, and watch their lives change and grow.

Question:  Should I post all of the vacation strips here, on this page, and hope you come back to visit?  Or post them as they come up, and put them all together later?  Well, let me know what you prefer, and we'll see what works out for the best. [For now, I'll post them here for ease, as well as at the Knight and Day page of our website, where they may be easier to read.]

By the way, to see the inspiration for this trip, please read my previous post.
Meanwhile, all great adventures must start somewhere, so here it is; the planting of the seed. JOHN :0)

 

PS Comic strip vacations are nothing new to Knight and Day.  If you haven't read Take Me Away From All This!!, the first Knight and Day collection, you've missed Steve and Amy's trips to Niagara Falls, England and France, and of course, Oz in Thailand,  And the Knight and Day Graphic Novel 3 Knights in India features a bit of traveling as well. :0)

Recharging the Batteries

Grumpy Little Orange. :0)

Last week sometime, I woke up and decided to take a vacation.  Oh, I had thought about it, but sometimes thinking leads to all sorts of rationalizations like affordability, time, etc.  And planning.  There are some who plan every detail, and there are some who wing it, and I wung it.  Much against anyone's better judgement, I began driving about 7:30 at night, heading for Florida... a mere 15 hours or so away!

Normally an overnight drive would send shudders down my spine, being safety conscious and all, but honestly, a part of me really wanted to watch the sun rise.  No idea why, but seeing dawn break is something we should all do now and then, especially with the shore nearby, and fun times ahead.

Happily, the journey went safely, and thus began a week of alternating adventure and relaxation, with a focus on new experience.  I'm a huge advocate of doing new things to recharge the batteries and stimulate the brain, whether trying new foods or seeing a new place, or both.

Success!  My first evening in Florida I was enjoying the sunset over a beautiful lake, and about to walk out onto a pier when I spotted something in the shallows beside me... what looked like a toy alligator.  While marvelling at how life-like it was, said alligator started moving towards me!  Now I've seen gators before, but none in the wild, none a few feet from me, and none so close to pedestrians and puppies all enjoying the park. And this guy actually moved towards me with no fear in its eyes!

Alligator looks mean!

Next I visited Mt. Dora for the first time, a nice little place on a lake that looks like a town in the Caribean. I watched the Independence Day fireworks, and planned on going back, but unfortunately wasn't able to find the time.

Day 3 found me in Disney World, a place that always stimulates the creative juices! And although I've been there before, I was easily able to find new things to do. Usually I stay in the park resorts, and take advantage of the free bussing to and from the parks, which is beyond priceless. This time I decided to schlup it and actually drive in and park, which involves a lot of traffic, parking two miles away, and then fighting for space on the trams where we then took the ferry across the lake and then stood in a ticket line for tickets and then hiked to the entrance and by then was too tired to move!  Then again, it was a hot and humid day, but next time, a resort stay is definitely called for.

Nice edible design on my dessert plate at Tony's in the Magic Kingdom

I had a chance at a truly unique experience, which was seeing the final space shuttle launch live!   My choice of this week for Florida was influenced by the launch, although I wasn't sure if I wanted to attempt to go to the launch site itself.  First off, I knew it would be crowded, and second, there are sometimes delays in these launches.  Unfortunately, time moved quickly, and where I was located was a great place to see the shuttle take off in the distance... usually.  After a very hot and humid few days, the night before I was in Downtown Disney in a true deluge of rain.  The morning of the launch found it still drizzling, and of course cloudy, so although I should have seen the launch, I couldn't.  It was just too overcast!  Well, some things you just can't control.

On the way home, not wanting to face that dreaded drive, I stopped for the night in Hilton Head, South Carolina, another place I always wanted to visit, and pretty much the last shore stop on the way home.  This not only split my drive up, but I spent a wonderful evening and morning on the beach, in the ocean, and at a gorgeous hotel.  It was muggy there as well, but Hilton Head Island is definitely on the 'Must Return To' list.

Storm brewing over the beach at Hilton Head

So, am I rested and rejuvenated after my impromptu Holiday??  Hell no.  I'm exhausted, and my To-do list is twice as long as before!

But you know what?  I'd do it again in a minute.  You don't forget a trip like that, and yeah, I'm sure to get a lot more out of it, once I've rested and had time to look back.  Maybe even some ideas for cartoons??

No maybes about it. :0)

Time to think about the next trip.    JOHN :0)