Annotated Slapstick #2

Compiled by Ron Dippold (rdippold@qualcom.qualcomm.com)

Date: Sat, 24 Oct 1992 00:36:18 GMT
edited by Enjolras (www.enjolrasworld.com) in January 2002 to combine both of Ron Dippold's 1992 UseNet posts
 

Alright, it's fluff, but I love it - The Awesome Slapstick is one of the few things I've tried recently that I can really get into. The in-jokes are so fast and furious, however, that I figure I must be missing some of them. It's worth a cursory annotation, especially since it's only four issues. Here's what I've got for number 2 (I'll go back to 1 later):

Page 2, panel 1: Looks like a "Cramps" album. Nice ass on the calendar. Can't tell what's on the poster.
Page 2, panel 4: Whose picture is on the dartboard? Note the human skull on the shelf.

Page 3, Panel 1:  Clearasil?  What's with the eyeballs?
Page 3, panel 3: Jim Morrison poster.

Page 4, panel 1: Stores - "La Merde" (The shit), "Recurds," "House O' Liver," "GROT" (?), "Beth Ann's House of Style" (?).
Page 4, Panel 4: Stores: "Heather's" "Sex" "Drugs" "Rock and Roll"

Page 6, panel 1: McRonald's
Page 6, Panel 4: Menu: "Adam's Ribs" "Bean Curd" "Crab" "Crabcake" "Onion Rings" "Big Mickey" "French Fries" "Shakes" "Escargot"

Page 8, Panel 4: "Employees must wash hands before leaving rest room", (handwritten) "Sometimes you gotta break the rules"

Page 9, Panel 1: The Overkiller is the best Punisher parody I've ever seen... "Be very, very quiet. I was hunting mutants." is an Elmer Fudd reference, as is the "Acme Mutant Detector".
Page 9, Panel 3: Pat, Vanna, etc. is Wheel of Fortune. Note the calendar hidden under the voiceover - they snuck a nipple past the comics code.

Page 10, Panel 1: "I'm the best at what I do..." is another Punisher takeoff.
Page 10, Panel 2: Note the booties.
Page 10, Panel 4:  "Wa-hoo!" and even the pose are from Sgt. Fury and his Howling Commandos.
Page 10, Panel 5: "Freleng Mall" as in Fritz... "It might be necessary to destroy the mall in order to save it" is a takeoff of one of our favorite fabricated Vietnam catchphrases.

Page 11, Panel 3: Who the hell is Zontar? Sounds familiar.
Page 11, Panel 4: It's Elmyra from Tiny Toons! Note the "Mr. Skully" barrette.

Page 12, Panels 3-6: Almost any WB cartoon. Daffy Duck is probably closest.
Page 12, Panel 8: "I'm your worst nightmare" I think comes from one of the Rambo movies, although it's been well overused elsewhere. Note the restaurant name in the background: "Bite Me"

Page 14, Panel 2-3: "Go ahead, make my day." Another massively overused phrase, from Dirty Harry.
Page 14, Panel 4: Hole courtesy of WB Cartoons.
Page 14, Panel 5: "Of course you realize... this means war" is Bugs Bunny, many cartoons.

Page 18, Panel 3: Store: "We 'B' Toyz" with the stuffed head of Geoffery Giraffe.
Page 18, Panel 4: Lots of little dolls. let's see... GI Joe, Darth Vader, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, Shogun Warriors, Godzilla, He-Man. Possibly Micronauts. Whose the guy in the trenchcoat?

Page 20, Panel 2:  There's a rie fighter and Micronauts cruiser being blown to hell.  Gumby is being blown up, Pokey is watching from the side, and that's Rom's head going by Pokey.
Page 20, Panel 4: "Grenada" sign.
Page 20, Panel 7: "Skulker-Arounder, dark, gritty realistic avenger of evil!" is Batman.

Page 21, 6: Pure WB cartoons.

Page 22, Panel 5: "Webs" is the book Peter (Spiderman) wrote. It's in the discount bin.

Page 24, Panel 1: Hard to read most of these signs. I got the "Eat While You Wait" restaurant. Is that "JOCKO" sportin' goods?  Looks like the sign on that post says "No Shit".  The skier statue has a cast on his foot and a golf club in his hand.
Page 24, Panel 4: Daffy Duck in that cavalry cartoon...

Page 25, Panel 4: "This time it's personal!" Was that Jaws IV?
Page 25, Panel 6: "Tell me... do you feel lucky, mutant?" is another Dirty Harry phrase.
Page 25, panel 7: Bugs Bunny, lots of cartoons.

Page 28, panel 1: Could be a Lucy / Snoopy reference.
Page 28, Panel 6: "Hammer Time" is MC Hammer.
Page 28, Panel 7: "Th' Winnah and Still Champeen..." another cliche boxing reference. Who are those people in the background? I can't believe I missed the "I'll be back..." from the Ahnold.

Page 29, Panel 2: Spiders suck the juices out of their prey - a lovely spider reference.
Page 29, Panel 5: Note the kid looking at MJ's ass.  He also has "69" written on his shirt.
Page 29, Panel 6: WB Cartoons, again.

Page 31, Panel 2: "My First Atom Smasher" Bart Simpson poster.
Page 31, Panel 3: Great takeoff on those ads in magazines. The Mad Thinker is an old foe of the Fantastic Four.
Page 31, Panel 5: Oooh, bad pun. Sweeney Todd was a movie.
--
No man is an island, but some of us are long peninsulas.