Here is the first bunch of photos from the Classy Photo Contest! Thanks to everyone who entered. These in particular are the entries that attempted to reproduce a single comic panel. I’ve juxtaposed each with the panel it is attempting to reproduce.
This first one depicts a panel from my short story “Treachery!” (shown here in minicomic form; reprinted in my hardcover book Beards of our Forefathers). It is certainly the classiest sort of murder around! Gather in the parlor, the butler did it, &c. The description submitted with the photo reads:
So strongly possessed was I by the urge for a friendly round of blind-man’s-buff with my loving wife that I did not trouble myself to change out of my shirtsleeves or even to put down the latest by Mr. Malki !. I knew all that nonsense about someone killing my father was an ephemerality.
This one, of course, is from Comic #378, In which Children suffer. Extremely strong entry; top marks for costume creativity! The description provides a helpful 80s-teen-movie-style epilogue to the comic in question:
The Diver went on to lifeguard at different YMCA. He still hasn’t shut up.
One of the Children became the first zombie president of the United States.
The Bear was acquitted of all charges after jinxing the prosecution… He never did receive his Coke.
This entry from Claire, recreating a panel from #601; The Discovery that Changed the World, has everything I like in it: Cheetos, chopsticks, and attention to typographic detail. Claire writes:
I attempted to grow a beard for more accurate panel recreation but was met with little success and faking a beard isn’t really my style.
I must say I will never eat Cheetos any other way EVER again. I am going to carry around chopsticks expressly for the purpose of Cheeto consumption.
I think I should have gotten a larger bag, but I am just glad I still have a black jacket.
Claire also contributes this entry from #607; The Peaches That Were Left, but admits:
I meant this as a joke originally, because really! the panel is just a hand holding two fruit. Now I encountered a problem since it’s not peach season and where I live there are none available. But I got as close as I could, and close isn’t that close.
Here, from Andrew, is a panel from #387; In which Baggage is emblazoned. This is hopefully the only time that sticker has ever made its way into real life. Andrew writes:
“I’m TIRED of being upstaged by more talented MOD fans. I guess I just have to make my submissions more DISTINCTIVE somehow…”
Andrew, let us know if you ever lose that suitcase. I’d like to know if the sticker actually works.
This one’s super great! It recreates #191; In which a Tiny Dinosaur factors, which has the distinction of being the specific comic incredulously described by Jesse Thorn during my 2008 Sound of Young America interview, during which I had a throat infection and so spoke with a certain gravitas I have never since been able to match. The submitter of this photo writes:
The handsome fellow in the photo is my brother and that is his dinosaur, Diny (pronounced DYE-nee). Fun facts about this photo:
The scowl on my brother’s face was because I told him, “Imagine they’ve found Roderick’s body and it’s all Diny’s fault.” Also, he was incredibly bored.
The ‘sword’ is two-toned because it can retract. This means that you can flick the sword to extend it, which is very fun to do.
Diny has not told anyone to commit a crime (that I know of). In fact, he is a good, law-abiding stegosaurus.
Super fond of troublemaking big siblings dragging little brothers on boring adventures. Top marks.
Vanessa sends in this recreation of #238; In which Education is Vital. I am not sure that this is entirely historically accurate, but I am willing to make some minor exceptions for anyone who can balance on a cardboard unicycle. Vanessa writes:
Fact: our neighbors came out and watched us try to set up our delayed-timer camera on top of an IKEA magazine on top of a rubber tote, on top of a kitchen chair.
+5 bonus points for weirding out the neighbors. That was the point of this entire contest.
Also from Vanessa, recreating the most popular Wondermark comic of all time, #657; The Negotiator. “He who is without sin among you,” she writes, “let him be the first to throw rock-paper-scissors.” Vanessa, I say to you: DONE.
This is a very strong entry, recreating #507; In which Leopold is located. The word balloons are a nice bonus touch, and also note the attention to detail on the footwear. The cat in particular is striking an extremely accurate pose. By way of explanation, the submitter writes “In the live action version, Leopold was played by a much smaller man.”
Another quite strong entry (even the pots look basically correct) from the same submitter, recreating #372; In which Events end Poorly. Captioned, of course, “YOU FAILED THE TEST JUDGE JOHN HODGMAN JR”
Judge John Hodgman, Jr. is the name of the cat. And why not. I myself have a cat named Mall of America, after John Hodgman’s life-changing article in The Areas of My Expertise. Still: um, run?
Now then! I have my favorites, and of course we will show some of the other category of Classy Merchandise Photos later. But first: let’s have a vote! (If you’re reading this on a feed and the voting box doesn’t appear, click through to the post.) Here are the contenders:
If only Judge John Hodgman, Jr could have kept himself from jumping on that chair before the photo was taken he’d be a lock
I was very torn between Stove Cat and Testicles for Transport…mostly just because I think that that suitcase would be awesome to carry around in real life just as luggage. ^^ And I hope to see someone at a steam con somewhere someday carrying it.
Not seeing a voting box, but love Diny.
Apparently Judge John Hodgman Jr is a strong believer in method acting. Before posing that picture he had never jumped on the stove or counter before. Now he truly is a stove cat and we have had to pile objects as a wall around the edge of the stove/counter to prevent “Events end[ing] Poorly”
hrmm, Stove Cat (In Which Events End Poorly) is one of my faves!
I love the juxtaposition of the hand holding two ‘peaches’ and the testicles for transplant suitcase.
Dag, now I totally want to make a belated entry, if only for fun. I gave up because I couldn’t get anyone to pose for me and I lost my camera with the timer.
Darn the luck! Darn, darn, darn…