READERS' SUBMISSIONS

I had no idea what to call this section, hence the unweildy title. It's a lot of art and some writing, as well as some some downright out of the ordinary works too. Thanks to everyone who found various ways of sending in fun tidbits of Class Menagerie interpretations, and please be sure to let them know if you like what ya see!
All characters (c) their respective owners.

OgreDude hosts a lot more stuff on the CM Annex, so be sure to check that out as well!!!

Something Unexpected

My first fanfic, written by Ivica Folnovic. A sort of "what-if" story of Mikey actually taking interest in a girl--a newcomer created by Ivica, Laura Fishburne. What will Lisa think?! Love the mastery of the character interaction here!

The lovely Jamie Bennett (who has yet to get a significant online presense, pity) drew up this picture of her own characters Cori, Thor, and Wunndar in a bit of crossover with Ms Lisa. It's Puppy Love?

If ever there were a caffeine shortage, most comics would grind to a halt. Here, as depicted by Kevin "Cerulean" Pease of Absurd Notions, no-nonsense ANer Warren dukes it out with Brad and Funny Farm grouch Gulius. Aw, Brad could whip them both easily!

Several pics from Brian Reider: Kevin and a delightfully growly-looking Brad, then Kevin taking in interest in something active (which somehow actually works), Scott drawn with excellent black/white contrast, and after My Funny Valentine, Brian thought Tony and Mikey duetting in the famous "You've Lost That Loving Feelin'" scene from Top Gun would be fun. I wager they sound better.

From Funny Farm creator and good bud R. Smith, a little spoof on the Gridiron with everyone celebrating a victory, and Kim showing her support of the team…she's behind them all the way!

Budding comic-stripper Jay B drew this pic featuring a typically unsuspecting Tony, and Patrick, one of Jay's characters.

  Dragonwolf, one of the most prolific contributors, has a bunch of images. For starters, he's working on his own yet-untitled comic project featuring Bevial the devil and his own ensemble cast. Some of these pics depict the hazards of being drawn by guest artists, but the others are interactions with his characters and the CMers. Obviously a Beatles fan, DW's created pics of CMers in the style of album covers, namely Yellow Submarine, Let It Be, and Abbey Road. Then there's some portraits, a previously seen Brad, then Scott bustin' a move, and even Lisa. And two more comics, of interactions with the CMers and his personal characters...his strip is still on hold, though.

Liz Evans, author of train-of-thought comic "Elsinore" (a far more realistic look at college, I might add), created a pic giving more airtime for the ladies; Cindy and Lisa taking a break from the stress of studying.

Karine Charlebois drew up a couple pics showing off her computer-coloring skills; Cindy and Lisa once again, and a hilarious pic of Brad and Brooklyn (of Disney's "Gargoyles" animated series) trading places. If you don't know of Gargoyles, pop over to Karine's site for artwork and fanfics on the basics of the show, and lots of other art of all genres as well.

Muscle Wolf, Has his gang of trademarkedly tough-lookin' guys interacting with the CMers; Lisa responding to them predictably, and Tony actually appearing rather wimpy in comparison to Krano the minotaur. Visit Krano and company at his website.

From Blathering Bear, showing Tony the danger(?) of overdoing workouts. Poor guy probably can't even tie his shoelaces anymore! Oh wait, he doesn't wear shoes. You know what I mean. And in a summer-y pic, Tony's looking for ways to cool off. You'd be hot too if you had that much surface area exposed to the sun. Next is a more lower body -focused pic...and finally, Tony has been encouraged to go by the mantra, "if you've got it, flaunt it !" Given that the overdeveloped Tony is somewhat reminiscient of an action figure (and I don't mean Barbie's bf Ken), BB thought there might be a market for one of those collector's edition full-sized models. Eat your heart out, McFarlane!. 

R.I.P. The Class Menagerie?

For something new, morbid and definitely different, read Rev Lunter captures the essence of the characters with a lot of good humor and inside jokes, provided you don't read this too close to bedtime :-)

Triangle & Robert's author Patrick Shaughnessy is famous for artistically making the most out of very little in his strip, and carried over the concept of minimalism to Tony in "Only Human" part 1.

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The Rather
Predictible Point

Lots from FSHan. I love the internet...without it, you wouldn't be reading this strip. But his comrade Mr. Hunt has several cases against the internet, one of them pictured here.  Then, Biff is erroneously (we hope) selected to do an on-the-air interview with fellow leonine Gryfold. There haven't been such lunkheaded camera-hogs on TV since...uh...well, the last Jerry Springer. Strange inspiration strikes, and he's decided to cross grouchy, burly Coach Carradine with cutie fighter Mai Shiranui...and the result is one.... uh... very unusual combatant! You'll kinda have to see. Ah well, he's STILL no match for Dani, even after her last Campus Fighters, match with Biff (quite timely considering CJ's story below), highlighted by overwrought attack descriptions, "bad" translations, and anime illustrations.
And now try something old, something new, and something revised for us. The former is a larger version of the chibi-Biff he did a few weeks back for Campus Fighters; something new is a comic strip that integrates themes from various fanfics posted over time (see if you can recognize all of them!), and the revised image is an update of Lisa's snuggle attack on Mr. Hunt paired with a poetic reflection on the state of the internet...with an added "sequel" image as a bonus! I once joked that it'd be funny if I used Algernon as a pinup. Guess who had the last laugh? If Al's expression and thumbs-up weren't so classic, I'd have to boil my eyeballs. And not satisfied with that, he's working ahead and already done art for Duet To Me, sorta. Ever wanted to see Damon in a musical? In Julie Andrew's role? Oh, come on, at least heast he's traumatizing the Von Trapps... 

Here he tries his hand at an illustrated story, The Rather Predictible Point. An enigmatic and attractive substitute librarian finds himself receiving unwanted attention from some Richter residents (guess which?) Another one not exactly canon, but interestingly it may or may not consider some of the prior fanfics canon ;-) Also check out his Elfwood site for more stories. 

And from Abel DuSable. The less I say about it the better, because it has the most impact if all I say is it's Kevin's best defense against Dani's clipboard. Heh-heh! Then, a potential followup if things work out (in case you're wondering, this is based on a strip I made a long time ago...) A certain play on words comes back to haunt Dani.  Wish this had come a week or two earlier ;-) Plus a couple "revisions" of CM strips, sort of a what if?  In the first, certain policies have been instated against Dani's typical punishment tactics; and in the second, an unlikely person ends up sharing one of Kevin's hobbies.   

In the depths of the forum, CJ Garver of Chris and the Crew made a this pic as a parody of how some people thought Mikey was a bit androgynous looking, based on the anime/manga series Ranma 1/2. Also, Jenna of of Chris And the Crew tries to teach Cindy a new sport; one Cindy is evidently TOO good at ;-) Plus he has a little CM tribute to Final Fantasy 8, with Kevin/ Mikey/ Scott/ Lisa/ Dani/ Denise cosplaying as various FF8 characters. I have the feeling Kevin may have to swear off video games after this. No doubt this reinforces Mikey's sentiments that video games are detrimental to your health.  Now it's the ladies' turn, with the villainesses of the CM getting some airtime. The femme fatales (some more fatale than others) react to their status as bad girls...and while it's acknowledeged Sara doesnt really the bill, she's sort of a bad girl too. I might add it's an interesting coincidence that he happened to pick three blondes (I guess they do have more fun ;-) There was also his pic of the MALE villains, a trio of the most evil nemeses; Ryan, Algernon, and Art. And just to be creative, he's even humanized them. Look carefully for all the hidden references to their characters ;-)

Mikey

A three-chapter story submitted by Askre, of Icelandic Mania. It's an encounter with Askre's characters from another dimension, Hedrena and Kjge. Apparently Hedrena has some strange agenda for Mikey (and no, we're not talking about the same one Lisa has), but are her intentions evil or benign? And will the CM world survive interference in its time-space continuum? 

Sort of a long story, but essentially a hilarious crossover pic of Matt Smith's cast of  heroic(!) orcs (l-r: Ogrokh, Rab, and Mutt) challenging the DeMontfort Gryphons in a typically chaotic and no-holds barred orc game of Groggur. See more at Matt's co-op website, Crazy Lizard Studios.

And sent in by Rakeesh Sars Tark, several pics of Scott. He's done a couple other views here,   back view this time. Between that and last week's pic, Seems as though many Scott fans (same as with Dani fans) are popping out of the woodwork lately!  Now he's got a very cute, cartoony look going on as his 3'9" self swipes Scott's sunglasses. Lisa's apparently not the only one with surprise pounce experience.


Visit The Menagerie

Well, to get the best of both words, an ILLUSTRATED story by Tim Bram, a crossover with the world of Erath, (no that isn't a typo). Martin the Transmorph finds himself lost in the world of the CMers; excellent spotlight on Dani in some fish-out-of-water drama. 

And by caffeinemonger Eddie Canis, a prank I wish *I* had played on my coffee-dependent college roommate...hiding the coffee! Of course, Brad's going to go on the rampage as soon as he finds it...  

Yow! Huge picture by Katie Wong, a group shot of all nine CMers and a few of her real-life friends, including herself (purple-haired) cat, surrogate Lisa-snuggletoy Kalaroo, jealous raccoon Corwin, and Sandee, Cinna, and Chris (see dialogue). Excellent characterizations and setup...poor Tony :-)

From Jen Seng, what happens if you toss a Guile-ified Damon into the Street Fighter arena with a Cammy-flaged Lisa. (For those of you who remember video games before Pokemon). For lots and lots of REAL artwork, ditch this strip and hop over to Jen's Toonapalooza, where anime, Looney Tunes, and Guile (and Cammy) collide. Ouch!

Something REALLY Unexpected 2000

illustrated by Zillford-X

And...well, the most unusual submission I've gotten. It's a fanfic...of a fanfic. That's right, a complete reinterpretation of Ivica's "Something Unexpected", above. Matt Wolf reconstructed it into "Something REALLY Unexpected", where Mikey gets...a boyfriend (see the intro for a thorough explanation). Though you obviously should consider it to be a "what if?" story and not canon to TCM, you decide whether it is a parody, tribute, both, or neither.

Thomas K. Dye of Newshounds fame (yes, the crack canine news team that has been sighted a few times in this strip before ;-) has drawn up seven of the CMers here. Being a short person who's always relegated to being near the front row in group shots, I appreciated seeing some of the taller guys shoved to the front for once, with the predicted results.

And from Alexandra Herakai, creator of the comic Paladin's Haven, a double-cameo in strips. Lisa and Mikey guest star with Col, Kane and Kiyat, in coming up with excuses for snuggling (as if an excuse is needed) ;-) First, a trade-off, then, a pay-off. Bwahaha!


Intersections

Not long after getting a fanfic of a fanfic, I've gotten a fanfic of the forum (cuz we party in the forum, doncha know)! Askre wrote a sci-fi/adventure story involving Tony, Mikey and Scott in a crossover with the characters of several of our buds on the message board, and Timberbram, one of the guys involved, even illustrated it! Woo-hoo!  

Balance

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Something Completely
Different


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The Fifth Quarter
illustrated by Zillford-X
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Wagons East

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Bombs Away

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Mirror Mirror

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Shallows and Depths

Loxley has created a couple stories already. First, Balance. Lisa and Damon seem to make a good couple, don't they? Picture them happily married and employed. Then picture Damon answering an unsual call to duty one cold, stormy night...

Something Completely Different Change of pace; what if the cast worked on a research starship, far in the future, but in similar roles. Be prepared for some heart-string tugging when a fateful decision must be made after mechanical failure strikes... 

The Fifth Quarter. The Gridiron storyline ended rather abruply, so this story continues it with Lisa actually joining the DeMontfort Gryphons football team and finding herself way in over her head...but finding there are many potential rewards as well, including some very far-reaching ones.. 

And he's has started on another story, Wagons East, where Kevin prepares to embark on a most unusual trip across the country, and finds himself an even more unusual partner. It's only starting out, but with Loxley's track record, it promises to to be a good one.

Want to see Denise again? Ever thought the CMers were a bit too clean-cut and nerdy and needed to try being a little more naughty? This isn't the most light-hearted fanfic, I must warn you, but it's a nice change of pace from the norm. Go to Loxley's page and look for the Bombs Away link.  
Even more Denise? Happy couple Kevin and Denise are driving one stormy night, and suddenly...well,  it's a bit a trip to the Twilight Zone. But, it has Ryan and Mikey in it, and they don't try to kill each other. That's gotta be worth something? Click here, and go to the Mirror Mirror link
This time he's focusing on drill team captain Kim. And the title, Shallows and Depths (look for the link), in a surprsing turn, doesn't refer to Kim's vacuousness. Instead, Kim's quite the Indepedent Woman, successfully juggling her job, house, and the drill team as well as cute guys...and finds adventure when an oil spill and two activists surface in her backyard...

" Lord Emsworth" recreates a scene from Watership Down, a confrontation of a rabbit and cat with the captioned dialogue, but with Kim Greenwald and Kevin filling the roles. Poor Kevin... Also, Ryan Spottiswoode's attempts at entrapment on Mikey seem increasingly twisted and dangerous, much like a certain other nemesis of a round-eared mouse. Thanks to KantanaWolf for his coloring job on it, too! And then, playing off a long, long forum injoke about ponytails and who has them or not; here's how Ryan might look with one (and if he felt very, very relaxed that day, too). The subject of defenstration is a common one on the forum, so here it claims its most deserving subject (you don't know what defenestration is? The pic is self-explanatory). Additionally, Brad's arms aren't an unusually common topic, but there are supporters, so a pic indulging in that is featured here as well. Inspired by the penultimate strip of Photo Finish, he created a picture of Brad and Kevin masquerading as Super Chicken and Fred, the classic avian/feline cartoon team that inspired the punchline.

CM Haikus

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Hook Line & Sinker

PunkTiger makes his first submission, with a collection of haikus. Two haikus per character, even color coded for your convenience. Amazing what you can do with a limited amount of syllables.

And Octapus started a game that challenges people come up with the craziest, most outrageous opening lines for a potential CM fanfic. And, well, Punktiger took someone up on their idea, and Hook Line and Sinker immortalizes "Scott cursed himself for going on this fishing trip with Brad as he sat in the whale's stomach" as the iguana and jayhawk...uh, go on a fishing trip and Scott ends up in a whale's sto--ah, just read it!

A couple pieces from Ms Satyrical. Due to popular request, she's created a nice wallpaper of Dani in an ethereal medieval setting, with positively bewitching eyes. And she also attempted to make me feel better about my depiction of women in TCM with her own comic strip, but I'm still not convinced, she does quite a lovely job herself :-)

UUN's Flash
animations

Can't resist posting these. UUN (sorry, another person I just realized I don't have the full name of) has created two little Flash programs as practice. You can make Mikey dance (yikes!) or beat up Kevin (scroll down that page for some bonus art, too ;-). Hee hee.   

CM wallpapers

Creideiki keeps the wallpapers coming. He's graciously reformatted the Lisa auction pic from last fall with a new background, making it into a wallpaper. They're the "Hugs" below.  Everything is stored as a zip, which was the easiest way to archive them...if you don't have an unzipper, we can find another way to get them to you:
Scott 1024 x 768

Scott 1280 x 1024

Brad 800 x 600

Brad 1024 x 768

Brad 1280 x 1024

Kevin 1024 x 768

Kevin 1280 x 1024

Kevin 800 x 600

Dani 1024 x 768

Dani 1280 x 1024

Lisa 1024 x 768

Lisa 1280 x 1024

Lisa 800 x 600

Tony winamp skin

Hugs 800 x 600

Mikey 1024 x 768

Mikey 1280 x 1024

Mikey 800 x 600 Lisa Winamp skin

Hugs 1024 x 768

Denise 800 x 600

Denise 1024 x 768 Denise 1024 x 768 #2 (color sample)

Hugs 1280 x 1024

And we got a LOT of art here from Zillford-X, who has been crankin' out art like nobody's business and is really getting the hang of duplicating my style! In addition to two original pieces, a stylin' pic of Mikey and a somewhat more typical situation for Mikey, he's illustrated several of the stories on this page.

The Girl, The Guy, And The Gundam

Illustration by Zillford-X

A bit of romance from R. Therrien. This explores the possibility of Dani and Kevin becoming an item, a prospect that seems to entice quite a few of you out there. This story goes the extra mile, with the pair sharing a bit of their past as they get to know each other better.

Filks!

These filks are songs, sometimes based on the tunes of other songs, but with lyrics applicable to the CM. There's been quite a few created by various people on the forum, so Simon Jester (of The Crudely Drawn Adventures of Kan Kong fame) was kind enough to collect and host them.
Believe it or not, one of them has even been recorded as an a capella demo, by C.J! ;-) Another testament to the community of reader submissions, the first is Me & Lisa by the Auditorium, based on CJ's Laziness Shall Not Be Tolerated! (below), and a more general theme song for the strip, The Class Menagerie. I'm blushingly flattered by the honor :-).  

The Elevator Between Worlds/Student Commander Altaica

And from the railroading lion, LionkingCMSL, some of the CM crew has a brief crossover with LK's crew within their universe (check out his site for more backstory on them; a very epic, sci-fi setup featuring his personal character and chief of security Altaica).  And then there's the followup , sending Altaica to try to adapt to DeMontfort's environment.

You Never Expect This

A brief piece from Octapus seems to hint that there could be a more serious side to Mikey's obsessiveness with good help. Could there possibly be some dangerous problems at hand? Next, Cindy's gotten quite a few makeovers lately.  First it was as a rockin' guitar player, now she's a goth, courtesy of a recolor by . I'm going to have to start creating some edgier characters so people can do fanart of them as goody-two-shoes ;-)  Next, well, saying what's been done this time would spoil the surprise.  But suffice to say, it's Lisa and Kevin, with a complete makeover!  

Goldeneye: CM Style!

And Sniper3 has created...well, he requested to describe it in his own words: "A parody of the ever-classic James Bond, 007 movie, mixxed in with sections of other movies.....A keeper, for sure. This one's as twisted as a mountain road...And a surprise ending that not even Vince himself would expect...."

Stay Awhile

Acheron has created the multichapter Stay Awhile. Darran and Erik, two Canadian exchange students, find themselves placed in the first floor of Richter Hall.  They make friends quickly, impressing even Dani, and perhaps she's even found a kindred spirit in the gentlemanly and sophisticated Darran...or more...

TwoDifferentSox has created this cute little image of Dani on the rampage as always, and everyone's lying low, but not quite low enough. Think of it as a game of "Spot the CMer" :-) And a somewhat different look at everyone's favorite 'roo, the Anti-Mikey. Embodying everything Mikey disapproves of! Isn't he....uh...cute?  Yikes. 

Nobody Wants To Be Lonely

Rodney Dean, aka Kanaeda Kuonji, has prepared yet another new concept to me, a songfic. Based on the hit duet by Ricky Martin/Christina Aguilera, Nobody Wants To Be Lonely follows up Nemeses, as Denise and Kevin realize they'll have to cope with going to separate schools. The lyrics are interspersed with the story, but fortunately they aren't followed to the letter :-)

Something Unexpected: The MiST!

Eslington has once again taken another twist on the ever popular Something Unexpected fanfic, and this time he's MISTed it (for those of you who don't know the concept, it's a good-natured ribbing of an original work by commentators). And Eslington's been in the MIST business for awhile, so check out his page...

Ms Mutanimal has Ryan devising a very unusual revenge against Tony. Well, he IS a bull. A touch morbid, perhaps, but Tony has such a hilariously confused expression on his face. "Moo?"

CY, creator of the comic strip College Catastrophe, has a completely unexpected pose and expression for Biff. Awww!  It's...it's...kyoot! Almost makes you feel sorry for him. Almost.

Sheryl Schopfer created a couple comic strips related to the CM; one a more personal reflection of hers, and the other with Dani and Kevin discussing a holiday I have not exploited enough :-) Due to Geocities'dislike of offsite links, you'll have to click on the page and then find the "Class Menagerie" link at the bottom, in the "Fan Art" section.

At CF12 this year, I ran into Marcy Osedo, aka Ponygirl, whose artwork I'd been following for the past few months. She's an animation student who specializes in pretty female horses, and when I saw her art I thought her style was PERFECT for a pic of Cindy. So I managed to get her to do an adorable sketchbook pic of Cindy, and later, Marcy also drew up this chance meeting of her personal character and Cindy--more or less exemplifying how our meeting at CF went :-)

Matt has created a cute stylized image of four CMers in an outdoor scene, chillin' by the street near the dorm. Cool detail and layout on the background, and gotta love those feet!

T. Kafka is working on a 3-D animation sequence for a fight scene between Biff and his character Titus.  Looks incredible so far, and he's given me a preview image to show what to expect. I wonder who'll win ;-)

Mapojie_dark's character Katt meets up with Scott, and iguana-boy looks quite surprised by the encounter... is it the big, bewitching eyes? The pink fur? Or the fact that she hasn't beat him up yet? ;-) Hm. Apparently he's not the only one taking a close look...   

Next, Skrenos Fox did some excellent reinterpretations of four CMers in "South Park" style.  It's a lot harder to pull off than it looks...I've tried.  So far, Mikey, Kevin, Brad, and Tony are up for viewing. Oh my god, they killed Mikey....! And he also did a quick little sketch of a very happy Mikey. He's so cute it's disgusting! It's Mikey, of course it's disgusting! Lemme guess, he's happy that someone was forced to pull an all-nighter, right? What? Me, BIASED against someone? Never! ;-)

And Paperdove has a different spin on Damon and Lisa...the two most perky characters as...goths?!  Somehow, it works, especially on Lisa, although black lipstick always scares me. Colorized by Loxley.

Heh, and a gift from a friend was a commission of Scott and Dani in the roles of Ryo (aka Joe) Saeba and Kaori of the anime series City Hunter.  Essentially, Joe is a poor man's James Bond, a suave (well, he thinks he is) gun-for-hire who is truly an incredible shot and an even more incredible pervert; his tomboyish partner Kaori is constantly trying to keep him in line--usually by very comically violent means. Needless to say, Scott/Dani fit the respective roles pretty well.
So, the commission, completed on an actual cel(!) by the wacky Ms Krishva, shows the pair in one of the most typical City Hunter (Scotty Hunter?) poses.  Don't ask where she got the hammer, nobody knows ;-)  Thanks to everyone involved! Hee hee. 

Anthrocyte decided that Poker Strips needed an alternate ending, one that humiliated the guys a littele more.  I can't argue with that. So he's started one, not completed yet, but to be augmented soon. I hope the ending has to do with patches of poison oak ;-)

Also, from S. Calder and the crew of his proposed comic strip Call It A Living (where other online comic strips are like TV shows to his characters), Selkie falls victim to nonupdating browsers (no, this isn't a crack at Keenspot or my tendency to resurrect old inkings ;-). Hopefully he's happy with Tony being shown a bit more in the current crossover.

Then, a purposeful throwback to an earlier period in this, er, the prior century. JimRob, of Tooth and Claw, did a piece of Kevin and Mikey in a boat, and did an incredible job of duplicating the inking style and decidedly different use of English of the era. I'm not quite sure what's going on, but I think that makes it even more fun. What exactly DOES "frabjous" mean, anyways? 

Lastly, Dan Frioli of The Crudely Drawn Adventures of Kan Kong takes a decidedly different view of Cindy. Well, the girl's gotta have some kinda hobby, right? And you know me (or you should if you've been paying any attention at all ;-), I'm a sucker for female musicians!

The Valley of Deceit

Jellisky pens an epic storyline, where a group of the CMers and some new-found friends are transported to a fantasy world by a magical spell.  Medieval swords, sorcery, and monsters about and they try to find their way home, as well as who is responsible for summoning them in the first place.  Complete with illustrations, by Tim Bram to boot!

From "The J.A.M." As a sort of tribute to Laziness Shall Not Be Tolerated , The J.A.M. hath written a further extension of the tournament, this time with Dani taking up the fight with The J.A.M. himself. It captures the feel of LSNBT's comedic tone with serious, involved fights, and for you Dani fans, LOTS of clipboard action. It's in Microsoft Word format, but there's been difficulty converting in the past so for now we'll see if that's sufficient. 

From Susan Jones, creator of Misty...the hapless Teddy thinks Dani should've gotten a little more involved with the Bikeeni pics this summer. So, here's Dani's most eloquent response. Ooh, that's gonna leave a mark ;-) Somehow, by a little confusion (or was it supposed to happen that way? ;-) in communication, the topic shifted to Dani wearing a teddy. So here she is, in one that leaves little very to the imagination, and I wager you won't need your imagination to guess her reaction to the situation ;-)

Murder Mystery

A trio of solve-it yourself murder mysteries were given to me around Halloween 2001. The first was   written by TwoDifferentSox. This mystery is a definite nod to the old Clue board game, with the CMers all roleplaying suspects in a locked-room murder on a stormy night. Can you figure out the culprit before Mikey does? 

The Class Murder

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The Class Melange

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Biff's Gridiron Diary

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More...

Nick Ball of Needle and Thread has created the second one. Pull out your magnifying glass and investigate the crime scene, the university museum, then vote on who you think did it in the poll. The ending may surprise you... Also, he's written The Class Melange, his multi-chapter mockumentary of DeMontfort life. A hapless film crew follows the CMers thru various misadventures of their daily life ranging from dorm meetings to standardized exams, usually involving the crew being bopped unconscious. Y'know, there's a lot of cable stations out there, but I don't know who'd want to broadcast THIS documentary.  Now he's created a few pages of Biff's Gridiron Diary.  It's an absolute spot-on peek into the mind...uh, well, at least, the life of everyone's favorite boorish lion!  If that weren't enough (and it never is), he's taken Resid-Ant Evil and more or less done a complete reworking of all the dialogue into something totally different...perhaps even crass? While I normally don't recommend this for budding fanfic authors, he's a trusted writer, and besides, I'm rolling on the ground too much to slap him with a lawsuit. Imagine if the the CMers were recruited to advertise products! That's right, a test run of ads featuring the entire cast!  I'll make millions!  Who knew one little product could change all their lives?  And I'm annoyed to admit it, but Mikey's is the best!  I neglected to mention the solution to murder mystery Spare The Rod was posted, so take a peek to see if you guessed correctly. Also observe him deconstructing other people's works, like his severe miscalculations of Something Really Unexpected, and his poetic justice against Mirror Mirror.   

Shot in the Dark

Lastly but not least(ly?), Rei Nakazawa rounds out the mysteries. Tragedy strikes happy newlyweds Tony and Cindy, and the culprit somehow finds his way around two locked doors as Scott tries his hand at elementary deduction. Did you reach the same conclusion he did? 

From Larry-boy, a computer-generated image of the exterior of Richter Hall. Lovely brick rendering, although they seem to have visitors that, for once, can cause more collateral damage than the residents inside....

Ms KS Claw also sent me a whole bag o' artsy stuff! She likes to abuse some of the guys, and I'm sure not arguing ;-)  I've got too many readers who want to hit on Mikey; she's solved that problem. Her char Nightkill can be a pain in the tail...no, that's not a euphemism. Scott, dressed to kill, as KS's Viper. Okay, we've abused lizard-boy enough. He gets a bit of a break and a snuggle. Biff the chew-toy! I like the sound of that. Sorry, Biff, *you* don't get a break. Scott has a certain stripey feline admirer. Seems like he's finally getting the attenion he feels he deserves. And next, KS may like lizards, but she definitely has something she doesn't like. Mikey fans, turn your eyes away! The rest of you SANE people ;-) have a gander at a comic with some cute facial expressions and a punchline that I certainly enjoyed...!

Here's some art from Raff Logan . A pic of Scott, just as Scott always likes to see himself (the title says it all). Of course, he does always wear those dark sunglasses, so he must not see very well. Still, Raff did an incredible job of capturing Scott's attitude and swagger in the pose here. It's all about attitude, baby!   And he's  also created a fun little pic based on this strip. Lisa teaches her specialty to attentive student Mikey, with a puzzled Brad looking on.  Prepare your insulin shots, Mikey looks horrendously kyoote with his arms up like a real 'roo.  And I LOVE the texturing everywhere, especially on Mikey

Bubba Brown" sent this pic of Kevin meeting the network gestapo. Seems that Kev's been naughty about using campus resources. So, Cameron and Nostradamus (who really isn't as scary as he looks, I'm told--I don't think I'd really care to argue), confront Kevin for a friendly little chat. Nice to see someone besides Dani knows how to get things done around this dorm.  Heh-heh. Floss.

From Nobody Important, a pic of Kevin at his favorite pasttime--what's your guess? E-mailing? Coding? Homework? Or just good ol' goofing off? ;-) The sorta anime-ish hair is cute change of pace, no?

Courtesy of my longtime bud J. Alexander, here's a cool pic of Kevin and Tony. Love the attention to detail, especially on Kev's jacket, and how often do you get to see an anime-ish bull (with the same jawline)? Many thanks, pal! :-) Plus, a kyoot picture of Lisa dancing! Shake that tail! The queen of kawaii is definitely suited for an anime look--Mikey doesn't know what he's missing. ^_-  And thankfully, her taste in music appears not to be as horrifying as some people might suspect ;-)

Tywulf has created an image of Kevin getting back to his Japanese roots. The anime/manga were always present, of course (this particular one is Chobits featuring an android catfemme), but this also includes incense, bottled tea (no, not Snapple), and his name in kanji. It'd be an obscure but fun reference if I titled this "All Purpose Cultural Catguy Kevin Neko--" (anyone, anyone?)

WyldThunder has been busy; with a rather sly-looking portrait of Kevin. Also, there's a pic of Cindy with that special someone . Altogether, everyone, "Awwwwwww..." She's also done the 303 roomies and Cindy with an evening makeover  as well as a  realistic-styled pic.

A Day In The Life

Rognik has just completed his story too, although it's only available in the forum. A Day In The Life is NOT another Mikey fanfic (glee!), instead focusing on Tony. Remember him? Yeah, he's still in the strip. Anyways, he finds his hands full with a new friend. A very friendly friend. Who won't take no for an answer. Tony might prefer being left out of fanfics after this ;-)

Shattered Sunset

So far it's only relegated to the forum, but Rhys Dragonsinger has created a fic with the CMers volunteering (as much as anything can be volunteering with Dani around) at fund-raising event, Shattered Sunset. A good time is had by all, particularly Dani, who might have discovered an unexpected attraction. Of course, with a title like that, something's got to go wrong, right? Maybe...

the I Hate You saga

John "Tucker" Tabler augmented his chapters of roommate stories with #10, a CM crossover! Kevin, Tony, and Mikey (bwahaha) meet up with Hick Wolfe and his roommates for a memorable weekend of Compucon, chocolate, and...duct tape (bwahaha). Incidentally, I recommend the other chapters, provided you're forewarned they're not written for kiddies. I just find them the perfect counterpart for the squeaky-clean goody two-shoes CMers; Tucker writes about what REAL bachelor roommate life is like ;-) 

I'd always wanted a sketchbook pic of Mikey from Marci McAdam, one of the indisputed queens of cute (she did an especially wicked cake-decorating in the Iron Artist at Further Confusion this year). I figured my little fluffball kangaroo would fit her style perfectly. But I got it! And he does! Beware the kyootness!  Thanks, Marci!

WinAmp Skins

Courtesy of Smithburg, there's six more winamp skins. Again, I have no way to view these so I'm trusting him in their content, but if you've got Winamp, you might wanna have a peek. So here's Kevin, Dig, Damon, Deadly Combination, Tony & Cindy, and Spiritwolf...oh and don't forget Mikey, as much as I'd like you to ;-)  Plus, there's kyoot a pic of Lisa and her favorite dolly (scroll down to the bottom). Snugs galore!

Did get this one new cool pic on the forum from Teague Tysseling, creator of The Adventures of Captain Mooki.He's actually created a rather poignant piece, Dani having a dream about what college life should be like for her... It must be what keeps her going.  Maybe someday. Incredible shading job, tho I pity his black marker ;-). One of the final pics I got was sweet little image of Dani all curled up with her clipboard (and it's actually being used the way it was intended), happier than she has been in the last few strips. Looks like her charges have given her something to remember them by. STUNNING coloring job on it too.

Got an adorable little piece from Kim Kirkdorfer, a sort of going away gift for the closing of the strip. Her character Bloodhound gives Tony a little tutoring. Has to be one of the sweetest pics I've seen of Tony, perfectly capturing his gentle, tentative nature, with those big warm brown eyes. You can easily read the patience on Bloodhound's face too ;-)  Thanks much!  

Courtesy of Richard Wyatt, some illustrations of CJ's LSNBT fanfic. Specifically, from Chapter 15, drawing specific moves from the boxing-ring promo match between Michelle and Mikey. As much as (you know me) I wish there were some moves of Mikey losing, the action is fantastic and Mikey's floofy! Plus, he had a distinct idea of how Mack should've been taken care of, and he was pretty close to my eventual outcome. Only with flying teeth, heh-heh. Hopefully it's not the last of the abuse these drunken clods get :-)

From Oliver Simons of Aurora Cab, a portrait of two vehicular-obsessed felines. You might think Jamie would be a bit less inclined to be chummy if he'd ever spent time on the road WITH Kevin, but hey, cab drivers gotta be skilled enough to steer clear.  Check out Aurora Cab for some laughs and exceptionally drawn automobiles!   

And from Ryuu Majin, some drawings of Kevin, Mikey/Lisa, and Tony/Cindy. Anime fan Kevin of course works perfectly in the style. More Mikey-ponytail action (::::Vince steps aside to let the stampede thru:::) plus a really nice example of lost equilibrium. And there's been lots of kyoot shy Tony art lately, and this one's no exception. These are great, thanks much! Also, a fully colored piece of Lisa tailing Mikey. Ever see "Back to the Future"? But she's having such a good time (the word balloon says it all), and Mikey as always is totally clueless. I, personally, am with Tony :-)  

Gneech (you'd better recognize that name by now!) has Lisa spilling the beans about a certain recently discovered secret to her favorite professor. Tsk tsk. Aw, she looks so darn happy, how can you blame her?  Then again, with the skeletons in the closet he's had with his family, I don't see him blabbing anytime soon.   

Next, the frustratingly low-key (but these are too good not to share) HybridIguana did some headshots of my cast, both the animal AND human versions. His very clean animation style shows a blend of influences and a knack for capturing the little details that make the characters distinctive.  I particularly like the uberhappy Lisa, the more species-accurate Scott, the snarly Brad and the very elegant Cindy. 

Hee hee! Timeerkat  popped out some adorable button-eyed headshots of  some of the cast. I feel like I should watching them on Saturday morning TV or something. Kawaii!

From Eric TigerFox, Kevin is understandably puzzled how his new acquaintance got certain feline traits. Plus he did a pic of Mikey and another active pasttime. This time, he's trying to take up a new hobby, and as always, overdoing it. HIGHLY coincidental to anyone who's been following the forums, too :-)

Komrade has started a series of stories involving the OTHERS in Richter Hall. Such as, say the ones NOT on the third floor? Well, he's now got a whole series devoted to Richter 2. Join a full floor of new characters looking at the CM storylines from another point of view, including new takes on Resid-Ant Evil, Incognito, and more!

I should have gotten this up earlier. Alan Foreman's ROPE WAR features several Keenspot characters duking it out in a tug of war. Guess which CMer made the cut? Take a look! Warm up those forearm muscles first, tho, it's not as easy as it looks ;-)

I'm gathering up some of the images I did at Further Confusion a couple weeks back. Just some samples of sketchbook commissions (see Vince draw. See Vince struggle coming up with ideas on the spot. See Vince sob. Sob, Vince, sob!) and other artistic hastiness. And my rundown on the con itself is in the

I have no idea where I'm going to store this non-strip material, so I'm leaving it here for now.
Monday's pic of Michelle & Denise, Tuesday's sketchbook pages, Page 1, Page 2, Page 3, and Pages 4, 5, and 6, Wednesday's Top 10 Things You Didn't Know About The CM, Images of the month: January, FebruaryApril, and September (back to school), and the original *prose* version of Move-In Day: Part 1 and Part 2.

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