The Dark Side of Stumpville (Part 1 of 2)

The Dark Side of Stumpville (Part 1 of 2)

Posted by Brian • May 13, 2016

Original Release Date: February 17, 2001

There is some intense, artist evolution happening in this comic. There are shadows. There are silhouettes! There's a diagonal panel border. Extraordinary work. I feel as though Mike and the Ninja reached new and exciting heights with this page.

The mundane sound effects, such as "point" and "stare fixedly into distance" are ripped off from The Tick. Not those exact sound effects, but similar ones, including "loud noise" and "control remotely." While I can't claim the idea as my own, these boring sound effects stuck throughout the series and became something of a fan favorite.

The Golden Girls references became a minor running gag—it pops up again a couple more times later in the series in some form or another. Even as a high school boy, I know the magnitude of and greatness of The Golden Girls.