From: rdippold@qualcom.qualcomm.com (Ron Dippold)
Subject: Re: Annotated Slapstick #3
Organization: Qualcomm, Inc., San Diego, CA
Date: Tue, 24 Nov 1992 04:09:22 GMT

dvandom@magnus.acs.ohio-state.edu (Dave Van Domelen) writes:
>Okay, this will NOT be complete, since I am not Obscure Trivia Lad.

Argh, you SOB, you beat me!  I shall have my revenge!  Okay, here's
some more stuff.

>Title: Sweeny Toddler - reference to Sweeney Todd, but I don't know the plot of
>  Sweeny Todd.  Sorry.

Sweeny Todd is a barber who kills his customers so his neighbor can
make them into pies.  It's probably being used because Gaiman and
McKean are doing a run of it (starting in Taboo #7) and there's been a
big fuss about it.

>p1: Marvel Monsterpieces time. "Krogarr!  He Lives!  He Conquers!"

>p2: Spragg, Goom, Brutu, Moomba and Zzutak are all Marvel Monsters (the
>"Spragg" clued me in.  He has Godzilla's back condition, climbs the Empire
>State like Kong, and has the jaw of (I think) Krogarr.

His back looks JUST like the Godzilla costume (MST 3K just did
Godzilla Vs. the Sea Monsters).

>p3: Universal Pictures 1933 is the company and year of King Kong.  "Nice goin'
>Squid" must mean Slapstick is secretly Suicide Squid. }->

That sure looks like Miss Grundy as the teacher.  The "Larry's Lunch"
guy is Larry Kubiak from Parker Lewis Can't Lose, the girl behind him
is Blossom from the stupid series of the same name.  Can't place the
blonde and the tie guy.  Anyone?  The blonde could be Torri Spelling
from 90210.

>p4: nothing that isn't self evident, really.

p8: The Friday the 13th Jason Takes Manhattan poster is real...
Underneath, he's got a picture of the Addams Family.  The stuffed
bunny has fangs.

>p9:  Addams Family house (or at least a similar design).  The typeface of
>"--The Denton Residence" is your standard Horror Title type.  The lightning
>everytime the Denton Residence is mentioned is a homage to the Frau Blucher
>(krak-boom!) from Young Frankenstein.

>p10:  Yes, we're supposed to think Vinnie at first is the Overkiller, from his 
>outline.  There's probably a refernce in Vinnie's number, but I don't know it.

>p11:  Lots of WB cartoon mad scientist stuff, and Acme kits.  "No more 
>pencils..." is a common schoolyard ditty, for those who escaped hearing it as a
>kid.  "It's Alive! IT'S ALIVE!" is of course, a Frankenstein ref.

His speech is standard Marvel mad genius stuff...

p13: In case we hadn't guessed it, he lives in New York.  Has anything
been said about this before?


>p16:  "Teddy <insertverb>" is another parody of old Hulk dialogue.

The speech is straight Kirby villian.  Oliver Denton looks
suspiciously like Billy Blaze from Commander Keen.

p17:  He CAN be knocked out...


>p18:  Odd how a solid seamless block can elongate at the turn of a crank. }->

>p19: The burnt Slapstick in panel 1 looks like most burnt WB cartoon characters
>tend to.  Panel 4, Slapstick resembles a Goofy Service Jerk from Beanworld, but
>this may be accidental.  Panel 5, do you really need to be told?

Panel 4 is Peter Bagge "Hate" style.


>p20: First of several Megaton Man refs in panel 1.

>p23: Hero of the Beach refers to a jillion old Charles Atlas ads.  The last 
>panel is a homage to the cover of Megaton Man #1, with Barb in Pammy's 
>position, saying "Woo" which is a Megs line.

Oliver is wearing the same bunny slippers as the Overkiller!

p25: Those aren't fish in the goldfish bowl...  more Squid?

>p28:  Panel 2, reference to Slack, a Subgenius concept (yes, I know he meant 
>slack in the cord, but metaphorically he was also out of Slack).  Panels 3-6 he
>literally throws a Monkey Wrench in the works.

panel 8 has to be a reference to something.  Tarzan is obvious, but
I'm thinking something more specific.


Any chance of this turning into a regular series?  Could they keep it up?
-- 
I do the work of three men - Larry, Moe, and Curly.
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