Comic PSA: Don’t Poke
by Ellie Coral

Comic PSA: Don’t Poke

Here’s a bit of incomprehensible horror for your day.

Panel 1 - Two boys stand on a beach in silhouette. They lean over a ray-type creature with a long tail. The husky boy pokes at the creature with his fishing rod - Boy 1 asks, You think it's dead? - Boy 2 says, Looks it. - The creature makes a SQUEESH sound as it's poked. - Panel 2 - Someone off-panel yells, Hold it! - The boys stare in amazement.

Panel 1 - Vinny stands with his arms crossed, looking stern. Off-panel, the boys yell in unison, Vinny from Red Vox?! - Panel 2 - Vinny stands between the two boys, arms stretched out as he speaks. The boys listen in rapt attention. The creature, still being poked by the fishing rod, is quivering. - Vinny says, "Hey chat, nature is pretty cool... but we gotta respect it, too.

Panel 1 - A closeup of the creature. It has wobbly diamond-shaped eyes and a crooked mouth with pointy teeth. The fishing rod has been jammed against its upper teeth. It's quivering, staring down at the rod. - Off-panel, Vinny says, And that means not poking at something we don't unders-- - Panel 2 - The creature sprouts six legs and begins arching itself. It bites the fishing rod. Vinny and the boys leap back in terror. - Vinny yells, Oh shit it's got legs.

The creature has grown in size. It raises its six clawed limbs in the air. It shrieks into the air as Vinny and the boys cower in silhouette form.

The creature dives into the murky water with a solid SPLISH. On the beach, Vinny and the boys stare out at the water. Vinny quietly says, Well. Good luck, New Jersey.

Ah, don’t worry, New Jerseyians are a tough lot. They’ll probably give the creature its own reality show in the hopes of boosting tourism.

The last comic looked rather smooth and clean. Nothing wrong with that, but I want a slightly grungy feel to these, just short of photocopying elements to paste on normal printer paper (although that might be a fun experiment).

“Ellie, since you’re referencing Red Vox, won’t you draw some music-related stuff at some point?” For you, hypothetical reader, I will draw some fretting next time.